Chapter 305 Found
"There is no food to be earned from the land, so we have to go out to work. The laborers in the village are all running to the county town, but not all of them can find work. Some go to other places for money and don't come back for three to five years. Their families miss them very much. Some people have no news after leaving, and no one knows whether they are dead or alive."
"A lot of land in this village has gone to waste, and the population is decreasing. Life is getting harder and harder..."
As Miao Hongjin spoke, he sighed.
The long days, with no end in sight and no hope at all, are indeed extremely difficult to endure for people and can even make people despair.
No wonder when I passed by just now, some of the people working had dull expressions and empty eyes.
"We have to think of ways to deal with everything. We can't give up so easily," Ding Gaochang comforted.
Zhuang Qingning was moving back and forth between the dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato noodles, and fresh sweet potatoes, and even took a piece of the peeled sweet potato that Miao Hongjin had peeled and put it in his mouth.
It has a crispy texture with slightly sweet juice and tastes really good.
Especially the sweet potatoes with red flesh, which have a chestnut aroma when eaten. Such sweet potatoes are perfect for making dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato strips, etc.
Next, it’s the sweet potato noodles.
Sweet potatoes are high in starch, and after the starch is extracted, it can be used to make many things.
Zhuang Qingning couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"Miss Zhuang, do you have any ideas?" Ding Gaochang asked quietly when he saw some joy between Zhuang Qingning's brows.
"Yes, there are some." Zhuang Qingning nodded. "The red-fleshed sweet potatoes have a high sugar content and can be made into dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato strips and sold as snacks. The white-fleshed sweet potatoes, on the other hand, have a high starch content and can be dried to make vermicelli, jelly, etc."
"Jelly noodles are delicious, and vermicelli is also commonly eaten on weekdays. After being dried, vermicelli can be preserved for a long time. Not only is it suitable for all seasons, but it can also be shipped outside. It should be able to sell for a good price."
"This is a good idea." Ding Gaochang nodded approvingly.
But Miao Hongjin had a bitter face and said embarrassedly, "To be honest with Lord Ding and Miss Zhuang, someone came back from outside and said that the sweet potatoes can be made into other things to sell, but they are not very popular. Many people have lost money on the sweet potatoes, and in the end it was all in vain."
"Well..." Zhuang Qingning smiled, "Let me take some sweet potatoes back here, and make something in a few days. Let Miao Lizheng taste it, and then you will know."
There is no point in saying more. No matter how much you talk, others may not believe you at all. Instead, they may think you are bragging. It is better to be practical and just put things out there, and then they will have an idea in their minds.
Just try it and you’ll know?
Could it be that this young girl can make delicious vermicelli, jelly, etc.?
But no matter how you cook it, even if you make flowers, it’s made of sweet potatoes, how can it taste good?
Miao Hongjin couldn't believe it.
But I thought that since Ding Gaochang brought this girl here specially, there must be a reason.
Looking at the confident look on the girl's face, as if she was quite sure about this matter and determined to succeed, Miao Hongjin felt that there might be some hope for this matter.
To put it another way, even if the food is really not tasty, it doesn't matter. This village has been like this for so many years, and it will remain like this in the future.
Miao Hongjin nodded.
It's just a matter of taking a few sweet potatoes. Maybe there will be good news. Anyway, there are too many sweet potatoes to eat. Let alone taking some, even if you take a whole truck, it won't be worth much.
Then, Zhuang Qingning asked Miao Hongjin to take her for a walk in the village to see how big the village was, how many households there were, how much land there was around where sweet potatoes could be grown, and even to look at the canals and wells here.
Calculate the output, count the available labor force, and also take a look at the water quality here. This will give you a rough idea of this Miao Village and how feasible it is to build a workshop and how big the workshop can be built in the future.
By the time we had understood all this, the sun was already setting.
Seeing that it was getting late and they had a general understanding of what was going on, Ding Gaochang and Zhuang Qingning prepared to say goodbye and leave.
Miao Hongjin escorted Ding Gaochang and Zhuang Qingning's carriage to the entrance of the village.
"Miao Lizheng, please stay." Ding Gaochang dissuaded him again.
"Master Ding, take care." Miao Hongjin bowed and said goodbye. After hesitating for a moment, he said with a smile on his face, "Master Ding and Miss Zhuang, please come again when you have time."
As long as these two people can come again, there is still hope for this village.
"Don't worry, I will." Ding Gaochang agreed repeatedly.
The curtain was lowered and the carriage moved slowly. Only when it was far away and could no longer be seen did Miao Hongjin turn back and walk home.
"Uncle village chief, uncle village chief." A young man named Miao Shuisheng trotted to Miao Hongjin's side and stopped to catch his breath. "I found the third daughter of Aunt Su."
"Found it?" Miao Hongjin was also overjoyed. "It's good that you found it, it's good that you found it. At least nothing happened, otherwise it would have been a big deal."
"That's right, this girl is really something. She was thinking about the chicken noodle soup her uncle made when she went there yesterday. Today, she ran there again, hoping to ask for a bowl of meat. But she was afraid of being scolded by her parents, so she ran away secretly by herself. She played at her uncle's house for a long time and just came back now."
Miao Shuisheng wiped his sweat and said, "We were spotted just after we entered the village. When I heard about it, I hurried over to tell you, uncle."
"Well, you are thoughtful about this matter. You are quite perceptive." Miao Hongjin nodded approvingly, "But I still need to remind everyone about this matter. It's a mess outside. Keep an eye on your daughters at home to prevent them from being kidnapped by that kidnapper."
"I heard someone say yesterday that our county is peaceful, but in the neighboring Zeng County, it seems that a few people have been lost. The Zeng County Magistrate is so anxious that his mouth is full of bubbles. On weekdays, the people in the village patrol the vicinity one by one, for fear that strangers will come to do bad things."
"Although we haven't heard of any incidents in our county this year, we still have to be on guard against this, lest something goes wrong, and we won't have anywhere to regret it."
"Don't worry, uncle. I've said this many times. Everyone in the village remembers it. Tomorrow, you can talk to everyone about it. If it doesn't work, we can arrange two people to walk around outside every day."
"Yes, that's what happened." Miao Hongjin nodded thoughtfully, patted Miao Shuisheng on the shoulder, and went home.
Miao Shuisheng scratched his ear and hurriedly followed behind.
(End of this chapter)
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