"Is it about mushroom farming? I've heard about it before, but I didn't dare to ask!"
Song Lizheng opened his torn cotton-padded jacket, revealing the fresh and tender little round umbrella inside.
"Is this the legendary shiitake mushroom?"
Song Lizheng nodded and said, "Yes, this is the mushroom that Qingshan Village has been selling recently. Call the respected people in the village and let's discuss how to implement it."
Song Zhaochun quickly agreed and went out to invite someone. At the signal of Song Lizheng, he also called the former Lizheng of Zhangjia Village.
Then he gave some mushrooms to Song Zhaochun's wife and asked her to wash and fry them as an additional dish for lunch.
In addition, there is a bag of rice. In special circumstances, Song Lizheng goes out with his own dry food.
As time passed, the elders who were born and raised in Xiahe Village came one after another, filling the small cave to the brim.
Although Song Lizheng doesn't come here often, he is quite familiar with everyone.
He greeted everyone one by one, and only after those who settled later came over did he talk about his plans.
"As everyone knows, this winter, our Qingshan Village made a small profit from mushroom farming. While we're not exactly lavishly wealthy, we're certainly doing much better than before.
Families that were previously too poor to find wives are now looking for matchmakers. Those whose homes are left with only broken roofs are also planning to rebuild their houses when the weather warms up.
Looking at everyone's envious eyes, Song Lizheng stood up straight, feeling quite proud.
He brought the remaining mushrooms to the crowd and said, “The villagers of Qingshan Village are thriving, and our Xiahe Village cannot be left behind.
Recently, our village contacted a big customer who always ordered a lot of things and offered affordable prices.
Qingshan Village can supply the goods, but the production is indeed tight.
I thought, why should I make it so difficult for myself? Wouldn’t it be better to get the villagers of Xiahe Village to work together?
You guys plant the crops, we sell them, and the bulk of the profits go to you, while we'll just earn a distribution fee. It's a win-win for both parties, what do you think?"
What Song Lizheng said was like pie falling from the sky.
Everyone knows that Qingshan Village has become prosperous recently. They have been envious of it before, but they just don’t have the technology!
Now, people are actively trying to get them into the business. If there's money to be made, even if it's split in half, who wouldn't be happy?
There was no need to hesitate, everyone nodded, and they were eager to participate right now.
Song Lizheng raised his hand and said, "No hurry, I haven't finished what I want to say yet!"
Next, the mushroom growing conditions and precautions were explained.
"In the final analysis, we are now faced with two problems. The first is whether we can free up some of the cave dwellings to be used exclusively for mushroom cultivation and then seal them up and never allow people to live there again.
The second thing is whether everyone can keep the secret, not teach the cultivation method to others, and not sell mushrooms to the county town.
We got this recipe with great difficulty, and we can't give it to Xiahe Village for free.
If you agree, we will take 10% of the profits as commission as a reward for leading you to prosperity."
As soon as the words fell, heated discussions broke out at the scene.
Some people think that Song Lizheng is right. If you use someone else's prescription, you have to pay.
Another part of the group felt that the two villages were both under the jurisdiction of Song Lizheng, so why could Qingshan Village not pay a penny and start planting so earlier than them?
After hearing this, Song Lizheng came out to explain: "I bought the recipe from someone else for fifty taels, and eventually distributed it equally to everyone in Qingshan Village.
As for why I didn't invite you to participate earlier, firstly, I wasn't sure if this recipe would actually work. Secondly, the county town is so small, and if there are too many mushrooms, the price will drop.
Moreover, growing mushrooms requires a separate house, which is relatively expensive and involves certain risks.
Now that Qingshan Village has opened this business, it has achieved initial success after trying it out, and can even guarantee production.
Plus, we just signed a long-term, stable order, which we hope will help alleviate your current situation of starvation and cold."
With just a few words, Song Lizheng not only resolved the conflict, but also made everyone feel warm.
I thought, who doesn’t want a village head who cares about them? Now, isn’t he right in front of me?
Even the former head of Zhangjia Village was convinced and felt that the other party's realm was much higher than his own.
I'm just a little curious about who came up with this idea. He must be quite capable!
After a little discussion, we came up with the answer.
They can give up the cave house and share the profits, but they want to get involved as soon as possible so that they can buy rice to cook.
Song Lizheng had no objection to this. Qingshan Village also paid out profits immediately, so at most it would just require a little more effort and a few more account books.
The next step is to notify others and see which one wants to participate and come to sign the deed.
Those who did not participate also had to put their fingerprints on the document to indicate that Song Lizheng had notified them and that they were giving up this opportunity to make a fortune on their own initiative.
When the people in Xiahe Village heard about this, they were in an uproar and pulled Song Zhaochun aside to ask him all sorts of questions.
Song Zhaochun told everyone what he knew, and if he didn't know something, he would go back and find out and then pass it on.
Because of this, those who were too hungry to have any strength came out to get some fresh air.
They surrounded the entrance of Song Zhaochun's cave house tightly, wanting to hear what Song Lizheng said with his own ears.
Seeing this, Song Lizheng recounted the story, took out the drafted contract, and asked the villagers to sign it.
After a moment's hesitation, everyone decided to join in. As for how they were going to build their cave, we'd talk about that later.
At worst, you can just squeeze in for now, and then build a house when you have more money. You don't have to live in a cave.
The matter was resolved smoothly. The crowd dispersed and Song Lizheng looked at the empty room, his stomach rumbling.
Song Yuangen brought out two bowls of porridge: "Third Aunt specially left this for us. She hid it in the cupboard and no one found it."
Otherwise, considering how hungry everyone is, they would have to snatch it all away and it would not be their turn to drink.
Song Lizheng also understood that the reason why everything went so smoothly today was because they had no choice.
If there's no more income, we'll be broke. Promising to share the profits with Qingshan Village will at least provide enough food and clothing. It's a wise choice.
Song Lizheng finished his porridge with a slurp, glanced at the sky, and saw dark clouds rolling in and signs of snowfall. He hurriedly told Song Zhaochun a few words and dragged Song Yuangen back.
"Try to get them to form a partnership of two or three and share the profits equally. You manage it well. I'll bring someone over in three days to deliver the fungus strains."
Remember to have people prepare more firewood, because mushrooms won’t grow if the temperature is too low.”
Song Zhaochun nodded, but felt a little embarrassed.
Now that the mountains are covered with snow, where can he get the firewood? But he has no choice but to agree, as the rice jar at home is already empty.
If Song Lizheng hadn't come and brought a few kilograms of rice, I would have been out of luck at noon today.
Song Zhaochun watched the two people go away and prayed in his heart that the mushrooms could be grown successfully.
In this way, he can earn some merits without doing anything, and maybe he can become the real head of Xiahe Village in the future.
Song Lizheng and Song Yuangen, who were trekking on the road, also happened to run into Ling San's ox cart who was looking for them.
***
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. I envy the little cuties who have a holiday.
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