Chapter 224 - Full Support
Chapter 224: Full Support
Translator: Lonelytree
After Zeng Yaozu had sent the orders he placed yesterday, he went back to the shop to find Xiao Xinxin.
When they talked, their faces were red, and they stuttered. They looked very embarrassed, which made Liu Chunhua laugh. ‘Why are they so cute? The boy is Young Master Zeng, but he is so shy when he is around girls. Haha…’
With Liu Chunhua teasing him, Zeng Yaozu left the shop reluctantly. Before he left, he picked up three customers who wanted to go with him to Taoyuan Village to pick the strawberries.
Zeng Hongmei asked, “Brother, are those strawberries really planted by Xiao Lingye’s sister in Taoyuan Village?
“But we can’t grow strawberries here. Many big agricultural families have tried it before.
“How did Sister Xiao manage this?”
Zeng Yaozu rolled his eyes helplessly at Zeng Hongmei, who kept chattering along the way. He said, “You’re so curious about everything. You can ask Sister Xiao directly when we get there.”
“…” Zeng Hongmei blushed and said, “I will.” She had only met Sister Xiao once. She was beautiful and had an extraordinary temperament. Her aura was very strong. It felt like she had to be careful with her words when they were by her side.
There was a cement road connecting Xing An Town and Taoyuan Village. This surprised the three passengers who came with Zeng Yaozu.
They asked, “There’s cement road here? When did Taoyuan Village become so rich?” They still remembered Taoyuan Village as a poor village. The village only got electricity a few years ago. That was years behind the other villages.
The main reason for this was that Taoyuan Village was very remote. This also contributed to the general poverty of the village. The telecom and electricity bureau couldn’t bother to make the electrical grid. The power lines would cost more to make than the potential electrical bills. After all, only one or two houses needed electricity.
When Xiao Lingyu became the top scorer, she brought up the village’s lack of electricity. The telecom bureau chief waved his hands and said, “Get the power to Taoyuan Village!”
The village chief was very proud of Xiao Lingyu. Her reputation helped the village gain electricity. Except for a few villagers who thought the electricity was some kind of bad energy, most were thankful for the power source.
A passenger in Zeng Yaozu’s car said, “I remember Taoyuan Village as the poorest village in our county. I didn’t expect the village to have a cement road connecting to the town. This place has changed.”
Zeng Hongmei did not say anything.
She did not know much about Taoyuan Village. Zeng Yaozu also did not know much about Taoyuan Village. When he heard his friend mention that Taoyuan Village was once the poorest village in the county, he couldn’t believe it.
The cement road had brought a lot of changes to Taoyuan Village. But building a road required money. Even though the government provided yearly subsidies for the local bodies to build roads, the subsidies were often not enough. The villagers must have paid a lot to pave this cement road.
“It’s no wonder Taoyuan Village is called Taoyuan Village. Look at the peach trees along the way!”
“Although the flowering period has passed, the luxuriant foliage is beautiful too.”
“I heard that Taoyuan Village produces the best peaches. Unfortunately, due to the inconvenient transportation, most peaches had rotted in the field. However, now that the road has been fixed, we’ll see more peaches in town in the future.”
“The peaches here are indeed delicious. They are crisp and sweet. I bought them before.”
“But can the same be said for the village’s strawberries?”
“I guess we’ll know when we arrive.”
The group chatted all along the way. Soon, they arrived at Taoyuan Village.
Zeng Yaozu had called Xiao Lingyu in advance. After getting her permission, he brought them directly to the strawberry field.
From afar, they could see the plastic sheds. This was their first time seeing such a large plastic shed in the county town.
Someone immediately asked in puzzlement, “Are those all for strawberries?”
The production of strawberries was very high. One Mu of land could produce five to six thousand catties. For the size of the strawberry field they saw, if everything was sold, the boss would make a lot of money.
Zeng Yaozu explained, “No, Boss Xiao only planted six Mu of strawberries. The rests are peanuts and soybeans.”
“Peanuts and soybeans?” Someone asked in surprise, “Do you also need to build a greenhouse to plant peanuts and soybeans?”
Zeng Yaozu explained, “Boss Xiao used to be a famous university student. She has a friend from the agricultural college who taught her some new planting technique. How do you think Boss Xiao manage to cultivate her delicious crops?”
At this moment, Zeng Hongmei interrupted and said, “Brother, I heard from Xiao Lingye that the reason the crops taste so good is because they have the Little Cattle King.”
“Little Cattle King?” The non-villagers didn’t know what that was. Perhaps because Xiao Lingyu had allowed the villagers to pick the manure for free, most villagers rarely mentioned the Little Cattle King to the outsiders. They were afraid that the outsiders might take ill interest in the Little Cattle King. When asked, they’d say Xiao Lingyu was very clever because she had attended a good university.
However, as the name of Taoyuan Village Fresh Fruits and Vegetables grew, and more people came directly to Taoyuan Village to purchase the vegetables, the legend of the Little Cattle King spread.
Of course, most people would not believe it.
In this information era, who would believe in a magical cow?
When asked, Xiao Lingye would tell his friends that his sister used a professional planting technique that she had learned from her friends at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Zeng Hongmei only heard Xiao Lingye and Xiao Lingyu mention the Little Cattle King in passing. There had to be a reason why they didn’t mention the Little Cattle King to the public. However, her big mouth had voiced it out loud. What if she created trouble for them?
Zeng Yaozu really didn’t know anything about the Little Cattle King. However, he was a smart person. He knew there had to be a reason why Xiao Lingyu’s crops were so different from the others. However, that reason was not known to outsiders.
When he heard Zeng Hongmei mention Little Cattle King, he was intrigued. ‘Could the miraculous crops really be related to this Little Cattle King?’ However, Zeng Yaozu didn’t ask for more details. Instead, he shot Zeng Hongmei a look.
Zeng Hongmei understood it instantly. She smiled and explained, “There are many legends surrounded the Little Cattle King. Apparently, it ran into Boss Xiao when it tried to find someone to save its mother!”
“A cow who knows how to find someone to save its mother? Is it true or false?” The guests immediately asked with great interest.
Zeng Hongmei shook her head and said, “As I’ve said, it’s a legend. I don’t really know the details. Hey, we’re here!” They arrived at the strawberry field.
Mother Xiao came out to greet them. “Welcome to Taoyuan Village!”
Zeng Yaozu politely called out, “Auntie Xiao.” He then introduced Zeng Hongmei, “Hongmei, this is Sister Xiao’s and your classmate, Xiao Lingye’s mother! Auntie Xiao, this is my sister, Zeng Hongmei. These are the other customers I met in the county town. When they heard you offered the service for people to handpick the strawberries, they came over with me.”
Zeng Hongmei smiled and greeted, “Hello, Auntie Xiao!”
Mother Xiao smiled and said, “Hello, Miss Zeng. Hello, everyone. Please come in! There are scissors and baskets over there. You can pick the fruits you prefer. I believe Yaozu has told you about the price already. It’s 45 RMB per catty.”
Chu Tianlan, who came along with them, thought for a moment and asked, “Auntie, are the strawberries all the same?”
“Yes.” Mother Xiao answered. “Since you’re our first batch of customers, we’ll give you a big free offer. Since you’re here, you can eat to your fill. It’s free. However, any strawberries you take away have to be weighed and priced!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up and they immediately asked, “Is this true? You won’t lie to us, right?”
“It’s real!” Mother Xiao laughed, “You can eat as much as you want.”
Chu Tianlan asked with a smile, “Auntie, will this offer still be available tomorrow? I want to come back with my friends and family.”
Mother Xiao smiled, “We only offer this generous freebie to our first 100 customers!”
“First 100!” Chu Tianlan nodded. “Auntie, you said we’re your first batch of guests. So, are we your first three customers?”
“That’s right! We won’t hide that from the guests!”
Chu Tianlan said happily, “Then I will come back tomorrow. There’s still a bit of distance to 100!” The other guests nodded in agreement.
Zeng Hongmei and Zeng Yaozu didn’t say anything, but they lowered their eyes and seemed to think about something.
1
Mother Xiao smiled and said, “Guests, please come in!”
“Wow, there are so many strawberries! They are all so big!”
The female guests found it unbelievable and they squealed. They were tempted by the strawberries immediately.
“This is the first time I see strawberry plants up close! So this is how they look like!”
“So this is the strawberry flower.”
“But the strawberries still look a little green!”
“Yes, they are a little green. However, the strawberries at the store this morning are even greener. But they already tasted so good.”
Chu Tianlan picked a strawberry and put it into her mouth without washing it. Then, she exclaimed, “Wow, these strawberries are so delicious!”
Fortunately, they could eat as much as they wanted. Or else, they would have to spend a lot to satisfy themselves. They were glad they decided to come along with Zeng Yaozu.
“They’re delicious! How can they be so delicious?”
“Exactly. These strawberries are sour, sweet, and fragrant. They’re just right for my taste.”
“They taste sweeter than the ones at the shop!”
“The big and small strawberries taste equally sweet!”
“I’ll pick some small strawberries later. They’re easier to share among the family. The bigger ones are too hard to divide.”
“You have a point. I’ll do that too!”
“I have to pick some large ones for my girlfriend!”
…
When Zeng Hongmei entered the field, she shed her image and munched on the strawberries. “Wow, they taste amazing!” She exclaimed, “I’m willing to work without pay as long as I can eat these strawberries every day!” She looked at Zeng Yaozu when she said that.
Zeng Yaozu had to deal with a lot of orders yesterday night. He needed help, so he went to Zeng Hongmei.
Zeng Hongmei had just finished her university entrance examination. She had nothing to do. She either stayed at home and watched tv or went shopping with her friends.
Zeng Yaozu came over to ask for her help. He needed her to build the strawberry business with him. He needed her help with the statistics. Zeng Hongmei was reluctant at first. But when she found out Zeng Yaozu was doing this to woo a girlfriend, she had to help him. Otherwise, with her eldest cousin’s shy personality, he would never get a girlfriend.
For the sake of her eldest cousin’s future happiness, she promised to help.
Of course, that didn’t mean she would work for free. She was going to work for two months, so she needed to be paid.
After tasting the strawberries, Zeng Hongmei decided that she’d work for rewards of these beautiful strawberries.
Zeng Hongmei immediately told Zeng Yaozu, “Brother, from now on, I’ll work with you every day.”
“…” Zeng Yaozu said with a smile, “I’m giving you salary to work for me. Plus, second uncle said that it’s time for you to learn about business and how to earn your own money. You are not to come to feast on the strawberries. That is not your job.”
Zeng Hongmei, “…”
Who knew her eldest cousin would be so cunning… Hmm….