Chapter 37: Stacking Haystacks, Producer Jiang
It was a sunny day and Li Xiang was stacking hay in the backyard.
The straw had been dried long ago, but I was too busy to pile it up.
This is actually a technical job. It is not something that can be done easily.
To stack haystacks, at least two people are needed to work together, one standing on the haystack and the other standing under it.
The people standing at the bottom of the haystack throw the bundles of straw upwards, and the people standing on top of the haystack catch them and stack them up. There are certain rules for how to stack them so that they are firm and will not fall down.
People with good skills can make very sturdy haystacks, which can remain stable even if a naughty child digs a big hole underneath. However, people with poor skills may collapse due to strong winds in a few days, or be hit by pedestrians, cattle or sheep.
Li Xiang remembers that when he was a child, there were haystacks in front of every household. When the weather was cold, he and his friends would play in them every day. Sometimes they would build a "secret base" between two haystacks and do some very childish but interesting things.
This beautiful scenery is rarely seen nowadays, probably because there are fewer people farming nowadays. Everyone goes out to work, and the income from work is the main source of income for the family.
Instead, professional cooperatives and large-scale farmers use balers to roll the straw into larger rolls and place them in the fields. Since the straw is of similar size, regular shape and rolled firmly, it is easier to transport.
When Li Xiang played Peace Elite, he especially liked to hide behind those straw rolls.
Rice straw was not valuable before, but now, it is often "snatched up". Some people have made reservations even before the rice harvest has started. At one point, some people even came to collect it at a high price of 2,000 yuan per ton.
It is equivalent to 2 yuan per kilogram, which is not much lower than rice.
In the past, they lived a simple life, mainly raising cattle, especially Wagyu.
Kobe Wagyu beef in Japan is extremely expensive and is known for its marbled beef, evenly distributed fat, and exquisite marble patterns. This type of beef is tender and juicy, making it the best steak.
Rice straw has been one of the important raw materials for cattle breeding since ancient times. It is natural for cattle and horses to eat grass, especially in winter, when they can only eat hay. According to research, the digestibility of rice straw by Kobe Wagyu can reach 50%. After the rice straw arrives at Xiaori from China, it is mixed with other concentrated feed in a specific proportion and evenly fed into the four stomachs of the cattle for even digestion and absorption. This may be one of the secrets of the exquisite marble pattern of Wagyu.
Li Xiang would naturally not sell such a small amount of straw. It would be great to keep it for making fire in winter.
Before burning firewood, the wood is difficult to ignite, so you have to use straw to "start the fire" first.
He didn't need anyone's help, he just "flew up and down" by himself and soon built a haystack. It was a cylindrical shape, and then he "built" a "cone" on the top. The whole haystack looked a bit like a yurt.
Although haystacks look beautiful, they are actually a "source of danger". When I was a child, haystacks in the village often caught fire and even burned down houses. Therefore, adults always warned us not to play with fire or set off firecrackers near haystacks.
Li Xiang naturally took this as a warning. He deliberately cleared a circle of isolation zone with a width of at least three meters around the haystack, and the haystack was quite far away from the house.
As the weather turned cooler, Li Xiang picked up some straw and spread a thick layer of it in the dog shed and cat bed. This was new straw this year, with a faint rice fragrance, which the dog and cat loved.
Of course, Li Xiang would change the straw inside frequently, about once every three to five days.
After Li Xiang's careful feeding, the cats and dogs in his family are now growing up well and are full of energy. Their fur is as smooth and shiny as satin, and feels great to the touch, and they rarely shed.
As for the dogs of other families in the village, some were dirty, and Dahuang and Erhuang were disgusted and didn't want to play with them. There were several times when dogs came to bark, but Dahuang drove them away with disgust.
Unless a pretty little female dog comes over.
Well, both dogs in Li Xiang’s family are male.
Li Xiang had just jumped down from the haystack when Cai'er arrived. The little girl, carrying her schoolbag, stood at the back door with a big smile on her face.
After all, she is grown up now.
When I was a child, I ran to my brother Li Xiang’s house every day. It was okay. But now that the Jiang family has a grown-up daughter, I have to be a little cautious, so I carry a schoolbag!
Well, I came to find the only college student left in the village to tutor him.
For the sake of getting into a good university and studying, no one will say anything.
In fact, Cai'er is not afraid, but she is afraid that it will be difficult for her parents.
"Do your homework in this pavilion in the backyard. The light at home is too dim and it's bad for your eyesight." Li Xiang greeted Jiang Caier and took out various snacks he had prepared earlier.
"Wow~, am I here to do my homework or to eat snacks?" Jiang Caier's eyes curved into crescent shapes.
"We can cook while eating." Li Xiang is quite satisfied with his pavilion. It is built with pure bamboo and baked with fire to prevent moth and mildew. The tables and chairs in the pavilion have also been reinforced.
When the weather gets cold, my butt feels a little cold when I sit on it.
"Wait a minute, I'll get a cushion." Li Xiang touched it, then very considerately went back to get two cushions.
The only thing his family can show off is the backyard, which has a "cascading fountain", a pavilion, a swing, and a vegetable garden. The vegetables he planted before have all grown up, and they are green and lush, and in terms of ornamental value, they are no worse than those flowers and plants in big cities.
If Li Xiang wants to plant flowers, there is plenty of open space for him to do so. He also has plans to plant some flowers next spring when the flowers bloom.
"Brother Li Xiang, will there be a sequel to our short play about the saint?" Jiang Caier couldn't help asking after working on the questions for a while.
Li Xiang said, "Of course we will shoot. I just haven't finished the script yet, and we are short of manpower. Think about it, we are going to participate in the martial arts conference in Central Plains, and we will definitely need the leaders of various sects and saints. There are only two of us, where can we find people?"
In fact, Li Xiang had thought about inviting some elderly people in the village to participate. They are old and can play the roles of old Taoist priests and old nuns, just like Li Xiang’s grandmother, who had previously made a guest appearance as Grandma Jinhua in the Miao village.
But it is more difficult to deal with young people. The village is almost entirely made up of children. It seems that except for Jiang Caier, who is in high school, and a boy in junior high school, the rest are in elementary school or even toddlers.
Jiang Caier raised her eyebrows after hearing Li Xiang's idea, patted her towering chest, and said, "If you don't have enough manpower, come to me!"
Li Xiang was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Jiang Caier said, "I can pull my classmates over here. They will be so envious when they see me shooting short videos."
"If it's possible, that's a great idea!" Li Xiang praised. Jiang Caier's classmates were all high school students in their prime, and they were perfect for playing the role of the arrogant saints.
The two of them hit it off immediately, and then Jiang Caier went to get people.
Thanks to “Book Friend 120627193611751”, “Book Friend 796691”, “Big Brother Along”, “Return with Fate”, “Unwilling to Look Back”, and “godwill” for their monthly tickets.
(End of this chapter)
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