Chapter 224 Borrowing Money
Although Liu Ergou had tried to speak in the calmest tone possible, his words still held a hint of impatience and anger. This took Hu Jing by surprise.
Hadn't her aunt assured her? That when she came to find Liu Ergou today, he would surely talk to her nicely and wouldn't get angry? This wasn't what she'd been told at all.
Just as Hu Jing was about to ask Wu Guifang why things were so different from what she had imagined, she suddenly realized something. She had arrived too early. A moment ago, Liu Ergou's sister-in-law was still calling for him to get up.
Who wouldn't be grumpy when they first wake up?
Thinking of this, Hu Jing felt it was perfectly reasonable, so she decided not to dwell on the matter. Instead, she took a thick folder from her bag and handed it to Liu Ergou.
Liu Ergou looked at the folder Hu Jing handed him, his face full of puzzlement. "Huh? What's this? Why are you suddenly giving me such a thick folder?"
"I recall telling you that I am definitely not going to plant corn, so I won't be signing any contracts. You prepared all this way too early!"
Hearing Liu Ergou's words, Hu Jing realized he had misunderstood her and immediately explained, "No, you misunderstood. I know you aren't interested in planting corn."
"What I've brought isn't a contract; it's a business plan for the corn project. You can take a quick look and then give me a definitive answer!"
Looking at the business plan Hu Jing handed him, Liu Ergou couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Initially, he thought her idea of planting corn was just a whim, or maybe she was just bored and wanted to antagonize him. He never expected the girl was actually serious. She had even prepared such a thick business plan.
At this thought, Liu Ergou froze on the spot, uncertain whether he should even look at the document.
Seeing Liu Ergou standing there dumbfounded, Hu Jing couldn't help but frown. After a good while, when Liu Ergou still hadn't reacted, she couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "It's very impolite to just stand there in a daze."
"Even if you really disagree with my plan, you should at least look at it!"
Chided by Hu Jing, Liu Ergou snapped back to reality. However, he still had no intention of taking the business plan, as her attitude had displeased him.
Wu Guifang, who had come along, saw the atmosphere shifting and immediately stepped in to persuade him. "Er Gou, you really shouldn't be daydreaming like this. She's handing it to you, so at least take a look. You can still refuse if you don't like it! It's no big deal!"
At this moment, Xu Yulan happened to pass by. When she heard Wu Guifang's words, her mouth fell open in shock.
In her memory, Wu Guifang had never spoken so kindly. Her words were always so sharp and biting. Where was this advisory tone coming from?
Hearing Wu Guifang put it that way, Liu Ergou felt too embarrassed to refuse any longer and reluctantly took the business plan from Hu Jing. He casually flipped through a few pages before closing the thick folder and handing it back.
"I've seen it. Sorry, but I'm still not interested."
"I'll be blunt. My herb cultivation comes with an absolute guarantee. You should understand that while it's nominally me planting the herbs, there are other people behind me."
"And your corn? It's just you. Can you guarantee you'll make a profit and not a loss?"
Hearing this, Hu Jing's expression turned ugly. Since Liu Ergou had made his position so clear, if she were to stay and shamelessly try to persuade him to plant corn, she would just be proving she didn't know what was good for her. There was no need to stay any longer.
With that thought, Hu Jing didn't say another word. She picked up her thick business plan and turned to walk out of the yard. She moved so quickly that by the time Wu Guifang reacted, Hu Jing had already reached the main gate and was about to leave.
Seeing this, Wu Guifang couldn't help but roll her eyes at Liu Ergou and say irritably, "Er Gou, didn't you promise you'd do this for my sake? Is this what you call giving me face?"
Just as Liu Ergou was about to answer Wu Guifang, Hu Jing, who had reached the gate, suddenly lost her balance and fell hard on the ground. The fall was so solid that her eyes welled up with tears, and she almost cried out.
Liu Ergou, who had been about to speak, forgot all about answering Wu Guifang when he saw this. He dashed over, grabbed Hu Jing's arm, and pulled her up from the ground. His hand then naturally wrapped around her waist.
Then, Liu Ergou said with a grin, "What's the big rush to leave? Are you in such a hurry to go home and get married?"
Hearing Liu Ergou's teasing words, Hu Jing couldn't help but glare at him fiercely before snapping, "Marry my ass!"
"Are you sick or something? You're not even working with me, so why should I stick around? Do I look like some kind of shameless person to you? Ridiculous!"
As she spoke, Hu Jing reached back to rub her sore backside, not even noticing that Liu Ergou's arm was still around her waist.
Looking at the fuming Hu Jing, Liu Ergou wasn't angry. He simply smiled and continued, "Why such a temper?"
"Hear me out. Even though I'm not interested in growing corn, we can still talk. You're looking for a partner because you don't have the money, right?"
"You can think about it differently. I might not partner with you, but you could borrow the money from me!"
At those words, the once-furious Hu Jing froze on the spot, staring blankly at Liu Ergou.
She racked her brain but couldn't understand why he would suddenly say such a thing. Why would he be willing to lend her money?
After thinking for a long time without an answer, Hu Jing finally had to ask, "No, why are you willing to lend me the money?"
"If you lend it to me, you won't have any startup capital left, and my project will still be occupying your land! That cuts into your profits from every angle!"
Liu Ergou said nothing in response to her words, still wearing that same smile.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Hu Jing's eyes suddenly lit up.
He must have agreed! Otherwise, he wouldn't just stay silent.
At that thought, Hu Jing was just about to open her mouth to thank him. However, at that very moment, another possibility suddenly occurred to her.