Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 1055 - 1036. Pack up the vegetables.

Chapter 1055: 1036. Pack up the vegetables.

They strolled back leisurely, but Old Zhao and his big nephew didn’t dare to leave—five yuan per pound for cabbage and radishes, if they didn’t keep an eye, what if ordinary ones got mixed in?

Having been in business for so many years, Old Zhao knew this: it’s not the picky customers you fear; it’s the ones who stay silent. Once they detect a quality issue, they won’t come back next time.

So while the others went back, he and his big nephew had to stay here and keep watch.

Fortunately, when it came to buyers, Li Lanhua was extremely accommodating.

Not only was the woodstove burning warmly, but next to it, she had also set out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candies. Upon hearing Song Tan mention eating oranges at home, she even brought out the ones she’d picked with Wu Lan last time:

"Try some, these are our local oranges, picked from the neighboring Shitou Slope. The taste is decent."

After thinking about it, she even took out the tea leaves that Lao Song’s family had brought over in early spring and, with a determined heart, grabbed two generous pinches to put into the cup—

With this level of generosity, she was already much more liberal than Song Tan, who drank nothing but old leaves and tea dust!

Old Zhao visibly reveled in the treat, becoming more amiable:

"Big Sis, don’t trouble yourself. Go quickly and sort out the vegetables. If everything goes well, I’ll haul them back today. We’ll settle the payment on the spot."

He needed to start spreading the word on his end, aiming to have the goods available for sale in the urban area by the afternoon.

"Sure, sure, sure!" Li Lanhua responded, overjoyed, and hurried out with a knife in hand.

Though hearing about a thousand-plus pounds of cabbage sounded dramatic, in reality, it only totaled a bit over a hundred heads. With her arms swinging energetically, she wielded the cleaver with sharp, swift motions, quickly creating a pile off to the side.

Just as Qiaoqiao brought over a scale and a cart:

"Auntie, Sis said it’s more convenient to use this cart to move the veggies."

"Sure, sure, sure!" Li Lanhua put down the kitchen knife. She’d been a bit too vigorous earlier and her hands were trembling slightly. Taking the scale, she placed it in the yard, then started hauling the cabbage one by one.

She was stripping the old outer leaves while Old Zhao’s big nephew loaded the cabbages into the crates for weighing and recording—

Before long, the hundred-plus heads of cabbage were neatly stacked in the truck bed.

"Altogether, 1,623 pounds and 6 ounces. Let’s round it to 1,623 pounds: five yuan a pound, totaling 8,115 yuan—right?" Old Zhao came over quickly to do the math.

The joy on Li Lanhua’s face was unmistakable, as she nodded repeatedly, thinking to herself that buyers introduced by Song Tan were reliable and straightforward—even the rounding only reduced a few ounces.

Over eight thousand yuan! When had she ever heard of anyone around here making more than 8,000 yuan from cabbage?

She was so giddy just thinking about the number that she could’ve floated away, if not for Zhou Maozhu huffing and puffing while dragging a cart full of radishes back in, jolting her out of her daze!

Sorting radishes was a lot more troublesome than cabbage. Snapping back to reality, Li Lanhua swapped out her knife for a different one and, aiming carefully just above the radish tops so as not to damage the skin, chopped with precision!

Perfect!

As the radish leaves fell rustling into the crates, the previously curious chickens started hesitatingly scuttling back over.

But this time, the radishes could be sold, so Li Lanhua didn’t go soft-hearted. She stomped her foot and waved her hand urgently:

"Shoo!"

The broiler chickens were rather dimwitted, not as skittish and vigilant as the native ones. Even after being shooed, they only scattered a little before circling back, as if waiting for the perfect moment to snatch a peck.

The big nephew found this amusing and walked over to grab a stool to sit down, helping Li Lanhua pick through the older leaves.

The discarded old leaves were tossed aside on the ground, effectively distracting the clucking chickens.

This kind of work didn’t require much technical skill, so the two of them worked together efficiently. Before the big nephew was done picking through his batch, Li Lanhua had already opened the faucet, filled up a large basin, and tossed in all the radishes.

These were premium-priced goods, so after putting on rubber gloves, Li Lanhua scrubbed them with meticulous care.

Meanwhile, Old Zhao, who occasionally wandered out from the room to check on things, was glued to his phone. He saw that radish preorders had already queued up for 380 pounds and couldn’t help but sigh contentedly!

His reputation and trustworthiness among customers were now well-established!

Otherwise, who’d be willing to snap up radishes priced at over ten yuan per pound so eagerly?

At this pace, selling 2,000 pounds of radishes would only take a day or two.

What’s more, they stored well. Even after being washed, they could be left out for a week or so without issue. Selling them was truly hassle-free.

With that thought, he stretched his limbs and pulled the cart to the field, lending Zhou Maozhu a hand in hauling back another crate of radishes.

Zhou Maozhu beamed, thinking to himself how nice this boss was! And then, almost immediately, he regretted—

If only he’d known these radishes and cabbages could sell for such prices, why wouldn’t he have spent ten days or half a month helping out on Lao Song’s farm back in autumn?

Ugh! Still, they were decent folk after all! Next year, whenever there’s work, he’d better hurry to grab it. If not, with more and more people in the village, opportunities might become scarce. Why would they pick him, otherwise?

...

Meanwhile, back at Lao Song’s home, Lao Zhu couldn’t help but blurt out after holding back for a while: "Xiaosong, you’re really giving hands-on support to the village folks!"

"I’m not!" Song Tan was peeling an orange. Just then, Daju, with her kittens, took advantage of the warmth near the stove to creep inside. Startled by the squirt of orange juice that accidentally landed on her face, she retreated swiftly to a corner.

Qiaoqiao, watching, grew restless.

Without even looking up, Song Tan warned: "I told you already, your Datian can only play in your room. When there are guests at home, don’t bring it into any place where there’s food."

"If it’s really impossible, take it to the back mountain and let the squirrels give it a lesson. This little brain of his would embarrass us outside."

"Oh." Qiaoqiao sat back down in disappointment, shaking the small metal pot in her hands before resuming her sugar-boiling project.

Only then did Song Tan continue the earlier conversation. "Grandpa Zhu, look, I’ve leased such a large plot of land here in the village. Although I plan to hire people to oversee it everywhere next year, it’s still impossible to guard against locals with bad intentions."

"By handing out seedling shares and helping everyone make money, fewer folks will leave for migrant work next year. I’ll have more people to hire as laborers, and we’ll become a community of shared interests. Things will actually lighten up for me."

Her reasoning was pragmatic, but Lao Zhu wasn’t dense: "Intentions aside, actions are what matter most. Nobody’s perfect in motive. But as long as you’ve helped improve people’s lives and let them earn real money, it’s a great deed!"

He turned to Secretary Xiaozu, speaking meaningfully: "Xiaojun, I think there’s a lot of potential for rural development. You could learn a lot from this. Stay humble and learn for a couple more years."

In the past, Secretary Xiaozu had already been plotting his career climb. While his ambitions hadn’t waned, his perspective had deepened.

Even his appetite now resisted being fooled with ordinary food.

Hearing this, he immediately caught Lao Zhu’s drift. Feeling the atmosphere grow a bit serious, he grinned and cracked a joke:

"Grandpa, are you scheming to stay close here and get first dibs on the best food and drinks?"

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