Li Xiulan had known the children would return today, so she had killed a chicken early that morning and stewed it with mushrooms. The aroma had the grandchildren constantly trailing behind her.
"Auntie and Third Aunt are back." Gu Hong, leading her two younger sisters, stood at the yard entrance. As soon as they spotted Gu Xingping and Chen Lishu's figures, they hurried back to report to Li Xiulan.
"How old are you, and you're still so clumsy?" Zhang Qin saw Gu Hong running, and behind her, Gu Feng and Gu Pan followed, hands clasped like little ducklings. Fearing the younger ones might fall, she chided.
Li Xiulan smiled and patted Gu Hong's little head. "They say daughters take after their paternal aunts, and it's true. Xingping was just like this when she was little."
"Mom, what bad things are you saying about me behind my back again?" Gu Xingping, upon hearing her name as soon as she entered, immediately complained.
"See? She's still like this, even at this age." Li Xiulan chuckled, and Zhang Qin couldn't help but smile too.
"Xiao Song, go up the mountain and see why Grandpa and the others haven't returned yet. We can start eating." After instructing Gu Song to call them, Li Xiulan turned to usher the others inside.
Chen Lishu took her bag to her room. When she came out, she asked curiously, "Dad and the others went up the mountain?"
"The sweet melons are almost ready to be harvested. Someone came to look at them early this morning, so your dad and they went to keep an eye on things."
This year, besides planting medicinal herbs, they had also planted over ten mu of sweet melons on the mountain. Chen Mantun had taken excellent care of them; they were large and sweet. They would be ready for sale in the next few days.
As they chatted, Gu Shoufu and Gu Xingguo returned. Everyone set the table and began to eat.
With the situation on the mountain on her mind, Chen Lishu informed her family after eating and then headed up the mountain.
In just a few months, the mountain had changed drastically. All twenty-five thousand saplings had been planted. As the gentle breeze blew, the slender branches seemed to greet Chen Lishu.
On the gentler slopes, dandelions, evening primrose, and potato plants bloomed in vast expanses of yellow, pink, and white flowers, creating a breathtaking sight.
Chen Lishu followed the winding steps upward. Halfway up the mountain, there was a row of ten red brick houses. The houses were surrounded by a large courtyard enclosed with branches as windbreaks. Inside, over a hundred half-grown chickens roamed, pecking at food.
"Is that Lishu girl back?" Hu Si'er, having just finished his meal and preparing to relieve Lin Dazhong, saw Chen Lishu as he stepped out. He walked out quickly to greet her, saying happily, "I heard your dad and the others say you were coming back early this morning."
Her gaze fell on the dry tobacco pouch in his hand. "Uncle Si, are you going out?"
"I'm going to the melon patch to switch shifts with Old Lin. The melons are ripening, and we're afraid of thieves."
There were also chickens and other things at home that needed watching.
"It's perfect, Uncle Si. I'll go with you to take a look."
Hu Si locked the yard gate, and the two of them went to the melon patch together.
As this was the first year of developing the barren mountain, the soil quality and fertility were not ideal. They had planted about thirteen to fourteen mu of melons. According to the estimates of Chen Mantun and Hu Si, the yield per mu was only around four hundred catties, about one hundred catties less than melons grown on cultivated land.
Although the yield was slightly lower, the quality was definitely good. Even before reaching the place, Chen Lishu could smell a sweet fragrance from afar.
"This year, in our ten-mile radius, we're the only ones growing melons. People have been coming to place orders early. The first harvest is the best, and some people are offering four mao per catty," Hu Si said excitedly.
Since the rural market opened, many resourceful people had started selling things. These sweet melons were a rarity. Although most families planted a couple by their courtyard walls, Chen Lishu's was the only large-scale cultivation in the area.
A simple melon shed had been erected in the melon patch. After greeting Lin Dazhong, Hu Si specifically went into the field to pick a melon for Chen Lishu. He washed it with water and handed it over.
Chen Lishu broke it open and took a bite. It was indeed sweet and crisp.
"Old Chen really knows how to grow melons. He knows when to sprout them, when to plant, and when to pinch the tops to know what the seedlings are lacking," Lin Dazhong said, still greatly impressed.
This was perhaps a case of each to their own. Chen Mantun, while described as honest and simple on the surface, was actually quite timid. However, when it came to growing melons, he was truly skilled.
Chen Lishu chatted with them for a few more minutes about the mountain situation, then walked back with Lin Dazhong.
On her way back to the village, Chen Lishu first stopped by her maiden home for a while before returning to her own house.
Because the bus brought great convenience to the village, Chen Lishu took the bus to town early the next morning.
The bus only passed through the village twice a day: one trip to town at 7:30 AM and the return trip from town at 2:30 PM.
When Chen Lishu arrived in town, it was just past 8 AM. Instead of going to her shop, she headed directly to the medicinal herb company.
It was already July, and in another month or two, it would be the harvest season for dandelions and evening primrose. That was why she was eager to check the situation with the medicinal herb company first.
"...approximately twenty-odd mu in total, yes, dandelions, evening primrose, and a small amount of Isatis root."
The manager listened to Chen Lishu, clicked his tongue, and frowned, saying, "Your situation is a bit difficult to handle."
"We generally sign supply and demand contracts with the production team for the first year when acquiring medicinal herbs. Otherwise, the lower-level acquisition stations occasionally collect some scattered medicinal herbs. For such a large area as yours, wanting to sell suddenly is completely outside our planned scope."
This was indeed something Chen Lishu had not considered thoroughly. She only learned later that before planting, one usually signs a supply and demand contract with the medicinal herb company, specifying the acreage to be planted and the price. Her current situation was rather passive.
If no one bought them, they would surely rot in the ground, meaning a year's work would be in vain.
"Can you not take any at all?" Chen Lishu looked at him and smiled, "What about making an exception? A lower price would also be acceptable."
She had inquired before coming. The prices for these few medicinal herbs were similar, around eight to nine fen per catty. If the medicinal herb company was willing to buy, she could accept a discount of one or two fen.
The man clicked his tongue again, shaking his head with a troubled expression. "It's not about the price. These things themselves aren't worth much. If we go to the trouble of collecting them, they're useless except for taking up space."
Chen Lishu knew he was just trying to drive down the price. After all, growing medicinal herbs was still quite rare, and they were not as useless as he claimed.
With that in mind, she went straight to the point. "Manager Yang, please just give me a price."
The man looked distressed. "How can I give you a price? If our company takes so much of what you've grown, it will just be stockpiled."
The man hesitated, refusing to give a price.
Chen Lishu already knew that the man had a price in mind, but he wanted to wait until she became anxious and made concessions, then buy it at the lowest possible price, taking advantage of the situation.