Qiao Wanyue immediately changed the subject. She had only come today to tell the captain that the Yang and Lu families had become enemies, so that he could be prepared.
"Captain, it's autumn now. Once the weather gets cooler, dried vegetables are more likely to get moldy."
The captain's thoughts were pulled back by Qiao Wanyue's words.
He looked dejected and very troubled.
Due to the large temperature difference in the past few days, many dried vegetables have become moldy. The villagers are all illiterate and cannot read a single character. He and Secretary Guo, together with the educated youth in the village, came up with some solutions.
But the effect was minimal.
"The dried vegetables have started to mold these past few days, Wanyue, do you have any ideas?"
"Captain, we can't rely solely on dried vegetables. What will we do if there are no vegetables to sell in winter?"
The brigade leader knew exactly what Qiao Wanyue was saying, but Xiahe Village was neither near mountains nor water, unlike other villages that could engage in animal husbandry and planting. They could only grow wheat, corn, and peanuts.
Aside from paying grain taxes, they could barely make ends meet.
The dried vegetable business brought them success.
He's been so worried these past few days that he hasn't been able to sleep. He's concerned about what the villagers will do if they don't have any extra income in the winter.
"Captain, on my way to the military region, I saw that some brigades in the north have already set up greenhouses."
The brigade leader had certainly thought of that; he had read the newspapers countless times and was naturally aware of the emerging side businesses in each region.
"Putting aside the fact that plastics are difficult to obtain, no one is willing to convert farmland used for growing grains into vegetable gardens," the brigade leader said, expressing his biggest concern.
For thousands of years, they have grown grains. Suddenly switching to growing vegetables is going against their ancestors. The government may approve, but the villagers will not.
Qiao Wanyue didn't take it seriously.
If vegetables earn them more than grains, their choices will definitely change.
And she wasn't just talking nonsense.
Some areas in the south have begun to experiment with greenhouse farming. Some experimental institutions use greenhouses when cultivating seedlings. However, if they want to popularize it on a large scale, the initial investment will be much greater.
The brigade leader was worried that the money he had earned from drying vegetables these days would be wasted.
His concerns were not unfounded.
Qiao Wanyue believes that one must have ambition before one can act boldly.
Being too restrictive will ultimately prevent you from accomplishing anything.
"You should talk to the villagers first, and we'll deal with the problem of the dried vegetables getting moldy."
Qiao Wanyue didn't force it; people's thinking needs to change.
When they see money, their thoughts naturally change.
The captain's eyes lit up. "Can you handle this?"
Qiao Wanyue smiled and said, "It's easy to solve. It's just a big temperature difference. We can use some dried vegetables to make the house warm, and then use the steam to dry the vegetables quickly. But it's a waste of resources."
There's no need to worry about firewood; they have a grove of trees behind them for their use. Some of the older trees need to be cut down and replaced with new ones.
The priority now is to get through the immediate difficulties.
Let's get right to it.
The brigade leader first tried it out at the village office. They set up a pot at the brigade office, added water and brought it to a boil. They then placed the blanched and sun-dried vegetables on the clean pot lid and let the water evaporate through the flow of steam.
Ovens already exist abroad, but the team leader hadn't thought of it.
First, the investment would be too large, and the commune would definitely not pay for it.
Secondly, he had to pay for it himself, as he had no money.
Ultimately, it all comes down to not having money.
We can only use the most primitive methods.
The fire lasted for ten hours, and the blanched green beans had lost their green color. The high heat gradually reduced the moisture, which was faster than sun-drying.
But it's useless firewood.
Seven hours later, the dried green beans had become shriveled.
The captain picked one up and sniffed it under his nose.
It lacks the fresh scent of sunshine, but has gained the aroma of charcoal fire.
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