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That just goes to show that foresight pays off.

Otherwise, how could the Tang brothers have snatched up those homestead lands along with everyone else?

After the houses were built, things were bustling. Some rented out their homes, while others started businesses selling food, seeds, fertilizers and so forth. The village was suddenly teeming with life, and other villagers were more than grateful for the convenience, even if they had missed out on grabbing some of the homestead land. At least now they didn’t have to go all the way to the city to buy goods; they could simply get them at the entrance of their own village.

As the village began to prosper, none were more pleased than the village chief. Just look at how capable he was, turning a poverty-stricken backwater into a renowned agricultural zone. Who could rival his tenacity?

Now, wherever the village chief went, he held his head high, looking quite content.

While the Tang brothers were still toiling in their fields, meticulously tending to their crops. Whether they would have an easy life, or have to scrape by next year, would all depend on the success of their winter tea harvest.

When the first batch of cucumbers were carefully taken by the brothers to the vegetable market, they were one of a kind. Yes, truly one of a kind. The most commonly sold produce at the time were radishes and cabbages. But expensive, out-of-season vegetables like cucumbers were exceedingly rare. In fact, there were none at all.

Vegetable vendors came over and practically snatched them up.

Especially when they found out they were fresh from the field, making them more likable. Freshly picked, they could last a few more days. The vegetables from the south, however expensively priced, had to be stored for a long time.

Know this, rarity brings value and there’s a reason it’s priced accordingly.

They could pick about a big box of cucumbers a day and sell them for over a hundred yuan. In the vegetable market, they were in high demand. Not long after, the Tang family’s tomatoes were also ready for harvest.

They were large, pink tomatoes. Each one was round and smooth, very pleasing to the eye. The Tang brothers cared about appearances, and naturally, so did their tomatoes.

The unattractive ones were placed at the bottom and the good ones on top. Tomatoes yielded a great mass, every box must’ve weighed hundreds of pounds. A pound cost half a yuan wholesale, which was worth quite a bit at that time.

A box weighing hundreds of pounds could fetch nearly two hundred yuan. Add to that the income from the cucumbers; the products of the Tang family’s land brought in over three hundred yuan a day.

Over ten days, that would amount to three thousand yuan. For a month, almost ten thousand yuan. During the New Year period, when vegetable prices skyrocket, the figures could easily double.

Making hundreds a day, it felt like money was pouring into the Tang brothers’ pockets in a steady stream.

By the ten days before New Year, the prices of cucumbers and tomatoes had risen to one and a half yuan and one yuan respectively.

“Brother, we won’t be getting much sleep these days,” Tang Zhijun said through gritted teeth. Each day they could make five or six hundred yuan, practically money every second. And yet, they still needed to eat and sleep. Meals were as simple as could be, bread and water, to free up as much time as possible.

The main issue was that the tomatoes ripened extremely fast. It seemed as though it was a bumper crop year for tomatoes. Additionally, there were hardly any pests or health issues; they grew so incredibly well that they could easily gather seven to eight hundred pounds a day.

But there were only five people in their family, including a nine-year-old child and another who was even younger, at three years old.

Every pound of produce was now selling for over a yuan. In ten days it would be New Year’s, and they knew very well that while their vegetables would still sell after the holiday, they wouldn’t fetch as high a price.

“Alright, then let’s stay awake,” decided Tang Zhinian. He hadn’t slept much over the past few days, always thinking about the vegetables in the fields, worried that they’d go bad or be stolen, or that the prices might change the next day.

They might as well just live in the fields.

The upshot of the Tang brothers’ discussion was to work through the night picking tomatoes, aiming to sell as much as possible each day, ideally until New Year’s. They hoped to sell off the majority of their harvest before then. Even if prices fell after the New Year, that was a concern for later. What mattered now was making as much money as they could before then.

“I’ll go with you,” said Zhang Xiangcao, donning her coat and following Tang Zhijun out.

“What are you doing coming out? It’s cold outside,” said Tang Zhijun, pushing his wife back into the house. It was warm inside with the stove burning, but outside was bitterly cold. What if she fell ill?

He loved his wife and couldn’t bear to expose her to such hardship. A man shouldn’t let his wife undergo suffering; it defeats the point of marrying a man. If a man makes his wife suffer, is he even a man at all?

“I’ll help you harvest the vegetables.”

Zhang Xiangcao couldn’t sleep either. The men of the house were all busy; how could she just stay at home by herself? She too had experienced hardship and knew what it was like to work the land. If not now, then when was the right time to help? Plus, with vegetable prices being so high, she just couldn’t sit still.

“No way,” Tang Zhijun immediately refused without even considering. It was too cold outside and she might freeze. She should stay home and look after the children. Providing for the family was a man’s job.

At this, Zhang Xiangcao’s eyes welled up with tears.

How lucky she, Zhang Xiangcao, had been to marry such a wonderful man. He never shied away from the fact that she had previously been married, and never looked down on her for having a kid already. In fact, he treated her child as his own.

“Alright, Sisi, don’t go,” Tang Zhinian also disagreed with Zhang Xiangcao going out. The weather was cold and their home had two small children. If she wasn’t at home, he wouldn’t have had the peace of mind to go out working in the middle of the night.

Never mind Sisi, even eight-year-old Tang Yuxin, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving without her supervision.

“Alright,” Zhang Xiangcao wiped her cold face. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll look after the kids at home and make sure nothing happens to them.”

After ensuring the womenfolk and kids at home were fine, the Tang brothers worked overnight in the fields. Electricity was available in the fields, and Tang Zhinian had run a line to the greenhouse in advance. Although they had to pay extra for the electricity, it was worth it. Otherwise, their crops wouldn’t have been as easy to harvest that year.