Chapter 70

Qing Mengzhu felt a little touched, yet also somewhat wistful. "Brother, you have a bit too much of a soft spot for me."

Zhao Hexi laughed, "That's right, I've always had high hopes for you."

Qing Mengzhu: "What do you think about me starting an agricultural technology company? Maybe I could deal in seeds and pesticides in the future."

Zhao Hexi: "I think it's promising. Although you're not a top student with a formal background in agronomy or biology, you're truly dedicated to the front lines of agriculture, and you're diligent and hardworking. Starting a company shouldn't be a problem for you."

Qing Mengzhu: "I just feel the funding requirements are too high, and the pressure is a bit too much."

Zhao Hexi: "It is a bit much, but it's not like you can't earn it back. This time, it's your turn to make a fortune together with Ming Chunxi."

Qing Mengzhu imagined the scene of showing Ming Chunxi bank account balance after she made money. "If you put it that way, I'm actually quite tempted."

Zhao Hexi patted Qing Mengzhu on the shoulder. "Really, where an adult's money is, there's love. Ming Chunxi gave you such a large sum of money on a whim. What he gave you wasn't just money, but almost a sincere affection. For that reason alone, I feel you have no reason to refuse."

Qing Mengzhu lowered her head. "I understand."

Sincerity is the most precious thing, which is one of the reasons why he seriously considered it.

Zhao Hexi: "Actually, if you two work together and face challenges together, your relationship will easily progress. From that perspective, using his money isn't so bad."

Qing Mengzhu: "Such a large sum of money!"

Zhao Hexi: "What are you afraid of? It's not like you can't earn it back."

They talked as they slowly climbed the mountain, Qing Mengzhu wanted to take Zhao Hexi to dig bamboo shoots.

Zhao Hexi hadn't been here for a while. He climbed the mountain with great effort, and when he reached the halfway point, he discovered that Qing Mengzhu's bamboo grove had somehow merged into a large area, covering at least a hundred square meters.

He opened his mouth in surprise. He hadn't noticed it when he looked up from the bottom of the mountain, but he realized how lush the bamboo forest was once he came up.

This large bamboo grove is filled with upright bamboo stalks, smooth as jade, with verdant leaves and a carpet of bamboo leaves underneath.

Beneath the bamboo leaves lies a dark, soft layer of humus. I don't know if Qing Mengzhu cleared away a lot of weeds or if the bamboo squeezed out many weeds and trees, but the ground underneath is very hollow, making it very flat and comfortable to walk on.

The most enticing part is the protrusions under the bamboo leaves; those are the newly sprouted bamboo shoots. By using a hoe to clear away the leaves and soil, you can see the plump and tender shoot tips.

Zhao Hexi: "My goodness! How can bamboo grow so fast?! It's only been half a month."

Qing Mengzhu calmly replied, "Bamboo naturally grows very fast. I transplanted another batch later, and that's how they ended up looking like this."

Bamboo shoots typically grow along the bamboo rhizome, forming dense clusters when they grow up. Qing Mengzhu dug up some bamboo shoots and then removed the bamboo that was growing too densely and moved it to the outer edge of the bamboo forest.

Under his meticulous management, the bamboo was able to maintain a certain spacing, and the bamboo forest became quiet and comfortable.

If left unattended, bamboo will grow haphazardly, and in dense areas, even water cannot get in, let alone allow each bamboo stalk to grow tall and straight.

Zhao Hexi strolled through the bamboo forest, taking a deep breath of the cool air. "Why don't you start a company? With this level of diligence and management skills, I wouldn't believe you wouldn't succeed."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll check the information again and see how to do it. He Xi-- "

Hearing him address her so formally, Zhao Hexi asked, "What's wrong?"

Qing Mengzhu asked earnestly, "If I started a company, would you be willing to come and help me? I'll give you a share of the shares and a salary."

Zhao Hexi had guessed as much, but she was still a little surprised to hear him ask the question, "Me?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "You're the one. I might be able to grasp the overall direction of the company, but I don't have time for day-to-day management, and it would be difficult to find a reliable person elsewhere. We've known each other since childhood, you're serious and responsible, and you have good character. I feel at ease working with you."

Zhao Hexi lowered her head somewhat awkwardly, trying not to let him see her red eyes. "Actually, you mainly wanted to help me make some money, right?"

Qing Mengzhu: "That's right, how can we make money without our good brothers?"

Zhao Hexi: "Let me think... I don't have much management experience."

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't have any either, Ming Chunxi does. We can figure it out and work things out together."

Zhao Hexi sniffed. "Okay, I'll think about it seriously. Where would you like to open a company?"

Qing Mengzhu without hesitation, "The village! The rent is cheap, it's close to home, and it's also close to the farmland, making it convenient for management."

Zhao Hexi grinned. "Then wouldn't that mean I could go fishing by the river every day?"

Qing Mengzhu laughed, "Yes, if you really can't catch anything, you can bribe the otter to hook the fish on your hook."

Zhao Hexi: "How could I be that bad? You should look at someone with new eyes after three days' absence! My fishing skills have improved significantly, okay?!"

Author's Note:

Note: There are many breeds of Muscovy ducks, some with different colors for males and females, and some with the same color for males and females. The Muscovy ducks mentioned in this article are of the same color for males and females.

The nutrient solution has reached 30,000! Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution and the "thunder" (a type of virtual gift), I've received them all! There will be an extra chapter around 10 PM tonight!

Chapter 70

Qing Mengzhu led Zhao Hexi around the bamboo forest twice before starting to dig for bamboo shoots.

Qing Mengzhu: "Go and find the bamboo groves. Dig up the ones that are very close to the bamboo. Don't dig up the ones that are farther away yet; let them grow."

Zhao Hexi, carrying a hoe, said, "If it grows even a little taller, won't the bamboo grove become denser again? Then you'll have to come and thin it out, right?"

Qing Mengzhu her hand. "It's alright, I'll transplant them to the outer edge of the bamboo forest to make it bigger. Besides, we need to build trellises for planting things, and we need to come up the mountain to cut bamboo for firewood, so we can plant and use them as needed, and the bamboo forest won't get too dense."

Zhao Hexi: "Are there so many places where bamboo is used?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, not to mention anything else, even the fence needs to be repaired frequently, and over time, the consumption of bamboo is huge."

Zhao Hexi remarked, "Growing anything is really not easy."

Qing Mengzhu was about to recruit him when she heard him say this, and laughed, "But the sense of accomplishment from growing things is also great! Look, the bamboo shoots have only grown a little bit, but if you dig down from the tip, you'll find a big, plump, and tender one that tastes really good."

Zhao Hexi found a bamboo shoot and slowly dug down. "It really is! There's so much underground!"

Digging bamboo shoots is particularly strenuous; you must dig downwards and dig deep to avoid wasting those plump and large shoots.

A bamboo shoot that has been dug up intact is actually pointed at both ends—the part where it connects to the bamboo rhizome is also pointed.

However, they don't aim to dig up the bamboo rhizome, as that part is already old; they just dig out the thickest part.

Qing Mengzhu also brought a machete. After digging up most of the bamboo shoots, she used the machete to cut them down and put them into her heavy basket.

This bamboo grove doesn't look very big, but it has a lot of bamboo shoots.

They had dug up two baskets full of bamboo shoots, and they weren't finished yet. If they continued digging, they could easily fill two more baskets.

Zhao Hexi's arms ached from digging, so he sat down to rest under the bamboo and remarked, "This bamboo grove looks unassuming, but the bamboo shoots really grow!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, they are still in the budding stage. I buried a lot of fertilizer, so there were a lot of bamboo shoots."

He had previously applied Growth Liquid, and the Growth Liquid is likely still effective, promoting bamboo growth to some extent.

With the help of Growth Liquid and fertilizer, the bamboo shoots grew exceptionally well, even more so than mushrooms after the rain.

Qing Mengzhu took out a wood-chopping knife, held the bamboo shoot, made a cut in the middle of the bamboo shoot, and then slowly peeled off the outer skin along the cut.

The peeled bamboo shoot husks are piled up in the bamboo forest. They will slowly dry and break down, some turning into humus and some into shading material, allowing the bamboo to grow better.

If you have too many bamboo shoot husks in the future, that's okay. Just collect them and burn them as firewood. The ash from burning them can be used for fermentation, starting the next cycle.