Chapter 215: Sensation
Chapter 215: Sensation
It was the seventh day of the fifth lunar month, a Sunday.
Early in the morning, after a simple breakfast of congee and cucumber peel, Deng Shirong took his six children, his nephew, niece, and nephew-in-law to Litchi Hill to pick litchis. His daughters-in-law, however, stayed home to look after the younger children.
Meanwhile, Deng Yunqiang also set out with his own children to Litchi Hill.
Today was the day both families had agreed to pick litchis, and they planned to pick the litchis from Deng Changfu's in-laws' orchard the next day.
Deng Shirong's family consisted of ten able-bodied members. Even though Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng were still quite young, the litchi trees weren't very tall, making it easy for them to help. Their picking speed was almost as fast as the adults.
In just over half an hour, they had filled over twenty baskets with litchis.
Seeing this, Deng Shirong instructed, "Yuntai, Dashi, you two can start transporting the litchis back home. The rest of us will continue picking."
Deng Yuntai and Bu Dashi nodded and began carrying the baskets down to the foot of the hill, then loaded them onto their bicycles to transport them back home.
Each bicycle could carry four baskets at a time, so with two of them working together, they could transport eight baskets per trip, which was quite efficient.
In comparison, Deng Yunqiang's family was much slower because they didn't have bicycles and had to carry the litchis back by hand.
By the end of an hour, Deng Shirong's group had picked a total of thirty-five baskets of litchis.
Looking at the remaining litchis, Deng Shirong said, "That's enough. Leave the rest for us to enjoy at home."
Bu Dafang glanced at the remaining litchis and was surprised. "Uncle, there are at least three hundred pounds left. You're going to keep it all?"
Deng Shirong replied, "Of course. We've grown so many litchis. What's the point of making money if we can't enjoy them ourselves?"
Deng Yunzhen laughed. "Dad, don't forget we have another litchi tree that can yield three to four hundred pounds. Are you worried we won't have enough litchis?"
Deng Shirong said, "Those litchis don't taste as good as the Guiwei variety. Tomorrow is market day in Shuangwang, so we can sell them there and make some money."
"You sure are generous, Uncle. Most people would try to sell every last litchi. You're keeping hundreds of pounds, which is quite a shock."
"Enough talk. The sun is getting hotter. Let's get the litchis down the hill quickly."
"..."
...
Deng Shirong's and Deng Yunqiang's families picking litchis today was a big event that couldn't be kept secret from the villagers. Curious villagers, especially those who had followed suit in growing Guiwei litchis, came to Deng Shirong's house to see how much money the two families would make this year.
As basket after basket of litchis was brought back by Deng Shirong's and Deng Yunqiang's families, the onlookers couldn't help but discuss the situation.
"Grandpa Jiu's family has already brought back thirty-two baskets. Does anyone know how much each basket weighs?"
"Full baskets probably weigh about seventy to eighty pounds."
"Even if it's only seventy pounds per basket, that's over two thousand two hundred pounds in total. Does anyone know the price the Supply and Marketing Cooperative is offering?"
"I'm not sure. We've never sold litchis before."
"I asked at Shuangwang market. They sell for sixty-eight cents per pound."
"That's quite expensive. Can someone good at math help calculate how much Grandpa Jiu's family will make from these two thousand two hundred pounds of litchis?"
"Think again. The Cooperative's buying price is different from the retail price at the market."
"Right, so what's the final purchase price?"
"..."
As the villagers continued their discussion, Deng Shirong and his family returned, bringing with them the last three baskets of lychees.
Someone immediately asked, "Elder Jiu, have you finished picking all your lychees?"
Deng Shirong smiled and replied, "Not all of them. We left some for our own use."
The villagers assumed he meant just a little, never dreaming that Deng Shirong had left over 300 pounds for his family to enjoy.
Another villager inquired, "Uncle Jiu, what price did the Supply and Marketing Cooperative offer?"
"Five cents per pound."
Upon hearing Deng Shirong's answer, a few villagers who were good at math quickly calculated the approximate earnings. Their hearts raced, especially those who had already planted Guiwei lychee trees, as they were filled with excitement.
As for those who weren't as good at math, their faces showed shock when they heard that 2,000 pounds of lychees could fetch a thousand dollars.
To earn over a thousand dollars in the second year of planting was simply astounding.
At that moment, those who had hesitated due to the fear of taking risks regretted their decision, slapping their thighs in frustration.
Believing that after today's revelation, every household in the village would be eager to clear their land and plant lychee trees.
...
At nine in the morning, a medium-sized tractor from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative arrived at Deng Shirong's home. The lychees were then weighed and loaded onto the truck.
In the end, Deng Shirong's family had 2,658 pounds of lychees, which sold for 1,329 dollars. Deng Yunqiang's family had 3,062 pounds, selling for 1,531 dollars.
Seeing the "real money" in Deng Shirong and Deng Yunqiang's hands, the villagers present were visibly agitated, their faces flushed with excitement.
In those times, anyone who could earn 30 dollars a month, or 360 dollars a year, would be the envy of many. The 1,531 dollars that Deng Yunqiang's family earned was an amount that many large families in the village would take three years to accumulate. Who wouldn't be stimulated by such a sight?
Although planting lychees required an initial investment of at least a few hundred dollars, the fact that it could be recouped in just one year, with additional profits, was a business opportunity no family wanted to miss.
Some impatient villagers even planned to plant lychees this year.
Deng Shirong, overhearing their conversation and thinking about the extreme weather expected this winter, warned, "If you're planning to plant lychees, you can start by clearing your land, but I advise against planting this year. It's best to wait until next spring, as the saplings will have a higher survival rate."
The villagers all nodded in agreement.
If someone else had said this, the villagers might have been skeptical, wondering if they were just trying to prevent them from getting rich. But when Deng Shirong spoke, even the impatient ones listened.
After all, when Deng Shirong first started planting lychees, he had no intention of keeping the profits to himself. He had encouraged everyone to follow suit, but many villagers had backed out when they heard about the initial investment.
Once the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's truck had taken away the lychees, the villagers gradually dispersed.
The news of Deng Shirong and Deng Yunqiang's families earning over 1,300 and 1,500 dollars, respectively, spread like wildfire throughout the Bangjie Brigade and even to other brigades.
In those times, earning over a thousand dollars in a year was an incredibly attractive prospect.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
