C8 An Even More Profitable Idea!

Not long after, the elderly couple began bickering over who would get the last scoop of rice. Liu Mei, threatening to never cook again, finally seized the moment when Zhang Daniu hesitated and snatched the ladle to serve herself another bowl. With one hand gripping the ladle and the other shoveling rice into her mouth, she was determined to have her fill.

Zhang Daniu, not to be outdone, saw Liu Mei's firm grip on the ladle and decided to take matters into his own hands. He lifted the pot and poured the remaining rice into his bowl. Spotting one last bite left in the pot, he unceremoniously tipped it into his mouth...

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing?" Zhang Xiaolong watched his parents with a mix of amusement and disbelief, never imagining he'd witness such a scene. "You've polished off a whole pot of porridge! Aren't you going to eat the steamed buns and vegetables?"

"We're not eating!" they exclaimed together.

Having finished with the pot, they both set their sights on Zhang Xiaolong's bowl, clearly intent on leaving no grain of rice behind.

"Dad, Mom, enough already," Zhang Xiaolong said, gesturing helplessly toward the yard. "We have acres of corn; even if you had corn porridge every day, there would be plenty. Besides, as tasty as the porridge is, it's no substitute for a proper meal. Let's save some for tomorrow and have dinner now."

While speaking, he took a sip from his bowl. The porridge was sweet and fragrant, warming him from the inside out. It felt like a soothing massage for his stomach, leaving a comforting sensation throughout his body. Even prepared for the taste, Zhang Xiaolong was impressed by the delicious flavor.

"Son's right, let's eat," Liu Mei conceded, though somewhat reluctantly, and sat down to start on the meal sans porridge.

"Xiaolong, is this porridge so delicious because of that geographical thing you mentioned?" Zhang Daniu asked, settling down at the table.

"Uh... yeah, that must be it," Zhang Xiaolong replied, feigning ignorance. He certainly couldn't admit that the secret ingredient was a touch of divine power, could he?

"Will the corn we grow next year still taste as good as it does now?" Zhang Daniu asked eagerly.

"What's the matter, can't get enough of it this year and want to enjoy it for several more?" Liu Mei gave her husband a playful look.

"Don't you see the bigger picture? If it grows like this every year, and we lease this land, it'll become a real gem," Zhang Daniu said with a hint of contempt. "Not just in Clear River Village, but even if you include the whole Qingyuan County, I bet you won't find land that can produce corn like ours. If that happens, we could sell our corn for a few more cents per pound than the rest. Our harvest this season could be worth as much as two seasons for someone else."

"Could it really fetch that much more?" Liu Mei's interest was piqued, though she remained somewhat skeptical.

"You're out of the loop. I've heard that the wealthy in the city aren't even satisfied with meat anymore; they prefer coarse grains like corn and sorghum. If they got a taste of corn as delicious as ours, they wouldn't think twice about paying extra," Zhang Daniu explained with earnestness, though he admitted he wasn't entirely clear on the details.

Zhang Xiaolong's eyes sparkled at his father's words, seeing it as a significant step forward. After all, a farmer needs to expand his horizons to make more money, and at least now his father was thinking along those lines.

"Dad's right. In my view, this corn could fetch more than just a few extra cents. If we find the right channel, it could sell for several dollars more, and there would still be buyers," Zhang Xiaolong chimed in.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

His comment left Zhang Daniu and Liu Mei coughing in surprise.

"Xiaolong, are you for real? Even if it's more expensive, it can't be that much. Buyers aren't fools," Zhang Daniu said, momentarily doubting his own earlier confidence.

"Dad, that's where you're mistaken. It's the scarcity that drives up the value," Zhang Xiaolong said with a confident smile. "I bet there's not a second corn like ours in the entire province. Find someone who appreciates its worth, and you could name your price—five yuan per catty, even ten. The truly wealthy in the city don't care about the cost. Like you said, they're after freshness and nutrition."

It's not just the best in the province; you won't find another ear of corn like this in the entire country. This corn has been nourished by the divine power of Great God Shennong himself.

Zhang Xiaolong had never measured it with any instruments, but he was convinced that besides its exquisite taste, the nutritional value of this corn was bound to astonish anyone who knew of it.

Initially, Zhang Xiaolong had casually aspired to be the top farmer in the village. But now, a new idea took root in his mind. With this divine power, he could become not just the top farmer of Clear River Village but perhaps even the top farmer in the entire country one day!

Zhang Daniu and his wife, Liu Mei, were dumbfounded. It took them a while before they lamented, touching the bowl on the table, "If that's true, then the porridge we just had could have cost us over ten or twenty yuan. The thought alone is painful."

"Xiaolong, you're right; this corn is too precious for us to eat. After we harvest it tomorrow, we'll take it to the city with your dad to find a good buyer," Liu Mei mused with hope, "If we can get a good price, we'll have a nice sum to put towards your future wedding."

"Oh my goodness, don't jump to conclusions," Zhang Xiaolong said with a resigned expression. "I've got it all figured out. Trust me, the money we'll make this year will exceed your wildest dreams! A few pounds of corn is nothing. To really make money, we need to think of even more profitable strategies."

"What could be more profitable?" Zhang Daniu and Liu Mei asked together, puzzled.

For traditional farmers, the only sources of income were the crops in their fields or working in the city.

"I've got a plan. We'll convert all our fields to vegetable plots. Crops take a long time to grow, and we can only harvest twice a year. The rest of the time is spent on managing them. Vegetables, on the other hand, can be grown in any season and have a much shorter cycle. If we do it right, we can multiply our income several times over," Zhang Xiaolong said with confidence.

"How much can we really earn from growing vegetables? Haven't you seen Wang from our village? In recent years, he's switched to growing crops too. He has to work from dawn till dusk at the market just to sell a bit. Grow too little, and there's no profit; grow too much, and it all rots in the field. You should stop busying yourself for nothing. Let's focus on getting a good price for our corn. If we can manage another harvest like this one, we'll be counting our blessings." Zhang Daniu, his father, didn't share this view and promptly dismissed the suggestion.

How could that work? It's complete nonsense!