Zhou Dazhu sneered: "You're bragging! Can one acre of land produce so much?"
"Don't believe it?"
Chen Changyuan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "This is the data of the Provincial Medicinal Materials Company. Take a look for yourself!"
Zhou Dazhu took the paper with a rather ugly expression on his face.
Chen Changyuan continued, "What's the current purchase price for medicinal herbs? 3.5 yuan per jin. One mu of land is over 1,700 yuan. There are 20 mu of land in the back mountain that is suitable for growing medicinal herbs, which works out to over 30,000 yuan!"
As soon as this number came out, the villagers started talking about it.
More than 30,000 yuan, this is a number they dare not even think about.
"Let's talk about the planting costs,"
Chen Changyuan continued, "Seeds, fertilizer, and labor—the investment per acre doesn't exceed 200 yuan. Zhou Dazhu, do you think this is a good deal?"
Zhou Dazhu was speechless after being asked this question and could only stare at Chen Changyuan fiercely.
At this time, someone asked: "You say it sounds good, but what if you lose money?"
Chen Changyuan pulled out a contract from his inner pocket. "This is the contract I signed with the village. I'm going to pay a fixed fee of 5,000 yuan per year. Even if I lose money, it's my own fault."
Wang Fugui took the contract and displayed the official seal on it in public.
Zhou Dazhu was anxious: "This account needs to be checked thoroughly!"
Wang Fugui smiled and said, "We can check the accounts, but according to the rules, public supervision requires a deposit of 1,000 yuan first. Will you pay it?"
Zhou Dazhu's face turned pale and blue, and finally he retreated aside in disappointment.
After the meeting, Chen Changyuan stopped a few villagers who had wavered in their attitude and said, "Uncles, I'm planning to hire someone to help me grow seedlings. The wages are two yuan a day, and I can get a half-month advance."
"real?"
Several villagers' eyes lit up.
Chen Changyuan took out a stack of money from his pocket: "This is the deposit, we can start work tomorrow."
Seeing the money flashing before their eyes, the villagers' attitude immediately changed.
The next morning, Chen Changyuan brought a dozen recruited villagers to the back mountain.
The morning dew had not yet dissipated as he stood on the hillside, his eyes sweeping across the wasteland before him.
"This land is suitable for growing angelica. The soil is soft and has good drainage."
Chen Changyuan pointed to a gentle slope in the east and said, "The terrain on the hillside over there is gentle, which is suitable for growing astragalus."
Several villagers looked at each other, and someone whispered, "This kid knows a lot."
Chen Changyuan took out a few wooden stakes and a roll of rope from his backpack and began to measure the land.
His movements were clean and neat, and it was obvious that this was not the first time he had done this.
"Uncle Zhang, take a few people to clear the weeds on the east side. Uncle Li, you guys will be responsible for reclaiming the land on the west side."
After Chen Changyuan arranged the work, he turned around to move the tools.
At this moment, he noticed a few people chatting lazily in the corner.
Upon closer inspection, they were indeed Zhou Dazhu's good friends.
"Oh, this job is so boring."
One of them yawned and said, "Let's take a break."
"That's right. Anyway, the wages have been advanced."
Another person echoed.
Chen Changyuan narrowed his eyes and sneered in his heart.
This group of people was most likely bribed by Zhou Dazhu.
Just as I was thinking of a countermeasure, I suddenly heard a shout: "Changyuan, wait for me!"
Old Yuantou came running breathlessly with a hoe on his back, followed by three strong men.
"These are some young men from my cousin's family. They are all good at farming."
The old man wiped his sweat and introduced, "I heard you were short of manpower, so I called them over."
Chen Changyuan's eyes lit up. This was a timely relief.
He immediately adjusted the work arrangements, dispersed the idle personnel, and assigned an honest and hardworking villager to keep an eye on each of them.
"Uncles, let me set a new rule."
Chen Changyuan raised his voice and said, "From today on, we'll pay you based on the amount of work you do. Ten yuan for reclaiming an acre, eight yuan for weeding an acre, and five yuan for digging a hundred holes. Those who do more work will get paid on the same day."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers immediately became excited.
Ten yuan per mu is much more cost-effective than the previous daily wage.
"I'll do the east side first!"
"This piece on the west side belongs to me!"
The villagers rushed to work.
Seeing this, the lazy people felt embarrassed to stand idle any longer and had to join in the work.
Seeing that the work was on the right track, Chen Changyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
He took out a notebook from his pocket and carefully recorded the area and soil conditions of each piece of land.
Night falls in Qingshui Village.
Zhou Dazhu tiptoed along the village path, his heart burning with anger.
The humiliation he suffered at the villagers' meeting during the day made him feel uncomfortable and he didn't eat for the whole day. Especially Chen Changyuan's smug expression made him grit his teeth.
"Humph, you're just relying on that old fox Wang Fugui? Wait until I destroy your seed, and then we'll see how you can still boast!"
Zhou Dazhu cursed under his breath, tightly holding a plastic bucket in his hand.
He carefully walked around several houses and came to a simple shack in the backyard of Chen Changyuan's house.
This is where Chen Changyuan temporarily stores the seeds, and Zhou Dazhu had already found out about it.
Zhou Dazhu stopped, looked around, and after making sure that no one noticed him, he quietly approached the shack.
"Hey, Chen Changyuan, ah Chen Changyuan, don't you want to grow medicinal herbs? I'll turn all your seeds into ashes!"
Zhou Dazhu grinned and unscrewed the lid of the plastic bucket.
A pungent smell of kerosene immediately filled the air.
Just as Zhou Dazhu was about to pour kerosene into the shack, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.
A cold metal object pressed against his neck.
"Zhou Dazhu, what do you want to do?"
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