Blue Hour

Chapter 20

After taking some time talking with Miko, I headed to the team who handles the root crops. The group was headed by Simon, and he stayed at the farm for almost twenty years, even before I had the rights on this farm. Together with him was his two daughters, Maria and Lena. Maria is the same age as me, while Lena is three years younger than us. 

As soon as they saw me, they lined up and waited for me in the shade of the tree. I want them to be comfortable with me, even if I am their boss. I am not like other bosses who exploit the rights of those who are under me. 

The weather was hot, but it was bearable. I slowly walked towards them and said hello. They continued to bow their heads, and it did not respond. 

“Hello.” I said and waved my hand at them. 

They did not respond but continued bowing their heads. 

“Please, raise you heads. I will feel bad if you continue to do so. Also, please consider me as your family, and if you need help, you can approach me anytime at the office.” I said, 

After telling them that, they slowly raised their heads. First was Lena, and the others followed. The older ones still hesitated, but later on they did follow the others. 

“That’s more like it.” I said and smiled brightly. 

“Thank you so much, Sir Ray.” Maria said. 

“It’s okay. If I remember you are Maria, right?” 

“Yes, sir. Wow, you did remember my name. Again, I’m sorry for bumping into you when you were going around the farm with Austin.” 

“That’s okay. Be careful next time. Again, for those who don’t know me yet, I am Ray. I’ll be in your care.” I said and bowed my head to them. 

I can hear someone gasp because of the shock. They were surprised by what I did, and I know that they weren't expecting that I would do it. I guess they were used to the notion that business owners that came from the city would be indifferent towards them. 

“Sir, please raise your head. We are glad that you chose to go here to oversee the farm.” Simon said. 

“Yes, and I’m really happy.” 

“By the way, why are you here Sir Ray?” Maria asked. 

“I am still learning about the process here in the farm, that’s why I decided to go around. Sitting in the office will do me no good so I want to check on everything personally.” I said. 

After that, we began to discuss the process of growing these root crops. Simon said that to maintain soil fertility, and prevent soil nutrients from depletion, they rotate the crops they grow each year. This also prevents weeds and erosion, as well as controlling insect pests. Lena also explained to me that there is leftover waste from growing root crops, so they have this process of composting. They use this to break down waste and use it as a fertilizer. 

It took us several hours talking about everything that I needed to know, and it really helped. Though my hands were a bit tired of writing down everything, I feel happy. Doing this simple things really makes me happy. 

I wonder what Sun is doing right now?