Chapter 150

Qing Mengzhu and the others brought back 60 kilograms of Rice seeds, 30 kilograms each, which they carried in their suitcases.

Looking at the Rice seeds they brought back, Zhao Hexi clicked his tongue in amazement. "Your suitcases are really sturdy; none of them are damaged."

Qing Mengzhu: "Get lost!"

Zhao Hexi chuckled twice, "Looks like the suitcase is of good quality, but you guys are exhausted."

Qing Mengzhu: "You already know, so why are you saying this? If you have something to say, just say it. After you're done, hurry back. We need to rest early after dinner."

Zhao Hexi: "Nothing much, I just came to see you all. Okay, you guys rest first, I'll come again tomorrow."

After Zhao Hexi left, Qing Mengzhu poured two glasses of water, drank one herself, and handed the other to Ming Chunxi. After gulping down her water, she sighed, "Next time, I'm definitely not carrying it back by hand."

Ming Chunxi: "It's too risky to hand over the seeds we've painstakingly selected to someone else for mail; it's better to carry them by hand."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's good, but it's too tiring. I can't take it anymore, I'll cook some noodles, eat them quickly, and go to sleep."

Ming Chunxi nudged him, saying, "I'll cook. You go take a shower first, and you can eat when you're done."

Qing Mengzhu's eyelids were practically drooping, but she didn't refuse. She reached out and hugged Ming Chunxi's shoulder, then patted him and yawned, saying, "Then I'll go."

Qing Mengzhu was indeed exhausted these past two days. She had no ill intentions. After taking a shower, she ate a bowl of noodles, brushed her teeth, and then scrambled to bed to sleep.

When Ming Chunxi finished getting ready, he was already asleep, with faint shadows under his eyes, probably because he had exhausted too much energy in the past two days.

Ming Chunxi gave him a quick, subtle gesture right under his nose, then got into bed, held him, and quickly fell asleep.

It took Qing Mengzhu two days to recover after returning home.

On the third day, he finally regained his energy and began selecting "Fine Grade" Rice seeds.

Although the business trip was tiring, I brought back a lot of "Fine Grade" Rice seeds, so it was worth it.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly. Qing Mengzhu moved a chair to the yard, poured the rice seeds onto a winnowing basket, and then used a scraper to smooth them out, picking out each grain one by one.

He specially collected the selected "Fine Grade" rice seeds in a bucket, while the non- Fine Grade rice seeds were placed in a basket next to them.

The rice seeds are very sharp on both sides, and they can prick your hands if you're not careful. He wore a pair of leather gloves and scraped the rice seeds flat while picking them up.

There was a bamboo shoot incense burner next to him, music was playing from a speaker, and tea was brewing beside him.

By making the environment comfortable enough, he didn't feel tired when picking rice seeds; instead, he felt a sense of relaxation, like he was doing mechanical work.

Qing Mengzhu basked in the sun, enjoying incense, drinking tea, and listening to music, lazily browsing. If she couldn't finish today, she could come back tomorrow, and if she couldn't finish tomorrow, she could come back the day after. There was no rush.

When Zhao Hexi ran in from outside, she saw his carefree scene and couldn't help but curse in jealousy. Then she ran over and gulped down the tea on his table.

Qing Mengzhu looked up. "What's wrong? You look so tired."

Zhao Hexi: "I've been arguing with people all day, how could I not be tired? Ah, I really want to switch jobs with you."

Qing Mengzhu glanced at the rice seeds under her hands. "You can't do this job."

Zhao Hexi snorted twice, "Who said that? Just because I can't do it now doesn't mean I can't learn."

Qing Mengzhu thought of the various skill books she bought from the Interstellar Mall and said, "I can learn them, but it would take me most of my life."

Zhao Hexi sighed, "That's the difference between mental and physical exertion."

Qing Mengzhu poured him another pot of tea, handed it to him in a new cup, and asked, "Who exactly upset you?"

Zhao Hexi: "Didn't you say you wanted to rent land? Based on your requirements, we found thirteen mu of contiguous land for you in the village, and the company also found one hundred mu in the next village. We're negotiating the price now."

Qing Mengzhu understood. "The price is hard to negotiate?"

Zhao Hexi rolled her eyes. "Those people see our company is doing well and are just taking advantage of us."

Qing Mengzhu: "If we can't rent it, so be it. The land here isn't very good either. If all else fails, we'll rent it elsewhere."

Zhao Hexi: "Isn't it too far?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, our orchard is just outside, it's not much trouble to drive there."

Zhao Hexi: "Oh right, then I'll spread the word and see if we can talk. If we can, we'll talk; if not, then forget it."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "You decide what to do. Anyway, we're not specifically asking where the land has to be, so there's no need to put up with other people's mistreatment."

Zhao Hexi cheered again. "I feel more confident now that you've said that."

After Qing Mengzhu spoke, Zhao Hexi found it much easier to negotiate with others. He changed the land rent between two families and successfully rented all the land he wanted.

The newly rented fields are quite nice; they're mostly contiguous and close to a water source, so they can be used after a little land preparation.

The fields they rented were previously used for growing vegetables. To prevent pests and diseases, Qing Mengzhu decided to plant Rice in the newly rented fields, which would be a good way to rotate crops.

Before planting Rice, he bought Soil Fertility Restoration Agent to condition the soil. For several days in a row, he went to the field every evening to collect polymer balls containing metals and pesticides, trying to remove the pollutants as much as possible.

After preparing the soil, he also led people to dig for earthworms, deciding to move some of them to the new field.

Feng Ningxiang and the others were used to farm work and were no longer afraid of all kinds of insects.

Qing Mengzhu wants to dig for earthworms, so everyone come and help dig together.

Zhao Hexi wandered around and examined their earthworms several times.

Qing Mengzhu became wary. "Are you trying to use earthworms for fishing again? Let me make this clear first, if you want to fish, dig them yourself. Don't try to catch these earthworms."

Zhao Hexi: "You make it sound like all I think about is fishing. I can do serious things too, okay?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Then what are you doing wandering around here?"

"Can't you think about things?" Zhao Hexi squatted down next to Qing Mengzhu. "Speaking of which, our earthworms are quite famous now. Many people have heard about our earthworms from Professor Nian and Professor Ji."

Qing Mengzhu gestured for him to continue with her eyes, "And then?"

Zhao Hexi: "Many people are curious about our earthworms, and some even ask me for them. Earthworms aren't worth much money, so if I don't give them to them, it seems like I'm stingy. But if I give them to so many people, it would be like I'm being ripped off."

Qing Mengzhu understood. "So what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Hexi: "I'm wondering if we should sell some earthworms?"

Qing Mengzhu was surprised, stopped what she was doing, and looked up at him. "Sell?"

Zhao Hexi: "Yes, I checked yesterday, and with our company's license, we are authorized to sell earthworms. Besides, there are many people selling earthworms online, so there's not much risk involved."

Qing Mengzhu looked down at the earthworms. "But we don't have many earthworms to sell."

Zhao Hexi: "Because we hadn't considered this before, nor had we thought about cultivating earthworms. If we're going to sell them, it's not too late to start cultivating them now. Earthworms reproduce very quickly anyway. In the early stages, we can just dig them up from the fields, and later we can use the earthworms from the cultivation pond."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let me think about it."

Zhao Hexi squatted down beside him, trying to persuade him, "Don't just think about it, let me calculate the costs for you."

As she spoke, Zhao Hexi counted on her fingers for Qing Mengzhu: "We have so many earthworms in our fields, so the issue of introducing earthworms is practically non-existent; that's zero cost. The only cost is the hatching pond, but you see, we already know how to compost. If we want to breed earthworms, we don't even need to build a separate hatching pond; we can just put them directly into the composting pond to breed."

Zhao Hexi: "Don't underestimate earthworms. They can actually sell for several cents each, and a box can sell for twenty or thirty yuan. It's practically a zero-cost business. Every sale is a profit. Earning tens or hundreds of thousands a year is an easy thing."