"I know, thank you Aunt Xu. You're so beautiful!" Tong Tong said happily, then took Yao Yao's hand. "Yao Yao, shall I take you to my house on Saturday to catch fish and shrimp?"
Yao Yao was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Hooray!"
She could hardly wait for Saturday to arrive.
Seeing the two children getting along so well, Xu Muqing's mood inexplicably became much lighter.
Yao Yao had always been a quiet child, sometimes even timid. Xu Muqing worried she wouldn't fit in with others, or perhaps be led astray by other children.
But now, seeing Tong Tong, she felt reassured about them playing together.
That evening, Liu Yifeng returned the van to Qiangzi.
"Why are you returning this old van? Just take it and use it," Qiangzi said, displeased to see Liu Yifeng returning the vehicle.
"I can't borrow yours all the time, and I have a new van now, so yours isn't needed," Liu Yifeng replied.
"What? You bought a new van? How much did it cost?" Qiangzi asked.
Liu Yifeng shook his head. "I don't know!"
Qiangzi didn't believe him. "You bought the van, how can you not know how much it cost?"
"Because I didn't buy it. It was a gift!"
"A gift? Who would be so generous as to gift you a van? A brand new one must be at least fifty or sixty thousand. Who would be that kind?"
"Yesterday, I rescued a little girl at the mall. This little girl attends the same kindergarten and is in the same class as my son.
Her mother, to thank me, initially bought me a Porsche Cayenne.
I refused because it was too valuable. Unexpectedly, that afternoon she bought me a van, and I couldn't refuse her kind gesture, so I accepted it," Liu Yifeng explained.
Qiangzi listened and immediately became frustrated. "You're an idiot! If she offered you a Porsche Cayenne, it means she's not short of money at all. Why didn't you accept it?"
If it were him, he would have accepted it.
Many people couldn't earn enough in their lifetime to afford a Porsche Cayenne, and he didn't know how Liu Yifeng resisted such temptation.
Liu Yifeng said, "She's a single mother raising a daughter; it's not easy for her."
"A single mother?" Qiangzi's expression turned mischievous, and he nudged Liu Yifeng's shoulder. "She's a single mother, and you're a single father, and you can both earn money. I think you two should just get together."
"Don't talk nonsense. She simply wanted to thank me. I have no other intentions towards her. Right now, I just want to make money and raise Tong Tong well!" Liu Yifeng said.
Qiangzi couldn't help but try to persuade him. "You're still young and haven't been married. Are you really planning to be a bachelor forever?
If you ask me, if there's someone suitable around, you should seize the opportunity."
"I know, I know. It's just that I haven't found anyone suitable yet!" Liu Yifeng replied perfunctorily.
Love couldn't be rushed, and one shouldn't get married just for the sake of getting married.
Anyway, he had been single for 28 years, so a few more years wouldn't matter.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng didn't want to discuss the topic, Qiangzi changed the subject. "When will the vegetable greenhouses be finished?"
"I asked the contractor, and he said because I've increased the expansion scale, it will probably take about a month and a half to complete."
"If there's anything I can help with, just say the word. I might not be able to help with money, but I can definitely help with labor."
"You just focus on your job. Currently, there's nothing I need help with. However, once the greenhouses are built, I'll need to hire a few people to manage planting, transportation, and sales.
At that time, I'll need you to help me oversee sales. You won't have to do renovation work anymore; that's too hard." Liu Yifeng said.
"I'm not afraid of hard work. I even hope to open a renovation company in the future. But if you need me, I can help you!" Qiangzi knew that Liu Yifeng wasn't someone who would ask for help lightly.
Since he had brought it up, it meant he needed his help.
"Once you've made money with me, I guarantee you can open as many renovation companies as you want!" Liu Yifeng said with a smile.
"Really? Then I'll be waiting!"
They had come to an agreement, and now they were just waiting for the vegetable greenhouses to be completed.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. It was Friday today. After Liu Yifeng dropped Tong Tong off at kindergarten, he went to the orchard.
He hadn't been there for three or four days and wondered how the fruits were growing.
Zhao Jiazhu was inspecting the growth of the fruit trees. Seeing Liu Yifeng arrive, he excitedly pointed to the pomelos on the trees and said, "Boss, these pomelos have grown more than twice their size in just one week. Each pomelo weighs six to seven catties, and the larger ones are even eight to nine catties. They look like watermelons and are growing very vigorously."
Liu Yifeng looked at the large pomelos and was very satisfied. He smiled and said, "They are indeed growing very fast. Have you tasted them yet?"
Zhao Jiazhu shook his head. "No, I was afraid they weren't ripe yet and I'd ruin such good pomelos."
"How do you know if a pomelo is good or not if you don't taste it? Let's pick one and try it!" Liu Yifeng said.
So, Zhao Jiazhu picked a slightly smaller pomelo, as they couldn't eat too much if it was too large.
As soon as he cut it, he noticed something was wrong. The peel was too thin! It was like peeling an orange; there was no need for a knife, and he could peel it directly with his hands.
He remembered that pomelo peels used to be thick, with less flesh.
How could it have changed from thick peel and small flesh to thin peel and large flesh in just a week?
If he hadn't been inspecting the orchard every day, he would have suspected someone had switched them, otherwise, how could the pomelos have changed so astonishingly?
While it was understandable for pomelos to grow larger through later development, how could the peel change from thick to thin?
After growing pomelos for so many years, this was the first time he had encountered such an unbelievable thing.
Seeing how thin the pomelo peel was, Liu Yifeng became even more confident about selling them at a high price. Now, all that mattered was the taste.
Regardless, with such quality, they would definitely outperform any new product from "Four Seasons Fruits."
"Boss, this six-catty pomelo has a peel that weighs less than half a catty. The yield rate is exceptionally high. I've been growing pomelos for many years, and I've never encountered such good conditions. The pomelos grew so well as soon as you arrived," Zhao Jiazhu exclaimed.
Liu Yifeng smiled. "Quick, break it open for me to taste!"
Now, he just wanted to know how it tasted.
Zhao Jiazhu forcefully broke open the pomelo and shared half with Liu Yifeng.
Liu Yifeng separated a segment. The pomelo flesh looked very plump. The individual segments were crystal clear, as if filled with water, and there were no seeds. They could be eaten directly after opening.
He couldn't wait and took a bite. The pomelo juice instantly exploded in his mouth, incredibly sweet, with no bitterness or sourness.
Zhao Jiazhu also took a bite. He had been prepared for it to be sour, as he had tasted several before, and they were all sour.
He thought that even if the pomelos had grown larger, their taste wouldn't have changed much. However, the expected bitterness and sourness did not materialize.
Instead, the sweetness left a lingering aftertaste.
In his entire life, he had never tasted such a sweet pomelo, and it was so juicy, like eating a pear.
He would take a bite, and excess juice would drip down the peel.
He was reluctant to speak, for fear of wasting any juice. He ate a whole segment in one go, and only then did he say with lingering satisfaction, "Boss, this pomelo is truly sweet. I've grown pomelos for many years and tasted countless ones outside, but I've never tasted a pomelo with so much juice, such a large size, and such a sweet taste."
"It's indeed very good. You've sold pomelos before. What price do you think we can sell ours for per catty?" Liu Yifeng asked.
"Before, I sold my pomelos wholesale for eighty cents a catty, and the larger ones for one yuan a catty.
For yours, I don't think you can find another variety like this anywhere in the country.
I think the price can be at least five times higher, which is five yuan a catty!" Zhao Jiazhu said boldly.
Although pomelos priced at five yuan a catty were rare in the market, they were definitely worth the price.
Liu Yifeng was not satisfied with this price. "It is said that scarcity breeds value. Our pomelos have so many advantages. They should sell for at least seven to eight yuan a catty."
"Wouldn't that price be a bit too high? What ordinary family would be willing to buy such expensive pomelos?" Zhao Jiazhu asked.
Liu Yifeng knew his concerns and replied with a smile, "You don't need to worry about sales. The Mid-Autumn Festival is in ten days. We must pick and sell all the pomelos before the Mid-Autumn Festival, otherwise, once the festival passes, even the best pomelos will have to be sold at a reduced price.
Now, go and find people to pick the pomelos. It's best to pick all of them within three days. The wages will be the same as before, one hundred yuan a day. How many people you hire is up to you!"
"Okay, I guarantee to complete the task!" Zhao Jiazhu immediately agreed.
"By the way, pick two more pomelos for me. I need to use them for business negotiations!" Liu Yifeng felt it was time to find Su Wanru.
He guessed she must be overwhelmed with worry about not being able to sell her pomelos at this time.