Chapter 752: Autumn Rain, Apples

A drizzling autumn rain fell through the night. The air was exceptionally cool early in the morning, the distant mountains were veiled in a fine, dense mist, and the sun had yet to show its face.

Heading up the mountain to work so early in the morning, everyone was laughing and talking loudly, clearly very satisfied with the current weather.

Tang Xiaodong and Grandpa Qi Lin only returned late last night. They had run off to that apple-growing family to toil for several days, pruning and digging, busy day and night without rest.

There was no help for it; autumn farming time is precious. The sooner these apple trees were planted, the sooner they could free up time to do other things.

To say nothing of anything else, they hadn't even been able to spare a hand to sell the watermelon paste and fermented bean paste that were being cursed at incessantly in the livestream room!

Then there were the radish greens. Even though they had already thinned the seedlings once, looking at how densely they were growing, they might need to do it again.

Or perhaps once they grew larger, they would still have to harvest them and specifically rub the radish greens!

The most important thing of all was that quite a lot of green vegetables had been planted on the mountain, and it was clear that they would be ready for successive harvests in another week...

Time was tight and the tasks were heavy; the two fellow apprentices didn't dare to delay even a little!

Especially since the food outside...

Just for that sentiment, I worked with all my heart and strength. Later, when the canteen at the foot of the mountain was built, even though I was reluctant, I gritted my teeth and moved my meals over there directly.

But to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools; now that they were using them, it was very convenient!

"If you ask me, it's because the experts we hired are top-notch. Look at the fields of the Song family; what do they grow that doesn't grow well?"

For example, the small carts transporting the peach trees could be parked directly on the hillside, and tools and such could be driven all over the mountain using three-wheeled vehicles...

By now, the tree pits on the mountain had long since been entrusted to Sun Ziruo to dig out roughly, and they had also invited people from the village to help plant the trees. For a time, it was bustling and busy; the sound of the guys chatting and laughing was so far-reaching that perhaps even other villages could hear a little of it.

It was hard work; there had to be people to carry the trees, people to tidy up those irregular pits, and finally, people to fill them with soil. The work wasn't difficult, just physically demanding.

Professor Song was too modest. Although he had explained the pros and cons from the very beginning, he hadn't missed a single disadvantage, yet he only mentioned the most important advantages.

Just for this shipping cost, Song Tan had to wince when settling the bill.

The shipping cost was a bit high, but could it be more expensive than the saplings? Besides, they were all large trees in their peak fruiting period, so they would surely be laden with fruit next year.

"Look at how green those Song Tan leaves are; the Ge family must have put a lot of fertilizer on them."

"That's true, they must have spent a lot of money too. Look at how smooth this road is; there isn't a single crack."

Walking onto the only piece of land in the mountains that hadn't been reclaimed yet, the guys commented:

A lot of money had been spent, but the convenience had also been greatly improved. Even though it had just rained last night, the guys didn't have to worry about stepping into yellow mud while walking on the road.

Of course, he didn't really understand the reason why everything planted on Zhang Wang's side could grow so well; he just wanted to do his best to make things better.

Planting these apple trees this autumn, by next year, it might just be the highest-priced item sold in the garden.

This piece of land actually already belonged to You Rong, but You Rong had said that it would be a pity to dig up these Song Tan, so he let him harvest a good season this winter to save up more money, so he wouldn't have to worry about his old age later.

Such good fruit—even if the villagers didn't have the heart to plant and sell it on a large scale, just casually cutting a branch to plant by the doorway would add a bit of rustic flavor to the green countryside.

Therefore, after sending two jin of tea leaves, the two of them contacted some local acquaintances early on, and with Professor Song's previous instructions... in just three days, they had transported all 600 apple trees in their peak fruiting period back.

To say nothing of anything else, if he were to go back and cook for himself, it would probably be plain noodles with salted vegetables, or leftover rice with leftover dishes—the main theme being that as long as he could survive, it was fine.

The guys walked down along the mountain road, chatting as they went:

But Zhang Wang didn't care about those things.

This was only the beginning!

Like those tall pomegranate, jujube, and pear trees from before, growing three or four meters high was common. But nowadays, as long as it's an orchard, no matter what kind of fruit tree it is, the height is basically level with a person, which is both convenient for harvesting and convenient for daily management.

Nowadays, he couldn't be more satisfied!

Since that was the case, although the apple trees he chose were a bit taller and harvesting fruit wasn't easy, the branches couldn't be cut and propagated at will.

It was very time-consuming and very expensive.

Wang Dashun had only left two days ago, but Master Jiang was here alone, and his craftsmanship was top-notch!

Ge Gen walked along beside them, limping, and looking at his own patch of Song Tan, he was grinning from ear to ear.

However, the radish seedlings picked two days ago had already won the favor of the villagers. At this moment, the guys were carrying hoes and shovels, their spirits not dampened in the slightest.

It couldn't be called inedible, but it just didn't taste good; the kind where eating one extra bite felt like a sin!

The fruit trees had been planted for many years, and now, whether for daily management or harvesting, one had to climb up and down, which was a waste of both labor and money, which was why the decision had been made so quickly.

"Ge Gen's Song Tan grew well this year too; could it be that this year is a bumper harvest year?"

Furthermore, looking at the way Zhang Wang spent money, in the future, it would certainly not be limited to just these 300 mu of barren mountain land, nor would it be limited to his own family getting rich; instead, he had the heart to lead the whole village.

But in my opinion, for 600 apple trees to bear fruit in the same year, just buying the saplings would cost an unknown amount.

Although he was a bit unaccustomed to it at first, after eating like this for several consecutive days, Ge Gen already felt satisfied.

"That's right, concrete is very expensive now, over 300 a ton. You say that so many roads have been paved on this mountain; how much money must that cost!"

"Who knows? The concrete was sent directly by the mixer truck, and the construction team worked with great enthusiasm... they pumped so much water that the pond dropped by a section!"

He thought both meticulously and far-reachingly; it could be said that he had considered everything.

But now, those tall trees had been pruned branch by branch by the people arranged by Tang Xiaodong and Grandpa Qi Lin, and with the mud balls wrapped at the bottom, they were transported directly...

One must know that the larger the tree, the more developed the root system, and the larger the area the branches and leaves spread, the more they could compete for spiritual energy.

But according to Professor Song, Zhang Wang's good soil and water, combined with this kind of tall apple tree that was hard to select and breed, nourished by the soil and water through the four seasons, would probably have even more character when it came time to bear fruit.

That family didn't feel the slightest heartache digging them up and giving away so many apple trees for free; relocation was one aspect, but another was that they were a bit out of step with the times.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have squeezed out two jin from the gaps in Boss Chang's order to give to them separately.

For that, Professor Song still wasn't at ease, pulling Song Tan to explain repeatedly.

"I think so, otherwise the Song family's tea leaves wouldn't be able to be harvested until now!"

Compared to that, what were those shipping costs? It was more like a business with no capital.

In fact, most of the fruit trees cultivated and cross-bred nowadays grow to be very short and small.

After the concrete was poured and set, it needed continuous watering. Fortunately, Zhang Tan hadn't been willing to dissolve spiritual energy into the water yet, so the mountain streams and the pond at the bottom were used simultaneously, which was the only way to build those crisscrossing roads so beautifully. ===== CHAPTER 753 =====