Chapter 15 Cooperation
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Guan Xiuli took the matter entrusted to her by She Hongmei very seriously. She kept a close eye on the She family's movements at home, and came over immediately when she heard that they had returned.
She had already spoken to her sister in the morning, telling her that she would come over this afternoon to discuss cooperation, and asking her not to go out but to wait for them at the farm.
"Aunt Guan." She Ning called out when she saw Guan Xiuli appear at the gate of the courtyard.
"Wait for me, we're leaving right away." After unloading the things from the tricycle, She Hongmei carried the wooden bucket containing the braised food and said as she walked towards the kitchen without turning her head.
She Ning nodded to her, carrying a basin and other miscellaneous things in her hands, and quickly followed She Hongmei's steps. Guan Xiuli stepped forward to help, but when she looked at the tricycle, she found that there was nothing in the carriage. She then pushed the tricycle to the side of the peach tree.
"Hongmei, your peach trees have recovered quite well this year; they're all in bloom." Guan Xiuli exclaimed in surprise, some buds already open, others still budding, on the drooping peach branches. "Didn't you say they were losing leaves badly and were about to die?" she asked. "Did you go and ask someone to come back and check on them again?"
She Hongmei came out of the kitchen, wiped her sweat, and looked at the vibrant peach tree with a puzzled expression: "I've been too busy these past few days and haven't had time to take care of it. Maybe it was destined to survive and it pulled through on its own."
"It's good that you're alive. Your peaches are famous for being the best in the surrounding area. We're in for a treat this year."
"You'll get your share."
"Haha, that's great!" The two chatted happily.
The instigator, She Ning, stood silently to the side, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.
Guan Xiuli's sister's chicken farm is on a mountain. It's difficult to ride a bicycle up the mountain, so they push their bikes up when they reach the foot of the mountain. In order to raise chickens well, Guan Xiuli's sister lives at the chicken farm most of the time, and she built a wooden house there for convenience.
When She Ning and the others arrived, she wasn't in the cabin. She had chained the car to a pine tree outside the door, and the group waited outside.
The mountain is covered with abundant vegetation and trees. Occasionally, you can see chickens darting through the woods. Not far away, some flocks of chickens are pecking at the tender shoots and grass leaves on the ground. The air here is alright, unlike the farm they encountered at the foot of the mountain, where the air had an unpleasant smell and the chickens inside were listless and lacked energy.
"My sister should be out on patrol at this time." To prevent wild animals from encroaching, the chicken farm on the mountain is surrounded by a fence. Her sister usually patrols along the edge of the fence at this time to make sure that some fences are not damaged without her noticing.
Guan Xiuli came here often, so I knew her habit well: "We'll wait a bit."
They didn't have to wait long before people came from the path on the right.
"Sister, Sister Hongmei, you're here!" Wearing mid-calf rubber boots, carrying a sickle, and dressed in a durable dark cloth outfit, Guan Xiuhua pushed open the gate to the wooden house courtyard and said cheerfully, "Sorry to keep you waiting, come in and sit down."
Guan Xiuli naturally stepped forward and took her arm, chattering away with her. It was clear that the two had a very good relationship.
Although they are sisters, she doesn't look much like Guan Xiuli. Guan Xiuli has a round face, gentle features, and always smiles like a Maitreya Buddha. She has firm features, sharp eyes, a diamond-shaped face, and a serious demeanor.
She Hongmei led She Ning behind her.
After entering the cabin, Guan Xiuhua poured water for everyone, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got straight to the point.
She Hongmei and Guan Xiuhua knew each other; they were elementary school classmates. She Hongmei was two months older than Guan Xiuhua, and Guan Xiuhua always called She Hongmei "Sister Hongmei." They had a good relationship during their school days, but after getting married, they had their own families and gradually drifted apart due to less contact.
Guan Xiuhua only learned a few days ago that her younger sister's neighbor was She Hongmei. When she first heard the name, she thought it was just a coincidence. But when she met her today, she realized it was her. Reuniting with her friend and finding the damaged fence during her patrol improved her mood considerably.
Since we are going to cooperate, we naturally need to understand each other.
She had tried the She family's braised food, and it was really delicious. In return, she took She Ning and the others to visit her chicken coop not far behind the wooden house.
To raise chickens better, she learned poultry care knowledge by reading books, learned from the experience of farms in other places, and explored ways to build more standardized and reasonable chicken coops, implement fixed-point and fixed-time feeding, and carry out scientific chicken farming.
The chicken coop is long and narrow, with a feeding area, a resting area, and an egg-laying area. The feeding area has chicken cages. During the day, the chickens are allowed to roam freely on the mountain, and they return to their cages to sleep at night. She is also planning to set up an incubation area so that she will no longer need to buy chicks from outside, and any surplus can be sold.
"My current goal is to take over the entire market in Xiahe Town," Guan Xiuhua said confidently.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Guan Xiuhua asked with a smile when she met She Ning's bright eyes.
"You can definitely do it!" She Ning said firmly.
Guan Xiuhua's chicken coop now resembles a modern chicken coop. Given her personality and attitude, someone as serious and dedicated as her will succeed at anything she does.
After visiting the chicken coop, everyone returned to the cabin to continue discussing the cooperation.
Unlike what She Hongmei said about purchasing, Guan Xiuhua wanted to participate in a business partnership by investing in the company. She would provide the raw materials, while the She family would provide the formula and management. The profits would be split 30/70, with her receiving 30% and the She family receiving 70%.
The four of them sat around the table, and the room became quiet after Guan Xiuhua made the suggestion.
In reality, Guan Xiuhua was at a disadvantage due to the profit-sharing ratio.
She Ning sat next to She Hongmei without offering any opinion. Although she had provided the formula, it was mainly She Hongmei's business, and how to cooperate was still up to her.
Guan Xiuli didn't get involved. She knew her place very well; she was just a figurehead. They should worry about their own affairs.
She Hongmei picked up her cup, took a sip of water, tapped her fingers on her knee, and after a while said, "We can cooperate, but the profit sharing needs to be changed."
In business, harmony is key to long-term success and mutual benefit. A 30/70 split is unfair to Guan Xiuhua. She may not be in trouble now, but if she suffers losses in the long run, even an honest person will be unhappy.
She Hongmei doesn't like to gamble on human nature.
There were still some details regarding the profit sharing, and after some further deliberation and adjustments, both of them, being decisive individuals, readily signed the agreement.
Two copies are to be made, one for each person.
After the agreement was signed, Guan Xiuhua asked them to stay for dinner.
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, this meal won't make a difference." With elderly people and children waiting at home, She Hongmei politely declined.
Guan Xiuhua had also heard about what had happened to the She family in recent years, and had even lamented to Guan Xiuli about it. She didn't press the matter further, but instead grabbed two live chickens, tied their feet, put them in a sack, and forced them on them.
She Hongmei was about to refuse the gift.
Guan Xiuli took it first, carrying it in one hand and pulling She Hongmei out with the other: "Thank you, sister, but if you keep pushing it back and forth, we won't be able to leave."
Seeing this scene, She Ning smiled, her lips curving upwards.
The bicycle was locked under a pine tree in front of the yard, which was about waist-high. Guan Xiuhua saw them off all the way out, but Guan Xiuli walked faster and got to the bicycle first.
"That bastard stole the bicycle bell!!!" her voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing her cursing, She Ning and the other two quickly stepped forward.
The area in front of the handlebars is empty; the bicycle bell that was there when I locked the bike is gone.
"Could it be a prank?" She Hongmei asked. "If they wanted to steal it, wouldn't it be more valuable to steal the car as well?"
"It's also possible that the car was locked and couldn't be unlocked, so it couldn't be stolen." Guan Xiuhua said, then thought of the fence damage she had noticed in the past two days. Since no chickens were missing, she had initially thought it was caused by wild animals.
When this was told, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"It's too dangerous for you to be here alone. It's okay during the day, but you should go home at night," Guan Xiuli said worriedly, holding her hand tightly.
Guan Xiuhua wasn't too worried. She had been learning martial arts from her family since she was a child, and in her teens she could defeat a man several times her age with her bare hands. Now she runs all over the mountains every day, and her physical strength and endurance are stronger than many people: "Don't you know how good your sister is?"
"Xiuli is right. We don't know who did it. It's not the open and aboveboard that's scary, but the underhanded ones. It's safer for you to go home tonight," She Hongmei advised.
“That’s right!” Guan Xiuli agreed.
"Okay, okay, I know." Guan Xiuhua pinched her younger sister's chubby cheeks and reluctantly gave in.
Guan Xiuli knew her sister well; since she had promised to go back to sleep that night, she would. Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded her not to let her guard down during the day.
Guan Xiuhua repeatedly agreed before Guan Xiuli finally left.
After leaving the chicken farm and walking down the mountain to a flat road, the three of them got back on their bikes, sitting sideways on the old-fashioned bicycles, with She Ning holding the handlebars.
Looking at the bicycle without a bell, she suddenly recalled the gossip she had overheard while setting up her stall: many bicycles in the town had also lost their bells recently, even though the two places were so far apart.
Are these two things related? Or were they just playing a prank?
There was also the matter of the fence around Guan Lihua being vandalized. She observed that the railway was only a hundred meters away behind the mountain. Thinking of the news about crimes she had seen in the 1980s, she figured it couldn't be such a coincidence.
After returning home, She Ning told She Hongmei about the many bicycle bells that had gone missing in the town, but she didn't mention the railway bells yet, as there was still no sign of them.
"I'll ask Officer Chen after I close up shop tomorrow," She Hongmei replied after thinking for a moment. Officer Chen works at the town's police station, so it should be much easier for her to investigate.
Stealing a bicycle bell is actually much easier than stealing a bicycle. Although its value is far less than that of a bicycle, it adds up to a considerable sum over time.
Moreover, bicycles are large targets, and the chances of being caught stealing them are high. Few people would steal someone else's bicycle during the day, but bicycle bells are small and delicate. You can break them off and put them in your pocket in a few seconds.
After deciding to close her stall the next day and go find Chen Shengnan, She Hongmei put the matter aside for the time being. She hadn't even finished working in the cornfield yet, so she grabbed her hoe and went out.
She Ning immediately carried a bamboo basket and went with her.
In the field, the corn that She Ning planted that day has all sprouted. The seedlings are arranged neatly, each one with its leaves stretched out, a lush green that looks very pleasing.
She Hongmei used a hoe to hoe up the weeds, while She Ning followed and picked them up and threw them into a bamboo basket. After the basket was about full, she carried it to an open space to the side, turned it upside down, and spread the weeds out to dry. The dried weeds could then be used as firewood.
After working all afternoon, seeing that it was getting late, She Hongmei told She Ning to go home first.
Her vegetable garden wasn't far from the cornfield, and She Ning planned to go there to pick some greens to take back and make garlic greens for dinner.
Before even reaching the vegetable garden, I could see a woman wearing bell-bottoms squatting in her field from afar.
"She Yaozu, what are you doing!" She kicked the person who was squatting next to her melon seedlings into the ditch.
She Ning stood on the edge of the field, looking down at him.
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