Song Tan's Notes

Party Secretary Xiao Zhu arrived on his electric bike under the blazing sun.

Song Tan still remembers what she looked like when she first met her: fair skin, energetic, and approachable, but overall she looked like a college student.

But now...

Wearing the same sun hat and sun protection clothing as Ma Dongmei, her complexion was no longer fair; in fact, it could be described as quite dark.

Looking at that face again, all the sophistication and competence of a female college student was gone; all that remained was a simple, rustic charm.

After washing his face by the pool again, he asked, "That grape you mentioned, didn't we talk about it before?"

She has a good memory.

It was indeed mentioned before, but it was just a plan at the time, so it wasn't organized.

The villagers are busy farming and haven't started preparing yet.

Tao Zhuangzhuang's words gave Song Tan an opportunity—her mountain farmland was now so thoroughly planned that not an inch of land was left, and if she were to plant grapes on a large scale, it would only encroach on the space meant for vegetables.

The problem is that my family had planned to plant some grapes this year for our own consumption.

There's nowhere to sell them!
The plan was well-thought-out; we can't just haphazardly change the planting location whenever we want, can we?
The grapevines at Tao Zhuangzhuang's place look so vibrant; it would be a shame to miss them.

And so, she repeated the same old tune to Secretary Zhu:

"Just like I said, tourists come to see the scenery, take pictures, and buy groceries, it's all just a side thing."

“Unlike the vast plains of Baiyu County, our area doesn’t have the scientific management guidance or resources for each household, so we won’t take the risk.”

Plant a few grapevines, and when they produce grapes, sell them as well.

If they can be sold, everyone's happy; if they can't be sold, they can eat them themselves, so they won't lose much.

Party Secretary Xiao Zhu wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, I've also tried to find out about the tourists who have come recently—"

There are actually quite a few agricultural bases around the city that offer farm-style fruit picking.

But people are still willing to come, partly because their vegetables and tofu taste good.

Secondly, I'm willing to travel so far because this kind of grocery shopping, which feels like strolling through a market, is quite interesting.

The vegetables at this farm are growing well, the cowpeas at that farm taste delicious when cooked, and the cucumbers at that other farm over there are so crisp and tender…

People would gather in small groups, carrying baskets, buying a little from each other's homes, creating a scene reminiscent of the joy of going to a market in the past.

Moreover, because each vegetable plot is different, buying vegetables is always a fresh experience, and children tend to linger longer when they come in.

If there were large areas of concentrated crops, they would be everywhere, and people might not be interested in them anymore.

Based on this consideration, Party Secretary Xiao Zhu strongly agreed with Song Tan's statement, "Sell it as a side business."

The only difference is that if the villagers buy grape seedlings online or at the town market, they can buy a small seedling for 5 or 10 yuan, plant it, and still have a harvest the following year.

If you want to reach the point of selling them, you'll need to buy more and grow them for several years.

However, compared to ordinary seedlings, the grape seedlings from Tao Zhuangzhuang's family are probably more expensive.

But then again—

Party Secretary Zhu picked up a peach and munched on it, seemingly lost in thought: "His grape seedlings can't be that expensive, can they?"

Even if it costs a hundred or so yuan per tree.

“Last year, I wouldn’t have had the courage to convince everyone to spend this money. But this year, who hasn’t earned this much from growing vegetables? It’s doable!”

She made the decision: "This depends on everyone's wishes; we won't force anyone. We also don't recommend that any one family plant too much."

Without scientific management and meticulous cultivation, even if you plant too much, you might only be able to sell three kilograms for 10 yuan and still not be able to sell them.

Then the problems of Baiyu County will be passed on to Yunqiao Village.

As for why they didn't plant other fruit trees...

Only someone who has never planted a tree could say that!

Other fruit trees, although the seedlings are also not expensive, the mature ones, the ones that can bear fruit in their prime, will cost at least several hundred yuan each.

Moreover, although fruit trees look tough, they are actually very prone to pests and diseases.

Let's spray the pesticide, but I'm sorry, the price is a bit high for the unified price in Yunqiao Village.

If we don't spray pesticides, we can't keep an eye on it every day.

In comparison, grapes are actually quite hardy and easy to grow, and they also have a high yield.

There's no need for a meeting; she can just go and give a shout when everyone is relaxing and strolling in the square in the evening.

We'll see who's interested, then we'll compile a list and ask Mr. Tao directly.

Song Tan agreed wholeheartedly: "I only said that because grapes are a good deal. Boss Tao told me that his Sunshine Rose grapes, which are in full bloom, can yield 30 to 50 jin a year per vine."

Incidentally, there's one more thing—

Party Secretary Xiao Zhu was conflicted:

"When the leaders visited the village before, they were actually quite satisfied with it. But Director Wang quietly mentioned one thing—"

That point isn't particularly important for the overall development of Yunqiao Village, but it still needs to be addressed.

That is, [every household's planting plans are too disorganized.]

Current policies emphasize green and beautiful villages.

When Song Tancai returned, every household in the village had to tidy up their firewood piles in front of their doors. Dilapidated old buildings were torn down or demolished, and in some places located at busy intersections, the government even provided subsidies to fix up the exteriors of the houses.

It's just that Yunqiao Village, being a remote mountain village, can't keep up.

If you calculate it that way, it's been twenty or thirty years since the last time so many people in the village built houses.

Last year, the only people who built a new house were Lao Song and his son, and later they started a bed and breakfast.

Seventh Uncle's house has been renovated, but its overall appearance remains unchanged.

Of course, now that there are many red lines in the village and they are strictly guarded, it's not so easy to demolish or alter them at will.

The problem is that as people have tasted the benefits of growing vegetables, the areas around their houses have become messy.

Take Zhou Maozhu's house for example. There used to be flowers and plants on both sides of the front door, and a self-repaired cement road in the middle.

But in order to grow vegetables and take care of them nearby, the flowers were dug up, and a small patch of land was cultivated in front of the door.

In winter, plant radishes and cabbages; in summer, plant cucumbers and cowpeas.

They are hardworking people, and their vegetable garden is quite tidy, but it's still a mess with patches here and there!
To offer a wider variety of produce and to attract tourists to the vegetable garden, a plot of land has been cleared behind the house.

There are still some rules to follow.

And then there are those who are careless and sloppy in their work, growing vegetables very casually, like Li Baoni's family, her husband is very rough in his work!
The cucumber trellis was haphazardly constructed using old bamboo poles and tree branches, and it just so happened to be located by the roadside.

As for the actual results, although the structure is a bit shabby, the vegetable garden is still quite thriving in order to make money.

But as a result, with the east family's yard in front of several plots of land and the west family's yard behind newly reclaimed land, the overall impression is—

【chaos】

Secretary Zhu had been staying here for a long time, living in the abalone market, so it wasn't easy for him to notice this situation.

But if you ask someone else to come from a well-ordered city, their first reaction will be:

This village is quite primitive.

Song Tan thought about it and realized that it was indeed a bit messy, but in order to make money, everyone could manage to keep things neat and tidy.

"So what kind of plan do you want it to look like? A copy-and-paste approach for every household?"

There are so many places where you can copy and paste, it's nothing new.

"That's what's troubling me," complained Secretary Zhu.

Seeing Lu Chuan sit down, she couldn't help but say to him:

"Look at your guesthouse, it's like a fairytale fortress with a colorful mushroom roof, so cute and beautiful! The flowers and plants in front of your guesthouse are also very beautiful. Everyone who comes here likes to take pictures, so it's become a popular tourist attraction and has brought a lot of visitors to our village."

Everyone in the village knows this.

Sometimes when people go for a walk there in the evening, they don't dare to ask for two of the flowers they like.

I'm afraid that if you divide it up, I'll divide it up too, and then the garden won't look nice anymore, and tourists won't want to come anymore.

Secretary Zhu only spoke up because he knew the answer: "But outside your yard, on both sides of that big cement road, haven't they been illegally cleared out again?"

This is true.

The desire to make money is always burning bright. Once everyone has tasted the sweetness of success, they seize every opportunity to reclaim the former wasteland.

Summer work is not easy, and each family's progress is different, as are their vegetable planting plans, resulting in a messy, uneven landscape.

Xiao Zhu is a secretary with lofty ambitions. Copying and pasting is certainly easy, and even with the villagers' current level of cooperation, if she were to make a one-size-fits-all approach, after a few complaints and some persuasion, most of them would probably get it done.

But she didn't want it to be like this!
"This is the characteristic of our Yunqiao Village. It gives people a feeling of green, nature, and freedom."

Many villages have developed tourism in recent years, and they are all basically the same.

Changing cities or villages doesn't feel any different.

“I don’t want our village to become like that, but you know how much money the village committee has. We can’t bear to spend that money to hire a professional field planning firm to do a design project!”

Such designs are never cheap, and their small mountain village has just escaped poverty, so they can't afford to spend so much money on vanity projects.

This stumped Song Tan and Lu Chuan.

As for Lu Chuan, his house was naturally designed by someone, but given his spending habits, he certainly didn't know any cheap people.

Song Tan does know a reliable person named Zhao Fangyuan. She was involved in the construction of all the new buildings in Yunqiao Village, and there are verifiable cases, so she is very trustworthy.

The problem is, they specialize in interior and architectural design, and village planning is something they're completely unfamiliar with!
Furthermore, it also requires the integration of professional knowledge such as crop cultivation, and the guidance of agronomists like Yan Ran is indispensable.

Finding such a talented individual who excels in all aspects is truly not easy.

The three of them sat together, silently munching on peaches. Little Zhu, the village secretary, had already finished his, and was now using his front teeth to crack open the pit, picking at the last bit of flesh...

After a long silence, everyone looked through their contacts and, as expected, there was no one with that kind of talent.

Until Song Tan's phone rang, the video call connected, and it was Qiao Qiao's happy smiling face:

"Sister! Little Sheep's parents gave me so many gifts!! We're going to drive an excavator this afternoon! Uncle Yang said Little Sheep doesn't have a license, so he'll take me!"

Excavator!

Song Tan also perked up: "That sounds really interesting. Are you having a great time at Xiao Yang's house?"

Qiao Qiao nodded vigorously.

After a while, he chuckled again: "Sister, Uncle and Auntie were really looking forward to me bringing some delicious food, but I didn't. They were sad but didn't want me to know. It must have been so hard for them!" (End of Chapter)