Chapter 137 Melon.
Just as Xiang Yao expected, after calling her in, Huang Guofu pondered for a while and said that large-scale planting was not possible.
But he then said that the team was still willing to hold a meeting to ask everyone's opinions and see if each family could give it a try using their own land.
Even if it was his own land, Huang Guofu still did not guarantee it.
He said: "This matter is not determined by what our brigade cadres say. The key is whether the people in the team are willing. As for what the final situation will be, I can't say for sure."
Yang Youliang's face was still serious. He frowned slightly and said slowly, "Originally, I wouldn't have agreed to this large-scale project all at once, but Old Huang also said we could try it on each family's private plots. I have no objection to that. If we want to do it, then do it. Even if we lose everything, we won't starve."
"But," he looked at Xiang Yao, "every family usually relies on their own private plots for food. Planting new crops rashly carries unknown risks, and people may not be willing to try it."
After hearing this, Xiang Yao actually felt more at ease. With the team leaders taking the lead, generally speaking, everyone would listen.
But she still put on a disappointed look: "Is that so... then what if no one else wants to?"
She sighed, "Well, as you all know, I mean well. Let alone tomatoes, if we could actually grow peanuts, at least everyone's oil problem would be solved. Besides the little lard they make year-round, they could also make extra peanut oil!"
Oil pressing is a huge temptation.
These days, the entire Feng County has just escaped from hunger. There is barely enough food to eat, but cooking oil is in extremely short supply.
Many families only use a small can of oil in the entire year. When cooking, they just use an old cloth to dip some oil in it and wipe the pot. If there are a few drops of oil floating on the food, that's enough.
But who wants to stay like this forever?
Not to mention the nutritional issues, even dishes with too little oil will not taste good!
As long as you plant some peanuts at home, you can squeeze out oil after the harvest. The more you plant, the more you can squeeze out. By then, you will have more oil than you can eat up, and your mouth will be shiny after every meal. How wonderful!
Just thinking about it this way is extremely tempting.
In this kind of situation, based on Xiang Yao's understanding, as long as she said she had seeds and could learn the planting techniques to teach everyone, most people would definitely be willing to set aside a private plot of land to give it a try.
It’s just that some people have too many concerns and are only willing to allocate a piece of land, while some people are more eager to eat oil and are willing to allocate more land.
As for tomatoes, she was thinking more about exporting them. This kind of fruit, which is relatively rare in Fengxian County, can be eaten as fruit or used in cooking. It is also very nutritious. It has been proven before that there is a very large market for it, so there is no need to worry about the supply and marketing cooperative not buying it.
But for such things, she still had to get approval from the brigade headquarters before proceeding.
But Huang Guofu just refuses to give a definite answer. Tsk tsk, it seems he wants to keep putting on airs for a few more days.
Huang Guofu took a leisurely sip of tea and said, "We naturally understand the benefits of this matter, but the key lies in what the people think. This is not something we can decide."
Xiang Yao knew that the matter was almost over for now, so she didn't say anything else. She simply nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for news from the branch secretary and the team leader. If it's possible, let me know and I'll go get the seeds as soon as possible. The sooner we discuss it, the more prepared we will be."
She smiled and poured the remaining peanuts and tomatoes from the basket onto her desk. "I'm too lazy to carry this little stuff back. Our team leaders are really tired from going out in the wind and rain. I'll just send it to the team headquarters!"
Yang Youliang dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot, wrinkling a few times at the corners of his eyes. "You're too polite, you give away things everywhere when you have something. At least you should think more about your family and keep more of the good things for yourself."
Xiang Yao knew that he had a good relationship with his father, and that he was speaking to him as if he were a younger member of the family. He felt very grateful and said quickly, "I was thinking about it! Since we don't need any food at home, I also wanted to make sure everyone in our team can have some!"
"Anyway," she blinked, "I'd like to trouble all the cadres and comrades to give this matter some thought!"
Zhang Xiaoxia waved her hand: "Don't worry, this isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing! I'll definitely consider it!"
Xiang Yao looked at Huang Guofu again and smiled: "Secretary, thank you for your help!"
Huang Guofu felt a little amused. He still appreciated the girl's idea. In the end, he hooked his lip and said, "Okay, we will discuss it internally in the next two days and give you a reply."
This was not a perfunctory lie. He wanted to accomplish this more than anyone else present. If Yang Youliang had not been hesitant and afraid of failing, he would have wanted to achieve success in one step.
If this is accomplished, he can guarantee that Shitang Brigade will definitely become a benchmark brigade for the entire commune and the entire county, and it will be reported in the newspapers!
But no one knew what he was thinking. Everyone thought he would think twice before even using his private plot of land for planting.
When we left the brigade headquarters, it happened that it wasn't raining anymore. The grass on both sides of the road was dotted with crystal clear raindrops, adding a touch of green to the bleak weather, which made people feel inexplicably good just by looking at it.
Xiang Yao took out a tomato from the melon field and ate it openly. She wanted to make this happen now, and she was not as secretive as before.
It’s best to let everyone see it and ask about it!
Sure enough, not long after she walked away, someone noticed the red fruit in her hand.
An aunt who had watched the excitement with me and thought she was barely familiar with me came over and asked directly: "Xiang Yao, what are you eating? Why does it look so delicious?"
Xiang Yao's eyebrows curved, and she said loudly, "Auntie, these are tomatoes. They're delicious! They're sour and sweet, and very juicy! People in the city love to eat them!"
The auntie immediately revealed an envious expression: "That's great! I knew it was a tomato as soon as you mentioned it. But I've never seen such a beautiful and juicy tomato!"
Xiang Yao had now transformed into the best salesperson. Not only did he enthusiastically and in detail introduce the inside and outside of the tomato, he also took out one and let several aunts who were traveling with him share it to try.
Finally, she took out a handful of peanuts and shared them with everyone, saying that she now had connections and could get more peanuts. She planned to plant some on her own land next spring...
"Xiang Yao, can you exchange some of these peanuts for some? I'll ask my husband to plant some for the kids!"
The aunt didn't think about pressing the oil. She was only thinking about how delicious the peanuts were. They were so delicious when eaten raw. If they were fried, they would be even better than melon seeds. Her children would definitely like them.
Especially, if you really grow it yourself, you don’t have to spend money to buy it!
Xiang Yao certainly couldn't let go of this glamorous "customer," so she immediately said, "Auntie, these peanuts are not only edible, but can also be used to press oil! It would be really useful if we could grow some at home! If you don't want much, I'll give you some. We're old friends, so there's no need to exchange them."
She asked, "Do you want to plant tomatoes?"
The aunt hesitated for a moment and said, "Just plant two of these and feed them to your children."
Xiang Yao asked other people and they all had the same idea. She knew in her heart that compared to tomatoes, peanuts were more popular with these people.
That's fine, she thought. If they could really make a name for themselves growing peanuts, in a few years, when reform and opening up came and the market economy became free, maybe Shitang Brigade would be able to complete a complete industrial chain and achieve true prosperity for all.
As for tomatoes and other fruits, there is no need to rush for now. Just move forward and think about it slowly.
When these aunts heard that Xiang Yao was willing to provide it for free, they were immediately delighted and expressed their desire for some.
This time, Xiang Yao didn't care whether he knew her or not, whether he was familiar with her or not, and said first: "Anyway, as long as I have it in my hand, I will definitely be willing to give it to you if you come to take it."
As long as the brigade agreed, she would pay for it anyway. The reason it was free was because the Shitang Brigade was so poor, and her fruits and vegetables came from the free melon fields, so she didn't make any money from it.
After saying goodbye to these aunts, Xiang Yao did not go home directly, but went to Yang Xiaohong's house.
She also has helpers in promoting this planting!
Coincidentally, when we arrived at Yang Xiaohong's house, He Yuezhi and Zhang Laidi were both there!
The original four giants of gossip finally got together, making Xiang Yao instantly forget what he came here for. He directly joined the gossip team and enjoyed listening to the gossip.
When she entered the room, Zhang Laidie was sharing the family stories of one of her sister-in-laws.
Her husband is the second oldest, and her sister-in-law is from the third wife. They have never had a good relationship since they got married. They fight like black-eyed chickens from time to time. It can be said that they have been old rivals for decades.
When Xiang Yao saw Zhang Laidie's beaming and happy face, she knew that she must have gained the upper hand in the latest fight between the sisters-in-law.
As expected, not only did she gain the upper hand, she also got hold of something against her sister-in-law.
"I was saying they were all wearing the same quilted clothes, but why was her eldest daughter freezing like a quail? I saw her by the river the other day, her mouth was black and blue, and she was still rubbing clothes! But her second daughter and youngest son weren't afraid of the cold at all! Guess what?"
Xiang Yao: "What's going on?"
Zhang Laidi raised his eyebrows and said, "I know my sister-in-law's character, and I immediately felt something was wrong. I called Daya over to touch her, haha!"
She sneered, "The cotton in that dress is so stiff and sticky, it's all clumped together. In some places there are clumps, and in others it's just patchwork. How can it keep you warm?"
"I immediately called her home, untied a thread on the garment, and sure enough, inside was a piece of black, old cotton from who knows what era!"
He Yuezhi showed an expression of pity and sighed, "Poor child."
Yang Xiaohong even said directly: "I think your sister-in-law is really not a good person. Who can do such a thing? Isn't she a black heart!"
Xiang Yao asked, "Why are brothers and sisters from the same family treated so differently?"
It's not that she doesn't understand, it's just that she has countless answers in her mind and wants to know which one it is.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
