Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 754 Large-scale livestock farmers are approaching the end of the year

Around 10 a.m., the supply and marketing cooperative was still bustling with people, and the noise inside was like gongs and drums. Many people had been busy all year, and their purpose was to be able to eat well, wear good clothes, and use good things during the Spring Festival.

When Qian Shude saw that two sales clerks had returned to help, he put down his work and handed over the cashier duties to the beautiful young woman. Then he went to the break room to call Xu Ning. The four of them went out, boarded the old Dongfeng truck, and headed towards Jinxing Village.

After a bumpy ride of several tens of minutes, the car finally entered the village. Qian Shude pointed to the straight road ahead and gestured for Xu Ning to keep driving forward. After they reached the end of the road, Old Qian waved and said, "The house with the wooden fence and iron gate is theirs. The family's surname is Wang. Ever since they stopped eating from the communal pot, they started raising livestock. In previous years, they raised chickens, ducks, and geese, and in the last two years, they have mainly raised pigs, sheep, and cattle."

Xu Ning stepped on the brakes and asked, "How many livestock do you keep?"

"They're nowhere near as good as the farmers in the city, but they're considered big players in our neighborhood. They have over 20 pigs, sheep, and cattle, and probably over 50 chickens, ducks, and geese. They make a good living just from selling chicken, duck, and goose eggs, not to mention the profits from selling calves and such..."

Li Fuqiang smacked his lips: "Then his family must be making a lot of money, right? Don't the villagers gossip about it?"

"So what if there's gossip? His father was a comrade-in-arms with the current top official in our county, and his son has a good relationship with Hu Zhibin."

"Ah, I understand now."

After the car came to a stop, the four men jumped out one after another. Qian Shude stood at the gate of the courtyard and called out, "Big brother, busy?"

A middle-aged man was digging through frozen cow dung with a pickaxe when he heard the noise. He looked up and exclaimed, "Hey! Brother, what brings you here? Come inside, this yard is filthy. Let's go to the other yard."

Old Qian laughed and said, "Brother, don't go to that hospital. Have you forgotten what I told you a couple of days ago?"

"How could I forget? But catching pigs is one thing, since you're here, you definitely have to come inside and stay for a while. Don't mind that your older brother is all dirty..."

"What are you talking about? Do you think I'd complain about being dirty? Everyone envies you guys, you can make money just by raising livestock at home."

"Haha, anyone who does this job knows how dirty and tiring it is. If there were other ways to make money, I really wouldn't want to do this! When I go out, people avoid me because they think I smell like feces."

"What can be without a smell? I even smell of money on me."

"Haha, bro, you're quite the chatterbox. These three are here to catch the pig, right?"

"Well, brother, let me introduce you. You might recognize him. This is Xu Ning from Qing'an, and these two are his brothers, Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu."

Old Wang was startled by the voice, threw down his pickaxe, clapped his hands and said, "My God, isn't that Xu Pao! I know him all too well, the tiger-fighting hero, he's been in the newspaper!"

He rushed over and reached out his hand, but seeing that Xu Ning was dressed neatly and cleanly, he pulled his hand back. Xu Ning then grabbed his hand and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, you're flattering me too much. What tiger-fighting hero? It's all just empty fame."

Old Wang glanced down at the hand he was holding, grinned, and said, "As expected, a great reputation breeds no madness. Xu Pao is clearly a straightforward man! Well then, I won't be stingy. Let's go take a look around the pigsty, grab whichever one catches our eye, and I'll give you a price lower than the market price!"

"Thank you, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Immediately afterwards, Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu shook hands with him and offered him a cigarette. Old Wang's face was ruddy, presumably because Xu Ning had shown him great respect, which made him feel excited and comfortable.

Xu Ning pointed to the sheepfold and asked, "How much were these sheep sold?"

"It's also based on market price. Prices have gone up slightly now that it's almost the end of the year. What, you want the whole sheep?"

Don't let Old Wang's rough appearance as a livestock handler fool you; he's actually quite thoughtful and has a wealth of cultural knowledge.

If the price is right, then go for it.

Old Wang laughed and said, "Okay, as long as you take it away today, I'll give you the lowest market price. Ask Manager Qian, I always supply other people at the market price."

The market price he mentioned was not the retail price, but the wholesale price. For example, if the price of live pig fluctuates around 1 yuan per kilogram, then he would sell it for less than 1 yuan.

"Okay, let's take another stroll. I think you've done a pretty proper job."

"It has to be done properly because, before, city leaders came to the countryside to provide guidance and said that all kinds of livestock must be separated into different areas. This is not only easier to clean, but also helps with disease prevention. In winter, it's okay and the smell in the yard isn't too strong, but in summer it won't work. The reason I bought the yard next door is to make my house cleaner. Otherwise, no one would dare to come into the house."

"Yes, raising this thing is basically harmless except for the strong smell."

Old Wang said with a bitter face, "It's such a worry! Raising livestock is a life of worry. Livestock are more delicate than people when they get sick. If it's a bad year, a lot of them will die."

The Xu family had never raised livestock before. Liu Lizhen had already passed away, and Old Xu was bedridden. Who would have time to take care of pigs? Wu Qiuxia and Han Fengjiao did raise them for a few years, but only one or two, keeping them for slaughter at the New Year.

Xu Ning asked these questions entirely in preparation for his future partnership with Li Baoquan in raising cattle. His mother and the others also wanted to raise chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs, and they had readily available experience. If he didn't hurry up and learn from their experience, what else was he thinking about?

They chatted for a while by the pigpen wall and smelled the manure for a while, but once inside, they couldn't smell the stench anymore.

Then, Xu Ning selected a fat pig, and Lao Wang carried the rope into the pen, put the rope around the pig's neck, pulled it out, pressed it to the ground, and tied the rope around its limbs. Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu carried wooden poles on their shoulders, while Lao Wang held the pig in a bundle.

"263 jin! That's quite a lot. The live pig costs 1.03 yuan per jin, so that's 270.89 yuan in total."

Old Qian explained, "The retail price in the market is now around 1.8 yuan, which is quite affordable."

"I know, Brother Wang, please catch me two more sheep."

Old Wang asked in surprise, "You want both?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of people in my family, so I'm thinking of having a meal with relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year."

"Okay, but I have to shear the sheep beforehand, otherwise you'll definitely suffer a loss, and the sheep you take home won't be of any use."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Okay, I'll do whatever Brother Wang arranges. You're the expert."

"Haha, Brother Xu's chat is quite heartwarming. Since you've come here, I certainly can't let you suffer any losses."

Then, Old Wang swung the rope to the sheepfold, snatched two sheep, dragged them to an open space, and then used long shears to shave off their wool. The wool scattered all over the ground, and Old Wang stuffed it into a sack. Someone would come and collect this wool, which could be sent to a processing plant to be made into sweaters and socks.

These two sheep were quite large and heavy, much larger than the sheep raised by Lao Fang's family in Taipingtun. Because of their different breeds, and because Lao Wang was experienced in raising livestock and didn't skimp on feeding them, these two sheep were very fat.

The two sheep and the pig together gave a total of 450 yuan. Although the money given by Guan Lei, Lao Jiang, Da Laba, Lao Jiu, Er Shu and others was just enough, Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu still each took out 10 yuan.

Old Wang put away the money and said, "I definitely won't raise sheep next year. They're about the same price as pigs, and they're smaller and have different diets."

Xu Ning said with a smile, "When things get better and better in the future, the price of sheep will go up."

"When will we be able to go? I'm only looking at the current prices; who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"

"That makes sense. Okay, Brother Wang, let's head back now and come back when we have time."

Old Wang tried to persuade them to stay: "Hey, it's already noon, why don't you stay and have a meal before you go?" "We still have some things to do, so we won't eat. We'll definitely stay for a meal when we come back. Why? Because my mom and the others are bored at home, and I'm thinking of catching some chicks for them to raise next spring."

"Oh, that's easy. As long as you come, I'll treat you to a good time!"

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Okay, then we're off, Brother Wang."

"Hey, drive slowly."

A pig and two sheep were already lying in the truck bed. Xu Ning sat in the driver's seat, while Lao Qian squeezed into the passenger seat with Guan Lei and Wang Hu.

Old Qian said, "Let's go to a restaurant to eat. My wife took the kids to her mother's house."

"We're not eating anymore. Let's head straight back. Otherwise, it's not good to take the pigs and sheep anywhere."

"Okay, then throw it to the intersection ahead and I'll go to the restaurant and order some fried rice myself."

Is life this casual now?

Old Qian laughed and said, "Haha, what do you think? My dad eats at the company cafeteria every day. He doesn't cook at home. I can't even find a place to mooch a meal."

Xu Ning slammed on the brakes and left Lao Qian at the crossroads, instructing him, "Come over with my sister-in-law on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month! You should also contact Lao Jin, and we'll have a good drink together."

"Okay, I understand!"

The car then headed towards Qing'an.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Fuqiang muttered, "I never expected that there would be such a large-scale livestock farmer in Jinxing Village. None of the 12 family villages in Qing'an have such a large-scale livestock farmer."

"The family village is mainly for forestry workers. The rest of the people are unemployed, so they have no capital. Besides, even if you deliver lambs and pigs to their door, they don't know how to raise them, and they're worried about the livestock eating too much."

Wang Hu wholeheartedly agreed: "That's right, these animals eat quite a lot throughout the year."

"..."

As the car slowly drove across the small bridge, Wang Biao, Xu Feng, and others who were playing in the yard rushed out upon hearing the sound, grinning and waving. Liu Tianen stood behind the car and directed it to stop.

Together they unloaded the pigs and sheep from the truck and put them into the pen, then handed over snacks, candy, and other items to Xu Feng to take into the house.

Upon hearing the pig's squeals and the sheep's bleating, Liu Lizhen and the others came out to take a look. When they saw the plump pig, they couldn't stop smiling. They said that this pig was much fatter than a wild boar, with four fingers thick of fat on its belly. They said that once the pig was slaughtered, the fat would be rendered into oil, and the oil would be delicious for making dumplings.

I heard that it cost a total of 450 yuan, but no one felt bad about it. Although the money was gone, they got pigs and sheep. The thought of everyone happily eating and drinking together made them feel that the money was well spent!
That evening, when Xu Laonian saw the pigs and sheep, he laughed so hard his teeth chattered. Who in the whole of Qing'an could have such a grand display as the Xu family?
"Who will we invite when we slaughter pigs and sheep on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month?"

Liu Lizhen said, "Just our family. We'll keep one sheep and slaughter it when the people from Hedong come after the New Year."

Did you tell them?

Xu Ning said, "I haven't told the villagers yet, but I've already told Lao Qian, Lao Jin, and Brother Liu. I'll take another stroll tomorrow and invite everyone I need to."

"Okay, I'll call a few more people from the forest farm."

Zheng Yunlong and Guo Xingmin, along with a deputy director of the forest farm, all had a good relationship with Xu Laonian. Guo Xingmin would usually give him tea, cigarettes, and alcohol, and since Zheng Yunlong arrived, he had also been good to the Xu family, taking care of them in every way.

Guan Lei said, "Brother, the people working in our workshop are all scheduled to go home on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month. Those who live nearby don't need us to see them off, but Brother Liu, Da Zhi, and Feng Ye will have to drive them..."

"Okay, then it'll be the day after tomorrow. How about this, I'll go to the farm the day after tomorrow morning and pay them their wages, right?"

"My uncle, Jun, and I have discussed it and decided that we will pay salaries together tomorrow. Jun went to the forest farm to collect the money today."

Xu Laonian nodded: "Yes, I did the accounting for him."

"Okay, have Brother Jun contact Li Tielin and Lao Lin tomorrow, and we'll send four cars to take them back."

"okay."

The next day, Xu Ning rode his donkey backwards from house to house, having lunch at Lao Hu's house in Taiping. He drank some wine with Hu Zhibin and Lao Hu and talked a lot about the car repair shop.

It was the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, around 6 a.m.

Xu Ning quickly ate two bowls of rice and then drove with Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu to the 28th workshop.

At this moment, five cars were already parked in the yard. In addition to Li Tielin's and Lao Lin's cars, Lao Zhang also drove over.

"Oh, Uncle Zhang, thank you for your hard work."

Old Zhang laughed and said, "You don't treat me like family either. Why didn't you invite me when you were giving someone away?"

"I didn't expect you to be so busy, and besides, it's almost the end of the year, so you have to go from house to house delivering gifts."

"Alright, hurry up and make the arrangements. Who's going to team up with me?"

Liu Daming said, "Brother Zhang, I'll go with you. We have things in common."

"to make!"

Xu Ning took an old hoe out of the car and handed it to Liu Daming, saying, "Uncle, take this for self-defense. They all carry money on them, just in case."

"Yeah, if there are any robbers, I'll be in big trouble."

"Go ahead and hug me, it's nothing."

Then, Xu Ning went to the side and chatted with Da Zhi and Feng Ye for a bit. They had earned a total of more than 180 yuan in the past few months working at the farm. For the two of them, this amount of money was already very satisfactory, since they had nowhere to earn money before.

The Liu brothers also earned about 150 yuan each. When Xu Ning talked with them, he could clearly see the smiles on their faces.

After catching up, Xu Ning stood on the pile of logs, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Come on, everyone, follow my lead!"

"Let me say a few words. Our forest farm will resume work around the 16th or 17th of the first lunar month! If you want to come back to work, you should make arrangements in advance. If you live far away, I will have someone pick you up. If you live nearby, you can come by yourself. Or if you run into a vehicle from our forest farm on the road, just flag it down and say that you are working in our Xuning Forest Farm. They will give you some face."

"The wages you're holding are what you've earned through hard work these past few months. If anyone invites you to gamble after you get home, don't go. You'd better spend your money wisely!"

(End of this chapter)