The Tang family paid high wages, provided plenty of oil and meat in their two daily meals, and allowed everyone to eat to their heart's content. They also had chilled mung bean soup available all day to cool them down. As a result, everyone worked very hard, and in less than a month and a half, the entire mountain and the thirteen acres of wasteland at its foot were reclaimed, and all the weeds and pebbles were cleared away.
In the days since construction began, curious villagers have gathered around to watch and discuss. Most of them think Tang Xiaoxiao is out of her mind. What can she do with a mountain that's practically deserted? Even if she has money, she shouldn't waste it like this. The Tang family spoils their daughter too much.
Tang Xiaoxiao pretended not to hear these comments. She just went to check on things every few days. When the work was completely finished and the wages were settled, Tang Xiaoxiao gave everyone a 200 yuan red envelope as a reward for their hard work over the past few days.
Everyone declined, with one saying, "How can we charge more? We already agreed on a hundred a day, which is much higher than other places. There are so many office workers in the city who don't even charge that much!"
"That's right, that's right. We eat better than at home every day, we feel embarrassed."
Tang Xiaoxiao smiled slightly and said loudly, "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. It's so hot, and the heartless boss still has to give his employees a high-temperature allowance. My family will definitely have more work to do in the future, so if you don't accept this small token of our appreciation, I'll be too embarrassed to ask you all for help next time."
Seeing her say that, the group of people hesitantly accepted the red envelopes, saying that they would definitely come if there was any work to be done in the future.
Tang's father was also there that day, watching with a smile on his face. Tang Yuanshan stood next to his father and said enviously, "Brother, your second daughter is amazing now. She was quite quiet when she was little, but look at her now, she's really accomplished!"
While Tang's father said "not at all," he was secretly overjoyed.
After the workers left, Tang Xiaoxiao turned to Tang Yuanshan and handed him a red envelope as well: "Uncle Yuanshan, this is for you. You've worked hard these past few days, so please don't refuse. I'll get angry if you don't accept it."
Tang Yuanshan chuckled and accepted it, "I won't stand on ceremony with my niece. Tonight I'll buy two bottles of good wine and come to your house to have a good drink with my brother."
Tang Xiaoxiao didn't respond; this was a matter between the old brothers, and she wouldn't get involved.
She had already planned it out. The land at the foot of the mountain, a dozen acres in size, had poor soil, unsuitable for planting anything. Although Tang Xiaoxiao possessed a spatial ability, she didn't want to attract attention. Such things, being so public, would be scrutinized by those with ulterior motives if anything went wrong. Therefore, Tang Xiaoxiao planned to find another way. She wasn't short of money; in fact, if she wanted, she could sell the medicinal herbs in her spatial ability and her family would be set for life. But she couldn't do that. Cherries, though expensive and popular, took a long time from transplanting to fruiting. Even if Tang Xiaoxiao bought three-year-old saplings, she would still have to wait about a year to see any returns. The spatial land and water could accelerate growth, but she didn't dare go too far. If her plantation bore fruit a month or two earlier than others, she could blame it on advanced technology, but a significant difference wouldn't be acceptable.
During this period, she needs to have a way to make money that she can talk about publicly in order to shut up those who make sarcastic remarks.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Tang's parents did not tell anyone that Tang Xiaoxiao had won the lottery, and everyone assumed that Tang's father had given Tang Xiaoxiao the money.
Tang Xiaoxiao was well aware of the gossip surrounding her since her return. It was all about how a good college graduate had ended up farming, how useless she was, and some even went so far as to say, "A college degree is a waste of money; she'll just end up sponging off her parents anyway. She should have gotten married earlier." Tang's father earned a decent salary and was considered somewhat respected in the area. Tang's mother was a full-time housewife, seen by others as someone who didn't have to do anything and was simply enjoying life at home. The two Tang sisters were both beautiful and academically gifted, growing up surrounded by praise. Some people just couldn't stand seeing others succeed and were always watching the Tang family closely to see if anything bad would happen to them.
When my sister dropped out of school and got divorced, she endured a lot of gossip, which is why she took her child to live in the city. In recent years, Tang Xiaoxiao has been studying away from home, and there's nothing left for people to talk about in the Tang family. Now that Tang Xiaoxiao has returned, she's taken over a mountain and hired people, causing quite a stir. Won't those gossipy folks have something to talk about again?
At first, Tang's parents were angry when they heard these words, but they weren't good at arguing, so they simply reduced the time they spent going out. Later, with Tang Xiaoxiao's persuasion, they gradually let go of their anger. They knew their daughter was good or bad, so why should they care what others said? Besides, let them talk; they'd be proven wrong eventually!
Tang Xiaoxiao didn't want her parents to suffer any injustice, nor was she the type to swallow her anger. Waiting too long for the fruit trees to yield a profit was too much; she wanted to make quick money.
Without hesitation, Tang Xiaoxiao marked out a two-acre area on the land at the foot of the mountain and asked Tang Yuanshan to help with the arrangements. In just a few days, two rows of greenhouses were built.
Tang Xiaoxiao visited several flower planting bases in the suburbs of the city, collecting some precious flower varieties such as orchids and camellias. In fact, she also had quite a few seeds in her space, all of which she had bought in S City before, but others did not know this, so she still had to go through the formality openly. She also purchased a large number of exquisite flower pots and some necessary tools.
Tang Xiaoxiao mixed in some varieties she had previously bought in S Province and hired two honest and hardworking aunties to plant the flowers and trees that needed to be planted and to propagate them by cuttings. She had secretly mixed the soil in the greenhouse with soil from her space and diluted the pond water to a level that had only a slight effect, claiming it was her own unique nutrient solution, which she had people spray twice a day.
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