"It would be great if the new boss still wants our goods. What I am most worried about is that more and more people will come to buy our goods, but the truffle production in the forest is limited."
Zhou Huaian was not as optimistic as Secretary Xu. He felt that since Wang Zhen was so worried, he might have heard some bad news and was looking for a way out in advance.
Secretary Xu nodded and said, "You are right. The main problem is that fungi are not like crops. If there are too few of them, we can just open up more wasteland and plant more. But there is no way to grow fungi at all.
My family will definitely participate in the pickle business. As the saying goes, all things are difficult at the beginning. Just go for it bravely. As long as you take the first step, the road ahead will only get easier and easier.
Also, Chunyan suggested that the villagers should also participate in the business. Your wife is a kind-hearted person and wants to help everyone get rich and live a good life.
But I have been the brigade secretary for so many years, and I know the moral character of most people in the village. What can I say?" He thought for a while, "They just remember grudges but not kindness. If the factory is successful and there are dividends to share, of course it is a great thing.
On the contrary, they will be like your grandfather worried, blocking your door every day to wait for you to withdraw your shares, and they will say all kinds of unpleasant things to you, so you have to be mentally prepared. "
"Uncle Xu, I will first decide on the number of companies we will invest in. Once Wang Zhen estimates the amount of money to be invested, we can then discuss how many shares to allocate.
The money invested in setting up a pickle factory is much less than that of a power station. I think there won’t be many shares left to sell to the villagers in the end. If they feel that they are not making money and want to withdraw their shares, I will buy them back with the money.”
Zhou Huaian felt that what he said was right. A gentleman remembers kindness while a villain remembers grudges. If he sold his shares to the villagers, there would definitely be a lot of trouble in the future.
But Chunyan wanted to do it, and Wang Zhen agreed, so he would definitely support it unconditionally. He believed in his wife and Wang Zhen's vision, and felt that if they both agreed, it must be right.
If I am wrong, the worst that can happen is that I can just use the money to buy back the shares. Even if I lose money, I still have the treasure given by the mountain god at home!
Secretary Xu thought about it and agreed. "Okay, once you have formulated the charter and calculated how much money each company wants to invest, just let me know."
"One more thing. The brigade house will deteriorate sooner or later if it is kept there. I think it would be better to sell it to us to set up a factory."
"We built the brigade house with our own bricks and tiles, and the foundation is made entirely of bluestone slabs. It was a good choice for the factory site."
"I think it's a pity to leave such a spacious place empty. If we choose to build the factory there, we can just renovate the warehouse and start production. Don't worry, the village can hold meetings in our factory in the future."
"It's okay. The houses in the village will be sold sooner or later." Secretary Xu suddenly had an idea in his mind. "Youngest brother, uncle has an idea. Listen to it!"
"you say!"
"I think after selling the house in the village, instead of distributing the money, it is better to use the money from the sale of the house to invest in the pickle factory. This way, it will be much easier in the future."
"Old people are always wiser!" Zhou Huaian gave him a thumbs up, "Uncle, your idea is great, I'll do as you say!"
Secretary Xu said happily: "My words now don't count. I just made an idea. I still have to discuss it with your Uncle Datian before we can make a decision."
"Uncle Datian said he wanted to discuss many things with you, like the issue of paying public grain this year. He said if he had discussed it with you earlier, and we had all gone to complain about our poverty, we would have been able to pay 100 to 200 kilograms less."
"Datian is a little thin-skinned and feels embarrassed. In fact, whether it is the families of ordinary people like us or those higher-ups, it has always been the case that the crying child gets the milk, while the sensible child is not loved by anyone."
"Yes, you are right. When the dividends are distributed in the future, I will complain more and tell you about how I worked so hard to get more goods and make more money!"
Secretary Xu laughed and said, "What's the big deal if your butt is rubbed? No one can see it if you're wearing pants. As long as your face is fine, it's fine!"
"Uncle Xu!" Zhou Huaian frowned and looked at him, "Why do I feel like you are trying to fool me?"
Secretary Xu smiled with wrinkles all over his face, "Absolutely not. You are the most handsome young man in our Funiu Village. Now you are a leader in hard work and wealth. You are the face of our village!"
"Okay, I'll take that as a compliment." Zhou Huaian stood up with a smile, "Go discuss it with Uncle Datian, I'll go back first."
"Eat here before you go!"
"No, my mom had already fermented the dough when I left. Let's go back and eat the big meat buns!"
"Oh, these days are pretty good!"
"That's it!" Zhou Huaian kicked the bicycle kickstand, waved at him, got on the bike and left.
Secretary Xu watched him walk away and felt that if he had been born a few decades later, he would have been able to catch up with the good times now.
When Zhou Huaian arrived home, Yang Chunyan and her sisters-in-law were bringing dishes to the table. Braised rooster with taro, twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, pork with deep-fried pork... were served one after another.
Zhao Huifang brought over the steamer, opened the lid, and revealed a bunch of steaming, white, plump meat buns.
Zhou Jiakang hurriedly said: "I don't want rice, I want buns!"
Zhang Xiuxiang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Go through the door!"
Zhou Jiakang pouted, "I won't go, I'm not a beggar!"
Zhou Jiawen said softly, "Second Auntie means that only beggars would ask for it."
Zhou Jiakang was confused, "Then what should I say?"
"Stupid!" Zhou Xiaoqian knocked him, "You said you didn't want to eat, you just wanted to eat buns!"
Zhou Jiakang smiled at her flatteringly, "My sister is just smarter than me!"
A few adults felt it was too shameful to watch and told them to go to the low square table and eat whatever they wanted.
Xiao Jiuer and Xiao Long sat on the straw stools that the old man had made especially for them. They took big bites of the big meat buns. When they saw the broken mushrooms on the table, they picked them up and ate them.
Li Qiuyue smiled and said, "Chunyan, Xiaolong is very well behaved as long as he eats with Jiuer. He is not well behaved at all when he eats at home!"
"Children like to compete with others in eating when they are about the same age as him." Yang Chunyan also feels that when the children are here, Xiao Jiuer eats more obediently.
Mother Zhou: "Raising a child is like raising a pig. If there is no pig to compete with for food, it will not grow. You have to raise a few more pigs to compete for food, so that it can grow faster!"
Zhou Jiakang pouted, "No wonder my grandma put us on the same table to eat, she just raised us like little piglets!"
Zhou's mother said happily: "You are the easiest to raise in the family. You don't have to compete with the piglets for food, and your appetite is better than anyone else's!"
"Hey!" Zhou Jiakang sighed, "It turns out we are all piglets!"
Zhou Xiaoqian kicked him under the table and said, "Hurry up and eat. You are always the one who talks too much. Jiuer and Xiaolong are not like you."
"Jiuer, good baby!" Little Jiuer looked up and said when he heard his sister mention him.
"Xiao Jiu'er is the best!" Zhou Xiaoqian smiled and picked up a piece of radish, blew on it twice and handed it to him, "Eat a piece of radish!"
Xiao Jiuer took it and took a big bite. Zhou Xiaolong who was sitting next to him looked at him, reached out and grabbed the bun in his bowl and took a big bite.
After chewing it for a few times, he probably felt that the bun in his bowl tasted the same as the one in his own bowl, so he put it back.
"Poof~" Zhou Huaishan quickly covered his mouth and turned his head away. After a moment, he said, "Little thing, after all this time, not only is the aroma from the pot fragrant, but it is also fragrant from the bowl!"
"Like you, when you were little, you always thought other people's corn cobs were more fragrant." Zhou's mother laughed, "The second child complained a lot, saying that he often stole his corn cobs."
"I can't remember." If Zhou Huaishan hadn't just seen his son do this, he wouldn't believe that he would do this.
Both adults and children started laughing, and the two younger ones also grinned foolishly.
After the family had finished their meal, Yang Chunyan put some buns in an enamel bowl, put them in a net bag and gave them to Zhou Xiaoqian. "Give them to Xiu Na and the others when you go to school."
Zhou Xiaoqian took the net bag and said, "Let's send it to their home first."
"Tell them we'll go over after school."
"Hey!" Zhou Xiaoqian went out with a net bag and called Zhou Jialiang and his brother and sister-in-law. The children all rushed out.
Zhou Xiaolin looked at her brother and sister who disappeared in a flash with envy, "Mom, I want to go to school with my sister too."
"You won't be in the first grade until the year after next." Li Qiuyue picked up Xiaolong and led her by the hand, "Let's go back and sleep for a while. We still have to go to the back hill to pick grass."
Zhou's mother and Zhao Huifang were cleaning up the dishes. Yang Chunyan scooped up some hot water and wiped Xiao Jiu'er's face. "Are you full?"
Xiao Jiuer patted his belly and said, "I'm full!"
Zhou Huaian sat on a rattan chair and looked at the mother and daughter. "Yan'er, Uncle Xu said that the money from selling the brigade house can be used to buy shares and distribute them to the villagers. I think this is a good idea, so that when you don't make any money at the beginning, you won't have others come to cause trouble."
Yang Chunyan hung up the washcloth and sat next to him. "That's a good idea. Let's go to Mina's house this afternoon and visit Sister Xiaoxue's house to ask her if she's willing to invest."
"By the way, go to Uncle Xia's place and give him the shoes." Zhou Huaian picked up his son who was crawling around, "Want to sleep for a while?"
"The Jerusalem artichokes left on the slope need to be dug up, and the cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and lettuce seedlings need to be transplanted. I won't sleep in the afternoon."
"Then I'll take my son to sleep for a while. If Uncle Datian comes, call me."
Yang Chunyan nodded, went to the backyard to get a hoe and a basket, and went to the slope next to the vegetable garden. She felt that even potatoes and sweet potatoes were not as easy to grow as Jerusalem artichokes. Except for the first year of planting, she only dug but did not plant in the past two years. If she left a piece of soil, a large piece would grow.
She picked up a sickle and cut off the tender stems at the top of the Jerusalem artichoke stalks. She chopped them into short sections and cooked them to feed the pigs. The old stalks below could only be thrown into the manure pit to make fertilizer.
Zhou's mother also came with a hoe and a backpack. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cut the tender stems and shoveled down all the Jerusalem artichoke stalks. Soon the ground was filled with tender and old stems.
It took the two of them just over an hour to cut the wood.
Yang Chunyan dug up a Jerusalem artichoke and found a nest of them. "I took them back home, sliced them, and dried them with the weeds, flowers and plants in the field. After we sell the fat pigs, the piglets we caught can be eaten until the beginning of next spring."
Six big fat pigs need several large buckets of pig food for one meal, and now they have to be cooked every other day.
"The six fat pigs are too greedy. Fortunately, we grow so much pig grass and Jerusalem artichokes every year, otherwise three would be enough."
"Three pigs' manure is too little. With so much mountain land, if we plant corn and sweet potatoes, six pigs' manure would not be enough!" (End of this chapter)
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