Chapter 96

Qing Yukai reminded him, "Auntie Jinhua, Uncle Eleven, and Uncle Zhao all want to rent out their terraced fields. You can ask them. Uncle Wenlei's family also has terraced fields, but I guess he'll farm them himself and won't rent them out for the time being."

Qing Mengzhu really didn't know the village's situation as well as he did. Hearing him say that, he immediately said, "I'll ask everyone one by one later."

Qing Yukai: "You can ask on WeChat too; their WeChat is in the group."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, thank you, Yukai."

Qing Mengzhu first asked Tan Wenlei about the price of renting terraced fields, and then rented them after finding out the details.

Before he could even ask, the villagers with terraced fields called him first.

"Mengzhu, you want to rent terraced fields? How about mine? You can pay whatever rent you want. We don't farm anymore, so you can farm them for as many years as you like."

"Mengzhu, how big of a terraced field do you want to rent? My family has 4.7 mu of terraced fields on Cat Fork Mountain and more than 3 mu on Crow Mountain. If that's enough, feel free to use it. If not, you can combine it with Dajiao's terraced fields, and together it will be more than 20 mu."

"My family has about ten acres of terraced fields in River Cave Mountain. Mengzhu, if you want to plant them, feel free to take them. Forget about rent, haha, they're just lying fallow anyway, so you can plant them."

Qing Mengzhu received about ten phone calls and several messages on WeChat in one morning.

The families in the village who have terraced fields all said they were willing to let him farm them, with very low rent, or even for free.

Tan Wenlei also asked Qing Mengzhu about renting the terraced fields, "Mengzhu, have you rented those terraced fields yet?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Soon, I've already made a list. We'll choose a few that are relatively close to each other to rent."

Tan Wenlei thought for a moment and quickly guessed, "You want to Auntie Jinhua and the others, right?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "The terraced fields over there are closer to the main road, so it will be easier to transport the Sichuan peppercorns after they are grown, without having to go through so much trouble."

Tan Wenlei: "Yes, that area is close to your bamboo grove."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Yes, it makes management easier."

Tan Wenlei: "I guessed it. What a pity, my brother and the others wanted me to inquire whether you wanted to rent their terraced fields?"

Tan Wenlei has several older brothers and sisters who are all working away from home, leaving the village's fields abandoned.

Qing Mengzhu curiously, "It seems like the terraced fields are hard to rent out. Don't other people come to rent the village's terraced fields?"

Tan Wenlei shook his head vigorously. "Rent what? Many terraced fields have little soil and lots of rocks, and they're not even near a water source. If you want to plant anything, you have to carry the seedlings up there yourself first, and then carry the fruit down. You don't know how many wasted trips you'll make throughout the year."

Qing Mengzhu imagined carrying things up a mountain and nodded in agreement. "That would definitely be tiring."

Tan Wenlei: "Right? If we had a choice, we wouldn't even want to farm, let alone build terraced fields."

Qing Mengzhu quickly rented the terraced fields at a very low price, less than half the price of the paddy fields below.

The landowners were all very agreeable; the contract took effect the same day it was signed, allowing Qing Mengzhu to do whatever she wanted.

Qing Mengzhu was somewhat surprised that renting the terraced fields went so smoothly this time.

Zhao Hexi, who had been dealing with people a lot lately, said to him, "What's so surprising about that? You have money and skills, and you're a local. Everyone feels comfortable renting their land to you."

Qing Mengzhu: "I mainly didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic."

Zhao Hexi: "Twenty years' worth of land rent is a 'first come, first served' situation. Although the amount isn't high, it's better to have enough to buy two meals of meat than to leave it lying around."

Qing Mengzhu: "That makes sense."

Zhao Hexi laughed, "That makes sense. How do you plan to manage the newly rented terraced fields? Or should I have Auntie Feng go over and clean them?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't paid attention to company matters for a few days. "Have all the fields the company rented been taken care of?"

Zhao Hexi: "You don't need to be so busy for now. We can get back to work after New Year's Day. Anyway, we're all free. If you don't need their help, I'll find another way to arrange it."

Their company hasn't officially reclaimed the land yet, so there's not much work to do.

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, "Just come and help me out."

The newly rented terraced fields have been abandoned for several years or even more than a decade. To reclaim the land, the grass and shrubs on them must be cut down, piled up, and then burned.

Burning grass and shrubs is not for obtaining fertilizer, but to burn the insect eggs and viruses attached to the grass and shrubs.

Many pests and viruses grow and reproduce on grass and shrubs. If they are not cleared away, it will be easy to encounter viruses and pests when planting crops.

Burning straw is still necessary for farming. It used to be forbidden here, but with the development of agricultural technology, the policy has been relaxed.

In addition to clearing the soil, Qing Mengzhu also had to lead people to re-plow the fields, adjust the content of various elements in the soil, regulate the pH value, and even adjust the soil structure.

Having finally acquired such fine Sichuan pepper seeds, we must cultivate them carefully. Qing Mengzhu doesn't expect them to reach the Superior Grade, but we just don't want them to drop in quality.

He's still heartbroken about the bamboo's grade dropping, and he doesn't know when it will be able to be raised back.

Author's Note:

I couldn't combine two chapters into one, so there will be another chapter at 11:59 PM. If I miss it or it's late, I'll give out small red envelopes (cash gifts).

And there's a lucky draw for 88 small red envelopes by leaving a comment on this chapter! Feel free to join!

Chapter 96

The weather turned cold suddenly. While Qing Mengzhu and the others were busy cutting grass on the terraced fields, a temperature drop occurred, and the temperature at night suddenly dropped to eleven or twelve degrees Celsius.

Pingkou Village has a tradition of making preserved meats. As soon as the weather gets cold and the north wind starts to blow, it's time to make preserved meats.

Tan Wenlei and his family bought a pig and a lot of chickens and ducks for this purpose, and every household in the village got busy.

Tan Wenlei asked Qing Mengzhu, "Mengzhu, does your family want to buy some? If so, the family that bought the pigs also raises other pigs; you can ask them."

Qing Mengzhu was curious about preserved meats, but since she had never made them before, she wasn't very confident. "Are preserved meats easy to make? Are they particularly troublesome?"

Tan Wenlei: "It's not troublesome. Just marinate them with salt and seasonings for two days and then dry them on the rooftop."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "Let me take a look first. There's no rush."

Qing Mengzhu didn't go to the mountains to buy a pig, but when Tan Wenlei and his family slaughtered their pig, they specially sent Qing Mengzhu some spare ribs, saying they should try them.

The pigs in the mountains are all raised on pure grains by the elderly; they are expensive, but they taste incredibly delicious.

The moment Qing Mengzhu tasted the ribs, she immediately reached for her phone. "Give me a tissue."

Ming Chunxi handed him a tissue. "What's wrong?"

Qing Mengzhu wiped her hands clean. "I'm going to call Uncle Wenlei and ask if the family that sold his pig has sold any other pigs. If not, we'll buy one."

Ming Chunxi: "There's no need to be in such a hurry."

Qing Mengzhu said decisively, "Don't rush, I'm afraid I won't be able to grab it."

The Dharma Protector and Guard gnawing on bones nearby seemed to understand, and even chimed in with a couple of shouts of agreement.

Ming Chunxi suffered a complete defeat, losing 3-1.

When Tan Wenlei received Qing Mengzhu's call, he was somewhat smug. "I told you the pigs from the mountains tasted especially good, didn't I?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, yes, yes! Quickly ask if they still have any left? I want to order one."

Tan Wenlei: "You only ordered one? The pig is huge, can you finish it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "If you can't finish it, share it with family and friends, or put it in the refrigerator or cut off some to make cured meat."

Tan Wenlei: "Then I'll give you the phone number. You can tell them to remember to discuss the deposit."

Without hesitation, Qing Mengzhu hung up the phone with Tan Wenlei and immediately called the old man who raised pigs in the mountains, placing an order for the pigs with just one call.

Hearing from the old man that there were two left at home, he simply ordered both.

They may appear to have only two people in their household, but in reality, their Dharma Protector, Guard, red fox, and otter are all formidable carnivores. In addition, there are Zhao Hexi, and Ming Lexin also sends some supplies, so they are not worried about running out of food.