Chapter 315 What if it fails?
This piece of land is located near the inland mountains of the port city. It is an undeveloped vacant lot, covering several dozen acres.
After the auction, several astute companies bought up nearby land and are watching the Xu family's next move, preparing to build a brand-new business district in the area.
Tu Yao held a handful of soil and looked at the land that stretched as far as the eye could see.
After a moment of silence, she hesitated and said, "...Xiao Chi, isn't it a bit big?"
When Xiaobai told her, she didn't mention that the land was this big. If the seedlings she brought were planted all over this land, each seedling would be enough to have a three-bedroom apartment on average.
Just as Xu Chi was about to say something, he saw her immediately change her words in a low voice: "But who knows, maybe in the future my herbal medicine cultivation base won't even be able to accommodate this piece of land."
"Right, Koike!"
Xu Chi nodded with a smile; Tu Xiaomao was never insecure.
"yes."
He looked at her and continued softly, "There's a hot spring near the mountains; you can keep it if you like."
"I'll find you a few more helpers, and we'll start work tomorrow."
"I have an apartment nearby, so how about we don't stay in a hotel this time?"
Tu Yao looked up and met his unusually gentle gaze. "Okay."
"This is my first time being a boss, so I'll try my best not to let you lose too much money!"
Xu Chi wiped the remaining dirt from her palm and chuckled, "...Then thank you, boss."
...
At the Xu family home, the old man waited until evening until he couldn't wait any longer, leaving Xu Cang still sitting in the main hall.
It wasn't until late at night that someone finally arrived.
"A contract has been signed." Xu Chi handed over the document.
Xu Cang frowned and looked at his expression: "How are you feeling?"
Unsurprisingly, I received another "almost done" reply.
Xu Cang wanted to curse, but seeing his expression, he swallowed his words.
...It does look a little better than before.
Unable to resist asking suspiciously, "Is your friend really a doctor?"
He remembered that four years ago, Xu Chi had said that his health had improved because he had made a doctor friend.
Are there doctors this young?
This time, Xu Chi's tone was unusually natural: "Yes, she's practically a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner."
He gestured for him to look at the contract.
Xu Cang glanced at it with a belly full of doubt: "It's not going to be another small contract worth seventy or eighty thousand, is it?"
The next second, his face turned dark.
This time it's not some trivial contract.
...They simply gave away the land he had bought for a sky-high price six months ago!
Xu Chi corrected: "It's a normal rental."
Xu Cang's eyelids twitched violently: "What about the rent?"
Xu Chi took a sip of tea: "After all, I am a shareholder."
Xu Cang: ...
Xu Cang understood; it meant that as a shareholder, he had a responsibility to lease the land to his new boss at a low price.
"And what about the lease term?"
Xu Chi: "Uncertain."
Xu Cang: ...
Xu Chi said frankly, "Project cycles vary in length, which is normal."
Xu Cang hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "What about the rate of return?"
This is a complete contract, and the document bag also contains some data, supported by experimental results.
No matter how complete the data or how high the rate of return, the herbs in Tuyao and that piece of land are fundamentally disproportionate in size.
Even if you plant the land with herbs, you still won't realize its original value.
From a profit perspective, it was essentially a losing proposition.
He didn't believe Xu Chi was unaware of this.
Xu Chi frowned and put down his cup.
"Brother, you..."
He paused for a moment, then uttered a few words: "How vulgar."
Xu Cang: ? ? ?
Xu Chi looked at him and said, "How about we make a bet?"
Xu Cang: "...What bet?"
Xu Chi ran his fingertips along the edge of the document, his voice clear and gentle: "I bet she will succeed."
Xu Cang glanced at him: "Because she's the girl you like, you trust her unconditionally?"
"Of course not."
"I believed in her even before I realized I liked her."
Before Xu Cang could react after saying this, Xu Chi laughed, then nodded after realizing what he meant.
Yes, that's right.
It was the same back in Crane Village; Tu Xiaomao had a magical ability to make people entrust their trust to him.
Xu Chi's gaze deepened: "She has never failed."
Along the way, Tu Yao achieved the results she wanted in everything.
Tu Xiaomao believed himself to be omnipotent.
Xu Cang asked gravely, "What if we fail?"
"You have to realize that no one in this world can be successful forever."
“…If we fail.” Xu Chi withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and smiled.
"That must be because I didn't do it well."
"It must be something I didn't do to help her; I didn't do enough."
Xu Cang was speechless, looking at him with a complicated expression.
Xu Chi had already stood up and put the contract back in his hand: "Brother, please file it for me."
...
Xu Chi was exceptionally efficient; in less than a week, based on Tu Yao's description, he divided the area into five zones according to soil composition and moisture level.
Tu Yao prepared a total of five varieties for cultivation: Atractylodes macrocephala, Dendrobium nobile, Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica sinensis, and Gastrodia elata.
These are all herbs that are suitable for growing in moist environments. After improvement, they are more adaptable to soil than ordinary seeds.
This land is close to the mountains and has water, making its natural environment superior to that of ordinary land.
She only needs to prepare the soil in a few areas and control the temperature and humidity.
Half a month later, Xu Chi officially met Tu Yao's batch of cultivated seeds.
Tu Yao picked out ten Dendrobium plants separately.
"Xiaochi, these are the ones I cultivated before the New Year, and they've been kept in the school's laboratory ever since."
"That basket of gastrodia elata is quite old. It was cultivated last November and has been kept suspended in nutrient solution, so it has grown a bit slowly. But that's okay, they will grow to a meter in the future."
Tu Yao squatted on the ground and enthusiastically introduced it to him.
She explained in detail which herbs she had cultivated herself, which ones she had purchased, and the environmental conditions required for each herb.
Xu Chi listened quietly.
Herbs naturally have a long growing season, and with repeated improvements, it's easy to tell how much effort she's put into cultivating these varieties.
It also offers a glimpse into her busy yet energetic four years.
After Tu Yao finished speaking, she joined a group of experienced farmers.
The helpers Xu Chi found for her were not senior professors or students of the same age and major, but rather some growers in the port city who specialized in planting medicinal herbs and vegetables.
Tu Yao is a professional student, so she has both of the above. On the contrary, working with a group of simple and honest farmers, she was able to quickly become one with them and learn some experiences outside of her major.
"Koike, what are you thinking about?"
While speaking, Tu Yao turned her head and saw that Xu Chi was watching her silently not far away, so she quickly ran over.
Xu Chi snapped out of his reverie, “…I was thinking, Tu Xiaomao is really amazing.”
Tu Yao blinked, somewhat helplessly: "Don't keep praising me."
"...Fine, go ahead and praise me, I really am very good."
Tu Yao waved her hand generously, then ran back into the crowd.
Xu Chi smiled as he looked at the herbs scattered on the ground, but after a while, his smile gradually faded.
He thought, "Tu Xiaomao is so amazing. This time, the whole world should not let her down."
The next second, Tu Yao's phone, which was in the wooden basket, suddenly rang.
Xu Chi bent down and picked it up; it was Tu Chaoxi.
After a few seconds' pause, the call was answered.
On the other end of the phone, Tu Chaoxi had already lost her temper.
Xu Chi was exceptionally patient: "Teacher Tu?"
"Scream, scream, scream! Are you trying to call back my soul?!"
"I knew it. You had no good intentions when you sent the wolf fang over there. You pretended to be generous and advised me to give it up, but when it came to your own, you were so stingy."
Xu Chi laughed: "So how did you know she was with me?"
Tu Chaoxi fell silent.
He was the same.
They agreed verbally and went about their own business, but after giving away that phone from four years ago, the habit of stalking him resurfaced.
Then I watched as Tu Yao's location changed all the way from Xianhe Village to Yanjing, and then from Yanjing to Gangcheng.
He was so anxious that he attacked the man in the middle of the recording, before he had even changed his clothes.
Tu Chaoxi was too embarrassed to say it, and Xu Chi understood and didn't press the matter.
After a long while, a voice came from the other end of the phone.
“...Keep an eye on her, Xu Chi.”
Xu Chi was slightly taken aback.
Tu Chaoxi didn't ask Tu Yao if she remembered, nor did she ask why she wanted to plant herbs, nor did she order him to immediately send the person back from the "dangerous" port city.
On the other end of the phone, Tu Chaoxi continued, "Please pass on a message for me: once she's finished planting, I'll go pick her up with her second and third brothers."
"Alright, I have to record the show now, bye."
After saying that, Tu Chaoxi hung up the phone.
At the entrance of the recording studio, Tu Chaoxi leaned back on a bench. After a while, she raised her phone and silently looked at the flashing location on the screen.
He always had too many things he couldn't let go of, but his sister took on the responsibility of the third option in the blink of an eye.
Just like back then, I took on that life-changing task, helping them turn their lives around.
But he can't be as stupid and slow-witted as he was back then.
If you can't change your dullness, then listen to your sister.
Do what he's supposed to do.
In the recording studio, the assistant called out, "Teacher Tu, the second half has begun."
Tu Chaoxi rubbed her face: "I'm here."
...
On the other hand, after discussing the specific procedures with the farmers, Tu Yao ran back.
"It's Teacher Tu's phone call."
Xu Chi handed over the phone. "He said he'll come pick you up once you've finished planting."
Tu Yao looked at the screen and nodded: "...Understood."
"You didn't tell them why you were growing herbs."
As he spoke, Xu Chi suddenly realized that Tu Xiaomao had not only not told Tu Chaoxi, but also, despite their mutual understanding, she had never revealed the reason for planting medicinal herbs after arriving here.
Tu Yao plucked a blade of grass and whispered, "He only told half of it."
Xu Chi looked at her suddenly lowered head: "Why?"
Tu Yao paused for a moment, then shrugged lightly: "Because I don't know if it will succeed."
Xu Chi's eyes flickered slightly.
She turned her head, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, "Xiao Chi, I tried my best, and you tried your best too, but I can't guarantee success. If you fail the first time, don't worry, don't panic, okay?"
Her family, her friends, and the people she loves are all very strong and brave, but they always become flustered and disoriented when it comes to things related to her.
So she didn't dare say more until she could give 100% hope.
Koike should understand what she means, right?
Tu Yao glanced over tentatively.
Xu Chi gazed intently at her.
After a moment, he nodded slightly, as if he had taken it to heart.
For the next two weeks, Tu Yao was extremely busy adjusting the soil environment and setting up the planting site.
Another half month later, a portion of the cultivated seeds were finally officially planted.
But the next day, all the Dendrobium orchids near the mountain range suddenly withered.
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