Boss Li’s eyes went wide when he heard that. He hurriedly called an employee over to take down the order.
“Of course, of course! I’ll arrange everything for you right away! Since you’re buying such a large quantity, I’ll waive all the odd change, and I’ll throw in half a month’s supply of starter feed and preventative medicine for the young animals. I guarantee everything will be arranged properly!”
Zhang Yanyan paid the deposit, left the warehouse address, and requested that the delivery be completed before noon. Then she left the shop and headed toward the nearby nursery market.
The nursery market was lush with greenery. Direct-sale nurseries lined both sides of the street, with all kinds of fruit trees neatly arranged, each with a complete root ball. Many shop owners were introducing their varieties to customers.
After looking around, Zhang Yanyan chose the shop with the widest selection and the best-maintained root systems. The owner was a woman in her forties with the surname Liu. The moment she saw Zhang Yanyan come in, she greeted her with a smile.
“Miss, what kind of saplings are you looking for? All our plants are raised in our own nurseries, and they come with soil-packed root balls. Their survival rate is very high!”
Zhang Yanyan walked around the racks of saplings once before asking, “Could you recommend several reliable categories for me? I’d like tropical fruit trees that can be grown in both the north and the south and can bear fruit in an indoor greenhouse; berry plants that taste good and are easy to grow; rare, high-value fruit trees with steady growth; and, in addition, some valuable timber trees that will be worth a lot once they mature. Please tell me which varieties would be suitable.”
Sister Liu immediately became enthusiastic. She pointed out each variety and introduced them one by one.
“For tropical fruits, we have dwarf mango, durian, mangosteen, jackfruit, and wax apple saplings. They’re all improved cold-resistant varieties. As long as you control the temperature indoors, they can bear fruit. They’re all sturdy plants at least two years old, so they can bear fruit the year after planting.
“For berries, I recommend blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, hardy kiwifruit, and blackcurrants. They can all survive in pots or in the ground, produce high yields, and taste excellent.
“For rare, high-value fruit trees, I recommend sweet cherries, Shine Muscat grapevines, pecans, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. We also have improved seedless lychees and Guiwei lychees. These varieties are currently in high demand, have superb flavor, are easy to grow, and set fruit reliably.”
After a pause, she led Zhang Yanyan toward the saplings along the side and pointed to a row of young trees with sturdy trunks and full, healthy root systems.
“Please take a look at the valuable timber trees over here. These are all robust saplings carefully cultivated in our nursery: red sandalwood, Hainan huanghuali, Dalbergia, golden nanmu, and ebony.
“They’re all genuine varieties with high survival rates. The only drawback is that they take a long time to mature, but their value increases the longer you keep them. These days, many people who own large tracts of forest come here to place bulk orders.”
Zhang Yanyan crouched down and carefully examined the root systems and soil balls of the fruit trees. She then inspected the condition of each timber sapling before asking, “Do these fruit trees need pollinizer trees? How many years will it take for them to reach full production? And do these timber trees have any special planting requirements? Please tell me the key points I need to know about caring for them.”
“Don’t worry. Most of the fruit trees are self-pollinating. For the few varieties that need a partner, I’ll prepare them in pairs, so you won’t have to worry about it separately.
“I’ll give you all grafted, sturdy saplings that are at least two years old. With proper care, they can bear a small amount of fruit in the first year and reach full production in the second.
“These timber trees are even easier to care for. They aren’t picky about soil and can withstand drought and rough conditions. As long as they’re planted properly, they basically won’t need much attention afterward. They just grow slowly, so you’ll need to be patient.
“I’ll write up detailed planting instructions for you later, including the fertilization schedule and care requirements for each fruit variety, as well as the techniques for establishing the timber trees. I’ll explain everything clearly and make sure you can keep them alive.”
Sister Liu spoke with great sincerity.
Zhang Yanyan already knew what she was doing. Her space was nourished by Spirit Spring water and had a time flow ten times faster than the outside world. Even young saplings would grow rapidly there, so she had no need to worry about their development. Even valuable timber trees that normally took decades to mature could have their growing period greatly shortened inside the space. Besides, she was in no hurry.
Without asking anything else, she placed her order.
“For the tropical fruit saplings you just mentioned, I’ll take forty of each variety. For the berries, fifty of each. For the rare fruit trees you recommended, thirty of each.
“I’ll also take thirty each of the more common cherry, pomegranate, loquat, persimmon, and crisp jujube saplings. And for the valuable timber trees you just mentioned, I’ll take sixty of each.”
“No problem!” Sister Liu beamed so broadly that her face looked like a blooming flower.
“I’ll wrap every plant’s original soil ball properly and secure it tightly with plastic film to prevent damage to the roots. I’ll also give you twenty packets of rooting powder and twenty bags of special organic fertilizer. They can be used for both fruit trees and timber trees!
“With an order this large, I’ll give you a fifteen-percent discount. I guarantee I’ll arrange everything perfectly!”
Zhang Yanyan paid the bill and left the warehouse address. She watched as Sister Liu arranged for the workers to package the saplings, repeatedly reminding them of the delivery time before turning around and heading to her final stop: the aquatic products market.
The aquatic products market was filled with misty moisture. Wholesale seafood shops lined both sides of the passageway, while fish, shrimp, and crabs leaped energetically in the tanks. The bubbling sounds of the aeration pumps rose and fell one after another.
Zhang Yanyan found the largest aquatic-products wholesaler in the market. The owner, Boss Zhang, was scooping fish for a customer. When he saw her enter, he quickly wiped his hands and came over to greet her.
“Miss, what kind of fish fry or aquatic products are you looking for? Everything we carry comes directly from reservoirs. Our fingerlings are vigorous and have a high survival rate!”
Looking at the various fish fry in the tanks, Zhang Yanyan asked, “I’ve expanded my fishpond and want to add more stock. Could you recommend some varieties? Which fish can be raised together without fighting and have high survival rates?
“And what kinds of freshwater shrimp and crabs are easy to raise and produce high yields?”
Boss Zhang immediately began explaining.
“For freshwater polyculture, the first choice is the five major carp species: grass carp, common carp, crucian carp, silver carp, and bighead carp. They occupy different levels of the water, so they don’t compete for food. They grow quickly and don’t get sick easily.
“If you want something more premium, you can add x fish and x fish. Their meat is delicious, and they sell for a high price.
“For shrimp, choose freshwater prawns or Pacific white shrimp. Both can be raised entirely in freshwater.
“For crabs, choose Chinese mitten crabs. Their survival rate is high, and they grow quickly. Loaches and eels can also be raised. They aren’t particular about the water and can survive as long as you provide some aquatic plants.”
Zhang Yanyan asked again, “Will the fish fry die during transport? If I raise them together, how should I proportion them? Are there any important things I need to know about raising them?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll package them with continuous oxygenation, and any losses during transport will be covered by me. I guarantee a survival rate of at least eighty percent!
“I’ll calculate the polyculture ratios for you. Herbivorous and predatory species will be kept properly separated, so there’s absolutely no chance of the larger fish eating the smaller ones.
“I’ll also write up detailed aquaculture instructions for you, including the disinfection process before introducing the fish fry into the pond. I guarantee you’ll be able to raise them successfully!”
Zhang Yanyan placed her order immediately.
“I’ll take five hundred fingerlings each of the four major carp species; two hundred each of sea bass and mandarin fish; three hundred jin each of freshwater prawns and Chinese mitten crab juveniles; one hundred jin each of loach and eel fry; and two hundred each of koi and goldfish fry for the ornamental pond.”
“Got it! I’ll have them packed right away!” Boss Zhang immediately called over the workers to net the fish and fill the bags with oxygen.
“With an order this large, I’ll give you a discounted price and throw in aquatic plants, fish medicine, and feed. I guarantee everything will be arranged properly!”
