Chapter 397 Taking Advantage
"Three!" Zhou Dalang frowned. "Isn't that too many?"
"He only wants eight hundred coins," Old Zhou thought, though it was a lot. He had spent a long time trying to get that price down. He muttered, "This ox cart is almost as heavy as half an ox."
Before, we just plowed the fields, and we could carry the plows and other tools on our backs, so it was okay without an ox cart, and the cows at home had an easy job.
But now it’s time to harvest wheat, so of course it would be better to have an ox cart.
An ox cart can be used for many years. If nothing unexpected happens, it may last longer than the ox. From the wheels to the body, it is all made of wood, so it is not cheap at all.
Normally, if you ask the carpenter in Dali Village to make an ox cart, in addition to giving two trees, you also have to pay about one thousand coins as wages, mainly because it takes a long time to build an ox cart.
If you think about it carefully, it might take two or three months, which is more time-consuming than making a plow.
However, not everyone can make a plow. It is too delicate and even the carpenters in Dali Village cannot make it.
The reason why he was willing to give Old Zhou such a big discount this time and only asked him for one more tree was because he already had an ox cart.
That was a business we took on before the disaster last year. The two parties agreed on a labor fee of 1,200 wen, and the wood delivered was also very good, so the carpenter worked very carefully on it.
Who knew that the family would suffer a disaster and could not afford so much money at once. Even if the carpenter said he was willing to sell on credit, he was unwilling to take it. Of course, the other family did not want the two trees either, so they gave them to the carpenter for free.
The carpenter was so angry that he left the car at home.
As soon as Manbao brought the cow back, Old Zhoutou remembered this incident because it caused quite a stir in several nearby villages and the two families almost got into a fight.
So he knew it very clearly.
What a nice wooden oxcart...
One thousand two hundred wen for labor costs...
Old Zhou went to Dali Village two or three times when he was not so busy. After several rounds of negotiations, he finally lowered the price to 800 wen. Of course, the carpenter also had to polish his car again to make sure it was better.
That afternoon, Old Zhou took Zhou Dalang up the mountain and found three good trees. The father and sons cut down the trees and carried them down the mountain. The next morning, Qian took Xiao Qian and others to harvest wheat, while Old Zhou took his sons, carrying wood and leading cows to Dali Village to ask for an ox cart.
Before noon, Old Zhou led the cow and the ox cart to the field. Their family was the only one harvesting in the field.
It was not until the ox pulled a cart of wheat back that the villagers learned that the Zhou family had bought a cart, and everyone stood around to watch.
A sigh suddenly came from the noisy crowd, "Let's start harvesting at home this afternoon."
Someone said, "I think the weather will be sunny for several days. Let's wait a little longer. The wheat ears will ripen more."
"It's already dark yellow. It's almost done. After harvesting the wheat, we still have to plant the rice seedlings."
As soon as these words were spoken, many villagers felt sore in their backs. This year was really a very busy and tiring year. Every time they got busy, they were busy day and night. After finally finishing a period of work, they would rest for less than two days before starting a new round of work.
The villagers inquired about the price of the cart and were about to leave after enjoying the excitement. As they stepped back, they saw Manbao returning with a small school box on his back. They couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Manbao, why are you back from school? Is it time to harvest your small farm?"
"Yes," Manbao said, "Our teacher has to go to Daling to teach us this afternoon, so I came back to have lunch first."
"Manbao, is the wheat seed used in your farm also from your family? I passed by and took a look yesterday and found that your wheat is much better than ours, almost the same as yours."
Manbao gave him a silly smile.
My mother once said that if you don’t want to answer a question, just laugh it off.
The person who asked the question thought he had the answer and did not ask again.
After the Zhou family took the lead, the villagers of Qili Village seemed to be inspired, and most families began to harvest.
Of course, Mr. Bai’s family and Manbao’s small farm were also included.
Manbao had never worked in the fields to harvest wheat at home, let alone on the small farm. Mr. Zhuang took them to the straw shed for class, and during breaks they wore straw hats and went to the fields to pick up wheat ears.
Mr. Zhuang didn't see another benefit. When everyone ate lunch and dinner together, Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang would no longer waste food.
As long as I have nibbled on the steamed buns, I will eat them up, instead of leaving them behind when I feel full like before.
Mr. Zhuang was very satisfied. It seemed that taking classes by the fields had some advantages.
After lunch, the four masters and apprentices sat on the plank bed to enjoy the breeze and chat. Bai Shanbao poured them a cup of tea. The four of them held the teacup in one hand and supported themselves with the other, looking at the fields where green and yellow were intertwined with each other with a comfortable look on their faces.
The sun was quite strong at this time, so the hired temporary workers and permanent workers hid under the shade of the trees to rest. They would not go out to harvest until the sun went down a little in the afternoon.
Mr. Zhuang squinted his eyes, feeling the wind blowing across his face, and began to feel drowsy. Manbao and the others also felt sleepy, so they put down their teacups and squinted their eyes. Just as they were half awake and half asleep, Mr. Zhuang suddenly asked, "Why do I feel like the wheat in your fields is much better than Mr. Bai's?"
Manbao moved a little, then lay on his back, his little belly rising and falling, and hummed, "It's better."
Mr. Zhuang asked, “Why?”
The reason why Mr. Zhuang asked this was because he found that the wheat in the small farm was not just a little better than that in Mr. Bai's field, but much better.
He didn't notice it at first, but the three children put the wheat ears they picked up in the straw shed, and he couldn't help but see them after a day or two.
The wheat ears were heavy and full to the touch. He thought that the workers on the farm were not careful and left behind the good ones, but when he went to the fields to check, he found that the other wheat ears were in good condition as well.
It can be said that this is better than the kind of wheat ears they picked out from thousands of wheat ears for seeds.
The harvesters just thought that their employer's wheat grew well and it was a good harvest, but Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but think more.
Manbao and his family planted about 20 acres of winter wheat, which was divided into several plots. However, the conditions of the wheat in these plots are similar. What does this indicate?
This shows that the wheat harvest was very even.
If it were Dr. D, she would say that the plant's genes are very stable and can be promoted and reproduced on a large scale.
Mr. Zhuang does not have such knowledge, but he also knows this truth.
So today he asked a lot about the winter wheat planting, including how they had managed the winter wheat over the past six months.
But the three children just talked and made decisions, and all the work was done by the hired workers.
What they did was nothing special, just like what other farmers did. So Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but ask them if they knew the reason for their bumper wheat harvest.
Who knew that Manbao gave the answer without even thinking, she said dazedly: "Because our seeds are good."
(End of this chapter)
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