Chapter Six: Uncle and Nephew Conversation

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  Chu Jiaqiang spent five days in the Shanhe Map without rest, but he didn't show any signs of fatigue. Instead, he looked spirited and refreshed. He carried a broad-headed shovel on his shoulder and walked towards the orchard behind the house.

  When passing by the big ditch, it was found that the fish here are more concentrated and swimming back and forth. This big ditch is connected to a native river called Chujia River, which finally flows into the Yinshan River at the village entrance, so it's not surprising that some fish swim in from here.

  What left a deep impression on Chu's family was that whenever it rained heavily, the Yin Yan River would flood and a large number of fish would swim into the Chu Family River to take refuge. At that time, going to the Chu Family River to catch fish was truly exhilarating. Even in these connected ditches, one could still catch quite a few fish, which made everyone in the village, young and old, skilled at catching fish.

  No one was seen, Chu Jiaqiang added some more spiritual water, attracting many fish to compete for it. A water bird that had been waiting in the distance suddenly swooped down and snatched up a three-finger-wide crucian carp, then quickly flew back to the fruit forest.

  Chu Jiaqiang looked away and found that the number of birds here had also increased a lot, apparently preparing to settle in the orchard. He smiled wryly and shook his head, not thinking that his unintentional move would make the biological chain in his orchard so dense. Without paying attention to these, Chu Jiaqiang immediately got busy.

  In the past, Chu Jiaqiang was a master of weeding, and although he had not done it for four or five years, his skills were still intact. He held the hoe with both hands facing each other, keeping the hoe parallel to his body. As he weeded, his legs slightly bent, his body slightly tilted to the right, and his entire posture was elegant and gentlemanly. With a light swing of the hoe, the grass was neatly cut and flipped over, and with another gentle push, the soil was removed from the surface, and after drying, it could be used as organic fertilizer.

  During this time, Chu Jiaqiang only rested once and sat under the yellow skin tree, casually plucking a branch of yellow skin to eat. Until late afternoon, when the sun set, Chu Jiaqiang finally finished work. At this point, half of the grass had been cleared, and with another afternoon's effort, he believed it could be settled.

  This speed is also a bit frightening, at least no one in the village can keep up. Many elderly households in the village have better skills than Chu's family, but they don't have the physical strength to match Chu's family. You know that Chu's family only rested for over ten minutes earlier. This is the benefit of cultivation, and Chu naturally feels it too.

  Back to Second Uncle's house, Second Aunt just finished feeding the pigs. My cousin was listening to MP3 while reading a book, it's hard to tell whether she was listening to music or reading, only she herself knew the truth. Second Uncle hasn't returned from work yet, but judging by the time, he should be back soon.

  "A Qiang, aren't you used to doing labor? Are you tired? Don't worry about it for now, let's go help out in two days when we're free." Er Auntie said with a smile.

  "It's nothing! I've already finished half of that land, and if I work on it for another half day, it should be done. No need to make such a fuss." Chu Jiaqiang shook his head and said.

  "Half? So soon?" Erniang was visibly taken aback. She knew this kid used to be quite skilled at weeding, but hadn't done it in a long time, had he?

  "Haha! At first, it was a bit awkward, but I quickly got back into the swing of things. Plus, with all the exercise I've been doing over the past few years, my strength is still okay." Chu Jiaqiang explained. Second Aunt listened and temporarily put aside her doubts.

  I chatted with my cousin for a while, then went to take a bath first. My aunt started cooking dinner, and we had braised pork belly with fermented bean paste, stir-fried greens, and a simple meal that Chu Jiaqiang loved. Especially the braised pork belly, which was fatty but not greasy, with good color and fragrance. The pork melted in my mouth like tofu, and I had to be gentle when picking it up, or it would easily fall apart.

  This dish is simple to make, but it requires a bit more time, similar to Dongpo pork. The pork used is five-flower pork, added with fermented bean paste, star anise and small fennel, then stewed slowly over low heat.

  After dinner, Second Aunt was busy cutting paper. Because tomorrow is the big happy day of Chu Jiaxiong, gifts can't be taken lightly. In rural areas, many gifts are required to have red paper cutouts of double happiness characters, for good luck and celebration.

  "Second Uncle, I want to tell you something." Chu Jiaqiang said with some seriousness.

  "Huh? Alright, go ahead and speak." Second Uncle was taken aback, then listened attentively.

  "I don't plan on leaving, I'll just stay in the village from now on." Chu Jiaqiang had been brewing it for a long time before finally saying it out loud.

  The whole family of Second Uncle was stunned, and they couldn't believe their eyes as they stared at Chu Jiaqiang. Chu Jiawan suddenly exclaimed with joy: "Great! From now on, I can see my brother often."

  Second Aunt also nodded with some delight: "If you don't want to go out, then just stay here! It's not necessarily better outside."

  "Second Uncle glared at the mother and daughter, tapped his hand on the table, and after a moment of contemplation said: 'Don't joke about your own future. You've studied for so many years, isn't it to make a name for yourself outside? Now that you're on the right path, why are you suddenly giving up? And what do you plan to do if you stay here?'"

  "This time back, the feeling is very deep. Our Chu family village is too poor and backward, if we have the ability to run out, we will always be a declining household. I plan to come back and focus on creating revenue for our mountainous area, if successful, it will bring everyone together to become rich. Although this idea is still a bit naive, it has to be done." Chu Jiaqiang said half-jokingly.

  Second Uncle's face looked a bit better, Chu Jiaqiang had learned the skills and didn't forget his hometown, thinking of the source when drinking water, which made Second Uncle very pleased. But as Chu Jiaqiang himself said, the idea was a bit naive, truly putting it into practice would probably not be something that could be accomplished overnight. At that time, it might not only fail to achieve the desired effect but also delay Chu Jiaqiang's future prospects, which was what Second Uncle worried about most.

  "Do you have a specific plan? For example, in which direction to create revenue. If it's feasible, I believe everyone will agree with both hands. If the difficulty is too great or the possibility is too small, then go back to work and wait until you've achieved something, you can still do things for your hometown." Although Second Uncle didn't read many books, he still thought about problems very thoroughly.

  "I carefully analyzed it, and actually our place is very suitable for the growth of fruit. Located in the subtropical region, with sufficient heat, high terrain, full sunshine, plus large diurnal temperature difference, it's easy to let the fruit accumulate sugar, which can improve the quality of the fruit." Chu Jiaqiang first gave a detailed analysis of his hometown situation.

  As soon as Second Uncle opened his mouth, I knew what he wanted to say. He continued: "I know what you're thinking, Second Uncle, but there's no way to sell it. Actually, sales aren't the problem, as long as we control the quality well, customers will come knocking on our door. The most important thing is that we don't use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and try to use organic fertilizer instead, keeping the fruit completely natural - this is very popular in cities."

  Although Chu's words seemed reasonable and logical, Second Uncle and the others still didn't have much hope for the fruit, believing that the villagers also thought this way. In the past, Eighth Uncle's family in the village had specialized in growing fruit and even raised bees to make honey, but although they made some money from the honey, the fruit almost couldn't be sold and ended up rotting on the ground. After that, no one dared to try their hand at growing fruit again, and instead focused on tilling the fields with a peaceful mind.

  "I know you're worried, I'll stay for two years to try it out. If there's no result, it won't hurt for me to go out again." Chu Jiaqiang's tone became firmer.

  Second Uncle sighed and laughed, hearing this tone, it's almost certain that this kid can't be driven away. He still understands his nephew very well, once he makes up his mind about something, not even nine oxen can pull him back.

  "Then let's leave it for two years and see! If you need Uncle Er to help, just speak up." Uncle Er could only nod, thinking that he had to discuss this matter with Village Chief Lao Shu.

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