Chapter 44: 44 Out of Stock Vegetables and Melons
Shangguan Baihe said, "Xiaoshan, can you drive? If you can, the hotel will provide you with a car, which would be more convenient for you, running back and forth otherwise you\'ll need to take a bus."
"I don\'t have one," Long Xiaoshan said.
"In that case," Shangguan Baihe said, "let\'s have Elder He be your personal chauffeur for a few days. You can learn from him, and then I\'ll arrange for you to take a driving test at the traffic police department."
It was easy for Shangguan Baihe to arrange such a small matter with her connections.
"Thank you, Chairman," Long Xiaoshan said.
"Stop calling me Chairman, I\'m only a few years older than you, just call me sister," Shangguan Baihe said.
Although she had previously cooperated with Long Xiaoshan, it was just business, without any further relationship with him.
But after witnessing Long Xiaoshan\'s medical skills, Shangguan Baihe was amazed and became more enthusiastic toward this small farmer.
An extraordinary doctor is someone everyone wants to befriend. Even if you\'re the president, you still get sick. A great doctor sometimes means an extra life.
It\'s not that Shangguan Baihe was pragmatic, but rather when you have capabilities, others naturally come to appreciate you.
If you are incompetent and mediocre, why should others bother to appreciate or befriend you?
Not to mention someone with Shangguan Baihe\'s status.
"Then, Shangguan... Sister, I should get going now. The farm is very busy. I\'ll come to see Sister Su again tomorrow," Long Xiaoshan said.
"Alright, you go ahead. I\'ll arrange for someone to take care of little Wan here," Shangguan Baihe waved goodbye.
At Shangguan Baihe\'s request, Elder He drove Long Xiaoshan back to the village in the pickup.
Elder He and Long Xiaoshan were already familiar with each other, as he had come for several deliveries.
When they reached a remote road, Elder He and Long Xiaoshan switched seats, and Long Xiaoshan took the wheel, because the chairman had asked him to teach Long Xiaoshan to drive. Long Xiaoshan was very brave and had an extraordinary comprehension ability. Under Elder He\'s guidance, he actually started driving straight away.
The manual transmission pickup didn\'t even stall.
Elder He exclaimed in amazement, "Young brother Xiaoshan, it\'s my first time seeing someone learn to drive this quickly. I came from an army motorized infantry background. Impressive. With your talent, I think joining the army and driving tanks wouldn\'t be a problem."
"Brother He, that\'s an exaggeration," Long Xiaoshan laughed.
However, he was satisfied with his own talent and comprehension. In the past, he was good at studying, but his manual skills were quite average.
But ever since he practiced the Tai Xuan Heart Scripture, his hand and foot reaction speed had improved a lot.
Now, it seemed even more impressive. He felt it was thanks to the Jade Purifying Bottle, which made grasping things seem very easy.
With that, he drove straight back.
Even the mountain roads were driven by Long Xiaoshan himself. The rugged and steep mountain paths were so narrow that only one car could pass at places, and there was a sheer cliff slope below. Rolling down meant certain death, which would make even experienced drivers nervous, but Long Xiaoshan was not afraid.
Moreover, he was quite interested. After all, men are generally very interested in cars, those big toys.
Although the pickup wasn\'t any fancy car, Long Xiaoshan seldom even rode in a car before, let alone drive one.
It was Master He, the old driver sitting beside him, who got out of the car sweating profusely.
Long Xiaoshan returned to the village, and the next few days passed smoothly. The fruits and vegetable seedlings in the mountains grew day by day. During these days, as the Spiritual Liquid was produced, Long Xiaoshan diluted it and poured it into the mountain land.
A lush greenery appeared in the fields, very fresh and tender.
In a few days, Su Wan\'s illness had completely healed.
Another brain CT showed that the tumor had completely disappeared, her vision had returned to normal, and she became lively and cheerful again.
Although Su Wan didn\'t say anything, her gaze towards the small farmer began to change.
However, Long Xiaoshan was clumsy in this regard and did not notice these changes.
Now, Xiaoshan\'s mind was entirely focused on the farm, because the first batch of fruits and vegetables was nearly ripe. In just half a month, the hillsides had turned a vibrant green. The tender green cucumbers, each about half a meter long and as thick as an arm, with at least a dozen large cucumbers on each plant.
The tomatoes were thoroughly red, larger than an adult\'s fist, looking like heavy rubies hanging there.
Eggplants, cabbages, curly cabbages, yams, bean pods… Dozens of fruits and vegetables had surprisingly all yielded a bountiful harvest.
And upon inspection, they were all exceptionally perfect.
This was incredible in the village.
Everyone was saying that Long Xiaoshan was like a celestial descending to earth, possessing such remarkable skill.
Long Xiaoshan picked a cucumber and bit into it with a crunch. The taste was incredibly crisp and juicy, with a unique sweet flavor. Eating one cucumber made him feel cool and refreshed throughout his body, as if he had drunk a bowl of herbal tea on a hot summer day, to the point where he didn\'t sweat at all.
His eyes lit up.
Although the fruit and vegetables grown from the diluted Spiritual Liquid didn\'t possess as much medicinal value as the Spirit Shrimp, the flavor alone was unbeatably delicious.
Moreover, they were cooling and could reduce internal heat. After eating these cucumbers, issues like constipation and acne would vanish.
Long Xiaoshan tasted dozens of vegetables.
Each one was delicious.
And he discovered different medicinal values in each.
Long Xiaoshan recorded the findings and even picked some fruits and vegetables to personally deliver to Lily Hotel.
Upon tasting them, Shangguan Baihe showed an indescribable expression.
She immediately wanted to buy all the fruit and vegetables from Long Xiaoshan\'s farm.
The prices were set differently for each type of produce, but even the cheapest greens were offered at ten yuan per half kilogram.
After returning, Long Xiaoshan organized the villagers to harvest the first batch of bountiful crops. Over a hundred acres of fruits and vegetables, weighing more than a hundred thousand kilograms in total, were all transported to the Lily Hotel by truck.
Because of the high average price he commanded for his produce, these hundred thousand kilograms of fruits and vegetables brought in more than two million yuan in revenue.
Shangguan Baihe was clearly not one to make a loss in her business.
She immediately launched a promotional campaign.
Thanks to the previously sensational Spirit Shrimp, the hotel already had a good reputation, and this time it hardly needed any promotion. The news spread like wildfire throughout the county, bringing many visitors to the hotel to try the new dishes. While the new batch of fruits and vegetables wasn\'t priced as high as the Spirit Shrimp, it was still quite expensive compared to ordinary hotel dishes, with a plate of greens priced at forty-eight and a dish of cucumbers at sixty-eight yuan. Just ordering a dozen or so vegetarian dishes would cost seven or eight hundred yuan, almost a thousand.
Yet, these pricey dishes were selling out.
The hotel was bustling with diners, like a crowded cafeteria.
Outside, there was even a long line forming.
Many couldn\'t afford the Spirit Shrimp at 1888 yuan each, but the fruits and vegetables, albeit pricey at several tens of yuan per dish, were still affordable for ordinary folks who were willing to spend two to three hundred yuan for a few plates.
Those who had tasted them
simply couldn\'t stop and kept calling out to the waiters for another plate, and then another.
Everyone who tried these dishes wanted more.
Because the fruits and vegetables were too delicious, and each menu item listed their medicinal properties.
Some small ailments showed signs of relief after eating them.
Those with a sore throat felt relief after eating, the constipated could immediately head to the restroom to relieve themselves, and even those suffering from gout felt less pain.
For a few tens of yuan, minor health issues could disappear.
It was an incredible deal.
Even visiting a hospital wouldn\'t be this cheap, not to mention, eating these fruits and vegetables was a pleasure, with their unbeatable taste. Even the meat-lovers, who usually couldn\'t enjoy a meal without meat, found themselves able to devour several bowls of rice just with these fresh and delicious vegetables.