Farming Space Makes Me Rich (2)

Chapter 364: Soybeans

Translator: Lonelytree

These people came to compete with them for money.

The children had all three Mus of land to pick, but now the elderly came to compete with them.

...

However, competition bred motivation.

As a result, the children moved faster than they did in the morning.

These elders were not willing to be outdone. They spent a lot of effort convincing Grandma Xiao to offer them this job. They would be paid according to weight, so the more they did, the more they would be paid. They were not willing to give in to the brats.

The children glared at the elders. The elders shook their heads and turned back to their work.

The group of women led by Zhou Yan planned to help pick the peanuts after they were done harvesting the peanut stalks. Their wages were not calculated by weight but by time. If they worked a full eight hours, they would be paid 30 RMB. Since so many people were there picking the peanuts, they didn't

join them and instead went to cut the soybeans.

The soybeans were also pulled from the ground and then they were spread out in piles under the sun to dry. Once the soybean sprouts dried, the pods would crack open, and the soybeans would pop out.

Normally, after two days of sun exposure, all the soybeans in the pods would come out. For the more stubborn ones, the villagers would use a stick to hit the pods a few times. The resistant pods would crack from the external pressure. The dried pods would be gathered to be used as firewood or fertilizer.

After the pods were cleared away, the remainders would be the soybeans, soybean leaves, and some dirt and branches.

First, a bamboo rake would be used to separate the beans from the leaves. Then, a dustpan would be used to sieve out the impurities like the dirt. In the end, the villagers would use a threshing windmill to carry out the final filtration to get clean soybeans.

It was easier to collect peanuts than soybeans. In the future, Xiao Lingyu planned to invest in a more effective harvesting mechanism, but for now, she had to rely on manual manpower.

Thirty-plus people harvested the peanuts for three days.

Everyone felt that they had reaped a bountiful harvest.

The children could make more than ten RMB a day. The faster ones could get up to twenty. The little ones were so happy. In three days, they had earned forty to fifty RMB. They could buy beautiful clothes or toys they liked.

After the peanuts were cleaned, they had to be brought to the river to have the surface soil washed off. The people Xiao Lingyu hired were either children or elders. She was afraid that they'd get into an accident carrying the heavy peanuts to the river, so she planned to hire two young men.

However, First Uncle Xiao and Third Uncle Xiao offered to help.

Xiao Zhengyang and Grandpa Xiao were watching over the work in the mountains. Since the two uncles were free, they decided to help out.

First Uncle Xiao and Third Uncle Xiao picked up loads of peanuts and carried them to the river. There were people waiting for them at the river.

The best way to wash the peanuts was to use a bamboo basket or a plastic frame with holes in it. The holes were large enough for the dirt to run away with the water but small enough to detain the peanuts.