Chapter 67: Baise County, a Treasure Land for Growing Fruits
Chapter 67: Baise County, a Treasure Land for Growing Fruits
Deng Yunqiang asked in amazement, "Are the Guimi lychee saplings really that good? Can they bear fruit in just the second year of planting?"
In the current Shuangwang area, the few lychee trees that were planted were all grown from the pits of leftover lychees. The farmers had never seen grafting or air-layering, so the idea that Guimi lychee saplings could bear fruit in the second year seemed almost unbelievable.
Deng Changfu nodded and explained, "That's what Uncle Jiu said. These Guimi saplings aren't grown from lychee pits like our local trees. Instead, they select a good branch from a lychee tree, strip a ring of bark, and then wrap it in mud and straw to grow the roots. Once the roots are developed, the branch can be cut off and used as a sapling. Only saplings grown this way can bear fruit in the second year."
Deng Yunqiang had never heard of growing lychees this way, but since it was Uncle Jiu, the village's most capable person, who said it and had already taken action, the saplings were likely genuine.
If the saplings were indeed reliable, there was no need to worry about whether their land could support them.
After all, Baise County was widely recognized as the best place for growing fruits, as evident from a popular song that sang about the county's fruit harvests throughout the year:
"Baise County, a treasure land, suits all fruits grand.
In March, we have waxberries, in April, plums.
In May, peaches and lychees, in June, pineapples and loquats.
In July, longans and pears, in August, bananas, in full flair.
In September, tangerines and persimmons, in October, pomelos, a market wonder.
Year-round, starfruits bring good fortune, evermore."
Besides the fruits mentioned in the song, the county also produced sugarcane, loquats, mangoes, papayas, guavas, mulberries, olives, chestnuts, walnuts, jujubes, lemons, oranges, pineapples, grapes, and monk fruit, among others.
Among these, lychees and longans were the most renowned.
Thus, Baise County was indeed an ideal place for growing lychees.
The prospect of planting Guimi lychees was so promising that Deng Yunqiang grew increasingly excited. However, the excitement was quickly dampened by the reality of their financial situation. He sighed, "Alas, it's a pity. Our family can't afford to invest in such an orchard."
Changfu's mother felt both excitement and pain. She was thrilled to learn about this golden opportunity but pained that they lacked the means to seize it, watching it slip away.
At this moment, Guan Yongying gave Deng Changfu a meaningful look.
Deng Changfu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Dad, Mom, missing this opportunity would be a huge loss. We could earn over a thousand yuan a year, and the profits would only increase. If we truly set up this orchard, we could become a ten-thousand-yuan household in just a few years.
"So, I think we should follow Uncle Jiu's example and take a loan from the credit union. It's interest-free, and we can pay it back once we start earning."
Deng Yunqiang's heart stirred. In the past, if anyone had suggested taking a loan from the bank, he would have immediately refused, preferring to skip meals rather than do something so "dishonorable."
But now, things were different. Even Uncle Jiu, the village's most capable person, had taken a loan from the credit union. If Uncle Jiu wasn't afraid of losing face, why should they be?
Therefore, when he heard his eldest son’s suggestion, Deng Yunqiang pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "Then let's go for the loan. Ninth Uncle has been very kind to you, even telling you about such a lucrative opportunity. If we can't seize this chance, we'll be letting down his goodwill."
Seeing that her father-in-law, the head of the family, agreed, Guan Yongying was overjoyed. If the orchard project really took off, the day when their family would become one of the first to earn ten thousand yuan would be just around the corner.
While her husband and in-laws discussed the loan from the credit union, Guan Yongying planned to visit her parents the next day. She wanted to share this incredible news with them and encourage them to start their own orchard for growing lychee trees.
...
As Deng Yunkun and his four companions worked diligently on Deng Shirong's hill, the news that Deng Shirong was transforming his family's hill into an orchard and planting lychee trees quickly spread throughout the village.
Every household in the village had received a significant portion of the hills, and when the villagers saw what Deng Shirong was doing, they all came to inquire about it.
When faced with the questions from other villagers, Deng Shirong was not as open as he was with the Deng Changfu couple. He only explained the costs involved in planting lychee trees and mentioned that the orchard would definitely be profitable, but he couldn't predict how much they would earn. He said they would have to wait until the trees started bearing fruit and the fruit was sold to know for sure.
This wasn't because Deng Shirong was stingy or unwilling to tell the truth. He was mainly concerned about potential mishaps. If he led the entire village to plant lychee trees and something went wrong with one household's trees, who would bear the loss? Even if everyone's trees survived and thrived, if the lychees couldn't be sold, who would be responsible for the loss?
Of course, the likelihood of lychees not selling was relatively low. It was 1980, and the country was still operating under a planned economy, which meant there were strict regulations and plans for the acquisition and sale of agricultural products.
Moreover, it was the early stages of the reform and opening-up policy, and the government had introduced several measures to support farmers in developing their economies. One such measure was interest-free loans from banks, and some local governments even provided subsidies or incentives to fruit farmers to encourage them to plant fruit trees.
This was the main reason Deng Shirong could confidently set the purchase price for the Guiwei lychees at four cents per pound.
From Deng Shirong's perspective, he was merely trying to help the villagers by giving them an opportunity to prosper. If something went wrong, it certainly wouldn't be his fault, as he wasn't profiting from it and wouldn't be in a position to compensate for any losses.
However, human nature is complex. If a villager suffered significant losses and blamed Deng Shirong, it would be a classic case of unappreciated effort.
Rather than risk that, it was better to be cautious and wait until his own lychee trees proved profitable before encouraging others to follow suit. That way, if anything went wrong, no one could hold him responsible.
Because Deng Shirong didn't fully explain the potential benefits of planting lychees, the other villagers, upon hearing the high costs involved, all shook their heads in dismay. Not a single one dared to follow Deng Shirong's lead.
After all, it was a significant investment of several hundred to a thousand yuan, and with the uncertainty of whether it would be profitable, very few in the village had the courage to take such a risk.
Most decided to wait and observe for a few years to see if Deng Shirong's lychee orchard would indeed bring in the profits before making any moves.
(End of Chapter)
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