Professor Zhang also said that pear trees can be grafted too. New peach saplings will bear fruit in a few years, which is pretty fast. Wei Yuan still thought this account actually made sense.
Wei Yuan's orchard, after the night spring rain. The pink peach blossoms were in full bloom, and from afar, it looked like a huge piece of pink brocade. As the saying goes, "Peaches are lush and their flowers are brilliant."
Looking for his own money-making tree. After the flowers bloomed, Wei Yuan carefully walked through the forest, stepping deep and shallow. Those two special little peach trees had been completely submerged in the peach orchard and were well hidden.
In the end, since he planted them himself, Wei Yuan easily found the place where he initially planted them. However, almost at first glance, he noticed a problem.
The color was close to bright red, and this peach tree was covered with peach blossoms. The flowers had double petals and were extraordinarily beautiful. Compared to the simple pink single-petaled peach blossoms around it, it was like the difference between a star and a village girl. Of course, there weren't many village girls like Er Niu. Just by looking at these flowers, it was obvious that this tree was very different from other peach trees.
He confirmed that this should be the peach tree grown from the flat peach kernel. Looking at the peach tree grown from the space giant peach kernel...it seemed too normal, without any abnormalities. Wei Yuan circled the tree, wondering if it had degenerated.
That's why grafting seedlings are widely promoted. It's not impossible. Fruit tree mutations are actually quite common. Most seedlings tend to grow worse. To maintain good characteristics.
But we still need to wait until the fruits come out to truly see the results. Now, just looking at the flowers is nice.
Wei Yuan suddenly felt that he was too conservative at the beginning and should have planted more trees. Only then would he have the choice. Now, he could only hope on one tree, which carried greater risks.
The orchids in the space also disappointed Wei Yuan. Although many of them had bloomed, they were all very common varieties. Occasionally, there were some with unique features, but he couldn't confirm them. He took pictures and sent them to professional forums online for others to help identify them. He didn't receive much praise either. He would have to buy more and continue exploring.
The saffron grown in the space did make Wei Yuan earn a small fortune. However...
At first, Wei's mother didn't take it seriously. Last National Day, Wei Yuan gave her saffron. Later, after the Spring Festival, she started drinking it for some reason and even got Crystal's mother to drink it with her. It turned out that the effect was quite noticeable, and she seemed to have become younger in appearance. Mainly, her skin improved significantly, and she was very satisfied.
Some people who knew about it specially came to find Wei's mother. People get old and love to boast about their children. Wei's mother thus talked about her son's filial piety, which aroused the interest of a group of middle-aged and elderly women. They wanted to see her saffron.
These saffrons were dark red in color, and after being identified, they had an oily feel and a special smell. When soaked in water, they immediately turned yellowish and quickly spread downwards. They were top-notch quality, very expensive and rare.
Wei's mother was shocked when she learned from someone that these saffrons cost tens of thousands of yuan, which was an astonishing price. She knew that this thing wasn't cheap, but she didn't expect it to be so expensive. No wonder Crystal's mother always said it was a good thing and didn't dare to ask for too much.
Crystal's mother, who occasionally saw colleagues at work before retirement, married into a cadre family as a daughter-in-law and drank this for maintenance. She had some understanding of it, but she didn't know exactly how much it cost. She only knew that it was convenient and priced per liang. Seeing that Wei's mother could bring out so much, she thought Wei Yuan was really filial and willing to spend money on his parents.
Wei's mother was heartbroken. Originally, she drank it several times a week. Now she changed it to once a month and sternly warned Wei Yuan not to spend any more money on it. Since hearing the outrageous price.
She also knew that what she bought was indeed high-quality. So many people, despite knowing the price, didn't back down. More people insisted that there were too many fake saffrons outside. Due to her previous boasting, many people trusted her and asked her to entrust Wei Yuan to buy more on their behalf. Some wealthy people directly threw money at Wei's mother.
Wei Yuan sold a few pounds and earned nearly ten thousand yuan. This unexpected wealth made him rich for half a year. Of course, he didn't dare to sell more, fearing someone would come knocking and he wouldn't be able to lie convincingly.
After repeatedly warning Wei's mother not to publicize it anymore, Wei Yuan pondered whether he should plant some saffron outside the space on the mountain, just in case something went wrong, so he'd have a backup plan.
Wei Yuan decided to cultivate an acre of land near the small valley. After careful consideration, he planned to transplant some saffron bulbs from the space and plant them outside. Anyway, he intended to plant watermelons in the valley this year, so planting saffron together would be convenient. He wouldn't plant watermelons under the trees anymore because the fruit trees had grown strong enough, with expanded canopies, making it a bit shady underneath. Also mentioned, it wasn't suitable anyway, so he shouldn't show off his ability. Sigh, actually, the best planting location Wei Yuan preferred was the old orchard behind his house, which was nearby and spacious enough. Unfortunately...
Wei Yuan then went to check out the pear orchard, exiting the peach orchard. The three-year-old pear trees already had plenty of flower buds, subtly nurturing vitality and strength, seemingly promising some small pears this year.
Seeing the protective hens circling around him, Wei Yuan casually picked up a chick by his feet and let it go again. Speaking of which, the chickens he raised not only laid eggs frequently but also attracted two wild pheasants into the flock. A hen hatched over ten chicks, significantly expanding the chicken population.
Even the geese continued laying eggs. Wei Yuan pickled several jars of salted goose eggs, which he couldn't finish eating. Not only did he give a lot to Er Niu's family, but he also sent many back to his mother and Crystal's family.
Speaking of Crystal, haha. Wei Yuan's mood improved considerably. Ever since she stayed over for about ten days before the Spring Festival, it became a turning point, leading to rapid development between them. Wei's mother practically referred to her as future in-laws.
Wei Yuan became cheerful again. Thinking about it, he was almost ready to leave the team and settle down this year.
Leisurely walking back home from the mountain, Wei Yuan leisurely rewarded himself with a cup of tea. In the distance, commotion came from the backyard, seemingly accompanied by crying sounds.
What happened?
Stepping out of the house door, Wei Yuan approached the backyard. He discovered that many people gathered in the old orchard. Upon closer inspection, Shuigui's wife was sitting on the ground ungracefully, loudly wailing while slapping her thighs.
Sweat... Wei Yuan felt somewhat intimidated inside.
So he rarely went to the backyard. Immediately, he observed the peach trees. Those days, Shuigui's family sprayed pesticides, and he hadn't paid much attention.
Most of the peach trees in the orchard barely bloomed now. Only the distant pear trees had some scattered flower buds, but the scene was rather desolate. The orchard before his eyes, compared to his own and Wang Changhe's families, where peach blossoms flourished, was clearly two different worlds.
It seemed Lin Xiaqin and Professor Zhang were also present. Among the crowd, Wei Yuan spotted Wang Changhe's figure. Professor Zhang was pointing at a peach tree, holding a peach branch, and seemed to be explaining something.
Deciding to join the crowd to observe, Wei Yuan thought about analyzing the reasons.
Listening to Professor Zhang's speech and answering villagers' questions beside him, Wei Yuan walked towards the gathering crowd.
The peach trees in this orchard have reached their old age, having only been managed properly for about ten years. Generally, peach trees' prime fruiting period lasts only about a decade or so.
Yes, yes. Old Fang uncle planted them, and it has indeed been over a decade now. Wang Daqing responded from the side.
My family also planted five mu of peach trees this year. Why did his family harvest so many fruits last year? One villager asked. Everyone just followed Treegui’s success, but why did it suddenly fail?
Look at this thick resin. The gummosis is already severe. It was already amazing that the trees bore fruit last year. There must have been signs before. Many branches have dried up. Look at those trees over there; they've already died.
Then what can be done? We only made money for one year...
Unlike his wife, Treegui initially tried to hold on. But upon hearing that the trees were beyond saving, he burst into tears. His heart was icy cold, and he clung to the last shred of hope, asking Professor Zhang.
Those pear trees are still okay, though the variety isn't great. These peach trees have no value left to save. Hmm, it's best to graft new varieties and put more effort into applying base fertilizers...
Peach trees are like this; they show results quickly but have a short lifespan. Management is essential...
Most of those who planted peaches last autumn listened attentively as Professor Zhang explained some important aspects of peach tree cultivation. The surrounding villagers nodded continuously. Hardly anyone paid attention to the dispirited Treegui family.
With all hope lost, Wang Treegui finally squatted down, pale-faced and unable to utter another word.
Wei Yuan sighed deeply. Ultimately, this family ended up losing more than they gained.
There's no point in looking anymore. Turning back home.
Tea unfinished, Wei Yuan was at home when Changhe unexpectedly visited.
Isn't this person the one who was just listening to Professor Zhang's lecture? How did he end up here?
Initially insisting on contracting the orchard, isn't this person laughable or not? Clinging desperately, now that there's a problem, he's starting to act unreasonable, saying he won't pay the contract fee if he doesn't make money.
How about that? Home? Wei Yuan gestured toward the old orchard direction.
Who else could it be? It's Treegui's family. They only harvested fruits for one year and haven't even recovered the interest. They can't afford the contract fee, want to return the orchard to the village, give it to whoever wants it, and stop contracting. They even want the village to compensate for their losses.
Dizzy! Wei Yuan didn't expect such behavior.
Changhe sighed. Seeing Wei Yuan's astonished face.
Find new varieties of pear trees to graft. Brother Wei, don't mind me. Every village has a few useless people like this. Professor Zhang even offered to help select peach saplings for him. But he still refused. Everyone in the village knows he's a deadbeat, extremely stingy. When he made money, look at how proud he acted, almost flying into the sky. Now that there's a problem, he wants to shrink like a turtle, disgusting!
How can they demand compensation from the village? Didn't they make a lot of money? Wei Yuan was more puzzled about this. Saying they won't contract anymore is barely understandable.
The village won't allow it. Initially, they wanted to contract land with fruit trees. They insisted on contracting at least ten mu. Therefore, besides those old trees, they also had nearly four mu of empty land. Last autumn, seeing everyone buying saplings, they followed suit and bought a hundred. They should have bought two hundred but were reluctant. They also paid last year's contract fee and invested in pesticides and fertilizers, using most of their earnings. Wang Changhe's mental account of the fruit trees was quite clear.