Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 68 - 60: The Miraculous Rice Seeds

Chapter 68: Chapter 60: The Miraculous Rice Seeds

San Gouzi’s truck was packed full of pears, dazzling from a distance. The purchasing manager got out of his car, took a closer look, assessed the size of the pears, and even tasted one before deciding on the spot to buy the whole lot.

"Tourism is booming in Yunnan, and the products sold in the hotels there fetch high prices. Our truckload of pears sold for a total of sixteen hundred," San Gouzi pulled out sixteen hundred-dollar bills from his pocket, ready to hand them over to Zhu Shijun. The over three hundred pounds of pears sold at a price of five or six per pound, which was far beyond what Zhu Shijun and San Gouzi had expected.

"San Gouzi, pull out a hundred for yourself; the rest of the money, we’ll take it to the village chief later. I heard that several families in the village haven’t even figured out how to afford fertilizer this year," Zhu Shijun didn’t covet the sixteen hundred. Although he had money at hand, it wasn’t easy to show it off. The villagers in Ge Village hadn’t received their grain subsidies yet, and though it wasn’t a large amount, the money would help in an emergency.

"How could that work, it’s your family’s pears," San Gouzi refused as he didn’t expect the matter to concern money when he started running errands for Zhu Shijun.

"It just so happens to grow behind our house, and nobody takes care of it; it grew naturally on its own. Even picking the pears was arranged by Da Fu, and the ladder was borrowed from the village. I really can’t accept the money without hearing some people’s grumbling," Zhu Shijun said while glancing at the old ladies sitting at the entrance of the village. Wang Chunhua, energized by the "golden water," was glaring over this way.

After the New Year, several more people from the village left to work outside, leaving about six hundred people in the village, over a hundred households, of which more than eighty percent were farmers. The fifteen hundred distributed among all the families amounted to just over ten yuan each, but for the people of Ge Village, it still counted as an income.

When the money was distributed, Wang Chunhua still couldn’t help gossiping at the entrance of the village, claiming that the pear tree grew from a pear seed she spit out the year before last.

After hearing this, Sister-in-law Lian commented by the stove, "Even a dog’s mouth can’t spit out real gold silver, she isn’t afraid of straining her mouth."

However, the matter of the pear tree and the money indeed gave the village chief Jin Dafu a new idea. He invited Zhu Shijun over that day, thinking of turning Ge Village into a "Pear Village." After Zhu Shijun explained several times, the village chief finally understood that the soil and water of Ge Village weren’t suitable for growing pears; the pear tree behind the house was a mutated product.

"Old man, planting that rice should be okay, right? Isn’t the land behind your house used for experiments? It cannot be that the results are not showing up," the village chief still harbored some hope.

"Da Fu, don’t rush. I saw Xiao Xian using alfalfa to fertilize the land recently; the results were quite good. Only by the autumn harvest can we know the effect," at first, Zhu Shijun just strolled around the three acres of land at the entrance of the village. The more he moved to the back, the more his heart raced. The "moldy rice variety" chosen by Xiao Xian not only grew well, but the rice variety also seemed to be from abroad, reminding him of the "India Fragrant Rice" Xiao Xian mentioned unintentionally at Bai Family Ancient Town.

It’s a pity that it isn’t easy to buy books now; otherwise, Zhu Shijun could look up the information, and by comparing the pictures, he could have discovered that what Xiao Xian planted was indeed the genuine India Fragrant Rice, even better than the rice grown in India itself.

When Zhu Shijun was returning from the village chief’s house, he brought back a little tag-along, the village chief’s grandson Little Hai, hinting indirectly that it was time for Xiao Xian to go to school.

Little Hai, nine years old this year, of average height, had a round face flushed black and red. Xiao Xian had met him a few times, and every time she saw him with a runny nose, once she even saw him wiping his nose with his sleeve, so she just couldn’t grow fond of Little Hai.

The village chief’s son and daughter-in-law work outside and only return twice a year; Little Hai is raised by the old couple.

"Little Hai, Xiao Xian is two years younger than you. Starting tomorrow, she will go to the temple and take classes with you," initially, Zhu Shijun planned to send Xiao Xian himself. After all, crossing over Leigong Mountain would take about an hour on a mountain path, but since several children in the village go to school by themselves, it seemed inappropriate for him to accompany Xiao Xian.

"Xiao Xian, don’t worry, I won’t let those people bully you." Little Hai puffed up his chest, posing like a little man, and after speaking, he did not forget to wipe his nose with his sleeve again.

The next morning, just as day broke, Xiao Xian was awakened by the footsteps of Zhu Shijun. The "sugarcane seedlings" in the space had completely integrated the metal barrel, and recently, busy with farm work, Xiao Xian had no way to find metal items and could only rely on absorbing the green fog at night to increase her cultivation. The metal barrel, however, was not trivial; Xiao Xian had grown a few more centimeters recently, her small fists swishing through the air like small hammers, able to sense any stir within ten meters instantly.

After going to the temple, lunch was served there. Being a Buddhist place, meat was forbidden. Hence, Sister-in-law Lian didn’t prepare greasy foods like cured meat or salted fish for Xiao Xian; instead, she creatively packed some rice, steamed eggplants with soybeans, plus an egg, all wrapped tightly together with a pear stuffed into Xiao Xian’s backpack.

Coming along with Little Hai was another village boy named Mingsheng; both boys carried metal lunchboxes, unlike Xiao Xian who also brought a backpack. Mingzi and Xiao Xian weren’t familiar; they hardly spoke along the way, and after walking for nearly half an hour on the mountain path, the two boys started whispering to each other.

"Xiao Xian, once we pass the middle of Black Mountain and see a big peach tree, I will shout ’run,’ and you must dash downwards without stopping," Little Hai was dead serious, with a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)