Chapter 87: A Farmer Can’t Stand to See This
Li Xindong was still in a bit of a daze by the time he got home.
He had come over at ten-thirty for a meal, followed Old Han on his bike to deliver takeaways for a little over two hours, and just like that, he’d made thirty-seven yuan?
Sure, a catty of Jumping Fish could sell for forty or fifty yuan, but they were hard to catch and it was back-breaking work!
’My idea to come here and earn some extra cash was absolutely brilliant. I should give myself a pat on the back.’
In a cheerful mood, he returned home and parked his bicycle, only to suddenly notice that the large red basin he had left in the corner of the yard was now empty, leaning against the wall.
Seeing this, a bad feeling welled up inside Li Xindong.
He bounded over to the corner of the yard in a few quick strides and found nothing but an empty basin!
’Where are my fish?’
He walked into the main hall and lifted the fly cover from the dining table. In the center of the table sat a large platter of fragrant, pan-fried Jumping Fish, golden-brown on both sides.
From the way the Jumping Fish were arranged, it was clear they were leftovers.
"Mom!" Li Xindong reached out to push open his parents’ bedroom door, but found it locked from the inside. He couldn’t open it at all and could only shout from the hallway, "Didn’t I tell you not to cook my fish? Even if you were going to, you didn’t need to cook all of them! A catty would have been enough for our family!"
"What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I raised you all these years, and now I can’t even eat a few of your fish?"
"I was going to sell those for money! Besides, we can’t finish this many, and they won’t be fresh tomorrow."
"Sell them? Sell what! Do we not give you food to eat or water to drink at home? And you say we can’t finish them? This handful of fish is barely a mouthful!" The voice from the bedroom was full of righteous indignation.
Li Xindong’s expression shifted again and again. His lips moved several times, but in the end, he didn’t argue back. He could only return to his room in silence, change into his sea-going clothes, grab his tools, and head for the shore.
’Whatever I catch today, I’ll sell it all before coming back. Even if it’s less money, it’s better than nothing.’
After Li Xindong left, the person in the bedroom rolled over, a smug look on her face.
「Two-thirty in the afternoon.」
As Xu An closed his shop and prepared to go home, he noticed that a "Prime Shop for Rent" sign had appeared on the wall of the fast-food place next door.
The main door was wide open, and he could see several people inside, inspecting the premises.
’They just moved out yesterday, and someone’s already here to look at the shop today. I wonder if they know this place is a money pit.’
After that silent complaint, he got on his tricycle with his family and headed toward Xu Family Village.
He had arranged with Aunt Hong that morning to go check the quality of her old friend’s greenhouse vegetables in the afternoon. After helping Granny Xu back to her room to rest, Xu An was about to tell Xu Kang and Xu Le to go rest in their room as well.
But when he turned his head, he saw the two of them with their little heads tilted up, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. Their faces practically screamed, "We want to go play with our big brother!"
The words Xu An had been about to say—that they should go rest—died on his lips. He thought about it; it was just a trip to the greenhouse, nothing dangerous. Taking them along wouldn’t be a problem.
Xu An reached out and pinched their little cheeks. Seeing as they wanted something from him, the two little ones stood there obediently and let him knead their faces.
’Tsk, they’re only this well-behaved when they want to go out and play. Usually, they’d slap my hand away before I could even get close.’
After thoroughly squishing their chubby, round cheeks, Xu An finally retracted his hand in satisfaction. "Alright, get on the tricycle."
After letting Granny Xu know, Xu An took Xu Kang and Xu Le to Aunt Hong’s house. He picked her up, and they all headed toward the greenhouses.
The greenhouses were some distance from Xu Family Village; even on the electric tricycle, it took a good ten minutes to get there.
When they got off, they saw a thin, middle-aged woman already waiting in front of Aunt Hong’s greenhouse. She had taken off her straw hat and was using it to fan herself.
In the other greenhouses, they could faintly see figures moving about. In some, there were even machines destroying the crops inside.
Xu An glanced at Aunt Hong and saw that she too was looking at the machines in the other greenhouses with curiosity. It seemed she didn’t know what was happening either.
Hu Juan had come to the greenhouse early to wait after receiving Aunt Hong’s message. Seeing Aunt Hong arrive with a young man and two small children was a bit strange, but she still greeted them warmly with a big smile. "Sister Hong, and this is?"
"This is the owner of the fast-food shop I work with." Aunt Hong clapped Xu An on the shoulder, looking as proud as a parent. "Don’t let his age fool you, he’s a sharp businessman."
Just then, someone happened to be passing by. Aunt Hong leaned in closer and lowered her voice.
"He started with just a roadside stall, making thirty or forty sales a day. Now he’s got a proper storefront and is doing six or seven hundred sales a day!"
When Hu Juan heard "six or seven hundred sales a day," her smile instantly became three parts more genuine. She rubbed her hands together excitedly and praised, "Wow, so young and promising! That’s incredible, truly incredible."
Before Xu An could react, the two little rascals puffed up with pride. They put their hands on their hips, nodded their heads like adults, and chimed in to praise Xu An, their faces filled with smug satisfaction!
"My big brother is super amazing! His cooking is delicious! And his business is doing great!"
"Yeah, yeah! Not only is my big brother good at business, he takes great care of us, too! He gets up before dawn and keeps everything inside and outside the house neat and tidy..."
Before Xu Kang could finish, Xu An clamped a hand over his mouth. Xu Kang’s little hands pawed furiously at Xu An’s, his indignant expression clearly saying, ’I’m not done yet, let me finish!’
"Shall we go look at the greenhouse?" Xu An said, embarrassed but still polite, to Aunt Hong and Hu Juan, who were both enjoying the show.
Only after Aunt Hong and Hu Juan had entered the greenhouse did Xu An release his hands from the boys’ mouths. He shot them a warning look before taking their hands and leading them inside.
Just then, the machine in the next greenhouse moved closer, and its loud rumbling could be heard right through the plastic sheeting.
The machine next door was a rotary tiller. Like a general on a battlefield, it brandished its blades, reaping the lives of the defenseless crops. Wherever it passed, countless plants were torn to shreds and scattered on the ground.
Hu Juan, who was walking in front, was just about to praise her own vegetables when she turned around and saw Xu An staring at the neighboring greenhouse with a curious expression.
"Four families signed a supply contract with Victory Supermarket. They’re here today to clear out the old crops. Later, they’ll have to plant and cultivate cauliflower according to the supermarket’s requirements."
Xu An’s gaze shifted back to the next greenhouse. He could clearly see green fruit still hanging on the plants that hadn’t been cleared yet. They would have been ready to harvest in another three to five days.
"But they look like they’re almost ready to be harvested. What a shame to get rid of them," Xu An remarked with genuine feeling.
"The supermarket already paid them for it. Even though the crops are being removed, the money came through. Plus, these plants can be recycled as fertilizer, so it’s not a total loss." Although Hu Juan said it wasn’t a loss, her eyes held a trace of pity as she looked at the next greenhouse.
’This is the one thing a farmer can’t stand to see. It’s not about the money; it’s a genuine heartache!’