Chapter 286: 286 can plant whatever he wants Chapter 286: 286 can plant whatever he wants With a clean slice, a watermelon was cut into small pieces, then Ye Jiu said, “Try the taste of the flesh, how is it?”

“Delicious.” If not for a shred of rationality, Ye Wenzheng would have hardly been able to stop eating.

In the end, Ye Jiu and Ye Wenzheng agreed to plant watermelons on two hundred acres, sweet potatoes on one hundred acres, and reserve fifty acres for chili peppers, with the remaining land all sown with spring wheat.

After deciding, Ye Wenzheng expressed his concern, “The manor was originally rented out to tenant farmers, who only had to pay the rent at harvest each year. Now that we want to grow our own crops, I’m afraid it will be hard to explain to the tenant farmers.”

“Since I’ve purchased the manor, it’s mine to utilize without having to explain myself to anyone. I will plant whatever I want. As for the former tenant farmers?” Ye Jiu said. Perhaps realizing his words might have sounded a bit harsh, he pondered for a moment and then added, “If they want to rent the land, they can leave; if they are willing to stay as farm laborers, we can sign a contract for them. Pay them one tael of silver each month as wages, but there is one condition: in terms of farming, they must follow my instructions.”

“Understood. Yesterday, when we purchased the land, everything was in such a hurry that we did not have the chance to meet the village head. Shouldn’t we make time to go take a look?” Ye Wenzheng asked Ye Jiu.

“Let’s talk about that later. If there’s time in the future, we can see, as it’s not going anywhere. Anytime is not too late to have a look,” Ye Jiu pondered and then replied.

“That’s true. It’s just that the fruit on the table is juicy and sweet, but I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years, and I have no idea how to grow it,” Ye Wenzheng admitted with difficulty.

“This is a watermelon. The method of planting it is actually quite simple, it’s just the seedlings must be cultivated first. I’ll tell you how, and you just arrange it on the manor,” Ye Jiu said, laying out the key points of watermelon seedling cultivation and the timing for transplanting all at once.

The two of them discussed back and forth for quite some time before finally settling all the matters.

After noting down the important aspects of cultivating watermelon seedlings, Ye Wenzheng puzzled again, “Auntie, this watermelon is indeed an uncommon thing, tasty, and surely there will be no worries about selling it once planted. But what about this sweet potato? And as for chili peppers, I’ve seen them growing sporadically in the mountains. They’re so spicy that people usually grow them only for ornamentation. Planting so much at once, I fear it may be difficult to sell later on.”

“I will give you the sweet potato seedlings in a few days. As for the chili peppers, I have my arrangements for them but it’s not the right time to discuss it,” Ye Jiu explained.

“Alright, then I will go and arrange for the watermelon seedling cultivation shortly,” Ye Wenzheng said.

Ye Jiu remembered that chili peppers also needed to be cultivated from seedlings, so he decided to give both the seeds and the cultivation method to Ye Wenzheng all at once.

Just as he was leaving, Ye Jiu suddenly remembered, “By the way, Wenzheng, do you know any idle labor? My parents are getting on in years, and it’s strenuous for them to farm the few acres back home. I’m looking to hire some people to work the land, with wages in line with those in town.”

“There are indeed some,” Ye Wenzheng thought for a moment, then suggested, “But I think, for this kind of work where wages can be earned, it’s best to employ people from our own clan. After all, we’re living together in one village. If we give the opportunity to earn money to outsiders, the people of our clan might have objections.”

“I asked the clan a couple of days ago, and my father said everyone is busy with farm work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought about hiring outsiders,” Ye Jiu replied.