Chapter 517 A Problem Emerges
The bonfire party ended with laughter and joy, and the villagers went home with satisfaction and joy.
At this time, the night is deep and the moonlight is like water, sprinkling on the quiet Zhoujiazhuang, as if covering the village with a layer of dreamy veil.
The next morning, the sun gently woke up the sleeping village, but the "aftermath" of last night's bonfire party was still there.
It still lies quietly in the threshing ground in the center of the village, waiting for the villagers to come and clean it up. The old branch secretary arranged people to clean it up early in the morning, otherwise it would be left there, which would indeed affect the appearance.
Although we don't need to dry the grain yet, the threshing ground is the largest place in the village, so we have to come here for anything that needs to happen. Whether it's a village meeting or a bonfire party like last night, it all has to be held here.
So you can’t not clean up without cleaning up!
The old Party Secretary stood under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village and shouted at the top of his voice: "Listen up everyone! After the lively bonfire party yesterday, there was a mess left. We have to clean up the village.
Ah Qiang, you take a few strong young men to clean up the ashes from the bonfire and put the remaining wood in order. Aunt Li, you lead the women to clean up the tables, chairs, and dishes on the threshing ground, washing what needs to be washed and putting what needs to be put back in place.
When Zhou Daqiang heard this, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and called out to the guys around him: "Brothers, let's go and clean up this bonfire first. If the ashes are blown by the wind, they will be everywhere and it will be troublesome."
They came to the bonfire with shovels and brooms.
The ashes in the bonfire still had some residual heat. Zhou Daqiang carefully used a shovel to put the ashes into the bamboo basket one by one, while the guy next to him used a broom to sweep up the ashes scattered around.
"The fire was burning fiercely last night. Look how high the ashes are."
A young man said as he swept.
Zhou Daqiang responded with a smile: "Of course not. We had so much fun last night. We have to clean up this place. There may be more exciting things to do in the future."
On the other side, Aunt Li brought a group of women to the place where tables and chairs were placed.
They looked at the table full of dishes and leftover food, and immediately divided the work and took action.
Some women were responsible for collecting the bowls and chopsticks and putting them into large buckets, ready to take them to the river for washing, while others were responsible for cleaning the leftovers on the table into a large basin, ready to take them back to the dining hall.
While cleaning up, Aunt Li said to Aunt Wang, "Everyone enjoyed the meal last night, but it takes a bit of effort to clean up."
Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Aunt, it's okay. As long as everyone enjoys the meal, that's all. And if we clean up, our village can be restored to its original state as soon as possible."
The women were quick and efficient and in no time, the table was wiped clean and the dishes were neatly arranged.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the threshing ground gradually returned to its former cleanliness.
The ashes from the bonfire were cleaned up, the wood was neatly piled aside, the tables, chairs, and dishes were cleaned and put back in their original places, and the garbage on the ground was picked up clean.
The old branch secretary looked at the cleaned-up venue and nodded with satisfaction.
As for Zhou Yimin, he got up early today as well!
I bought all the goods from today's shops in seconds. It seems that I was lucky enough to get 100 packs of fishing bait, 100 kilograms of oranges, 100 packs of biscuits, and 100 kilograms of pork belly.
Zhou Yimin didn't expect that there would be bait, which came in handy.
Since that fruitful fishing trip, Zhou Yimin seemed to have taken a liking to this activity.
Anyway, whenever he was bored and had nothing else to do, he would pick up his fishing rod, take with him carefully prepared fishing gear and delicious snacks, and head to the river in the village.
He always finds a perfect spot where the water is crystal clear and the fish are swimming freely.
Zhou Yimin skillfully put on the bait, gently threw the hook into the water, and then sat there quietly, enjoying the tranquility and comfort.
Every time he pulled up his rod, he would catch a lot of fish, including fat crucian carp, lively carp, and slippery catfish.
These fish were flapping in the bucket, flashing silver light, attracting the attention of onlookers.
When the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang saw this, they were filled with envy.
In this era of relative material scarcity, being able to eat fresh fish is undoubtedly a rare enjoyment.
Yes, many people followed Zhou Yimin's example, picked up their homemade simple fishing gear, and came to the river with great anticipation.
They followed Zhou Yimin's example, found a place to sit down, threw the fishing hook into the water, stared at the water surface, and hoped that the fish would take the bait.
However, reality dealt them a heavy blow.
Most people worked for several hours, but their buckets were still empty, so they had no choice but to go home empty-handed.
Only a few lucky people can catch a few small fish after waiting for several hours.
These little fish looked so tiny in the bucket, a world of difference compared to the big fish Zhou Yimin caught.
Despite the poor harvest, the villagers seemed to have enjoyed the unique pleasure of fishing.
The feeling of quietly waiting by the river and having close contact with nature made them forget the fatigue of a day's work.
So, even though they always come back empty-handed, they still enjoy it.
After work every day, the riverside in the village becomes lively.
Everyone shared their fishing experiences and joked about each other's "achievements".
The originally quiet riverside is now filled with laughter and joy, becoming a new leisure paradise for the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang.
The days passed one by one, and Zhoujiazhuang operated in an orderly manner in peace and joy.
However, the old branch secretary fell into deep trouble.
On this day, he came to the village warehouse and looked at the mountains of feed. His brows were tightly furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川".
These feeds were produced with great effort by the Zhoujiazhuang processing factory, and it was originally hoped that they could be sold to the commune and bring in considerable income for the village.
But now, after the commune’s feed factory produces feed, it no longer purchases it from Zhoujiazhuang.
The feed was left unsold in the warehouse, like a heavy stone weighing on the old branch secretary's heart.
The old branch secretary knew clearly that the village would need the feed and could not digest so much of it.
The only chicken farm in the village usually feeds chickens with feed mixed with fresh vegetable leaves or other things, and the demand for feed is limited.
Moreover, feed has a shelf life. Once it has passed the expiration date, using it to feed livestock is likely to pose risks.
If anything happens to the livestock as a result, the losses will be huge.
The old secretary paced back and forth in the warehouse, trying to come up with a solution, but his mind was in a mess and he couldn't figure it out.
With no other choice, he could only go to Zhou Yimin to discuss, hoping that this young man with many ideas could come up with a good idea.
If no conclusion can be reached, the only option is to shut down the village feed factory and wait until all the feed in the warehouse is used up before restarting it.
However, Zhoujiazhuang had worked hard to build this feed factory, and it would be a bit unwilling to stop it like this.
Unless the worst happens, the old branch secretary will not stop the feed factory.
The old branch secretary hurried to Zhou Yimin's home, but found that Zhou Yimin was not at home.
Zhou Yimin's father saw the old branch secretary and came up to him warmly. The old branch secretary asked, "Brother, where is Yimin?"
The old man smiled and said, "Yimin should be fishing now! This kid doesn't even know what's good about fishing. He's so addicted to it that he goes fishing whenever he has time!"
After hearing this, the old branch secretary laughed in his heart.
Before, Zhou Yimin often stayed at home, and the old man always nagged him to go out for a walk. Now that he goes out, the old man complains that he always runs outside. It's really ridiculous.
The old branch secretary didn't know what to say, so he could only smile, said goodbye, and turned to walk towards the river in the village.
When they arrived at the river, the old branch secretary saw Zhou Yimin sitting there from afar.
There were some fruits and snacks placed beside Zhou Yimin. He was staring at the water leisurely, holding the fishing rod steadily in his hand.
Under the sunshine, Zhou Yimin's figure looks particularly comfortable.
The old branch secretary walked forward and seeing Zhou Yimin looking so leisurely, he suddenly wanted to go fishing to relax his tense nerves.
He said, “Yimin, so leisurely!”
Zhou Yimin heard the voice, turned around and saw the old branch secretary, and asked with some confusion: "Old branch secretary, do you have something to talk to me about?"
He wasn't quite sure whether the old branch secretary happened to pass by or came to see him on purpose.
If he came here specifically to see me, maybe he wants my help with something?
The old branch secretary nodded, walked over slowly, sat down next to Zhou Yimin, and said, "Yimin, there is more and more feed piling up in the village warehouse. Do you think there is any way to digest it?"
When Zhou Yimin heard this question, his heart tightened.
He originally thought that there might be a problem with the raw material supply or production process, but he didn't expect that it was the feed that was unsaleable.
He thought about it carefully and realized that what the old branch secretary said was indeed reasonable. Zhoujiazhuang only had one chicken farm, which had limited feed consumption, and the feeding method did not rely entirely on feed.
Zhou Yimin couldn't think of a good solution for a while. He scratched his head and said, "Old Party Secretary, it's a little hard to think of at the moment, but let's sit down and fish together. Maybe we can come up with a good solution."
The old secretary had no better idea and could only sit down. Zhou Yimin handed him a fishing rod, which was a spare rod Zhou Yimin kept on weekdays. Although it was not as convenient as the one he usually used, it was still quite sturdy.
The old branch secretary took the fishing rod, but his hands were shaking slightly. He looked at the fishing rod, then at the water surface, with a hint of confusion and anxiety in his eyes.
After all, the problem of unsold feed was like a mountain pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to truly relax.
Zhou Yimin noticed the old secretary's nervousness and anxiety. He smiled and said, "Old secretary, don't worry. Fishing requires a calm mind. Look, let's prepare the bait first."
As he spoke, Zhou Yimin picked up a small iron box beside him, which contained his homemade fishing bait, emitting a rich fragrance.
He pinched a small ball of bait with his fingers and demonstrated to the old party secretary, "This bait should be pinched tightly, but not too hard, so that the fish can bite it easily."
The old branch secretary did as he was told, but his hands were still a little out of control and the shape of the bait he made was crooked.
Seeing this, Zhou Yimin gently patted the old branch secretary on the shoulder and comforted him: "It's okay, it's always like this the first time, just try a few more times and it will be fine."
Under Zhou Yimin's patient guidance, the old branch secretary finally prepared the bait.
Then Zhou Yimin began to teach the old secretary how to cast a fishing rod. He stood up, picked up his own fishing rod, and said as he demonstrated: "Old secretary, when you cast a fishing rod, you need to use force in your arms, but not too much, you need to be smart. Look, like me, first pull the fishing rod back, then quickly cast it forward, so that the hook and the fishing line fall steadily into the water."
The old branch secretary imitated Zhou Yimin and pulled the rod back, but because he used too much force, he almost lost his balance.
He smiled sheepishly and said, "Oh, this is really not an easy task."
Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "Take your time, try again." After several attempts, the old branch secretary finally succeeded in throwing the fishhook into the water.
At this time, the sun shines on the river, making the waves sparkle. The breeze blows gently, making the reeds on the riverside rustle.
The old branch secretary held the fishing rod tightly, staring at the water without blinking, but he was still thinking about the feed issue.
After a while, Zhou Yimin's float moved. He quickly focused his attention, lifted the fishing rod suddenly, and a fat crucian carp was pulled out of the water.
The crucian carp flapped on the fishhook, splashing water.
Zhou Yimin put the fish into the bucket and said to the old secretary with a smile: "Old secretary, look, the fish has taken the bait. Don't worry, be patient and wait, maybe the next one will be your catch."
The old branch secretary nodded, but after a while, he began to feel restless.
He looked at his float, then at Zhou Yimin's bucket, muttering, "Why isn't the fish taking the bait?"
Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "Old Party Secretary, fishing is a process of tempering your patience. The more anxious you are, the harder it will be to catch fish. Try to take a deep breath, relax yourself, focus all your attention on the water, and feel the beauty of nature."
After hearing this, the old branch secretary took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
Time passed minute by minute, and ripples occasionally appeared on the surface of the river, which were the fish swimming in the water.
The old party secretary's mood gradually changed. He found that when he stopped thinking about the worries about feed and focused on fishing, his inner irritability seemed to slowly dissipate.
He began to notice the scenery around him. The sun was warm on his body and the breeze was blowing across his cheeks, bringing a hint of coolness.
In addition to the sound of flowing river, there is also the cheerful singing of birds.
His gaze was no longer limited to the motionless float, but he began to appreciate the tranquil and beautiful river scenery.
After an unknown amount of time, the old secretary's float suddenly moved.
His heart suddenly tightened, and he almost subconsciously lifted the rod. He remembered what Zhou Yimin said, that he should wait until the float started to sink before lifting the rod.
So he suppressed his inner excitement, held the fishing rod tightly, and stared at the float.
Immediately afterwards, the float sank suddenly. The old branch secretary was quick-witted and lifted the fishing rod with force.
I just felt my hand sink, and a small fish was pulled out of the water.
The old Party Secretary smiled happily and said, "Yimin, look, I caught a fish!"
Zhou Yimin was also happy for the old branch secretary and said, "Old branch secretary, you are awesome! This is the reward for patience."
(End of this chapter)
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