A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Three months later, when the chilli trees planted by Riana and several local residents began to bear fruit. Some have started to flush some others have not. Riana looked very happy and proud.

His efforts have not been in vain. Morning to evening is so beneficial. The days he spent sowing goodness on that field now reveal a ray of hope.

The organic fertilizer he mixes himself, which is made from a mixture of cassava tape and sugar, actually brings many benefits to his plants.

"Daydreaming again, Ri." The familiar voice appeared.

"Oh, yes. It is unusual to be here in the morning, Andini will not be angry later." Riana asked her friend Yos. Who also owns this land.

"It must be angry Ri, he just knows he's angry."

"It's not good for my own wife to say that." Riana reminded Yos, who seemed to be getting bored with Andini and his lecture.

"Maybe Andini is like that because he was jealous" said Riana quickly.

"It seems so" Yos replied without guilt.

"Oops, this danger, don't let his jealousy become dangerous."

"I know but it can't be helped it seems he envies you."

"Not jealous of me but jealous of your treatment of me." Riana tried to defend herself.

Riana talked at length while explaining to her friend Yos that he should pay more attention to his wife. Jealousy will make things messy. Including also about the effort and hard work. A gardening business that is about to harvest could run aground if Andini's jealousy cannot be resolved.

"It's best if you don't have to come here for a while. Poor Andini. He's also my friend." Said Riana to her friend Yos.

"But Ri's jealousy is unreasonable."

"Hey, jealousy never uses excuses. Like love it suddenly comes without a reason. If love and jealousy have a reason then it becomes impure. It will disappear over time."

Riana continues to lecture Yos while Yos is busy with the dry twig in his hand that he made a toy for. The dry branch that he cut into small pieces like his heart which now became small pieces.

Riana and Yos were silent, looking away at the thousands of lombok trees and vegetable plants that thrive as wide as the eye can see plus banana trees that grow on either side of the view.

From afar someone ran towards the two of them. Seems like he wants to convey some important news.

That person is Pak Udin, a middle-aged man who usually helps Riana in her gardening.

"What's the matter with Mr. Udin in such a hurry?" Yos asked Riana.

"I don't know, I also don't understand what's wrong, maybe something is important".

"Mbak Riana, Ms. Riana, anu Ms.", Pak Udin was gasping for breath as he was busy catching his breath.

"What's wrong, Mr. Udin. Calm down, take a breath first then talk".

Pak Udin caught his breath, paused for a moment then the right minute to speak. After taking a deep breath Pak Udin finally spoke:

"Bismillah, look like Ms. Riana, I was from the city, but now the price of small chilies in the market is one hundred thousand per kilogram".

"What?" Riana and Yos talked with their mouths open and closed their mouths. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"That price occurs because there is no supply of chilies, sis. There are traders ready to buy our chilies for mixed chilies and forty thousand for young chilies".

Pak Udin's length times the width explained to Riana and Yos, who still didn't believe it.

"Can't it be more expensive?" Yos asked Pak Udin.

"I'm sorry you can't. From that price, please add two thousand per kilogram to the merchant here, sis, two thousand for me," said Mr. Udin honestly.

Pak Udin always speaks candidly which makes Riana feel proud of him. There was nothing that Mr. Udin made up. For Pak Udin, speaking what it is is very important rather than lying and torturing yourself.

"Yes sir Udin is okay, I agree".

"The problem is who wants to pick now? It's already nine o'clock, you know".

"Calm down, sis, if I'll find the person later," Pak Udin's explanation is very solid.

One hour later, several women came to the garden at the invitation of Pak Udin to come.

Riana doesn't really know them, the only ones Riana knows are Mrs. Sum and Mbah Jah, the rest doesn't know.

"Ladies, this is Mrs. Riana, she owns the garden here, later she will pay all the women. For now the women will be paid 50,000 per person. Her job is to pick chilies and then collect them here. After that Unripe chilies with ripe chilies. How, do you understand? "Pak Udin briefed six people who were ready to become lombok picking laborers.

"Yes, I understand", Mrs. Sum's voice was loudest.

Riana smiled as she lifted her thumb and pointed it at Mrs. Sum.

After listening to the briefing, they began to work. Mr. Udin

Also came with the mothers earlier.

"Congratulations, Ri", said Yos to Riana.

Riana nodded, a happy streak on her face.

"This is luck for you", Yos returned to encourage his friend Riana.

No one thought that the price of Lombok would be very expensive. Yesterday the selling price of chilies at the Main Market was still thirty thousand per kilogram. But for whatever reason, today the price of Lombok has reached one hundred thousand rupiah per kilogram.

Riana saw her stomach, the baby moved as if he was participating in congratulating his mother.

Riana and Yos got up, joined together with the pickling Lombok workers so that after the Asr call to prayer the Lombok-Lombok were ready to be picked up by the traders.

One hectare of land will actually be used for property business by Yos, but because he wants to help Riana, Yos also allows Riana to manage the land into a plantation. No one thought that Riana would get this much profit.

At two o'clock Central Indonesia Time, the women had collected the chilies they had picked and then separated the ripe and raw chilies, assisted by Riana and Yos. Some are weighed to calculate how much they will get.

By three o'clock Central Indonesian Time, 2.5 quintals of cooked chili and 3 quintals of raw chilies have been collected.

"Alhamdulillah," Riana, Yos, Pak Udin also expressed gratitude.

"Alhamdulillah, our harvest was successful, ma'am," said Mrs. Sum, who every day struggles with chilies in Riana's garden.

"Thanks to the love of Allah and also thanks to the kindness of Pak Yos and Pak Udin". Everyone laughed at the words said by Riana just now

"Ladies, don't go home yet. I want to share Rizqi", said Riana. The mothers were happy because they were sure they would get extra money.

The merchant came, calculated the amount of money to be paid after checking Riana's chilli harvest. He seemed satisfied with the results. He transferred eighteen million one hundred money via m-banking to Riana's account because the merchant only brought ten million in cash.

Riana received the money with great gratitude, especially when the merchant said:

"Tomorrow I will come back to buy more chilies, please harvest them as soon as possible, so that the price remains stable and good".

Riana could only nod.

How God is truly miraculous because he always gives something at the right time.

Riana divides the money for Pak Udin according to his profit. For the women, Riana gave one hundred thousand rupiah per person and for Yos, Riana transferred money in the amount of six million rupiah.

Yos had actually prohibited Riana from transferring money to her account. But Riana insisted. Think of it as three months of rent.

"Andini will be happy when you come home with the money." Riana whispered to Yos. Yos just stared at Riana in pity. He could not bear to see his friend struggling so hard to keep his life.