Chapter 60 A Virtuous Woman "Indeed, there are no stupid men, only lazy men..."
Goji berry farm.
A delightful aroma wafted from the kitchen; it's the perfect time to enjoy goji berry leaves.
Ji Yu specially took Chen Mian to pick fresh tender leaves, washed them, and set them aside for later use.
Marinate the lean pork slices with cornstarch, soy sauce, and other ingredients until well mixed. Then, wait for the water in the pot to boil. Place the marinated pork slices into the boiling water, and sprinkle with fresh, vibrant green goji leaves. A flavorful goji leaf and lean pork soup is ready!
Ji Yu couldn't wait to scoop out a small bowlful, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Quickly, try it and see how it tastes!"
Chen Mian raised her hand to take the soup bowl, but the aroma that lingered around her nose suddenly seemed to move further away.
She looked up with some confusion, her dark eyes showing no anger, only a hint of bewilderment.
Ji Yu held a soup bowl in one hand and awkwardly scratched her head with the other. Her freshly cut buzz cut felt fluffy to the touch and looked like a newly ripened kiwi.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with his new hairstyle; it was just for easy maintenance, and he would wipe it clean while washing his face in the morning.
It used to be the standard hairstyle in the military, and no one among the men thought it was ugly.
Being stared at so intently by the girl in front of him, he suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment. He wished he could turn back time and go back to that barbershop to tell the stylist, "No buzz cut! I want the same cool hairstyle as the male celebrities on TV!"
He raised the bowl in his hand, his thick eyelashes drooping, his eyes darting around, and he stammered, "The soup is too hot, let me blow on it for you..."
Chen Mian seemed to suddenly realize what the man in front of her was shy about. Her almond-shaped eyes curved, and she tried hard to suppress the smile on her lips. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with an irresistible innocence.
Its dark eyes blinked silently, as if asking, "Can I touch it?" Surely, no one could bear to refuse me, right...?
Ji Yu bent down as if possessed, letting the girl in front of him purse her head.
Far from feeling offended, they actually enjoyed it.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting even shadows on the kitchen floor. The two figures were intertwined, and an ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.
"It's a little prickly. I thought it would be like kitten fur." The girl's light tone revealed a hint of regret.
Ji Yu asked blankly, "Then should I take care of it?"
Outside the window, Yu Xiaoyue and her husband were also whispering to each other.
"See? I told you they were a couple, didn't I? I think they're not far from getting married." Yu Xiaoyue excitedly nudged her husband's arm, keeping her voice down so as not to disturb the young couple inside.
Ji Feng replied calmly, "As an elder, you shouldn't meddle. How can two people start dating so quickly?"
"When did I meddle? You heartless bastard, now you're putting on airs." Yu Xiaoyue crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and pouted. "I wonder who's staying up all night worrying about their son not finding a wife."
"I...you...never mind, I'm not talking to you anymore."
On the dining table, four dishes and a soup were neatly arranged: stir-fried eggs with wolfberry leaves, cold wolfberry sprouts, stir-fried wolfberry heads, stir-fried pork heart with wolfberry leaves, and wolfberry leaf and lean pork soup. Each dish was delicious and appealing.
“We’re all benefiting from Mu Mian’s kindness today. You’re a great cook and a good teacher to Xiao Yu. A good teacher produces a good student!” Yu Xiaoyue patted Chen Mu Mian’s shoulder with a smile, gesturing for her to sit next to Ji Yu.
A blush crept onto Chen Mian's face as she sat down shyly. "Auntie, please don't tease me. It's because Brother Ji is smart that he learns so quickly. Besides, I didn't teach him anything."
Yu Xiaoyue smiled but remained silent, thinking to herself that there was so much to teach him. If Chen Mian hadn't appeared, her son might never have cared about cooking in his entire life.
For the first twenty-odd years of her life, she had never seen him cook, even though his father was a very good cook. Despite being influenced by him, it hadn't affected her at all. Instead, she said things like "a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen."
Of course, he was immediately given a good beating by his father after saying that. "Gentleman, my foot! You little brat who hasn't even grown a beard yet, come here right now..."
However, it seems that Ji Yu has inherited his father's culinary skills. In just a few months, he has already made his dishes quite well.
There are indeed no stupid men, only lazy men.
After the group finished eating, Yu Xiaoyue cleared the dishes, and Ji Yu accompanied Chen Mian to the Agricultural Bureau to select land for contracting.
After Chen Mian made a good start, more than ten people from other places have signed up for the contract in the past few days.
Aizimaiti was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink tea.
However, the land selection will be put on hold for now. The top leader said that in order to encourage everyone to support the new policy, the land will be selected according to the order of registration.
If Chen Mian doesn't come soon, he'll have to go and invite her in person; there are already people waiting in line.
"Little beauty, you've finally arrived," Aizimaiti said without saying a word as he pulled out a map from behind his back and spread it out. "Come and choose one, we've been waiting for you."
"Am I too late? Have all the others already made their selections?" Chen Mian asked.
Aizimaiti: "How could that be? The leaders said that whoever registers first gets to choose their spot first. You've come at a great time."
Chen Mian had no concept of the land distribution in Wumu City. She looked at the topographic map with a blank expression, trying to find some direction.
Aizimaiti: "The areas circled in red are the selectable areas. The numbers inside the circles represent the area in acres. The larger the number, the larger the area."
"How about a thousand acres? This plot of land to the south is exactly a thousand acres, perfectly square, ideal for management."
Aizimaiti, like a competent salesman, enthusiastically introduced his family's products to customers.
It's just that this product looks a bit unusual.
"Our produce is really a great deal, only ten yuan per mu per year..."
"A thousand acres?!" Chen Mian was first taken aback by the number, then secretly calculated the rent for a thousand acres.
Ten yuan per mu may not seem like much, but for a thousand mu, the annual rent alone would amount to ten thousand yuan.
These days, it's rare to find someone with ten thousand yuan.
That's way too risky.
Perhaps noticing Chen Mian's thoughtful expression, Aizimaiti tried to promote the credit union's cooperative loan program.
Ji Yu, who was standing to the side, approached the map, placed her hands on the table, and carefully examined it, forming several alternative plans in her mind.
He whispered, "If you want to choose the biggest one, I have some savings that you can use."
Chen Mian shook her head, declining his offer. "No need. Let's take it one step at a time. A thousand acres is too risky."
"I plan to choose one of these 200-acre plots, and then rent more land when business is better. For now, I'll leave it at that."
Seeing that she remained calm, Ji Yu was not discouraged by the rejection. After all, he would have to hand over his wife's property to her sooner or later, and there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
His selfish motives were made no attempt to conceal; the first place he pointed to was in the northern suburbs.
Ji Yu argued confidently, "This piece of land is square in shape and close to our home. You can continue to live with us in the future, which is very convenient."
“This piece of land is indeed quite nice in size and shape.” Chen Mianmian followed the direction the man was pointing and saw the land. She frowned slightly, pretending not to hear the second half of his sentence.
Ji Yu then introduced several more places. After all, he was practically a local, so he could roughly tell you what was around each piece of land. Aizimaiti added to the information.
After looking around, Chen Mian's gaze finally returned to the piece of land in the northern suburbs.
Even disregarding its proximity to Ji Yu's farm, in terms of location and size, it is indeed the most suitable.
The only drawback is that it covers 210 acres, which is a bit more than Chen Mian's plan.
Seeing this, Aizimaiti readily made the decision for her, "How about this one? I can round down the extra rent for you, and we'll still sign a contract for two thousand a year."
In fact, when this topographic map was first drawn, they were already prepared to "round it down".
You know, when people are buying things, the hardest thing to resist is when they want to get a small bargain.
Moreover, the entire city of Ebony is sparsely populated, so if each person takes on a little more, the total amount will be quite substantial.
Chen Mian gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement, "Okay, this one will do."
“Okay, let’s come over here to sign the contract. The first year’s rent can be paid to the credit union in a few days. Of course, you can also go directly to the credit union to apply for a loan,” Aizimaiti said.
Chenjia Village.
The Chen couple were packing their things at home; their daughter had called them a few days ago.
Now that they've secured a place for the farm, they've been tidying up their home these past few days, covering all the tables, chairs, and benches with cloths.
Once I leave, I don't know when I'll be able to come back.
"The Chen family, your eldest daughter called you again."
The village chief's wife hadn't even stepped into the Chen family's courtyard when her voice came through.
"Coming, coming..." Lin Huijun quickly responded, took out the key from her pocket, locked the door, and then went to the village chief's house with her husband.
"If you ask me, you're both getting on in years, it would be so much better for you to stay home and enjoy your retirement. Instead, you insist on going all the way to Xinjiang to farm with your daughter."
"This land can't be cultivated anywhere, can it be any more precious than land in Xinjiang?"
Seeing Lin Huijun walking very fast, the village chief's wife, panting, grabbed her arm and started nagging.
"What are you after? It's one thing to follow your son to another city, but what's the point of following your daughter?"
Lin Huijun wasn't angry at what the other person said. Her voice was gentle but firm: "Sons and daughters are the same. Whoever needs us, we will go there to help."
"Besides, our Mianmian is going to have a great career in the future, and as her parents, we certainly can't hold her back."
Mr. Chen didn't say much, only nodding silently to the side.
To be honest, the two of them have lived in Chenjia Village for decades. They didn't go out to work when they were young, but now that they are older, they have to leave their hometown to make a living.
It's certainly not impossible to feel calm, but it's fine to say such things in private; you definitely can't show your fear in public.
It's rare for Mianmian to have something she truly wants to do, and they will support her no matter what.
However, being unfamiliar with Xinjiang, and not knowing where the road ahead lies...
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Author's note: Ta-da! I, Hu Hansan, am back again! This time, I won't make any oaths; I'll just kneel down gently.
I've been obsessed with cats and crafts lately, but who would have thought that my tenosynovitis wasn't from typing, but from crafting?
In short, we still need to try our best to finish writing it. We finally have land for farming, and now it's time to start planting!
I plan to plant over 100 acres of peaches. If you have any other peach orchards you'd like to plant, please leave a comment below, and we'll try our best to arrange them for you ladies!
Fruits, vegetables, flowers, anything is fine, even fluffy things are okay.
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