The longed-for village system

Chapter 57 Rubber Tapping
Old Wang said he was genuinely afraid Chen Qing would try to bargain, so he didn't try to cheat by giving her the lowest possible price. This way, it wouldn't affect the viewing experience of the later episodes, and it would also satisfy Chen Qing.

Chen Qing smiled slightly and didn't try to bargain. He knew that the price was already very low. If it were any lower, Da Linzi and Li Qin'er wouldn't have to work on this episode.

Of course, everyone was very satisfied with the result. Huang Shi took the ingredients from the production team and walked back to the kitchen triumphantly, secretly sighing that bargaining should indeed be left to Xiao Chen, as Xiao Chen had the authority to back it up.

Afterwards, Chen Qing, Teacher He, and the others took their tools and went to the rubber plantation to collect rubber, which was one of their ways of earning pocket money.

Teacher He, Peng Peng, and the others naturally didn't know how to do this job, but with Chen Qing's help, they quickly learned the collection techniques. Watching the glue slowly drip down, everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"I never thought this job could be so stress-relieving, it feels great!"

Dalinzi smiled as he peeled off the bark with a knife and watched the sap flow out. He never thought that doing farm work could relieve stress.

"Isn't it incredibly fulfilling?"

Teacher He felt the same way. After doing so much farm work, picking corn, fishing, and pulling radishes, they only ever felt tired. They might feel a sense of accomplishment when they received monetary rewards from the program team, which was probably the only way to relieve stress in this job.

Of course, this is also because this job is how they earn pocket money. If they collect data for a long time and there are task standards, then it's different.

An hour later, everyone finished cutting the bark and prepared to go back, planning to come back in the evening to collect their harvest.

After tapping the rubber trees, they didn't return to the mushroom house. Instead, they went to the pineapple field to collect pineapples. They needed to collect three pounds of dried pineapples, which they would then steam and dry that night. That's why everyone carried a basket on their backs when they came out, with the purpose of collecting pineapples on the way back.

"Xiao Chen, is my data collection okay?"

Seeing how hard Li Qin'er and her sister were working to pick pineapples, Teacher He felt a little awkward standing there like a grown man.

"It's alright, I can still do these light jobs, just don't lift or carry heavy things."

Chen Qing understood Teacher He's concerns, especially since they should have clearly felt the soreness in their lower back that they hadn't experienced before the pain recurred these past two days, and they must be even more concerned about what he said now.

"Really? That's good. I thought I was really useless! I'll help you with the collection." Hearing Chen Qing's words, Teacher He immediately bent down and started helping her sister pack the pineapples. Although this task was insignificant, it was much better than standing awkwardly to the side.

It was quite easy for six people to collect enough pineapples to make three pounds of dried pineapple. A few minutes later, Peng Peng, Da Linzi, and Chen Qing returned to the Mushroom House carrying three full baskets of pineapples.

"Teacher Huang, we're back! You should have gone to collect rubber earlier; it was very therapeutic!"

Upon entering the house, Teacher He immediately greeted Huang Shi, who was in the kitchen, and commented on their work, giving high praise to their rubber tapping efforts.

"Really? Then I'll try it next time." Huang Shi was a little surprised by Teacher He's evaluation, and then looked at the three people unloading the goods and spoke up again, "You guys are good! You even picked pineapples. Why don't you sell the pineapples now and steam them?"

"Sure! Let's divide into groups, kids. Who wants to peel? And who wants to slice?"

After taking a sip of iced yogurt, Teacher He began assigning tasks to the teams. It was still early, so dinner wouldn't be served so soon. They could finish their work in the meantime.

"Teacher He, we still need to build a big platform. Pengpeng and I will go over and bring over some soil first. You and your sister can start peeling the skins!"

After slicing the pineapple, it still needs to be dried. Given the production team's nature, they couldn't possibly provide them with professional equipment like ovens, so they had to make their own rudimentary baking rack to slowly roast the pineapple.

"Okay, Xiao Chen, you and Peng Peng go and haul the soil first. We'll go and move the bricks over first, and then we'll get the platform up and running."

Under the arrangement of Teacher He and Chen Qing, the group split into two teams and began to carry out their respective tasks. Soon the soil and bricks were in place, and then under Ouyang Chenqing's command, the platform was quickly completed.

"Great! Let it dry for a bit, then we'll cut the pineapple." Chen Qing was satisfied with the result and began assigning tasks. "My knife skills are pretty good, so I'll peel the pineapple! Who wants to team up with me?"

Pengpeng and his sister said they were okay at cutting pineapples, but peeling them was out of the question! Their skills weren't up to par.

Da Linzi also stated that if he wasn't skilled enough to cut pineapples, he wouldn't take on the job, lest he slow things down.

(End of this chapter)