Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 727 - 364 Continue Construction_1

Chapter 727: Chapter 364 Continue Construction_1

The sound of firecrackers set off once again, gathering the chattering relatives and friends who were socializing nearby. An old man stood in front of the set banquet table, holding a piece of paper and reciting some blessings.

This was the usual tradition in the countryside where the presider of the wedding is usually an influential relative from the groom’s family. However, if a family could invite the county party secretary to preside, then it didn’t matter if he was a relative or not. After all, having such a notable figure would definitely be a boasting point.

Once the blessings were done, people settled down at the tables, ready to feast.

Next came the parents of the newlyweds offering drinks to the guests, followed by the couple themselves.

The scene burst into life the moment Heizi came out with his wife. Everyone remembered his unsightly behavior from earlier. What could they possibly say to him now? Want to propose a toast? Sorry, they would hold their cups but wouldn’t drink. It was up to him to figure out the rest.

The first few tables were all elders, which was not a problem. However, when it got to his peers and friends, his sob stories for mercy were simply ignored. After going around one table, he already began to teeter.

If they were to contest who could trick him worse, these guys were all ruthless. Seeing that he couldn’t drink much more, they changed the rules. He wasn’t allowed to drink a lot but before he could toast, he needed to fulfill a condition — something simple. They were just waiting to see what kind of tricks these guys could come up with. Like making him tell a joke that could get everyone laughing. If a single person didn’t laugh, he had to keep going.

And the place was huge, the new fence was long, and the middle part was void of any straw fodder, so there was plenty of open ground for them to make Heizi roll around a few times.

Anyway, they were set on messing around with him but wouldn’t let him get drunk — Heizi indeed wanted to get drunk and then escape, but firstly, it was a day meant for excitement, and him escaping would be a mood dampener. Secondly, under everyone’s scrutinizing gaze, no one would give him that chance.

Anyway, the place was buzzing with excitement!

Yan Fei wasn’t idle either. He huddled up with Ma Yongming, "Uncle Ming, what have you been busy with these days?"

As soon as Ma Yongming heard this, he knew something was up, "Just cut to the chase, what are you planning to build? Are you almost out of watermelons to sell? Are you planning to set up more greenhouses?"

"Uncle Ming, you’re brilliant!" Yan Fei gave him a thumbs up.

"Cut the crap! What else could you build besides that?" Not entertaining his flattery, Ma Yongming asked, "What kind of structure are you planning to build, and what materials will be used?"

"Cover the entire area. There’re currently only five sheds, but after some rough measurements, I believe there’s enough room for twenty, so we’ll just have to build fifteen more. Maybe later we can measure it more accurately?" Yan Fei had already made up his mind. "I will construct them with bricks, same as before, and I will use wooden posts in the middle for support."

The use of wooden posts was due to concerns about the insufficient stability of the wall itself. That particular place could be flooded during heavy rains. Although the soil was good, the foundation might be unstable for a house. Employing wooden posts and setting up frames would enhance the stability. Even if the wall would develop cracks in the future, they would only need to repair the cracks or simply rebuild the wall between two wooden posts. This would be much easier and safer compared with a total collapse of the wall.

These were cost-saving measures. If they were to invest a few million upfront to construct a large-scale Agaricus bisporus base and a steel-framed greenhouse, they wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

Of course, using earth and brick was even more cost-effective, but the process was too slow. Furthermore, they could no longer dig up soil there as it compromised the land level. What if there was a flood in the future?

Although there were concerns about the instability of the Agaricus bisporus market, the mentor from Hong Kong had since then confirmed that there would be no issues and they would always need a lot.

Since that was the case, why wait? Continue planting!

Listening to Yan Fei’s words, Ma Yongming already had a plan in mind. "Alright, once we’re done eating, I will contact the brick factory to prepare for delivery, then I will go back and bring a large ruler over, and we can go measure. Tomorrow, we can get people to start working, begin by outlining the boundaries and determining the foundations."

Just as Yan Fei nodded in agreement, he saw Ma Yongming stand up and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Ma Yongming gave a chuckle, "I didn’t eat much this morning, so I had some meat soup before the seating. You eat your fill, I’m done."

He greeted the people at his table, then made a quick exit.

Yan Fei was exasperated. If not for his ability to go without food, he’d have felt quite cornered. He gave a smile to the people surrounding him, gorged down a few mouthfuls, offered his apologies, then set off.

The feast could easily last until late afternoon. Moreover, there also was a dinner feast in the evening for those who had come to help, and for closer relatives and friends to gather for another round.

Therefore, rather waiting for the meal to end, he should set off now, or else he’d have wasted the entire afternoon.

He rode his motorcycle to the greenhouses and got straight to work — preparing wooden stakes about a meter long. He could hammer them straight into the ground while measuring to mark a rough outline, saving some time when precisely measuring to prepare the foundations tomorrow.

He could still sell watermelons, but the price had dropped significantly. The retail price for watermelons on the streets was one dime per catty at most; at the watermelon market in the township to the west, the wholesale price was even below five cents.

The meager earning from selling watermelons was not as good as growing mushrooms and farming earthworms, with the latter easily making up for the losses incurred by the watermelons.

Just as he had prepared everything, Ma Yongming arrived with a young man.

Seeing the situation in the field, Ma Yongming asked Yan Fei, "Are you planning to waste all these watermelons?"

Yan Fei casually responded, "I’ve been very busy these days, and I don’t want the trouble!"

Ma Yongming gave him a resentful stare, "You can’t be bothered to find someone to deal with them? After dinner, I’ll help you find someone from the east who often sells melons in the countryside. If they are interested, they can come over and pick the ripe ones. One cent per catty is still money, won’t you be wasting if you just throw it away?"

Yan Fei was indifferent, "Alright then! Tell them when they come, they can pick them themselves. I will sell it to them for a bit cheaper."

Ma Yongming signaled the young man to start measuring, and casually said, "It’s up to you, but it’s always better than wasting them!"

In fact, there weren’t many watermelons left. At an even lower price of under five cents, each ton was not even worth a hundred dollars. After all, they needed to individually pick them from the field and transport them out. This was a lot of effort.

The cattle farm already had four to five hundred heads of cattle. They butchered between ten to twelve every two or three days, so they really didn’t have time for these watermelons.

Of course, even a skinny mosquito would have meat, and if they could spare themselves some effort, then it was a good thing.

The three of them worked till sundown before the plans were roughly completed. The wooden stakes were already placed and all that was left was for construction to begin the next day. Checking the time, it was just right; they could return to enjoy the feast...