Chapter 76 075. He can’t make a penny from me!
Before the rice is harvested, the rice paddy fish are sold, and after the harvest, the rice paddy ducks can also be sold.
One acre of rice field can raise about 15 ducks. Lei Li's family has two acres of land, which means 30 ducks.
More than when planting summer rice.
Because Lei Li didn't trust Zhou Yi that much at that time, and she had no money, she just treated it as a joke to please her husband. She only raised ten ducklings on one acre of land, a total of twenty ducks. She would sell them when they were raised, and she wouldn't lose much if she couldn't raise them.
It turns out that raising ducks in rice fields is very good.
Without affecting the rice, 100 grass carp fry can be released into one acre of field. An adult fish weighs more than two to four kilograms. If it is carp, more can be released, but the adult fish are smaller on average.
But Qingmi County has a large river for transportation, and Sanlihe Village also has a river. The river products are relatively abundant, and fish are generally cheap, but ducks are expensive.
A duck weighs more than three to four pounds and can be sold for fifty to sixty cents in the county town. It is cheaper in the town market, at least forty cents.
Lei Li's family raised thirty ducks during the autumn rice season, all of which they kept for their own consumption or sold to the store. Some of the villagers who raised more ducks, such as the village chief, had twelve acres of paddy fields and a total of one hundred and eighty ducks. Even if the large quantity forced a lower price, they could still make eight taels of silver.
Including the fish he sold, not counting the rice, Liu Xiaocao calculated that he had earned more than ten taels!
Ten taels!
Rice fields are not only suitable for raising carp and grass carp. Some people also raise loaches and eels to avoid them colliding with each other. Some people even take ducks and fish to the next town or county to sell them and make more money.
This is the first time that Sanlihe Village is filled with a joyous atmosphere before the New Year.
Those who earned a lot and were not stingy with their money sold meat and cloth to make new clothes, while those who earned less also sold meat to give their children a taste of meat.
Some families were afraid of losing money on ducks and fish fry, so they waited and watched without raising rice, fish and ducks. Now that they see others making money, they immediately bow their heads and feel regretful.
Miao Fulang did not make rice, fish and duck. It was simply because Niu Dali had sold all his fields, leaving only two acres of dry land, so he could not raise fish even if he wanted to.
But thanks to Lei Li, he not only harvested his mushrooms and fruits, but also allowed him to do the herbal business in September, so Miao Fulang made a lot of money this year.
Miao Fulang gritted his teeth and sold two acres of medium-sized paddy fields to the village chief, planning to engage in rice-fish-duck farming next year.
To Lei Li's surprise, Gui Fulang, who had the worst relationship with his family, turned out to be the most active one. He came to ask Lei Dashan for advice every few days and brought vegetables and fruits grown by himself.
Don't hit someone who smiles at you.
Although Lei Dashan and Liu Ye'er hated Gui Fulang because he instigated the villagers to matchmake for Zhou Yi and sow discord between Lei Li and Zhou Yi.
But seeing that Mr. Gui came every few days, always greeting them with a smile and helping them, after a while, they felt embarrassed to send him away.
At least when it comes to the rice, fish and duck business, Lei Dashan treats Gui Fulang and other villagers equally, and Gui Fulang believes in Lei Dashan's words and follows them strictly with her husband and parents-in-law.
Therefore, among the families with the biggest harvest and the highest profits this year, Gui Fulang's family is also one of them.
When he put the heavy silver into his hands, Gui Fulang almost laughed his face off. When he heard that Zhou Yi had collected all the radishes from the village chief's house, he immediately took a basket of radishes and taro to Lei Li's house.
"Brother Li?"
When Gui Fulang saw Lei Li coming out, he smiled enthusiastically, "Brother Li is home? That's perfect! Uncle Gui's radishes are much heavier, so I brought some over. Uncle Gui's radish seeds are carefully selected, they are big and sweet, not spicy at all!"
"There are also taro roots. These are grown on Uncle's side of the family. They're different from the ones in our village. I'll give you some to try and see if you like them. If you do, I'll give you some more!"
Gui Fulang's tone was so intimate that it sounded like he was possessed by someone else, and Lei Li got goosebumps when she heard it.
Lei Li sneered, "I don't have an uncle like you. You sent someone to rob my husband yesterday for my money. If I accepted your things, wouldn't you be living in my house tomorrow and eating and taking things away?"
"Uncle is sorry for what happened before..."
Upon hearing this, Gui Fulang's emotions changed without a single pause. He felt guilty and regretful. "Uncle was blinded by greed and lost his mind back then. I promise I won't do that again!"
He placed his hands on his hips and raised his voice, expressing his stance not only to Lei Li but also to the villagers, "If anyone dares to take advantage of your princess or your family's money, I, Uncle Gui, will tear his mouth off!"
He said with a smile, and said in a flattering tone, "Let's put the past behind us. I now know how good Li Ge'er is... If you find a way to make money in the future, take uncle with you. Uncle doesn't want much, just enough to make a living."
A typical snob and fence-sitter who goes with the flow.
Gui Fulang used to laugh at Lei Dashan, a useless man who was sick and married a girl but had no son. He also laughed at Liu Ye'er, who could only give birth to boys, couldn't make money, and couldn't even get a job as a laundry worker.
He also laughed at Lei Li, a boy who was careless and unruly, not liked by any man, and not likable. He couldn't even get married, so what was the point of being capable?
But once he discovered that the Lei family could bring him benefits, so good that Gui Fulang could immediately rebel and be friendly to the Lei family, and if it could make him earn more, or even let him slap himself in the face, he would not hesitate.
"You are quite flexible."
Lei Li didn't like Gui Fulang in the first place, and he hated him even more when he saw him smiling so disgustingly.
"It would be best if Brother Li doesn't blame Uncle. What does it matter if he stretches his legs or not..."
Gui Fulang actually didn't understand the meaning of this idiom, but when he saw Lei Li didn't directly refuse, he climbed up the stick, quickly put down the carrot and taro, greased his feet and ran away, not forgetting to say before leaving,
"If you think it's delicious, tell Uncle Gui and he'll bring you some more!"
“…”
Lei Li rolled his eyes.
He still doesn't know who Mr. Gui is?
What's the point of sending it over later? It's because he saw that Zhou Yi and Liu Xiaocao bought so many radishes, so he wanted to cheat him and sell all his own radishes and taro to him at a high price!
Who wouldn’t say that it’s a huge profit to exchange a few carrots and taro for a long-term business?
But wasting food is not good either.
Lei Li put the basket of taro and radish aside without deciding whether to eat it at home or give it away. Then Zhou Yi saw it and used it to make a dish while cooking dinner - the famous Braised Pork with Taro.
Zhou Yi persuaded Lei Li to make the braised pork belly, saying that they should prepare for the Chinese New Year in advance and buy some pork belly to try it out, but they were afraid of getting beaten, so they only fried it in a small amount.
It was not fried very well, and the skin did not burst, but it was still quite crispy. It was steamed together with sliced taro, and arranged neatly and beautifully. When it came out of the pot, the fragrance was so fragrant that it could be smelled for miles.
Zhou Yi also used ox horns to make a sour and salty sauce. Because the ox horns were not soaked until the next year, they were used raw and the taste was a little worse.
But Lei Li, Lei Dashan, Liu Ye'er and Zhang Daqiang had never eaten taro pork, and they all thought it was very delicious and gave it full marks.
"But where did the taro come from? I don't think I gave you money to buy taro."
Lei Li asked while eating.
This taro tasted better than any he had eaten before. It was sweet and soft, neutralizing the heaviness of the braised pork and bringing out the fatty aroma of the meat. Even if it wasn't cooked, it would still be delicious if it was cooked whole.
"I took it from the kitchen door and put it with the radish. Did Mom and Dad buy it?"
Zhou Yi looked at Lei Dashan and Liu Ye'er. Seeing that they both shook their heads and Zhang Daqiang also said it wasn't him, he looked at Lei Li again. "Did you buy it? Whose family grew it? Let's grow taro next year too?"
We always grow sweet potatoes at home. Although they are delicious, you will get tired of them if you eat too much.
Moreover, taro stalks can be used to pickle taro shoots, which are sour, crispy and chewy. Together with radish, papaya cubes and black olives, they are considered the four kings of porridge.
Even Zhou Yi hadn't discovered olives, and he didn't know how to make black olives. He asked Zhang Daqiang if he had seen them before. He would go and learn when he had time...
"no."
Lei Li had a blank expression on his face. He felt that the taro was not that delicious. "It's from Guifulang."
All day long, you're either eating or planting crops. Sooner or later, I'll plant and eat you too!
“……?”
Zhou Yi was startled at first, then he became suspicious, "Did you steal Gui Fulang's?"
"He gave it to me."
Lei Li rolled his eyes at him.
Zhang Daqiang was unaware of the feud between them and Gui Fulang. He ate heartily and said cheerfully, "Why don't we buy some from Gui Fulang and sell them in the store? This taro is delicious, even more fragrant than meat."
"No."
Lei Li glanced at Zhang Daqiang coldly, "He can't possibly make a penny from me."
"That……"
Zhang Daqiang said weakly, "Ask who has this kind of taro. Buy it from other shops instead of him. Will it piss him off to death?"
"From his mother's side..."
Lei Li paused, then suddenly looked at Liu Ye'er and laughed, "Mom, Gui Fulang is from the same village as you. Did grandpa and grandma plant taro this year?"
“It seems…”
Liu Ye'er thought for a moment, "Many people in our village grow taro. Most people in Sanlihe Village grow sweet potatoes. The two villages are close, and if we only grow sweet potatoes, we won't get a good price. So we grow taro instead. Taro seedlings can be used to make sourdough."
"Taro sour?"
Zhou Yi's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lei Li, eager to get going. "The rice has been harvested, and we have nothing to do tomorrow. How about we go to grandpa and grandma's house?"
"Okay."
The two villages are close to each other because they are adjacent to each other and are relatively close to the town and the county seat, but it actually takes about half an hour to get there by ox cart, and it would take even longer if you walk.
So unless it was a big deal or during the New Year when relatives were visiting, the two families didn't interact much.
Lei Li would occasionally go to the next village to slaughter pigs, chickens and ducks, but he didn't visit very often. Come to think of it... he hadn't been to his grandparents' house properly for several years.
"I'm going too."
Liu Ye'er also smiled and said, "I made a lot of money this year and still have some ducks. I'll bring two over for your uncle and his family to eat."
"Yes."
Lei Dashan nodded and said, "This braised pork is also good. Your parents have some good taro at home, so we can make it for them."
Zhou Yi immediately turned his head to look at Lei Li. Now he can make taro braised pork properly!
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