Chapter 146 – Or a Prosperous Partner

Ji Jianyun was naturally a straightforward person. He and Su Danhong both had the same attitude in how things should be handled.

The next day, Ji Jianyun went to Uncle Ji to talk about the mountain.

Ji Jianyun was willing to take over Uncle Ji’s mountain. This was already a huge favor because he didn’t know whether it was better to contract out the mountain or plant fruit trees.

The risk was enormous.

If it didn’t work, then all the money used for contracting the mountain would be wiped out.

So when Ji Jianyun went to talk to Uncle Ji, he wanted them to think through what taking over the mountain would look like. But didn’t Uncle Ji already think it through? He could either risk it all or give the mountain away.

Uncle Ji sighed. “Jianyun, I know you mean well, but I also know that the land here is really poor. Grass might not be able to grow on the mountain. If you are willing to take over the mountain for me, then I will definitely remember your kindness.”

His words were clear. He was telling Ji Jianyun not to worry about him feeling unfair if he took over the mountain. If Ji Jianyun made it successful, he would not say anything about it.

With that, Ji Jianyun was willing to take over the mountain as a favor. He would also take note of what was said.

Ji Jianyun was very satisfied with his uncle‘s words. He handled things very smoothly. At the beginning, his uncle had spent more than 400 yuan to be given a contract for this mountain. Later, he spent more than 100 yuan on creating the orchard.

If the orchard was not successful, then he had wasted his money. Ji Jianyun let his uncle know the cost of how much it would be to break the contract for the mountain.

Uncle Ji didn’t have the courage to ask about it. He said that he would cover most of the costs to break the contract.

But Ji Jianyun pushed back on him and drove him to handle the procedures to transfer the mountain. It was written clearly in black and white now. Thus, the mountain nearby became owned by Ji Jianyun.

Uncle Ji said, “Jianyun, if the orchard on the mountain can operate and needs long term workers, then Jianchuan can do it. You also have to leave a job for me to do. I can still work.”

“Planting fruit trees and carrying water are too tiring for you, uncle. But I need a manager to patrol the mountain every day and supervise the work. If you want to, uncle, you can do it,” Ji Jianyun said.

Now that he has taken over the mountain next door, he certainly had a lot of work to manage. He planned on fencing the mountain because it eased his worries after his own mountain was fenced.

Therefore, if he wanted to do it for the mountain next door, it would naturally require more manpower.

“No problem, I’ll do it for you!” Uncle Ji said quickly.

“Great.” Ji Jianyun nodded.

When he returned home, he gave the contract to his wife and said that he would plant fruit trees on the mountain next door as soon as possible.

“Then you need to recruit more people. There are a few good people in the village like Aunt Yang’s third son, Yang Aisen. You can save a spot for him. I’ll also ask older sister Xu,” Su Danhong said.

Ji Jianyun nodded. “Okay, you go do that. I’m going to drive my truck to find Lao Qin. I will need a lot of saplings this time.”

Both husband and wife were swift and decisive. Since they said that they wanted to build another orchard, they should do it quickly. How much more would it cost then to do in the future? One fruit after another on the mountain was going to be ready to be sold starting next month. During this month, they were still free, so naturally, they needed to do it quickly.

Su Danhong carried Qiqi and went to the village committee.

“Danhong, you’re here,” Sister Xu smiled and welcomed her in.

“Are you busy now?” Su Danhong asked with a smile.

“I’m not busy. Nobody really comes by,” Sister Xu replied.

After a brief greeting, Su Danhong said, “Sister, Jianyun has taken over the mountain next door. We plan on turning it into an orchard. It will require manpower. Do you know of anyone who is a diligent worker? The pay is 30 yuan a month.”

Ji Jianyun had taken over Uncle Ji’s orchard. How could sister Xu not know about it? Ji Jianyun and Uncle Ji had to visit her husband to go through the transfer process.

When she saw Su Danhong coming, sister Xu had an inkling of what she came for, but she didn’t think it was true.

She immediately smiled and said, “I do. Xu Jianguo, my cousin. He is my aunt’s nephew. He’s hardworking and diligent. He has a lot of children in his family, so it’s difficult for them. If you need the help, then I’ll go find him. For 30 yuan a month, he will certainly work hard for you.”

Su Danhong said with a smile, “As long as he works hard, then it’ll be fine. He doesn’t have to work until he hurts himself. He might have a chance to do long term work in the future. If he is worn out by then, he will miss out on this opportunity.”

Sister Xu became even happier when she heard this. She had mentioned it last time, and unexpectedly, Su Danhong remembered. She immediately said, “He won’t wear himself out. Don’t worry. He will never let you down with his work.”

“That’s good. I’ll give Xu Jianguo a spot then,” Su Danhong responded to her.

The name Xu Jianguo was the same as her brother-in-law’s name. Specifically, Ji Jianyun’s eldest brother. One person was called Ji Jianguo and the other was Xu Jianguo.

Those who were born during that time pretty much had similar names like this.

After Su Danhong gave an explanation, she went back. Instead of going home directly, she went to find Aunt Yang.

“Danhong, do you want to eat tomatoes? They are grown in the backyard and have just been picked,” Aunt Yang said with a smile.

“Okay.” Su Danhong took one and ate it. When Qiwi saw his mom eating, Qiqi became a little hungry. He put his hand into his mouth and looked at his mom to see if she could tell that he wanted to taste it too.

Obviously, his mom didn’t give him any. Each person should eat their own food. The little guy began to be unhappy and wanted to scream. Su Danhong quickly gave him a piece. As soon as she put a tomato into his mouth, she said to him, “No, don’t make any trouble.”

Qiqi glanced at her and began to yawn.

Su Danhong then said to Aunt Yang, “Aunt, last time we talked you asked if Aisen can come and work. There is a spot now. It will be hard work, but I was wondering if Aisen is willing to do it.”

Aunt Yang was delighted, but said “There is a spot? There are many people on the mountain.”

“My uncle’s mountain has been transferred to Jianyun. Jianyun also plans on planting fruit trees, so it’ll require manpower,” Su Danhong clarified.

“They should have given up on the mountain a long time ago. How can ordinary people plant anything on it? In the past, they damaged the land, so now it doesn’t have any life. Who can plant anything on it?” Aunt Yang questioned.

“Jianyun wants to, but I don’t know if it’s possible,” Su Danhong said.

Aunt Yang’s expression changed to a hopeful one and she was confident about Danhong. “What Jianyun plants will surely be okay. And that’s not coming from me. Who in the village doesn’t know that you, Danhong, can bring prosperity? With you, Jianyun can certainly be successful with the orchard.”