Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1315 The Topic of Ecological Balance

Xiao Hong tugged at Xiao Wei's sleeve: "You're running off again? You just got back and haven't even had a chance to sit down before you're already thinking about leaving again. Are you annoyed with me?"

Chen Xiao also asked, "What are you two going to investigate this time?"

Xiao Wei said, "Wang Gang and Li Weibing are getting married next Sunday. They just told us yesterday."

Chen Xiao looked at Xiao Hong's belly: "Xiao Hong, you should be fine on the plane, right?"

Xiao Wei turned to look at Xiao Hong: "Do you think it will work?"

Wang Jiwei said, "It's feasible. You guys are really bold. Her due date is this month, and you still dare to ask her to fly. Just stay at home."

Xiao Hong pouted and looked at her stomach: "I don't feel anything, maybe the doctor made a mistake."

Qin Xuemei said, "The date is set, how could it be wrong? You can't go anywhere, just stay here and wait to give birth. Xiaowei, you two hurry back, she could give birth any day now."

Chen Xiao smacked her lips: "Fine, I won't go either, I'll stay home with you."

Chen Hui walked in: "In a few days, all the grandpas, grandmas, Uncle Wang, and Aunt Wang will be coming. Xiao Hong, you're the main target now."

Xiao Wei asked, "What did Hong Liang say?"

Chen Hui said, "He went to see a professor at the Agricultural University to ask him to do some calculations. However, he said that there's no rush to bring in cattle and sheep. We need to fence off land and grow grass first. Only when the grass is nearly ready can we bring in the cattle and sheep. Otherwise, we'll have to go out and buy grass. It's okay in summer and autumn, but it's not so easy in spring and winter. The expenses are quite high."

Xiao Wei nodded: "That's right, what's the point of growing grass? It seems like the grass on the grasslands is just so-so now. Remember when we went to my brother's place last time? Huge stretches of grassland were just bare ground."

Wang Jiwei said, "Herding, herding, do you know why Mongolians are called a nomadic people? Herding requires moving around, which is a way to protect the grasslands. This year it's here, next year it's there, giving the grasslands time to recover and rest."

Now, since liberation, the area has been settled and urbanized, and the grasslands are deteriorating year by year; the damage is immense. Especially the sheep; many of the sheep raised now are not grassland breeds, but rather raised for maximum meat and milk production.

Qin Xuemei asked, "Aren't they all sheep? Are there different breeds of sheep?"

Wang Jiwei said, "There's a big difference. Take our area for example, we raise sheep and goats. There are more goats, right? Their meat tastes good and fetches a good price. But goats graze on grass roots, you know? The places they've eaten are barren."

The trees along our roadside are painted with such a high layer of whitewash, mainly to prevent goats from grazing on them. That stuff is incredibly destructive to trees and pastures. It's a bit better for raising cattle, but for sheep, it's impossible if the pasture is small.

Xiaohong thought for a moment: "So that means if we're raising cattle, one acre of land can only be counted as half an acre, right? And if we're raising sheep, it's one-third? One-quarter?"

Wang Jiwei nodded: "Pretty much. Cattle and sheep can be raised together, but we need to plan the pastures, winter feed areas, rest areas, and grazing areas carefully. We need to close off enough areas each year for winter feed and rest."

Chen Xiao asked, "These days, don't sheep farmers just let them graze anywhere? There are plenty of sheep farmers in Northeast China, and I've never heard of anyone specifically leasing land to grow grass. They just let them graze wherever they want on the mountain, and it's free."

Xiao Wei said, "We can't do that, the scale is different. They have dozens or hundreds at most, and they mainly rely on buying feed to feed them. We have at least hundreds or thousands of head. And the meat quality and milk production are different too. Specialized pasture is much better, and good pasture is not cheap."

Wang Jiwei nodded: "Yes, that's right. You've all had the mutton from my brother's place, haven't you? It's better than the mutton here, isn't it?"

Chen Xiao said, "That's true, my lamb sells particularly well. Oh dear, nothing is easy, there's so much to say. I'm learning something new."

Chen Hui said, "Ranches can actually make money. City dwellers are definitely willing to spend some money to see the grasslands, herd livestock, ride horses, stay in yurts, and taste authentic Mongolian cuisine. Once the grasslands are developed, we can definitely develop tourism in this area."

Everyone agreed and nodded in approval.

Chen Hui said, "There are wild horse herds and gazelle herds on the grassland. If you are lucky enough to harvest a few batches, you can make a profit. That is the real grassland breed."

Wang Jiwei laughed and said, "You're just dreaming. It did exist in the past, but that's from a bygone era. Where can you find it now?"

Little Red asked, "Are there many wolves on the grassland? How do we deal with them?"

Wang Jiwei shook his head and said, "Yes, but not that many. The country used to organize wolf hunts, and they wiped them out. Otherwise, the grasslands wouldn't have become barren so quickly. Without wolves, there are more rabbits. Those creatures reproduce quickly and cause the most damage to the land and grasslands."

Ecological balance is a very important issue. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the reclamation of wasteland for farming and the large-scale wolf-hunting campaign were actually the biggest causes of the destruction of grasslands. The ecological balance of species in the entire region was broken, and rabbits had the opportunity to develop rapidly.

Moreover, the cultivated land begins to harden and compact, no longer suitable for pasture growth, and gradually it becomes barren.

Urbanization is also a process of destroying nature. Herdsmen are confined to fixed houses in fixed places, grazing no longer exists, and grasslands begin to recede along the urbanized areas, leaving people with nothing but desolation in the end.

If you travel to Inner Mongolia, how much of the original green grass and blue sky still remains? On the outskirts of the cities, there are endless semi-Gobi deserts and gradually drying rivers.

……

Xiaoxue brought over some cookies and pastries, and replaced the coffee for everyone. Qin Xuemei pouted and glared at Xiaoxue, who just smiled with her lips pursed.

Xiaowei said, "Xiaoxue, in a few days we're going to have a birthday and wedding cake customization service on the second floor. Guests can also make their own cakes here. The chef was transferred from Fengtian. Is there anything you need us to prepare?"

Xiaoxue thought for a moment and shook her head: "Nothing is needed. Now there are five of us, including me, which is enough."

Chen Hui said, "Now that the store is in your hands, you can't just focus on this place. You have to think about development. If you're going to do business, do it well and aim to expand. Do you think it's feasible to open a branch here?"

For example, Haidian District has many schools and students, as well as the business districts and office areas in the main city. You should think about those.

Xiaoxue said, "I feel it can work. If we make the place bigger, it will definitely work. How much investment should we control? Actually, I think we could develop in places with a lot of foreigners. Foreigners prefer places like that. And they have money."

Xiao Wei said, "You don't need to worry about the investment amount. If you feel that a place is suitable, go and investigate, write a report, and find a place. We don't rent out shops, we only buy them. All of them will count towards your performance. Once we have opened a lot of shops, we will set up a company and you will be the boss."

(End of this chapter)