https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-129-The-Young-Wives-and-Maidens-Envy-Her-Tears/12849244/
Chapter 130: The Entire Village Mobilizes
Chapter 130: The Entire Village Mobilizes
It was two o'clock in the afternoon.
Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping returned home without any issues.
After greeting her father-in-law, Zhang Xiuping hurried into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, she emerged with a look of satisfaction on her face, having finally relieved herself of the toxins she had been holding in for two days.
During their three-day stay at her parents' house, everything had been fine except for one thing: the bathroom. After using a clean and hygienic bathroom, the thought of using the filthy outhouse was unbearable.
Zhang Xiuping had no intention of experiencing that again, nor did she want her husband to suffer through it. Even if he could tolerate it, the stench he would bring back from the outhouse was something she couldn't stand.
So, during their three days at her parents' house, they only went to the bathroom once. They chose to use an outdoor latrine on a nearby mountain instead of the outhouse. However, the cold weather made the experience quite uncomfortable, leaving their rear ends freezing.
This was the main reason they had only used the bathroom once during their stay and had waited until they returned home to relieve themselves.
...
The pottery factory resumed operations on the sixth day of the new year. On the seventh day, Deng Shirong, Deng Yunqiang, and Deng Changfu set out for the Xin Guang Farm in Ling Shan County to pick up the lychee saplings they had ordered.
Deng Shirong had initially ordered a thousand saplings. Deng Yunqiang's family had a similar amount of land, so they also ordered a thousand. Deng Changfu's father-in-law had less land, so he only ordered seven hundred.
Together, the three families had ordered a total of 2,700 saplings. One truck wasn't enough to transport them all, so they hired two trucks.
Considering the poor transportation conditions of the time, the trip was no easy feat. As the Hakka people of Bobai often say, "Moyuan aihe er" (It's hard, but it's worth it).
Despite the difficulties, they managed to bring the lychee saplings back by around six o'clock on the evening of the eighth day.
"Is this what the Guiwei lychee saplings look like?"
"These saplings look really good. They're different from the wild lychee saplings we have here."
"These saplings are already well-developed. No wonder Old Nine said they might bear fruit in the second year."
"I wonder what the Guiwei lychee will taste like."
"..."
Even though it was already dark, the entire village gathered to see the lychee saplings Deng Shirong had brought back.
The production team leader, Deng Yunjun, walked up to Deng Shirong, who was eating dinner, and asked, "Uncle Nine, does the Xin Guang Farm have more of these lychee saplings?"
Deng Shirong swallowed his mouthful of food and replied, "The Xin Guang Farm in Ling Shan County is a large state-owned farm. They've been cultivating Guiwei lychee for about twenty-five or twenty-six years. Although you can't cut too many branches from a single tree, the farm has around two or three thousand lychee trees. Getting ten or twenty thousand saplings shouldn't be a problem."
Deng Yunjun nodded and said, "We'll wait and see how the saplings grow for Uncle Nine and Yunqiang. If they do well, I'll consider clearing our family's land to plant Guiwei lychee."
Deng Shirong wasn't afraid of the villagers following his lead; in fact, he hoped they would.
Firstly, he didn't expect to get rich from planting lychees. If the villagers could earn some extra money and improve their lives, that was what he wanted to see.
Secondly, if the lychee planting formed a significant scale, it would be beneficial. It would help build a reputation, attracting more merchants and ensuring fair competition, rather than being at the mercy of low prices or unsold crops.
Therefore, when Deng Yunjun mentioned the idea of planting Guiwei lychees, Deng Shirong encouraged him, "Captain, relying solely on the pine trees on the hills won’t earn us much money. Turning the hills into orchards and planting fruit trees is the best choice."
"If your family has free time, you can start the orchard development work now. Even if you don’t plant Guiwei lychees, you can always plant other fruits."
Deng Yunjun nodded in agreement, saying, "Uncle Jiu, you’re right. Tomorrow, I’ll get my family to start. I’ll also let the brothers and nephews know. If they’re willing, they can join us. If not, that’s fine too."
Deng Shirong knew that the captain was responsible and hoped for a better life for the village’s brothers and nephews after the land was divided. He supported the idea, "Most families are around now, Captain. You can share your thoughts with them. Let everyone choose freely whether they want to join or not."
Deng Yunjun thought it made sense and agreed. He walked to the crowd and called out, "Brothers and nephews, please quiet down for a moment. I have something to say."
Once the crowd settled, Deng Yunjun asked, "Brothers and nephews, seeing how Uncle Jiu and Yunqiang brought back so many lychee saplings from Ling County, what do you think about it?"
"What’s there to think about?"
"Captain, just say what you have in mind!"
"Yeah, Captain, what’s your idea?"
"..."
Deng Yunjun said, "Our production team has already divided the land for individual farming. Everyone has seen what Uncle Jiu has achieved in this short time, so I won’t elaborate. Now, Uncle Jiu is leading the way to turn the hills into orchards and plant Guiwei lychees.
"I don’t know what you think, but I, Deng Yunjun, plan to follow Uncle Jiu. Tomorrow, I’ll start with my family to develop our hills. Once the orchard is ready, even if we don’t plant Guiwei lychees, we can plant other fruits. It’s better than letting the hills lie fallow and grow weeds.
"I’m letting you know now. If you’re willing to join, great. If not, that’s fine too."
The villagers found the captain’s words reasonable. The hills, if left alone, would only grow weeds, and even the trees on the hills weren’t worth much. But if they were developed into orchards, it would be a different story.
Even though the villagers didn’t have much experience, they knew that fruit trees were far more valuable than trees used for firewood.
Immediately, one villager asked, "Captain, planting fruit trees is fine, but how will we sell the fruit once the trees bear fruit?"
Deng Yunjun smiled, "The state has always had the supply and marketing cooperatives purchase agricultural products. We just need to agree on a price with the cooperative in advance."
Hearing this, the villagers were intrigued. As the production team captain, Deng Yunjun’s words were trustworthy. Moreover, planting fruit trees was led by the capable Deng Shirong, which gave everyone even more confidence.
Thus, several villagers on the spot expressed their willingness to join Uncle Jiu and the captain in developing orchards and planting fruit trees. Those who didn’t speak up immediately said they would discuss it with their families.
Of course, while everyone was supportive, not every household could afford to plant Guiwei lychees. The initial investment was high, and without a bank loan, very few families in Naye Village could manage it.
(End of Chapter)
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