Chapter 1613 - 1578: I’ll Hold You Tight for a Lifetime

Marcus Quinn and his group returned to the Holiday Village, each carrying nearly 70 to 80 pounds of Wild Ginseng. Representatives from several pharmaceutical companies were dumbfounded. They stepped forward to examine the freshly dug Wild Ginseng, whose quality was absolutely unparalleled in the market, and promptly watched each other warily before each stepping out to make phone calls.

The Quinn Family’s estate was crowded with villagers and baskets of Wild Ginseng, and everyone unconsciously looked to Marcus Quinn for guidance.

Mr. Weng and Oliver Zolotov inspected the Wild Ginseng in the bamboo woven baskets. Almost each was twenty years old, resembling Wild Ginseng, with excellent quality, which instantly sparked their interest in making a purchase themselves.

Mr. Weng and Oliver Zolotov pulled Marcus Quinn aside, somewhat embarrassed, and asked, "Marcus, could you leave some of that Ginseng for us? We’ll pay you market price."

Marcus Quinn was well aware that Wild Ginseng is a miraculous blood tonic with significant medicinal value. Seeing that Mr. Weng had managed to bring several pharmaceutical representatives over in just one day, he immediately said, "We’ll head back to the mountains to dig more Wild Ginseng tomorrow. You can come with us and dig as much as you can, free of charge."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Weng and Oliver Zolotov were overjoyed, rubbing their hands together and cheerfully exclaiming, "Great, great!"

Before long, the representatives from the various pharmaceutical companies finished their calls and came in with their offers.

These representatives were seasoned negotiators, noticing that the village was quite united. The villagers primarily listened to Marcus Quinn, so they sought him out.

"Mr. Quinn, we’re the largest pharmaceutical factory in the provincial capital. We’re willing to pay 1800 per pound for your Wild Ginseng, no matter how much you have," said Representative Hao from Qijiu Pharmaceuticals with a smile.

"Mr. Quinn, we’re a new pharmaceutical company. Although we can’t match Qijiu Pharmaceuticals’ price, we can allow your Ginseng to carry the Anfield brand, helping you launch the first brand of Wild Ginseng. We’re willing to offer 1600 for your Wild Ginseng," said the young and energetic representative from North Gate Pharmaceuticals.

"Mr. Quinn, we’re willing to purchase 1000 pounds at a price of 2000," said the representative from Central South Pharmaceutical Factory, opting for a higher price since their quantity requirement was less.

Marcus Quinn knew well that the price for Wild Ginseng was double that of cultivated Ginseng. Of course, this was just the wholesale price, and they would certainly sell it at a higher price upon reselling.

After the three representatives had spoken, they all waited eagerly for Marcus Quinn’s response. The silent and resolute man turned to look at Adan and softly asked, "Adan, with which company do you think we should cooperate?"

The three representatives: "..."

Most of these three were young people in their twenties or thirties. While visiting the Holiday Village, they found Adan to be quite a sight to behold, and their gazes had been fixated on her all afternoon. However, upon Marcus Quinn’s return, they discovered that this fairy-like beauty was already involved. Not only was she the person in charge of the Holiday Village, but she also exuded an unapproachable aura, causing them to retreat from any further interest.

Adan glanced at the three representatives, her dark eyes twinkling. She smiled and said, "We don’t do one-off business. Since everyone’s here today, we won’t let anyone leave empty-handed. Long-term cooperation depends on sincerity, so we’ll start by showing our sincerity. We’ll distribute today’s Wild Ginseng according to the prices you’ve offered. Central South can have their 1000 pounds, while Qijiu and North Gate will split the remaining Wild Ginseng according to their respective offered prices."

After Adan finished speaking, she looked at Marcus Quinn, who nodded in agreement without any objections. The three representatives were somewhat surprised; was this delicate fairy-like lady really the decision maker?

Who does business like this? It seemed too casual, but there’s no denying that their trip wasn’t in vain, so all three were quite pleased to be able to return with a deal and products in hand.

With Central South Pharmaceutical Factory offering the highest price and taking 1000 pounds, Marcus Quinn first allocated 1000 pounds to the representative from Central South.

In this instance, sixteen families, along with Marcus Quinn and others, totaling 21 people, participated. The men dug up nearly 80 pounds, and the women close to 60 pounds, totaling around 1500 pounds. The remaining 500 pounds were split between Qijiu Pharmaceuticals and North Gate Pharmaceuticals.

Marcus Quinn arranged for packaging and had the Wild Ginseng packed and loaded onto the vehicles of the three pharmaceutical factories. Fortunately, they all had seven-seater business vehicles or vans, which could accommodate all the Ginseng. After clearing the payment and exchanging contact details, the teams from the three pharmaceutical factories hurried back to the provincial capital.

The total payment amounted to 2.85 million. Adan distributed it based on how many pounds each person dug up, ensuring the fairest method.

The villagers waited excitedly in the courtyard, watching Marcus Quinn dispatch the pharmaceutical representatives. They didn’t even inquire about their earnings, fully trusting him and Adan.

Originally, it was Marcus Quinn who informed them about the Wild Ginseng and led them to dig it up, so this income could be considered a collective gain shared by Marcus Quinn. Therefore, everyone was exceedingly patient, following Marcus Quinn’s guidance.

Princess held the record of everyone’s harvested Wild Ginseng weight from before, calling out names one by one with a smile: "Auntie, today you’ve dug up 65 pounds of Wild Ginseng, the payment collected is 123,500 yuan."

As soon as Princess finished speaking, Aunt Wu from the village was stunned, doubting if her ears had misheard. The crowded courtyard filled with villagers was also in shock, neither daring to accept this money nor even dare to ask. They dug up that ginger-like thing all day and earned 120,000?

"Princess, are you sure you didn’t miscalculate? It’s 10,000, not over 120,000?" Aunt Wu asked dumbfoundedly. Actually, even saying it’s over 10,000 was her plucking up the courage to aim high. In their village, those left behind are all the elderly, weak, ill, and disabled, and farming for a year hardly earns them any money. Running a small stall in a scenic area to earn 300 yuan a day would make her so happy she couldn’t sleep at night hugging the money. Earning 10,000 they’d probably hide it in a hole, and 120,000? Maybe her ears have a problem.

"It’s correct, these wild herbs are very valuable. Despite earning a lot today, the quantity of herbs is limited, so it’s not a long-term way to make money. Moreover, the payment method is somewhat complicated. Do you have Alipay? Do you have WeChat?" Princess looked at the villagers left behind in the village, feeling stumped.

Aunt Wu shook her head. Now Princess was saying things she couldn’t quite react to. Her husband worked hard outside for a year, saving 30 to 50 thousand was considered a big gain. Meanwhile, she just went into the mountains once and earned what her husband earns in four years?

What’s Alipay? What’s WeChat? Everything this beautiful city girl said was a foreign language to her.

Aunt Wu’s gaze seeking help turned to Marcus Quinn, then to Irving Spencer.

Irving Spencer happily took out an old-fashioned tobacco pouch, loaded it with tobacco, and took a puff, then laughed heartily: "Everyone’s stunned, right? Don’t panic, Marcus said he’ll lead everyone to prosperity together. You all just need to follow the organization’s arrangements daily: dig up Wild Ginseng as much as instructed, don’t dig if told not to, plant whatever they tell you to plant. All the good days are ahead."

Irving Spencer, being the village head, his words made everyone believe what Princess said was true. Aunt Wu burst into tears, grieving deeply. She thought of her husband working years toiling on construction sites, while she stayed home taking care of her disabled mother-in-law, looking after their child. Their days together throughout the year are just half a month during New Year; all family burdens fall on her shoulders. It’s tough being a woman.

Once Aunt Wu started crying, other elders and women with poor family situations also cried. The men showed more restraint, with reddened eyes, rubbing them slightly before getting excited, rushing to ask how much each should get.

Princess reported the amounts each household should receive. Those with WeChat and Alipay got payments transferred first; those without got IOUs written out, and tomorrow she’d take them all to the county to help deposit and withdraw money.

All at once, Anfield Village buzzed with excitement. Irving Spencer was overwhelmed with excitement as the head, but this village of elderly, weak, and disabled, no matter how capable he was, couldn’t develop Anfield Village alone. Thus, year after year, they relied on the foundation left by the old Quinn, barely supporting the villagers. Now with Marcus Quinn here, life soared like a rocket. The once dilapidated village became a Holiday Village, all barren fields opened up. Villagers could not only do small businesses but now could also dig herbs to sell. Irving Spencer calculated that today, he and his son Irving Spencer dug up Wild Ginseng worth over 200,000 yuan. Life truly had a brighter future each day.

Everyone hadn’t had time for dinner, sitting at the Quinn Family estate, discussing eagerly about giving half their money to Marcus Quinn.

Marcus Quinn naturally wouldn’t accept, only saying indifferently: "The mountain herbs are limited; this year they’ll be dug up, next year they’ll be gone. Later, I’ll invite experts to teach everyone to cultivate herbs. In the future, everyone can rely on cultivating herbs to live."

The remaining issues involved contracting mountain tops and fields, which turned into a few-hour discussion.

Later, Princess was just too exhausted. Her head kept nodding, she almost fell asleep sitting upright. Marcus Quinn noticed and said something to Irving Spencer, taking advantage of the enthusiastic moment to quietly lead Princess into the inner courtyard.

"Hungry?" The man remembered they hadn’t eaten yet and immediately asked Princess.

Princess nodded, looking at his broad hands holding her small hand. Thinking of last night’s intimate moments, she unconsciously hugged his arm and said, "Both tired and hungry."

The man’s deep gaze fell on her small face, then he bent down, scooped her up horizontally, and whispered, "I’ll carry you."

Princess was caught off guard as he lifted her in a princess carry, her face blushing, a hint of sweetness in her heart as she wrapped her arms around his neck, softly whispering in his ear, "Marcus Quinn, am I heavy?"

"Very light." The man’s ears slightly reddened as he spoke very seriously.

Princess chuckled softly, leaning her head against his chest, closing her eyes saying: "Marcus Quinn, you must hold me tight, don’t drop me."

"Mm." I’ll hold her tight for a lifetime, never let her fall. The man silently promised in his heart.