"There are sheep bones, horse bones, cow bones, and some other animal bones that I don't recognize..."

Xu Huayun untied the two burlap sacks, revealing that they were full of bones.

He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Comrade Lu, when I was herding horses, I picked up any bones I saw. I don't know if these bones are okay..."

"Sure, of course, Lao Xu. I was just worried about not having any bones, you've really helped me a lot."

Lu Fangfang was very happy to see the two large bags of bones.

What made her even happier was that Old Xu still remembered her as an old friend.

"Old Xu, hurry up, let's go into the farm."

She opened the gate, picked up a sack of animal bones, and carried it into the yard.

Afterwards, Xu Huayun tied the horse to the door, then picked up the sack and followed her inside.

He looked around at the environment of the farm and was quite surprised.

Uncle Guo told him that Comrade Lu had become the head of the breeding farm in the regiment, and he was very happy for Comrade Lu.

However, he really didn't expect that the farm would be so well-organized and large-scale, which is rare in the countryside.

"Meow~"

Little Flower still remembered Xu Huayun. It slowly walked forward and nuzzled against Old Xu's legs.

"It's been over a month since I last saw Xiaohua, she's grown so much!"

Xu Huayun smiled and squatted down, stroking the snow leopard from its head to its tail.

When he first met Xiaohua, she was just a tiny kitten. Now, she's grown so much that she's almost as big as the village dogs.

He took out a piece of homemade rabbit jerky from his pocket and fed it to Xiaohua.

"Awoo~"

The little Tibetan fox next to it, unafraid of strangers, immediately came over and begged for food.

"Comrade Lu, when did you feed another dog?"

Xu Huayun took out some dried meat and fed it to the little yellow dog while petting it.

"Old Xu, you've got it wrong. It's not a dog, it's a Tibetan fox cub. Xiao Hua rescued it from the Pallas's cat, so I decided to raise it with her."

Lu Fangfang smiled and took a scale out of the storage room.

She had prepared her tools long ago in order to buy animal bones, but unfortunately no one came to her door.

"Tibetan fox? Comrade Lu, you're raising something really rare."

Upon closer inspection, Xu Huayun realized that it was indeed somewhat different from a dog.

He took out a piece of dried meat, touched it, and then fed it to the little guy.

"Awoo~"

The little Tibetan fox licked his hand, quite pleased with this tall stranger.

"Old Xu, come help me with this. I need to weigh these two bags of bones so I can calculate the cost for you."

Lu Fangfang was using an old-fashioned steelyard balance, which required two people to lift it up to weigh the items.

She took the hook, hooked it onto the sack, and then waved to Old Xu.

"No, no, no, Comrade Lu, I picked these up in my spare time. It was no trouble at all. I can't take the money."

“Old Xu, this is a government unit. If you don’t want money, then I can’t accept these animal bones. You know the military’s policies, you can’t do this.”

Lu Fangfang was still a little embarrassed.

She appreciated Old Xu's kindness, but the farm wasn't hers, so she had to pay him.

Xu Huayun thought for a moment before walking over and helping to lift it up.

The two men weighed the two large bags of animal bones; they totaled a little over 72 jin (approximately 36 kg).

Forget about the odd amount, just say 72 jin.

The county purchasing station buys bones for four cents per pound. Their farm adds five cents, so it's four and a half cents per pound, for a total of three yuan and twenty-four cents.

Lu Fangfang went to the storeroom, took out the funds for the breeding farm, and then had Lao Xu sign it.

"Old Xu, our farm now collects not only bones, but also grass seeds. When you go back, please tell Uncle Guo to spread the word to the surrounding brigades."

After listening, Xu Huayun asked curiously, "Grass seeds? Comrade Lu, do you accept all kinds of grass seeds?"

He has been herding horses in the sixth team for several years. Every autumn, the pastures are full of grass seeds, which are much easier to collect than animal bones.

Lu Fangfang nodded, "Our farm will take any grass that cattle and horses eat and any grass seeds that grow from it."

“We buy dried grass seeds with few impurities at six cents a pound at our farm. Old Xu, could you please help us promote our farm?”

It's only early July, and the grass seeds won't mature for several more months, so there's no need to rush.

Lu Fangfang emptied the sack and returned it to Lao Xu.

She plans to boil these bones tomorrow, and after they're dried, she can grind them into powder and mix them with grain to feed the quails.

"Okay, I'll go back and tell the people in the village."

Xu Huayun nodded and agreed.

In autumn, the grassland is full of grass seeds. It's easy to pick a few pounds when you're not busy. It's a job that can earn you some money for salt, and many team members would probably be interested in it.

Seeing that Lu Fangfang was busy, he bent down and touched Xiao Hua and the little Tibetan fox before preparing to go back.

"Comrade Lu, it's getting dark, so I'll head back now. I'm still busy."

"Old Xu, wait here for a while."

Stopping Xu Huayun from leaving, Lu Fangfang dusted off her hands and hurriedly returned to the family compound.

The quails at her home have laid a lot of eggs these days. She has already picked out the fertilized eggs, and the rest are all edible.

She took a basket, which she had collected over the past few days, and then hurriedly walked back.

At the farm, Xu Huayun saw that the fire in the stove was about to go out, so he went over and stuffed a few pieces of firewood into it.

He turned back and patted Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox, then rolled up the sack, picked it up, and walked out.

"Meow~"

Little Flower shook her head and slowly walked forward.

"Alright, go back now. I'll come see you again next time."

Xu Huayun rubbed Xiaohua's head, then pushed it back into the breeding farm and closed the door tightly.

He untied the reins and led the horse toward the main road to the north.

"Old Xu? Comrade Old Xu."

Lu Fangfang hurried and finally managed to call out to him.

After walking a few steps quickly, she pulled the burlap sack off Old Xu's horse and carefully poured the quail eggs from the basket into it.

"Comrade Lu, I don't want it. I have enough to eat."

"Hey, you've got plenty to eat, but you've definitely never tried this before. These are quail eggs from my quail. Give them a try. They're easy to cook. Don't let their small size fool you, they're very nutritious."

Lu Fangfang tied the sack back to his horse, saying, "Be careful on your way back, don't let it break."

Xu Huayun watched silently, without refusing again.

He untied the sack, took it in his hands, and planned to carry it back.

"Old Xu, how's Little Red Horse? Is everything alright?"

This time, Old Xu didn't ride the little red horse, but a black horse, which made Lu Fangfang feel a little disappointed.

"Yes, everything is fine. The grass on the pasture is fertile, and it has grown quite a bit these days."

"That's good. Alright, Lao Xu, you should go back now and be careful on the road."