Chapter 33: His Body Was Getting Better and Better

After returning home, Cao Shujie dropped off his wife and child. Seeing that it was still early, he went to the new house at the foot of the mountain and told Cao Zhenggang the dimensions of the protective fence he bought.

This thing required digging new holes and pouring cement to make the bases. Once the cement solidified, expansion bolts could be used to fix the posts, reinforcing the wire mesh this way.

Cao Zhenggang understood right away and was surprised. “Shujie, just buying this fencing must’ve cost a lot, right?”

“It’s okay, I got it through a friend. Cheap—only 46 yuan per meter,” Cao Shujie replied casually.

Chen Xingquan didn’t mind him spreading the word—he was just afraid he wouldn’t spread it. If others got referred to buy, that meant more customers. He could definitely go with a high-volume, low-margin strategy.

Cao Zhenggang thought he misheard and asked again, “How much per meter? Forty-six?”

He could hardly believe it. Based on the specs Cao Shujie described, even the cheapest would be over 70 on the market.

Cao Shujie smiled and said, “Grandpa Zhenggang, my friend knows the boss of the manufacturer. Plus, I bought a lot—1,500 meters in one go. So the price I got was way below market.”

Hearing that, Cao Zhenggang paid closer attention. “Shujie, if I decide to buy some later, you’ll have to help me negotiate too.”

Clap, clap.

Cao Shujie patted his chest with his right hand. “Don’t worry, Grandpa Zhenggang. But if you’re buying a small quantity, it might not be that cheap.”

“I get it,” Cao Zhenggang nodded.

He pointed to the group of workers doing the final cleanup and said, “Your house will be finished in three or four days. Since you’ve confirmed the fence dimensions, once we’re done here, I’ll take the crew over to measure, dig holes, and pour the bases. When the fence arrives, we’ll just bolt it in place.”

“Sounds good!” said Cao Shujie.

Before dark, he went up the mountain to check on the fruit trees.

The blossoms had completely fallen off, and tiny, barely noticeable dots had started forming on the trees. He knew that meant the fruit was beginning to develop. This stage was crucial. The small fruits needed to absorb lots of minerals through the vines, which would then be transformed through the plant’s mysterious alchemy into the elements needed for fruit growth.

Looking at the vibrant green vines, Cao Shujie felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

He walked under the vines, inspecting the fallen blossoms and observing vine conditions. Everything was developing in the right direction, and that filled him with contentment.

But he also knew he couldn’t let up. He had to keep providing nutrients to the trees to ensure better fruit later. In this area, Cao Shujie was willing to invest.

“I’ll come back in a couple of days to give you some more nutrients,” he murmured to the tiny fruits. “Grow up fast, little ones. When you’re big enough, I’ll sell you and buy new clothes for Mengmeng.”

Whether the fruit trees understood or not, a breeze suddenly swept through, and the vines all swayed in unison, startling him.

He also checked on the apple trees’ growth. They were doing great too, which reassured him—and further strengthened his resolve to plant more saplings soon.

The fencing could wait, but sapling season couldn’t. March and April, when spring was in full bloom, were the best months to plant.

Many things had been finalized late, and now there was only a sliver of April left. Cao Shujie figured he’d go to the village committee tomorrow and ask Cao Jiangang to announce the job recruitment over the loudspeaker.

He hadn’t been exaggerating—he had a lot of mountain land now and genuinely needed manpower. There was a ton of work to do.

That night, after returning home, he told his parents and wife about the hiring.

“We need people for weeding, leveling the land, transplanting and planting, plus later tasks like setting up trellises, tying vines, and pruning,” he explained.

Hearing that, Cao Jianguo reminded him, “You’ll also need to dig a well. Otherwise, hauling water up the mountain from home is going to be a real pain.”

“Yeah, Dad, I know. Do you know anyone who digs wells?” Cao Shujie asked.

Drilling a well in mountain farmland required a skilled, professional team. Even finding a water source wasn’t easy.

Cao Jianguo nodded. “I think I still have a number. Let me go look.”

To be fair, Cao Jianguo was very supportive of his son’s “business.”

He had even stopped managing his own dozen-acre orchard just to help get his son’s operation off the ground.

Soon, Cao Jianguo came back with a yellowed, curled-up phonebook. Up close, you could almost smell the years on the paper.

He pointed to a number. “This one—from Hanying Village. The guy’s good and brings a few workers. Just give him a call.”

Without hesitation, Cao Shujie pulled out his phone, dialed the number, explained what he needed, and scheduled a site visit for tomorrow.

“Dad, is this Han Dingping guy reliable? Digging a well on the mountain isn’t easy,” he asked again.

Cao Jianguo gave him a look and didn’t even bother answering.

His mother, Wang Yuelan, said, “I know someone from the next village who contracted mountain farmland too—they also hired this crew. It’s just that mountain well drilling costs more.”

That settled it. As long as it could be done, money wasn’t an issue.

While they were still talking about the well, little Mengmeng came over and flopped onto her dad’s lap. “Daddy, I want to plant trees.”

She had overheard them talking about planting kiwi saplings and found it all very exciting.

Cao Shujie laughed. “Alright, our little princess wants to help Daddy work. You’re really growing up!”

“Hee hee, Daddy hug!” Mengmeng held out her arms, and as Cao Shujie bent over and grabbed her under the arms, he lifted her up and sat her on his lap.

…

The next morning, Cao Shujie stayed under the covers and teased his wife for a bit before getting up.

Cheng Xiaolin was so annoyed she wanted to curse. “I was sleeping just fine. You keep this up and I’ll chop your hand off.”

“Hey!” Cao Shujie pretended not to hear.

Wasn’t she the one saying “Harder!” just now? Classic tough talk after the fact.

“Wife, don’t you feel like my body’s getting stronger? I’m full of energy now,” he said.

Ever since he got back from Beijing, he’d felt a big difference in both his mental and physical state.

Especially with all his frequent hikes up the mountain to check on the trees—at first, he would get tired, out of breath, and his legs would ache and go numb.

But just yesterday, he noticed he climbed the mountain light on his feet, with no panting or sore legs at all.

“You’re like an ox. How are you not dead from exhaustion?” Cheng Xiaolin said, though the smile playing on her lips was like a blooming flower.

Smooch.

After putting on his clothes, Cao Shujie turned around and caught sight of his wife’s delicate smile. The tension in her brow had completely melted away, and soft pink patches were scattered beneath her skin—she looked gorgeous.

He couldn’t resist leaning down and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Before she could react and slap him, he straightened up, jumped out of bed, and started mimicking Beijing Opera, singing dramatically: “This fairy life—I wouldn’t trade it for anything… ya hei!”

“You clown!” Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes from under the covers, but now she couldn’t fall back asleep.

She turned to look at their daughter, Mengmeng, who was still fast asleep, utterly carefree.

(End of chapter)