Chapter 52: The Awakening of the NEET Generation 10

Once the saplings arrived and were planted in the ground, everyone gathered around, curious and chattering away. “What are you planting here? Will this be worth money in the future? How old are these saplings? Will we have to wait years before they bear fruit?”

Ren Xin patiently answered each question, but eventually admitted with some embarrassment, “I was just thinking the land near my house isn’t in a good spot. Those bits and pieces on the edges are just sitting there unused. I figured I’d try planting something. If it grows, great; if not, it doesn’t matter much anyway…”

Everyone agreed that sounded reasonable. Even so, not many were willing to join in and do the same.

The Village Head smiled and bought some of the leftover saplings from Ren Xin, joking that he’d really gotten a bargain.

Ren Xin thought the Village Head was a shrewd old man. He didn’t really understand much, but he could tell what was good and what wasn’t, and he knew to follow clever people and pick up some leftovers.

All these fruit saplings would bear fruit in the second year, and she had secretly switched them out for even better ones. She’d bought them online and swapped them into her space, so she could plant the improved ones up on the mountain later when she had time.

After all this was taken care of, it was time for Ren Xin to start school. She told Mother Ren and Father Ren, “You two must not slack off when it comes to meals at home, got it? Remember, you’re all I have in this world. If you don’t take good care of yourselves and live long lives, I’ll be left all alone, with no one to rely on and no one to protect me…”

Hearing this, Father Ren and Mother Ren promised that from then on, they’d have at least two dishes for every meal, eat meat at least once a week, and swear to live well and long so their daughter would never have to worry about them.

When Ren Xin returned to school, her life grew even busier. She no longer took part-time jobs; instead, she had become the professor’s dedicated translation assistant. All sorts of foreign academic literature and specialized content were handed to her to translate.

Every time, Ren Xin translated quickly and accurately. Professors from other departments even tried to poach her, which made her professor so angry he nearly blew his beard out and glared.

Meanwhile, Ren Xin’s little purse grew fatter. Her scholarships now fully covered her tuition, her living expenses were no problem, and she still had money left over to send back home. Sometimes, she even mailed things directly to her family.

She knew that no matter how much money she transferred, Father Ren and Mother Ren rarely spent any of it—they would only save it.

In the second year, the land in the mountain village soared in value. Capitalist investors began offering higher and higher prices, and when no one wanted to lease out their fields, they bought up the local produce at a premium instead. This food had even been certified by an academician, and with the health claims attached, there was no shortage of buyers. Everything sold out, and prices weren’t a worry at all.

Everyone made a fortune, big and small, and the whole village was cheerful every day. With people coming in all the time, even just providing room and board brought in good money. Those who moved away early could only slap their thighs in regret.

Hearing Father Ren’s voice rise with excitement over the phone, Ren Xin couldn’t help but smile.

“Daughter, those cherries in our yard have really grown well! That businessman who came by before had already asked to buy them way back. But when I look at them, they just keep getting darker, and now they look almost like little plums. That businessman said they’re called Black Pearls… I don’t really get it. I told him I’d have to ask you—you’re the college student, you know a lot more. But he was in such a hurry, so I just gave him your phone number.”

Ren Xin: “……” Dad, that person has more degrees than me.

Sure enough, Ren Xin got a call. “Hello, Student Ren. I’m the buyer interested in purchasing your cherries.”

Ren Xin: “……” Is this some kind of sarcasm?

In the end, they settled on a price of eighty yuan per jin for the cherries—not accounting for losses—which meant a very nice sum would be coming in.

“Daughter, what did you say? Eighty? Did I hear that right? Quick, let your mom hear this.”

Mother Ren took the phone and was stunned as well. Their child really dared to ask for that price. “Daughter, are these people crazy?”

Ren Xin replied with a laugh, “No, our goods really are worth that much.” After all, she had given them special treatment; truthfully, she thought they were still underpriced.

“Mom, Dad, we’ve planted one mu of land, with about forty trees. I think we can get around fourteen to fifteen hundred jin of cherries, so that’s over a hundred thousand yuan in revenue this year. If things go well, we should plant even more next year. Maybe the year after that we’ll be able to build a house.”

Father Ren and Mother Ren could hardly believe the kind of money they’d never even dreamed of had come so easily!

It was just like a dream!

— Translator's Notes —

– mu: A traditional Chinese unit of area. One mu is approximately 666.67 square meters or about 0.165 acres.

– jin: A traditional Chinese unit of weight, also known as a catty. In modern mainland China, it is standardized as 500 grams (approx. 1.1 lbs).

– slap their thighs in regret: A common physical gesture in Chinese culture used to express sudden realization, excitement, or deep regret.