Chapter 102 101. Uninvited Guests
Zhou Yi and Lei Li didn't know anything about fertilizers.
But the old farmer who was invited to grow peppers was an expert. He knew exactly which fertilizers could make the stems thicker and which fertilizers could increase the leaves. The people of Sanlihe Village also had their own experience with fertilizers, so they didn't have to worry about it at all.
The pepper planting business in Sanlihe Village is in full swing, and the neighboring Silihe Village is also progressing in an orderly manner under the supervision of Chen Xiangrang.
This was the first time for Silihe Village to grow peppers, so two veteran farmers, Huang Qing and Lou Dadu, went along. From Sanlihe Village, only Xiaohua served as a consultant, but don’t underestimate Xiaohua.
Xiaohua is not very old, only thirteen years old.
But after studying with Lou Dahuangqing in the pepper garden for a year and often chatting with the old farmers in the village, I listened more, watched more, learned more, and asked more questions. Although I can't say I have completely mastered the planting techniques, I have learned a lot.
Moreover, Xiaohua has been planting various kinds of flowers and plants for so many years, and has also raised five-color peppers, and not a single one has died, which is enough to show Xiaohua's strength.
——Anyway, for someone like Zhou Yi who only cares about watering the flowers and plants and leaves their survival to fate, Xiaohua can be considered an expert.
The people in Sanlihe Village also particularly like this sensible and capable little girl. Every time it is time for dinner, several families invite Xiaohua to their homes for dinner.
Xiaohua knows almost all the aunts and uncles in the village, and gets along well with children. At night, she doesn't sleep with her sisters, but goes back to her own dormitory.
The dormitory is spacious and comfortable, and it belongs to Xiaohua alone. It is much better than being beaten and scolded by her father from time to time at home.
So Xiaohua is especially grateful to Lei Li and Zhou Yi, as well as Grandpa Dashan and Grandma Yeer, because they treat her like their own granddaughter.
After knowing that Brother Lei Li had a baby, Xiaohua was one of the happiest people.
Whenever Xiaohua had free time, she would either hang around Brother Li or help the aunts and uncles in the village take care of the children. Sometimes, Xiaohua was reluctant to eat the malt sugar snacks given by the aunts and uncles, and would carefully put them in her arms and run to give them to Brother Li.
These candies and snacks were the cheapest and most common ones, but Brother Li never disliked them. He would always smile and praise Xiaohua for being so well-behaved, and then eat them with Xiaohua.
Xiaohua smiled with her eyes curved like little crescent moons.
"Does Xiaohua buy candy and snacks every day?"
Lei Li gave the last two pieces of candy to Xiao Hua. After watching her eat the sickeningly sweet candy, he patted her head and asked, "Why don't you buy some hair ornaments and hair ties? Eating too many snacks will damage your teeth."
"My aunt and uncle gave it to me."
Xiaohua shook her head, her eyes sparkling. "I'm helping my aunt take care of my little brother and sister at the village chief's house. They eat snacks and caramel candy, and my aunt gives me some too. I don't eat much, so it won't damage my teeth."
"Brother Li, look."
Xiaohua opened her mouth wide, showing Lei Li her white teeth. She smiled shyly and said, "My teeth are fine! They're not damaged at all!"
"It's not damaged, it's in perfect order."
Lei Li also smiled and asked, "Xiaohua helps Auntie take care of her younger siblings every day. Do you like them so much? Or do you like the candy Auntie gives you?"
"Brother Li's house also has a lot of snacks and candies. Why don't you take some when you come to Brother Li's house? Share them with your friends and have some snacks together."
"I like to eat snacks with Brother Li. Once I start, I can't eat anymore. Eating too much will damage my teeth."
Xiaohua puffed out her chest, thinking she was very clever. She even smiled with a hint of pride, "I help my aunt take care of my younger siblings. When Brother Li's baby is born, I can help him take care of the baby!"
"Help Brother Li take care of it?"
Lei Li didn't expect this answer. He thought Xiaohua was embarrassed to eat snacks directly, but wanted to eat snacks, so she went to help Liu Xiaocao's family take care of the children.
He also wanted to ask Xiaohua if she was short of money. He said that Xiaohua didn't need to worry about her food, clothing, housing and transportation. Her mother took care of all these things and made two new sets of clothes for Xiaohua in the spring.
He had given Xiaohua some copper coins before, but the little girl loved sweets and she would spend all her money on flowers and snacks every day, but she was too embarrassed to tell him.
"Yes!"
The little flower tilted its little face up with a bright smile, like a beautiful blooming wild rose, full of vitality and vigorous romance.
"Brother Li is so busy, and the baby loves to play. Xiaohua plays with the baby and takes care of him, so Brother Li can concentrate on his business and make money!"
"Xiaohua is also learning to sew clothes from Aunt Xiaocao. Xiaohua also wants to make a small piece of clothing for the baby to wear when the baby is born. Is that okay, Uncle Li?"
Lei Li couldn't help laughing when he heard that. He patted Xiao Hua on the head and said, "Of course, baby will like it very much because she knows that this is made by Sister Xiao Hua for her."
"Yeah!"
Xiaohua was so excited that she almost jumped up.
"but."
Lei Li added, "Xiaohua is still a child now. She's very tired after working in the pepper garden. She can go find some friends to play with, chat with them, and do something that might not be very useful but is fun."
"Uncle Li knows Xiaohua's good intentions. I'm very happy that Xiaohua and the others like the baby, but Uncle Li has so many people at home. Look, the baby's grandpa, grandma, and dad can all take care of the baby."
"Xiaohua, if you want to play with the baby, just come when you're free. You don't have to learn how to take care of a child. That's not Xiaohua's responsibility or obligation, understand?"
"I don't quite understand."
Xiaohua was confused and a little worried, wondering if Uncle Li didn't like her doing this.
She has seen some uncles and aunts who don't like girls to take care of their newborns because they are afraid that they will pass on their "femininity" and give birth to a girl or a boy in the next pregnancy.
"What my brother meant is that Xiaohua should study now, learn to read and write, and learn a skill that can support herself, instead of learning how to do housework and take care of children better."
Lei Li looked at Xiao Hua seriously. "Xiao Hua, do you want to get married and have children in the future? Or do you want to be like my brother, making a lot of money, buying a big house, eating whatever you want, and doing whatever you want?"
"Xiaohua wants to be like brother."
Xiaohua said firmly.
She didn't want to get married at all because she didn't want to meet someone like her father, who not only didn't earn money to support the family, but also exploited her children and husband, beating and scolding them at every turn, and had no sense of responsibility or accountability.
She also didn't want to be like her father, bullied and beaten by her husband, but she couldn't run away. She endured it for the sake of her children. All the money she earned was taken away by her husband, and she and her children could only eat porridge, sweet potatoes and wild vegetables.
"Then study hard."
Lei Li said, "When Xiaohua grows up, she can stay in Uncle's chili garden, or she can do what she wants and earn money with her own hands."
"However, if Xiaohua meets someone she likes and he's a good person, she can marry him. Getting married and having children isn't a painful thing. Look at Uncle and Aunt Yi, they're so happy."
"Xiaohua knows."
Xiaohua nodded heavily and said, "Mrs. Zhou Yi also said that. Xiaohua remembers it all!"
"very good."
Lei Li patted Xiaohua's head in praise and watched her run away happily, her two little braids swaying, and finally she reunited with her friends to play.
etc.
There are two guys among these friends who are not right. They laugh and blush when they see small flowers.
Lei Li narrowed his eyes.
No, he wants his mother to give Xiaohua some training. Xiaohua is so young and naive. What if she gets taken advantage of or cheated by those guys?
After the busy farming season is over, we will build a school in the village and hire a teacher. Xiaohua will learn more and won't be deceived so easily. There are many children in the village, so it would be good for her to learn to read and write.
But before the school was built, Sanlihe Village welcomed an uninvited guest.
"This is Xiang Chong."
Chen Xiangrang introduced the young man enthusiastically, "Master Meng Luo's cousin, the most outstanding young talent of the Meng family's younger generation, in charge of the rice shop business in Xiling Prefecture."
"Young Master Xiang Chong visits various counties every once in a while to check on the rice shops. This time, he happened to be in Qingmi County. Having heard of Boss Lei's talent and Boss Zhou's craftsmanship, he came to meet them specially."
"Hello."
Xiang Chong nodded slightly to Lei Li and Zhou Yi.
Xiang Chong looked to be in his early twenties, with a pair of cold eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows. He had a dignified appearance, but a serious expression. His hair was combed meticulously in a high bun, revealing a sense of old-fashionedness and uprightness.
He is tall and strong, standing straight and upright. Even in his fine clothes and elegant crown, one can see the traces of his years of martial arts training, which is very different from the elegant demeanor of other rich young men.
"Hello, Mr. Xiang."
Lei Li couldn't figure out Xiang Chong's intentions. Rather than a businessman, he felt that Xiang Chong was more like... he couldn't remember what.
But inexplicably, Lei Li felt that Xiang Chong had a faint sense of command from a superior, which made people subconsciously obey his orders.
That's strange.
Do ordinary businessmen have this kind of temperament?
Lei Li pondered calmly. He also noticed that Meng Luo seemed unfamiliar with Xiang Chong, like a mouse that had accidentally entered the territory of a wild cat, and its momentum unconsciously became lower.
This Xiang Chong is two levels higher than Meng Luo.
The level of class.
"I heard that Sanlihe Village is planting peppers in the spring. I came to see where the pepper garden is."
Xiang Chong spoke and acted directly and decisively, without any politeness. He rejected Chen Xiangrang's suggestion to take a rest and followed Chen Xiangrang to the chili garden.
Lei Li and Zhou Yi also followed.
"How many acres is the pepper garden?"
"What is the yield of peppers per acre?"
"How was the birth last year?"
“How many farmers work in the garden?”
"How are their wages?"
"Besides Sanlihe Village, is there another village that also grows peppers?"
One question after another.
In addition to the data on the books, we also asked impromptu questions based on what we saw.
Xiang Chong not only listened to the answers of Chen Xiangrang and Lei Li, but also randomly asked farmers in the garden in great detail, so much so that Lei Li almost forgot that he was a superior who came to inspect, and he looked more like a partner who came for an on-site inspection.
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