Chapter 54 Planning to Cultivate Land

If it's not the issue with Douglas' procurement agents, then Carter is at a loss. As the owner of the only savings bank in Douglas, Carter is now a figure of some importance in Douglas, enough to have a say even with the mayor.

If those middlemen are making dishonest profits, Carter can still go and talk to them, helping out these farmers and facilitating the repayment of his own loans. But if it's beyond Douglas, then there's nothing he can do.

Relying on selling agricultural products to repay loans seems like an impossible path. So, is there another way?

As Carter pondered, they found Exxon. At this moment, Exxon was resting by the tractor, with a cheap cigarette hanging from his mouth, his clothes soaked with sweat.

"Are you Blake's son? You really look like him."

Exxon greeted Carter with a forced smile before eagerly saying, "We're really out of money now. Take the mortgaged farm equipment away!"

"Taking back the farm equipment wouldn't do any good. Mr. Exxon, I came here today mainly to talk to you, to see if we can come up with a repayment plan that works for both sides."

Seeing the main issue at hand, Exxon's wife stood in the shade of a tree, leaving space for the two men.

"You say that nicely, much better than the previous debt collectors. Okay, I'll hear you out. Let's see if you, little Blake, have any capabilities."

Hearing Exxon's words, Carter understood why his wife insisted on coming along. These stubborn folks were indeed tough to talk to, but Carter also knew that Exxon's words made sense, and he wasn't dodging responsibility, right?

Overall, Exxon was a law-abiding man with a sense of contract, not a deadbeat.

"Mr. Exxon, please don't get agitated. Your situation has been explained to me by Goodman, and I'm not here today to walk away empty-handed. Let's sit down and talk things over."

As long as Exxon wasn't intentionally being a deadbeat, Carter was willing to talk. If there was a way he could help, Carter was willing to lend a hand. After all, having faced situations where loans couldn't be repaid and life became difficult, Carter could empathize.

"Your words are interesting, much better than the previous debt collectors. Okay, I'll hear you out. Let's see if you, little Blake, have any capabilities."

Hearing Carter's words, Exxon's lips curled up, and he hopped off the tractor, pulling Carter towards where Exxon's wife was in the shade of the tree. It wasn't avoidable, the Southern sun looked beautiful, but staying under it for too long was uncomfortable.

Even in spring or autumn, when the weather was mild, it felt good to be outdoors in a breeze of over twenty degrees Celsius, but if you stopped for a while, you'd soon feel like you were being pricked by needles.

After sitting down in the shade, Carter asked, "Apart from peanuts, do you have any other sources of income?"

"We also have a few peach trees, a few acres of wheat, and we raise twenty chickens. After using some for ourselves, we can sell any surplus eggs, peaches, and wheat. But even that isn't enough!"

The mention of acres made Carter a bit surprised. Although it looked like there was plenty of greenery around, hearing such a direct number still caught him off guard. Yet, it was normal; American farmers usually had over a hundred acres of land. A farm below five hundred acres wasn't considered large. With a hundred acres of land, only a few were used for wheat cultivation, just enough for self-consumption.

But Carter's attention wasn't on these crops. After all, he couldn't control their market prices. If they couldn't fetch a good price, then they couldn't. In the future, American agricultural products rarely fetched high prices. Even a 900-pound beef cattle in Texas couldn't sell for as much as a 200-pound pig in China.

Agricultural products were out of the question, and farm equipment was even less so. Taking them back wouldn't do any good, and it might even cause a loss if the bank had to resell them. Since the products and equipment weren't viable, what else was there?

"Well, I have an idea. I'll think it over first. Your situation, as your wife just explained, isn't unique. If I take back the farm equipment, our bank's backyard won't be able to accommodate so much machinery, and that's not beneficial for either of us."

Taking out his cigarette, Carter handed one to Exxon before saying, "By next year's planting season, if there isn't enough machinery, what will you do? Can you still make ends meet? So, I don't plan on taking back the machinery. Doing so wouldn't benefit you or me."

"What you're saying is true, but even if we don't return the machinery, we still don't have any money. And this land is practically worthless. This isn't the city; this land won't do anything for you if you take it back except for planting a few things."

Taking the cigarette from Carter, Exxon rubbed it for a while, ultimately hesitating to smoke it. He took out his cheap cigarette again, lit it, and said with a bitter smile.

Everyone understood the logic; didn't he know that if he returned the machinery this year, they'd be in trouble next year? He knew, but there was nothing he could do. Rather than dragging it to court and being ordered to give it to the bank, and paying additional litigation fees, it would be better to just give it to Carter.

The mortgage loan contract was written clearly; unless he was determined to be a deadbeat, he couldn't evade this debt, so why bother struggling?

"This land may still have potential. Is the land in front of your house yours? The one near the road?"

"Yep, not just the land on this side of the road, but also the one across the road. Are you planning to take this land?"

"I have a rough idea, but I need to think it over first. Regarding the current situation, Mrs. Exxon just told me that the purchase price from the factories hasn't been going up, and it's not just your family facing difficulties in repayment. If I were to take back the agricultural machinery, I'm afraid our bank wouldn't have enough space to store all of it, and that would be counterproductive.

Taking out his own cigarette, Carter offered one to Exxon and continued, puffing as he thought,

"Next year, when it's time to plant again, what will you do if you don't have enough machinery? Will life still be manageable? So, I don't plan on taking back the machinery. Doing so wouldn't benefit either of us."

"You're right, but if you don't take back the machinery, we still don't have any money. Besides, this land isn't worth anything. This isn't a city, and this land, besides planting some things, can't be used for much else."

Taking the cigarette from Carter, Exxon hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding not to smoke. After lighting his own cheap cigarette, he sighed and said,

"We all understand the reasoning, don't we? Do you think I don't know that if we return the machinery to the bank this year, we'll be in trouble next year? I know, but knowing doesn't change anything. Instead of dragging this to court, being ordered to return everything to the bank, and having to pay additional legal fees, it's better to just give it back to you and be done with it.

The terms of the mortgage contract are crystal clear. Unless one is determined to be a defaulter, there's no way to escape this obligation. So why bother?

"This land may still have some potential. Is the road in front of your house connected to Mekan to the north? Where does it lead to the south?"

"This is Highway 23. Heading south, you'll reach Waycross, and further south, you'll reach Jacksonville, Florida."

"Ah, that's it. I've noticed quite a few trucks on this road. Besides this road, trucks headed to Florida take Highway 75, right?"

"Highway 75 is a highway, and the toll period hasn't ended yet, so trucks usually don't use it. They usually take Highway 23 or Highways 19 and 27."

Exxon didn't understand why Carter was asking these questions, but Carter's eyes lit up. If the toll period on the highway hadn't ended, it was good news for his fledgling plan.

"That's really good news. I have an idea. I'll go do some research later. Let me tell you about it first."