Chapter 251 New Model
Potatoes are still in short supply nowadays, and I am very happy to be assigned to a village that grows potatoes.
Zhao Liya also called a meeting of the village heads, clan leaders and others to discuss how much land each village could open up and plant in the first year. They not only had to build workshops, but also prepare seeds.
As for potatoes, she planted 2,000 acres in the second half of the year, which is definitely enough to provide, but the same may not be true for sugarcane, so she has to make an order in Suixi County in advance.
In addition, we need to select a site and build a workshop to provide the most convenient radiation to the villages.
Zhao Liya suggested that each village should not plant too much in the first year. After all, they still need to learn a lot and the base fertilizer will not be enough.
So are there any wealthy families who simply set up a pig farm or something?
This was really exciting. After all, many people had visited the Zhao family's pig farm, which had a hundred pigs, all in good health. It was enviable.
I heard that they will expand next year and raise hundreds of heads.
Wouldn't it be nice to try it yourself?
For those who don’t have a pig farm, they can be more diligent in bedding the pig pens with straw and storing more manure, which can then be mixed with some wood ash to be used as fertilizer.
Each family plants crops in scattered areas. It is considered good if a family can plant three to five acres or seven to eight acres. The most they can plant are about ten acres. With this calculation, the fertilizer is sufficient.
Each village was happily going back to count how many families had joined.
For each village, Zhao Liya does not plan to invest money to buy land and hire people, but instead adopts a model more like a cooperative.
Provide technical guidance and be responsible for purchasing, and everyone can plant and manage the crops themselves.
Of course, everything is contractually stipulated.
Lin Mo smiled and said to Zhao Liya that for the villagers, whether there was a contract or not was actually not very useful. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. If someone deliberately made trouble and raised the price to grab the results, if all the people in the village broke the contract, even if they reported it to the government, the government would not be able to do anything.
Therefore, it is also important to maintain good relations with each village on a daily basis, as most people in this area still have a sense of dignity.
People usually won't go back on their word, and they especially value personal connections. If they are bound by personal connections, even if the contract states that sugarcane is priced at one cent per pound and someone else offers three cents for two pounds, they may not sell it.
Zhao Liya nodded, this reminded her.
We need to be on guard against this matter.
This is the local custom, and because of this, the county magistrate is helpless. But at the same time, there is no telling when things will turn out to be disadvantageous to them.
Zhao Liya half believed and half didn't believe Lin Mo's words.
Everyone works hard on the farm, and of course they want a higher price for their produce. However, there aren't many who can stick to their bottom line. No matter how useful favors are, they are not as useful as money.
If it was Zaihu Village or Bajiao Village, Zhao Liya was sure that favors could be used, but she couldn't guarantee it for Baijia Village, let alone the other villages.
Therefore, we must think of ways to prevent future troubles as much as possible.
Human relations must be maintained, and the spirit of contract must be instilled in daily life. If a breach of contract occurs, there must be a penalty clause, especially when it is agreed with the village.
Even if I can't impose any other fines, at least I can never accept goods from this family again, right?
Another thing is to find three or four powerful local merchants and gentry to join together. This will have a greater deterrent effect, and fewer people will dare to make trouble.
While each village was counting the number of people, the Zhao family spread the word and looked for partners.
Mao Dexing was not in the county town at that time. Feeling ashamed, he ran to the provincial capital to live a free and easy life. It was unknown when he would come back.
Of course, he couldn't possibly get involved anymore. He'd figured it out, why bother with the Zhao family? Seeing them all was annoying, so it was better to just ignore them.
Of course, he still wouldn't let the Zhao family have an easy time! If he had the chance, he would never let them go!
This time he was not well prepared and underestimated their ability to deceive those unruly people. He will never do that again.
Over the past year or so, the Zhao family has been thriving thanks to the plantation. Countless people envy them, but no one dares to provoke large and powerful villages like Zaihu Village and Bajiaozhai. They are jealous, but dare not move.
It's not that I haven't thought about starting my own business, but as with everything, it's easier said than done. If I really want to start from scratch, not only will I have to spend money, I'll also have to put in the energy.
What’s more important is that they don’t know the process of making sugar. They want to learn from the sugar makers in Suixi County, but who is willing to teach them?
If I teach others, won’t it affect my own business?
This is also why, although this area is suitable for sugarcane growth, the annual sugar production is not high.
Zhao Liya actually wants to cooperate to open a sugarcane plantation and build a sugar-making workshop?
Once this news spread, many wealthy families in and outside the county couldn't help but be tempted.
This is a rare and good opportunity!
Some families changed their minds, fearing that Mao Dexing would cause trouble, and hesitated. Many people also drove to Yancun to visit.
Zhao Liya left all reception matters to Uncle Hu and Xiao Liang.
Anyway, Uncle Hu has the most experience, or it could be said that he is simply wasting his talent.
In short, the people Uncle Hu finally selected were definitely the most suitable people to cooperate with.
Zhou Hansheng, who had not been seen for a long time, finally came to Yancun again in the season when lychees were ripe.
This time he was not so elusive. At around three o'clock in the afternoon, not long after Zhao Liya and the others returned from Baijia Village, Zhou Hansheng and his seven or eight servants arrived.
Another group went directly to Zhong Jing.
The Zhao family immediately became much more lively upon their arrival. Everyone was very happy, sitting under the tree, chatting and laughing. Zhaonan and his friends were so sweet-talkers that even Widow Qu, Aunt Li Shiyi, and Mrs. Deng liked them very much. They listened to them talk about things outside with great interest.
Of course, the lychees and mangoes at home are also very sweet and delicious, so they are in for a treat.
Zhao Liya was also very happy, and she started busy preparing dinner early with Shu Yan and Qu Yutao.
When they came, they bought a lot of meat. There were fresh peppers, tomatoes, beans, eggplants, loofahs, leeks, and lettuce in the vegetable garden, all fresh and juicy. If they killed two chickens and two ducks, it would be enough to make two large tables of delicious dishes.
When the three children came back from school, they were even happier to see Zhou Hansheng.
Zhou Nian ran slower than Zhao Lixiang and Zhao Lin. The brother and sister giggled and threw themselves into Zhou Hansheng's arms. Zhou Nian was still a long way behind them.
Zhou Hansheng felt nervous when he saw the boy fall down due to running too fast with his short legs, but the child got up and continued running as if nothing had happened.
The ground was covered with mud, so the fall wasn't serious.
Zhou Hansheng was very happy, the child seemed to be completely healed!
The house becomes more lively as soon as the children come back.
It was not until the next day that Zhao Liya had the opportunity to speak to Zhou Hansheng alone.
It was called an opportunity, but in fact it was an opportunity that Zhou Hansheng forcibly snatched away.
He said he had something important to tell Zhao Liya, and openly invited her to talk alone.
(End of this chapter)
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