Liu Tong told Xu Ran that he had discussed the matter of strawberry seedlings with Qin Shuwen, who agreed to help them in locating the seedlings. Xu Ran pressed his finger against Liu Tong's nose and said, "We're both on the same page, Tongtong. I've also told Zhuo Yun."
Liu Tong said with a shy smile, "I always want to help you do something."
Xu Ran embraced him and walked over to Liu Tong's bedside, his arm around his shoulders. "Then please have another child for me!"
Liu Tong blushed but said softly, "OK."
___
Xu Ran went to the village head at six a.m. in lunar January because he wanted to buy ten mu of low-grade fields.
"Xu Ran, I have to remind you that you've just bought thirty mu of uncultivated fields," the village head said, a little surprised. "You won't be able to afford ten more if you buy ten more! If you want to grow rice, five mu will suffice for your family of four. Your fields are almost as good as the ten acres of low-grade fields as long as they are good."
He knew that the village head said this with a kind heart, but he didn't buy the fields for growing rice, so he didn't care about the reminder.
"Thank you for your generosity, village chief. You don't have to think about that because I don't buy rice-growing fields. You simply assisted me in asking if anyone in our village or the surrounding villages wants to sell their property. I'd like some nearby fields because it would be easier for me to maintain them."
Seeing that his persuasion didn't work, the village head sighed and said to Xu Ran, "In this case, let me go and ask about it for you, but you have to be mentally prepared. Such land is 1.5 times as expensive as the uncultivated land at least."
Xu Ran knew it and thanked the village head, saying that he was going home to prepare the silver, but he didn't turn and leave until he gave the village head the money to show his gratitude.
Strawberries were not easy to grow. All was simple, from fields to manpower to strawberry seedlings. He also had to make fertilizers to keep the leaves from getting sick. He didn't know much other than how to eat strawberries. Not only could no one offer him advice in this era, but it was also difficult for him to find a book in which he could get a referee.
This will undoubtedly be a long and exhausting journey, but Xu Ran was confident in his abilities because his beloved one had fully embraced him. Xu Ran hummed songs as he walked home. Passers-by stared at him a few more times, and some of those who knew him well came over to inquire if he had met anything good.
Xu Ran smiled but shook his head. "No, I just feel happy. One should be happy if he has enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear while being alive."
Those people thought what he said was reasonable, but they couldn't comprehend it, so they quit bothering him with questions. After returning home, he began discussing fertilizer locations with Liu Tong. There was just human waste in this period. Pig and cow dung, on the other hand, was uncommon. No family was willing to give it to others, for they all wanted to put it in their fields to make their crops grow better.
Their family had nothing, so this was a difficult problem. More terribly, they couldn't use the fertilizer when growing strawberries because strawberry seedlings couldn't absorb it. Thus, they could only put ash into the fields like growing potatoes and also add some pig dung or the kind into the ash.
They should raise one or two pigs, according to Xu Ran. They could make cured meat and not have to buy meat in town when the time comes. They could also raise some chickens and ducks. They'd probably feed them grass in any case. These domestic birds could not only produce fertilizers, but they could also lay eggs once they matured.
He thought that as long as they made more ash by burning, they would have enough fertilizer when the time came.
Now their uncultivated fields were full of withered weeds, and their new sprouts had not come out yet, so they could be cut and burned directly. "Let Tangtang and Guoguo burn the weeds and get the ash," Xu Ran thought.
When he told Liu Tong about his idea, he got his approval. Raising two pigs was no problem for him now that he didn't have much work to do. There were plenty of uncultivated fields around their home, and cutting pigweed for pigs was easy.
"In this case, Tongtong, go and ask if any family has piglets, and we can buy two and bring them home. But few people in our village have chicks and ducklings. Then we can buy them in town," Xu Ran said.
"OK," Liu Tong nodded. "Then let me go to the village and ask about it first. You tell Tangtang and Guoguo, but they are still young. If they can't do it, we'll have to do it ourselves."
"OK, I see. They are my sons. I won't let him get tired," Xu Ran said with a smile.
Ignoring him, Liu Tong turned around and went outside.
Tangtang and Guoguo were outside playing with the dog in their arms when Xu Ran arrived. The two children were very lonely. Other children were probably pulling weeds in their fields with their parents or doing something else mischievous. They had to play with their dog because they couldn't find someone else to play with.
"Tangtang, Guoguo, come over. I have something to tell you."
As soon as they heard Xu Ran's words, they put down the dog in their arms and rushed to him.
"What do you want to tell us, dad?" Guoguo asked Xu Ran while blinking his big shiny eyes.
Xu Ran took out copper coins from his chest, counted a hundred coins, and gave them to Tangtang. "Tangtang, Guoguo, I'm going to grow strawberries, but there are no fertilizers or ash now. I want your help. Can you help me?"
Tangtang had to hold the one hundred copper coins with his two hands. After holding them for a while, he felt tired, so he gave half of them to Guoguo. Then he listened attentively, trying to figure out the help Xu Ran was asking for.
"It's like this. We can get ash if we burn more firewood and dried grass, but your daddy and I have other things to do and don't have time to burn the weeds, so we'd like you to do it. My reward for you is one hundred copper coins. You can either burn the weeds and keep the money, or you can hire someone to help you with the money. Are you willing to do it?"
The two kids did not nod immediately. Instead, Tangtang asked Xu Ran, "Dad, how much ash will we have to get by burning? Is the ash left after cooking the meals at home not enough?"
Xu Ran touched Tangtang's head and said, "We need so much. At least, we have to fill up the thirty mu of fields of our family."
The two of them didn't know how many fields were thirty mu, but Tangtang knew how many fields their family had. Thinking about the work to fill up such a wide land, the two kids instantly became bitter-faced, thinking, "Don't know how long it will take to burn the weeds."
For a while, they had joy on their faces; for another while, they became distressed. Yes, their expressions changed quite fast. Seeing that, Xu Ran was amused and said, "You only have half a month or fifteen days. Would you like to do it, Tangtang, Guoguo?"
How could they bother about "like" or "not like" when they worked for their family? Although the job was a little tough, Tangtang and Guoguo still nodded and agreed.
Tangtang pulled Guoguo, and the two kids began to murmur. Consciously, Xu Ran covered his ears with his hands, showing that he wouldn't eavesdrop.
The two kids lifted their heads after a moment, and Xu Ran put his hands down. Xu Ran, Tangtang said, "Dad, we've decided to spend our money on hiring people, but we can only afford to hire children because adults are too expensive. But, Dad, we'll do our best to burn as much as we can. Please don't chastise us if it isn't enough."
Xu Ran always knew that Tangtang and Guoguo were thoughtful, but he did not expect them to be so thoughtful that he felt sad.
He squatted, held the two kids in his arms, and said, "You are my treasures. How could I bear to scold you? I believe in you. You just do your best. That's enough"
"OK." The two kids nodded in unison and ran away with the copper coins in their hands.
Xu Ran went to do his job after giving Tangtang and Guoguo the instruction. As for the matter of the ash, he really didn't want to care about it, leaving it all to Tangtang and Guoguo, but he fully trusted them, although they, his sons, were only five years old.
The modern strawberry was grown in a greenhouse or in pots. Even the one grown outside was covered by a thin plastic sheet, but he couldn't find such stuff or get anything to replace them in this period, so he had little choice but to try his hardest to figure out how to keep the strawberry leaves from being eaten or making him sick. However, it was clear that this would not be an easy mission.
He wasn't particularly smart, and he'd never worked in this field before, so he knew little about it. However, this was not the main issue. For farmers, spring was a busy season. He wouldn't be able to find someone to plant strawberry seedlings at this time. As a result, he became much more irritable.
He went out to the village to speak with a few elderlies or see if he could find strawberry seedlings in some family's field because he had no one to talk to at home. He might bring some home if he noticed them. Since everybody had gone to work, there were few people moving about in the village. Xu Ran walked around but didn't see many people, so he went straight to the place where there were many fields.
In the fields, working people could be seen everywhere. He noticed that these people smiled when pushing the hoe in their hands. Spring was their hoped-for season. They hoped for a good harvest this year, enough food to eat and warm clothing to wear, and an improvement in their lives thanks to the crops in the fields.
He would welcome anyone he encountered with a smile and then walk around the field ridges, whether they were friends or not. If the field owner was easygoing, he would ask for a few strawberry seedlings whenever he saw them. Those who were kind would give him a few seedlings, while those who were mean would just give him one or two, but he didn't mind. As long as they were willing to give him, he was very happy.
He also asked that if anyone would like to work for his family when he went to hire laborers by the time. A few who had worked for his family before instantly agreed, telling him to just go to them when it was time.
It was very troublesome to grow strawberries. What was important was to be careful and not to damage the tender seedlings, so Xu Ran thought that it was better to hire Ge'ers, but he also needed to hire ten men to dig the fields.
It was naturally better if Ge'ers could make the money. Xu Ran asked about them and almost got all the laborers he needed. When the time came, he would only need to see the specific situation.
A difficult problem had been solved, so he was slightly relieved.
After that, he went home with a bunch of strawberry seedlings. When he was home, Liu Tong was also home. Then, the two of them planted the strawberry seedlings in the field outside the gate of their house before going to have lunch.
–
Xu Ran returned to the village head the next day. He hoped to settle the purchase of 10 mu of land as soon as possible. He was scheduled to take the imperial examination in March, so he needed to get his strawberry planting in order before then. The fact that Xu Ran was so involved on the land gave the village chief a headache. At the same time, he also felt a little lucky that he had checked out yesterday where he could get some land available for Xu Ran.
Xu Ran also brought his popular chili paste, which was a newly improved version, chili paste mixed with seafood, as usual. Xu Ran had frequently given gifts to the village chief. "It's difficult to bite the hands that feed you," as the saying goes. When working for Xu Ran, the village chief was obviously more involved.
The village head showed Xu Ran the book of land, "All of this is a land of low quality. There is only one spot, not far from your home, where the land spans a total of ten mu. It has been abandoned for a long time because it has not been cultivated. The rest is better ground, ranging in size from 3 to 4 mu. You examine the land and choose which one you want."
Xu Ran flipped through the book and finally said, "Village head, I want this. It's near my house and convenient, but can you help me with this? Can it be sold as a wasteland? I can develop it myself."
The village head took a glance at Xu Ran and then replied, "This land has been ignored for three years and is on the verge of being abandoned. However, only those pieces of land that have been neglected for five years or more can be considered wasteland, according to government law. There is a significant difference between a wasteland and a desert. To find the Yamen to manage the situation, you'll have to spend a lot of money. In addition, the field is now owned by the government, and the Yamen has records about it. I'm afraid this road will not go through. "
Xu Ran realized there was no way he could get it as wasteland based on what the village head said. The most difficult aspect of purchasing wasteland was paying taxes. In the first year, he was unable to develop anything. How could he afford to pay such a large amount of tax? Xu Ran was a little distressed.
But no matter what, he knew he had to buy the land.
Thus, Xu Ran gritted his teeth and said to the village head, "I'll just take this 10 mu of land! I'll go to town with you tomorrow to go through the formalities. Anyway, we'll have to live a hard life during the first year. "
The village head gave Xu Ran a cold stare seemingly to blame him, "You're almost a local rich man. Do you still say you're just living a little harder? How can you let the really miserable families in the village live? "
Xu Ran had just left the village chief's house when he realized he didn't know how much the field would cost, so he returned. The village head expected Xu Ran to ask him something else now that he was back, so he looked at him expectantly.
However, what Xu Ran asked surprised the village head. Xu Ran asked, "Village head, what's the price of the land?"
Only then did the village head notice that Xu Ran had not inquired about the cost of the field, so he returned his gaze to Xu Ran. He couldn't understand how Xu Ran could be so stupid. He still seemed to be very intelligent. How could he be so naive when it came to money? But, alas!
"The inferior farmland is sold at five taels of silver per mu. However, since this field has been deserted for too long, tomorrow I will help you to inquire whether you can get it at 45 taels of silver. But don't get your hopes up. After all, this field belongs to the government."
It was very kind of the village head to offer to do this, and Xu Ran naturally wouldn't say anything. He was anxious to go home and comfort himself about the tens of taels of silver he was about to lose, so he left in a hurry.
Xu Ran went to see Tangtang and Guoguo after returning home. A bale of hay was being dragged to the back of the house by both children. With the hay cut by the two children, there was still a fire burning. The two kids had been hard at work since yesterday afternoon, and there were plenty of ashes left over, which would be used as fertilizer.
Xu Ran helped the two children to carry the hay over there and praised them, "Awesome! You have burned so much ash, but didn't you say you want to find someone for help? Why didn't I see anyone coming?"
The two children were standing by the side to have a break and after a while, Tangtang answered Xu Ran, "Someone will come tomorrow. We meant that. Dad, you don't need to worry about us."
Xu Ran rubbed his nose and felt that he had been abandoned, "Alright, I might just let you be. I'll go and see if there are strawberry seedlings. You guys continue to do your business, but don't be too tired..."
"Dad, you just go ahead and do your job!" Xu Ran's nagging words were interrupted by Guoguo. He was also pushed out too. It was true that the kids couldn't wait to chase him away.
Xu Ran felt helpless and left.
The busy days always passed quickly. For most of the day, Xu Ran had run all over the village and got a lot of strawberry seedlings, but he was exhausted. Especially in such cold weather, he had to wear so many clothes that later, he was even panting when walking.
When Liu Tong returned home later that evening, he had ten chicks in a cage with him. Tangtang and Guoguo were so engrossed in the situation that they decided to avoid playing with their puppies. Xu Ran was bored and decided to join the two brothers. As a result, the father and sons played chickens together. When Tangtang and Guoguo had just taken the puppies along, this picture looked like two peas.
Liu Tong stood at the door and watched smilingly. Then he shook his head and entered the kitchen.
......
Xu Ran went to the town with the village chief early the next day after a good night's rest. They were able to complete the necessary procedures quickly since the village head was present and the area was an official one. Xu Ran, on the other hand, was unable to save much money. He purchased the land for four taels of silver for one mu. He found that he couldn't earn much money as a housekeeper, so he twitched his mouth and paid the money.
Xu Ran went to the seed shop to see Zhuo Yun after inviting the village head to a good meal in town. Zhuo Yun was nowhere to be found in the store. Zhuo Yun was at home, according to the shopkeeper, and had not visited the shop in many days. Xu Ran was aware of this. He would also accompany his Tongtong every day if he was pregnant.
After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, Xu Ran went to the Zhuo Mansion himself. As Xu Ran had been there before, the servants recognized him. Thus it didn't take him long to see Zhuo Yun in person.
Zhuo Yun was coaxing Qin Shuwen to eat in the living room, but Qin Shuwen must be feeling very sick. He didn't give Zhuo Yun a good look and Xu Ran didn't let the servant announce his arrival. He just stood at the door and watched them.
There were no fruits at this season. Xu Ran knew that eating something sour could help alleviate pregnancy vomiting. Thus he said, "Zhuo Yun, get someone to make a bowl of sour soup for your spouse. Do you have pickled radish? Cut it into small pieces and make a bowl of soup directly."
Only then did they two realize that Xu Ran was also there in the room.
Zhuo Yun walked up to meet Xu Ran right away, "I am sorry I didn't know you were here."
Xu Ran waved his hand, "Well, never mind. Just do your business."
Qin Shuwen also felt sorry. Zhuo Yun would never let the servants in every time he got angry. He didn't expect Xu Ran to have seen it today. Although they had heard about each other many times, it was the first time they met.
As one of them was a Ge'er while the other was a tough man, it was improper for them to talk too much. Thus Xu Ran just stood there, waiting for Zhuo Yun to come back.
Zhuo Yun ran back at the fastest speed. Seeing that both Xu Ran and Qin Shuwen were staring at the door, he felt sorry and called Xu Ran to sit down. Then he introduced Xu Ran and Qin Shuwen to each other.
Seeing that Xu Ran and Qin Shuwen were both silent, Zhuo Yun, though careless usually, noticed the awkward atmosphere in the room. He patted Xu Ran on the shoulder and said, "Xu Ran, don't stand on ceremony. You see I used to talk to Liu Tong. Why can't people talk to each other since they are acquaintances? Besides, I'm here too. Don't worry."
Since Zhuo Yun said so, Xu Ran did not hesitate and nodded, "Since that's the case, I'll have no worries. I came today to ask you for help."
"Are you talking about planting strawberries?" Zhuo Yun asked.
Xu Ran nodded, "Yes, I've been wandering around my house for the past two days, but I haven't found enough seedlings. I think you know a lot of people. Can you help me for it? I've prepared ten mu of land, so I need a lot of strawberry seedlings."
Zhuo Yun thought for a moment and then replied, "I'll research about it for you. It's true that no one has planted this up till now. Most likely, we can only go from door to door to collect the seedlings. In this way, we'll have to spend a lot of money and we won't receive many of them. Definitely, in this way we won't be able to get enough seedlings to meet your needs and it will take a long time."
"Mmm, I also know that this way won't work. At least I need someone to help me gather a large quantity of seedlings. Do you have any other ways?" Xu Ran asked.
Zhuo Yun frowned and tried to figure it out.
Qin Shuwen suddenly said, "Perhaps my eldest brother will help you. He specializes in fruit sales. He knows where he can get the fruits, and he'll almost certainly know where more strawberry seedlings can be found. He is more knowledgeable than we are. What about this approach? I'll ask my brother about it when I return home tomorrow. He might be helpful."
"Shuwen, thank you so much. Regardless of whether it will succeed or not, I'm grateful for you help," Xu Ran said happily as if he had got the good news.
Qin Shuwen couldn't help smiling, "I don't know whether it will work or not, but you are already so happy. No matter what, let's talk about it when it is done! Just send me some more chili paste and potatoes and I'll be very satisfied."
Xu Ran grinned, "This is natural."
At the moment, it seemed that Qin Shuwen did not want to vomit. When the servant brought the sour pickled radish soup, Qin Shuwen was very pleased and finished two bowls of it.
They continued to converse. Xu Ran told them everything he didn't have right now. However, he was still embarrassed to admit that he was short on cash. Zhuo Yun, on the other hand, was aware of it. Mr. Zhuo, as a wealthy employer, gave him 500 taels of silver in support. When Xu Ran received the silver note, he was moved. Finally, he will be able to build a new home.
Xu Ran said happily, "Bro, I should express my thanks first. I'll return you when I have money. Oh, yes, shall I write a receipt for the money?"
Mr. Zhuo waved his hand, "You've called me brother. What kind of receipt do I need? Anyway, remember to send to me whenever you have something delicious to eat."
Xu Ran rolled his eyes and wondered why he could only know about something to eat?
Xu Ran was on his way home and just said a few things before leaving. When he arrived, he intended to assist Zhuo Yun with his business. He didn't intend to have five hundred taels of silver notes in his hand when he began walking home. He was laughing so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits.
On the way, Xu Ran made a snap decision. He planned to build a new house while also planting strawberries. Whatever he did, he couldn't invest all of Zhuo Yun's money in strawberry planting because no one knew how much money they'd make. After all, people wanted to live in the house, so it was safer to build one.
04.26.21