Lin Mai walked to the dilapidated house of Fu Qiang's family and stretched his head to look in through the window.
The dimly lit room was littered with firewood and other debris, and it looked like it was unoccupied.
Lin Mai was wondering, if the Fuqiang family didn't live here, where would they move to?
A villager passed by and saw Lin Mai, and asked uncertainly: "Is it wheat?"
Lin Mai turned around and said with a smile: "It's me. Uncle, did you just come back from the fields?"
The villager smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes, are you looking for Fuqiang?"
"Yes!" Lin Mai nodded: "Don't the Fuqiang family no longer live here? Where did they move to?"
The villager said: "They still live here, but they no longer live in the old house. The family has moved into a new house."
He raised his hand and pointed to a new brick house not far away and said: "That kid Fu Qiang is promising. He built a new house for his family at a young age. That house is his family's new house."
Lin Mai thanked the villager and walked towards the new house.
Before he even got there, he was spotted by Fuqiang's mother who went out to pick vegetables.
Fuqiang's mother was stunned for a moment, then she slapped her thigh in surprise and said excitedly: "Ouch! Maizi! It's Maizi here, your distinguished guest!"
Fuqiang's father was feeding rabbits in the back yard, and when he heard his wife's voice, he ran out happily.
Seeing that it was really Lin Mai who was here, I was so happy that I almost burst into laughter.
He said to Lin Mai, "I'll call Fu Qiang back." He ran away.
After running for two steps, he turned back to Fuqiang's mother and said, "Mom, our cured pork ribs are ready. You can stew the cured pork ribs in soup for Maizi at noon."
Fuqiang's mother said angrily: "I know, I still have to answer this for you, and I will kill a chicken to entertain Maizi."
Maizi looked at this simple couple.
Just two years ago, one of the couple was seriously ill, the other was crazy, and both were so thin that they lost their shape.
Now they are all healthy. Although they are not fat, they look good.
Just when she was stunned, Fu Qiang's father had already run away.
Fuqiang's mother warmly welcomed Lin Mai to come inside and sit down.
Lin Mai walked in and took a look around the entire room.
The lobby room plus four large rooms are enough for a wealthy family to live in.
Lin Mai came to the backyard.
There is a well and kitchen in the backyard, as well as a back door.
Lin Mai opened the back door, revealing another backyard.
This backyard has a rabbit farm, a chicken and duck farm and a pig pen.
Fu Qiang’s mother, who accompanied Lin Mai on the tour, explained: “Fu Qiang said that the kitchen and well cannot be in the same yard as the breeding farm. It would be very unhygienic, so we built a middle courtyard and a backyard.”
Lin Mai nodded: "That's good."
She walked over and took a look at the rabbit farm and chicken and duck farm.
There are about a thousand adult rabbits in the rabbit farm, as well as many female rabbits and baby rabbits.
Even if only 300 rabbits are sold for slaughter every month, Fu Qiang's monthly income from selling meat rabbits is at least a thousand yuan, which is a considerable income.
No wonder his family built a new house so quickly.
But the chicken and duck farm was clean, not even a single chicken or duck.
Lin Mai asked: "Where are the chickens and ducks in the chicken and duck farm?"
"I sold some of them to your buyer, and kept the rest outside."
Lin Mai said oh and turned back to the main room.
When she passed the back door of the main room, she saw a concrete staircase leading directly to the roof, and couldn't help but take a second look at the cement staircase.
Fuqiang’s mother hurriedly explained: “This staircase is reserved for adding another floor when you have money in the future.
Fu Qiang said that he will have money on hand by this time next year.
At that time, if you build another house, the bungalow will become a small bungalow."
When she said this, Fuqiang's mother's eyes were full of longing.
She walked into the main room, took a clothes drying fork, and went to dry a piece of bacon ribs in the middle courtyard.
Lin Mai saw it and quickly stopped him: "I want to go back to eat, so don't be busy."
Fuqiang's mother said seriously: "That's okay. It's rare for you to come to our house. How can you leave without eating?"
"Auntie, just stay and have a meal before leaving." Several young voices said in unison.
Lin Mai looked over and saw that the Fuqiang brother and sister were back.
She smiled and said, "I really can't eat at your house. My grandparents and Doudou are still in town waiting for me to go back for dinner. It's getting late, so I have to go back."
Fu Qiang, mother and son, kept her for a while, but when they saw that they couldn't keep her, they had no choice but to send her away.
Fu Qiang handed the basket he was carrying to Lin Mai: "Under these cabbages are the first batch of ripe strawberries I tried to plant this year. Auntie, please take them back and try them out."
Lin Mai said in surprise: "You know how to grow strawberries in a greenhouse?"
Strawberries are a fruit that is not sold in Jiangcheng at this time. Even though it was sold in the next few decades, the price is not cheap.
Lin Mai has never eaten strawberries since he was reborn.
She reached out and took out a berry from the basket and tasted it. It was sour and sweet and very delicious.
She asked: "Who did you learn to grow strawberries in greenhouses?"
Fu Qiang said shyly: “I draw inferences based on my experience growing vegetables in greenhouses.
In addition, I slowly figured it out by reading books and asking for advice from the brother who has a master's degree at Huazhong Agricultural University."
Lin Mai gave him a thumbs up: "Awesome!"
Offered to visit his strawberry greenhouse.
Fu Qiang smiled and agreed, taking her out the door and towards his strawberry greenhouse.
Not far away, I met Fu Qiang’s father who had gone to town to buy mutton and brought home some mutton.
When Fu Qiang's father heard that Fu Qiang said that Lin Mai was not at his house for lunch, he asked in surprise: "Mai Zi, why did you leave so soon after you came?"
I went to town specially to buy mutton and asked Fu Qiang’s mother to make braised mutton for you!”
Lin Mai had no choice but to tell Fuqiang's dad the whole story about why he couldn't stay for dinner.
Fuqiang Dad had no choice but to give up.
Lin Mai followed Fu Qiang to the greenhouse where he was growing strawberries, and saw that the strawberries in the greenhouse were growing well.
While watching, Lin Mai asked Fu Qiang how much strawberries could be produced per acre.
Fu Qiang replied: "Strawberry is a herbaceous perennial plant, and the seedlings usually need to be replaced after three years of planting.
The yield of strawberries in the first year was very low, with an output of only about 1,000 kilograms per mu.
The yield will be highest in the second year, with the yield per mu reaching about 4,000 kilograms.
In the third year it will drop to about 2,000 jin, and after three years it will have to be replanted.
This is the first year I have planted strawberries, and the yield per mu is only about 1,000 kilograms."
Lin Mai said: "One thousand catties is already a lot. If one catty is sold for three yuan, there will be an income of three thousand yuan.
Even if the cost of one acre of your land is as high as 1,000 yuan, the income from one acre of land is 2,000 yuan.
How many acres of strawberries have you planted in total?”
Fuqiang said embarrassedly: "I only planted five acres, mainly for trial planting, and I didn't dare to plant too much.
If the planting is good this year, I will pass on the technology to the villagers next year."
Lin Mai nodded: "Even if you have five acres of strawberries, you will still earn ten thousand~"
The two came out of the strawberry greenhouse, and Lin Mai asked Fu Qiang.
When will her strawberries be picked and put on the market, she can arrange for her own buyers to purchase them.
Fu Qiang said: "My strawberries can be picked tomorrow."
Lin Mai nodded: "Okay, I'll ask my buyer to start purchasing from tomorrow and finish purchasing in five days."
Strawberries are difficult to preserve and sell for a high price. Linmai doesn't dare to buy too many of them every day for fear that they won't be sold and will rot overnight. It's too wasteful.
The purchase can be divided into five days. One day is only one thousand kilograms, and it should be sold out on the same day.
Fuqiang grinned and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
Lin Mai waved his hand: "If you have anything to thank me for, I will buy your strawberries and sell them, and I will make money."
The two of them were saying goodbye in front of the strawberry greenhouse when Fuqiang's dad ran over in a hurry.
As soon as he arrived, he gave Lin Mai the basket in his hand and said sincerely:
"Since you don't have time to eat at our house, take these things back and make them for your whole family when you have time."
Lin Mai took a look at the items in the basket. They included cured fish and pork ribs, the piece of mutton he just bought, eggs and dried yuba.
Lin Mai declined for a long time, unable to refuse the warm invitation, so he had to accept it.
When I returned to the house of my grandmother and her husband in the town above, I saw that the main room was filled with eggs, cured fish and bacon, chickens and ducks with wings tied up, as well as various farm delicacies such as glutinous rice cakes and rice cakes.
The smell of chicken soup still wafts from the kitchen.
Lin Mai asked: "Are these gifts from neighbors?"
Grandma Fang nodded: "No!
Your grandfather and I told the neighbors that we would be flying back to Beijing in two days and we could not bring these things on the plane.
But the neighbors are grateful to you for buying their greenhouse vegetables, so they insist on giving them away, but there is no other way."
Lin Mai thought for a while and said, "That's good. Grandpa and grandma will take Doudou by plane, and I will take the train with these things and return to the capital in two groups."
Grandma Fang asked doubtfully: "Why don't we all take the train and have to separate into two routes?"
Lin Mai took out the strawberries Fu Qiang gave her and everyone tasted them.
"This fruit is called strawberry, and it's very infrequent.
I want to take some strawberries back for Zhuoran to eat.
But now we have already entered the Spring Festival travel period. There are many people on the train and the air circulation is not good.
If we all take the train, these strawberries may rot on the way.
That’s why I wanted to arrange for my grandparents to take Doudou on a plane and bring strawberries back to the capital for Zhuoran to eat."
Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang will remember Fang Zhuoran when they see Lin Mai's delicious food. They all feel happy and nod their heads to express their acceptance of Lin Mai's arrangement.
Doudou stuffed strawberries into her mouth and said, "Strawberries are so delicious. Mom, can you give some of these strawberries to Qiqi? He must have never eaten them."
Ever since Doudou followed Lin Mai and the others back to Jiangcheng, the next day they followed Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang to the park to practice Tai Chi, where they met Qiqi and his grandparents.
The two little guys hadn't seen each other for a long time. When they met again, they were very affectionate.
Between the two of them, no matter who has something delicious or fun, they will bring it to the other person to eat and play with.
Doudou had strawberries, so naturally he wanted to give them to Qiqi to eat.
Lin Mai nodded gently and agreed.
She wished Doudou had something good to share with her good friends.