Chapter 153: Partridges are Crying, Doves are Calling, and Cicadas are Chirping

Chapter 153: Partridges are Crying, Doves are Calling, and Cicadas are Chirping

After the Chinese New Year, when Deng Shirong's family and Deng Yunqiang's family brought back the Cinnamon Flavor lychee saplings for planting, many villagers, led by brigade leader Deng Yunjun, also began using the surplus labor in their households to clear land for orchards.

After two or three months of hard work, the orchards were mostly ready.

Now that the orchards were cleared, the next step was to plant the fruit seedlings as soon as possible. However, many villagers were still undecided about what kind of fruit trees to plant.

Initially, everyone wanted to follow Deng Shirong's lead and grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees. But the saplings had to be reserved in advance in Lingshan County, and the price was quite steep, requiring an investment of at least several hundred yuan per household.

In the village, few families could afford such an expense.

If they didn't plant Cinnamon Flavor lychees, they could opt for longan trees or other fruit trees, which required much less investment.

So, after clearing their orchards, the undecided villagers gathered at brigade leader Deng Yunjun's home to discuss the most suitable fruit trees to plant.

"Brigade leader, are you still planning to grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees like Uncle Jiu?"

"Brigade leader, I've been thinking about this for a while. I feel the investment in Cinnamon Flavor lychees is too high. If a typhoon hits or the lychees get infested, it would be a huge loss!"

"Brigade leader, my family can only afford 200 yuan. What kind of fruit tree do you think we should plant?"

"Brigade leader…"

As soon as they arrived, the villagers began voicing their concerns.

After listening to them, Deng Yunjun had a clear idea and said, "I understand your concerns. Let me share my thoughts."

Nearly twenty villagers, including Deng Yunkun, looked at the brigade leader expectantly.

"Everyone has cleared their orchards and wants to plant fruit trees. I can't decide for you, but I can share my own choice."

Deng Yunjun continued, "I've said before that I plan to grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees like Uncle Jiu, and my decision hasn't changed. Anyone who wants to join me can stay and discuss going to Lingshan County to order saplings."

One villager sighed, "Brigade leader, I'd like to grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees too, but it costs at least several hundred yuan. I can't afford that much."

Deng Yunjun replied, "If you want to grow them, there's a way. If you don't have the money, you can take out a loan from the credit union."

The villager hesitated, "Brigade leader, isn't that too risky? If we take out a loan and something happens to the saplings, we'd have to work for years to pay off the debt."

Deng Yunjun nodded, "The risk you mentioned is real, so I can't guarantee anything. It's up to you to decide."

Another villager asked, "Brigade leader, what if I plant longan trees? Can I make money?"

Deng Yunjun said, "Of course you can. White Duckweed Farm has over 2,000 longan trees and earns a good income every year. If you want to grow longan, you can buy saplings directly from White Duckweed Farm. They're much cheaper than Cinnamon Flavor lychees, so it's a good option."

Another villager chimed in, "Brigade leader, I'm thinking of growing oranges. What do you think?"

Deng Yunjun nodded again, "That's fine too. As I said, no matter what fruit tree you plant, as long as you take care of it and it bears fruit, you can sell it for money. Even if it's not much, it's better than leaving the land unused. Don't you agree?"

The villagers all nodded in agreement, as this was a principle everyone understood.

Next, the villagers shared their ideas one by one. Some sought the brigade leader's opinion, while others looked for like-minded neighbors to collaborate with.

After much discussion, each villager made a decision based on their circumstances. Three villagers decided to grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees with the brigade leader, eight chose to plant Shixia longan (a famous variety in Bobai County), and the rest opted for oranges.

Seeing that everyone had made their choice, Deng Yunjun said, "Since you've all decided, those with the same plans should go to White Duckweed Farm together to reserve saplings. I hope that if you encounter any problems while planting, you'll help each other and work together to make your orchards thrive."

The villagers nodded in agreement, and those with similar plans left the brigade leader's house to discuss the details of reserving and planting their saplings.

Deng Yunkun and two other villagers stayed behind to discuss with the brigade leader about going to Lingshan County to order Cinnamon Flavor lychee saplings.

As the fourth month of the lunar calendar began, partridges sang, doves cooed, and cicadas chirped.

At this time, rural children's favorite activity was catching cicadas.

There were two ways to catch cicadas. One was to search for them under trees at night. By checking a few trees, you could often find cicada pupae. These pupae would climb to a height of one to two meters before shedding their shells.

The cicada shells, known as "cicada skin" or "cicada molt" in traditional Chinese medicine, could be sold for money. Though they didn't fetch much, diligent children could earn a decent amount of pocket money over the summer.

The other activity was catching live cicadas. For children, catching cicadas chirping in the trees was great fun.

Today was Sunday, and the two little brothers, Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng, wandered around with their cicada-catching tools, following the sound of chirping cicadas. Their tools were simple: a thin bamboo pole with sticky rubber wrapped around the top.

When they spotted a cicada on a tree, they carefully approached it with the rubber-tipped pole. Once the rubber touched the cicada's wings, it would stick firmly, and no matter how much the cicada struggled, it couldn't escape.

In truth, cicadas weren't particularly attractive, and even if given away, few would want them.

But rural children enjoyed the thrill of the chase, much like fishermen who might not necessarily love eating fish but relish the act of catching them.

After a long day of catching cicadas, the two brothers returned home with their spoils.

However, before reaching home, they distributed their catch to the younger children in the village.

While older kids might not care for cicadas, the little ones, only a few years old, were delighted.

When Deng Yunhua got home, he smelled a delicious aroma before even putting down his bamboo pole. He sniffed and asked, "Dad, what are you cooking? It smells amazing!"

Deng Shirong, sitting at the door smoking, smiled and said, "I'm making dragon and phoenix soup."

(End of this chapter)