Chapter 90: Hiring Old Man Yang as the Orchard Manager

 

Jing Yi gave Chuxia an estate next to his villa, comprising an unused area and a small hill, totaling three hundred mu. This time, Jing Yi intended to utilize this land to establish an orchard.

 

In truth, when it came to establishing an orchard, Jing Yi, Jing Father, and the entire family lacked experience. It was more of a spontaneous idea, and later, he inquired with Second brother Huang.

 

The Huang family had numerous orchards. Although Second Brother Huang wasn’t in charge, having seen pigs run even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he could still offer some useful advice.

 

Jing Yi thought it wouldn’t be difficult. His philosophy had always been to start working with a plan and adjust as needed when facing difficulties.

 

“Old Man Yang, your management of this orchard is impressive. I can see you’ve planted quite a variety of things.”

 

Jing Yi and his group entered Yang’s orchard. It was autumn, the season when several types of fruits ripen. In the not-so-small orchard, various fruits were ripe, hanging from the branches.

 

Old Man Yang led them down the main path of the orchard, providing a close look at the fruit trees. At the same time, he explained some knowledge about planting and caring for the orchard.

 

Jing Yi stepped on the soft soil, with the fragrance of various fruits filling the air. As he observed the well-planned orchard, with lush trees and ripe fruits, he instantly had a new idea.

 

The geographical location of his land was advantageous. With the newly constructed dock, it would take only half an hour by boat from the orchard to the town. Even by horse carriage, it would be around forty-five minutes. Jing Yi considered redesigning the orchard, hiring an expert to plan a plantation that could yield fruits throughout the year for convenient harvesting.

 

He envisioned digging two fish ponds for fishing and casting nets, creating a lotus pond for aesthetics. In the future, he could allocate a portion of the land as a residential base, constructing a leisure resort. Considering the scarcity of entertainment in ancient times, it wouldn’t be difficult to attract people to visit.

 

Regarding hiring an expert for the orchard’s planning, Jing Yi looked at Old Man Yang, contemplating how to persuade him to join.

 

“Take a look at my orchard. How is it? Did I exaggerate?” Old Man Yang patted a nearby pear tree, proudly addressing Jing Yi’s group.

 

“Indeed, you have remarkable skills,” Jing Yi complimented, aware that he needed something from Old Man Yang.

 

“Alright, let’s go to the area with the young fruit saplings. How much do you need? Have we settled on the details?” Old Man Yang was straightforward. Seeing that Jing Yi and his group had no issues with the mature fruit trees, he wanted to show them the saplings, ensuring everyone was satisfied.

 

“I’ll be frank with you. My orchard is around three hundred mu. I haven’t finalized the plans yet. How about you provide me with around two hundred mu worth of saplings for now? I’ll have them transported back, and we can discuss the specific quantities for each type.” Jing Yi casually suggested.

 

“Nonsense! If you haven’t planned it properly, buying fruit saplings now and not taking good care of them upon arrival, promptly planting them, would ruin this batch of saplings! Even if you have money, you shouldn’t waste it like this! These are well-cultivated saplings of mine…” Old Man Yang was furious upon hearing this. He loved this profession and couldn’t stand seeing fruits and trees being mistreated.

 

“Father! Father! Calm down. Look, you’ve scared Xiao Bao. Here, let Grandpa hold him.” Seeing the situation wasn’t good, Wu Tong, holding Xiao Bao, quickly handed him over to his father-in-law.

 

“Boss Jing, I apologize. My father is upset because he cares deeply for these fruit tree saplings. Each one is meticulously nurtured by him. How about this, why don’t you go back and plan first? Otherwise, if you mishandle so many saplings, it indeed will result in losses.” The Yang family wasn’t heartless, and Wu Tong earnestly tried to persuade them.

 

“Thank you for Old Man Yang and your kindness. But indeed, I don’t have anyone at home capable of planning this. We have the will but lack the ability. We were thinking of buying them and figuring things out as we go along.” Jing Yi sighed.

 

“Hmph! If you can’t figure it out, just come over.” Old Man Yang was unhappy. It felt like they were recklessly wasting his good fruit trees. However, when he thought about the difficulties his family business had faced in recent years, losing several major clients to other wealthy households in the county, he didn’t continue complaining.

 

There were a few families in the county doing business carelessly, not paying attention to quality. Some started pressing fruits prematurely, substituting inferior products for good ones. In extreme cases, they bought cheap fruits from outside and sold them as high-quality fruits from Taoyuan County.

 

In order to seize the market with low prices, their county’s reputation was being tarnished.

 

After considering the efforts his son-in-law had put into business since marrying into their family, seldom having leisure time—even bearing a child and leaving whenever someone entered to buy just ten jin of goods, unable to be stopped.

 

“How do you plan the layout for your orchard? Is it on hilly terrain or flat land? What kind of soil? I can help you take a look,” Old Man Yang hesitated, saying, and then fearing that others might not appreciate his skills, he hurried to add, “Let me tell you, you’re getting a great deal. I’ve been managing orchards for over thirty years, and I usually don’t share my knowledge with just anyone!”

 

Jing Yi was overjoyed upon hearing this. It was like hitting the jackpot. To be honest, his scheming and kind words hadn’t been of much use yet. But here, Old Man Yang voluntarily brought it up, which was perfect!

 

“Thank you, Old Man Yang! We’ve personally witnessed your skills, so there’s no doubt. Steward Tong, Renhe, you two explain the situation of our piece of barren land and the hill to Old Man Yang in detail.”

 

After that, Steward Tong, Renhe, and Old Man Yang discussed the situation in the orchard.

 

After Steward Tong and Renhe explained the condition of their land to Old Man Yang, they also drew a rough topographical map with a pen and paper that Wu Tong provided. It wasn’t very accurate, but it gave a general overview.

 

Jing Yi then expressed his own requirements—fish ponds, pools, ornamental trees and flowers, residential and entertainment areas, leaving open spaces for all of them.

 

Old Man Yang’s expression at that moment was hard to describe; it was as if he was saying, “No wonder you need so much. You’ve turned a good orchard into something so fancy.”

 

Old Man Yang was indeed an experienced hand. He spent the whole morning discussing and calculating with that piece of paper. Around noon, he probably had the plan ready.

 

He couldn’t write, but fortunately, his eldest son had attended school for three years and was also a planting expert. Whenever Old Man Yang said something, his son could instantly understand and record it swiftly. He could even propose some new ideas, although most of them were rejected by the stubborn Old Man Yang.

 

“Here! Plant according to this plan! See if there’s anything inappropriate,” Old Man Yang handed the drawing to Jing Yi.

 

Jing Yi took a look at the very clear plan. Planting areas, fish ponds, pools, ornamental trees and flowers, and two functional areas were all evenly distributed, balancing aesthetics and practicality. Even the suggestion to dig a well was marked. It was very detailed.

 

Following this plan, when the fruit trees grew, with lush greenery, abundant fruit, main roads, and alleys crisscrossing, strolling through the woods with the fragrance of birds and fruits would be truly beautiful.

 

“I’m very satisfied, Old Man Yang. Thank you,” Jing Yi expressed his gratitude.

 

“Well, because you also want trees, flowers, and other areas for observation, I suggest you only plant 180 mu of fruit trees. Remember, don’t plant the fruit trees too densely. This way, the fruits will taste better, and there will be better sunlight. Don’t imitate those unscrupulous people who plant fruit trees denser than cornstalks! Those fruits are nothing like real fruits!”

 

In the orchard designed by Old Man Yang, there would be approximately thirty mu of apple trees, requiring around two thousand saplings; peach trees, covering about forty mu, would need around two thousand one hundred saplings; pear and orange trees, each occupying twenty mu, would need around one thousand two to three hundred saplings. These were the major components.

 

For the remaining areas, considering the ripening seasons, they decided to plant some green dates, loquats, strawberries, cherries, plums, apricots, and sand pears. Old Man Yang also gave Jing Yi some grape seeds, suggesting that once his house was built, he could set up a frame and grow grapes for a scenic touch.

 

“As for the price of the saplings, those we agreed on yesterday will be honored. If there’s anything we didn’t discuss, you can talk to my son-in-law later. For some saplings that I don’t have or are insufficient, I’ll make sure to get them for you. Rest assured, the quality will be the same as in my orchard, and I won’t take an extra penny from you,” Old Man Yang told Jing Yi, then turned his attention to playing with his adorable grandson.

 

“I definitely trust you. There’s just one more thing.”

 

Jing Yi hesitated and glanced at Old Man Yang, making him tense up, ready to scold. But Jing Yi spoke before Old Man Yang could say anything: “Currently, we haven’t even started building a fence at our place. When the saplings are delivered in a few days, we don’t know how to store them. We’re afraid that planting them hastily might ruin your good saplings.”

 

“You see, I’d like to ask for your help. Could you kindly travel to my place to give some guidance? You don’t need to do the labor yourself. I’ll hire experienced hands for fieldwork. Your job will be to provide guidance on maintenance and transplanting along the way. Don’t worry; I won’t count this against your share. In addition to the design drawing this time, from the planting of fruit trees in the orchard until they are successfully grown, I’ll pay you a total of twenty taels of silver. What do you think?”

 

Twenty taels of silver? Old Man Yang’s heart was moved! This young man was indeed too generous.

 

You see, their saplings, though called saplings, were already around two or three years old. Selling this batch of saplings could fetch around one hundred and twenty taels, but at least for the next three years, there would be no saplings to sell. They could only make money by selling fruits.

 

Unfortunately, their orchard wasn’t large, and the supply was limited. They had to find other old friends to supplement Jing’s saplings.

 

As Old Man Yang was about to agree, Wu Tong spoke up, “Boss Jing, normally, I shouldn’t intervene, but it’s because my father is getting old, and we can’t bear to see him travel long distances. Besides, leaving for such a long time, my two younger brothers and Xiao Bao will surely miss him.”

 

The second reason was actually for Old Man Yang. Wu Tong was afraid he might agree easily, so he brought Xiao Bao along to tug at Old Man Yang’s heart. At such an age, going out on such a long journey was something a parent would find hard to accept.

 

However, if Old Man Yang could be easily persuaded, he wouldn’t be Old Man Yang. Even though he was reluctant to leave his grandson, twenty taels of silver was too tempting. Moreover, transplanting these trees was an easy task for him.

 

“Cough, will there be transportation to pick us up and drop us off?”

 

“Of course! We’ll arrange transportation, including meals and accommodation!”

 

“Well, alright then.”

 

After everything was settled, Jing Yi paid a deposit. They agreed that the fruit tree saplings would be delivered in ten days, and when they returned from the seaside, Jing Renhe would stay behind to assist with transportation and guide them when necessary. Jing Yi left twenty taels of silver with him for unforeseen circumstances.

 

As for Jing Yi and his group, they didn’t change their itinerary and set off for the seaside town the next day.