Chapter 195: The Desolate Ming Tombs Farm
The next day, when Jin Caifeng opened the gate to the back garden, she found a pile of cabbages on the ground.
He was so frightened that he covered his chest with his hands, quickly closed the gate, and ran upstairs.
"Chinese cabbage, so much Chinese cabbage, wow, and so many radishes, I don't know where this brat got them."
Jin Caifeng was very happy. For ordinary people, the most simple wish is to have food at home and not be hungry. Especially in years of famine, nothing is more important than a bite to eat.
As the mistress of the family, she was worrying about how she would get through the winter when her youngest son gave her a big gift.
Just as the old lady was happily counting the items, she suddenly found a small box of green vegetables next to it.
Jin Caifeng almost doubted her eyes, and quickly squatted down to pick it up and take a look. It was standard Guangzhou choy sum, which is the favorite vegetable of Huadu people.
Only people in Huadu know how precious it is to eat a bite of fresh Chinese cabbage in the far and cold north. It can be said that it is more precious than pork.
Jin Caifeng knew that the longer the night, the more trouble she would have. If the neighbors in the yard saw her, she would have no way to explain herself. So she quietly returned to the middle yard and knocked on the doors of her two sons' homes.
"Licorice, Eucommia, you two should also take a day off today. After sending the children to school, hurry to the back garden."
Lin Gancao was a little puzzled: "Mom, what's wrong? Don't the cabbages from yesterday need to be dried for a few days before they can be made into pickles? Why are you going to the back garden now?"
Jin Caifeng lowered her voice and said:
"Qizi brought in a bunch of cabbages and radishes early this morning. We have to go and clean them up quickly. If the neighbors see us, they'll think we stole them from somewhere."
When they heard that there were vegetables, Lin Gancao and Lin Duzhong realized the seriousness of the matter and immediately hurried to the backyard.
So when Lin Kucan went to work, he asked his son and daughter-in-law for leave, and the family started working in the back garden.
Lin Sanqi was no longer at home at this time, having gone out to work early.
He first went to the Finance Department and received 15,000 yuan in cash.
At 1,000 yuan per bundle, there were 15 bundles of Big Black Tens. Lin Sanqi had already decided to take the money to the 2013 antique market to have someone identify it when he had time. Maybe there were some precious banknotes with collectible value in it.
After completing the formalities, Zheng Meimei, the head of the Finance Department, asked mysteriously:
"Xiao Qi, let me give you a heads up. What supplies are you planning to purchase for our hospital?"
Lin Sanqi blinked, thinking that he was just a time-traveling purchasing director, and he could buy anything he wanted, so he took the opportunity to ask the employees what they needed.
"Chief Zheng, if you were to represent the employees in choosing, what would you like me to purchase to be popular with them?"
Section Chief Zheng really thought about it seriously:
"It would be best if each person received 100 jin of flour, 20 jin of pork, 10 jin of sugar, and 10 jin of cotton. Each person would receive 10 feet of cotton cloth. Oh, and 30 jin of cabbage isn't enough. It would be best if each person received 100 jin. Also, some radishes and sweet potatoes, and of course, some sunflower seeds and peanuts. Finally, there's more..."
Lin Sanqi's face darkened when he heard this. "Chief Zheng, if you want to make a wish, it's best to go to the Lama Temple."
Section Chief Zheng laughed out loud when he heard this:
"I'm just kidding. It's mainly about meat and flour. Everyone's been hungry for a year, and the New Year is coming soon. It would be nice to get some meat and make dumplings, right?"
People in the north like to make dumplings during the Chinese New Year. This is how the Spring Festival Gala performs it. Such a ritualistic requirement must be met.
Lin Sanqi then chuckled and said, "Although this wish is quite difficult, I will definitely try my best."
After saying that, Lin Sanqi took out two oranges from his pocket and placed them on the table of the God of Wealth. Zheng Meimei's eyes lit up at the sight, as these were fruits perfect for winter.
After leaving the Finance Department, Lin Sanqi ran to the Pharmacy Department, where the department director Zhou Mingzhe was counting ginseng.
"Uncle Zhou, I'm here. Is the wild ginseng ready?"
"It's ready. There are five hundred-year-old ginseng roots here, 16 roots between 80 and 100 years old, and 28 roots between 50 and 80 years old. The supply and marketing cooperative just sent them over early this morning. Please count them."
Lin Sanqi was ecstatic when he heard this. The quantity and quality were much better and more than he had imagined. It would be a priceless treasure in 2013.
"Uncle Zhou, I trust you to do the job. No need to order. But I can't carry so much ginseng by myself. I need someone to help me put it in the car."
At this time, Section Chief Zhou quietly pulled Lin Sanqi aside and whispered:
"Xiao Qi, Uncle Zhou wants you to do him a favor. Your brother Gangzi is getting married this New Year, and he wants you to help get more meat. Don't worry, Uncle Zhou knows how precious pork is right now, and he will definitely not let you go in vain."
After saying that, a small yellow croaker appeared in Lin Sanqi's palm.
Lin Sanqi thought that one should not judge a person by his appearance. His old man secretly kept 40 large yellow croakers, and it seemed that Zhou Mingzhe also had a lot of private goods at home.
"Uncle Zhou, why are you so polite? Take the small yellow croaker back, and I'll take care of the pork."
Of course, Lin Sanqi wouldn't want this small yellow croaker. How much is pork worth? The favor of the leader who controls the entire hospital's medicinal materials is valuable.
Sure enough, Section Chief Zhou was very pleased and promised:
"Uncle knows you like Northeastern wild ginseng. Don't worry, I'll save the good stuff for you in the future."
Lin Sanqi thought to himself, the old man said:
"Okay, Uncle Zhou, the more wild ginseng I want, the better. Please fill out more on your purchase list next time. I will buy it at the market price and will never embarrass you."
"Okay, let's make a deal."
After getting the money and ginseng, Lin Sanqi drove out of the hospital in a jeep.
Dean Shen stood at the window, watching Lin Sanqi's jeep disappear, and said to Vice Dean Ji beside him with a smile:
"Old Ji, it looks like our Chinese Medicine Hospital will have a good year this year. Once Lin Sanqi takes action, there will definitely be some gains. Otherwise, this kid wouldn't have agreed to go at all."
Vice President Ji sighed softly:
"30,000 yuan isn't too little, but it's not too much either. With a hospital this size, there won't be much left for each person. Old Shen, I'll be honest with you. I go to the black market often, and the situation is very bleak. It's not about the money, it's about the sheer lack of stock."
If it doesn't snow this winter, the disasters next year will only get worse. I'm really worried. What will happen if this continues? I don't know if there will be a second round of layoffs."
Dean Shen sat back in his chair and pondered for a while:
"Do you think our farm in Changping will have a harvest next year? Will it at least provide enough food for the 400-plus employees in our hospital?"
Vice President Ji shook his head:
"I'm afraid it's difficult. I've been to that farm many times. The land we were given is newly reclaimed wilderness, on the edge of a mountain. Can you imagine how fertile it is? The good land has long been taken by other farmers."
The lack of farmland is one thing, but the real problem is the lack of water. The Ming Tombs Reservoir, built last year, is also dry. The organization has put me in charge of Changping Farm, and I'm so worried my hair has almost turned gray. Others think being an official is prestigious, but I now think being an ordinary doctor is better—less stressful.
Dean Shen smiled bitterly:
"Let's endure this together. There are so many employees and their families. The organization has handed them over to us. How can we just ignore them? If one of them really starves to death, you and I will become the eternal sinners of the Chinese Medicine Hospital."
Lin Sanqi was not present. If he were present, he would definitely give a thumbs up to Dean Shen and Vice Dean Ji. They are good officials who are dedicated to serving the people.
At this time, Lin Sanqi's small jeep had already passed Deshengmen and headed towards Changping.
This time, the hospital welfare procurement was not difficult for Lin Sanqi. In fact, he did not need to go out of town to purchase. However, the hospital leaders were watching this matter, so he had to go out even if it was just for show.
So Lin Sanqi also wanted to take this opportunity to travel around and hang out outside for ten days or half a month.
In order to show how difficult it was for him to purchase supplies, he must have pretended to go to a few conspicuous places to ask around and make sure that his work "left traces."
The first stop was chosen to be Changping. Firstly, the Chinese Medicine Hospital Farm was in Changping, and he would take up his post after the Chinese New Year, so he wanted to go and see it in advance.
Secondly, there is a Ming Tombs scenic area in Changping, and he wanted to visit it because the tomb of Emperor Wanli had just been excavated.
The cultural relics and ancient buildings preserved in China are all authentic Ming and Qing Dynasty originals. In a few years, many treasures will no longer be visible.
After the car passed Deshengmen, there was no Beijing-Tibet Expressway directly leading to Changping. At this time, there was only a two-lane asphalt road that could be driven on, and there were farmlands on both sides of the road.
Because there was no snow or rain, all the farmlands were barren. There was no trace of green at a glance, as if there was no life at all.
Lin Sanqi thought that with such bare fields, it would be difficult for people to eat tree bark, so where would there be any food to feed pigs?
There were almost no cars on the road, and the little jeep was moving very fast, heading north...
The Chinese Medicine Hospital Farm is located at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, in a place called "Xiaogongmen".
Accompanied by Yang Shaohua, deputy chief of the logistics department of the Chinese Medicine Hospital and the future chief of the logistics department of the branch hospital, Lin Sanqi began to visit the place where he would work and fight in the future.
On a small hillside, Yang Shaohua was sitting on the ground, wolfing down a roast chicken.
Lin Sanqi put his hands on his hips and looked at the wasteland in front of him with his heart pounding. My goodness, this is really a vast and boundless wilderness. Unfortunately, there is no grass and no cattle or sheep. It looks so desolate no matter how you look at it.
"Chief Yang, how big is our farm?"
"Yeah, 2,000 acres, that's not a small area."
Lin Sanqi looked at the land at the foot of the mountain and was a little surprised: "2,000 acres? It doesn't seem like it."
While chewing the roast chicken, Yang Shaohua said casually:
"It's indeed 2,000 acres, but that includes 1,000 acres of mountain land. That's the hill we're on. The remaining less than 1,000 acres are arable land."
Lin Sanqi looked back at the bare hill. There were only a few trees and it was almost all bare rocks.
"Section Chief Yang, what about this hill too? What do we need this rocky hill for? And why do I feel like the fields are full of exposed rocks? The soil doesn't look very thick. A gust of wind can blow up the loess. How can we grow crops like this?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
