All of a sudden, the voices of discussion grew much louder, and some villagers also turned their gaze toward Samuel Reed and the others. Thinking of how they used to sell for just about one yuan per jin, everyone felt they had lost out too much.

Henry Shaw then shouted loudly, “Of course, what I’m talking about is the factory’s purchase price. But if you carry it yourselves to sell, with such a small amount, it’s impossible to get that price!”

Hearing this, the villagers thought it over and understood. If they had to carry it to the factory themselves, it really wouldn’t be doable.

“How could the price be that high?” a woman asked.

Henry Shaw said, “Don’t blame Samuel Reed and the others. They’re just helping someone else; they didn’t get any real benefit. The buyers from the township get a little, and probably some middlemen from the county, city, and province get a bit too. They also have to transport it and smooth things over, which costs quite a bit, so at each level, no one is making much money.”

After hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about the whole process, they realized there was no way they could make that money themselves.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Henry Shaw said, “If you could contact those factories directly, you could make this money too. If you can’t, but I happen to have those connections, would you be willing to pick honeysuckle and sell it to me? Yes, I’ll make a bit from it, and the people behind me will also make some.”

“How much are you offering?” another woman asked.

Henry Shaw saw it was William Clark’s mother—he had actually asked William Clark to get her to ask this question—so he smiled and said, “For every kilogram of dried flowers, my purchase price is 50 yuan. Also, if you help me carry it to the township collection point, I’ll add 10 yuan per trip.”

“What?”

Hearing this, everyone was even more shocked, all calculating how much income they could get.

At that moment, Henry Shaw opened a box he had brought with him, and bundles of cash were placed on the table.

With so much money laid out, the villagers’ eyes went wide.

So much money!

The villagers had never seen so much cash before. As several bundles fell onto the table, everyone’s breathing grew rapid.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

Henry Shaw smiled slightly and said, “See? I’ve got the money ready. As long as you bring the honeysuckle, we’ll do cash transactions on the spot. However much you have, I’ll buy it all!”

“Really?”

“You’ll take as much as we have?”

The villagers asked loudly.

“That’s right. I’ll be here for this period, but I hope everyone ensures the quality. If you want to deliver after selling, register with Diana Brooks!”

Looking at the money on the table, then at Henry Shaw, a woman immediately shouted, “I’m going home to get my flowers.”

With that, she hurried off.

In an instant, everyone was scrambling to run home.

Seeing this, Henry Shaw’s smile grew even wider. He knew this was really going to work.

Henry Shaw truly hadn’t expected it to be so popular. The piles of cash ignited everyone’s enthusiasm; many people didn’t even bother to eat and rushed home to fetch their dried flowers.

Seeing this, Henry Shaw quickly shouted, “Folks, let’s eat today. We’ll start collecting flowers tomorrow. Anyway, the money’s here and won’t run away.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

The women who wanted to go home for their flowers also laughed.

Henry Shaw continued, “Here’s what we’ll do: starting tomorrow, I’ll leave all the flower collection to Diana Brooks and the others. The money will also be with them. When you’ve dried your flowers, just bring them to sell. How does that sound?”

“Sure, we’ll listen to Mr. Shaw.”

“We’re going to get rich this time!”

“Who would have thought honeysuckle was worth so much? This time my whole family will go up the mountain to pick!”

“Of course the whole family has to go!”

Even though there was so much money piled up, no one had any bad ideas. Samuel Reed and the others, though they were the local bullies, knew that as long as they listened to Henry Shaw, they’d definitely make big money this time. Since they could make money without scheming, it was an easy thing for them.

Besides, Samuel Reed and the others had been intimidated by Henry Shaw before and knew he was not someone to mess with. Instead, they actually cared about the safety of the money.

“Mr. Shaw, you’d better keep that money safe.”

Henry Shaw smiled and said, “No problem.” Then he raised his voice, “The money I brought this time is only part of it. If everyone works hard, I’ll bring in more. How much you can earn depends on you.”

The villagers laughed again.

In no time, the whole scene became lively.

Henry Shaw shouted again, “I see that Xiagou Village is still very poor, so this business isn’t just a one-off deal. I have an idea: next, I’ll help everyone develop the honeysuckle industry. When the time comes, every household will be prosperous, but I’ll need everyone’s help!”

“Mr. Shaw is so generous!”

“With Mr. Shaw’s help, we finally have hope!”

“From now on, I, Samuel Reed, will listen to Mr. Shaw. If anyone disagrees, I’ll beat them up!”