All the seaweed has been collected, which puts Bonnie and the others at ease. As long as the seaweed is dried, the rest won't be a problem.
Drying kelp is quite easy; you just need to pay attention to a few key points.
When the weather is good, spread the kelp out on the ground or hang it on a pole or rope to dry. If the weather is bad, bring it in promptly and let it dry again when the weather improves. Never wash the kelp with fresh water or plain water, as it will easily rot.
After the seaweed has mostly dried, while it is still soft and not completely dry, coil it into small bundles and continue to dry it until it is completely dry, and then store it away.
Bonnie had seen a video before, showing how seaweed farms dry seaweed by simply spreading it on the sandy beach. With so many farms, they don't have the time to hang it all up!
During this time, Han Weidong and his friends were very attentive, practically living at the drying yard. They would turn the clothes over every now and then, eager to dry them as quickly as possible. Bao Ni didn't stop them; it wouldn't hurt for them to get more familiar with the drying process.
The area of kelp planted by Bonnie and her friends this time is about 30 acres. At the current level, one acre can only yield about 4,000 catties, which is not as high as the yield in later generations.
It takes three or four pounds of fresh kelp to dry into one pound of dried kelp. That's the amount Bonnie remembers, though she's not sure if she remembers it correctly.
In those days, kelp was all wild and a relatively scarce commodity. From an economic perspective, the kelp that Bonnie and her friends grew was more profitable than farming. Especially now, with the collective economy, grain production was not high.
"Sister Bonnie, our seaweed is almost dried. Should we start selling it?"
Remembering the news Gu Ye had brought back, Bonnie told Han Weidong, "This year's shipment has been ordered by the military in Beijing. Once it's finished, it will be transported off the island and taken to Beijing by train."
Han Weidong was surprised that Sister Baoni was so capable, selling the seaweed so quickly.
Bonnie thought to herself, "Thank you, Brother Gu, for connecting us."
Actually, Bonnie played a big part in this, because she had previously been involved in acquiring things that were registered under her name in the military in Beijing. Brother Gu had casually mentioned it a couple of times during a break at work, and the leader remembered who Bonnie was, so the deal fell through naturally.
"Alright, we've made progress with Teacher Gao. We might expand our planting area next year. You'll be busy then, as you'll be responsible for selling our seaweed all over the country."
Han Weidong thought it was pretty good; he could eat and drink at public expense and travel around.
"Sister Bonnie, we're going out to sell seaweed, what about you?"
Bonnie thought about the traffic situation and decided against going out. She'd rather let the younger generation handle it. "Of course I'll stay home and keep watch over the rear."
Han Weidong thought to himself: Sister Bao Ni is really good at talking nonsense. She's supposed to be in charge of things from the rear, but she really doesn't want to take the car.
Bonnie can't read minds, so she can't see what Gu Weidong is thinking. Even if she did, it wouldn't matter; she wouldn't go out anyway.
"Alright, stop nagging me and go do what you're supposed to do. Lin Hai and the others have probably finished their academic studies, right? Go to the school and get a set of junior high graduation exam papers, give them a test, and see how it goes."
Bonnie suddenly remembered something and quickly gave the order, otherwise she would forget again. She didn't know if it was because she was getting old or because she was annoyed by the two little ones at home, but her memory had deteriorated a lot and she was always forgetting things.
Han Weidong felt it was time to give them a test to see how well they could score. So he agreed, "Okay, Sister Baoni. We'll give them the test once the seaweed is completely dried."
"Okay, I'll leave this to you. I'll go check on Teacher Gao."
After saying that, Bonnie left, hoping for good news so that she could expand the planting area next year.
"Bonnie's here! Perfect timing, the spore cultivation is going well!" Teacher Gao announced the good news as she saw Bonnie come in.
"Really, Teacher Gao, you're amazing!"
"If we had all the equipment, we would have finished long ago." The proud Professor Gao looked at the simple bottles and jars in the room, which were his experimental equipment.
"So, Professor Gao is amazing, isn't he? You still managed to achieve results with such rudimentary equipment. Doesn't that make you seem even more capable and extraordinary?" Bonnie wasn't very good at praising people. She racked her brains for a few words, but they didn't quite come together smoothly.
"You'd better stop praising people. This isn't your area of expertise; it's far less impressive than your fighting skills." After getting to know him better, Bonnie found that Teacher Gao was quite humorous.
Bonnie remembered something important. "Teacher Gao, could you talk to your classmate? Could we ask them to help us buy some equipment? Otherwise, large-scale seedling cultivation next year will be a problem."
"I can still go out?" Gao Cheng was quite surprised.
"Why can't you go out? You didn't do anything wrong and get sentenced, and this isn't a prison. I'll apply for the necessary paperwork, and then Han Weidong and the others can go with you. No problem."
Bonnie had it all planned out. After the seaweed was transported away, she would have them go out and find connections. Now that they had money, they couldn't skimp on what needed to be spent.
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Gao Cheng's feelings were very complicated; he didn't even understand what he had done wrong.
Bonnie didn't understand either. There was nothing she could do; she couldn't fight city hall. She could only endure it for now, knowing that one day she would rise above her circumstances.
The weather has been nice these past few days, and the kelp is almost dried. Looking at the rolls of dried kelp, Bonnie's confidence is growing. Maybe she can create a miracle and complete the popularization of kelp cultivation ahead of schedule, finding a way out for fishermen along the coast.
Bonnie imagined her feat being recorded in history, and that in the future, when people talked about seaweed cultivation, she, Lin Bonnie, would be a prominent figure. Just thinking about it made her happy, and she couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so beautifully?" Bonnie was quite surprised that Gu Ye would come over.
"Why did you come here? Aren't you busy today?" Bonnie was already used to Gu Ye's busy schedule.
"I've come to deliver your message; someone has asked you for help." Gu Ye came over from Commander Yang.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, her eyes full of questions, not knowing who she could turn to for help.
Gu Ye didn't pretend to be mysterious or keep Bao Ni in suspense. He told her directly, "Dr. Yang from our clinic was transferred to another island with Commander Zhao, right? Many people there have thyroid problems and need your seaweed to help them in an emergency."
"Dr. Yang, the Dr. Yang who delivered Liu Jiu's baby?" Bonnie remembered Dr. Yang. Many of her sisters-in-law were sad to see her go.
"Yes, she's working as a doctor there now, but the equipment and conditions are terrible." Gu Ye wondered when Commander Zhao would be able to transfer out, and felt sorry for him.
"Dr. Yang didn't say how much was needed. This batch of seaweed is to be transported to the military base in Beijing. If it's too much, I'll have to negotiate with them."
Bonnie's brain was working quickly, trying to think of a way to have the best of both worlds.
"Dr. Yang doesn't need much. After all, they can also catch seaweed in the sea, but recently they haven't been able to catch any, so they thought of you." Gu Ye looked at his wife and felt very proud. His wife was quietly doing great things.
"That's no problem. Just give them the change; it won't affect the quantity in Beijing." Bonnie felt reassured knowing she could handle this. She was glad she could help Dr. Yang and the others.
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