123 Ducklings? Fish fry?
◎But if the ducklings get sick or die...◎
"What do you think of my idea?" Ye Yunzhao carefully explained the idea of rice-duck symbiosis to Dongxiang Lizheng.
"County Magistrate Ye, that's a good idea!" He gave a thumbs-up in praise, but then changed his tone, put away the joy on his face, and said hesitantly, "But..."
"But what?"
"But ducklings are more expensive than chickens..." Dongxiangli was a little embarrassed, "How can ordinary people afford them..."
Ye Yunzhao was stunned. She had actually forgotten about this, but if she wanted to do it without spending a penny, she was probably daydreaming. "Ducklings are expensive, but if you raise them carefully, you can get duck eggs and ducklings, which can also be sold at a high price."
Dongxiangli pondered for a moment. It was true that the ducklings bought at a high price could indeed be sold at a high price later, but raising ducks was certainly more troublesome than growing woven mushrooms, and he didn't know how much money he could make. He couldn't help but feel a little picky: "But if the ducklings get sick or die, wouldn't that be a complete waste of money?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao's face showed a little anger. He was the one who had been urging her to do things all day long before, and now she was being picky.
Dongxiangli, a shrewd person, noticed her change and immediately said, "It's not that I think the county magistrate's method is bad, but I think it's not time to sow seeds yet. There should be some time. Moreover, the people of Dongxiang are all clumsy and unskilled. I'm afraid they can't take good care of living things. If only we had inanimate objects like those in Xixiang, which are cheap..."
She slammed the table when she heard the noise, stood up, and looked down at him. "The braided hat mushrooms are made from the mycelium of wild mountain mushrooms. Do you really want me to go up there and catch wild ducks for you?! Can't you take care of living things? I see that every household in Dongxiang has children and grandchildren around them. Don't you think those little girls and boys don't need to be taken care of?!"
The Dongxiang village chief had never seen such a scene before. He knelt on the ground with a thud, trembling. "County Magistrate Ye, spare my life. This is my fault..."
Ye Yunzhao sat down silently, his face as hard as steel, but he was still thinking about Dongxiang in his heart.
It is true that ducklings are expensive. If you don't want to raise ducks... She thought for a moment and remembered that in her previous life, the village official of the poor village next door led the entire village to raise fish in rice fields, and it was also very prosperous.
Fish fry naturally require money. Beyond that, eels, snails, even crabs and lobsters can all be integrated into rice paddies to create ecological paddies. Ye Yunzhao initially ruled out eels and lobsters. Lobsters require spicy spices to enhance their aroma, which is unavailable in this remote area. Eels also tend to move around in their burrows, which could affect the growth of rice.
As for the snails, they had little meat, so she guessed that they were not something that would sell well. If the crabs could be sold to the capital, the price would probably be quite high, but they could not be dried. Without ice, they would have died a lot by the time they were transported from Yuezhou to the capital, and then to the tables of major restaurants. They would not taste as delicious as live crabs.
Ye Yunzhao thought about it and thought that the only two things he could raise in the paddy fields in Dongxiang were ducks and fish.
Seeing that the Dongxiang village chief was still kneeling, she said in a deep voice, "Stand up. If you want the cheap method like Xixiang, then I'll leave now. You figure out the method yourself, and you'll bear the responsibility for any failure."
How could he have such ability? The reason why he had been disturbing Ye Yunzhao all day these days was very simple, because the people in Xixiang grew woven mushrooms according to the method she told them, and the mushrooms they picked were big and fat, and looked much better than wild mushrooms!
Therefore, the Dongxiang village head felt that Ye Yunzhao was indeed well-read and knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, while he himself could not even read a few words. If he made random arrangements and made a mess of things, he was afraid that he would not be able to keep his position as the village head.
He quickly stood up and shook his head repeatedly: "I dare not, please give me some advice, County Magistrate Ye."
Ye Yunzhao knew exactly what he was thinking. He tapped the table a few times with his slender fingers, glanced at him, and said unhappily, "I've thought about it and carefully examined the situation of the paddy fields in Dongxiang. If you ask me, the only options are raising ducks or fish. As for your concern about getting sick, if you do as I say, it won't cause much harm. Of course, if you don't want to, I'll go back to the county government office. I'm busy with official business and don't have time to chat with you."
"Of course I do! Of course I do!" He quickly agreed, flatteringly saying, "We'll raise ducklings and fish fry too!"
"You're confused," she said coldly. "Raising fish and ducks together, are you worried the ducks won't eat all the fish? You can only choose one.
Raising ducklings requires a high initial investment, but the subsequent income is substantial: the eggs and ducklings can be eaten or sold. As for duck feathers, if cotton is too expensive, they can be saved to make a mattress to keep warm. However, the duck odor is difficult to remove and certainly not pleasant.
Fish fry require little capital, and in March, when the larger fish are spawning, carefully collecting them can save some money. You have to be careful; fish won't fetch the same high prices as ducks, but you can catch them twice a year. The fish raised in the rice paddies are delicious, and while they're small, they're reasonably priced, which is good enough.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Dongxiang village head immediately spoke up: "We raise fish! We raise fish!"
"You don't have the final say on this matter. Find a day to gather the people of Dongxiang and explain the interests involved. You can support the one who is voted for by the majority."
After saying this, Ye Yunzhao stood up, shook his sleeves, and confirmed, "Do you understand?"
"Understood, County Magistrate Ye, don't worry. I will inform you of everyone's ideas tomorrow."
Seeing that he looked serious this time and not as opportunistic as before, she felt relieved and left.
She didn't return to the county office, but instead carried her backpack to Xixiang. Since she was taking a small path, she didn't meet anyone she knew. She went to poor families and asked if they would be willing to come to the county office the next day to pack and weave mushrooms. Regardless of whether they agreed or not, she would give them about a pound of coarse flour. The money didn't go into the county office account, but was squeezed out of Ye Yunzhao's own salary.
If she were to say it herself, she wouldn't say she was a gentle or kind person. She might be a bit impatient, a bit bored, and a bit apathetic, but that was the real her.
But Ye Yunzhao was a little different, perhaps because of her life experience in her previous life. Her parents were divorced, and she grew up with her grandmother. She had seen too many elderly people who were alone at home and had no one to rely on. Her grandmother was kind and compassionate, and even the little girl learned how to help others.
After her grandmother passed away, her indifferent heart began to grow into infinite empathy. Whenever she saw someone of the same age as her grandmother, she couldn't help but want to care for others.
Ye Yunzhao still remembers that her master in her previous life once said that she "has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, looks tough, but is actually a kind person who is a little confused."
It was clearly something that happened several years ago, but she felt as if it was a lifetime ago. Sometimes she was even confused, wondering whether she was an ancient person or a time traveler.
She thought about how serious she had been with the Dongxiang village head just now, and how tough he was. She also remembered that she had worked so hard to deliver the coarse noodles, and was she really a pushover?
Ye Yunzhao smiled self-deprecatingly and thought to himself: Master is right.
She heard footsteps in the distance. She looked up and saw the man smiling and saying, "Master, it really is you. I thought I was seeing things!"
Ye Yunzhao was taken aback by this name, and came back to his senses belatedly. He said in a daze, "Madam Cuihua, why are you here?"
"Master, what are you talking about?" Cuihua said with a smile, "This is Xixiang, shouldn't I be the one asking you this?"
"Yes, yes." She held her forehead helplessly, "I was too busy to remember."
Madam Cuihua continued, "Master, do you have anything else to do later? If so, come to my house for dinner. You've been in the capital for a few days, so I'm afraid you don't know that my tofu sells very well in Yuezhou City."
Ye Yunzhao did not refuse. He really wanted to see the tofu situation at her house, so he naturally agreed: "Okay, today I will go to your house to have a free meal."
The two of them laughed at each other. She looked at her husband's slightly bulging belly curiously: "It's only been ten days since the New Year, how come your belly looks bigger than before?"
Madam Cuihua smiled when she heard this: "Master, you have a good eye. I have indeed become heavier these past few days."
"Hey, Dazhuang?" she asked nervously, "Why are you still walking around outside alone right now?"
"Oh." Madam Cuihua didn't care. "Every woman in every family goes through this. It's okay!"
Ye Yunzhao looked serious and warned her word by word: "That won't do. Since ancient times, giving birth has been a life-threatening situation for women. From pregnancy to childbirth, every moment is very important. I'm going to talk to him about it when I see him later."
Hearing this, Madam Cuihua's heart moved slightly. She knew that giving birth to a child was not easy, but if she was too careful, she would inevitably be criticized by others as "pretentious. Which woman hasn't given birth to a child?" Liu Dazhuang was only excited for a few days when he first learned about this. He was busy with the tofu business these days and was so busy that even she herself didn't take it seriously.
Only Ye Yunzhao was always so cautious and nervous whenever she saw him. Although he called her "Master", they were not related by blood after all, yet she was still so attentive.
For some reason, Cuihua's eyes started to moisten: "Master... I... you..."
Seeing her like this, Ye Yunzhao, relying on his limited understanding of pregnant women, hurriedly said, "Ah, don't cry, don't cry. You are in a heavy body right now, and your mind is inevitably mixed. This will leave a root of illness."
She sobbed a few times, wiped her tears quickly, and smiled with tearful eyes: "Okay!"
The two walked side by side, their steps steady and slow, but it only took them about a quarter of an hour to reach Madam Cuihua's house.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Ye Yunzhao heard faint noises coming from the backyard. She looked at Madam Cuihua, but she seemed to be used to it and didn't notice anything.
There was a newly built wooden table in the yard. She asked Ye Yunzhao to sit down: "Master, please sit down first. I will go and pour you some tea."
Ye Yunzhao couldn't persuade her and could only let her go, but the noise in the backyard became louder and louder.
She knew that there was a house in the backyard that had been converted into a tofu shop, but when she came back last time, she could only occasionally hear the sound of the stone mill. She became more and more curious, and could not help but walk to the backyard gate and look inside.
Several women were sitting in the yard washing soybeans and filtering out the bean dregs. They chatted from time to time to pass the time, but they did not see Liu Dazhuang.
"Master, tea..." Cuihua saw that she was not there, so she searched along the front yard and saw her standing at the gate of the backyard. "Master, why are you here? Let's go. The backyard is dirty."
Ye Yunzhao was pulled out by her and took the ceramic bowl of sugar water. He asked, "Have you had a good rest these days?"
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