In a remote, arid village called "Surya Kencana," Arman was born into a world full of challenges. From childhood, he was known as an intelligent and curious child. He was born amidst dry fields, where life was harsh yet beautiful.
Flashback: Several Years before Arman's Birth. Arman's story will be in Book Two...
Several Years before Today.
Harjo is single, 22 years old and never married before. Harjo is diligent and persistent in his work. He owns a plot of land inherited from his parents and also from the hard work he has earned cultivating it.
Harjo, it turns out, is favored by many girls in his village. However, Harjo, too busy with his work as a farmer, doesn't think much about finding a life partner, resulting in him being the first single man in his age.
Harjo is close friends with Jhon, an intelligent man, and Slamet, a sports teacher. One afternoon, when Harjo returns from his garden, Slamet and Jhon are relaxing in a coffee shop called "Warung".
"Jo, Jo... shout Slamet," Slamet called out to Harjo, who was passing by the coffee shop.
Harjo turned his head, looking for the source of the voice, and saw Jhon and Slamet relaxing in the coffee shop. "What's wrong, Met?" Harjo replied, stopping in his tracks for a moment.
""Come here, let's have some coffee," John replied curtly.
"Yes, let's have some coffee together," Slamet added.
"Come on, it's rare for us to have coffee together...come on," Slamet requested.
"I'm still dirty, I just got back from the garden." Harjo tried to refuse Slamet and John's request.
"Come on, it's okay, we haven't showered yet," Slamet replied again, trying to coax Harjo into stopping by too.
After a moment of thought, Harjo finally agreed to stop by. "Okay," Harjo replied curtly, and walked towards the coffee shop where Slamet and John were.
John immediately ordered Harjo a coffee, "Miss, please have a bitter one," as Harjo usually did when ordering coffee.
When Harjo entered the shop and sat down, he was surprised to find that Widuri, the owner, had already prepared coffee for him, even though he hadn't ordered it.
Widuri is the coffee seller or owner of the shop where John and Slamet usually sit for coffee. Widuri is skilled at making coffee, cakes, and other snacks that are considered delicious in the village. Many people like to stop by her shop to enjoy her coffee and pastries.
"Who ordered this coffee? I don't think anyone ordered it yet?" Harjo asked, surprised when the coffee arrived on the table in front of him as he entered Widuri's shop and sat down next to Slamet and John.
"You're amazing, Widuri, you knew I was going to order coffee," Harjo joked.
"It was Mas Jhon who ordered it," Widuri explained. "If it wasn't ordered, I wouldn't have made it," Widuri said shyly as she walked into her coffee shop.
"Yeah, you're amazing, Jo. You've already made it," Slamet joked, laughing. "Hahahahahaha!" Jhon laughed along.
Widuri smiled shyly, looking extremely nervous. Her face turned even redder, and she walked to the back of the shop to hide her nervousness.
"You're really something, Slamet. You're getting shy, aren't you?" Jhon exclaimed.
"You're amazing, Jo, to make Miss Widuri so shy," Slamet added, shifting the focus to Harjo.
"What's going on with Widuri and you, Jo?" teased Slamet, who had once teased Widuri but was flatly rejected.
"Yeah, Jo, I'm curious too," John added, adding to the heat.
Harjo just smiled, not paying much attention to what John and Slamet said, assuming it was just a joke.
Meanwhile, behind the shop, Widuri's face was getting redder, overhearing their conversation. Coincidentally, it was getting late, and the customers had already gone home. She looked increasingly nervous.
"Stop laughing, poor Miss Widuri. She thinks we're teasing again," Harjo said, trying to stop the conversation about Miss Widuri.
"Oh yeah, Jo, how's your garden now? What are you planting?" John asked, understanding what Harjo meant.
"Oh, I'm planting corn now because we're entering the dry season, even though there's still some rain. I think it's the most suitable crop for now," Harjo explained to John.
"You're amazing, Jo. You know the dry season is approaching, so you can guess what crops are suitable for this time of year." John admired Harjo's decision to plant corn at this time.
"As a farmer, you have to know, and I did it just for fun, and it turned out to be successful," Harjo tried to humble himself.
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Harjo often achieves good results on his farm every season. This differs from other farmers who sometimes choose crops haphazardly, often choosing the wrong ones for the season.
During the dry season, rice crops are damaged by drought, resulting in losses. Conversely, during the rainy season, many farmers in the village plant corn and sweet potatoes, causing the sweet potatoes to rot at the roots and the corn stalks to rot. The crops die, even though they've been fertilized, resulting in losses.
Because of this, many farmers suspect Harjo is using black magic or something similar. Many are jealous, sneering, and gossiping behind Harjo's back.
Harjo's success, compared to other farmers, is due to his willingness to learn and following every instruction from the Agricultural Extension Workers (PPL) who have visited Surya Kencana village.
Harjo diligently follows and listens to every instruction from the PPL. The agricultural PPL who have come to Surya Kencana village were assigned by the central government, the province and also from the district government or the regional agricultural service.
They view the PPL officers as mere newcomers, ignorant of agriculture, and only causing losses by requiring them to fertilize, apply insecticides (spray pests with anti-pest solutions), and use intercropping systems (two or three or more types of crops in one agricultural area) and exchange crops after each harvest.
For example, planting corn after the rice harvest.
Or, they can also consider the weather conditions at the time of planting.
Or, For example, planting sweet potatoes, corn, or mung beans during the dry season.
Many farmers feel inconvenienced and disadvantaged by following the PPL's advice. This is why they reject everything the PPL teaches. Harjo, on the other hand, diligently follows and continues to learn to develop the systems the PPL has taught the residents of Surya Kencana Village.
(Background to the failure of farmers in Surya Kencana Village)
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Back to Harjo John and Slamet's conversation
"Oh yeah, Jo, you can eat the cake too, I'll treat you." John asked Harjo to enjoy the cake at the stall.
"Yeah, it's okay, I'll pay for it myself," Harjo explained to John, taking a lemper, a cake she really liked.
"It's okay, just eat it. I wanted to treat you guys." John hoped Harjo would eat his treat.
"Just eat it, John's happy," Slamet explained in his thick Javanese accent.
"What are you happy about, John?" Harjo asked curiously.
"This..., um..., uh..." Okay, anyway, I'll treat you," Jhon explained shyly.
"Earlier, Wati, my coworker, asked about John. I noticed her shyness when she asked about him. "My conclusion is that she has feelings for John." Slamet explained to Harjo about Wati, a beautiful teacher. Slamet's co-worker, who is a gym teacher.
John's face turned red, looking nervous and shy. Although he tried to hide it from Harjo, Slamet had already explained and told Harjo everything.
"Oh, then congratulations. I'm happy for you if that's true," Harjo said. Harjo also knew Wati; she was an elementary school teacher, and Harjo harbored a slight interest in her. Wati and Harjo had met at an agricultural extension event held by the PPL. He had admired Wati's way of asking and explaining things during the event.
Now, it was gone, like a bolt of lightning in the middle of the day.
Harjo felt sincere for his friend.
"Eat it, Jo. Don't just dwell on it. Why are you leaving the food lying around?" Slamet tried to remind Harjo, picking up two phones.
"Oh... yeah..." Harjo replied, startled, waking up from his reverie. "Have you found a girlfriend, Met?" Harjo continued, looking awkward.
"If I were here, wouldn't you know? Why am I always around Jhon?" Slamet glanced at Jhon.
Harjo smiled and nodded his head as a sign that he understood, while John was confused because he knew that Slamet was referring to Sari.
Sari, John's only sister, was also the family's favorite. John didn't really approve of Sari being with Slamet. He felt she should find a better man than him. Slamet was untrustworthy, rude, lazy, and had many other negative qualities about him.
However, John and Slamet were friends, as was Harjo, who had been born and raised in their village of Surya Kencana for a long time.
Slamet planned for John to meet Wati, while Slamet went with Sari, Wati's best friend, so John could be alone with Wati.
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At Wati's House (at the same time)
On the other side of the village, Wati was sitting and leafing through a book, checking her students' work that morning. She remembered Harjo, the man who had participated in the agricultural extension activity with them in the village hall. She was impressed with Harjo, as he was a villager who was willing to participate in the activity and was truly diligent during it. Harjo also seemed very enthusiastic, and he participated by asking questions, which Wati found very well-received.
"What would it be like if we planted a different crop in our garden after the harvest?" a young man asked the Agricultural Extension speaker.
This question piqued Wati's interest, and she felt that Harjo was an innovator in agriculture. Wati also remembered Harjo's question, "What if the rice fields were planted with crops like corn, cassava, or mung beans when the village experiences a severe drought, Sir?" asked a young man.
"Good question. Oh yes, could you please introduce yourself? Who are you and what kind of farmer are you?" asked the PPL speaker. "My name is Harjo Suroto, a rice farmer, sir," the young man replied.
Wati began to feel attracted to the young man who was willing to work as a farmer and was also willing to be guided by an agricultural extension worker. At that time, many farmers refused to participate in agricultural extension activities. In fact, many of them strongly disliked it, strongly resisting it and gossiping about it.
Wati was very impressed and admired Harjo.
Harjo was considered by Wati to be an exemplary young man who was persistent and willing to work hard. Wati was lost in her thoughts.
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POV: The day before at school.
At school that morning, Wati was sitting at her desk in the teachers' lounge.
Slamet approached Wati.
"Morning, ma'am," Slamet greeted, trying to approach Wati. This was something Slamet had done many times. He often tried to approach Wati, but she never responded because she didn't have any feelings for him.
"Good morning, Mr. Slamet," Wati replied casually.
"Oh yes, I see you often with Harjo, the rice farmer in our village," Wati replied, changing the subject.
"Oh yes, ma'am. I know him and am friends with him," Slamet replied, though his heart ached.
"Jo is my friend; we grew up together in this village," Slamet explained, slightly nervously.
"Harjo is called Jo here," Slamet explained again about Harjo's nickname.
"Then, Mr. Slamet knows where Harjo, uh...Jo lives?" Wati asked enthusiastically.
"Of course, I'm his best friend. "We were often together, and we still see each other often now," Slamet explained once more to Wati.
"I want to ask Jo about the agricultural program. Was there a difference in agricultural yields before and after the agricultural extension yesterday? Is he still following the recommendations from the PPL?" Wati tried to explain her intention, wanting to meet Harjo.
"If you want to go there, we can go together. I'll accompany you," Slamet tried to convince Wati to go with him.
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POV: Slamet's strategy.
This similarity in nicknames between Harjo and Jhon prompted Slamet to consider replacing them so he could still approach Sari, who was also Jhon's younger sister. He thought John would surely repay him for bringing Wati closer, as John had once expressed his interest in Wati, a teacher Slamet taught. He thought to himself that if Wati wasn't his cup of tea, Sari would be his.
Slamet convinced John to meet Wati at a newly opened food stall on the riverbank, on the condition that Sari would attend the meeting on Saturday night.