Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

After leaving the county town, all you can see is endless wilderness.

The roadsides are lined with various green plants, but in the distance you can still see the unique color of the desert.

If you look down from the sky, this road leading to the west of Minqin must be an amazing sight - like an emerald ribbon, thrown casually on the vast land by an invisible hand, winding and finally disappearing in the depths of the wasteland where Gobi and desert are intertwined.

"Boss, the nearest sand control station to us is located in the desert area near Xinglong Village. I heard that many volunteers go there." Chen Fei turned his head to look at Su Chen who was admiring the scenery outside the window and asked for instructions.

"Well, let's go to the Xinglong Village you mentioned!" Su Chen responded without turning his head, stretching his right hand out of the window, feeling the gentle breeze in the morning.

I don’t know if God is blessing Su Chen and the others, but the weather in Minqin is exceptionally sunny today, and even the wind is very cool, and there is no flying sand in the air.

"Stop ahead!" Su Chen saw a man who looked to be in his forties setting up a stall on the roadside about thirty to fifty meters ahead with an eye-catching sign - Minqin honeydew melon at 50 cents a pound!
Su Chen remembered that Chen Fei had told him before that Minqin was the hometown of honeydew melons. It was worthy of this title, so this honeydew melon must have its merits.

Chen Fei, who was driving, naturally saw the melon stall. After hearing Su Chen's words, he quickly turned right to remind Su Yan who was following behind that they were about to pull over.

"Uncle, your melon is 50 cents a pound?" Su Chen squatted in front of the stall and picked up a honeydew melon and shook it. It weighed at least four or five pounds, and there was a rich fruity aroma coming from it.

When the uncle saw the four people and the two expensive-looking off-road vehicles approaching one after another, his eyes lit up instantly, and he grinned and said, "Yes, it's only 50 cents a pound, 25 a bag!"

"I grew these melons myself. They're real desert melons. Young man, I'll cut one for you to try. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

After saying this, before Su Chen could react, the uncle picked up a four or five pound melon and cut the whole melon into eight pieces with a flick of the knife. He also considerately scraped out the pulp in the middle before handing it to Su Chen and the other three.

Seeing the uncle's enthusiasm, Su Chen and the others were also deeply moved. They said thank you and took the melon and started eating.

The one who moved the fastest was Su Yan. He took it and took a bite. When the juice of the honeydew melon burst in his mouth, Su Yan's eyes widened a lot.

"Hiss~ So sweet, this melon is so juicy, big brother, little Fei, and little fish, come and have a taste."

After hearing this, the three of them looked at the yellowed melon in their hands and started eating it.

Just as Su Yan said, it was indeed very sweet and juicy, not as crispy as the honeydew melons I had eaten before.

Hearing the praise from Su Chen and the other three, the melon-selling uncle's eyes almost narrowed with smile. He knew that his melon stall, which had not yet been set up, would be opened soon.

He enthusiastically divided the remaining four pieces among Su Chen and the other three.

After just a quick taste, the four people who were not yet satisfied did not refuse and started eating again after taking it.

In just three or five minutes, a four or five kilogram melon was completely finished by Su Chen and his companions.

Su Chen took the wet tissue that Fade Chen handed over, wiped his mouth and hands, then looked at the uncle and asked, "Uncle, your honeydew melon is so delicious, why is it only 50 cents a pound? Based on the quality and sweetness of this honeydew melon, it can sell for at least five or six yuan in the supermarket!"

The uncle smiled naively, put the melon rinds that Su Chen and the others had eaten into a bag, and then responded: "Young man, we all understand what you said, but this is the reality."

"There are many people growing melons here, and the roads are remote. It's not enough to pay for the round trip gas to transport the melons to sell! In the past, melon traders from other places came to buy them, and the price was even lower than this."

"But... the situation has improved a lot now. More and more volunteers come to Minqin to plant trees, and many tourists passing by buy our melons to try. We are not worried about not having a market anymore."

Su Chen showed a hint of surprise when he heard this. He also understood what the uncle meant. It seemed that many people who came to plant trees had bought honeydew melons from Minqin.

"Uncle, from what you said, there are quite a few people buying honeydew melons now, so why is the price so cheap? Even if you don't sell it at supermarket prices, it's still cheap if you sell it for just over a dollar. Why are you still selling it for 50 cents a pound?"

"Hahaha!" Upon hearing this, the uncle laughed out loud, "Young man, we are all honest people. How can we arbitrarily raise the price just because there are more foreign tourists? What's more, we are not losing money at this price."

“You have come from afar to Minqin, not only boosting the local economy, but also helping us plant trees in the desert. We are so grateful to you that we cannot possibly earn money from you outsiders.

"Besides, if it weren't for the volunteers like you who come to Minqin to travel or plant trees, we wouldn't be able to sell our honeydew melons and would have to wait for the melon merchants to lower their prices."

"As a human being, you should be content and not lose yourself because of a temporary change."

Su Chen and the others all smiled faintly when they heard this. They didn't expect that the uncle selling honeydew melons could see things so clearly.

"Uncle, give us eight bags!" The atmosphere was already so tense, and Su Chen wasted no time and spoke directly.

Twenty-five dollars a bag, eight bags only cost about two hundred dollars, which can be said to be the cheapest.

When the boss heard Su Chen's words, he laughed so hard that his back teeth were exposed, and he quickly took out eight bags of honeydew melons from a pile on the side.

They were all packed in yellow net bags. There were at least a dozen melons in each bag, and they looked like a huge pile when put together.

Uncle Honeydew Melon was just about to carry the eight bags of honeydew melons to the car for Su Chen and the others, but Su Chen immediately stopped the uncle and turned to give a look to Chen Fei and Su Yan beside him, signaling them to move the honeydew melons to the car.

Originally, the uncle wanted to help move the things, but when he saw Chen Fei and Su Yan carrying more than 50 kilograms of honeydew melons in each hand and walking very fast, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"Come on, uncle, have a cigarette!" Su Chen took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to the uncle, lit it, and then lit one for himself.

"Uncle, how many melons can you produce in a year?" Su Chen asked casually after exhaling a puff of smoke.

"That's a lot! Last year's output was about 430,000 tons. This year's situation is much better than last year, and the output will only increase, not decrease!"

"I planted thirty acres myself. This year's honeydew melons are not only plump, but also extremely sweet and juicy. The yield per acre has reached three tons!" While introducing Minqin, the uncle did not forget to talk about his own situation, with a happy smile on his face.

Lin Xiaoyu, who was standing by, was a little shocked when he heard that the uncle had planted thirty acres of honeydew melons, but he started to make some calculations in his mind.

Thirty acres, with a yield of three tons per acre, which is dozens of tons. If converted into kilograms, it would be 180,000 kilograms. At 50 cents per kilogram, the income is only 90,000 yuan!

180,000 jins and 90,000 yuan?

After Lin Xiaoyu finished the calculation in her mind, she couldn't help but frown. She pulled Su Chen's sleeve and whispered, "Brother, uncle grows 30 acres of land and only makes 90,000 yuan a year? This still includes various costs. I didn't expect the melon farmers' income to be so low."

Su Chen lowered his eyes and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "It's not just melon farmers, aren't those who grow vegetables and grains the same?"

He still remembers the supermarket he visited when he first moved into Seaview No. 250. A portion of whole-grain bread weighing no more than grams was sold for dozens of yuan, and it was marketed as being healthy for the stomach.

But in fact, it is just a piece of grain that costs about one pound, and the coarse grain is made by crushing it together with the shell, but its value has increased by dozens of times.

Although Lin Xiaoyu spoke in a low voice, the melon farmer still heard it clearly. He shook off the ashes and said calmly, "After deducting the money for seeds, fertilizers, and watering, there will be about 50,000 or 60,000 left! But we farmers rely on the weather for our livelihood, and we are already very satisfied with this income."

Looking at the smile on the melon farmer's face, Su Chen felt inexplicably heavy in his heart, and was thinking about whether he should come up with a plan like "rural revitalization".

Relying on the Douyin platform, we have formed a professional team to promote these high-quality fruits and agricultural products that are produced locally across the country.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Su Yan, who had finished making rice flower, walked back and saw Su Chen who was lost in thought, and asked subconsciously.

"It's okay!" Su Chen came back to his senses and shook his head slightly. He found that there were new customers at the melon stall and the uncle was entertaining them warmly.

Looking at the uncle's enthusiastic smile, Su Chen did not bother him anymore. Instead, he turned and walked towards Big G, "Let's go to Xinglong Village!"

Amid the roar of their engines, two Mercedes-Benz Gs were back on the road. In the rearview mirror, an uncle melon farmer was bending over to help new customers select honeydew melons.

Su Chen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, pondered for a moment and then picked up his phone, ready to call Pei Rang. Just as he was about to make the call, he thought of the things he had arranged for him, so he called Zong Xinyao after thinking about it.

He briefly talked about his plan to promote local fruits and agricultural and sideline products through live broadcasts using the Douyin platform.

Immediately, Zong Xinyao exclaimed, wondering why the boss was so smart.

As one of the top executives of Yunmengze Group, Zong Xinyao would not be able to hold this position securely if she did not have some skills.

When she heard Su Chen's plan, she immediately saw the huge potential benefits in it. You know, the price at the source is several times or even dozens of times cheaper than the market price. If you control the source, doesn't that mean you control countless wealth?

Zong Xinyao immediately took over the plan and was personally responsible for the project. After all, she was very familiar with Zhang Yiming, so it was much easier to discuss related cooperation.

"You will be in charge of this project, but I have a request, which is to ensure the interests of those melon farmers and fruit farmers. They must not suffer any losses. We must achieve a win-win situation!" Su Chen said in a heavy tone.

He doesn't want this plan to end up becoming a part of exploitation!
"Boss, don't worry. Without the middlemen and various dealers, the benefits between us and the melon farmers will be maximized!" Zong Xinyao said confidently.

After giving her a few more serious instructions and asking her to come up with a plan as soon as possible, Su Chen hung up the phone.

This is the advantage of being a boss. As long as you have any good ideas or plans, as long as you put them into place, someone will naturally put the best option in front of you.

When Su Chen hung up the phone, he found that they had arrived at the sand control station near Xinglong Village, and many people were busy in the desolate desert.

But there are more volunteers like Su Chen and his friends who have just arrived at their destination.

Led by their respective leaders, they walked towards the sand control station carrying a flag they made themselves.

The appearance of the two G-Class naturally attracted a lot of attention. You have to know that in this desolate desert, most of the cars are some local vans or buses from Minqin. Of course, there are also some off-road vehicles, but they are far inferior to these two cars.

"Hello, are you also volunteers here to plant trees?" Su Chen and his friends put on their sand-proof suits and as soon as they got out of the car, someone came up to greet them.

The man who came did not cover himself tightly like Su Chen and the others. He just wore a hat and had a red sleeve hanging on his left arm. He was one of the persons in charge of this sand control station.

Su Chen did not answer the man immediately. Instead, he looked at Su Yan and Lin Xiaoyu and said, "Don't you two want to plant trees? Go quickly. You can still follow the main group!"

Su Yan and Lin Xiaoyu nodded and trotted after the volunteers. Su Chen then looked at the man who had spoken before, "We are just passing by for tourism. It should be okay for my brother and the others to join us, right?"

The man's eyes flashed with doubt when he heard this, but he still nodded. "Of course, we are all voluntary here. If you want to visit, you are very welcome. I just hope you don't drive into the desert. After all, many saplings in this area have just been planted not long ago."

"Don't worry, we'll just take a look and won't drive in!" Su Chen said with a smile.

"Okay, if you need any help, you can find the relevant staff!" The man patted the red sleeve on his left arm, indicating that anyone carrying this thing is a staff member.

After saying that, he nodded politely towards Su Chen and the others, then turned and walked towards the volunteers.

"Let's go and take a look, let's go to that sand dune!" Su Chen looked around and found a sand dune about ten meters high, which was just enough to take in the entire sand control site.

Although the sand dune is only about ten meters high, Su Chen and his team still put in a lot of effort and went around a long circle before they finally climbed up from the back. If they had climbed from the front, they might not have been able to climb up the dune even using their hands and feet.

Standing on the top of the sand dune, you can clearly see the volunteers who are working, some are digging holes, some are watering, and the division of labor is quite clear.

"Eh~" Chen Fei made a puzzled sound.

"What's wrong?" Su Chen looked at Chen Fei with a puzzled look.

"Boss, have you noticed..." Chen Fei pointed at the volunteers who were busy in the distance, "Those who came here to plant trees are all women, and there are only a few men."

"I just checked and there are at least 400 to 500 people in this area. Isn't this ratio a bit too exaggerated?"

Su Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this, "Haha~ I thought you had discovered something extraordinary. Isn't it normal that there are more girls? If there were more boys, that would be abnormal... Okay!"

Speaking of this, a meaningful smile flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

"Ah? It's normal to have more girls? It's abnormal to have more boys? Boss, why is this?" Chen Fei's face was full of question marks.

Chen Fei definitely believed Su Chen's words 100%, but he just didn't understand what they meant.

Su Chen did not give too much explanation, but just asked Chen Fei to take a look. Perhaps it would not take long before you would have the answer in your mind.

Chen Fei could only nod helplessly and carefully observe the situation at the sand control site.

As time passed, Chen Fei became more and more confused.

He found that for the volunteers in the entire area, planting trees only took three or four simple steps: digging holes, planting trees, backfilling, and watering.

There were also many volunteers holding their mobile phones to record the process of planting trees. From time to time, a few friends who got along well or were in the same industry gathered together to take photos, and all kinds of laughter and joy echoed in the area.

Chen Fei scratched his head and couldn't help muttering: "Boss, why do I feel like they are here..."

"Are you here for a trip?" Su Chen took over the question with a faint smile on his lips.

"Yes, that's the feeling!" Chen Fei slapped his thigh fiercely, "Just like what you said, planting trees is like..."

"Check in!"

Su Chen looked at the groups of volunteers in the distance and said softly, "Didn't you notice? Most of them don't even know the most basic knowledge of sand prevention and forest protection!"

Chen Fei frowned immediately, and he gradually understood the answer to the previous question, why are there so few men here...

Of course there are not many. Everyone is busy making money to support their families. Who has the time and energy to come here and plant trees?

"Boss, then... aren't their efforts in vain? In this environment, if we don't use the grass grid sand barrier, how many of these Haloxylon ammodendron saplings can survive!"

Chen Fei's expression became a little gloomy at this time. He didn't want to see sand control become a performance platform for others, so that those selfless sand control workers would not get the attention they deserve.

"Who said this is useless?" Su Chen's tone was gentle but with a hint of firmness.

Ok? !

Now it was Chen Fei's turn to be confused. He stared at his boss blankly. Didn't he just say that these people didn't know the basic knowledge of sand prevention and forest protection? Why was he speaking well of them now?

As if seeing Chen Fei's doubts, Su Chen continued: "If so many Haloxylon ammodendron saplings are planted in this area, even if only 30% or even 20% survive, it will still make a contribution to sand control."

"Have you forgotten the two uncles we met before? The one in the breakfast shop and the melon farmer. It is these volunteers from all over the world who have brought new vitality to this land and made more people understand the harm of the desert and those who have dedicated themselves to desert control."

"These people are like flames. They will spread the idea of ​​planting trees to prevent sand, and encourage more people to come to Minqin and plant trees here!"

“This is a win-win feast for Minqin, local vendors, fruit farmers, and volunteers!”

“A single spark can start a prairie fire! Perhaps in ten or twenty years, the Tengger Desert and the Badain Jaran Desert will be covered in lush greenery.”

Su Chen's voice was particularly clear in the wind, and Chen Fei nodded thoughtfully.

He looked at the busy figures in the distance, and suddenly he felt that the flags swaying in the wind and the laughter became vivid.

"Let's go, let's go to Qingtu Lake!" Su Chen patted Chen Fei on the shoulder and walked down the sand dune first.

"Going to Qingtu Lake? Boss, do we need to call Su Yan and Xiaoyu back?" Chen Fei slid down the sand dune and landed next to Su Chen.

Su Chen looked in the direction of Su Yan and the others, and could vaguely see the two of them digging holes and planting trees with great excitement on their faces.

"No need, let's just go the two of us! Didn't the uncle at the breakfast shop say that the environment over at Qingtu Lake is not good? Let them plant trees here with peace of mind!" Su Chen paused for a moment, then opened the passenger door and sat in.

Hearing this, Fade Chen said nothing more. He quickly opened the door and got into the car, then stepped on the accelerator and drove towards Qingtu Lake.

It is about 20 kilometers from Xinglong Village to Qingtu Lake, and it takes at least half an hour to drive.

The first part of the journey was fine, with trees on both sides of the road and no wind or sand. But when there were still two or three kilometers away from Qingtu Lake, the environment suddenly changed. The trees on both sides of the road disappeared instantly and were replaced by short Haloxylon ammodendron trees. Even the road turned into a dirt road.

Just when Su Chen thought that the road ahead would be filled with yellow sand, he soon discovered something wrong. He actually saw a lake in the distance!
Yes, that’s right, it’s a lake!

However, the area of ​​the lake is not very large. It is divided into several small lakes, and the surrounding area is planted with Haloxylon ammodendron trees fixed with grass grids.

"What's going on?" Su Chen smacked his lips and muttered in surprise.

"This is Qingtu Lake. How come this place is an oasis and not the yellow sand as the uncle said?" Chen Fei confirmed several times with his mobile phone and found that they were not in the wrong place. This place was Qingtu Lake.

"Drive forward and see if there is anyone!" In an oasis like this one located in the desert and with fresh water, there must be people patrolling here!

Sure enough, after Su Chen and his companions drove forward about five or six hundred meters, they saw a one-story cottage standing at the foot of a slope.

As soon as they parked the car, a middle-aged man came out and looked at Su Chen and the others with a serious face.

Before Su Chen could speak, the man took the initiative to say, "You can come here to travel, but your car cannot leave the main road. Also, you cannot go into the water or trample on the Haloxylon ammodendron trees on both sides of the road."

Su Chen was also stunned when he heard this, and then he smiled and said: "You misunderstood, we are not here to travel, we are here to find Uncle Wang Yinji."

"I heard before that he was controlling the sand in Qingtu Lake. I thought it was all yellow sand, but I didn't expect it to be an oasis."

Su Chen brought up what he had said in the breakfast shop and gave him a brief account of the situation.

"Looking for Brother Wang?" The middle-aged man looked at Su Chen and the others in astonishment. His gaze stayed on Su Chen's face for a long time before he responded, "Brother Wang is indeed in Qingtu Lake, but they are at the forefront of Qingtu Lake, quite a distance from here."

"As for why this place is an oasis, it's because countless Minqin people have worked hard for decades to restore the Qingtu Lake, which was originally desertified, to life!"

Speaking of this, the middle-aged man's face was filled with pride!

"So that's how it is..." Su Chen looked at the sparkling lake, and in his mind he could already see Uncle Wang and the other sand control workers using grass grids to fight for territory with the desert inch by inch.

The middle-aged man walked to Su Chen's side and pointed to the distance, "Three kilometers northwest of here is the real desert control front. Brother Wang and his men are stationed there all year round. If you want to go, you can come with me. I just want to deliver supplies to them."

Hearing this, Su Chen's face suddenly lit up with joy. If they were left to look for it on their own, they would be like headless flies and might even get lost in the desert.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, the middle-aged man drove out of the yard in a pickup truck, honked at Su Chen and his friends' car, and drove off towards the northwest. Su Chen and his friends naturally followed closely behind.

Soon... I experienced the harsh conditions that the breakfast uncle talked about. The wind and sand were whistling and hitting the glass, making crackling sounds.

It took a full fifteen minutes to drive the three kilometers. Through the car window, Su Chen saw many figures busy in the wind and sand. Their work was not affected at all by the wind and sand.

As soon as they got off the car, Su Chen and the others heard several anxious shouts coming from a distance.

The middle-aged man next to him heard the voice and his expression suddenly changed, "Oh no, something happened!"

The whole person rushed out like a cheetah and ran straight in the direction where the sound came from.

Su Chen and Chen Fei looked at each other and quickly chased after the middle-aged man. (End of this chapter)