Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

Looking at Mr. Cai with a smile as beautiful as a flower, Ye Changyan raised the corner of his mouth and asked Mr. Cai.

"Teacher, do you like watermelon?"

Mr. Cai just nodded and said with a smile.

"This man has grown old, and he is really like an old child as the saying goes. He seems to like these sweet things even more. For example, fruits like strawberries and watermelons don't require much effort to chew, so I can eat some of them."

"Teacher, I plan to build a number of greenhouses on the farm to grow watermelons and strawberries. What do you think?"

Mr. Cai nodded and agreed with a smile, but Liang Jingcheng looked at Ye Changyan with some confusion.

"The strawberries in this greenhouse are enough for us to eat, and we can't even eat all the vegetables grown in the greenhouses next to it. Why build more greenhouses?"

Hearing Liang Jingcheng's question, Mr. Cai also looked at Ye Changyan with curiosity.

Ye Changyan looked at Mr. Cai and then at Liang Jingcheng with a smile on his face before asking.

"You know the teacher likes to eat fish-flavored eggplant, right?"

Liang Jingcheng and Mr. Cai both nodded silently.

"From what I've learned since I came to Shengjing, Shengjing usually starts raising eggplant seedlings at the end of March. At this time, the temperature rises and the eggplants sprout quickly. They can be transplanted in about a month. It will take about one or two months for them to bear fruit. The eggplants should be harvested in June or July. If I tell you that you can eat eggplants now, but you need to pay several times the price compared to June and July, are you willing to buy it?"

Liang Jingcheng looked at Mr. Cai beside him, and thinking of his teacher's love for fish-flavored eggplant, he nodded decisively.

"As the saying goes, things are valuable because they are rare, and there is no shortage of wealthy people in Shengjing. The biggest benefit of this greenhouse is that it can greatly advance or delay the time when fruits and vegetables are put on the market. When others don't have what I have, that's when it's most valuable."

As soon as Mr. Cai checked the greenhouse, he realized its prospects. Liang Jingcheng seemed to have some understanding after hearing what Ye Changyan said, and then he listened to what Ye Changyan continued.

"The best time to grow strawberries in the greenhouse is July and August. If managed properly, they can be harvested from October until around the Dragon Boat Festival next year. Watermelons can be planted after the beginning of the year, and can be eaten as early as after Qingming Festival. The same is true for other vegetables. Since the greenhouse changes the outside climate, the fruits and vegetables grown in it can be put on the market much earlier. If they are supplied to the wealthy families in Shengjing, just think about the prospects."

Hearing Ye Changyan say this, Liang Jingcheng's face unconsciously showed joy.

"Strictly speaking, these greenhouses are just experimental plots. I plan to build greenhouses on all the vacant land on the farm first. After the wheat is harvested, I will build greenhouses on the remaining land and use them to grow fruits and vegetables. What do you think, teacher?"

"Then I will use this farm as a share. How much share can you give me?"

Mr. Cai smiled brightly and asked Ye Changyan half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Ye Changyan turned his head to look at Liang Jingcheng and raised his eyebrows at him.

"What do you think? Senior Brother, do you want to invest as well? If you invest, then I won't ask anyone else to invest. The greenhouse business of this farm belongs to the three of us, the master and the apprentice. The master will invest with the farm's land, and I will invest with the initial investment and the greenhouse technology. The remaining funds for the construction and operation of the greenhouse will be used as your investment. What do you think, Senior Brother?"

Both Mr. Cai and Liang Jingcheng turned their eyes to Liang Jingcheng. Liang Jingcheng seemed a little hesitant and just listened to Ye Changyan's continued persuasion.

"How about this, the three of us, teacher and students, won't take advantage of each other. In the farm greenhouse business, each of us will own 30% of the shares, and the profit from the remaining share will be used as the subsequent investment and the cost of recruiting workers. If there is a shortfall, we will take a portion of the profit from our respective 30% shares to make up for it."

When Liang Jingcheng heard this, he was very excited. He looked at Mr. Cai and Ye Changyan, then nodded and agreed.

"As the saying goes, brothers should settle accounts clearly. The three of us are teacher and students, not brothers, so there is no need to be so distant. I think we should take what we just said as an agreement. I wonder if the teacher and senior brothers have any objections."

Ye Changyan's words made Old Cai burst into laughter, while Liang Jingcheng thought it was very fresh. Only brothers would settle accounts clearly, so there was no need for fellow apprentices to be too distant with each other.

"I don't have any objection. After all, after I pay my New Year's greetings, I will leave all these to you brothers. I am just greedy for the food and drink I want to eat during my lifetime."

Since Mr. Cai agreed, Liang Jingcheng had nothing to hesitate about. He simply nodded and called Lu Tingfeng over.

"Tingfeng, how much silver do you have on you?"

Lu Tingfeng took out four gold ingots of fifty taels each and several silver ingots. Liang Jingcheng took the four gold ingots and handed them to Ye Changyan.

"Let's use these two hundred taels of gold as an initial investment. If it's not enough, ask Tingfeng for more."

"That's enough, that's enough. This is gold. It's very valuable."

Ye Changyan took the gold ingot handed over by Liang Jingcheng like a money-grubber and quickly put it away.

"If we grow fruits and vegetables in this greenhouse, we need to cultivate them carefully, and the demand for personnel is much greater than that for growing food. We need to find some trustworthy people to work in the greenhouse. I wonder if the teacher has any ideas on how to find people?"

"This is a small matter. During the years I have been in Shengjing, it is not difficult for me to find some trustworthy people to work at the farm. I have kept this in mind."

Ye Changyan was delighted to hear Mr. Cai readily agree.

"Then I'll go back later and tell Uncle Dai that while we're building the greenhouse, we also have to build a yard for the workers to live in."

After hearing that Ye Changyan had made all the arrangements, Mr. Cai and Liang Jingcheng both nodded in satisfaction.

Then, Ye Changyan called Yang Lin over.

"Manager Yang, we plan to expand the greenhouse on this farm. I will tell Manager Dai about building the greenhouse when I return. The next greenhouse will focus on growing watermelons, so Manager Yang needs to grow watermelon seedlings in advance."

When Yang Lin heard that the scale was going to be expanded, he showed an embarrassment on his face. Seeing this, Ye Changyan smiled at Yang Lin.

"Manager Yang, don't worry. We have already arranged the manpower for the work, and your main responsibilities will gradually change from working in the fields to being a real manager."

When Yang Lin heard this, a smile appeared on his face unconsciously, and he repeatedly assured Ye Changyan that he would do his best.

Afterwards, Ye Changyan called Dai Song, Dai Bai, Dahu, Erhu and Yang Lin’s wife and others to demonstrate personally and teach them how to propagate strawberry seedlings through runners, in preparation for the cultivation of strawberry seedlings needed for large-scale strawberry planting in July and August.