Zhang Dazhu squeezed to the front, looking like he wanted to touch it but didn't dare to.
"Jianguo! This...you bought this?"
The old Party Secretary was very surprised.
Su Jianguo jumped off the vehicle and patted the tractor next to him.
"Yes, old Party Secretary, it's specifically used for transporting vegetables!"
The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.
"My God! How much does this cost?"
"Our village has tractors now?"
"Jianjun, you can drive this thing?"
Su Jianjun proudly puffed out his chest.
"Of course! I drove tanks in the army, what's a tractor to me!"
He jumped into the driver's seat and began explaining the function of each component to the villagers, looking every bit like an expert.
When Wang Guixiang squeezed through the crowd and saw the brand-new tractor, her mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.
She pinched her thigh to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Honey, is this really ours?"
She asked Su Jianjun in a low voice.
"Of course!"
Su Jianjun said proudly.
"My brother spent 3700 yuan!"
"3700!"
Wang Guixiang gasped, then beamed with joy.
"Worth it! It's such a great deal! Can we use it at home too?"
Su Jianguo nodded with a smile.
"Of course, use it freely."
The old Party Secretary circled the tractor three times before finally stopping in front of Su Jianguo.
"Jianguo, you're truly a lucky star for our village. First, you hunted wild boars so the whole village could eat meat, and now you've bought a tractor... I've lived most of my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."
Su Jianguo smiled modestly.
"Old Party Secretary, this is just the beginning. Once the vegetables from the greenhouses are on the market, our village's good days are yet to come."
In the afternoon, Su Jianguo came to the vegetable greenhouse on the hillside alone.
Entering shed number one, Su Jianguo bent down and crawled inside.
The warm, humid air rushed in, a stark contrast to the chill of autumn outside.
The cucumber vines have climbed all over the trellis, with tender yellow flowers dotting the emerald green leaves, and some have already formed cucumber heads the size of a finger.
"Brother Jianguo! You're back!"
Wu Ermaitai emerged from the depths of the shed, his face covered in mud, a small shovel in his hand.
"Yeah, I just got back."
Su Jianguo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged vegetable plots.
How have you been these past few days?
Wu Ermai excitedly pulled Su Jianguo inside.
"Everything's great! Look at these cucumbers, they change every day! The tomatoes are starting to bear fruit, and we've already harvested a batch of chives..."
Su Jianguo carefully inspected each crop, occasionally squatting down to check the soil moisture or looking over the back of the leaves for pests.
When he arrived at greenhouse number three, he noticed that the leaves of several tomato plants were turning yellow.
What's wrong with these plants?
He frowned and asked.
Wu Er scratched his head in disgust.
"I probably watered too much... I've been so busy these past few days that I sometimes can't remember which areas I've watered and which I haven't..."
Su Jianguo straightened up and looked around.
The four greenhouses cover nearly five acres, and relying solely on Wu Ermaitai is indeed a stretch.
Not to mention the need to uncover the straw mats morning and evening, record the temperature, and control pests and diseases...
"Second brother, thank you for your hard work these past few days."
Su Jianguo patted Wu Ermaitai on the shoulder.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll find you some helpers."
Wu Er's eyes lit up.
"Really? That's great! I'm really struggling to manage on my own, especially when lifting the straw mats in the morning. It takes me two hours to run around all four sheds..."
Su Jianguo quickly calculated in his mind: the cucumbers, tomatoes, chives, and bok choy are all growing well now and are expected to be on the market in about a month.
Then it will involve harvesting, sorting, packaging, and transportation...
More manpower is needed.
"Let's go find Jianjun."
Su Jianguo made his decision.
"We need to hire people quickly."
Su Jianjun was wiping down his beloved tractor in his yard when he saw his brother and Wu Ermai walking over, so he quickly put down the rag.
"Brother, how's it going over at the greenhouse?"
He asked.
"The crops are growing well, but we don't have enough manpower."
Su Jianguo said it bluntly.
"I plan to hire ten people specifically to manage the greenhouses on a daily basis; you'll be in charge of that."
"Ten people?"
Su Jianjun's eyes widened.
"Is this much necessary?"
Su Jianguo nodded and counted on his fingers.
"Four greenhouses, each person responsible for half a greenhouse's daily management, that's eight people. Add two more specifically responsible for lifting the straw mats in the morning and evening, that makes ten."
Wang Guixiang brought out tea from inside the house and, hearing their conversation, couldn't help but interject.
"Brother, with so many people being hired, how are the wages calculated?"
"Five cents a day, including lunch."
Su Jianguo had already thought it through.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll have a one-week trial period."
This wage standard was quite attractive in rural areas at the time.
Wang Guixiang quickly calculated in her mind.
If one person earns 15 yuan a month, ten people would earn 150 yuan...
She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Su Jianjun was very supportive.
"Brother is right. This is a crucial time for the greenhouses; we can't afford to delay the harvest because of a shortage of manpower."
The news caused a sensation throughout Sujiatun.
Five cents a day for a job, plus meals?
This is much better than farming!
Zhang Dazhu was the first to rush to sign up, followed by Old Wang's two sons, Widow Li's daughter...
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