I Got Rich in Period Fiction

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Precautionary Measures Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Precautionary Measures Even so, the burden on his shoulders was heavy; the money was pooled together by more than a dozen people and had drained all their household savings, just to carve out a path to wealth for the members of the commune. He knew that merely growing wheat and millet could barely solve the problem of food and clothing.

“Well then, let’s settle on that,” Vice Director Qian rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “Qingyu, I didn’t expect things to move this fast, but we haven’t gathered all the money for the seeds, we’ll need to wait a couple of days…”

He then remembered the new term he had heard at the meeting: “We can pay a portion as a deposit first.”

Qiao Qingyu’s mind whirred with thoughts.

The wasteland near the family quarters was roughly one thousand acres, which she intended to contract by any means necessary. But once contracted, she would need a lot of manpower.

She was short on manpower; Vice Director Qian was short on money.

So, it was entirely possible to cooperate!

A smile spread across Qiao Qingyu’s face, “Vice Director Qian, this money was all contributed by everyone, wasn’t it?”

Without waiting for Vice Director Qian to respond, Fang Xiaomei interjected, “Yeah, Qingyu, you have no idea, my uncle took out all the savings from home, and even my cousin’s bridal money, my aunt was crying at home.”

“Xiao Mei, don’t talk nonsense,” Vice Director Qian reprimanded awkwardly, then sighed, “Nowadays, everyone is bustling about with their lands, we can’t fall behind. That’s why over a dozen of us cadres pooled together over four thousand yuan, just to give it our all.”

Qiao Qingyu spoke sincerely, “Vice Director Qian, I’m truly moved by your spirit. I’ve changed my mind; I have an idea, would you like to hear it?”

Vice Director Qian’s eyes lit up, “Qingyu, if you have any ideas, please share them.”

This was his second encounter with Qiao Qingyu, but for some reason, as they talked, he would forget her age and listen carefully to every word she said.

“… I plan to contract the wasteland near the family quarters, but I lack labor. So, I will only take half of the money for the seeds, and in return, Xiaxi Commune will provide labor to help me plant the thousand silk hemp. Of course, there will be many issues to discuss in due course. If you agree, we can make it official; if not, then you can just buy the seeds.”

Vice Director Qian was already inclined to agree halfway through Qiao Qingyu’s proposal.

Therefore, as soon as she finished speaking, he nodded immediately, “No problem, we lack everything but people here!”

Fang Xiaomei, “…”
Uncle, why do you have to speak such blunt truths?

Everything went smoothly afterward.

Actually, Vice Director Qian was in a hurry. Farming was tough, and missing the right timing could mean a wasted year. Upon learning that this was the right season and that the harvest could take place in August, he was beaming with joy.

Of course, he was still anxious at heart because he had yet to see the seeds.

So, Mr. Qian urgently dispatched a tractor, sending Fang Xiaomei and the commune’s agricultural technician to escort Qiao Qingyu back to the family quarters.

After unloading the purchased items, Qiao Qingyu entered the west room and lifted the large tarp hanging over the north wall.

The tarp had been used to cover packages sent by He Xiuyu; it had been tossed in a corner before, but Qiao Qingyu had cleaned it up, and it now perfectly covered eight wooden crates.

Qiao Qingyu liked her arrangements to be interlinked and always prepared for contingencies.

Therefore, prepared as she had been, she took one hundred bottles of thousand silk hemp seeds from the lab early in the morning, with large bottles of agricultural crops containing twenty jin each.

When she opened the lids of the crates, the technician’s eyes gleamed instantly.

You know an expert by their first move.

As an agricultural technician, he was extremely familiar with crop seeds.

It was his first time seeing such well-packed seeds, and his first time encountering seeds that were already germinating and didn’t need cultivation.

Here…

He hurried forward, picking up a large bottle to examine.

It looked a bit like castor seeds; each one was full, and the two tiny leaf buds were bursting with life.

“These have already germinated; can they be planted directly?” The technician humbly asked Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu would not be vague, “Yes, they can be planted directly; no need for cultivation anymore…”

“What about the planting methods?” asked the technician anxiously.

“I’ve already copied them down, but I have to hand them over to Vice Director Qian myself,” Qiao Qingyu apologized.

The technician’s face turned red, and he waved his hands hurriedly, saying, “That’s not what I meant. I was just asking.”

Fang Xiaomei glanced at him sideways, “You don’t seem to get tired of holding that bottle. Hurry up and call Er Zhuzi in. Let’s get the seeds back to the commune quickly. The director and the others are still waiting.”

A big wooden box measuring one meter by one meter could hold exactly ten large bottles.

Er Zhuzi, a tractor driver, hurried into the room at the mention of his name and carefully helped the technician load the wooden box containing eighty large bottles onto the tractor.

Thick wheat straw had already been laid out on top in advance.

Even though the bottles were packed in wooden boxes, Er Zhuzi drove very carefully all the way.

He had just heard that a deposit was required for these bottles.

A ten yuan deposit for one bottle, and in his household, he could scrape together no more than five yuan, so he really couldn’t afford to break them. He really couldn’t.

If he did, he truly wouldn’t be able to compensate for it!

The journey was silent and went smoothly all the way to the commune, where Vice Director Qian and others were already waiting at the entrance.

Next came collecting the money and processing the paperwork, and this time, Qiao Qingyu did collect a deposit.

After all, these bottles seemed to have a special function and needed to be well preserved.

But she only symbolically collected 500 yuan.

After all, part of this was Fang Xiaomei’s dowry money.

The commune had a special place for storing seeds, so the eight wooden boxes were emptied.

Qiao Qingyu handed over the draft papers detailing the planting methods, attention points for thousand silk hemp cultivation, and information on germination, flowering, and harvest times to Vice Director Qian.

“… You must follow the methods outlined here while also adapting to local conditions. Only by doing so can these superior seeds yield a greater harvest,” Qiao Qingyu instructed.

“Right, right, right. Even the best seeds won’t grow anything if they’re not properly planted.”

Vice Director Qian, coming from a farmer’s background, certainly understood this truth.

Because this was a small-scale trial, and the money was not from the commune’s finances, Qiao Qingyu wrote a receipt and put the two thousand five hundred yuan into one of the wooden boxes on the tractor.

Vice Director Qian was worried, but he knew there were guards at the gate of the family compound.

And since she was Chief Engineer He’s wife, he felt assured.

Still, he advised Qiao Qingyu to be careful and then said with emotion, “Qingyu, I really can’t thank you enough this time. I will not say to stand by at all times, but as soon as you contract the wasteland, I will immediately send someone to help you with planting and management.”

To speak the truth, Xiaxi Commune had taken advantage of Qiao Qingyu.

That was two thousand yuan, after all. He would have to save for five years without spending a cent.

Even though hiring help was not the norm now, that money could replace the work points of fifty able-bodied laborers for a year.

Especially since they wouldn’t be working every day.

…

Indeed, Qiao Qingyu had no intention of having these laborers help her all the time.

Some matters still needed attention.

It is said to be good to bask in the shade of a big tree, and for the most part, she was still relying on He Xiuyu’s name.

Thus, it’s best not to cause him any trouble.

So, achieving partial mechanization was something that must be done this year.

Of course, before that, she had to contract nearly a thousand acres of wasteland.