Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 176 Chen Xiao's Worries (jasonn+4)

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui and said, "It's good that you have some pressure; it keeps you from being carefree all day."

Chen Xiao walked over and said, "Uncle Chen just told us to go to his workplace after lunch."

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Xiao leaned against Chen Hui and said, "He didn't say anything. He called me just now, and when I called back, he asked if I had eaten, said that after I ate, we should go to his workplace together, and then he hung up."

Xiao Wei asked, "So, are we still going to Dadong to check on the pig farm this afternoon?"

Xia Maosheng washed the vegetables and put them on the cutting board, poured the water into the sink, and said, "It doesn't matter whether we go to see the pig farm or not. If we lease it, find a place to relocate, expand, or make a mess of it, doesn't Uncle Chen have to do all the talking and doing? What's the point of us going to see it or not?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "That's true. I just wanted to go check out that place. Do you think he owns the land for his pig farm or is it rented? Besides, he can't expand without people. I'll have a clearer picture if I go and discuss it in person. Should we send people from his side to Longcheng? Or should we find people to raise the pigs ourselves?"

Chen Xiao said, "Actually, I think we should talk to him and just set up a bigger pig farm in Longcheng. There are more problems there, and it's easier to set up a farm there. It's not very convenient in Fengtian, and the land prices are different, several times higher."

Chen Hui asked, "So, what about using pigs here?"

Chen Xiao said, "We'll do it once a week. We'll kill them, clean them up, and bring them back. It'll be less likely to be discovered by others. Otherwise, it'll be trouble sooner or later. There are plenty of capable people out there."

Everyone froze, staring at Chen Xiao. It took Chen Xiao a while to react: "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Xiao Wei said, "Are you worried that others will also set up pig farms like this?"

Chen Xiao said, "Yeah, there aren't many small shops and pigs there right now, but that area is quite famous. We've already got our eyes on it. If it grows bigger in the future, how many people will want it? Xiao Hui's dad can handle it to some extent, but what if he can't? These days, which big business doesn't have some connections? What are we compared to them?"

Xia Maosheng said, "But that's too far. It's not easy to make a trip like that. It's several hundred kilometers. It's manageable in the summer, but in the winter, with heavy snow, a round trip takes almost a whole day. How much would the transportation cost?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Can we use another vehicle to take it?"

Xia Maosheng shook his head and said, "We can't take it. This is meat, how can we carry it? We can manage in winter, but what about in summer? By the time we get to Fengtian, we'll probably have to throw it away."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "It's not realistic to kill them over there and bring them back. Even if we drive ourselves, it would take eight hours one way and they'd be rotten by then. Besides, there's no guarantee that it will take eight hours to get there. If we're going to haul them, we can only haul live pigs. Anyway, we won't lose many pounds if we go hungry for a day."

Chen Xiao said, "When I got home tonight, I told my dad I'd go see if he had any ideas. Their postal truck runs there every day."

Chen Hui put his arm around Chen Xiao's shoulder and said, "Honey, don't ask. Their postal trucks can't even carry pigs, let alone pork. Those are boxed goods; they also have to carry mail and parcels. They can't possibly send a truck just for us, can they?"

Xiao Wei plated the chopped vegetables, glanced at the rice cooker, then cleaned the cutting board and said, "How about we buy a car ourselves? A small one, big enough to carry two or three pigs, and hire a driver. We'll need a car to buy groceries anyway. It'll also be convenient for hauling other things, though we'll have to clean it up frequently. Transporting pigs will definitely leave manure and stuff, and if we don't clean it regularly, it'll stink to death."

Chen Xiao patted Chen Hui and said, "Xiao Wei, that's a great idea. Didn't you say you wanted to get a bread stand to buy groceries? Let's go ourselves, go on Monday, come back on Tuesday, and stay there overnight. It won't be tiring. Besides, going on Monday and coming back on Wednesday is fine too, we can have two more days to play there."

Chen Hui raised an eyebrow, his face just showing excitement, but it immediately fell into a bitter expression. He said, "Come on, don't try to fool me. It's not just once or twice. That means running one lap a week, four laps a month. Does that mean I'll be stuck on the road for the next ten years or so?"

Xiao Wei started cooking, and he didn't make anything complicated. He just made a few home-style dishes: pork belly stewed with green beans and potatoes, stir-fried daylily, stir-fried celery, eggplant and green peppers, stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, and a tofu soup.

Half an hour later, the food was served, and the group washed their hands and sat down to eat.

Xiaowei said, "Xiaoxiao, you're overthinking it. If we go to Yuhong, or if that doesn't work, we can find a place in Hushiatai. It's a rural area there, with lots of land and few people. We can fence off a piece of wasteland. If too many people raise pigs, it'll just be a bad thing. There's no point in worrying about this. We'll just take it one day at a time, and we'll see what happens if it doesn't work out."

Chen Hui said, "Actually, I think nobody pays attention to this. Who would do this job if they could do it? There are plenty of profitable businesses out there. Who would want to compete with you to raise pigs? You're overthinking it."

Chen Xiao said, "Maybe I'm overthinking it. You guys haven't encountered this. In our market, once someone makes money on parts, they immediately come looking for you, insisting you get your goods from them. If you don't, try it. Today someone comes to cause trouble, tomorrow someone comes to smash your stall. You can't even continue operating. If you go to the police station, they can't arrest anyone. If you go to the market, they say they can't handle it and you have to negotiate yourself. Dealing with computers makes much more money than tape recorders or cameras, but I just don't dare to get involved. That stuff is a deep, murky business."

Xiao Wei said, "That's conspiracy theory. You always think someone's watching everything you do, but that's not true. There are plenty of lucrative businesses out there. If people weren't watching a small restaurant like yours to see where they'd get their meat, where would they be watching if not those who make big money?"

Chen Xiao said, "You guys didn't get involved in this before, so you didn't pay attention. Let me tell you, I've seen a lot of things these past few years following my brother. Well, I can't even begin to describe it. To be honest, my dad still has some connections, otherwise he would have been squeezed out long ago. So what if you open a restaurant? If you open a small eatery, nobody will pay attention to you. But if you open a big restaurant and it becomes popular, just wait and see. People will come to eat for free, try to squeeze out the extra, demand a share of the profits, and collect protection money. You just wait and see, that's when things will get interesting."

Chen Hui said, "Don't think about anything else. We'll deal with it when the time comes. Do you think my old Chen is a pushover? Those who are truly capable wouldn't bother with this. Old Chen, who can find a bargain here, can definitely handle it. Don't worry. Here, have a piece of meat. You've lost weight these past few days."

Xiao Wei said, "There's always a way out. If you have the energy, think about how to get things done first. If things really turn out like you said, then we'll figure something out. If you don't do anything, you won't get anything. There's always trouble in doing things. You can't let yourself be suffocated by urine."

Chen Hui said, "Yeah, if all else fails, we'll just urinate in our pants. Let's eat meat."

Chen Xiao glared at Chen Hui: "How can you be so disgusting? Are you treating me like a pig? Do you want me to have a belly like you?"

Xiao Hong said, "That's just a matter of time, let's practice first."

Chen Xiao blushed and glared at Xiao Wei, saying, "Aren't you going to do anything about your wife?"

Xiao Wei said, "She's in charge of me, but I don't dare to be in charge of her. You've got the wrong person."

The group laughed together, easing Chen Xiao's worries. Yes, things had to be done, and done well; thinking about anything else was pointless.

(End of this chapter)