Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 216: All the work is done by machines, but where are the people?
Although Ximen Lang had never actually farmed, he couldn't even tell the difference between leeks and wheat seedlings.

But even if he hasn’t eaten pork, hasn’t he seen a pig run?
Although he has never grown it, his relatives, friends, parents, grandparents and grandparents have all grown it!

If they have planted it, doesn’t that mean Ximen Lang has planted it?
So Ximen Lang really knows a little about how to farm.

He was also willing to share everything with Lao Luo and the others without reservation. With his legs crossed, Ximen Lang started talking.

"How do you farm? Don't tell me, Lao Luo, you're asking the right person!"

First, Wang Po boasted about her own erudition.

Under the expectant gazes of Lao Luo, Bai Ling and others, Ximen Lang continued.

"Although I've never farmed before, farming consists of five key aspects: plowing, nurturing, planting, managing, and harvesting. Plowing involves tilling the land, nurturing involves raising seedlings, planting involves planting, managing, and harvesting involves harvesting. As long as these five steps are handled well, it's easy to expect a good harvest!"

Not to mention, this whole speech was just nonsense as if nothing had been said. Lao Luo and Bai Ling who heard it were simply confused and impressed.

Just when Ximen Lang had completely whetted their appetites and they began to expect Ximen Lang to bring out more useful information.

Ximen Lang's performance began.

"As you know, some things are easier said than done. Farming is the same. It sounds easy, but once you really put it into practice, it's actually quite troublesome."

"First, you need to find a reliable all-in-one machine that combines plowing, planting, and fertilizing. Then, you need to go to a seed station to buy seeds. Then, you need to give the seeds to the owner of the all-in-one machine and have him plant them for you."

Lao Luo and Bai Ling were stunned by what they heard.

Seeing that Ximen Lang hadn't said anything for a long time, Bai Ling was stunned.

"and then?"

"Then when the crops are ripe, I can find a combine harvester that can harvest, thresh, separate, clean, and collect grain. I'll spend some money and have it harvest for you."

"anything else?"

“Dry the grain and sell the grain!”

"That's it? It's gone?"

"if not?"

The conversation, which both parties found somewhat incomprehensible, plunged the office into complete silence.

After a long time, Bai Ling finally calmed down and asked again.

"Think about it carefully. Is there anything else you must do?"

"Is there anything else I must do personally? That's all, right?"

"No more? What about weeding? What about tending to the crops?"

"What era is this? Why bother weeding or tending to crops? Just buy a few bottles of pesticide and ask the boss to spread it for you. There's no need to go through so much trouble."

You don’t even have to weed or tend to the crops!
You can just take a few weeks out of the year and harvest a whole crop from planting to harvesting without even having to do it yourself!

This is in stark contrast to the current situation where people face the earth and work with their backs to the sky, and are so cautious that they can't wait to lie on the crops every day for fear of any mishaps!
Seeing this, Bai Ling couldn't hold it anymore.

"No, you let the machine do everything for you, so what do you do?"

"Nonsense, of course I'm going to work! You don't really expect that the grain sold from those few acres of land can meet the family's expenses for a year, do you? You're flattering me!"

After hearing what Ximen Lang said, Bai Ling hurriedly calculated her gains.

Even if the weather is good every year and every crop is a bumper harvest, with the price of grain being as cheap as cabbage in later generations, you won't earn much from a few acres of land in a year.

Bai Ling was shocked.

"Wouldn't that kind of land be profitable?" "I can't say it's unprofitable, but if your family only has a few acres of land, then it definitely won't make much money. It might not even be worth spending a thousand yuan a year. But if you have the qualifications and are willing to invest a lot of money, you can contract large tracts of land, connect them together, and build a large farm."

"Then, if we use mechanized planting, or even intelligent planting, a few people can handle tens of thousands of acres, or even hundreds of thousands of acres. As costs continue to drop, small amounts add up to a lot, and if we accumulate small amounts, we can make money. We can make a fortune!"

As he said this, he was afraid that Bai Ling and Lao Luo wouldn't understand.

Ximen Lang took out his mobile phone and started searching for smart planting.

Then, not to mention Bai Ling and Lao Luo, even Ximen Lang himself was shocked by the intelligent planting technology of later generations.

"Even the agricultural machinery is unmanned, and the accuracy can be as precise as centimeters! If this could be used to build a large farm, it would be amazing!"

It’s true, jokes come true!

"You are already a mature tractor. You should learn to work on your own."

Even Ximen Lang had this reaction, not to mention Lao Luo and Bai Ling.

It's simply stunning.

Several people were directly shocked by the level of intelligence in later generations.

But this inevitably reminded Bai Ling of the question that had been lingering in her mind and had no answer until now.

"You've let machines do all the work. Where are the people? Where are they? How are all these people going to make a living?"

But this question is obviously not something Ximen Lang can answer.

It's in vain to ask.

So, I just didn’t mention it at all.

After realizing that the mechanized and intelligent planting of the future generations is meaningless except for broadening horizons and helping the world of Sijiu City to establish a development direction.

Several people stopped talking right there and ended the topic neatly and efficiently.

Now it was Ximen Lang's turn to be surprised.

"No, there are so many good things, don't you want them?"

With so many good things, it would be a lie to say that Bai Ling and Lao Luo don’t want them.

But the problem is that these unmanned agricultural machines, which have extremely high technological content at first glance, are simply not something that the world of Sijiu City can handle!

It is not something that the impoverished world of Beijing can afford!

If they buy too little, it’s meaningless. If they buy too much, they can’t afford it, let alone maintain it.

Then what’s the point of buying it?
It would be better to invest the limited scientific research resources into small things that have far lower technological content than these things but have equally astonishing profits, just like we do now.

For example, we still haven't fully mastered the plastic bag industry, and we still can't produce all the parts of lighters completely in-house.

These inconspicuous yet extremely popular little things are the best things that suit the world of Sijiu City!
Of course, there is the most critical point.

"People here aren't nearly as valuable as you. Even if things were sold on credit, how would we, the farmers, survive if all the work was done by machines? We have to be realistic."

Ximen Lang was left speechless.

Seeing that it was meaningless to learn from the advanced planting techniques of later generations, Bai Ling and Lao Luo looked at each other.

In the end, it was Bai Ling, who had the closest relationship with Ximen Lang, who spoke first.

"Alang, do you sell food there?"

(End of this chapter)