The crowd was in high spirits and shouted, "Cheng Yue, my family will come to work and exchange potatoes!"
"I want seeds too! Just call us when it's time to plant potatoes!"
"I think from now on, the men in the family shouldn't go out to gather herbs, but should all go out to clear land!"
"I think it's a good idea! We have no choice but to reclaim the wasteland! We have so little land, we can't even grow high-yield crops! We have to reclaim the wasteland!"
The village head was very pleased. He knew that the people he had found were smart and knew who to follow and what to do!
"Okay, I'll let everyone know when I need help, and I'll save the seeds for everyone!"
Cheng Yue naturally agreed; she knew no one would refuse such a good thing.
Wei Lanfen said eagerly, "Sister Cheng Yue, can I have some seeds first? We can supplement with labor later. There's a vacant lot behind our yard, and I'd like to plant some this year!"
With such good stuff, she couldn't wait until next year to plant it. There was a little over an acre of open space behind the house, and she was originally thinking of planting some Chinese cabbage, but now that she had potatoes, why should she plant anything else?
Everyone agreed that this made sense; after all, who doesn't have some empty space in front of or behind their house? It's better to plant potatoes than leave it empty!
When Wei Lanfen said that, everyone started shouting, saying they wanted to get some potato seeds in advance.
Cheng Yue smiled and nodded, "Sure! Let me know if anyone else wants any or how many, and I'll prepare the seeds in advance. I'll give them to you when it's time to plant in August, and I'll also teach you how to plant them!"
Then Cheng Yue went inside and brought out paper and pen. Everyone eagerly offered to plant trees, as they were all in front of or behind their houses or in their own yards, so not many seeds were needed.
After that, everyone dispersed and went home to discuss the division of labor for gathering herbs and clearing land.
After everyone left, Chen An stepped forward and said, "A-Yue, our family has little land. Even including the dry land on the mountain, it's only about thirteen mu."
The fields along the riverbank are for wheat; there's too little land suitable for potatoes, so we need to clear the land.
The village has many mountains and little land, and it has always been like this. However, A-Yue needs a lot of potatoes, and I'm afraid that even all the land in the village combined won't be enough to supply them.
While clearing land is one option, it would take several years.
Cheng Yue had thought about this. Clearing land would solve future problems, but the only solution for the current problems was to buy land.
Chen An shook his head, "Buy land? I'm afraid we can only buy it in other villages. It seems like no one in our village is selling land."
The villagers cherish their land like their lifeblood; no one would easily sell it unless they were desperate or faced a major financial crisis.
Cheng Yue looked up at the sky, wondering why buying land was so complicated.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "If we're talking about other villages, it can only be Qingshan Village and Dalinggou. After all, my parents and uncle are there, so I feel at ease with them watching over things."
The best solution would actually be to buy a farm, which would be more lucrative and easier to manage. However, her current financial resources don't meet that requirement, so buying a farm is just a dream.
Ultimately, it all comes down to not having enough money!
Chen An nodded, "Okay, I'll take some time these next couple of days to go and talk about the potatoes and buying the land, and also explain how to build a heated kang (traditional Chinese bed).
Cheng Yue had no objections; these were minor matters that she could handle in her spare time. Right now, rolling up her sleeves and making money was the top priority!
If I had to pick the business that could be most successful, it would definitely be the braised food packets. I was busy making pastries for a while, and recently I've been busy building a house. Now that everything has come to an end, I have time to do this!
After finishing her business, Cheng Yue continued making pastries. She had been using the previous stock from the past two days, and if she didn't make more, she wouldn't have any left.
Chen An went to the old house, gave a few pointers to a few people, and then prepared to carry a pickaxe to clear the land. But as soon as he turned around, he saw two familiar figures walking up the mountain.
"A cat, a dog?"
The person who came was none other than Ah Mao and Ah Gou, who had previously helped keep an eye on Chen Ping and Zeng Youcai, but Chen An and the others hadn't seen Ah Mao and Ah Gou for a long time since the two got into trouble.
The two of them were clearly heading straight for them; could something have happened?
Even the cats and dogs saw Chen An and hurriedly ran over, panting, "Master Chen, we've finally found you!"
Just as Chen Lin was right, his house wasn't hard to find; it was at the end of the village, up the mountain, and it was the biggest and best house in the whole village.
Chen An asked worriedly, "What happened? Why are you here?"
Ah Mao and Ah Gou waved their hands repeatedly, "No, no, no! It's about the shop. Brother Chen Lin said it's a good thing, but they can't leave, so they sent us to deliver the message!"
Hearing that it was good news, Chen An felt relieved. He didn't understand the shop's affairs, so he took his cat and dog to the new house to find Cheng Yue.
As soon as they entered the gate, the cats and dogs were stunned. They had never seen such a nice house before. From the outside, it looked big, but once inside, they couldn't help but shrink back in fear.
The cats and dogs looked at each other, then at their own dirty shoes, some even with mud on the soles. They didn't know where to put their feet on such a clean ground.
Chen An walked ahead, then realized the two hadn't followed, so he turned around and saw them rubbing their shoes vigorously outside the door.
Although these two children were little beggars, they were clearly very sensible. Chen An felt a pang of tenderness in his heart; if they hadn't suffered this misfortune, they would have been children from a good family.
So he said gently, "Come in quickly, it's alright."
Cats and dogs paused upon hearing this, lowered their heads and followed. Although Master Chen was tall and strong, it was clear at a glance that he was a very good-tempered person.
Unlike their father, who had a fierce look on his face and only knew how to beat his mother and sister, they wouldn't have become orphans and had to go out begging for food if it weren't for their father.
Chen An told the two to sit and wait in the courtyard, then went into the kitchen to call Cheng Yue, "A Yue, Ah Mao and Ah Gou are here. It's about the shop. Xiao Lin sent them to deliver a message."
The shop matter? What could it be that warrants sending some Tom, Dick, or Harry to deliver a message?
"good!"
Cheng Yue wiped her hands, filled two bowls with water, and then walked out. Her intuition told her that it was probably a good thing!
When the cats and dogs saw Cheng Yue come out, they immediately stood up and greeted her, "Madam!"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? Please sit down. Here, have some water first. Have you eaten anything?"
These two children are so thin. They must be exhausted from traveling such a long distance from the county town to Houshui Village.
Ah Mao and Ah Gou took the water, their eyes a little moist. "Thank you, Madam. We've already eaten. Brother Lin gave us two chicken frames and some pastries."
The master and mistress were kind people. Without asking any questions, they first poured them a bowl of water to drink. Brother Lin was even more worried that they would be hungry on the road, so he specially gave them food.
Cheng Yue nodded, "That's good. You said it's about the shop, what happened?"
Ah Mao and Ah Gou put down their bowls, cleared their throats, and said, word by word, "Brother Lin said that a gentleman from the prefectural city came to the shop to discuss a braised food business. He needs a large quantity, and in order to keep him on his side, he mentioned the matter of the braising spice packet. He doesn't know if it's feasible, and said he wants you to go there."
After saying that, the two looked at each other and nodded. They had been reciting these words all the way, so they were sure they were right!
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