**Chapter 14: Planting New Fruit Trees and Winter Feather's Efforts**
Bai Feng had made an appointment with Qing Qing Planting Garden online in advance, so when he arrived there and reported his name, he immediately received a warm reception from the staff.
The staff member saw that the visitor was a child, and although he felt a little strange, his attitude didn't change at all; he remained enthusiastic and thoughtful.
Led by the staff member, Bai Feng came to their planting area. Their planting scale was much larger than Bai Feng's small-scale operation. Looking out, the fields were full of Fruit Trees.
Of course, they were an organization specializing in selling Fruit Saplings, so what grew in the fields were small Fruit Saplings. Bai Feng didn't see many mature Trees as he walked along.
At each area, the staff member would introduce Bai Feng to the type of Fruit Tree Sapling, its characteristics, and what to pay attention to when planting. The service was very thorough.
Bai Feng currently had three types of Fruit Trees: Pecha Berry, Oran Berry, and Cheri Berry. The Berries of these three Fruit Trees generally ripened in April-May, but due to Couriway Town's special Climate, they would have another fruiting period in September-October.
So the Fruit Trees Bai Feng wanted to buy this time were those that could bear Fruit outside of these two periods. This way, the fruiting periods of the different types of Fruit Trees would be staggered, and he wouldn't have to worry about not having Berries to sell at any Time.
Soon, Bai Feng selected several types of Fruit Trees: Figy Berry, Chesto Berry, Wiki Berry, and Mago Berry.
The Berries of the Figy Berry ripened from January to March and July to September each year. The fruiting rate and fruiting period were much higher and longer than those of Pecha Berry, Oran Berry, and Cheri Berry. Therefore, planting it was much more cost-effective than the other three types of Berries.
Chesto Berry Fruit Trees were a little different from the other types of Fruit Trees. Even with Couriway Town's special Climate, they only had Berries from January to April. However, their Berries were more expensive than other Berries, so planting them wasn't a loss either.
The Berries of the Wiki Berry ripened from September each year to January of the following year. Although there wasn't a second fruiting period, the fruiting period lasted for 5 months, making it very cost-effective as well.
As for the last type, Mago Berry, this Berry was the most special case. It belonged to the type that bore Fruit all year round, and the fruiting rate was very high. Consequently, its Berries had the lowest price on the market.
Of course, as long as Bai Feng cultivated the Energy Level of the Fruit Trees, even the most ordinary Berries could be sold at a high price.
It was just that Bai Feng didn't have the conditions right now. If he did, he would directly build an Ecological Park where the Climate could be directly controlled. Then, when planting Berries, there would be no need to consider Climate and season.
Grandpa Fu's Garden was an Ecological Garden where temperature, humidity, and Sunlight could be freely adjusted. Grandpa Fu could freely plant Flowers, Grass, and Trees from various seasons and regions inside.
Ultimately, it was because he was poor.
Bai Feng ordered 200 of each type of Fruit Tree.
These Fruit Tree Saplings with extremely low Energy Rating were very cheap, averaging between 20 and 50 per Sapling. The Figy Berry Bai Feng bought was 25 each, Chesto Berry 40 each, Wiki Berry 28 each, and Mago Berry was the cheapest at 21 each.
In addition, Bai Feng also bought another 200 each of the Pecha Berry, Oran Berry, and Cheri Berry Fruit Trees. The ones he had cultivated himself before were truly too small-scale.
The latter three types of Fruit Trees had similar prices: Pecha Berry 28 each, Oran Berry 31 each, and Cheri Berry 27 each.
Bai Feng spent a total of 40,000 yuan on these Fruit Trees.
After selecting the Fruit Trees, Bai Feng paid the Deposit and just had to wait for the delivery.
Qing Qing Planting Garden was quite efficient. Probably because they were close by, they delivered all the Fruit Trees to Fang Xing Mountain in batches using large trucks in the afternoon.
Moreover, their service was very thorough. In addition to the staff who drove the trucks, they also brought several sturdy and efficient Machop, who moved the Fruit Trees to the designated locations exactly as Bai Feng instructed.
Bai Feng had been waiting at the foot of Fang Xing Mountain since receiving the call. As soon as the Fruit Trees arrived, he directed Fletchinder and the others, along with the Machop, to transport the Fruit Trees up the Mountain. It didn't take long for all the Fruit Trees to be in place.
Bai Feng paid the remaining Sapling Money and sent off the staff from Qing Qing Planting Garden with satisfaction.
The Diglett family had been digging holes on the Mountain since yesterday. Their digging efficiency was extremely high; they could dig one in just a few seconds.
In just one night, the family of three dug over a thousand holes on the Mountain. The size and depth of the holes, and the distance between them, were all according to Bai Feng's requirements.
Bai Feng was even considering whether to directly hire this family long-term because they were simply too capable, prioritizing both quantity and quality.
After the Fruit Trees arrived, the rest was planting them. This was a physical Task, after all, there were over a thousand Trees.
Bai Feng's Plan was to plant these seven types of Fruit Trees in a circular, layered arrangement from top to bottom on Fang Xing Mountain. The Mountain Top would be planted with Wiki Berry, which requires relatively low temperatures, followed by Figy Berry, Chesto Berry, Pecha Berry, Oran Berry, Cheri Berry, and finally Mago Berry at the bottom.
After telling the many Pokémon his requirements, Bai Feng led everyone to start working enthusiastically.
Among them, the most hardworking were the Diglett couple. They were strong and quick, easily handling tasks like moving Trees and filling soil, directly becoming the MVPs of this tree-planting activity.
(Diglett: We're working so hard just to get your attention and get rid of our Temporary Worker status as soon as possible to get a Permanent Position!)
Bai Feng and the Pokémon worked for four or five days straight. They left early and returned late every day, and finally, all the Fruit Trees were planted.
During these days, Bai Feng insisted on giving the Pokémon a Massage twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, to relieve their Fatigue. In the end, he was surprised to find that his Golden Finger Energy had suddenly increased significantly.
Had it evolved?
Bai Feng tried to divide the Golden Finger Energy into two streams, guiding them out of his body through his two Palms, and giving two Pokémon a Massage simultaneously. To his surprise, he actually succeeded.
From then on, he could multitask, giving two Pokémon a Massage at the same Time.
However, doing so required a lot of mental effort and demanded extremely high concentration, but in a sense, it was also a test of his willpower.
After the Fruit Trees were planted, Bai Feng officially proposed an employment request to the Diglett family.
"Diglett, do you want to stay here with me?"
He had dismissed the mother Diglett before because he simply couldn't afford to keep her, but things were different now. Although he still owed a large sum of Money, Bai Feng felt that raising a few employees shouldn't be a big problem.
We've been waiting for you to say that!
Did the Diglett family have any reason to refuse? Absolutely not, it was exactly what they wanted!
They had long envied Talonflame and Fletchinder for having Permanent Positions. Now that the pie had been placed in their hands, was there any reason not to eat it?
Both sides reached an agreement: the Diglett family would work for Bai Feng, and Bai Feng would provide food and accommodation, and regularly give them Massages.
With new employees, new Employee Dormitories also needed to be built. Fortunately, there were many Trees on the Mountain. Bai Feng took the Pokémon and cut down a few Trees, and it didn't take long to build a Wooden House that could accommodate the Diglett family of three.
The Diglett family happily moved into Fang Xing Mountain.
The male Diglett even went back to where he used to live and transplanted the Oran Berry Tree he had painstakingly planted years ago to Fang Xing Mountain, planting it next to the Wooden House they lived in.
He had worked hard to plant this Fruit Tree for many years, and he couldn't just abandon it.
The Wooden Houses on the Mountain could only be considered temporary residences for the employees. Bai Feng felt that when he had more Money, he would still have to build new ones because the Wooden Houses were built too simply.
After the Fruit Trees were planted, Bai Feng left Oshawott on Fang Xing Mountain. The Task of watering these thousand-plus Fruit Trees was all its responsibility.
In addition, combat Training with Fletchinder, Diglett, and others was also its Task. Only by using Skills extensively in daily life and combat could Oshawott gradually recover to be like a normal Pokémon.
Just as Bai Feng returned Home that day, Nanako ran over and said, "Brother Bai Feng, aren't you going back to School tomorrow? There's an exam in a couple of days, and your Teacher told me you must come back for the exam."
Uh... Bai Feng had been so busy these past few days that he had almost forgotten that he was still attending School.
"Okay, I understand. I'll go back to School tomorrow."
The next day, Bai Feng indeed went to School with Nanako and Youta. His classmates were already used to him not coming to School every now and then.
After two classes, Bai Feng was called to the office by his homeroom Teacher.
"Bai Feng, you've taken quite a long leave this time, haven't you?" Teacher Wu Tian said with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
He truly loved and hated this student. His grades were excellent, that went without saying, but he was a bit too self-willed. Not listening attentively in class was just a minor issue; now he was taking four, five, or even six days off whenever he requested leave.
It was truly outrageous. Is that how a student should behave?
"If you keep doing this, do you still want to graduate? You're already a year older than students in the same grade. Do you want to stay in junior School for another two years?"
Bai Feng asked in confusion, "But isn't it enough if I learn everything I need to learn? Why do I have to come to School?"
Teacher Wu Tian: ...He was speechless.
This was indeed the case. Bai Feng always ranked among the top, never dropping out of the top three in his grade.
"Alright, if you put it that way, fine. If you can't maintain your usual grades in this exam, then you must come to class obediently from now on!" Teacher Wu Tian said, staring.
"Then if I can maintain my grades and not fall behind, does that mean I don't have to come to class?" Bai Feng countered. He genuinely felt he didn't have enough Time.
Teacher Wu Tian was stumped again. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you can get first place this time, I'll agree to your request!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Can you make that decision?"
"I... can! As long as you can get first place, I'll decide that you don't have to come to School!"
"Then... I'll try my best."
After Bai Feng left, Teacher Wu Tian suddenly regretted making the agreement. What if that kid really got first place?
Ah~ Teacher Wu Tian sighed helplessly.
The exam Time arrived as scheduled. Bai Feng smoothly completed all the test papers.
In the two days before the exam results came out, Bai Feng went to School on Time every day and didn't read extracurricular Books during class. This unusual behavior aroused the curiosity of the subject teachers.
Every day after School, Bai Feng would be picked up on Time by Talonflame and taken to Fang Xing Mountain. Then, he would go through the Tree Diagram inside each Fruit Tree one by one, purifying and compressing their Energy.
All over a thousand Fruit Trees needed to be done, and it wasn't a one-time thing; it had to be done repeatedly in a cycle. This was a very large project that couldn't be completed in a day or two.
But cultivation was like this. Only with enough patience could sufficiently excellent Fruit Trees be cultivated. Which high-Energy Level Fruit Tree wasn't cultivated little by little by a planting master? The investment of Time, Energy, and Money was indispensable.
On the day the exam results came out, Teacher Wu Tian checked Bai Feng's grades immediately, and then he was stunned.
It was indeed first place, and full marks in all subjects, far ahead of the second place.
(-)~ He lay on the Chair, looking lifeless, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
At this moment, other teachers saw his half-dead appearance and asked curiously, "Teacher Wu Tian, what's wrong? Did your class not do well this time?"
Teacher Wu Tian's eyes gradually refocused. He shook his head and replied, "No, they did quite well."
"Then why the expression?" The teacher leaned over curiously and happened to see Bai Feng's grade ranking. He then said nonchalantly, "Ah~ Bai Feng from your class is first place this time. That's really good, that child is still so amazing!"
Good... What's so good about it! Teacher Wu Tian wanted to cry but had no tears.
After getting his report card, Bai Feng went directly to Teacher Wu Tian's office.
"I got first place, so I don't have to come to School anymore, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Teacher Wu Tian nodded reluctantly. He really wanted to say no, but he couldn't bring himself to. He truly had no temper when it came to this student.
"Alright then."
Bai Feng turned to leave after speaking, but Teacher Wu Tian immediately called out to him, "Hey, wait, I'm not finished yet!"
Bai Feng turned back, looking like he wanted him to hurry up and speak.
Teacher Wu Tian said helplessly, "Let me tell you this first, even if you don't come to School, you can't slack off. You still have to come back to School for exams in the future. I'll have your younger siblings notify you of the exam Time.
If you drop out of the top three in any exam, our agreement will be void!"
Bai Feng hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "Okay, is that all?"
Teacher Wu Tian covered his head and waved his hand, indicating for him to leave quickly, wanting him out of sight and out of mind.
After Bai Feng left Teacher Wu Tian's office, he went straight back to the classroom, packed his School bag, and left. His classmates just watched him silently, thinking:
A top student is amazing, they can come and go from School as they please.
Bai Feng didn't have a good relationship with any of his classmates, so no one said anything when he left.
As soon as Bai Feng walked out of the classroom, his Communicator on his wrist suddenly displayed a bank Account change notification, informing him that 100,000 yuan had been deposited.
Bai Feng was wondering where the Money came from when his phone rang immediately after. He looked and saw that it was Miss Jun Sha. Now he finally knew the origin of the Money.
"Bai Feng, did you receive the Money? 100,000." Miss Jun Sha's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"I received it," Bai Feng replied. "Is this the Bounty for helping capture the Smuggling Gang?"
"That's right. The matter with this Smuggling Gang is a bit complicated, so the Bounty only came down today," Miss Jun Sha explained.
"100,000 yuan, isn't that a bit much?" Bai Feng asked in confusion.
"Not much. You don't know how many evil deeds this gang has committed. They've been moving around everywhere, and the police have tried to catch them many times but haven't been able to apprehend them all.
Moreover, because of your help, we recovered a large sum of Stolen Money. Compared to that, 100,000 yuan is just a drop in the bucket."
"Is that so... Then I'll accept the Money." Bai Feng didn't ask any more questions. "Thank you for helping me apply for this Money."
"You're welcome, you deserve it. Besides, aren't you busy managing the Orchard now? Although this 100,000 yuan isn't a lot, I hope it can help you a little."
Ending the call with Miss Jun Sha, Bai Feng went directly to Fang Xing Mountain.
In the following days, Bai Feng lived a two-point-line life from the Orphanage to Fang Xing Mountain.
During the day, he would stay at Fang Xing Mountain, cultivating Fruit Trees with his Golden Finger and supervising Oshawott and Bai Ye's Training. In the evening, Talonflame would take him Home.
Such days were lonely and boring, almost completely isolated from the world, but Bai Feng, who had lived on a Deserted Island for eight years, adapted well.
While Bai Feng was diligently cultivating Fruit Trees, he didn't know that others were also concerned about his planting business.
When a large quantity of Berries were grown, there needed to be enough Customers.
Especially for high-Energy Level Berries, because they couldn't be directly taken to the Produce Market like Grade E and F-Rank Berries. If there weren't enough Customers, the Berries would just rot on the Trees.
According to Bai Feng's idea, his Berries had a high Energy Rating, so finding Customers wouldn't be difficult. Thus, he wasn't in a hurry and planned to look for Customers after the Fruit Trees started bearing Fruit. Before that, he just needed to focus on raising the Energy Level of the Fruit Trees.
But Winter Feather didn't think so. He felt that with Bai Feng planting Berries in such large quantities, if they couldn't be sold, wouldn't they all go to waste? The risk was too great.
So while Bai Feng was focused on cultivating Fruit Trees, Winter Feather had been contacting Breeders through his good friends Yi Xuan and Zhen Yan.
Yi Xuan and Zhen Yan came from very good families. Although they didn't study in the Pokémon Department like Zhen Li, they were both second-generation rich kids and had connections that ordinary people didn't.
Through them, Winter Feather met many Breeder students from the Pokémon Department and learned a lot about the rules and market conditions of the Berry sales industry through these students. He even got in touch with the young master of a Breeder's House.
Large Breeder's Houses had always been major consumers of Berries. They cultivated Pokémon themselves and made Energy Cubes, Pokémon Souffle, and other Pokemon Food themselves, all of which consumed a large amount of Berries.
If they could establish a partnership with a Breeder's House, Bai Feng's Berries would truly not have to worry about being sold.
It must be said that Winter Feather was indeed very talented in social interaction. Although he appeared cold on the surface, once you got to know him, you would find that he had a lot of personal charm: sincere, meticulous, gentle...
The reason Winter Feather had been leaving early and returning late recently was because he was interacting with that young master of the Breeder's House. Now, the two had initially become good friends.
In reality, a long Time ago, Winter Feather's dream, as Xiaoyou said, was to become a powerful Trainer like one of the Elite Four.
But after going to School, he understood a principle: people are different. As a child from an Orphanage, without special opportunities, he would never be able to become a powerful Trainer in his lifetime.
He was a pragmatic person and didn't have the determination to keep going until he hit a wall, so he decisively gave up this dream and gave up on becoming a Trainer.
After graduating from junior School, Winter Feather chose to study in the General Studies Department instead of the Pokémon Department.
His only wish now was to make Money, a lot of Money, so that the younger siblings at the Orphanage could live a good life, so that Director Meili wouldn't be so tired, and so that Xiao Limo could see the best doctors.
But he knew that achieving this goal through his own efforts might take many years.
Until Bai Feng displayed extraordinary planting Talent.
That day, when Bai Feng showed Winter Feather the Test Results of the Berries he had planted, in addition to being shocked, Winter Feather also saw another possibility in Bai Feng, a possibility that could help him achieve his goal sooner.
He thought, since it's all about making Money, instead of working for others in the future, why not work for Bai Feng? He saw an infinitely bright future in the Berries Bai Feng planted.
From that day on, Winter Feather began to quietly prepare. He wanted to prove one thing to Bai Feng: he had the ability to become Bai Feng's Berry sales agent!
(End of Chapter)