The contract is signed and the money is paid; now we need to get on with the rest.
Yu Yin and her team's main task was to clear the wasteland. The wasteland was covered with lush weeds, but they weren't pasture for cattle and sheep. Of the more than one hundred acres that were found to be suitable for planting, the plants were all wormwood, which was more than half a person tall and had thick stalks, about the thickness of an adult's thumb.
The tasks were scattered. Yu Yin made a plan, Lu Shurui helped fill in the gaps, and Liang Chao was responsible for the rest.
"Brother Liang, have you decided on the store manager candidate we discussed before?"
"Chang Qing, you've done a great job in all aspects since you arrived. I've been observing you closely recently, and your leadership skills are also good."
Although Yu Yin doesn't frequent dried goods stores, she still knows the employees there quite well. Chang Qing's family is local, but they are the main breadwinners; he's over twenty and still unmarried.
“Alright, let him intern as the assistant store manager for a while first, and you can gradually give him more control. We need to start preparing for the wasteland. We need to clear the land first, especially those hundred-plus acres, and plant a crop of soybeans as soon as possible.”
“I’ve already contacted the farm machinery, but I still need to hire people. I’ve contacted the veterans’ resettlement department in our district; there are policies that support this. Tomorrow, I’ll have Uncle Hu help you out; we’re all novices when it comes to farming. I’ve prepared the plan; take a look first. If you don’t understand anything, ask Lu Shurui. I can’t take leave.”
Yu Yin cannot resign for the time being; she still needs to go to work and stay informed about relevant policies.
"I understand, don't worry."
Liang Chao took the plan and felt a surge of energy, thinking that they were about to make something of themselves.
Yu Yin started working, and Liang Chao had too many things to do.
Liang Chao first went to find Huang Qiang and Brother Zhang to ask them what would be the most economical and practical way to fence off the wasteland.
“It takes a lot of materials to fence off more than 500 acres of land. If it’s a long-term plan, bricks are the most sturdy option, but they are also quite expensive. If it’s just a temporary solution for a few years, we can use some scraps of wood.”
The Zhang family has been in the carpentry industry for many years and has some connections. They can get scraps of wood, which are fine for clamping canes and don't cost much.
Liang Chao took notes of what Zhang Ge said and needed to discuss it with Yu Yin to see what to choose.
"Huang Qiang, Yu Yin asked if you know how to build pigsties? We urgently need to build a batch of pigsties in our area."
"They do know how to build pigsties. My father-in-law and I have built quite a few pigsties for people before. I just don't know what kind Yu Yin wants to build?"
Liang Chao took out the blueprints that Lu Shurui had drawn based on Yu Yin's description. They were somewhat different from modern pigsties, but more scientific than the current ones.
Huang Qiang took the blueprints, looked at them carefully, and made a decision in his mind.
“We can build pigsties like this.”
"Okay, then you guys go ahead with your work. I'll come back to bother you after Yu Yin and I have finalized things."
The factory building that Yu Yin had previously bought has been renovated by Huang Qiang, and the collapsed parts of the courtyard wall have been repaired.
"Okay, we're not strangers, contact me if you need anything."
Liang Chao rode his bicycle back to the dried goods store, put it down, and then took a bus to the wasteland.
"Brother Liang, the food is ready. Have a bite to eat first. Even if you're in a hurry, a little extra time won't make a difference. Sister Yu Yin also said that health is the foundation of everything."
Chang Qing saw Liang Chao hurriedly park his car and quickly ran out to call him to eat first, otherwise he would leave again.
"Now that you mention it, I am indeed a bit hungry. Okay, let's eat first, and then I'll go to the wasteland. Please take good care of things at the shop; this is our base of operations. How is Huang Shan? Her belly is getting bigger; tell her to be careful."
"Huang Shan is in good condition and not so delicate. Now that she is in charge of the accounts, she doesn't have to do any heavy lifting, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Huang Shan has been married for a while, and recently found out she was pregnant, much to the delight of her in-laws. Her mother-in-law, in particular, had thought her son would never marry and would be alone for the rest of his life. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and she was pregnant.
“Look at Huang Shan, she got married and had children, she accomplished everything in one go. You’re not young anymore, you need to hurry up too. The family has a heavy burden, but it’s not entirely your responsibility. Your younger siblings are all grown up, you need to think more about yourself.”
Liang Chao felt sorry for Changshan. His father had passed away unexpectedly, his mother was in poor health, and his younger siblings were still quite young. After so many years in the army, all his allowances had gone towards supporting his family. Now that his younger siblings were all grown up, he also had to start thinking about his own future.
“I know. My younger brother got married this year, and my younger sister went to college. My mom said that my brother will take care of her in her old age, and my sister will receive subsidies, so I don’t need to give her any more money. I’m saving all my salary this year, and if a suitable house comes along, I’ll buy one.”
"As long as you know what you're doing, that's fine. As the eldest brother, you've fulfilled your responsibilities. You don't need to sacrifice yourself. Everyone has to learn to be independent."
I didn't miss my meal while Liang Chao was talking. After I finished eating, I left the lunchbox with Chang Qing and rushed off to catch my bus.
Changqing admired Brother Liang. Although he lost his left hand, he was very optimistic. Now he had a career to strive for and a happy family. A man living like Brother Liang would be perfect.
Liang Chao, who was sitting in the minibus, had no idea that he had become Chang Qing's role model. He now wished he could be in two places at once so that he could do multiple things at once.
"Uncle Hu, how's it going? What's the best way to prepare those mugwort leaves?"
Upon arriving at the destination and meeting up with Uncle Hu, Liang Chao quickly inquired, as time was of the essence.
“These mugwort stalks are quite thick, so we have to cut them off by the roots first, then use a tractor to turn the soil. After turning the soil, we have to pick out the roots of the mugwort stalks before we can plant soybeans.”
Uncle Hu is quite the expert in farming; he can understand these things at a glance.
"Okay, Uncle Hu, we'll do it your way. I really don't know anything about farming. Also, how do we hire people? By the day or by the acreage?"
"Let's ask for a certain amount of money per acre; let's not test human nature."
Uncle Hu has experienced too much of the coldness and warmth of human relationships; he knows human nature. He'd rather calculate it like a piece-rate system. How much money you get for each acre you cultivate? The more you do, the more you earn, and the faster you work.
Liang Chao and Uncle Hu went to Uncle Hu's village and found the village chief.
After the implementation of the household contract responsibility system, the brigade leader was renamed the village head.
"Old Hu is back, and he looks quite well."
The village chief and Uncle Hu had a good relationship, after all, Uncle Hu was a martyr's family member, and the village took good care of him. However, no one could stop a group of gossipy mouths.
"It's alright, the host is doing well, my wife and I are having a comfortable time."
"That's good, that's good. Don't listen to those old women's nonsense. Did you come back for something?"
Village Chief Hu felt that Old Hu hadn't just come back to visit; there must be something else going on.
"There is indeed something I need to discuss. Let me introduce you. This is Comrade Liang Chao. Our commune's wasteland has been contracted out; have you received the notification?"
"I received a notice from the commune that we can no longer go to that wasteland casually. I have already broadcast it to the villagers."
Village Chief Hu couldn't understand who had so much money to burn, contracting a large tract of wasteland. What could they possibly do with it?
"Comrade Liang is in charge of that wasteland; he needs to speak with you."
Uncle Hu explained his purpose, and then left the rest to Liang Chao.
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