60s: I have a store

Chapter 492 Buying Feed
In Zhoujiazhuang, a new day slowly begins with the light of morning light.

In the village, villagers who went to work walked out of their homes one after another, carrying farm tools and heading towards the fields, talking and laughing along the way, discussing the growth of crops and the latest news in the village.

At this time, the village chief Wang of Shangshui Village was extremely anxious.

He learned from the villagers of Shangshui Village that the old party secretary of Zhoujiazhuang was interested in selling feed, and this news made him uneasy.

In his mind, feed is crucial to livestock breeding in the village. If high-quality and reasonably priced feed can be purchased, the village's breeding industry may usher in new development.

He doesn't have such high requirements. If it can be two-thirds of what is raised in Zhoujiazhuang, it will be enough. He doesn't even require it to be exactly the same.

Early this morning, when the sky had just begun to turn pale, Village Chief Wang hurriedly set out from Shangshui Village and rushed all the way to Zhoujiazhuang.

His steps were hurried, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his heart was full of anticipation and anxiety about the feed transaction.

When he finally arrived at Zhoujiazhuang, the sun had risen high and the sunlight was shining on every corner of the village.

Village chief Wang asked around and found the old branch secretary's home.

He stood at the door, took a deep breath, straightened his slightly messy clothes, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The door opened with a creaky sound. The old Party Secretary saw Village Chief Wang standing at the door and showed a hint of surprise on his face: "Hey, Village Chief Wang, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

Village Chief Wang forced a smile and said, "Old Party Secretary, I have something urgent to tell you. I heard that your village is interested in selling feed, so I came here quickly."

The old branch secretary suddenly realized what was going on and quickly invited Village Chief Wang into the house and asked him to sit down.

He didn't expect that the news he just said casually would spread to Sheungshui Village.

The old Party secretary also knew that Village Chief Wang had always wanted to buy feed from the village, but the output was not high at the time and he still had to pay the bill for the commune.

So there was no extra feed to sell to Shangshui Village, but now as time goes by, the production technology in the village is getting better and better.

The output has increased, and the village needs to build a road, which requires a lot of money. I was thinking about making the money back from there.

Unexpectedly, Village Chief Wang came to the door.

As soon as Village Chief Wang sat on the chair, he couldn't wait to ask, "Old Party Secretary, I want to ask, how much is a bag of these feeds?"

As he spoke, he was calculating in his mind that if the price was high, the village’s funds were limited and they could only buy less; if the price was right, he would purchase more and make long-term plans for the village’s livestock breeding.

There is no other way. If the village could be as wealthy as Zhoujiazhuang, we wouldn’t have to look at the prices when buying things.

It is obvious that Shangshui Village does not have this ability, so it can only be thrifty.

When the old branch secretary heard this question, he was immediately troubled.

He was really unsure about how to set the price of the feed, and he had to ask Zhou Yimin. So he quickly said, "Village Chief Wang, wait for me, I'll go find Yimin!"

Village Chief Wang nodded without saying much. He just sat quietly on the chair, looking at the furnishings in the room from time to time. His fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees, revealing his inner nervousness and anticipation.

The old branch secretary walked quickly towards Zhou Yimin's home.

At this time, Zhou Yimin had just got up, opened the store, and bought today's flash sale products.

I didn't expect there would be a hundred packs of hand-made beef balls, a hundred bottles of yogurt, a hundred braised pork elbows, and a hundred kilograms of apples.

Zhou Yimin was about to wash up when he saw the old branch secretary hurriedly walk in. He couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Old branch secretary, why are you here so early? What do you want to talk to me about?"

The old branch secretary took a breath and told the whole story of Village Chief Wang's visit.

After hearing this, Zhou Yimin immediately said, "Old Party Secretary, let me go with you!"

The two soon arrived at the old branch secretary's home. Village chief Wang was sitting on a chair, holding a cigarette in his hand. Amid the smoke, his eyes showed a hint of anxiety.

Seeing Zhou Yimin and the old branch secretary come in, he stood up quickly.

As soon as Zhou Yimin sat down, he got straight to the point: "Village Chief Wang, I heard you want to buy feed, right?"

When Village Chief Wang heard this, he quickly replied, "That's right, Yimin, how much is a bag of feed?"

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yimin said, "Six dollars a pack!"

When Village Chief Wang heard the price, he was so shocked that his eyes widened.

In this era, pork only costs a few cents per pound, but the price of a bag of feed can buy nearly ten pounds of meat, which made it a little difficult for him to accept.

He frowned and said, "Yimin, isn't this price a bit high?"

Zhou Yimin shook his head and patiently explained, "Village Chief Wang, this price is not high at all. Think about it, a bag of feed weighs 100 kilograms, and it only costs 6 cents per kilogram.

Moreover, one hundred kilograms of feed can feed the pigs for more than ten days. If you use it sparingly, it can even last for twenty days."

After hearing what Zhou Yimin said, Village Chief Wang secretly did some calculations in his mind.

He originally thought that a bag of feed did not weigh much, but he did not expect it to weigh a hundred kilograms.

With this calculation, from the perspective of cost-effectiveness, it does not seem to be expensive.

But as the head of a village, he still wants to gain the greatest benefits for the village.

So, Village Chief Wang shamelessly started to bargain with Zhou Yimin and the old branch secretary about the price.

He said earnestly: "Yimin, old Party Secretary, our two villages have always had a good relationship. Do you think the price can be lowered a little?
You know the situation in our village. It’s not easy for everyone. If it can be cheaper, we can buy more and there will be more opportunities for cooperation in the future.”

Zhou Yimin and the old branch secretary looked at each other. They understood what Village Chief Wang was thinking.

Zhou Yimin thought for a moment and said, "Village Chief Wang, we are really very reasonable in terms of price. But considering the friendship between our two villages, we can only reduce the price to 5.80 yuan per bag at most. It can't be lowered any lower."

Village Chief Wang still felt that it was a bit high after hearing this, so he continued to talk: "Yimin, five dollars and eighty is still a bit expensive. How about this, five dollars and fifty, five dollars and fifty a bag, we can take more than ten bags at a time. Moreover, such heavy feed will be a problem to transport, if we buy a lot, can Zhoujiazhuang help to bear the delivery fee?"

Zhou Yimin discussed it with the old Party secretary again. For Zhoujiazhuang, the cost of feed was not that high, and the village had tractors, so it was not difficult to deliver the feed.

If this deal can be concluded, it will not only increase the income of the village, but also strengthen the cooperative relationship with Shangshui Village. Finally, Zhou Yimin nodded and said, "Okay, Village Chief Wang, for the sake of the relationship between our two villages, it will be 5.5 yuan per bag. If you take more than 10 bags at a time, we will be responsible for delivery."

When Village Chief Wang heard this answer, he finally showed a satisfied smile on his face. He slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, it's settled then! I ordered ten packs right away.

After Village Chief Wang and Zhou Yimin agreed on the feed price and related transaction details, they did not rush to leave.

He knows very well that just buying feed is not enough. How to use it correctly is related to the effectiveness of poultry farming in the village.

So, he leaned forward slightly, looked at Zhou Yimin seriously, and asked, "Yimin, how should this feed be used to feed chickens? Is there anything special that needs to be paid attention to during use?"

Zhou Yimin smiled and nodded. He understood Village Chief Wang's caution.

After all, proper use of feed is crucial to the village's breeding industry.

He patiently explained: "Village Chief Wang, the method of feeding chickens with this feed is not complicated. If they are chicks, their digestive systems are not yet perfect. For a bag of 100 kilograms of feed, you only need to feed them two or three kilograms a day at the beginning. The feed must be ground into fine pieces to facilitate their digestion.

You can feed the chicks several times, about four or five times a day, feeding them a little each time to ensure that the chicks can always eat fresh feed."

Village Chief Wang listened, nodded thoughtfully, and occasionally interjected: "What about the adult chickens, Yimin? The amount of food they feed adult chickens must be increased a lot, right?"

Zhou Yimin went on to say: "Adult chickens have a larger appetite. Generally speaking, they are fed 5-6 catties a day. However, this should be adjusted according to the breed of the chicken and its egg-laying conditions.

For example, for laying hens, if they are at the peak of egg-laying period, in order to ensure nutritional supply and let them lay more eggs, the amount of food can be slightly more.

If it is a broiler chicken, in order to make it fat, the amount of food it feeds must also be controlled.

Moreover, when feeding chickens, it is best to mix the feed with some chopped green leaves, which can not only increase the chickens' appetite, but also supplement vitamins and make the chickens grow healthier. "

Village Chief Wang asked again: "Then are there any taboos in the process of using it?"

Zhou Yimin thought for a moment and said, "Village Chief Wang, when using this feed, storage is the key. The feed must not be allowed to get damp. Once damp, it will easily become moldy and deteriorate.

If chickens eat moldy feed, it will be troublesome. At the very least, they will get sick and their egg production will decrease. At worst, their lives may be in danger.

So, after you bring the feed back, you should put it in a dry and ventilated place. It is best to put up a shelf to raise the feed, and don’t put it directly on the ground.”

Village chief Wang nodded quickly to indicate that he had remembered it.

He thought of another question: "Yimin, if the feed is opened and not used up at once, how can it be preserved?"

Zhou Yimin patiently answered: "After opening the feed, try to use it up as soon as possible. If you can't use it up, you have to tie the bag tightly to prevent air from entering.

Next time you use it, check whether the feed has any peculiar smell or lumps. If so, do not feed it to the chickens.

Also, if there are differences in ingredients between different batches of feed, you have to change them gradually, and not all at once. You have to give the chickens a period of adaptation, otherwise they may not be able to adapt and suffer from loss of appetite, diarrhea, etc.”

Village Chief Wang listened very carefully, and from time to time he gestured with his hands on his knees, fearing that he would miss any details. He said with emotion: "Yimin, thanks to you for telling me in such detail, otherwise we really wouldn't know that there are so many details involved."

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "Village Chief Wang, you are too polite. Farming is a delicate job. Only when every link is done well can we have a good harvest. If you or the farmers in the village encounter any problems during use, feel free to come to me and we will work together to find a solution."

Village Chief Wang stood up, held Zhou Yimin's hand tightly, and said gratefully: "Yimin, thank you so much. I feel much more at ease after communicating with you this time. Don't worry, we will definitely do as you say and make good use of this feed."

Village Chief Wang seemed to suddenly remember something, and then whispered, "Yimin, there is one more thing. The vegetables in our village are ripe. When do you think the steel mill will come to buy them?"

Zhou Yimin thought it was a big deal, but when he heard about this, he said calmly, "Don't worry, Village Chief Wang, I'll send someone over as soon as possible! The steel plant has always attached great importance to the supply of vegetables, and your vegetables are of good quality, so there will be no problem."

After hearing this, Village Chief Wang finally felt relieved.

He stood up, shook hands with Zhou Yimin and the old branch secretary, and said gratefully: "Thank you so much, this cooperation is very important to our village. If you need any help from our village in the future, just let us know."

Zhou Yimin and the old Party branch secretary also responded with a smile: "Village head Wang is too polite. The two villages should help each other and develop together."

Village Chief Wang was a little curious at this time: "Yimin and the old Party Secretary, when I just came here, I saw them repairing the road."

The old Party secretary replied: "Yes! The roads in the village are too bad, and it's hard for tractors to drive on them, so we want to repair them!"

Zhou Yimin almost laughed out loud when he heard this. You know, the old branch secretary did not approve of the road construction at the beginning.
The old branch secretary looked at Zhou Yimin, and Zhou Yimin understood instantly. He nodded quickly and would not tell anyone about it.

When Village Chief Wang heard this, he did not expect that all the roads in the village would have to be repaired just for this reason.

But I thought, if there was a tractor in the village, I guess everyone in the village would agree to build the road!
I thought, even with a tractor, it's still too difficult.

If Sheungshui Village could produce someone as capable as Zhou Yimin, there would probably still be a chance, but the possibility is too small.

Village Chief Wang then asked, "Old Party Secretary, how much did your village spend on road construction?"

Although the village has no money now, if there is money in the future, it does not prevent us from finding out about it first, and then we can directly start the project.

The old Party Secretary waved his hand and said, "It didn't cost much, just three thousand yuan!"

When Village Chief Wang heard the price, he was shocked. He thought it would only cost a few hundred dollars.

I didn't expect it to cost three thousand yuan. You have to know that the available funds in the village are only about one tenth.

Although he had always known that Zhoujiazhuang was wealthy, he had never imagined it would be this wealthy.

Wouldn't it be better to take the three thousand dollars and use it to repair the road or do something else?
Village Chief Wang couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Old Party Secretary, your village is really amazing. I didn't expect that you could come up with 3,000 yuan as soon as you said so!"

The old Party Secretary pretended to be modest: "No, this depends on the efforts of the whole village, and then we will go to the back to transport the stones back, and..."

The three of them chatted for a while, and before they knew it, it was already noon.

Seeing that it was getting late, Village Chief Wang said, "Yimin and the old Party Secretary, there are still some things to do in the village, so I will go back first!"

Zhou Yimin and the old branch secretary invited Village Chief Wang to stay and have lunch before leaving.

However, Village Chief Wang still insisted on going back, so the two men did not try to persuade him to stay.

(End of this chapter)