Chapter 106: Leave the Professional Matters to the Professional
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying felt that they couldn’t just rely on buying food. They had to be self-sufficient, so after the matter with the Venom Cult was resolved, she wanted to solve the problem of food supply.
The Tiger Base’s farmlands were on the east side of the base camp. Qiao Yang said that after they arrived at the Tiger Base, they had slowly brought some people to fence up the land around the Tiger Base, marking out their own territory.
As this matter had no effect on the Venom Cult, they did not cause any trouble. Thus, over the years, the Tiger Base’s territory had been very clearly demarcated.
Near the southeast direction of the base camp was the farmland demarcated by Tiger Might. Those who knew farming in the base camp said that this plot was the most suitable for farming.
Cheng Ming had told Madam Jiang before that the land in the Tiger Base was very fertile and very suitable for farming. If it was used properly, it would not be a problem for them to feed themselves.
When they arrived, Qiao Yang pointed to a large patch of land in front of them. “This is the place.”
Su Ying looked around. The land was indeed not small, and she almost could not see its edge. However, the three to five vegetable crops that were scattered all over the field were not of much use.
“You guys have been here for so long. Why is this piece of land still so empty?”
Upon hearing Su Ying’s query, Qiao Yang was so angry that he almost jumped up. “When we first opened up the land here, it was pretty good. Madam Su, you have no idea the kinds of scum that have come to the northern wilderness. The planted crops haven’t even sprouted but those greedy assholes have already come to steal and snatch them. At first, Big Brother brought people to stop them, but wave after wave of thieves kept coming, and they couldn’t drive all of them away. Over time, no one was willing to grow vegetables in this area anymore.”
Su Ying nodded noncommittally. “Cheng Ming, go and take a look at the field. See what plants are suitable to plant for this season.”
Cheng Ming nodded.
As soon as Cheng Ming left, Qiao Yang took out a bag of snacks and opened it. “Madam Su, this is the peach pastry that Big Brother asked someone to bring back. Try it. If you like it, I’ll ask someone to bring it back again next time.”
Since there was something to eat, Su Ying didn’t stand on ceremony. She took a bite of the peach pastry. Perhaps it had been left in the bag for a long time during the transportation process, so the texture of the peach pastry had lost the crispy texture of a freshly baked pastry. It was somewhat soft and cottony. However, to be able to have a bite of the peach pastry in this godforsaken place was still a delectable experience.
“There’s a dealer called Li Mazi in the Tiger Base. Do you know him?”
“Of course, I know. This Li Mazi is also a sly and shrewd person. When the Venom Cult was still around, he curried favor from both sides and never offended anyone. He would even send some things to my big brother from time to time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to run his business so smoothly all these years.”
“Where did he get those goods from?”
A few days ago, she had asked Jiang Yang to keep an eye on that guy Li Mazi. It had to be said that that fellow was really scheming. After keeping an eye on him for so long, he changed the place where he collected his goods countless times, but Jiang Yang and the others still couldn’t catch the person who delivered the goods to him.
Later, she found out that Tiger Might also had a channel to buy goods, so Su Ying asked Jiang Yang and the others to come back. However, she was still curious about this guy Li Mazi.
Qiao Yang said, “This fellow is very smart. He covered his tracks very well, but we still found out in the end. His goods all come through the channels from the Chu State. I heard that he has some connections at the border. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to get those things.”
“Mistress, I’ve checked the land. Although this land has been cultivated before, it has not been planted for a long time. If we want to make use of it again, we have to plow it all over again. During this season, we can try to grow some winter wheat, and for vegetables, we can try to grow some cabbage and potatoes.”
“Don’t delay if the land can be planted.” Su Ying looked at Qiao Yang. “Can you guys bring in seeds for these plants?”
Qiao Yang nodded. “No problem.”
“Alright. Cheng Ming will liaise with you directly on how many seeds he needs.”
Cheng Ming felt that this piece of land could be fully planted. “Mistress, are you going to plant the whole field?”
Su Ying raised her eyebrows and said, “If you want to plant the whole field, then go ahead and plant it fully. 1 can still afford to pay for this. But once you’re determined to do this, you’ll have to do it properly even if you have to go without food or sleep.”
Cheng Ming was touched by Su Ying’s trust in him. “Don’t worry, Mistress. I’ll do my best and won’t let you down. But before that, I need to understand the weather changes here from Master Qiao.”
Su Ying nodded. She had always felt that professional matters should be left to the professionals and that she shouldn’t have to worry about the details.
Cheng Ming chatted with Qiao Yang for quite some time. After they finally decided on the number of seeds they needed, Qiao Yang returned to the Tiger Base.
Su Ying was about to go back when she saw Cheng Ming standing there in a daze for a long while. “What? Is there still anything you don’t understand?”
“I almost forgot the most important thing,” Cheng Ming said, patting his head.
“Hmm?”
Cheng Ming replied, “Water source. Farming requires a lot of water. Without a water source, we can’t grow anything on such a large piece of land.”
“I’ll go with you to take a look around the area,” Su Ying said after some thought.
“Alright.”
The land was not far from the foot of the mountain, but the two of them walked around the farmland and did not see any obvious water source. There were only one or two pools to store water, but the water left inside was very little.
The two of them saw a hunchbacked old man hoeing the ground and approached him.
Cheng Ming asked politely, “Mister, you’re planting crops here. Where do you get the water to water the crops?”
The old man raised his head when he heard his voice and pointed to the front. “Over there. There’s a well if you keep walking straight. We go there to get water.”
The two of them looked in the direction he pointed, but they could not see the well that the old man mentioned.
“Thank you very much, Mister.” After Cheng Ming thanked him, he followed Su Ying as they headed in the direction the old man pointed. It took them half an hour to get there.
“No wonder these people don’t want to farm here. The water source is too far away, and there’s only one well. How can it water such a large plot of land thoroughly?”
Although Su Ying didn’t know much about such matters, Cheng Ming was right. Moreover, the well was small, and there wasn’t much water in it at first glance.
“Let’s go up the mountain and see if there’s a water source.”
“Alright.”
The two of them turned around and continued to walk into the mountains. Just as the sun was about to set, they finally found a small stream.
“Found it. We finally found it.”
Su Ying looked at the bubbling, flowing stream. The stream was very wide, and the water flowed down from the upper reaches. As the stream was very wide, it was not easy to cut off the flow. However, the stream was some distance away from the farmland they were going to irrigate. If they wanted to draw the water over, it would probably take a lot of effort.
Nonetheless, it was good to be able to locate a water source.
“Alright. It’s getting late. Let’s go back first.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
After walking for nearly four hours, the two finally saw the wooden building. When they got closer, they found a few people kneeling outside the gate..
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