Chen Hong could tell that although her son was the youngest among her friends, Xiao Hao and Wang Xin, he still held a dominant position in their small group. This was good; he would become more independent as he grew older.

The mother and daughter ate fruit and watched TV for a while before going to their respective rooms to sleep. The night was very quiet at home, and Chen Hong slept very soundly.

Although she wasn't afraid to sleep on a boat floating on the sea, she was always on high alert, never quite falling into a deep sleep. Back home, lying in her own big bed, she felt completely relaxed, incredibly comfortable and at ease.

The next morning, after sending the children out for breakfast and school, Chen Hong carried a basket on her back, picked up a sickle, and went to the orchard.

It rained a little last night, only about two fingers deep, which didn't affect plowing much.

Once inside the orchard, Chen Hong checked that no one was around. She then took out the hand-held tractor from her storage space, attached a rotary tiller, and began plowing the land with a "putt-putt-putt" sound.

After plowing half of the land in one morning, Chen Hong packed up her tools and went home to cook.

After lunch, I took a nice nap. I got up, washed my face, and then went to the city.

I went to the fishing tackle shop and bought fifty sets of 200-meter-long fishing lines, along with hooks and hooks, spending a total of more than 25,000 yuan.

Chen Hong no longer worries about spending money on fishing gear. As long as the gear is sturdy and reliable, and doesn't break down while working, she can earn back her investment even if she doesn't use it for a single day.

Furthermore, to do something well, you must first have the right tools.

If you're unwilling to invest in even the tools, how can you expect a good harvest?

I went to the Maritime Safety Administration again and delivered a box of various spatial fruits to Yang Wei, including two large durians, six pounds of sweet oranges, and six pounds of apples.

We chatted for a while longer, learning about the new policies the government has introduced for fishermen this year.

The main goal was to build a closer relationship, since her job involved fishing and the maritime safety administration was the governing body for that.

By cultivating a good relationship with Yang Wei, she gained access to the government, which saved her from many detours. Moreover, she was able to purchase a new student ID card thanks to Yang Wei's assistance.

On the way home, they also made a detour to the shipyard to deliver two bottles of honey and a box of fruit to Geng Dazhi, which moved Geng Dazhi so much that he was speechless.

I thought my relationship with Chen Hong was a one-off thing, but I didn't expect that even after we've set sail, she still hasn't forgotten me.

With a cart full of goods, they first paraded through the village, greeting the villagers along the way, before returning home.

The car was packed full of things she had just bought: fifty sets of fishing lines, beef ribs, household items, two large boxes of fruit, and three kinds of seeds she had taken out of her storage space.

When she got home, she took out a hand tractor from her spatial storage. Now, besides fruit trees and perennial Chinese medicinal herbs, she occasionally grows some low-growing fruits and vegetables, so she rarely needs to use the tractor anymore.

The two families of Chungeng Village Chief Uncle and Chen Hong each have fifteen or sixteen mu of land. If you include Erhu Uncle's family, then it's almost thirty mu.

Each family has to pay someone to plow the land, which costs over a thousand yuan. The key issue is that they also need to schedule shifts and wait for the machine. There's only one family in the village with a plowing machine, and they have to compete for a spot every year.

In one afternoon, Chen Hong finished plowing the remaining land. Now, only the corners and nooks where the hand-held tractor couldn't get in were left. She could just use a large hoe to plow them up manually.

Planting sweet potatoes requires making ridges, so Engineer Chen decided to do it tomorrow.

When she got home in the evening, she cleaned the shepherd's purse she had picked from the orchard while plowing the field, washed and drained it, then chopped it up. She also chopped a piece of pork belly. Chen Hong was going to make dumplings for dinner.

Spring shepherd's purse is the best, nutritious and delicious. In later years, Chen Hong remembered that each pound of shepherd's purse would sell for four or five yuan.

Chen Hong called Aunt Guo and invited the elderly couple to come over for dumplings that evening, as she had something to discuss with Uncle Village Chief.

Just as they started wrapping the vegetables, the village chief and his wife came into the yard. The village chief immediately spotted the hand tractor parked in the yard.

"Chen Hong, where did this tractor come from? Are you getting ready to plow your fields?"

While inviting Aunt Guo to wash her hands and make dumplings together, Chen Hong said to the village chief, "Uncle, these are what I bought."

"Our land is almost plowed today. Tomorrow morning, we'll set up the ridge machine to create ridges for the sweet potatoes, and then we can just wait to plant them."

"Why didn't you call me and your aunt to help you plow the field? My family hasn't started work yet, and we're free right now."

"I'm just testing out how well the machine works! After I finish ridges at my house tomorrow, I'll go directly to yours to plow, so you won't have to wait in line anymore. Your land can be plowed completely in one day."

The two families were practically one, so the village chief didn't stand on ceremony with Chen Hong. "Alright, then this year we can plant before everyone else. Did you drive the tractor yourself today?"

"Hey, this thing isn't difficult at all, you can learn it in no time."

"You haven't given this tractor to anyone else, have you? Why don't you let your Uncle Erhu's family plow it this year too? They started late this year and are at the very end of the queue. If it rains continuously these next few days, they'll miss the planting season."

"Sure, I'll call him after dinner. I also had someone bring back the improved seeds; I'll ask him to take them home when he has some free time. Uncle, you can check on the seeds later too."

"Okay, I'll take a look later. Chen Hong, don't bother cooking, just have dumplings. Dumplings and wine, may your life get better and better." Uncle Village Chief quickly stopped Chen Hong from taking things out of the refrigerator.

"You've plowed all day, you must be tired enough. Stop working. This meal of dumplings is good enough for you."

Aunt Guo also said, "This is the first time we've had shepherd's purse dumplings this year! Look how fresh and tender this shepherd's purse is, Chen Hong, did you dig these up from the ground?"

Chen Hong said with a smile, "I won't cook either. There's some braised beef and pig ears in the refrigerator. I'll microwave them, cut them up, and give them to Uncle to have with his drinks."

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