1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 183 Ecological JIT from B to C (1)

Three days later, like the protagonist in "The Old Man and the Sea", Comrade Yan Laoxi returned to Xialiu Village with most of the goods that should have belonged to him.

Also returning were nearly seventy members who still retained some violent aura.

It is unclear whether this remaining ferocity stems from the mutual loss of both sides in the mountain worship or from the dozen or so members who were injured to varying degrees.

After knowing that Yan Laoxi had returned, Yang Mo found some free time that day and ran to Xialiu Village. No one knew what the two whispered in the yard. The only thing they knew was that the next day, at the county's work report meeting, Miss Mu formally proposed to the leaders that Xialiu Sales Agency be designated as the only third-party agency to intervene in the economic development of the county's grassroots rural markets.

Facts have proved that the village collective enterprises are indeed much more proactive than ordinary state-owned enterprises. The county had just passed this resolution, and the Xialiu Marketing Co., Ltd., which had only received two days of intensive training, rushed to various villages that already had a certain mass base at the command of its general manager Yan.

Although the Xialiu Marketing Co., Ltd. currently has a mass base mostly in some rural areas of Lin County, and they set up their initial entry point in these rural areas of Lin County, it seems to have nothing to do with the "economic development work of the grassroots rural market in Linyi County";
but……

It does not matter.

As long as the goods they sell are produced by Linyi County enterprises, it will be fine.

………………

Qihe. Xuanzhangtun Township. Dazhang Village.

Qin Xiang carefully checked the installed sealing ring, then used the steel wool he was issued with clean water to wipe the bottom of the pot which had slightly black stains. Then he smiled and handed the pressure cooker which he had sold a month and a half ago to a middle-aged man.

"Uncle Zhang, the sealing ring has been replaced. Just pay attention to the usage instructions I told you, and you can use it without worry in the next two months... I brought three more sealing rings this time, please keep them. If you feel unsure about the time approaching, you can change it yourself." Qin Xiang wiped the sweat off his forehead, then took out the sealing ring wrapped in newspaper from his bag and placed it neatly on the low table.

The middle-aged man called Uncle Zhang looked embarrassed: "Xiaoxiang, this is so embarrassing... I changed it and gave it away as a gift, and I even had to clean the pot... This, this, this makes me don't know what to say."

The man, who was not good at speaking, scratched his head, and finally picked up the sealing ring on the table and was about to stuff it into Qin Xiang's hand; seeing that the other party was unwilling to take it back, he gritted his teeth, took out three dollars from his pocket and gave it to Qin Xiang, intending to buy the thing.

Seeing this, Qin Xiang immediately became anxious: "Uncle Zhang, our company has regulations that for products like pressure cookers that may cause accidents due to improper operation, we must come here every one and a half months to visit and replace them in the first six months. There is nothing to be embarrassed about saying this;"

"As for the three sealing rings, I, as a junior, applied for them from the commune for Auntie... Our commune has a policy that favors older people... If you give me money, wouldn't that make me make a mistake?"

Seeing Qin Xiang's firm attitude, Uncle Zhang could only take the money back awkwardly, muttering: "What a good unit, what a good unit... It's been a long time since I've seen such a good unit and young man!"

Qin Xiang smiled disapprovingly when he heard this: "Uncle Zhang, what you said... Isn't it right for me to do more for you and Auntie? In Qilu, whether we love the young or not is not the point, but if you don't know how to respect the elderly, won't your spine be stabbed to death!?"

Qin Xiang took the water from Uncle Zhang and took a sip. "Uncle, speaking of which, I've seen that you use this pressure cooker quite frequently. I didn't lie to you at the beginning, did I? With this high-tech gadget, even if Auntie has difficulty with her teeth, it will only take a few minutes to stew a pot of delicious food for her...During festivals, I can kill a chicken and stew it for Auntie for half an hour, and she will be able to eat it!"

Uncle Zhang grinned when he heard this: "That's true. Since I bought this thing, it's much easier to prepare food for my mother. Not only does it save firewood and time, but it also provides more variety in food. My mother has been in much better spirits over the past month!"

As he spoke, Uncle Zhang turned his head and looked somewhere. His smile suddenly stopped and his expression gradually became bleak.

At the gate of the courtyard, an old woman in her seventies was sitting, quietly looking at the scenery outside.

If that were all, there would be nothing strange about it. After all, there are many elderly people in the countryside who like to sit on the doorsteps.

But the problem is...

The old lady was dressed very unusually.

It was the hottest time of August, but she was wearing a thin cotton jacket, as if she didn't feel the scorching sun at all.

Well, if that were all, it would actually be understandable. After all, the elderly are not as physically fit as young people and are much more afraid of cold.

But if I tell you that the old lady was wearing a new dark red satin coat with longevity patterns, I'm afraid even the most obtuse person would be able to notice that something was wrong, right?

Ok……

That’s right, anyone can see that this is the shroud the old man prepared for himself!

Putting on funeral clothes in advance and sitting at the door is like sleeping in the coffin every night in advance, implying that these old people feel that their time is up and are quietly waiting to die.

But unlike sleeping in the coffin in advance, wearing funeral clothes in advance and sitting at the door to take one last look at this world is what those lonely elderly people do. If there are children at home, this practice is tantamount to telling outsiders that the children are unfilial, and the children will be poked in the back!
Is this Uncle Zhang an unfilial son?
It definitely cannot be considered as such. If one were really unfilial, one would not take out a huge sum of dozens of dollars to buy a pressure cooker for one's mother and cook different kinds of food for her every day.

Nowadays, many people in rural areas are simple and honest, but they also have many bad habits, especially the elderly... For people like Aunt Zhang who have lived all the way from the old society, it is really hard to say that she is right about some things.

At the very least, the old lady was upset because Uncle Zhang had not remarried after his wife died, so Qin Xiang didn't think that Aunt Zhang was really right.

Seeing Uncle Zhang's expression was a little gloomy, Qin Xiang suddenly smiled slyly: "Uncle Zhang, when I was in Xidai Village in Paomaji Town, I knew that there was a widow in their village who had just married a man last year. She happened to be about the same age as you... How about I help you talk to her? Now that you have a wife, try hard next year and give birth to a big fat boy. Auntie will definitely not be angry with you anymore!"

Uncle Zhang laughed and scolded angrily: "Get lost, I'm too old, why would I want a son? Besides, marrying a man means having clothes and food. I'm so poor, which girl would like me?... Besides, I'm not in the mood for that now!"

Qin Xiang chuckled and suddenly lowered his voice: "Uncle Zhang, I should say something wrong. I think Auntie probably scared herself... If you can make Auntie feel better, I think that the lucky clothes will be useless in the next few years." Uncle Zhang was shocked: "What do you mean?"

Qin Xiang scratched his head and said, "There were also many elderly people who were "sitting and waiting" in several villages near us. If nothing unexpected happened, they would die within half a month at most after putting on the blessing clothes."

"But Auntie... According to you, Uncle Zhang, Auntie has been like this for almost two months, right?"

Uncle Zhang showed an irrepressible ecstasy on his face: "Xiaoxiang, you mean...?"

Qin Xiang nodded: "I remember the barefoot doctor in the village told us that among those elderly people who started to sit and wait, many of them really felt that their time was coming to an end, but in fact, many of them were just hallucinating due to physical discomfort and then scaring themselves."

"There are many factors that cause illusions. The most common one is that it is because of bad teeth that make it difficult to eat. In addition, the digestive ability of the elderly is weak. If this continues for a long time, they will have a very strong sense of weakness... Many elderly people who are unaware of the situation will mistake this feeling of weakness as a sign that their end is approaching, so they start to wear funeral clothes or sleep in coffins and sit and wait for death;"

At this point, Qin Xiang spread his hands and said, "According to the barefoot doctor in our village, if an old person is too weak and depressed, they may die early even if it is still a long time before their death...But after Uncle Zhang used the food you made in the pressure cooker to supplement the old lady with so much nutrition, she may still be depressed, but at least she is no longer weak, so I don't think it is really time for her to die."

Uncle Zhang nodded repeatedly, pacing back and forth in the yard excitedly, his dark face glowing red. "Yes, yes, yes! Xiaoxiang, you are right! My mother has a face that shows she will live a hundred years. How could it be possible that she has to die now? "

Everyone likes to hear good words, and what Qin Xiang said just now seems to make sense.
Uncle Zhang had never felt in his life that the tens of dollars he spent were worth it as he did at that moment. Not only did it solve the problem of food for his old mother, but it also relieved a huge worry for him... As the saying goes, filial piety is the most important virtue. Most people may not be really good people, but when it comes to filial piety, they definitely have it.

Qin Xiang chuckled, "So, uncle, you should weigh two kilograms of fruit candies for Auntie tomorrow to play with slowly... Our manager said that eating sweets can make people feel happy, especially women, who are much more obvious than men in this regard... As the saying goes, the older the younger, the younger the older. Auntie is happy eating candies. When she is in a good mood, she may listen to your advice and change her lucky clothes... Of course, our manager also said that candies should be eaten in moderation and not too much, otherwise it will not be good for the body. Auntie, eating three or four a day is enough."

Uncle Zhang nodded vigorously again: "This means that I will go to the store at the entrance of the village to buy some candy today, and then coax my mother into changing out of that lucky dress... I'm not afraid of people talking behind my back, but your aunt is very thoughtful, and it's not good for her to wear that lucky dress all day long!"

Qin Xiang kept humming, then lowered his voice with a smile: "So... Uncle, have you thought about it? Do you want to find a time to let the matchmaker in our village help you to propose to Widow Liu from Xidai Village?... Auntie's biggest worry is that she has never been able to hold her grandson. If you can get together with Widow Liu, whether you can finally have another fat boy or not, but seeing that there is hope for holding a grandson, at least Auntie has hope in her heart, and her spirits are lifted, right?"

When Uncle Zhang heard Qin Xiang mention the widow Liu from Xidai Village for the second time, he became a little embarrassed and started to chuckle: "Xiao Xiang, I know you are doing this for my uncle's good and for your aunt's good... I appreciate your kindness."

"But your uncle and I are very poor. We have been relying on the few acres of sloping fields at home to make a living. How could a woman look down on us and be willing to marry us and suffer together?"

This is the truth. Not only is the per capita arable land in Xuanzhangtun Township small, but the water resources are also not abundant. Therefore, they can only grow relatively drought-resistant crops such as corn and wheat, and raise some chickens. It is a relatively underdeveloped area in Qihe County, and the women here have always been looking forward to marrying out. For someone like Uncle Zhang, who is forty-five or forty-six years old and has the conditions of his family, it is really not an easy thing to find another wife...even if the other party is also a widow who is no longer young.

Qin Xiang heard this, but waved his hand indifferently: "Hey, what's the big deal? Aren't you just worried that your family is not rich and that Widow Liu will look down on you? Can't we just work hard and make more money?"

Uncle Zhang smiled bitterly: "Hard-earned money? I'm not afraid of hardship, but where can the money come from? You have been to Dazhang Village several times, and you have seen the situation here."

Qin Xiang was surprised. "Hasn't Xuanzhangtun Township been encouraging the development of breeding industry in the past two years? Raising chickens, ducks, pigs, etc., all have documents to support it... I don't know much about the situation of pig farming, but raising chickens and ducks, it is said that as long as you dare to raise them, you don't have to worry about not having a market... Braised chicken is one of the three treasures of Dezhou, and the chicken industry is also one of the pillar industries in our places. Mazhuang Village and Kangzhuang Village set up several small chicken farms the year before last. It is said that the benefits are very good. It seems that the investment will be recovered in less than two years. If it goes on, it will be pure profit!"

Uncle Zhang's smile became even more bitter when he heard this: "That's what you said... but you also need start-up capital. The township has all kinds of support policies, but there is no financial support!"

"Apart from the labor and technology, which of the materials for building the chicken coop, chicks, vaccines, feed, heating lamps, power plants, and transportation is free? Which one costs less?"

Uncle Zhang sighed heavily, "I have heard about the situation in Mazhuang Village and Kangzhuang Village. Their small chicken farms are indeed thriving, but the chicken farm in Mazhuang Village is run by the Yuan family, while the chicken farm in Kangzhuang Village is run by the Kang family. "

"Xiao Xiang, you've been here a lot recently, so you should know what those people are like... Anyway, although raising chickens is a good job, it's impossible for ordinary poor people like us to afford it!"

This situation is very common in rural areas from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. It's not that people are so stupid that they can't see good projects, but even if they know it is a good project, they often can't do it for various reasons... Among them, lack of sufficient start-up capital is undoubtedly the most common and most fatal problem. Therefore, following the policy to carry out projects is often the patent of those village elders who have a certain ability to allocate funds.

This situation did not change significantly until after the millennium, thanks to strong support from national policies.

However, by that time, the population had gradually been lost, and the mentality of the grassroots in rural areas, which had been cheated and deceived countless times by unscrupulous enterprises, had quietly changed. From their original dreams and enterprising spirit, they gradually became conservative and xenophobic... Of course, this conservatism and xenophobia is very different from what city people think, and it has more of a "Gandhi color". If you have not invested in a project in the countryside, it is difficult to feel the subtlety of this.

Qin Xiang saw Uncle Zhang's sad face and couldn't help laughing: "Uncle, don't be so depressed!"

"if……"

"I mean if."

"If we, the Xialiu Marketing Agency, can provide you with most of the materials for building a chicken farm, including chicken coops, chicks, and feed, through barter, do you have the guts to gather your relatives and friends in the village and make a bet?"

Barter?

Provide most of the supplies for the chicken farm?

How to change it?
You, you, are you sure you are not trying to make fun of your Uncle Zhang?
Uncle Zhang looked at the young man in front of him, who he had a good impression of, with a look of confusion and disbelief in his eyes...

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PS: Although I still have no appetite and always feel like vomiting no matter what I eat, I am finally in better spirits than the last two days. I will try to read one more chapter today. After all, judging from the background data, the reading rate has indeed dropped significantly after two consecutive days of 4K updates.

Also, I swear that I will only eat white onions in the future, and will never touch red onions again. Do the people in Yunnan really have different physical conditions from us? Why do I have such severe sequelae, but those people in the video were able to eat and drink as usual the next day? Could it be that you really have antibodies?

(End of this chapter)