Chapter 23: Pinot Noir (1)
TL: Hanguk
A large banner was hung prominently at the entrance of Redwood Farm. The banner, bearing the words 【Selected for the Regional Organic Conversion Pilot Program】, was something that anyone operating a farm nearby or working as a day laborer in the area could not help but take an interest in.
“Damn it...!”
Elowen Pike trembled as he looked at the photo an employee had taken and sent over. One might say, 'What’s such a big deal about some organic farm,' but for Elowen, it was not something he could dismiss so lightly.
Even something like losing all your work because your computer shuts off while doing a school assignment is enough to shatter your mental state, yet after struggling for three long years to obtain organic certification, that yellow monkey bastard had ruined it and was now trying to gobble it up for free. If that did not make someone angry, they would have to be a saint.
“Dad! Let’s go apply too! There’s no reason we wouldn’t qualify!”
Elaina, his daughter who had inherited his temperament exactly, shouted while clenching both fists.
“I already submitted the application.”
“Tell them to select us for the pilot program! Let us hang that banner too!”
“That’s not something you get just because you want it! And we had our organic certification revoked not that long ago, so we’re not eligible for the conversion program.”
As much as he wanted to wring it out of them a hundred times over, no matter how many connections he had in the Department of Agriculture, what could not be done simply could not be done.
“Ugh, this is so annoying!”
Elaina screamed and threw herself onto the sofa. Then she suddenly sprang up and shouted toward Elowen.
“Dad, you’re not just going to sit back and do nothing, right?”
For a moment, Elowen blinked and looked at his daughter. He was definitely angry, but what exactly was he supposed to do about it here?
“Well...”
“We absolutely can’t just let this go. They made things this hard for us... I can’t stand watching them do well.”
“Of course I feel the same, but... isn’t school ending soon? Then you won’t have any reason to see them anymore.”
Even Elowen, who was notorious for his nasty personality, had not really thought about doing anything more at this point. Separate from his anger, he believed there was nothing he could do. But his sharp-witted daughter seemed to think differently.
“There are rumors that he’s going to UC Davis! That means I’ll end up seeing him again!”
“I, is that so?”
“Don’t be like that, Dad... think about it properly. Isn’t there some way to mess with him? If I keep watching him act so full of himself like that, I might burst from stress and end up depressed. And he’s strutting around with that organic certification. If he ends up getting a higher score than us in Table Grape, then people will definitely say Redwood wine is better than Silver Oak wine!”
At first, Elowen had only intended to calm his daughter down, but as he listened, he gradually came to the conclusion that this was not a situation he could afford to watch so calmly.
“That may be true, but the method is...”
“There has to be one. Think carefully.”
Elowen stroked his chin and sank into deep thought, tilting his head as he failed to come up with any clear solution. Then, as he happened to notice workers moving outside the window, he suddenly slapped his palm.
“Ah!”
“What is it? Did you think of something?”
“The workers.”
“Huh?”
“Most of the workers here are immigrants. And a significant number of them are illegal immigrants.”
Still not quite understanding, Elaina looked on as Elowen turned to her with a sly grin.
“You gave me a very important hint.”
The next day, around the time when all the school classes had ended.
“Seriously, it’s like the aphids were never there at all, they’re completely gone. I was so surprised. The ladybugs were cute too, but the lacewings, how should I put it? They have this kind of charisma? The way they move...”
Seeing as the story showed no sign of ending, I cut Chloe off.
“So how’s the situation? The yield, I mean.”
“Huh? Well... it’s coming along well. Maybe because I keep monitoring things, even Mr. Edmund, the farm manager, can’t pull anything strange. And most importantly, Dad checks my section and my brother’s section often. So the people working here can’t pull any tricks.”
I told them to make sure to keep a close watch just in case the workers caused trouble. The excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer had already seemed strange to begin with.
“Then that’s a relief.”
“I heard. The vinegar is selling well, right? Mom went to Bristol Farms and bought some vinegar too.”
“Really? If she’d asked, I would have given her at least a bottle.”
It’s not that Chloe would be happy to receive it, but when you’re farming, if you produce something, it’s only natural to share a bit with those around you. That’s the Korean sense of affection.
“That’s something I should buy myself. It’s not even expensive.”
The one surprised by that comment was not me, but Armando.
“Oh, was Chloe always like this?”
She immediately raised her eyes sharply.
“Why me? What?”
“Huh? No, it’s nothing...”
Armando instantly tucked his tail between his legs and avoided her gaze. At that moment, a call suddenly came in from home. Since my parents usually did not call while I was at school, I had a bad feeling and answered right away.
[Woo-Seok, something terrible has happened.]
As expected, I heard my mother’s flustered voice immediately.
“Why? What happened?”
[Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking all the workers away! Half of the laborers who came out today ran off!]
“What?”
I immediately looked at Armando. I spoke to him as he stared back at me blankly.
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement is arresting all the farm workers. Someone must have reported it. What are you going to do?”
At that, Armando stared at me blankly for a moment, then suddenly shouted angrily.
“It’s not me! I’m fine!”
“O, okay. Got it.”
Since Armando said he was fine, I turned my attention back to the call right away.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ve already finished most of the preparations that absolutely have to be done in the spring. Tell the remaining workers we’ll pay them 50% more and ask them to work hard to meet today’s quota. If they ask for more, give them a bit more.”
[Ah, okay. That’s a good idea. I understand.]
After hanging up, Armando spoke with a look as if he were staring at an idiot.
“How do you think I’d be going to school without a visa?”
“... Now that I think about it, that’s true. You said you crossed the border illegally before, so it really startled me.”
“That was back then, but when my mom married a guy here, we went back out and then came back in, and I even got citizenship. It’s a bit complicated, but anyway, I’m very clearly American now.”
“Ah... that’s a relief.”
“Damn it, have you been thinking of me as an illegal immigrant this whole time just because you remembered that?”
“Kekeke... I was just surprised.”
“Anyway, I guess the farm is in chaos now?”
“Yeah. Half of them ran off. It must be the same for you guys, right?”
When I looked at Chloe, she frowned briefly, then shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t think so. If something like that happened, I would have gotten a call. It probably isn’t happening across the entire California region, but seems like it’s targeting parts of Napa Valley. And when something like that happens, farm owners immediately demand that the enforcement scope be reduced, so it’ll probably end as something temporary.”
I was greatly surprised to hear such an intellectual explanation come out of Chloe’s mouth.
“Wow, you don’t know anything about farming, but you know stuff like this really well?”
“Idiot! Farming is specialized knowledge... things like immigration crackdowns are something I’ve experienced countless times growing up. You should be careful too. If your workers are illegal immigrants and something goes wrong, you could end up fined for illegal employment.”
“Ah...”
I knew everything there was to know about farming, but it was a fresh shock to realize that Chloe knew more about things like immigration arrests. Thinking about it, in my previous life while earning my doctorate, there was never a case of someone being arrested for being an illegal immigrant, so it wasn’t strange that I lacked experience with it.
“But who could have done it?”
At Armando’s casually tossed question, one name came to mind, but I did not say it out loud. Without solid evidence, running my mouth carelessly could end up dealing a blow to the farm.
Just then, my eyes met Elaina’s as she happened to be looking in this direction. After seeing the meaningful smile in her eyes, I was certain. She was planning to use their financial power to preemptively snatch up skilled workers from Silver Oak going forward.
A shortage of labor ultimately leads to a decline in farm productivity, so it was a fairly plausible strategy. However, they did not know that our farm had already taken care of nearly all the important tasks that needed to be prioritized (new shoot and vine management, soil management, preparation for pests and diseases, irrigation and pollination setup, and so on).
Shaking my head and clicking my tongue to myself, the classroom hallway suddenly became quite noisy.
“What is it? Did someone get into a fight?”
At the sound of a fight, the boys rushed out in a group, and I could not help but run out as well. But when I stuck my head out into the hallway, there was no one fighting. Instead, I saw students filming something.
“Looks like they’re filming a graduation project?”
Chloe, who had come over and stuck her head out as well, said. There were students here learning agriculture, but in truth they were only a part of it. There were many different departments, including classes and activities for those hoping to pursue acting or stage production.
“Ah... it’s nothing.”
As I turned back to return to my seat, I suddenly came to an abrupt stop.
“Why? Did something happen?”
Armando asked when I stopped suddenly. I stared blankly down at the classroom floor and muttered,
“Sideways...”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I remembered. A film released in October 2004. A movie about wine and love, which sparked a wine boom after its release. No, more specifically, it triggered a boom in the grape variety Pinot Noir.
I immediately started running toward my locker.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Where are you going?”
Leaving Armando’s voice behind me, I ran home. What mattered now was securing Pinot Noir. (Pinot Noir, is a red-wine grape variety.)
***** For extra chapters, you can read them on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/HangukTranslations.
Join our Discord for announcements or to report any mistakes.