Chapter 75 The idea of opening a B&B
Hearing that Chef Zhang wanted to buy vegetables from the mountain, Xia Wu frowned and said in embarrassment, "Grandpa Zhang, it's not that I don't want to sell them to you, but the vegetables on my mountain are not enough to sell online. I really can't give you too much."
There are two to three thousand students in a middle school. Even if only one thousand of them eat at Chef Zhang's window, that's still a thousand growing mouths crying for food.
We need hundreds of kilograms of vegetables every day.
There are only a dozen acres of vegetables planted on Xiawu Mountain, and there are no greenhouses or anything. They all follow the weather and sell them when they are ripe.
March is the time when there is a shortage of food, and selling vegetable packages online every day is no longer enough to provide extra supplies for Chef Zhang.
If we have to blame someone, we can only blame the lack of manpower. With Xia Wu’s family, they can’t even cultivate a hill of land even if they work themselves to death, right?
Chef Zhang smacked his lips and said, "That's easy!"
"Is it easy?"
"That's easy! Kids aren't picky about food. As long as the quantity is sufficient, I guarantee I can make it so they'll like it. Just listen to me. Plant more beans, eggplants, cucumbers, and tomatoes. There's still time to replant them this season, and we'll be able to harvest in two months. In the meantime, I'll buy some vegetables from your village. What do you think?"
Xia Wu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
This is an idea, but why do I have to buy her vegetables?
Chef Zhang finally told the truth. He had tasted all the dishes served at today's banquet. Because there were many people eating today and many dishes, Xia Wu bought some of the dishes from the villagers.
The vegetables grown by the villagers of Yanggou Village are of good quality, but Chef Zhang always feels that they are a little bit inferior to the vegetables grown by Xia Wu himself.
Chefs always pay attention to the subtle differences, after all, ingredients are the foundation.
Just like what Chef Zhang said, students don’t care about changing the dishes every day. As long as they taste good and the food is safe and nutritious, that’s enough.
Chef Zhang played the emotional card again.
"The children in our town are so pitiful. They all come from the village to study in town. They eat at school six out of seven days a week. Not only do they not have enough oil and water, but they also eat a mess every day. If this goes on for a long time, their health will be damaged. How can they study well? How can they get into other middle schools in the high school entrance examination?"
There are more than a dozen middle schools in the county. Some towns do not have a single middle school due to insufficient population. Donghua Town is a relatively large town, and students from the two nearby towns also come here to study, so there are as many as two to three thousand students.
However, in terms of academic performance, Donghua Town No. 1 Middle School is at best average in the county, neither above average nor below average.
Chef Zhang has two grandchildren, both of whom study at No. 1 Middle School. He wants to make a name for himself in the middle school, and also for the sake of his own children.
Once the emotional card came out, Xia Wu was completely speechless.
The main thing was that these students were so pitiful. She had never heard of such a thing happening in the cafeteria before...
Forgive her for attending private international schools before. The school hired a nutritionist to prepare the menu. The cafeteria has three floors and serves Western, Chinese and local specialties.
Food safety issues have never occurred.
When she heard Yang Mingyue talk about the strange things she had eaten in the cafeteria, she felt sick.
"Okay, then I'll start working on the land tomorrow and plant more vegetables. But by the time the vegetables are ready, the middle school will be closed for the holidays..."
Xia Wu thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Besides selling vegetable packages online, I won't sell the vegetables from the mountain anywhere else. I'll give priority to supplying them to you."
Chef Zhang was very grateful but also a little embarrassed. He really didn't expect the middle school to be on vacation. Summer vacation lasts for two months. When the vegetables from Xiawu Mountain are ripe, where should he sell them?
Xia Wu's life motto was to never worry about things that hadn't happened yet. She cheerfully reassured Chef Zhang, "Everything will work out when the time comes. I'm sure we can sell it somewhere else."
The sky is filled with red clouds and the tired birds are returning to the forest.
The tourists who came to Yanggou Village were all very tired. They came down from the mountain one after another, carrying large and small bags in their hands, walked to the village entrance, took ox carts, and waited to be taken to the town entrance.
Almost everyone carried back nearly ten kilograms of local specialties.
There is nothing rare on the mountain, just fruits and vegetables. Some people also come to Xia Wu to buy honey, and Xia Wu accepts no offer.
Today alone, she earned nearly 40,000 yuan.
Zhou Hui broadcast live for a whole day, and the money he received from the gifts in the live broadcast room was enough to cover the cost of their outing. When they were about to leave, they even found Xia Wu to say goodbye.
"Xia Xia, when are you going to have the banquet?"
"Why, haven't you eaten enough yet?"
"We can't eat enough! If there wasn't a place to stay in your village, we wouldn't want to leave. There's no fun to be had!"
"That's right, how about opening a B&B in your village?"
"Why open a B&B? I think the mountain is a great place. Wouldn't it be possible to open a B&B if we just build a few buildings?"
Zhou Hui and the others were arguing, and a light suddenly lit up in Xia Wu's heart: B&B!
She said she felt like something was missing!
"Building houses on the mountain is prohibited, so I guess your hopes are dashed. However, we can think of a B&B."
"Xia Xia, work hard! We are waiting for you to make the village and Yantou Mountain better and better. If you need workers, give me priority. I can do anything!" Zhou Hui couldn't wait to roll up his sleeves and show his muscles.
"And me, I can do it too!"
"If I could eat this well every day here, I'd be willing to work for free!"
Xia Wu was almost overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the male college students. She smiled and agreed, "If that day ever comes, you're welcome to stay with me."
After seeing off the guests, the night deepened. Stars twinkled in the deep blue sky, and a half moon hung high in the sky, so close, yet so far away, as if you could touch it with just your hand.
Xia Wu came back from the village entrance, still thinking about the B&B, when she suddenly heard someone calling her.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu."
She stopped and looked back to see Yang Guofeng holding a flashlight not far behind her.
"Uncle Guofeng, what's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
"It's like this," Yang Guofeng trotted over and caught up. "I was just on my way to your house to look for you, and I happened to run into you. Let's talk while we're walking."
The two walked slowly side by side, and Yang Guofeng started talking about business.
Today, the old secretary of the neighboring Haotang Village came. He was very envious when he saw Xia Wu taking charge of the mountain and motivating the entire village to make it very successful.
I thought that young people have quick minds, so I wondered if Xia Wu could help give me some ideas and see if Haotang Village could develop like Yanggou Village.
"Secretary Hao is a very nice person. Haotang Village has a good relationship with ours. They live upstream and even gave us water during the drought. It's all out of friendship. There aren't many young people in the village these days, and we old folks can't keep up with the times. If you have any ideas, just tell me, regardless of whether they're useful or not. I'll share them with Secretary Hao so he doesn't have to dwell on them at his age."
Yang Guofeng did not use moral blackmail or act aggressively, but simply expressed Hao Datong's helplessness in a calm manner.
The difficulties faced by Yanggou Village are not unique to their village.
Look at the countryside today. How much arable land is abandoned and no one is cultivating it.
The money a young person can earn in a month working outside is enough to earn from farming in a year. Farming is tiring, so who would be willing to stay in the countryside?
But as village officials, they are under the pressure of land red lines. They have to develop the economy and farm at the same time. Even gods would find it difficult.
Xia Wu thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Guofeng, I went to Haotang Village with my dad today. I feel that if Haotang Village wants to develop, it should have more advantages than our village."
Yang Guofeng was stunned. They have an advantage over their village?
"Tell me, uncle wants to hear your opinion."
"Look, Haotang Village has a well-developed water system and beautiful scenery. There are ponds and lakes of all sizes in the village. If you grow lotus, you can definitely produce lotus roots. And with water, you can raise ducks and geese. Ducks and geese can lay eggs, and duck down and goose down are quite expensive. These are all opportunities for development. What do you think, uncle?"
Yang Guofeng slapped his thigh and said, "You're right! There are people in Haotang Village who grow lotus flowers. In the summer, they pick lotus pods and sell them in town, and in the autumn and winter, they dig lotus roots. But other villages don't have lotus roots either. They can't sell them at a good price, and digging lotus roots is a pain. It's better to leave them in the rotten pond."
"As for ducks and geese, the same principle applies..."
If Haotang Village can raise it, other villages can also raise it. Every household in the local area raises it. Why should we buy from others if we can produce and sell it ourselves?
To put it bluntly, there is still a lack of sales channels.
Xia Wu smiled, but didn't smile, and then he brought the topic to the forefront: "Uncle, is Secretary Hao trying to ask you to intercede and let me help sell their village's agricultural products?"
Yang Guofeng smiled innocently, "That's what I mean, but it depends on your opinion."
Of course, the video was made by Xia Wu, the account is unique to her, and those netizens and tourists are all here for her. If Xia Wu doesn't ask for help, who can force her?
"I need to think about this more, uncle. I'll tell you when I've made up my mind," Xia Wu did not agree immediately. There were many lines in her mind that could be connected, but it would take time.
Yang Guofeng nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll take you home. You should have a good rest. You must be tired today. When you have made up your mind, tell me later."
After returning home, Xia Wu called an emergency meeting with his family.
"Let me tell you a few small things," the family of five sat around the table, waiting for Xia Wu to speak. Xia Wu said seriously, "I want to buy a car."
Liu Guizhen said, "It's time to buy one. The tricycle battery is not enough. It runs out of power after two trips to town."
Yang Guojun: "What kind of car do you want to buy? Dad will ask someone to ask you if you have enough money."
Yang Hongwen held Bugs Bunny and kept petting the rabbit, not participating in the discussion.
Old Man Yang had taken a shower and was wearing a loose old man's sweatshirt, leaning on a rattan chair that was older than Xia Wu, smoking a pipe.
In the most ordinary daily life, Xia Wu felt extremely happy when being watched.
She chuckled, "I've already decided what kind of car to buy. I'm going to buy a bucket truck like my second cousin's. It can carry people and goods, and it's cheap and durable. I asked him today, and he recommended a seller to me. I'll go to town to look tomorrow. I have enough money, so don't worry."
"Wouldn't it be a bit too heavy to buy that kind of car?" Yang Guojun frowned, unable to imagine his delicate and beautiful daughter who looked like a fairy jumping off the bucket car.
"I don't care about that. As long as it's convenient for hauling goods up the mountain, that's fine."
Xia Wu began to talk about the second thing. She wanted to continue growing vegetables, maybe another ten acres. While there was still time, she wanted to plant more different kinds of vegetables and add two or three acres of watermelon.
The tourists who came here today all had their eyes on the watermelons. Judging from their behavior, they will probably go crazy buying them when the watermelons are ripe.
Xia Wu was afraid that the remaining melons would not be enough for him to eat.
Yang Guojun said nothing, but just supported blindly.
"It just so happens that the rice has been planted. Let's plant it. Dad will find someone to plant it tomorrow."
Otherwise, when will I be able to pay off the debt?
"Dad! You're so nice!"
Xia Wu praised her father sweetly, and felt thankful again in her heart that there was the spiritual spring, which fed the family members every day and improved their physical fitness imperceptibly. Otherwise, she really didn't dare to let her parents be so tired.
The effect of Lingquan Water on plants and improving physical fitness through daily diet is very good.
When Xia Wu first came back, Liu Guizhen had some mottled white hair on her temples, but now it has disappeared without a trace. The family of five is in good health. They didn't even sneeze during the several flu attacks.
It’s a pity that the spiritual spring water doesn’t seem to have much effect on my brother’s mind.
Maybe I didn't eat enough.
After Xia Wu finished explaining the first two things and received unanimous approval from her family, she then expressed her final thought:
"Dad, do you know that there's an old house in Haotang Village that's been taken over by the government?"
"I want to rent that property and turn it into a bed and breakfast."
"What do you think?"
Xia Wu spoke enthusiastically about her ideas. As early as when she saw the scenery of Haotang Village, she was thinking that if the old houses from the last century could be renovated, they could be turned into homestays, so that tourists who came to visit would have a place to stay. In addition, the scenery of Haotang Village was particularly beautiful, and both sides of Chaotian River were very suitable for camping and taking good photos.
It happened that Yang Guofeng came to Xia Wu for advice today. Xia Wu only told him one of the options, but did not mention that the tourism model is actually the most suitable for the development of Haotang Village at the moment.
After all, if you really want to develop a tourism model, you must have a reason to attract tourists.
Is there anything that attracts tourists to Donghua Town?
We still have to rely on Xia Wu.
Although Xia Wu had this idea, she was short of money. She hadn't even built up her own mountain, so where would she get the money to run a B&B?
Talk to your family first and get their opinions.
As expected, Xia Wu's idea of opening a B&B was also supported by his family, but the actual conditions did not allow it because the business was too big and he had no money.
However, it is not necessary to convert it into a B&B now. Since his family thinks it is feasible, Xia Wu will put this matter on the to-do list for the time being.
After washing up, I got up in the middle of the night to feed Brother Snake, and then fell asleep again.
The experience of tourists coming to Yanggou Village to enjoy the Shangliang Banquet has been fermenting on the Internet, attracting more and more attention.
Xia Wu, however, didn't have the time to surf the internet. The next morning, after breakfast, Yang Guojun was home working on the farm. Xia Wu grabbed her brother and hitched a ride with a villager, heading straight to the town where bucket trucks were sold.
Based on the recommendation of her second cousin, Xia Wu successfully test-drove a double-row bucket truck at an acquaintance's place. The rear bucket could carry several thousand kilograms of loads, which made her very satisfied.
After paying the money and getting the license plate, Xia Wu, who already had a driver's license, drove his beloved double-row large-capacity bucket truck back to the village that morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
