Chapter 106: Diversified Business

August 6th, Saturday!

It’s also the traditional Qixi Festival, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

Whether the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet today is unknown, but Cao Shujie’s orchard is bustling with guests from afar coming to pick fruit.

Early in the morning, Cao Shujie and his wife, Cheng Xiaolin, arrived at the orchard on the mountain, waiting. Having been busy since Monday, he believed that this Saturday, combined with the summer vacation not yet over, would see many enlightened parents bringing their children for fruit picking.

Likewise, there would be those who have tasted his kiwi fruit and, regardless of the cost, would come to join the fun.

He just didn’t know how many people would actually show up.

With just over a month until the Mid-Autumn Festival, he was determined to sell all the kiwi fruit from his orchard before the festival, when a large quantity of kiwi fruit would hit the market. Afterward, he would start preparing other products.

As he was contemplating, Cheng Xiaolin called out loudly, “Shujie, are the bags, plastic buckets, and cartons ready?”

“Don’t worry, everything is prepared,” Cao Shujie replied confidently.

Today, it wasn’t just the couple working here; his father, Cao Jianguo, was also helping out.

“Shujie, I see we don’t have much grass left in storage. Once we get through these next couple of busy days, we should find someone to cut some from the orchard,” Cao Jianguo said to his son.

Cao Shujie was aware of this and said, “Dad, don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”

In the past, when his son claimed to have a plan, Cao Jianguo thought he was just making things up. But now, he believed his son was serious.

Step by step, his son had a comprehensive plan for everything he did, and each action left Cao Jianguo amazed.

He never imagined that the kiwi fruit he had been growing for over a decade could sell for 28 yuan per jin. Nor did he think that a few mu of kiwi fruit could potentially sell for hundreds of thousands.

He never dared to dream of such things before, but now they were happening, and it felt like a dream.

“Shujie, do you think we can sell 1,000 jin today?” Cao Jianguo was hopeful yet skeptical.

But Cao Shujie wasn’t concerned about that. He said, “Dad, let’s not worry about that. We’ll sell whatever we can. I’m just afraid the three of us won’t be able to handle it all today.”

“All we have to do is weigh and settle the payment. How could we not manage?” Cao Jianguo remarked.

“What about packing?” Cao Shujie brought up.

To which his father replied, “Shujie, are you silly? Just give the cartons to the customers. They can pack however they want, even if they split one jin into two cartons. Do you really care about the cost of a few cartons?”

His words made perfect sense, leaving Cao Shujie speechless.

Cheng Xiaolin watched her father-in-law scold her husband into silence, laughing until her stomach hurt.

As the sun rose higher, the temperature soared. Cao Shujie muttered, “We should find some time to have Grandpa Zhenggang build a rest house up here, install air conditioning, and provide proper service.”

Cao Jianguo chided him, “You’re just wasting money!”

“Dad, that’s not right. This is money well spent,” Cao Shujie argued. “We need to make our guests, who travel from afar, feel at home. Otherwise, if they leave drenched in sweat after picking fruit, do you think they’ll want to come back?”

Before Cao Jianguo could respond, Cao Shujie continued, “Even if they do want to come back, they’ll hesitate. We need to prevent that from happening.”

In the end, Cao Jianguo was convinced by his son, even agreeing that the money should be spent, and that the house should be built quickly.

Until his son mentioned it, he hadn’t noticed how hot it was. Now, he felt the sweat pouring down his body, and even a bit dizzy!

…

A few days ago, Zheng Huapeng had picked 38 jin of kiwi fruit from Cao Shujie’s orchard. After returning home, he began to induce ripening in some of them.

Three days later, the ripened kiwi fruit became soft to the touch, with a hint of juice oozing out. His wife, She Wencui, and daughter, Zheng Mengfeng, indulged themselves, finishing off a small bowl of kiwi fruit until their stomachs were round, yet they still craved more.

Zheng Mengfeng suggested, “Dad, how about I take some to Grandfather and Grandmother on Saturday?”

“They’re getting old, and other fruits are hard for them to chew. I think kiwi fruit would be perfect, and it supplements vitamin C. What do you think?” she asked her father.

Zheng Huapeng agreed with his daughter’s suggestion. However, if he sent some to his parents, he would also need to send some to his in-laws to be fair.

As a result, Zheng Huapeng felt that the kiwi fruit he had bought wasn’t enough to go around.

After much thought, and with his wife off work on Saturday, Zheng Huapeng decided to bring his wife and daughter back to Cao Shujie’s orchard to pick more.

Kiwi fruit is beneficial for the elderly, and he genuinely enjoyed the taste of the kiwi fruit from Cao Shujie’s orchard, which had a nostalgic fruity aroma.

Driving up and parking on the platform, Zheng Huapeng and his family stepped out of the car and saw Cao Shujie and his wife standing at the orchard entrance.

Nearby, a large parasol was planted in the ground, with a table, several chairs, and two electronic scales underneath—everything was set up!

“Boss Cao, I’m back again,” Zheng Huapeng greeted as he approached.

“Mr. Zheng, have you finished the last batch?” Cao Shujie asked incredulously, remembering clearly that Zheng Huapeng had taken over 30 jin last time.

Zheng Huapeng replied, “Not all of it, but we’re sending some to the elders in the family, and the last batch wasn’t enough.”

Cao Shujie thought to himself that this was indeed a wealthy customer. Spending over a thousand yuan on fruit didn’t seem to matter to him.

Not wanting to waste Zheng Huapeng’s time, he said, “Mr. Zheng, while it’s still cool, go ahead and pick your fruit. We can chat later.”

“Alright, we’ll go pick some first and talk afterward,” Zheng Huapeng said, leading his wife and daughter, each carrying a red plastic bucket, into the depths of the orchard to start picking kiwi fruit.

Cao Shujie continued chatting with his wife when the roar of a car engine revving at the foot of the mountain reached his ears again.

At that moment, Cao Shujie realized something. “Honey, it seems like our parking platform is a bit too small.”

“Who would have known this would happen when we built it?” Cheng Xiaolin replied, feeling helpless.

She never imagined that one day the parking platform might not be big enough!

Cao Shujie muttered, “There’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ll just have to wait until we’ve sold all the kiwi fruit and apples, then look for someone to expand it.”

“But the space is limited. Where do you think we can expand?” Cheng Xiaolin pointed at the orchard, questioning her husband.

“You can’t just uproot the saplings and pave over the land, can you?”

Cao Shujie thought for a moment before saying, “Once things calm down, I’ll talk to Village Party Secretary Cao Jiangang and see if we can set up a parking lot nearby.”

Cheng Xiaolin understood what her husband meant, but she found it unlikely and teased him, “You certainly have a lot of nerve.”

“I’ve got even more than that. Want to test it?” Cao Shujie retorted.

Cheng Xiaolin raised her foot, ready to kick her husband.

Cao Shujie thought to himself that this woman just needed some teasing.

By around ten in the morning, more people started to arrive.

Most of these people came through word-of-mouth or were attracted by the free kiwi fruit samples Cao Shujie had distributed in various places. Their numbers added up quickly, and every time Cao Shujie weighed the fruit and saw the numbers in the ledger increase, he felt particularly pleased.

He didn’t expect to achieve explosive sales figures today. He knew that steady sales were enough.

After all, the orchard only had a little over 20,000 jin of kiwi fruit. Once they were sold out, that was it!

“Hello, are you Boss Cao?” A man in his thirties approached while Cao Shujie was weighing fruit.

Seeing the unfamiliar face, Cao Shujie asked, “I’m Cao Shujie. Is there something you need from me?”

“Boss Cao, I’m Xu Yijiang from the Forestry Bureau, sent by our director,” Xu Yijiang introduced himself.

Hearing this, Cao Shujie temporarily asked his wife to handle things while he and Xu Yijiang stepped aside. “Mr. Xu, is there something you need help with?”

“Boss Cao, here’s the situation,” Xu Yijiang explained briefly.

After listening, Cao Shujie was surprised to learn that his orchard had been chosen as the site for team-building activities by both the forestry and agricultural departments.

“Mr. Cao, besides fruit, do you have any other food available here?” Xu Yijiang asked.

Before revealing his identity, Xu Yijiang had already walked around Cao Family Village. He found that, apart from two general village stores, there were no proper restaurants.

So, he had to identify himself and inquire about the specifics from Cao Shujie.

“Mr. Xu, I apologize, but our village doesn’t have any restaurants. If you need, you can order meals from the town,” Cao Shujie suggested.

But Xu Yijiang shook his head. “That’s not convenient, and it lacks any unique features.”

Hearing the word “unique,” Cao Shujie said, “If you want something unique, we can set up a metal barrel stove here and cook a whole lamb for you. How about that?”

“Oh, that sounds great!” Xu Yijiang was delighted at the thought and eagerly anticipated tasting it.

“How many people are coming?” Cao Shujie asked.

He needed to know to decide how much lamb, offal, and other ingredients to buy, or perhaps arrange for a whole lamb from Boss Li of the town, like he did for his childhood friend.

Xu Yijiang agreed but was concerned about dining on the mountain, fearing they might attract too much attention and cause a scene.

Cao Shujie offered a simple solution. “If it’s too hot here, we can go to my house. It’s not far.”

“Alright, Mr. Cao, let’s do that. I’ll report back to Director Lian,” Xu Yijiang said before leaving.

But they hadn’t settled the most crucial matter yet.

Cao Shujie proactively asked, “Mr. Xu, how will the payment be handled?”

“Payment?” Xu Yijiang slapped his forehead. “Oh dear, I’m getting forgetful in my old age. How could I forget something so important?”

Cao Shujie smiled and said, “Mr. Xu, it’s not a big deal. In terms of seniority, I should call your Director Lian ‘Uncle’…”

Before Cao Shujie could finish, Xu Yijiang looked at him in surprise. “Mr. Cao, you know our director?”

Cao Shujie nodded. “Through a friend, we’re somewhat related. I should call him ‘Uncle,’ and his son, Lian Qijian, should call me ‘Brother.'”

Xu Yijiang was taken aback by this unexpected familial connection. He quickly put away his initial reservations and assured, “Don’t worry about the payment, Mr. Cao. We have a special budget for this, and it will be settled in cash.”

“Alright,” Cao Shujie agreed.

Watching Xu Yijiang leave, Cao Shujie thought that if he hadn’t revealed their connection, negotiating the payment might have been tricky today.

“Still not strong enough. If only I had more influence, I wouldn’t have to rely on this,” Cao Shujie mused.

That Saturday flew by in a whirlwind of activity. From morning to afternoon, Cao Shujie, Cheng Xiaolin, and Cao Jianguo worked tirelessly under the scorching sun, feeling utterly exhausted.

After tidying up the remaining plastic buckets, bags, and kiwi fruit boxes, Cheng Xiaolin tallied up the sales. They had sold 724 jin of fruit, bringing in over 20,000 yuan.

Though they hadn’t reached the initial goal of 1,000 jin set by her father-in-law, Cao Jianguo, Cheng Xiaolin believed they would get there eventually.

That evening, back home, Cao Shujie shared the news with his wife and parents about the Forestry Bureau and Agricultural Bureau planning to hold their team-building activities at his orchard.

“Mom, they’re going to use our place for a meal again tomorrow. I’ll give Boss Li a call in a bit and ask him to send over a sheep early in the morning.”

“Dad, I’ll need you to help borrow that iron drum stove we used last time early tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Cao Jianguo immediately agreed. “Alright, I’ll make a call to check. If it’s available, I’ll go get it first thing in the morning.”

After his father agreed, Cao Shujie called Li Jiagen to request another whole processed sheep.

This time, Cao Shujie didn’t plan to handle it himself. He asked Li Jiagen to deliver the processed sheep directly.

Naturally, the price couldn’t be calculated based on the raw sheep rate. Li Jiagen told Cao Shujie that it would be settled at 21 yuan per jin , which left Li Jiagen with only a small profit.

By Saturday morning, a minibus drove straight to the parking platform at the Orchard. Before long, Lian Xuezhu arrived with a group of people from the bus.

(End of Chapter)