Grandpa Li was extremely aggrieved. "I'm happy, so happy!"

He never imagined that he could live in such a nice house at his age. His grandson will have a bright future. When he passes away, he can finally face his son who died young with a clear conscience.

Having been husband and wife for decades, Grandma Li could tell what he was thinking at a glance, and said, "Alright, two drops are enough. Crying any more will only make you look bad."

"Let Uncle Li do what he wants, Auntie doesn't need to worry about it too much," Lin Xiuli said.

Grandma Li's expression softened a bit. "I was just worried that he would spoil everyone's appetite. Never mind, everyone eat your food, eat more, don't be shy."

Li Juan also provided a bottle of liquor for each table, and the brigade leader ate his meat and drank it with great relish.

Although soju isn't particularly expensive, they only buy it to drink during holidays.

Su Yan quickly finished a bowl of rice and put down her chopsticks. While drinking her beverage, she asked, "Captain, did the seedlings I planted on those two hills survive? I'm usually not in the village, and I'm also busy with a restaurant in Yangcheng, so I can't take care of these two orchards. Therefore, I'll have to trouble you and Auntie with everything. In this village, I don't have many people I can trust. I'm entrusting the orchards to you. If you need money, just call me and I'll wire it back in one go. The fertilizer must be of good quality; fertilizer is key to the survival of the seedlings."

She was quite interested in the orchard, but managing one was too slow. She preferred to spend some money to take it out and then be a hands-off manager, only needing to come back to check on it during the harvest season.

Speaking of this, the brigade leader immediately chuckled, "Ayan, I think you're a lucky star! You don't know, after the soil on those two hills was replaced, not only did all the fruit seedlings planted there survive, but when the soil was replaced, I specifically reserved an acre of land to plant a few fruit seedlings there. I didn't expect that the few seedlings that weren't replaced would also survive, and the soil quality is getting better and better. Isn't that amazing?"

Before the hilltop changed owners, those people tried planting fruit seedlings for several years in a row but failed to make them survive.

After Su Yan was replaced, not only did they survive, but not a single one died!

The team leader felt that whether or not the soil was changed had nothing to do with the survival of the crops. The main thing was that the owner of the hill was lucky, and the heavens seemed to be feeding him. Most people could only feel envy and jealousy. There was nothing they could do; good fortune was something that couldn't be divided.

All the seedlings survived, which was something Su Yan hadn't expected.

She thought that most of the plants would be lost on the first try!

However, she said, "What does this have to do with good fortune? The main thing is that the seedlings are good. If the seedlings are not good, no matter how good your fortune is, it's useless. God won't come down to help me plant them."

The brigade leader thought this made sense and said thoughtfully, "You know what, the fruit seedlings I bought were the most expensive ones. The quality is excellent, and the ones they planted before weren't as good as the ones I bought."

As the captain was speaking, he suddenly became suspicious.

Is it really because the fruit seedlings are good?

He had previously asked those people to buy the best fruit seedlings to try, but they said that the seedlings were all the same, and that the reason they couldn't grow was because of the soil. He never mentioned it again after that.

"That's right, I want to thank the captain for managing things so well! I have complete confidence in leaving the mountain affairs to you and Aunt Lin! Come, let me toast you."

As Su Yan spoke, she raised her glass and stood up.

The captain and Lin Xiuli quickly stood up as well.

After downing his glass, the captain said, "If you hadn't told me not to worry about money, I wouldn't have dared to buy anything of good quality. You're a very farsighted girl."

Su Yan's words make sense; if you buy cheap seedlings, they might not survive.

"What foresight do I have? I just think you get what you pay for," Su Yan laughed. "By the way, Uncle Li, what's planted on the hillside now? And how many places are still unplanted?"

The brigade leader thought for a moment, "One and a half hills are already planted with fruit trees, 550 in total, including cherries, chestnuts, persimmons, mangoes, lychees, loquats, kiwis, wax apples, yellow peaches, as well as some watermelons and strawberries. Our climate here is the best, and all the fruits grown here are guaranteed to be sweet."

On the other half of the hill, I haven't decided what to plant yet. The saplings have all taken root, and I think we need to hire more people to fertilize and water them. If you trust me, leave the hiring to me.”

Su Yan replied without hesitation, "Of course I trust you. I'll only come back occasionally to scout things out; otherwise, I'll need your help. Trust is essential between people. So, Uncle Li, how many people do you think we should hire? And how will the salaries be calculated?"

"Let's have four people for now. There's a one-month trial period with a salary of 10 yuan. If you perform well, you can become a full-time employee, and then it'll be 15 yuan a month. How about that? The seedlings have just been planted, and besides fertilizing, watering, and weeding, there's not much to do every day. We can finish in a morning, so 15 yuan is quite reasonable."

A salary of 15 yuan is almost the same as the salary of a teacher in town, so there will definitely be many people vying to do this job.

“Okay.” Su Yan said calmly, “Let’s do it your way. I’ll only be responsible for providing the money. I’ll leave the recruitment to Uncle Li. You’re the manager, so I’ll offer you a salary of fifty yuan a month. What do you think?”

These words startled not only the captain and Lin Xiuli, but also the others, who looked up at her in shock.

These days, even a high-ranking leader might not earn that much in a month. Who wouldn't be shocked?

Su Yan continued, "I don't do anything except pay. Uncle Li and Aunt Li have to work hard to help me. This fifty yuan is for you two. It's not much when you split it between the two of you. I feel bad if you don't accept it."

"We can't do that!" Lin Xiuli looked at her disapprovingly. "If we take this 50 yuan of wages and others find out, they might say that your uncle and I are greedy. It will have a bad influence. Absolutely not!"

“If anyone asks, just say I pay thirty yuan a month, there’s no need to tell them the truth.”

At this moment, the captain finally came to his senses from the shock, wiped his face, looked at Su Yan, and said seriously, "No, no, if you really want me to help you, then give me 20 a month, I don't want any more."

20 a month...

Su Yan frowned, her expression becoming serious. "How about this, let's compromise. How about 30 a month? Auntie helps out in the orchard sometimes, so I can't not pay her. I don't want you old folks to suffer. If word gets out, people might say I'm exploiting the elderly, which wouldn't be good for my reputation."

Before the captain could speak, Lin Xiuli immediately replied, "Okay, then 30 it is!"

Given Su Yan's personality, she definitely wouldn't be happy with anything lower.

I'm only getting 30 yuan a month now; who knows where I'll end up giving it to them later?