At this time, except for a few multi-story buildings in Kuitun, most of the others were bungalows.
The Institute of Agricultural Sciences is no exception.
Compared with other buildings in the city, this place is more like a farm, because there are various plants planted nearby, including vegetables, fruit trees, food crops, etc.
Li Long parked the tractor on the side of the road, turned off the engine, and searched around the area, and then he saw the place where the word "nursery" was written on the big wooden sign.
This should be it, right?
He walked to the nursery and saw someone working inside, digging out some seedlings. He didn't know whether they were going to be transplanted or sold.
"Hello, comrade, I would like to ask where you can find fruit tree seedlings for sale here?"
"Do you want to buy them? How much?" The worker is a man in his forties. The eldest sister looks not much different from women in rural areas, but her eyes are clear. Li Long always feels that she should be working hard for some cause rather than making a living. The look and gaze are different.
“I grow them in my yard and I can’t buy many, maybe a dozen.” Li Long said.
"Then your yard is not small, and you can plant so many. What fruit trees do you want to buy? Seedlings are not cheap here."
"What kind of fruit trees are there? Sister, can you introduce them?"
"Is your home nearby?" The elder sister asked instead of answering Li Long's question.
"My home is in Ma County, which is more than a hundred kilometers away from here."
"Ma County, how do you take it back? The shuttle bus can only go to Shicheng, and what about the car? It’s not easy to bring.”
“I drove a tractor here.” Li Long said.
"That's okay. The climates in Ma County and Kuitun are similar, so you can plant jujube trees, apple trees, plums, and pears. We also have newly cultivated peaches that you can try. But you should try it there. Clearly, except for apples, these fruit trees grow in winter The sky is crushing the branches.”
“I know.” Lu Yingming has a peach tree in his house. , and then bury it with soil, otherwise it will freeze in winter. It won't freeze to death, it just won't produce peaches.
"It's good to know. We also have various grape seedlings here, such as seedless white, rose scent, horse milk grape..."
"Then I understand, I want red dates and apples. , plums, pears, peaches and seedless white grape seedlings Come on, come on... four."
"Since you can drive a tractor here, you shouldn't be short of money. Otherwise, I have to remind you that these seedlings are quite expensive." The elder sister stood up. He patted the dirt on his hands and said:
"Let's go, I'll take you to dig seedlings, and I'll just tell you about planting."
Li Long followed the elder sister wearing sleeves to a sparse forest, and only after arriving at the place did Li Long discover , here are fruit trees planted one after another. The plants are not big, basically thicker than a thumb, and there are clearly traces of grafting.
“These fruit trees are three to five years old. They will bear fruit the same year they are transplanted, but not many. If they are taken care of well, they will bear a lot of fruit in the second year. It depends on the care. The elder sister pointed at them one by one:
“Look, this jujube tree may not look tall, but last year it had more than one kilogram of jujubes, and there will be more this year. These are jujubes transplanted from southern Xinjiang. , also called dog-head jujube, big and the largest It can grow to the size of an egg, and next to it is the gray jujube. This jujube is small, about the same size as the big jujube, but sweeter than Jun jujube. This jujube tree is not tall, and it is easier to press now. Please press it more. , they look just like irrigation It’s the same as wood.”
“That’s a pear tree, not the fragrant pear species from southern Xinjiang. It’s the kind of pear pear from the mainland. It’s full of water and not as sweet as the fragrant pear, but it tastes pretty good. .”
"Here are apples, the Red Fuji variety. We have successfully planted them here on trial, but the taste is not as good as those over in Aksu."
Li Long knew the high quality of Aksu Red Fuji apples, but At this time, many people in northern Xinjiang are more recognized by the apples of Ili, because the apples of Ili are big, really big!
“This is a crisp plum, not big in size, similar to an apricot, but the kind that has been removed from the bones, and when the fruit is still relatively green, it is actually very sweet, and the variety is very good. I suggest you plant a few more trees.”
“This is an early-maturing peach. If it is grown outside, it will mature in June. If it is grown in a greenhouse, it will mature in May. It matures very early and tastes very good.”
……
The elder sister introduced the fruits here one by one. At this time, she was more like a gardening expert. You can feel that she has rich professional knowledge.
Li Long started digging - yes, he picked and dug himself. As for the eldest sister, the researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences also have their own work now. If Li Long wants to wait for them to come and help dig, he will probably have to wait until the afternoon.
Li Long didn't want to wait until the afternoon, he planned to rush back to Ma County today.
Nearly 20 fruit trees were dug, and the bucket in the back of the tractor was almost full. Li Long paid more than 40 yuan, which was not expensive considering that a seedling cost more than 2 yuan.
Of course it seems so to him. But in this day and age, it’s already very expensive.
The time was almost past one o'clock, and Li Long felt he was not hungry yet, so he drove the tractor to the department store, bought a box of Quitunte music, and some snacks and sundries. He put it in the tractor and started it. Just go east.
The small-caliber rifle is placed in the truck compartment. When I was working these days, the gun was stored at the service desk. The waitress was not surprised by the gun. It is normal to have a gun these days. After all, you can buy such a gun in Xinhua Bookstore. It's normal for Li Long who came from a distance to carry a gun. Safety comes first.
The tractor left KT City and entered the Wuyi Highway. The vehicles coming and going made Li Long feel that the trip was actually worth it.
After making money, the second brother and the others have settled down, bought the things they should buy, and have an idea for the harvester. This trip is considered a complete success.
After driving for a while, Li Long stopped when he arrived at Anjihai. There is a restaurant along the road, and he plans to have lunch here.
Anjihai is a town in SW County. It has existed a long time ago, and its ownership is also changing. During the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to Suilai - the predecessor of Ma County, and later it was placed under Shawan.
Thinking about it now, the original Ma County was very big - now it is 12,000 square kilometers. In the Qing Dynasty, it must have been several times bigger!
Anjihai later had a very famous specialty, which was pepper. In autumn, peppers are dried everywhere on the roadside here, and some people take the peppers from here to Turpan to dry them. After all, there are less and less uncultivated and developed land in Pingping County. Li Long heard about it in his last life. Once upon a time, someone hauled 500 tons of peppers to Turpan to dry, but a strong wind blew all 500 tons of peppers away overnight.
Heavy losses.
That's too far. The main business of the restaurant here is also noodles. After Li Long ordered a bowl of noodles, he added water to the tractor and continued to drive forward.
By the time they arrived in Shicheng, the sun had already set, and Li Long felt tired. He planned not to return to Ma County today, but to drive directly to the big yard, spend the night here, and then bring back the saplings to plant them tomorrow.
There is still enough time.
Li Long was actually very cautious along the way, but unlike what he imagined, there were no people blocking the road to grab money or things. Has order improved, or has the bad guy been caught?
The sun was almost setting when we arrived in Ma County. Li Long looked at the familiar scene with a little emotion.
When I was young, it felt quite magical to pass from one city to another, from a familiar scene to an unfamiliar one.
But as technology developed and transportation became more convenient, you could be in northern Xinjiang in the morning and take a flight to the beach in the afternoon. That magical feeling gradually disappeared.
Now this feeling seems to be happening again. In the morning, I was still discussing the harvester with Director Du at Kuitun Agricultural Machinery Factory, and I had already arrived in Ma County in the afternoon.
Some elderly people in this era may have lived within a county or even a township throughout their lives and never left the county, let alone places farther away.
Li Long vaguely remembered that in his last life, when he was in his fifties, there were still people in the village who had never taken a train, and even more people had never taken a plane.
The village set up a cooperative to liberate the farmers. After having some spare money, some elderly people in their 50s and 60s went to Shicheng Railway Station to take a train to Wucheng, and then from Wucheng I took the bus back just to experience the feeling of riding a train.
At that time, the Internet allowed people to understand the world. It felt like things happening simultaneously abroad appeared on mobile phones and computers. It seemed that the world was really a village, but how many people were actually measuring the world on foot?
After eating a rice soup at the Big Meat Canteen, Li Long bought ten more steamed buns and took them back to the compound. Gu Xiaoxia had just gotten off work at this time. When she arrived at the door of the compound, Li Long opened the door and drove the tractor in.
Gu Xiaoxia was startled when she saw the tractor entering the yard. Then she saw that the figure of the person driving the tractor was very familiar. She chased him into the yard on a bicycle and saw that it was Li Long. , she smiled.
"Where are you coming from?" Gu Xiaoxia asked after holding up the car.
"This sapling was brought back from Kuitun." Li Long said, taking the buns from the carriage and saying:
"Come, eat some buns. Don't cook at night."
“Okay.”
During dinner, Li Long revealed his next plan.
"Our house in the team has been built. Tomorrow I will go back and plant these saplings. The furniture in the carpenter's room in the village should be almost there. You can go back this weekend and we can decorate the house together. For a moment. Let’s get the certificate and do the work later.”
Gu Xiaoxia started eating steamed buns, and listened to Li Long's words, quite attentively. Then her face slowly turned red, and then she buried her head.
She knew very well what Li Long was thinking. Although this big courtyard will be the place where the two of them will live in the future, to be considered a real home, it has to be the new courtyard in the team.
Actually, she thought so too. This was once someone else's home, so it doesn't count. That big yard is a home for two people. It is new, it was just built, everything was just purchased, and it completely conforms to the concept of a new house.
Li Long saw that Gu Xiaoxia was silent and said with a smile:
"What do you mean if you don't speak? Do you disagree or acquiesce? We still have to discuss the arrangement together. Let’s do it. Now the house is ready and furnished, but there are still many things to add and decorate.”
"Yeah." Gu Xiaoxia lowered her head and hummed, "I'll go back this week..."
She actually didn't tell Li Long that she had been using her spare time to make some home furnishings, including stickers. The word "happy", the cushions on the stools, curtains - although the villagers did not like to use curtains, after all, the glass in the windows was all decorated with flowers at this time, but after living in the county for a period of time, Gu Xiaoxia felt that it was still necessary to buy some curtains.
She is also using her salary to buy other small things, such as pillowcases, pillow covers, red quilt covers, etc. She knew that Li Long had been working hard for this new home. As the future hostess, she never thought that she could enjoy it with peace of mind. This was their new home together and they needed to work hard to build it together.
Gu Xiaoxia decided to take the things she prepared home on Saturday this week. There are actually some other things that need to be prepared in her plan. Now it seems that it is too late to get things done, but it is okay and she can continue to prepare slowly.
After having dinner the next day, Li Long planted grapes, apples and plums in the courtyard, not many, just three or five. After all, the space here is limited.
When driving the tractor back to the Li family compound, Li Qingxia, Du Chunfang, and Chen Xingbang were all busy in the vegetable field. The main thing is to grow vegetables - the farming work hasn't started yet, so they will clear up the vegetable plot first if they have nothing to do.
"Xiaolong is back? It took a long time to go there." Li Qingxia asked with concern.
Li Long did not call the team, mainly because he did not want to publicize the matter. He believed that if he called the captain, the news would spread throughout the team, and many people would definitely come to him. He hoped that He can help take people to work in Kuitun.
The temptation of being a worker at this time is unimaginable to future generations.
"I helped the unit over there pull bricks for two days." Li Long explained as he got off the car, "Where are my brother and the others?"
"Went to the fields." Chen Xingbang was digging a ditch, and he was preparing to plant beans here. "The eldest brother contracted a piece of land, and went there with his sister-in-law in a carriage, saying that he wanted to see the condition of the land. The wheat grown in the land, he said. I need to give the team more seed money.”
Li Long nodded. , said:
"I got a lot of fruit tree seedlings back this time. I planted some here and some in the yard in front of me. There are dates, apples, peaches and everything."
"Then Well, we can eat the fruits in autumn." Several people in the vegetable field said with a smile.
"If you plant in the front yard, will it be stolen if you are away often?" Chen Xingbang asked worriedly.
"It shouldn't happen, right?" Li Long couldn't guarantee it. Adults probably won't come and steal it, but it's hard to protect children. After all, fruit trees are a rarity at this time, and it's normal for children to want to plant fruit trees at home.
"It's okay, I just have to go and watch it from time to time." Du Chunfang said positively, "It's okay anyway. Once you have settled in, your father and I will go over and take care of your food. ”
This is a good idea. Li Long and the others were often away from the yard, and the two elders took care of them. The vegetables, fruit trees, etc. in the yard could all grow normally.
When Li Long designed the house, there was also a place for the two elders to live, but currently, Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang do not intend to live in the new yard in front.
It is better to choose a day than to hit it, so Li Long simply took down the fruit tree and divided it into three parts, two more and one less. The larger ones will be planted in the two yards here, and the smaller ones will be given to Gu Boyuan.
After the fruit trees were planted, it was almost noon. Li Long went to the kitchen to cook, and Chen Xingbang followed.
"Xiaolong, are the second brother and the others okay over there?"
"Well, now the second brother and Junshan are both big workers. Although they are temporary workers, they earn one dollar and three dollars a day, which is not bad. . It is said that there are many people recruited this time, so I should be able to join the staff." Li Long said while cutting vegetables, "I should know it soon."
"I have thought about it in the past two days. , I plan to go to Shicheng to set up a stall," Chen Xingbang said, "Being a worker is stable, but the money is too little. I went to the county to look around in the past two days, and then to Shicheng to see the old street. A stall owner can earn half a month's to a month's wages as a worker by doing it in one day."
This is a fact. The first people to get rich were actually the traders who seized the business opportunity at this time. They buy various materials at low prices from rural areas or other cities and sell them at stalls in the old streets, where they can make a lot of money. After all, Old Street, a distribution center for people, is also becoming a distribution center for goods.
Chen Xingbang chose the right place.
"Okay, I will rent a yard over there in two days. It will be better for you to live there and set up a stall. Brother-in-law, what do you plan to sell?"
"Meat, Sell meat." Chen Xingbang had already thought about it, "Get some beef and mutton to sell, preferably alive, and sell them while slaughtering."
Li Long remembered that Chen Xingbang had a very good way of killing pigs before the Chinese New Year. Skilled, it seems that he must have practiced in this area.
“People’s lives here are very good, and there are many people who eat meat.” Chen Xingbang continued, “I think there should be no loss in selling meat. Just like selling fish before, the people who buy it will not Few. The meat supplied by food factories now is given to public institutions. People have to go to the market to buy meat. They can make a lot of money by slaughtering and selling cheap cattle and sheep from the countryside and mountains. "
Li Long nodded. This was equivalent to the time when he concentrated on recruiting sheep to sell at the sugar factory, except that he was selling wholesale, while Chen Xingbang was selling retail. In comparison, retail sales are more profitable, but the cycle is longer.
"Then I will go to the mountains in a few days. Brother-in-law, you can come with me. Then I will buy a few sheep and try my hand."
"Okay." Chen Xingbang actually waited. This is what Li Long said. At this time of year, the pigs in the countryside have just started to be fed, and they will definitely not be able to harvest good pigs. Although there are sheep in the countryside, they are definitely not cheap. Chen Xingbang knew that Li Long had collected sheep in the mountains before, and the acquisition was cheap, so this was his idea.
When Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei came back, the meal was almost ready. When they saw the tractor, they knew Li Long was back. Li Jianguo got off the car and asked Li Long about Li Anguo and their situation there.
After hearing what Li Long said, Li Jianguo was relieved. He said:
"After dinner, you go to Ma Hao. Your second sister-in-law and others don't know the situation yet, so you have to tell them. By the way, there is also Yongqiang's house. After dinner, I will go and tell Yang Hua, lest he also Worry."
"Let me tell you." Li Long said, "It won't take much time. I can explain it more clearly." (End of this chapter)