Chapter 81 Chapter 81 The Rich Lead the Poor

Last year, Yu Guoliang and his colleagues had a bumper harvest in their fish ponds and mountain fields. Many people were jealous and also started to have ideas.

The villages near the village are all busy this year. Some are digging ponds, some are opening up mountains, and some are raising chickens, ducks and pigs. In short, everyone is trying to find ways out.

This makes it easier for Liu Mianmian and others to find raw materials.

Liu Mianmian was thinking of using the cannery's equipment to make pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers, pickled bamboo shoots, etc. first, and then, when the meat supply came in, she would move on to canned fish, canned meat and other products.

The local livestock products must first be supplied to the local people's tables. Liu Mianmian didn't think of competing with the common people for these things. The purpose of national reform is to make life easier for the common people. She doesn't want to snatch meat from the common people's mouths, and there is no need for that.

After all, even though people in the countryside think that pickles and preserved vegetables are worthless, they are indeed very popular in the city. The Chinese people's eating habits make a bowl of porridge and side dishes in the morning something that cannot be replaced by anything else.

In later generations, there are so many abundant materials, and there are more pickled vegetables and salted vegetables in supermarkets. Many people also bring pickled vegetable bags and fermented mustard tuber bags when they go out, so Liu Mianmian thinks that this business will have no worries about sales.

However, when she returned to Qianjin Township this time, she and Yu Guoliang and others conducted a survey of the conditions in each village in the township. They were surprised to find that each village had set up large and small farms. They might not be able to supply large quantities, but they could still make small batches of canned fish, canned meat, etc.

She also visited Wang Zhiyuan's farm.

Aunt Liu and Uncle Wang have saved a lot of money over the years. Moreover, since Aunt Liu started working with Xu Li to sell radish strips, the business has been booming, and they have saved a lot of private money. So when Wang Zhiyuan started this breeding farm, the old couple also borrowed a lot.

Wang Zhiyuan had invested some money in the fish pond before, and he earned a good income from selling several batches of fish. Combined with the money he had saved in the army, he had some money on hand.

He also called two comrades to join him in the partnership. The total investment was quite a lot, so the scale of the farm was much larger than originally planned.

A large piece of land at the foot of the mountain in the village was rented to him.

Perhaps because several of the people here have served in the military, this fragrant farm is really clean and tidy. Although there is a little smell, it is really not smelly.

The name was so funny that when Liu Mianmian saw it, she almost laughed to death.

If I didn't know it was a farm, I would have thought it was a restaurant at first.

This does not take the feelings of the piglets and chickens into consideration at all, and directly announces their future destination.

Wang Zhiyuan was quite proud: "Isn't this name particularly suitable? Lao Xue chose chubby, Lao Gan chose delicious, but neither of them sounded as good as mine. When I went out to sell it, people said it was a good name and very memorable."

His two comrades were named Xue Rui and Gan Li.

Liu Mianmian gave him a thumbs up.

"When we built the factory here, we even invited technicians from the county to help us look at it. We took into account the direction and sewage, and we made sure it would not affect the village. We cleaned up the pig manure and straw in a timely manner. We have also cooperated with several surrounding villages, exchanging pig manure for straw, and they are very happy to do so. It is very good for fertilizing the fields."

Wang Zhiyuan introduced the farm as he walked, "Your oil press is doing great business, and you produce a lot of oil cakes every month. Here, we mix oil cakes with feed and grass collected from various villages. They grow meat very quickly, faster than the state-owned farm where I learned the technology. We used to buy piglets from others, but we have started to raise our own sows and breeding pigs. By the second half of the year, we will be able to produce piglets ourselves."

Liu Mianmian nodded. She had already talked to Wang Zhiyuan about canned meat. Wang Zhiyuan was naturally very happy when he heard that pork could be directly supplied to the cannery in the future.

Although it seems that as long as pigs are raised, there will be no worries about selling them, but after Wang Zhiyuan decided to run a farm, he learned about the domestic pork farming and pork supply situation from many sources, and also learned about the surrounding counties and cities. He knew that this situation would not last forever.

Take Qianjin Township for example. In the first half of the year, several villages set up pig farms. As more and more people engage in breeding in the future, sales will definitely not be so good.

After all, this is not a state-owned pig farm. It has various state-owned units as guarantees, but it is a private farm, and they have to consider all aspects themselves.

If it could supply the canneries, it would be a completely different story.

Wang Zhiyuan believed in Liu Mianmian's abilities. Take, for example, the radish strips his mother sold. Who would have thought they could make money? As her own son, Wang Zhiyuan knew how much money his mother made selling them. Not to mention clothing stores, oil presses, and fried chicken shops—none of those businesses were unprofitable.

So this cannery can definitely be built.

With such a stable sales channel, Wang Zhiyuan no longer has to worry. He even plans to wait until this batch of pigs are slaughtered and then continue to expand the scale.

In addition to pigs, Wang Zhiyuan also raises chickens, and they are white-feathered broiler chickens that China just introduced from the United States two years ago.

It was Liu Mianmian who suggested this chicken breed to him. She said she had seen news before that this chicken breed introduced by China from the United States has a very low feed-to-meat ratio, a very short time to market, and the meat is relatively tender, making it suitable for making fried chicken.

Wang Zhiyuan also used his connections to inquire for a long time before he was finally able to buy this breed of chicks. After all, at that time, there were not many white-feathered broiler chickens raised in China.

After actually raising this chicken, Wang Zhiyuan discovered that the time it takes to market this chicken is really short, basically just over forty days. So compared to pigs that take longer to raise, chickens can generate profits earlier.

Now his chickens are not only supplied to Liu Mianmian's fried chicken shop, but also to the township and county. Due to the obvious price advantage, they sell very well.

So even though their farm has only been open for a short time, they have already started to make a profit.

After seeing the situation at the Xiangke Farm in person, Liu Mianmian became more confident in the cannery's ability to can meat.

The most important things for a cannery are raw materials and sales channels, especially for canned meat. Raw material quality control is very important. Having a trustworthy raw material supplier is of great significance to later production.

Looking at Wang Zhiyuan's behavior, it seems that he really likes the breeding industry. He knew nothing before, but now he can talk about it very well. It can be seen that he has worked hard during this period.

Liu Mianmian found that the people around her were all very competitive. Perhaps this was also the characteristic of this era. Everyone had come through difficult times, and they would do their best as long as there was a little opportunity.

When walking back after visiting the farm, Liu Mianmian met the old village chief at the intersection. She greeted him with a smile. The old village chief asked her if they could chat. Liu Mianmian knew that it was not a coincidence, but that the old village chief was probably waiting for her here.

The old village chief also has the surname Yu. According to seniority, Liu Mianmian has to call him Fourth Grandpa. They are somewhat related, but also very distant.

The old man retired a few years ago and is no longer involved in village affairs, but he holds a high reputation in the village. Even the current village cadres have to seek his advice when encountering major issues. However, the old man is a sensible person and generally does not interfere in village affairs.

Liu Mianmian knew that the old man was a sensible man, and he always considered the villagers and did things without any selfish motives. She was not afraid that the other party would make any inappropriate requests, so she smiled, nodded, and followed him.

The old village chief walked slowly forward with the help of his cane, saying as he walked, "I am also old and my eyesight is blurry. I didn't realize that you, a child, could have such ambition and ability. You have really changed a lot since you went to the city."

Liu Mianmian knew that he was talking about the original owner. She didn't expect that the old man actually knew something about the original owner, a little girl whom he didn't have much contact with.

The old man looked at her, as if he read her thoughts. He smiled and said, "We farmers know exactly how many vegetables we've planted and how many fruits we've harvested. Village affairs are actually very similar to tending to crops. The people in each household and their personalities are just like the seedlings in the field. Only when you understand them can you manage them well. However, seeds will sprout, seedlings will grow, and trees will bear fruit. These things are not unchanging. It's the same with people. Some will grow well, while others will deteriorate. It's unpredictable."

After a pause, he said, "You are a good person and you are also affectionate."

Liu Mianmian smiled and said, "I grew up here. My parents and brother are all good to me. This is my home."

The old man nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay!"

As they walked, the road gradually became wider, and in front of them was the fish pond contracted by Yu Guoliang and his team.

The old man stood by the fish pond, squinting his eyes for a moment before saying, "I heard them say that the senior leaders said that if the rich first help the poor, then everyone will be able to get rich in the future. But I just can't figure out how the rich first can help the poor. Nizi, you have a lot of experience. Can you help the people in our village think about how to get rich?"

Liu Mianmian thought that he wanted to get more job openings for the villagers, but she didn't expect that the old man didn't mention this at all. Instead, he asked a more difficult question.

She thought for a moment and said, "You see, no one had ever thought of contracting fish ponds and mountain land before. It was only after my brother did it that everyone realized there was money to be made. This year, more people in the village have contracted mountain land, and some have started raising pigs and chickens, and some have planted fruit trees... I think what the leader meant was that we need some people to take the lead and blaze a trail first, so that others can follow suit and try to forge their own path."

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "You're right. If you don't dare to find a way yourself, and someone has already found a way ahead of you, how can you not dare to follow them?"

Liu Mianmian said, "Besides, our village is already ahead of others. Whether it's the fragrant farm or the oil press, they will definitely expand in the future. When the time comes, whether it's rent or recruitment, the village will also benefit."

The old man laughed and said, "I will tell them. Don't worry, the village will definitely do its best to support you."

He knew clearly in his heart that no matter whether it was this oil press or that farm, they could make money wherever they opened them. Choosing their village was out of friendship.

When he heard that Yu Yongcheng's family was going to set up a cannery in the village, he was worried that they would move the farm and oil press away. Even though the farm and oil press didn't employ many people now, they brought a lot of benefits to the village. At least the rent for the two places was a considerable amount of money.

Now I feel relieved. Yu Yongcheng's daughter means that she will not move and will expand the scale in the future.

Liu Mianmian thought for a moment and said, "Actually, since our village already has an oil press and a farm, we can all work on this. For example, in addition to growing basic crops, we could consider planting more oil-bearing crops like peanuts. We could also discuss with the farm and collaborate with them on breeding. Their current production is definitely not enough. If both parties can cooperate, every household in the village can become a non-staff member of the farm, receive their training and supervision, and then they will purchase the crops in bulk. This will benefit both parties."

The old man's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Yes, you are right. We can't just do things one way or another. We need to find a way to unite and do this."

The old man excitedly said that he was going to find the village party secretary. Liu Mianmian sent him to the door and then turned back.

The next day, the production line was delivered on time from the Nancheng Military Factory, along with the eight technicians that Liu Mianmian had previously recruited and trained.

Coming from the bustling south city to this obscure little town was a significant departure, but the township leaders took the opportunity to personally arrange a welcoming banquet, which alleviated some of the technicians' concerns. At least, with such local attention, this factory should be able to thrive, right?

The production line was purchased in the name of Yu Guoliang, and the factory was also built in the name of Yu Guoliang. Although they signed another agreement and Liu Mianmian held the largest share, Yu Guoliang was still in charge of the surface matters, so Liu Mianmian did not attend the welcoming banquet.

Liu Mianmian later found out that the person who came from the military factory to hand over the equipment was drunk and asked Yu Guoliang if they were planning to produce air after buying the equipment. He also said that the military factory had not lasted more than a few months, and they didn't know if a small factory in a township could last more than a month. It was said that the township leaders were so angry that their faces turned blue.

People have been waiting for a factory for a long time, but it hasn't even opened yet, and you say it won't last more than a month. How can I not be angry?

The problem was that when Section Chief Ding sobered up the next day, he didn't feel that he had said anything wrong. He just shouldn't have said this directly in front of the township leaders, as it didn't give them face.

Even on the day the cannery opened, Section Chief Ding was still saying before leaving: "I really want to see how they plan to produce. They don't have the raw materials, they don't have the technology, and they rely on just a few makeshift teams. What can they do?"

Although he had a bad attitude and even spoke nonsense at the dinner table, he helped install and debug the equipment after all, so the cannery still invited several of them to attend the unveiling ceremony.

The other two technicians who came with him felt that Chief Ding's words and actions were a bit offensive and not very nice, but in their hearts they actually had similar ideas as him and were not optimistic about this cannery.

In rural areas, you may be able to purchase some raw materials sporadically, but in the long run, it will definitely not work.

With this thought in mind, the three of them walked from the guesthouse to the cannery. Halfway along the way, they saw many people carrying loads on their shoulders and walking in that direction. At first, they thought they were just passing by, until they saw a long queue at the entrance of the cannery.