Chapter 44

The gray-haired old man, after tasting the tomato, knew it was worth the price, but he was a bit reluctant to spend money.

After all, at the vegetable market, tomatoes were only three fen per jin.

Wan Ping'an was selling them for five mao each.

Too expensive!

Wan Ping'an nodded.

The old man immediately went home and brought back some cucumber seeds.

Wan Ping'an checked them; they were good seeds.

The old man said he had kept too many last year and couldn't bear to throw them away, so he planned to sell them.

Ping'an gave him two tomatoes.

"I have cured meat made from wild boar, can I trade that?"

A woman in her thirties glared fiercely at her son, who was hugging her thigh and crying to eat a tomato.

"You can trade!"

Wan Ping'an nodded.

The woman quickly brought a piece of cured meat, weighing over two jin.

Wan Ping'an gave her five tomatoes.

Her five or six-year-old son jumped for joy, shouting while eating that these tomatoes were much more fragrant than meat and that he would only eat tomatoes from now on.

Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi stood at her door, glaring at the booming business of Wan Ping'an.

"You little beast, truly a little beast."

"How can he grow such delicious tomatoes?"

"If our family could grow them, we would definitely become the richest in the Sihe Academy."

Jia Zhangshi gritted her teeth.

"Jia Dongxu, you're really useless."

"I let you go steal some tomatoes, and you actually got caught. Tell me, are you a waste of space?"

Jia Zhangshi remembered the eighty yuan she had lost, felt a pang of pain, turned her head, and cursed Jia Dongxu fiercely.

Jia Dongxu kept his head down, not daring to refute a single word.

He and his father Jia Gensheng were used to it. At home, Jia Zhangshi was the empress; they could only submit, otherwise, they would be ruthlessly crushed.

Soon.

The tomatoes Wan Ping'an brought back were all traded away.

He harvested fourteen yuan, over ten kinds of seeds, eight jin of cured meat, and over ten chicks.

If the tomatoes hadn't sold out, there would have been even more things.

"Don't worry, everyone, there are still plenty of tomatoes."

"At this time tomorrow, I'll bring back more. Those who want to trade can come find me."

Wan Ping'an comforted those who still wanted to trade for tomatoes.

"Ping'an, you sold these too fast!"

"Here's the money, save ten tomatoes for me tomorrow."

Xu Damao had returned late and watched helplessly as Wan Ping'an handed the last tomato to a small child.

"No problem, I'll bring them back for you tomorrow."

Wan Ping'an accepted the five yuan Xu Damao handed him.

Jia Zhangshi watched Wan Ping'an collect money and goods, her eyes turning red.

Wan Ping'an moved the pile of things he had traded for into his house.

"The money can be put away, and the goods can be kept at home, but what about these chicks?"

"If there's no one to take care of them, they'll definitely starve to death."

"I've got it. Take them to Cai Quanwu and let him think of a way."

Wan Ping'an looked at the sky; it wasn't dark yet.

He borrowed a box, put the chicks inside, and headed straight for his six mu of land.

When he arrived, he saw Cai Quanwu patrolling the one-acre of land, very dutifully.

"Come, Old Cai, this is a reward for catching the thief."

Wan Ping'an took out five yuan.

As long as his employees were loyal to him, he was a very generous boss.

If he ate meat, his employees would definitely get to drink the meat broth.

"This..."

Cai Quanwu's eyes lit up.

Wan Ping'an had just rewarded him with a month's salary.

"Take it, this is what you deserve."

Wan Ping'an shoved it directly to Cai Quanwu.

Cai Quanwu was very moved.

"By the way, look, I traded for some chicks. Do you have any ideas?"

Wan Ping'an asked.

"Only a dozen or so, not many."

"Just put them in the field and let them eat small bugs."

Cai Quanwu looked at the dozen or so chicks and casually suggested a plan.

"The quantity is small, so it's easy to take care of them, no trouble at all."

"If you want to raise more, it won't work; you must find someone to take care of them specifically, otherwise they'll easily get lost or be snatched away by weasels."

Cai Quanwu didn't know what Wan Ping'an's plan was.

Wan Ping'an nodded.

Since the quantity was small for now, he would follow Cai Quanwu's suggestion and let them roam free.

He would let Cai Quanwu take care of them in the meantime.

"Ping'an, six mu of land—it's not a lot, but it's not a little either. I can take care of it alone, and it's fine usually, but it won't work during harvest time."

"Look, these tomatoes, and the rice, they're too tempting; someone will definitely have crooked ideas."

"Thieves like Jia Dongxu will definitely appear again."

"I suggest getting a dog, preferably a fierce and aggressive one that can scare off thieves, especially at night. A dog is more useful than a person."

Cai Quanwu made a suggestion.

Wan Ping'an nodded.

The next morning, Cai Quanwu found a big dog that looked fierce and aggressive enough.

If Jia Dongxu saw it, he would definitely be scared to the point of wetting himself.

Wan Ping'an brought the tomatoes back to the Sihe Academy to continue selling.

Today's harvest was even greater. People from the neighboring courtyard, and even those living further away, knew about the magical tomatoes and came to taste them.

Jia Zhangshi got "red-eye disease".

Her eyes were red!

"Traded for forty more chicks. Cai Quanwu has to watch the land and take care of the chicks; can he handle it?"