Chapter 68: Valuable Knowledge

Chapter 68: Valuable Knowledge

As soon as the sky began to lighten, Deng Yunkun and his two sons got up.

After eating the white porridge that had been cooked the night before, the father and his two sons each carried their tools and headed toward the mountain where Uncle Jiu lived.

This was already their eighth day of work. Every day, without needing any supervision, they rushed to the mountain early to start working. Except for the time they went home to eat, they worked tirelessly until dark.

Not only did the three of them work this way, but Deng Changping and Deng Sihua did the same.

The five of them were all hardworking and honest people. Even during collective work in the past, they never slacked off like some villagers but worked diligently. Although this approach might have seemed disadvantageous at times, it earned them the trust of the entire village. This was also the main reason Deng Shirong chose them for the job.

Originally, the five of them were the kind of people who were willing to work hard and stay grounded. Now that Deng Shirong was paying them such a high salary—an income they had never dared to dream of—they naturally put in their best effort.

On the way, Deng Changdong asked, "Dad, do you think Uncle Jiu can really make money by investing so much in this orchard?"

Deng Yunkun replied, "Other people in the village have asked Uncle Jiu. According to him, it's definitely possible to make money, but how much is still uncertain."

Deng Changliang added, "Dad, why don't we turn our mountain into an orchard after Uncle Jiu's orchard is done? Uncle Jiu dares to invest so much money. We just need to work harder, and at most, we'll only need to pay for the fruit seedlings. I think we can really do it."

Deng Yunkun nodded and said, "I've thought about this too, and it's definitely worth a try. After we finish transforming Uncle Jiu's orchard, the three of us can earn a good sum of money. We can add some of our own savings and start our own orchard."

Deng Changdong said, "I heard from my wife last night that many people in the village have asked Uncle Jiu about this orchard, but apart from Uncle Yunqiang's family, no one else dares to follow suit. They're all waiting to see if Uncle Jiu's orchard succeeds.

If our family decides to follow suit, we'll be the third family in the village to start an orchard."

Deng Changliang said, "The sooner we start, the sooner we can make money. Anyway, if we follow Uncle Jiu, we definitely won't go wrong."

Deng Yunkun said, "It's too early to talk about this now. Let's finish the work Uncle Jiu has assigned us first!"

The father and his two sons chatted as they walked. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Deng Changping and Deng Sihua arrived at the same time.

The five of them exchanged smiles and greetings, then headed up the mountain to work together.

After a week of hard work, they had cleared half of the trees and weeds on the mountain. If they worked for another week, they would likely clear everything, and the orchard could officially begin its transformation.

Deng Changfu and his wife knew how profitable growing Guiwei lychees could be because they had heard Uncle Jiu's calculations. They easily convinced their parents to join in.

So, the two families, led by Uncle Jiu, went to the credit union to apply for a loan. Deng Changfu and his wife also came along.

Bu Wanhui, the director of the credit union, was delighted to see Deng Shirong, who had brought him two clients within a few days. His enthusiastic attitude impressed Deng Yunqiang and Guan Dewei. They felt that Uncle Jiu truly was a respected figure in the Bangjie Brigade, as even the credit union director treated him with such respect.

There was no need to elaborate on filling out the loan application. Under Deng Shirong's suggestion, both families applied for a loan of 2,000 yuan.

Ten minutes later, Deng Shirong and his group left the credit union.

"Now that funding isn't an issue, you can handle the orchard transformation on your own. The only thing left is the fruit seedlings!"

Thinking of the inconveniences of the trip to Lingshan County, Deng Shirong didn't want to accompany them. He said, "Next, I'll give you the detailed address of Fresh Light Farm. I've already told you the price of the fruit seedlings. You can negotiate with the farm leader first. If you get a lower price than mine, that's even better. If it's higher, mention my name and say I introduced you. There shouldn't be any issues."

The two fathers-in-law nodded repeatedly. Uncle Jiu had explained everything in such detail; if they still couldn't manage, it would be their own fault.

"Also, the outside world is a bit chaotic right now. You must be careful on your way to Lingshan. Carry self-defense weapons, and if you encounter robbers, prioritize your safety. Money can be earned again, but lives are irreplaceable. Don't take unnecessary risks." Deng Shirong couldn't help but remind them again.

Guan Yongying was surprised. "Uncle Jiu, are there really robbers out there?"

Deng Shirong nodded. "I've heard from people who often travel outside that it's only been two years since the reform and opening up. Many of the educated youth who returned to the cities can't find jobs. With so many idle people, society has become more turbulent.

Although the chance of encountering robbers is small, as the saying goes, it's better to be cautious when traveling."

"Uncle Jiu, you're right. We should be careful when we go out," Deng Yunqiang agreed, then turned to his in-laws. "In-laws, you don't have to go to Lingshan. We can handle it ourselves."

Guan Dewei knew his in-laws didn't want him to suffer. He felt his daughter had married into a good family—not only was his son-in-law reliable, but his in-laws were also kind. He didn't put on airs and nodded. "Alright, thank you and your son for your hard work."

Deng Changfu smiled innocently. "It's no trouble at all!"

Time passed day by day.

A week later, Deng Shirong stood on the now-bare mountain near his home, feeling somewhat emotional.

In the past, the entire Help and Correct Brigade only started growing lychee orchards in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By then, bulldozers were available in the countryside, so when people transformed their orchards, they only needed to cut down the large trees. The rest could be handled by bulldozers, and an orchard could be transformed in just a few days.

But it was only 1980, and rural people probably hadn't even heard of bulldozers, let alone seen one.

Therefore, transforming his orchard took Deng Yunkun and his five companions a full half month just to cut down trees and clear weeds. This was with the five of them working from dawn to dusk. Otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

After reflecting on this, Deng Shirong explained his orchard plan to Deng Yunkun and the others: "You need to level the top of the mountain. Dig out the concave area over there to make it bigger and deeper, creating a reservoir that can be used to water the lychee trees during droughts.

The entire mountain should be terraced, with each layer about 1.5 meters wide. The width can be flexible, but the row spacing must be between 3.5 and 4 meters.

Then, dig tree pits about 1 meter square and 80 centimeters deep, spaced about 3.5 meters apart..."

Deng Yunkun and the others listened carefully and took notes. In this era, there were no lychee orchards in the entire Double Prosperity area. They had no idea about the spacing between rows, the distance between trees, or how big and deep the tree pits should be.

What Deng Shirong shared was invaluable knowledge to them.

(End of this chapter)