CHAPTER 415: CHAPTER 108: CALLING ON “GUESTS”

Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng returned home to find Feng Xing standing at the edge of the field, chatting with a nearby farmer who was passing by.

They say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, but in Yanqing, with its vast land, it should be said that close relatives are not as good as distant neighbors.

Most of the farmers in Yanqing are native Yanqing people, who have been farming for generations. They have plenty of experience in farming and reclaiming land, and often share useful experiences with each other through exchanges.

The sweet potato harvest at the edge of the field was also nearly finished. It was only after entering and asking that they found out that Feng Xing, while digging sweet potatoes in the field today, encountered an elderly farmer who lived a few kilometers away. Seeing him struggling on his own, the elderly farmer volunteered to help, bringing his son, daughter-in-law, and other family members.

Those who came to help were used to working on the farm, wielding their hoes with efficiency. By the morning, plus some additional help, they had fully harvested another acre of sweet potatoes and even said they would come back in the afternoon to continue helping.

"I’m saying the neighbors around here are really good folks; they’ve been a huge help this time," Feng Xing didn’t ask how well the sweet potatoes sold. He was considerate enough to know that sending two women who had no idea how to haggle to sell such a load of sweet potatoes, it was miraculous enough to just break even and earn back their labor costs.

"It’s all because of that Milk Feed Factory matter shining like a pearl in front— that made me think all the people nearby were as demanding as those Milk Feed Factory people." Zhuo Feng was in good spirits and didn’t quarrel with Feng Xing, eager to show off all of their spoils from today.

Once all the bought items were brought out, she then calmly took out the money they had earned from selling the sweet potatoes.

"This much?" Feng Xing wasn’t one who hadn’t seen money before, but he hadn’t imagined that selling a few hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes could bring back a sum close to half a month’s basic wage. The sweet potato selling trip today had completely upended Zhuo Feng and Feng Xing’s values— the old notion that farming was a dead-end job and that farmers had to gnaw at mud for money was totally changed.

"And there’s more, I’ve even figured out future sales channels," Zhuo Feng thought to herself when she went to the supermarket today and noticed that the fruits and vegetables there were more than double the price of those at the farmers market.

The farmers market is wholesale, with low prices and low profits. It’s fine to start with, but not sustainable in the long run. In comparison, the supermarket had sweet potatoes which weren’t much different from those sold outside, just washed and packed in mesh bags, sold by weight but at a much higher price. If the farm’s sweet potatoes could be sold in supermarkets, that would be ideal.

Feng Xing saw his wife come home with many financial strategies and felt cheerful, echoing her thoughts with agreement.

Once he echoed her, Zhuo Feng became even more enthusiastic, "That’s not all, next year we have to expand our planting scale, and we’ll need to ask the nearby farmers for help again. Sweet potatoes turn into money; money breeds money. Husband, at this rate, in a few years, we’ll be able to buy back a house within the third ring road, and one much bigger than the one we had before." Selling the house in the city was a reluctant choice for Zhuo Feng, and given the chance, she would still like to buy another city house.

"Ah Feng, why buy back a house? You don’t plan to go back to the city, do you?" Feng Xing teased her, their relationship growing closer with each day spent in Yanqing. The fresh air and simple human interactions relaxed both body and mind.

Zhuo Feng paused briefly, glancing sneakily at Xiao Xian, and said very seriously: "We may not care, but when Xiao Xian grows up and starts dating, if she doesn’t have a house in the city, people will criticize her for that, so we still need to buy a house back."

"Girl, what are you talking about? Even if we’re going to buy, we should buy one for your future child and uncle, not much else matters. A house would be convenient for the kids’ school in the future," Xiao Xian listened in as the conversation somehow turned its focus on her again.

Xiao Xian was touched by Zhuo Feng’s words, but of course, the money that uncle and auntie worked hard to earn should be left for their children. When she grew up, who knows, she might have already moved back to Ge Village to stay with grandpa, but she did not dare to speak these words out loud, lest Zhuo Feng would be heartbroken.

Upon mentioning the child, Zhuo Feng felt guilty and glanced at Feng Xing, who scratched his head and quickly changed the subject: "It’s still too early to talk about these things. You too, Xiao Xian is still so young, and we’ve only planted so many sweet potatoes, yet you’re already discussing things with so much detail. Instead of thinking about that, it’s better to consider how to deal with these sweet potato vines—it would be a shame to waste them; it might be better to sell them to pig farms or the like."