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Chapter 45: Selling the Pigs
Chapter 45: Selling the Pigs
Morning.
In Hanyang Village, Duodong, Dai Chunqing looked at the two plump pigs happily munching on their feed in the pigpen. His weathered face broke into a wide smile as he said to his eldest daughter, who was feeding the pigs, "Alan, make sure to feed them well. We’ll take the slightly smaller one to the food station to sell, and we’ll keep the bigger one for our own slaughter and sale."
Alan, wearing a patched-up dress, nodded and replied, "I understand, Dad."
Ten minutes later, both pigs were well-fed and content. Dai Chunqing picked up a long stick and, along with his son and daughter, herded the slightly smaller pig toward the Shuangwang Food Station.
Since 1970, Baise County had been implementing the "Buy One, Keep One" policy for pig production and sales. This meant that whether it was a collective or an individual, after selling one pig to the state, they could slaughter another pig and sell it on the market at a negotiated price.
Between 1962 and 1970, farmers who sold pigs to the state received 25 kilograms of grain, 10 kilograms of fertilizer, and 2 feet of cotton cloth per pig, according to the state-set prices.
After 1970, the state increased the grain reward for selling pigs (while other rewards remained the same). The base reward was 20 kilograms of grain for a pig weighing 60 kilograms, with an additional 0.5 kilograms of grain for every additional 1.25 kilograms of weight.
Despite the increased rewards, selling pigs to the state was still less profitable than selling them on the market. The state-set price for pork was significantly lower than the market price, and the state’s rewards did not bridge this gap.
Therefore, Dai Chunqing decided to sell the slightly smaller pig to the state and keep the larger one for their own slaughter and sale.
Duodong Village was very close to Shuangwang Market, and it took the father and his two children only about ten minutes to herd the pig to the food station.
The Shuangwang Food Station was located near the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. As Dai Chunqing and his children arrived at the food station, Deng Shirong happened to be coming out of the cooperative. He immediately spotted Dai Chunqing’s two children.
Recently, Deng Shirong had been riding his bicycle around Shuangwang, gathering detailed information about the eligible young men and women in the various villages to prepare for matchmaking.
His efforts had yielded plenty of resources, but he was still deliberating on which young men and women would make a good match.
Marriage was a lifelong commitment that affected not only the individuals involved but also their families and future children. Therefore, since the moment Deng Shirong decided to become a matchmaker, he had been reminding himself to be cautious. He believed he needed to thoroughly investigate and ensure a good match before making any introductions. He couldn’t risk ruining someone’s happiness just to earn money from matchmaking.
The two couples he had matched in his previous life had been proven to be happy together, so he had no qualms about those matches. However, now that he had to make his own judgments, he felt a significant amount of pressure.
After all, he hadn’t been able to accurately predict the happiness of his own children’s marriages in his previous life, so he wasn’t entirely confident in his judgment.
Of course, as the saying goes, failure is the mother of success. The failed marriages of his children in his previous life had provided him with valuable experience. He had spent his later years analyzing the marriages of his children and others in the village, identifying the reasons for their failures, and had gained some insights.
Seeing Dai Chunqing’s two eligible children, Deng Shirong’s professional instincts kicked in, and he pushed his bicycle over to them.
"Aubrey, your pig looks fantastic! It must weigh around two hundred pounds, right?"
Dai Chunqing chuckled and replied, "It hasn't been weighed yet, but I reckon it's about two hundred pounds."
Deng Shirong praised, "Impressive! How do you manage to raise such a fine pig? I've been raising mine for over half a year, and it hasn't gained much weight at all."
Dai Chunqing smiled, "I raise it the same way everyone else does. I mostly feed it sweet potato sprouts and some lower-quality sweet potatoes. As long as the pig is well-fed and gets plenty of rest, it will grow quickly."
"That makes sense."
Deng Shirong nodded and then looked at Dai Fanglan, who was standing nearby with a wooden stick. "Aubrey, is this your daughter?"
Dai Chunqing nodded and said, "This is my eldest daughter."
Noticing that Deng Shirong had mentioned her, Dai Fanglan smiled shyly.
Deng Shirong returned her smile and asked Dai Chunqing, "Your daughter is quite grown up. Has she found a husband yet? If not, I can help introduce her to some eligible young men in our village. There are quite a few who would be a good match for her."
Dai Chunqing perked up at this and asked, "Aubrey, which village are you from?"
"I'm from Nage Village in Bangjie Brigade."
"Nage Village is a good place. Do you have any marriageable young women in your village? My eldest son still needs to find a wife!"
"There are definitely some marriageable young women, but our village has only just distributed the first batch of farmland. We still need to divide the hills. If you want to marry a girl from our village, you'll have to wait until the hills are divided. Which village are you from, Aubrey?"
"I'm from Duotong Village!"
"Ah, Duotong Village! That's not far from here. Has your village distributed its farmland and hills yet?"
"Our village doesn't have much land or hills. We finished dividing everything not long after the harvest."
"Aubrey, how many children do you have?"
"I have three sons and two daughters..."
Deng Shirong and Dai Chunqing, one eager to play matchmaker and the other to find a wife for his son, began chatting at the entrance of the food station. By the time Dai Chunqing's children brought out the money from selling the pig and the rewards from the state, Deng Shirong had a good understanding of their family.
Dai Chunqing took the money from his eldest son and said, "Uncle Jiu, if you have nothing else to do, why don't you come over to my place for a visit?"
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Sure, I wouldn't want to impose!"
"There's no imposition, Ze, take the money and buy a few pounds of pork. Lan, go home quickly and start cooking."
Seeing this, Deng Shirong waved his hands, "Aubrey, if you're this formal, I won't go!"
Dai Chunqing laughed, "Uncle Jiu, I was planning to buy some pork today to treat the kids. I'm not being formal with you."
Deng Shirong knew that Dai Chunqing might not have bought so much pork if he hadn't come over, so he thought for a moment and said, "Alright, Aubrey, wait here for a moment. I'll go into the supply cooperative and buy some candy and cookies."
"Uncle Jiu, you're being too formal!"
"It's only right. I can't just show up at your house empty-handed!"
With that, Deng Shirong left his bicycle and hurried into the supply cooperative.
(End of Chapter)
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