Chapter 83: Roller Coaster (Please Subscribe)

The northwest region is quite different from other areas. If it were the heartland, there would be no need to worry about digging fish ponds. Inland soil is mostly clay; when a pond is excavated, water doesn’t seep away—more precisely, it seeps very slowly. Moreover, the groundwater table is relatively high, making it easy to form ponds.

But in the northwest, things aren’t the same. If the land you dig turns up sandy soil, not only does water seep rapidly, but the groundwater table is low; you simply can’t retain water. The current situation doesn’t look good—the excavated soil is sand, and without clay to support it, it’s a tough challenge.

Upon hearing the news, Zhong Di put away his work and headed toward the excavator. It was early August, nearly autumn, but the weather remained scorching, baking Zhong Di and stirring an uneasy heat within him. The excavator chugged noisily, filling the air. Zhong Di glanced at the unearthed soil—it was indeed sand. The layer of clay on top was useless!

No wonder they kept digging in one spot; they must have wanted to see what lay beneath. The excavator kept at it for a while—two meters, three meters.

“There’s clay now.”

The moment Zhong Di saw the clay, his tightly wound heart relaxed. It seemed the soil structure was sand-clay-sand, with a bit of sand in the middle. When they dug down to five or six meters, all they found was clay. His father, Zhong Tian, broke into a smile.

Even if only sand was excavated, it wasn’t impossible, but the investment required would be much higher—much, much higher. Such a pond, in Zhong Tian’s mind, held little meaning.

The excavator’s chugging finally ceased.

“Zhong Di, let’s have lunch. Now that we’ve figured out the digging plan, let’s rest a bit before starting again this afternoon.”

His father explained the pause, and Zhong Di asked a couple of questions to clarify the purpose: first, check the soil quality, then take a midday break and resume digging in the afternoon.

Zhong Di looked up at the blazing sun—it was indeed hot. The excavator had arrived at noon, and after some delay, it was now the hottest part of the day.

“All right, Dad, let’s rest a bit.”

Everyone retreated to the shade beneath the awning, sitting down to drink tea and chat.

Shao Hong and Zhong Hui took on the task of preparing lunch, while Zhong Di, Zhong Tian, and Zhong Hua conversed. Before long, lunch was ready—a braised fish, stir-fried chicken, and some vegetables. Host and guests alike were delighted.

Just as Zhong Di was about to rest, his phone rang.

“Zhong Di, the land for reforestation you contracted has been allocated. I picked a good spot for you. Shall we meet at four this afternoon to take a look?”

On the other end, Wu Qi, who liaised with Zhong Di, suggested an afternoon inspection at four—just in time for a field trip, a chance to chat, and a pleasant end to the workday.

“Ah! Sure, let’s check it out together this afternoon.” Zhong Di was a little surprised. The contract had just been signed, and everything was arranged so quickly—it was unexpected.

He learned that the reforested land was attached to a shell company’s project, managed by the authorities, who sought suitable people for centralized management. This was a new official experiment: whoever could successfully plant and manage the trees, and turn a profit, would be granted the land. If management failed, or the trees fared poorly, the land would be reclaimed and reassigned—minimizing losses and increasing success rates.

Previously, the standard procedure was to reclaim illegally cultivated land, then the authorities would take it back. If an entrepreneur wanted to work the land, they’d find crops suitable for reforestation, apply for a project, get approval and funding, and then contract the land. The result was, once the land was leased, control was lost, and there was a risk of manipulating project funds. But the real issue was most entrepreneurs knew nothing about agriculture—a fatal flaw. This time, the aim was clear: let professionals handle professional tasks.

“Dad, I need to take care of something this afternoon. When you arrive, I might be out, so please keep an eye on things for me.”

“Zhong Di, I think I overheard something about contracting land on your call. I didn’t catch it all—what’s going on?”

When Zhong Di answered his phone, he hadn’t avoided his father; it was normal for him to overhear. After his father’s question, Zhong Di explained the entire process of contracting the reforestation land from beginning to end.

“What? Six hundred acres? Zhong Di, shouldn’t you think this over again?”

“What’s there to consider? The contract is already signed.”

At this point, his father’s first instinct was to reconsider—in the older generation’s mind, this was a big deal, requiring careful thought.

“All right, as long as you’re sure about this. I, I…”

Zhong Tian hemmed and hawed, as if he had something else on his mind.

“Dad, just say whatever you’re thinking.”

“Well, in this past month, I feel like I’ve been on—what’s it called—a roller coaster, right, just like a roller coaster. You suddenly came back, suddenly made money, suddenly became a small boss, suddenly started this new project…”

His father’s expressions were lively as he spoke. After a bit, he lowered his voice, “Now that you’ve contracted six hundred acres, you’ll need hands, won’t you?”

“Of course. So persuade Mom to quit that factory job.”

His father had probably wanted to probe about this, and Zhong Di seized the opportunity to resolve his mother’s issue—long hours, few days off, exhausting work, low pay.

“It’s secure, after all! All right, I’ll talk to your mother.”

Even now, Zhong Tian still valued the security of the factory job, which Zhong Di understood. That’s why, when his father worked as a loader, he hadn’t objected forcefully; the older generation lived like this, and expecting them to change instantly was unrealistic. They needed time to adjust, to shift their mindset gradually.

After discussing the details of the pond excavation with his father, Zhong Di lay down on the iron bed to rest, while Zhong Tian took Zhong Hua home to rest as well. His elder sister, Zhong Hui, did the same, heading back to Lingjing Village for her midday break—there was no place here.

It seemed that when building the greenhouse, they’d need to construct some houses as well—like those guesthouses that could accommodate clients and provide a place for temporary rest.

Zhong Di slept until four in the afternoon, by which time Shao Hong was already up and back to work. Quite diligent, especially in such heat, but Zhong Di said nothing. Everyone has their own temperament, and their ways of doing things differ.

He had arranged with Wu Qi to be picked up at four to inspect the land together.

It seemed he’d have to make more trips in the future—perhaps it was time to buy a vehicle, a truck or a pickup, to make traveling and hauling goods easier.