1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 138: Eight More Acres of Land
After inspecting the fields, the work was arranged.

However, since no one inside had called him for breakfast yet, he decided to wander around a bit longer.

A gentle breeze blows, and the dew is fragrant.

After walking a few steps, I left my own vegetable garden, and there were no more lush green vegetables to accompany me; instead, it was mostly a scene of devastation.

After yesterday's scorching sun, everything became clear.

All the leafy greens grown outdoors perished. The only slightly better off were heat-resistant legumes and gourds, such as loofah, bitter melon, and cowpeas…

However, without shading measures, the leaves are severely affected by sunburn, and pests and diseases are also becoming somewhat out of control.

Generally speaking, flea beetles, aphids, and diamondback moths all break out in full force about three days after a typhoon.

Therefore, Chen Jiazhi was in a hurry to apply the medicine.

Vegetables that are about to be harvested should not be sprayed with pesticides, but they should still be completely covered with insect-proof netting, which should not be removed until harvest time.

Diseases can spread faster, breaking out within 24 hours after a typhoon, but Chen Jiazhi took preventative measures before the typhoon.

Apart from the cowpeas and the loofahs and bitter melons that were saved for seed, there was no mechanical damage during the typhoon, so they were relatively less susceptible to infection, which is why the typhoon lasted for two more days.

But we still need to take precautions again.

"Uncle, dinner's ready!"

Only after hearing Yi Long's shout did Chen Jiazhi start walking back.

Before they even reached the dam area, they ran into two people, Zhou Shijun and Lao Liu, who looked somewhat uneasy.

Chen Jiazhi was just about to look for them.

As he drew closer and slowed his pace, Old Liu finally mustered the courage to speak.

"Um, Mr. Chen... Mr. Chen, we need to discuss something with you. We'd like to transfer the land to you."

Oh ho, so you're thinking of running away?
Chen Jiazhi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was certain that it was these two people from last night.

He had originally intended to force the two to leave, but now it seemed unnecessary. He suddenly felt a little regretful that he hadn't been able to seize the opportunity to beat them up.

"Why do you suddenly want to leave?"

"The vegetables have died again, so there's no point in planting them anymore. We might as well stop. Our two families have about eight acres of land, and we're just doing this for the rent."

Chen Jiazhi pretended to be in a difficult position and pondered, "I have quite a lot of land now, and to be honest, I can't guarantee that I can continue to grow vegetables when it gets hot later."

"You're joking, you're joking. Now everyone knows what you're capable of."

Both Lao Liu and Zhou Shijun were a little hesitant.

There were definitely two people there last night.

Zhou Shijun's land is next to Chen Jiazhi's No. 6 plot. During the last Dragon Boat Festival, No. 6 plot produced two or three acres of beautiful cabbage, making the two of them extremely envious.

Then I wanted to imitate it.

Whatever Chen Jiazhi planted, the two of them planted too.

As a result, a typhoon caused severe damage, and after being exposed to the scorching sun all day yesterday, everything was gone.

The two were extremely upset, and seeing that Chen Jiazhi was safe and sound again, and that vegetable prices had skyrocketed, they could no longer suppress their jealousy. So they went to the field together in the middle of the night after they left.

Before they could even make a move, damn it, the two puppies spotted them. They may be small, but they were still quite loud.

Lights gradually came on inside the house, so the two had to run further away.

When they sensed that nothing was happening, they tried to sneak back into the house, but Chen Jiazhi and the others returned, so the two of them had to hide outside.

At this point, the two of them were actually a little scared.

If they get caught, no one will listen to their explanations, and they'll definitely get a beating.

Fortunately, Chen Jiazhi and Qi Yongfeng did not find the two people lying on the ground during their patrol.

The two then hid outside for another two or three hours, trembling with fear, before finally returning home, their courage long since vanished.

After discussing it, they decided not to farm anymore, and if they were to farm, they wouldn't stay at the Dongxiang vegetable market.

But the lease still has about six months left.

He wanted to transfer the land to Chen Jiazhi in exchange for some money, since only Chen Jiazhi had the ability to do so.

Old Liu cautiously suggested, "How about I pay five months' rent for the sublet?"

Chen Jiazhi chuckled coldly twice, then suddenly said, "Was it you guys last night?"

"No, no, it wasn't us."

"Hey Chen, don't you dare accuse someone wrongly!"

Old Liu was somewhat apprehensive, while Zhou Shijun was getting a little anxious, and his voice involuntarily rose slightly.

"Whether it's true or not, you know the answer yourselves. And what about that dam we built last time? Hehe..."

Chen Jiazhi scrutinized the two men intently, but their gazes darted around and evaded, clearly indicating they had something to hide.

He had actually been wanting to teach the two a lesson, but he hadn't been able to catch them in the act.

He even had a reason to take action if he saw the two of them come home in the morning.

"If you want to transfer the land to me, that's fine, I'll pay two months' rent."

It's good to get rid of these two plagues as soon as possible.

"It's just a matter of whether you agree or not. If you miss this opportunity, I might not give you a single penny!"

Old Liu and Zhou Shijun exchanged a glance, and also noticed that the Ao brothers, Qi Yongfeng, and Yi Dinggan had all noticed the commotion.

There is no way out.

If they stay any longer, they won't get a single penny, and they might even get ganged up on.

Old Liu was deflated and pleaded somewhat humbly, "Boss Chen, could you add a little more?"

Chen Jiazhi frowned for a moment, then relented.

"For the sake of being fellow villagers, we'll contribute 50 yuan per mu, which is exactly 200 yuan for the whole family, but we need to move out as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay, I'll go to the village to put my fingerprints on the document later, and I can move out tomorrow."

Chen Jiazhi then looked at Zhou Shijun, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll call you then."

"Okay, okay, we're not going anywhere." Chen Jiazhi then went home to eat breakfast, during which they also talked about acquiring more land.

It seemed like a natural progression, yet Yi Dinggan and Chen Jiafang were still somewhat bewildered.

Only Yi Long kept asking about the income from selling vegetables in the morning, occasionally exclaiming in amazement, "Five thousand yuan a day, two days and I'd be a ten-thousand-yuan household!" He was so young, yet he was already feeling the impact of money.

"Old man, I want to learn how to ride a bicycle."

"Sure, you can push your bike to school during the day."

"The car is too tall, can you buy me a shorter one?"

"purchase……"

"What are you buying!" Chen Jiafang scolded, "Xiaolong, just use this car to learn, take your time, you have plenty of time anyway."

"I want to learn it as soon as possible, so I can go work for my uncle selling vegetables and earn a salary!"

Chen Jiazhi was taken aback when he heard this, then laughed and said, "You can get up at night?"

"Sure!" Yi Long said with a smile. "Uncle, I heard that the adults helped you sell vegetables for one night, and you gave me 15 yuan. How much will you pay me per night?"

Before Chen Jiazhi could even speak, Yi Dinggan became dissatisfied.

"What are you doing working at such a young age? Haven't I given you money to play at home? Your uncle gives others 15 yuan a night, and that includes bringing a cartload of vegetables to the market. Even if you learn to ride a bike, how many vegetables can you bring?"

"Then I won't bring any vegetables; I'll go to the market to help out."

"What help are you going to give? You don't know anything. Your uncle is already busy enough at the market. Do you want to add to his troubles?"

Yi Long immediately deflated, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Stop talking, Brother Yi." Chen Jiazhi asked with a smile, "Xiao Long, why did you decide to work for me?"

Yi Long sniffed and said, "My parents don't let me work for them. I said I'd thin out seedlings for them, and they'd give me 1 cents for each small plot. Then they gave me 5 cents and told me to go play somewhere else."

I've been here for ten days, and it's been like this every day.

"..."

Chen Jiazhi glanced at Yi Dinggan.

Do you know how to thin seedlings?

"How do you know I can't do it if you won't even let me try?!"

"Do I need you to try? It's not like I can't support you!"

"Old man, are you so capable? If you're so capable, why do you still argue with my mother in the fields every day? Have you made a lot of money? Almost all the vegetables in the field have died. Have you made back your investment yet?"

"I think you're asking for a beating!"

"Hey, hey, hey, talk is cheap, don't take action. Xiaolong just wants to help." Chen Jiazhi persuaded Yi Dinggan to stop.

At the same time, I was thinking about how to handle it.

Five years from now, Yi Long would never have such thoughts. Even if you wanted him to do something, you wouldn't be able to persuade him.

We must not dampen his enthusiasm.

If we keep playing like this, we'll really be ruined.

"How about this, I can squeeze one more person into my tricycle. You can come along and take a look. You won't be able to help much right now, but you can learn something first. Once you can help, I'll start calculating your wages, okay?"

"Okay, that's fine."

"Hey, Jiazhi, you just keep spoiling him."

"If you ask me, you and my second sister should come and help me sooner. Do you think I would let you down?"

"My parents are extremely proud."

"..."

After breakfast, Chen Jiazhi went back to his room and wrapped the soaked seeds in a cloth to germinate them, including bok choy, kale, and mustard greens.

Just as he was about to leave after finishing his work, Li Xiu came back into the house.

"Jiazhi, I also want to go to the market."

"We'll have to wait a bit longer."

"I know, but don't worry about it. Oh, by the way, I put the new laptop in your bag, and I took the old one out."

"Okay, I'll go out and get busy now."

Li Xiu watched Chen Jiazhi leave, and only when he entered the warehouse did she turn back to start cleaning. Then she took out a notebook filled with numbers and flipped through it again and again.

These figures are not just numbers; they also seem to depict imagined, bustling scenes in the market.

Chen Jiazhi took a type of medicinal herb from the warehouse, put it in a bucket, and went to plot number 3, which was the seed field for Da Gu Qing.

After undergoing adversity training, he plans to manage this seed field carefully, first verifying the purification and rejuvenation effects, before summarizing the experience and continuing the efforts.

The morning dew dried quickly. After working for a while, he called over three male workers, and the four of them worked together to prevent and control pests and diseases.

After administering the medicine, Chen Jiazhi hurriedly went home to take a shower, grabbed his bag of money, and called Zhou Shijun and Lao Liu to go to the village to sign and put their fingerprints.

In addition to the 400 yuan rent for the eight mu of land, Chen Jiazhi also spent 50 yuan to buy Lao Liu's bicycle.

After finishing his work, he went to the bank and deposited another 10,000 yuan, bringing the total amount in his savings account to 46,000 yuan.

Several bank employees stared wide-eyed when they saw him return to deposit money just two days later.

They kept asking him if growing vegetables was so profitable, or whether he hadn't been affected by the typhoon.
Actually, Chen Jiazhi also wanted to chat a bit more.

He heard about the special loan for food baskets on the news and wanted to inquire about it.

However, he had other things to do, and besides, he was from out of town, so getting a loan might not be so easy.

Most importantly, he has a natural aversion to being in debt.

Because of the bitter experiences of owing money several times when he was young in his previous life, he and Li Xiu never borrowed money again.

In this life, he wants to make some changes; at least he will no longer foolishly pay the full amount when buying a house or shop.

After leaving the bank, Chen Jiazhi wandered around the streets for a while, hoping to hire a truck to haul vegetables that night.

But the sun was scorching hot, and there were hardly any people on the street, so he could only ride his bike to the agricultural supply store. Hong Zhong would definitely help him find a solution.

(End of this chapter)