Chapter 16 – Hiring Help

Today really wore out Wang Yi’s parents. Although there were many people helping, there was still a lot of work. Everyone wanted to finish quickly—they all hated doing chores.

Wang Yi went home and poured each of her parents a cup of the spiritual spring water. That made them feel a bit better; otherwise, they would have struggled to keep up.

That evening, over a casual meal, Wang Yi shared her idea with her parents.

Her father said, “We can hire help. Otherwise, when it comes time to harvest the vegetables, we’ll need extra hands too. It’s a good chance to find reliable workers now and teach them the routines—it’ll be easier in the future.”

Her mother agreed. Relying solely on family wasn’t feasible.

Wang Yi asked her mother how hiring worked—did they pay by the day or by the hour?

“It’s all hourly. Ten yuan an hour, with overtime calculated separately. Eight hours a day,” her mother thought.

Wang Yi realized that hiring in the Northeast was actually quite affordable.

She told her mother to find the workers—her mother knew the locals well. Wang Yi would only need to handle paying the wages.

It had been a long day of work, and everyone collapsed onto their pillows as soon as their heads hit them.

The next morning, Wang Yi thought she needed to go back to the spring water; otherwise, all this work would really take its toll.

Her mother went out for half an hour and returned with five skilled workers, all fast and efficient.

That day, her mother led the new workers while Wang Yi and her father went to the greenhouses to move out the seedlings, placing them carefully in each greenhouse.

Wang Yi planned to go into town with her eldest brother to pick up tree seedlings from the courier station and bring them back.

Once all the work was assigned, everyone focused on their own tasks.

Wang Yi and her brother loaded all the tree seedlings and returned home. Her brother placed the seedlings in the greenhouse in the field, while Wang Yi went into her space to pick vegetables for her eldest brother’s wife, who was cooking today.

Wang Yi picked green beans, chives, celery, tomatoes, and some strawberries and persimmons to give to her sister-in-law and grandparents as fruit.

After delivering the vegetables, Wang Yi headed back to the field.

At the greenhouse for fruit trees, she saw that the temperature was perfect. Each greenhouse had a control panel for temperature and humidity. If it got too hot, the straw blinds and quilts were pulled over; if humidity was low, automatic irrigation kicked in and stopped once the optimal level was reached.

For farmers, this high-tech setup made things so much easier. At that moment, the strength of their country felt tangible.

Wang Yi told her eldest brother that the seedlings had been delivered.

“Yiyi, the seedlings are here! I had a friend handle it. They’re all high-quality seedlings. Satisfied?” her brother called out in his booming voice.

“…It’s too much for my ears.”

Wang Yi replied honestly, “Brother, my older cousin and I just got them back; we haven’t looked at them yet. I’m telling you so you don’t worry.”

“How much did it cost in total? I’ll transfer the money to you,” her brother said.

He laughed and said, “My little sister has grown up; she doesn’t need her brother’s money anymore. Forget the money—consider it a little sponsorship for my sister. If my little sister wants to do something for her career, I must support her!”

“Well, then I won’t give you anything. Thanks for the support, big bro!” Wang Yi teased her brother.

“When I’m not busy, I’ll go help you. You tell me… you really miss me, don’t you? Just too embarrassed to say it,” her brother said mischievously.

Wang Yi retorted, “What are you talking about? We’re busy every day, eating well. Haven’t you seen the pictures I send you daily? I just want you to see them even if you can’t eat with us! Am I thoughtful enough or what?”

Her brother, exasperated, said, “Wang Dayi, are you asking to be disciplined…”

Wang Yi hung up the phone with a snap, thinking about the last time he hung up on her. Hmph, she wasn’t done yet—the time hadn’t come.

This little rascal was still too inexperienced to mess with her.

After hanging up, Wang Yi couldn’t help but chuckle and then turned her attention back to the orchard work.

She and her older cousin began inspecting the newly received saplings. They unpacked them and checked carefully, confirming that the seedlings were of excellent quality, with sturdy roots and fresh, green leaves.

“These saplings are really good; we must plant them properly,” her cousin said.

Wang Yi nodded repeatedly. Her brother had handled this matter very well.

The two of them began planning the planting positions and spacing. While they were busy, their aunt brought lunch.

“You must be exhausted, kids! Come eat quickly,” Aunt shouted.

Aunt had prepared two simple dishes: stir-fried celery with vermicelli and scrambled eggs with chives, with rice as the staple. Of course, there were the usual dipping vegetables, a daily necessity.

Wang Yi and her cousin washed their hands and sat down in front of the meal. Seeing the simple but appetizing dishes, their stomachs grumbled.

Aunt also delivered the same meal to the five hired workers. Wang Yi didn’t skimp on the vegetables from her space—she wanted these aunts and older women to stay healthy, especially since they would witness the changes in this village in the future.

Watching them eat heartily, Wang Yi felt very satisfied. For now, she could only afford to hire five people, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hire fifty or even more in the future.

They all sat down and ate heartily while discussing the afternoon’s work.

After finishing the meal, they rested briefly…

After a short break, Wang Yi and her older cousin energetically continued tending to the saplings. Sunlight streamed into the orchard, illuminating a scene full of hope.

Following their previous plan, the three of them quickly got to work.

Her brother was in charge of digging holes. Every shovel was precise and steady, with uniform, appropriately sized pits.

Her father carefully placed the saplings into the holes, straightening the trunks, his gaze focused and serious.

It was Wang Yi’s turn to water the saplings with the spiritual spring water. She gently shook the watering can, letting the crystal-clear water slowly seep into the soil around the roots.

Something magical happened. The ordinary soil instantly became darker, richer, and more fertile. The saplings seemed to drink in the nourishment, their leaves stretching out more fully.

Wang Yi smiled inwardly. It seemed the spiritual spring water could really improve the survival rate of the saplings.

As each sapling was planted, the orchard gradually took shape.

By the time they finished, the sun was already setting.

The three of them looked over the thriving orchard, their faces filled with satisfaction and anticipation.

The day’s results were extremely gratifying—it felt truly rewarding.

Her brother had even bought her some blueberry seedlings, making her orchard increasingly diverse.

Wang Yi thought to herself: as long as she managed it carefully, this orchard would surely yield abundant fruit.

These five large greenhouses were only the beginning. She needed to achieve results to inspire the villagers to prosper together.

Eventually, the entire village would become wealthy thanks to these fruits.

Those friends from her childhood—familiar classmates and playmates—would all come to see it. What a scene that would be! Just thinking about it made her want to laugh out loud.

Her eldest brother teased, “Uncle, look at Yiyi—isn’t she completely exhausted?”

Her older cousin and brother were truly like brothers themselves—so mischievous and playful.

Her grandfather came to check their progress, and upon seeing the fruit trees, he praised the quality of the saplings.

Good seedlings were a guarantee of a bountiful harvest for farmers!

Her grandfather kept saying how good they were, and Wang Yi could tell he was genuinely happy.

Seeing her grandfather’s simple, joyful smile reminded her of her childhood, when every family had smiles like that.

Why, now, did smiles seem to carry impurities?

She had already taken the first step. Things would only get better from here.

She seemed to see a bright future unfolding right before her eyes.

Dare to dream, dare to act—and only then will dreams come true.