Chapter 84 My daughter is really capable
Old man and old lady Chen were assigned to the most dilapidated and leakiest hut, without even a grain of rice left with them.
A farce that started for "treasure" ended with the disintegration of a family.
While the West Courtyard was in chaos, the East Courtyard was thriving.
Thanks to the County Magistrate and his second concubine's deliberate promotion, the Pingjiang Embroidery Workshop became incredibly famous. Not only were the wealthy ladies of the county town flocking to it, but merchants from surrounding towns also sent orders. Business at the embroidery workshop was booming beyond imagination.
Chen Kangbo was not idle either.
After the autumn harvest, his family's second crop yielded another bumper crop. This time, it wasn't just corn and sweet potatoes, but also a small plot of drought-resistant wheat that they'd planted experimentally, which was also bent under the weight of the crops.
Looking at the yard full of golden grains, Chen Kangbo, as promised before, sent a small bag of cornmeal to every household in the village so that everyone could have a taste.
That day, my neighbor Aunt Li came to my door with an empty cloth bag, looking grateful but a little embarrassed.
"Comber, thank you so much. Our whole family ate the cornmeal you gave us. It was fragrant and sweet. I have never eaten anything so delicious in my life."
"Aunt Li, you are too polite. We are from the same village, it's only natural." Chen Kangbo said with a smile.
Aunt Li rubbed her hands together, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke: "Kang Bo, I... I came here today to shamelessly ask you for a favor. Look, our land is all barren and idle. Can you... sell us some seeds and teach us how to grow your crops? We'll pay you!"
Chen Kangbo looked at Aunt Li's expectant eyes and smiled brightly without any hesitation.
"Aunt Li, what's the point of talking about money? If you trust me, ask your husband to come over tomorrow. I'll give you the seeds and teach you how to plant them!"
【2765 words】
Chapter 33
Chapter Name:
1. The whole village is here to curry favor! Kang Bo offers free classes, and the market is opening up!
No one wants the West Courtyard land? Feng Lan: I want it all!
3. Sanya’s new product launch, Dad’s farming KPI, I’m responsible for it!
The news that Chen Kangbo agreed to teach Aunt Li's family how to farm spread throughout Pingjiang Village overnight like wings.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was getting light, the gate of Chen Kangbo's yard was crowded with people.
Almost all the able-bodied families in the village came. In their hands, without exception, they carried the little food they had saved from their frugal lives: some were coarse rice, some were dried beans. Although it wasn't much, it was the most precious thing they could offer.
"Comber! Comber!"
"The Comber family!"
When everyone saw Chen Kangbo coming out of the yard, they excitedly surrounded him.
"Kang Bo, we've all heard from the Li family that you're willing to teach us how to farm! We want to learn too!"
"Yes, Comber! Please! This is a little gift from our family, you must accept it!"
"As long as we can have a full meal, you can ask us to do anything!"
The villagers chattered in a flurry, their pale, thin faces filled with earnestness and hope. In this hopeless year of disaster, Chen Kangbo's lush green fields were their only hope.
Chen Kangbo felt bad when he saw the meager amount of food in the hands of his fellow villagers. He walked over and gently pushed back the rice bag that an old man handed to him.
"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!" Chen Kangbo raised his voice.
After the surroundings quieted down, he said in a loud voice: "My fellow villagers, I appreciate your kindness. But I will not accept a single grain of this grain!"
"How can this be possible!" Everyone was anxious.
"Everyone, listen to me." Chen Kangbo waved his hand. "Everyone knows what kind of year it is now. Everyone knows that grain is life-saving. If I, Chen Kangbo, took it, would I still be a human being? We are all from the same village. I can't bear to see everyone starving."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone present, and he spoke word by word, "So, I've decided. As long as anyone is willing to learn and wants to plant, I, Chen Kangbo, will teach them for free! I'll also provide seeds for free! I only have one request, and that is that everyone study hard and plant diligently. Don't let this land, and my hard work, go to waste!"
As soon as the words fell, the whole place fell into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned. They couldn't believe their ears. Free teaching and free seeds? How could such a good thing happen in the world?
After a brief silence, thunderous cheers broke out from the crowd!
"Comber! You are truly our benefactor!"
"A living Bodhisattva! Truly a living Bodhisattva!"
An old man was so excited that he burst into tears and was about to kneel down to Chen Kangbo on the spot, but Chen Kangbo quickly supported him.
Looking at the excited and grateful faces of his fellow villagers, Chen Kangbo felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
At night, the family locked the door.
Chen Kangbo told Feng Lan what happened during the day. After finishing his speech, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Lan Zi, I acted on my own without consulting you. You won't blame me, will you?"
Feng Lan was checking the accounts of the embroidery workshop under the lamp. When she heard this, she raised her head and looked at her man with smiles and appreciation in her eyes.
"Why should I blame you? I'm so happy!" She put down the account book, walked over to Chen Kangbo, and poured him a glass of water. "My man is responsible and broad-minded. He knows how to help the villagers in times like this. I'm proud of you."
After being praised by his wife, Chen Kangbo, a farmer, blushed a little no matter how thick-skinned he was, and smiled.
Feng Lan suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, have you heard about the incident in the West Courtyard?"
"I heard it was divided." Chen Kangbo's expression darkened when he mentioned the West Courtyard. "It was a huge fight, and in the end, no one wanted the dozen or so acres of land, so it just lay there uncultivated."
"It's such a shame to leave it lying idle." Feng Lan looked at him and said slowly, "Kang Bo, I have an idea."
"What idea?"
"I want to buy the dozen acres of land in the west yard." Feng Lan said shockingly.
Chen Kangbo was stunned. "Buy...buy it? Lan Zi, this...this isn't good, right? They just split up, and we're buying the land. If word gets out, people will think we're deliberately taking advantage of the situation."
In his heart, he still had a little concern. After all, they were his biological father and brother.
Feng Lan noticed his hesitation. She sighed and said softly, "Kang Bo, don't forget how they treated us. When they wanted to rob our shop, extort our money, and even destroy our family, did they ever think of family affection?"
"I'm not asking you to seek revenge, nor am I taking advantage of your misfortune." Feng Lan's gaze fell on his hands, which were covered with calluses but still had distinct joints. "I just... feel sorry for you."
"I know better than anyone how much you love this land. These days, I've seen you standing alone on the ridge of the field several times, staring blankly at the barren land in the west yard. You don't say it, but I know you're upset."
"Don't you know those people in the west yard? They're lazy and gluttonous, and none of them know how to farm. The land in their hands will be sold sooner or later. Why not sell it to us instead of selling it to outsiders?"
"Buy the land, connect it into one piece, and plant whatever you want. Try out any new varieties you want. That's what makes you happy. Isn't the reason we earn money to let our family live the life we want?"
Every word Feng Lan said touched Chen Kangbo's heart.
Yes, he loved the land, and it was deep in his heart. Seeing the good farmland being left to waste, he felt more distressed than anyone else.
He was silent for a long time, and finally nodded heavily: "Okay! Lan Zi, I'll do as you say!"
The couple was talking about business when the door was suddenly pushed open and a little head popped in.
It’s San Ya.
She walked in holding a large tray with several small bowls of different colors on it, as if she was presenting treasures.
"Dad, Mom! Big sister! Second sister! Come and try my new creation!"
I saw that the bowls were filled with colorful liquids, some red, some green, and some yellow, which looked very beautiful.
"What is this?" Daya and Erya gathered around curiously.
"Hey, this is called 'Summer Special'!" San Ya introduced proudly, "The red one is sour plum soup. I added osmanthus flowers, so it's both refreshing and sweet! The green one is mung bean paste. I ground it into a fine powder, so it tastes icy cold! And the yellow one is honey lemonade! I spent several days working on these!"
She handed the small bowls to her family one by one, and said expectantly, "Try them quickly and give me your opinions on which one tastes best. I'll sell them at my stall tomorrow!"
Looking at their daughter's bright and lively eyes, Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo smiled at each other, and the heaviness in their hearts caused by the West Courtyard disappeared in an instant.
Chen Kangbo picked up a bowl of sour plum soup, took a big sip, smacked his lips, and gave San Ya a thumbs up.
"It's delicious! It's even better than the ones sold in town! My daughter is really talented!"
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