"The noodles are here." Qin Chuan withdrew his gaze at the boss's shout. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Li Heng also looking at him. He felt a little hot on his face.
He touched his face and smiled foolishly. "It's a little hot."
Electric fans are a rare commodity these days, and ordinary people can't afford one for a wedding. Only wealthy families would give an electric fan as a dowry along with the three major items of furniture.
Xu Jing asked the boss to take out a palm-leaf fan and gave it to Qin Chuan, who thanked him.
"Boss." Hou Liang pursed his lips at Li Heng and said, "Shouldn't we ask?"
"Don't worry, wait until everyone finishes eating before asking."
Qin Chuan quickly devoured two bowls of noodles, patting his round belly until he was satisfied. "What do you want from me?"
"I heard that you are good at farming. I would like to hire you to help me."
Qin Chuan clapped his hands for the sake of the three bowls of noodles. "Okay, I'll plant whatever you tell me to plant."
"Orange seeds?"
"Boss." Hou Liang tugged at Li Heng's sleeve and said, "You won't be able to make a profit from growing oranges in a year. The mountain roads are difficult to travel. Where will you transport the oranges?"
"So what do you want to plant?" Xu Jing's only available resources were mountains, and the best thing about them was growing tea. But people these days couldn't even afford to eat, so if they wanted to maximize their profits, they could only focus on growing fruit trees.
You can't just plant fruit trees whenever you want. Xiaoguang County's soil is more suitable for growing citrus fruits. While it's free to lease a mountaintop, you can plant some with just the effort.
However, fruit trees have a slow growth cycle. Oranges, for example, take three years to bear fruit. Their peak fruiting period is four to ten years. Xu Jing thought that by grafting the oranges, he could then plant grapefruits, oranges, and other fruits. Furthermore, oranges are easy to transport and have high yields. Growing oranges in the mountains is the perfect place for them.
If you want to grow oranges, you have to grow quality ones. Even if you sell ordinary oranges at all costs, you won't make much money. Xu Jing has already planned his future career path: take a year off from school to earn money. Once he's earned enough, he'll return to growing orange trees. Then, he'll spend another year applying to an agricultural university and pursue systematic further studies. He wants to make a name for himself growing trees.
In the early stage, you can plant thick-skinned melons. Compared with watermelons, melons are easier to transport and can be stored for a longer time.
"Qin Chuan, can you grow melons?"
Qin Chuan scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "I only know how to grow sweet potatoes."
"Boss, do you want to find someone more reliable?" He looked so foolish that Hou Liang felt uneasy handing the money to him.
"It's okay. If you don't know how to farm, you can learn." Xu Jing pulled Hou Liang by the collar and whispered in his ear, "Don't interrupt. He's doing the work of three people. Where can you find free labor?"
"That's true." Hou Liang rolled his eyes and said bitterly, "But Boss, if you farm, it takes three years. What are we going to eat during that three-year hiatus?"
"Plant melons first, then orange trees. If you don't have money, I'll take you there to earn it."
"Can I really make money?" Wu Yu was skeptical. He'd been observing Hou Liang for quite some time, and seeing him making money made him want to try it. After some inquiries, he realized that all of this was Li Heng's idea. Wu Yu wanted to help Li Heng and get a piece of the action. He was completely disappointed to find that Hou Liang had given up his reselling business and chosen to farm.
In the minds of most people, farming is the most unpromising job.
Farming nowadays is not like the future with large-scale machinery to help. If you want to grow anything, you have to rely on manpower. Even if Qin Chuan is very capable, can he contract an entire mountain by himself?
Wu Yu suggested, "Let's narrow our goals and start by making money reselling fruit."
Xu Jing rolled his eyes. "Where to buy from and where to sell to? Have you ever considered these?"
"Buy it from the countryside and sell it to officials or workers in state-owned enterprises." Wu Yu was still young, after all, and his thinking was incomplete. He'd thought about it all, but that was all he could think of. He hadn't considered anything else.
"Where to buy and what kind of transportation to use? Transportation costs money, too. Even if you manage to get a truckload of oranges, unless you have relatives working in a state-owned enterprise or government agency, no one will buy them." Xu Jing patted Wu Yu on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Listen to me, don't mess around."
Summer vacation has just ended, so melon-growing season is actually over. However, the climate in the mountains is different from the outside, with a large temperature swing between day and night, so it's still possible to grow melons. It's just that the production time is off, so they won't be available until late autumn. With the cold weather, I eat melons less often.
If you sell it to ordinary people, they will bargain for the price. But if you sell it to officials, it's not necessarily the same. Officials just want to take advantage of it. And if you want to sell it, you can't choose to sell it in the county town, you have to transport it to the provincial capital. Xu Jing remembered that he had a connection - Bai Meng was in the provincial capital.
Bai Meng has now become a rich girl. If she can help him to find a partner, it will be much easier for him.
"Qin Chuan, let's grow melons together. I'm going to the provincial capital tomorrow and will come to see you when I come back."
Xu Jing looked at Hou Liang. "You help me find a room for two days, and I'll pay for it."
"Okay." Hou Liang agreed readily. "I'll go with you tomorrow."
"Well, I want to go too." Qin Chuan said happily: "I'll go and ask them how to plant it. I'll plant it for you once I learn it."
"You really plan to farm?" Wu Yu was stunned, unable to believe the truth for a moment. "What if it fails?"
"If you fail, try again. If you don't try, you won't have any chance at all. Tell your brother later that we've taken the person away and will be back in two days."
"Let's go together." Wu Yu didn't want to go to school either, so being able to go out for a walk would be great. "I can help you carry your bags."
Xu Jing refused outright. "No, it's hard for you to carry anything with your body."
"I can do it." Qin Chuan pointed at himself and said with a smile, "I can do it by myself."
"Big idiot, you're such a nice person." Hou Liang also laughed. "Then you'll take care of our luggage tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll definitely keep an eye on it. They won't be able to steal it."
When Xu Jing was about to pay the bill and leave, he met an unexpected guest.
Ye Ziqiu went out shopping with her sisters to buy toys, but she saw Qin Chuan with some gangsters.
"Qin Chuan, come here quickly." Ye Ziqiu waved at Qin Chuan, looking quite anxious.
Xu Jing had become famous for his reporting, and the news had spread throughout the school. School was a place for learning, not for playing. Uneducated hooligans like Hou Liang and Wu Yu were considered social scum, like rats crossing the street, despised by others.
Ye Ziqiu didn't want the silly Qin Chuan to be led astray by them.
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