Chapter 140: The Four Dogs Grow Smarter

“Take it back, you two. Hurry up and take everything back. If you leave it here, I’ll get upset.”

Ma Wenqian and Cao Shuchao had been sitting at Cao Shujie’s house for about ten minutes. They were preparing to leave, using the excuse that they had matters to attend to at home.

As they were leaving, they didn’t take anything with them. Seeing this, Cao Jianguo quickly blocked the door, insisting they take their things back before leaving.

“Uncle Jianguo, we bought these for you to enjoy. They’re not worth much, just a token of our appreciation. Please, don’t refuse them,” Ma Wenqian said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Cao Jianguo interjected, “It’s not about the money. Wenqian, take the things back for your mother. She needs the nourishment right now. Just say I said so!”

“This…” Ma Wenqian was at a loss, unsure of what to do in the face of Cao Jianguo’s insistence.

Finally, Cao Shujie spoke up, “Sister-in-law, let’s leave one box of milk here, and you take the rest back for my aunt.”

He realized that if they didn’t leave anything, the couple might feel uncomfortable. It was better to leave a little so they could feel at ease.

Cheng Xiaolin chimed in, “Sister-in-law, let’s do it this way. Otherwise, we won’t keep anything.”

Wang Yuelan added, “Wenqian, even if you leave it here, I’ll just send it all back to your house later.”

Ma Wenqian looked at her husband, feeling torn. At this moment, her indecisiveness as a woman was evident.

Cao Shuchao, not one to completely disappoint, stepped in, “Uncle Jianguo, Auntie, let’s leave one box of milk. The bag of cakes and biscuits are for Mengmeng, so let’s keep those too. And that bag of eggs…”

Before he could finish, Cao Shujie decisively cut him off, “Brother Chao, we’ll keep the milk and cakes, but the eggs must go back for my aunt.”

Only then did Cao Shuchao and Ma Wenqian stop insisting.

Cao Shujie and his father, Cao Jianguo, helped carry the remaining items out for them.

At the gate, Ma Wenqian continued to protest, “Uncle Jianguo, Brother Shujie, you’ve helped our family so much. This is just a small token of our appreciation, and you still won’t accept it…”

“Shujie, help Brother Chao and your sister-in-law carry these things home,” Cao Jianguo interrupted her.

Ma Wenqian looked at her husband and, in front of Cao Shujie’s family, said, “Shuchao, you better work hard in the future, or I won’t let you off.”

Cao Shuchao, being an earnest person, nodded sincerely, “I will definitely work hard.”

After seeing off Cao Shuchao and Ma Wenqian, Cao Shujie and his family returned to their home, discussing the recent events over their meal.

Everyone was going through tough times.

…

The next morning, Cao Shujie got up around five o’clock and took the four dogs out for a walk on the Yellow River Dam to the east.

At this hour, the dam was deserted, not a soul in sight.

Once they arrived, the four dogs eagerly looked at Cao Shujie, their eyes full of anticipation.

“I’ll let you off your leashes, but don’t run off,” Cao Shujie murmured, patting their heads as he untied their leashes. Watching Daha, Erha, and the others sprint ahead, an image of a pack of dogs running wild flashed in his mind.

He thought, “If I had dozens of dogs and let them all run free, that would be quite a sight!”

But it was just a thought. Feeding so many dogs would be a significant expense, one he couldn’t afford.

At this moment, he understood why Cui Jingguo was eager to give away the puppies born to his German Shepherd.

German Shepherds are fierce, but they eat a lot too.

A litter can have five or six, even seven or eight puppies, and they can have two litters a year. Keeping them all would be overwhelming.

“Owooo!” Daha’s bold howl echoed.

Erha and the two German Shepherds joined in.

Unlike the howls of Daha and Erha, the German Shepherds’ barks had a deep, beastly growl that could be intimidating just by sound alone.

The barking of Daha, Erha, and the two German Shepherds set off a chain reaction, with nearby dogs joining in.

The cacophony of barks woke many people from their slumber, making them think wolves had come from the east.

After an hour of running, the four dogs returned to Cao Shujie’s side, rubbing their heads against his legs to express their affection.

Daha even led the way, nudging his head forward for Cao Shujie to put the leash back on.

With the example set by their leader, the other three dogs lined up, waiting their turn. Seeing this, Cao Shujie felt a sense of pride.

He thought that with a bit more training, these four dogs could even apply for official duties.

Cao Shujie led them down the road from the north side of the dam, which led directly to his new home.

As they passed by the two-story building, he told the four dog brothers, “Take a good look. This is our new home. In a while, we’ll move here, and you’ll have to guard it, understand?”

The four dogs turned to seriously look at the two-story building, as if committing it to memory.

Just as they were about to head home, Cao Shujie spotted a familiar figure approaching from the corner. It was Cao Shuchao.

Cao Shujie thought he had mistaken the time, so he checked his phone and saw it was just past 6:30.

“Brother Chao, why are you here so early? Doesn’t my aunt need someone to look after her?” he asked.

Cao Shuchao replied, “I took care of everything for your aunt early this morning. Besides, I have nothing to do at home, so I came over early. If there’s an emergency at home, your sister-in-law will call me, and I might have to go back.”

Hearing this, Cao Shujie said, “Brother Chao, that’s not a problem. I’ll give you the keys first. You can go up and tidy up. I’ll take these brothers home, have something to eat, and then come over.”

“No rush, take your time eating,” Cao Shuchao said.

He found it amusing how Cao Shujie referred to the four dogs as ‘brothers.’

After handing the keys to Cao Shuchao, Cao Shujie led the four dogs back home for breakfast.

By the time he rode back on his electric scooter, an hour had already passed.

His father, Cao Jianguo, came along to help as well.

Cao Shujie’s main purpose in coming was to explain to Cao Shuchao what needed to be done. The tasks weren’t complicated; to put it plainly, they didn’t require much skill. However, if not explained clearly, mistakes could easily be made.

“Brother Chao, when you’re not busy, take a stroll around the Old Orchard. If you see any dead branches or leaves, just cut them off and leave them on the ground.”

“Also, check the new Orchard area. If any of the saplings aren’t doing well, just pull them out so we can replant.”

“What about the flowers you’ve planted outside?” Cao Shuchao was unsure about what to do.

Cao Shujie reassured him, “They’re all the same. Brother Chao, if you see any bad ones, just pull them out. I’ll get someone to replace the seedlings.”

Remembering the scene they saw at Huaxi Mountain, where some areas still had bare hillsides, Cao Shujie added, “Brother Chao, I might plant more flowers later to make it look even prettier.”

“These things don’t make money. Why spend money planting them?” Cao Shuchao couldn’t understand the reasoning but still felt compelled to remind Cao Shujie.

“Planting more will make it look nice.”

Cao Shujie said, “By next spring, we’ll have a mountain full of flowers in different colors. Brother Chao, imagine how beautiful that will be.”

Picturing the scene of blooming flowers, a bright smile appeared on Cao Shujie’s face.

Cao Shuchao tried to imagine it too, but having seen few flowers in his life, he struggled to picture the scene.

Meanwhile, Cao Jianguo was at the livestock area spreading fodder and gathering cow dung for centralized processing. Once dried, it would be spread on the fields.

Cao Shujie brought Cao Shuchao over to explain how to mix the cattle feed, the proportions of various raw materials, and the schedule for feeding the cattle with feed and fodder. Each step had strict guidelines.

Cao Shuchao listened intently, not daring to slack off for fear of making a mistake that could cause significant losses for his brother Shujie, a mistake he could never forgive himself for.

The entire morning was spent with Cao Shujie familiarizing Cao Shuchao with the operations, step by step.

For instance, pruning the dead branches and leaves in the Orchard was something Cao Shuchao found easy and didn’t need guidance on; he could do it himself.

Pointing to the cow dung in the livestock area and the fallen branches and leaves from the old fruit trees, Cao Shuchao asked Cao Shujie, “Should we make organic fertilizer? If so, I can start working on it.”

“Brother Chao, you know how?” Cao Shujie asked.

Cao Shuchao nodded vigorously, smiling as he said, “When I worked odd jobs, I made organic fertilizer for others for a while.”

Though it sounded easy, the work was dirty, and many people were unwilling to do it, opting instead to hire laborers. It was during this time that Cao Shuchao learned the skill.

Unlike those who were particular about cleanliness, Cao Shuchao didn’t mind as long as he could earn money.

Cao Jianguo chuckled. He had worked with his son on organic fertilizer before, but with limited materials, the quality was mediocre. He was curious to see how well Cao Shuchao could do.

He said, “Shuchao, let’s start working on it this afternoon.”

“Uncle, we’ll need to collect more animal manure, the more the better,” Cao Shuchao advised, showing his understanding.

On his first day on the job, before starting any other tasks, Cao Shuchao was already working on organic fertilizer.

Cao Shujie supported this initiative. Since the fruit on the trees had been harvested and sold, the next step was to nurture the land.

He understood well that, like people, land needs to be replenished with nutrients. If you treat it well, it will nourish the fruit trees and saplings with richer nutrients the following year, helping them grow better.

“I also plan to plant some forage grass,” Cao Shujie shared his plans with his father and Cao Shuchao.

Additionally, he intended to buy strawberry seedlings for transplanting.

Cao Shujie eagerly anticipated the scene of his Orchard’s bountiful harvest next spring.

When it came to buying strawberry seedlings, the first person he thought of was Ji Guangyou, who had previously sold him kiwi saplings.

He immediately called Ji Guangyou. After a few minutes of small talk, Cao Shujie got to the point and asked about the strawberry seedlings.

“Boss Cao, to be honest, I don’t have any strawberry seedlings, but I can introduce you to someone who specializes in them. How many seedlings do you need?” Ji Guangyou asked.

Initially, Ji Guangyou didn’t take the matter seriously, but when he heard that Cao Shujie planned to plant 20 mu of strawberry seedlings, he was surprised and let out an exclamation.

“Boss Cao, why are you buying so many?”

Though he hadn’t cultivated strawberries himself, Ji Guangyou knew a bit about them. Typically, one mu requires at least seven to eight thousand strawberry seedlings, each costing over 0.4 yuan.

Cao Shujie must have done his research on the investment and returns involved.

He knew that the investment for growing strawberries wasn’t low. Considering all factors, including various expenses, the average investment per mu was around 6,000 yuan, which was quite substantial.

If he wanted high-quality strawberry seedlings, the cost would increase by another one to two thousand yuan.

For Cao Shujie, it wasn’t necessary to have the most expensive seedlings; he chose the most suitable ones.

The person Ji Guangyou introduced for strawberry seedlings was named Niu Guangming.

Upon hearing the name, Cao Shujie was tempted to ask if both he and Ji Guangyou belonged to the same “Guang” generation. However, he restrained his playful nature and didn’t say anything inappropriate.

When Cao Shujie expressed his desire to visit Niu Guangming, Ji Guangyou didn’t hesitate and said, “Come find me, and I’ll take you to meet him.”

This delighted Cao Shujie!

He knew well that having an introduction from a familiar person made a significant difference compared to approaching someone without any connections.

The next morning, after informing his father, Cao Jianguo, Cao Shujie drove to Daliu Town to visit Ji Guangyou.

After meeting, Cao Shujie didn’t waste any time. He invited Ji Guangyou into the car and drove straight to Haisha Town, where Niu Guangming was located, following Ji Guangyou’s directions. Haisha Town is one of the economically strong towns under Pingyuan County.

At Niu Guangming’s place, Cao Shujie saw many different varieties of strawberry seedlings. He bent down and carefully felt each type with his hands, eventually choosing a variety priced at 0.6 yuan per plant.

While there, Cao Shujie also learned a lot of valuable experience about strawberry cultivation from Niu Guangming.

For instance, he learned that decomposed cow manure can be used as a base fertilizer for growing strawberries.

Cao Shujie had no shortage of this material, so he nodded frequently and took notes on the practical tips Niu Guangming shared, intending to apply them when he returned.

(End of Chapter)