After the excitement, he regained his composure. No matter how anxious he was, he was not in a hurry at the moment. He prepared to go home after school and tell Shumei about his thoughts.
In order to better understand whether the method was feasible, he asked the old woman: "Grandma, this chicken will eat a lot of food, right?"
The old woman smiled and replied, "Really? How could it lay such a big egg without eating some food?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to just take the grain and exchange it for money instead of eggs? Why go through so much trouble and get no reward?"
"Hehe! He may not look big, but he's actually quite cunning. It's worth it. The food can only be exchanged for a few dollars. The chicken is only that big, so it can't eat too much food."
"So that's it!" Xiao Youchen nodded in understanding and fell into deep thought again.
The old woman's words made him more convinced that his idea was correct and that he could definitely help Shumei solve the current problem.
That evening, Shumei once again stood on the edge of the field, staring blankly at the field that was surrounded by trees and bamboo forests on three sides. She felt very uncomfortable.
Don't expect a good harvest from fields like this. You probably can't even collect enough public grain, let alone fill your own stomach.
The jade slab factory occupied such a large piece of land, but the compensation they received was so insignificant that it did not help their family's life at all.
For so many years, she worked day and night to support her family, but often her income was not enough to cover her expenses, so she had to ask for loans. Over time, she owed a lot of debts to the village. Now she was even allocated a piece of land, but she couldn't grow anything. She was worried about how she would make ends meet in the future.
She was worried about her headache, and she was depressed and sighing all day long. Although she didn't want to tell her children about her difficulties, the clever little Youchen could still see that she was worried.
She was standing in front of her own field, daydreaming, when suddenly a familiar voice came from behind her.
"Mom, are you worried about something?" Little Youchen came back from school and saw her frowning at the gate of the yard from afar. He walked behind her and asked with concern.
"No...no...Youchen, why do you ask that?" Youchen asked suddenly, and Shumei was a little caught off guard for a moment. She stammered and asked little Youchen back.
"Ever since the land was redistributed, you've been gloomy. Is it because of this piece of land that is shaded on three sides by trees?"
"Youchen, you! You are really a little worm in your mother's belly. You can see through my thoughts. Oh! I am a little worried. They are just bullying us, an orphan and a widow. We are not so unlucky that the worst farmland in the village is occupied by our family. Nothing can be grown on this land. I am worried..." Shumei's face was full of frustration. She felt so uncomfortable in her heart that she couldn't help but talk about her worries with little Youchen.
"Are you worried that we won't have enough food to eat or pay our taxes?" Xiao Youchen took over Shumei's words and finished what she hadn't said.
Shumei looked at the sensible little Youchen and nodded helplessly at him.
Xiao Youchen squatted on the edge of the field, looking at the grass in his field, which was half a head shorter than the grass in other fields. His mind was racing again. He wanted to come up with a plan for Shumei, not wanting to just sit there and wait for death. At this moment, he was hesitant about whether to express his thoughts.
It is absolutely impossible to grow crops according to normal methods. So what can be used to replace crops to fill their stomachs and allow them to pay their taxes?
As Xiao Youchen watched the chickens leisurely looking for food in the fields, he became more determined that raising chickens must be the best way to replace crops at the moment.
So he jumped up and shouted, "Mom, since we can't grow any crops, then we won't grow any crops. We'll raise chickens, and they'll lay eggs. We'll take the eggs to town and exchange them for money. That way we'll have enough money for our living expenses and to pay our grain tax. Mom, do you think my idea is feasible?"
Shumei looked at Youchen, who was very excited, lowered her eyes, and thought carefully for a moment, "Do you mean to open a chicken farm?"
"Yes, yes, this place is surrounded by green trees on three sides. It's warm in winter and cool in summer. It's very suitable for hens to settle down. We just need to build a simple barn."
"You're right, but building a chicken farm and buying chicks requires a lot of money. Even if we could raise enough money for the initial construction and chicks, it wouldn't necessarily be possible. Hens need a lot of food to lay eggs, and even the casualties aside, the expenses during these months of transition are considerable. And there's no guarantee we'll be profitable once the hens lay eggs."
Although Youchen was only a twelve-year-old boy, Shumei listened to his advice carefully and made a comprehensive analysis.
At this moment, Youchen was no longer a child in her eyes, but a friend with whom she could share her worries.
"Mom, I've thought about this, but isn't everything risky? Even farming can be fraught with natural disasters or man-made calamities. Listen to me, let's take a gamble. It was so hard before, but didn't we still make it through? Even if we don't succeed, at most it will just be a little harder. But if we succeed, we can live a good life and pay off our debts."
Youchen was very confident. Although he told Shumei that he was taking a gamble, he actually had already made up his mind that he would succeed.
"This..." Shumei was embarrassed. This was no small matter. She couldn't make up her mind for a while. "Let me think about it carefully..."
Xiao Youchen pondered for a moment, then smiled and said to Shumei, "Mom, if you really can't make up your mind, why not ask Dad? Maybe he can give you the right guidance?"
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