Chapter 72 - 72

Chapter 72 About Pig FarmingYun Ting has been unwittingly drawn into a black market conflict, and it won't be over anytime soon. He can temporarily help out at Family Compound.I heard that during this autumn harvest, many villages were unable to harvest in time, resulting in reduced yields, and much of the grain was soaked in the fields by rain.It was supposed to be a bumper year, but now it's turned out like this, and everyone is finding it unacceptable.The villagers were all wailing, already feeling a sense of urgency as they raced against time.Besides the grain that has to be handed over to the state, it is unknown how much grain will be distributed, and whether we can survive until the end of the year is still a question.Hearing this news, Xiangyang Brigade felt heavy-hearted, but mostly relieved that they had managed to finish the harvest.However, next, every family may face relatives coming to borrow money and food, and some families will be in complete chaos.Xiangyang Brigade dried the grain for several days in a row, just in time to deliver the grain to the state. Other brigades were extremely envious when they saw that Xiangyang Brigadehad suffered no losses.The Brigade Leader of Daliushu Village then became sarcastic, " Brigade Leader, isn't that a bit unfair? Did you know in advance that it would rain during the autumn harvest, so you started harvesting early? You didn't even say a word, causing other villages to be unable to harvest their grain. And you're supposed to be the son-in-law of our Daliushu Village!""Hmph! Don't give me that crap. I didn't arrange this rain. How would I know when it would start? Our brigade's grain was harvested by everyone working themselves to the bone. Their hands were trembling, but they didn't dare stop. They even worked late into the night by lamplight. You guys weren't working together, so how is it my fault? Does that make any sense?"Brigade Leader won't be fooled by his few words.The Brigade Leader of Big Willow Village was speechless at this point, and turned away angrily to the side.The other brigade leaders, who had initially shared the same thoughts, suddenly realized after hearing the Brigade Leader's words that they shouldn't have done that. The elders in their villages had indeed warned them about the weather, and it was their failure to take action that made them the ones to blame.Besides Xiangyang Brigade, there were also Dahegou Brigade, Shizi Brigade, and Tuanjie Brigade, and these brigades also suffered no losses.This time, they all received praise, and the Commune gave them a quota for raising pigs—no limit on the number. As long as they met the quota, they could send their pigs to the non-staple food station to exchange for money. They received not only money but also cloth coupons, which was a kind of reward. Previously, there were restrictions on raising pigs, so this made them extremely happy. The other brigades could only watch with envy and resentment.Duan Xingye as Commune The Secretary also showed up to encourage everyone. He didn't act like he was very familiar with the Brigade Leader, so as not to cause gossip and make people think he was biased. However, he really did intend to be biased, especially regarding the pig farming issue. But Xiangyang Brigade did their job well, so there was no need for his personal bias.The Brigade Leader returned to the village in high spirits and immediately struck the gong to summon everyone to announce the good news."What's going on? Wasn't the Brigade Leadersupposed to be delivering grain? Why are they distributing it now?""I don't know! Could something have happened?"The villagers walked and talked, all wonderingwhat the Brigade Leader had called them together for."You'll find out when you get there; don't just guess."The Brigade Leader and others had mostly arrived before the ceremony began."Fellow villagers, our brigade has been commended again for this year's autumn harvest. This is all thanks to everyone's hard work. The Commune has given us a quota for raising pigs, with no limit on the number. As long as the pigs are raised well and meet the quota, we can send them to the non-staple food station to exchange for money. Not only can we get money, but we can also exchange them for cloth coupons. So, from now on, we will arrange for someone to be in charge of raising pigs. We must raise the pigs well!""good…"" Brigade Leader, how many should we raise?"The team already had four pigs, and after a moment's thought, the Brigade Leadersuggested, "How about we raise ten first? What do you all think?"Someone interjected, "What about the pigsty? Those mud sheds are leaking air and water now.""The pigsty needs to be repaired and expanded."" Brigade Leader, where can I pick up the piglets?"Heilongjiang Province has a vast territory, but few legitimate pig farms. The Communeveterinary station can only allocate a few litters of piglets, which have long been registered by various villages."I went to the veterinary station, and they can give us five pigs. We'll find a way to get the rest elsewhere. First, we need to get the pigsty fixed."What the Brigade Leader didn't know was that the five animals at the veterinary station were obtained through Duan Xingye's private intervention; otherwise, if they had gone at this time, they probably wouldn't have received a single one.Yun Ting thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke up. Her clear voice drowned out the murmurs: " Brigade Leader, that wasteland in the ditch behind our village can be planted with sweet sorghum and pumpkins. The sorghum stalks can be juiced, and the residue can be fermented to feed pigs. The pumpkins can be harvested, cut into pieces, dried, and mixed with soybean cake crumbs and wild vegetables. It's more filling than just feeding them bran."Yun Ting wasn't trying to show off; she had ulterior motives. She wanted to join the task of managing the pigsty. Although it might smell a bit strong, it should be better than working hard in the fields all day long, and it would also be more free.She had read some basic knowledge about pig farming in books, and with the addition of some pig farming techniques she had heard from later generations, she thought it was very simple.At that moment, she didn't know that later on, she would really want to go back to that time and slap herself twice."Little Educated Youth Yun, you really know a lot!""Hehe, I've seen all of these in books."The Brigade Leader nodded in agreement. After a moment's thought, he said, "Young Yun, the 'Educated Youth,' makes a good point! We'll do it your way. You'll lead the women to cultivate the feed fields, and the men will handle the pigsty renovations! If we can raise a few more qualified pigs, we'll use the cloth coupons we get to buy you a new floral fabric jacket!""Haha… Brigade Leader, I've got it in mind, but winter is almost here, so I'm afraid we can only plant it in the spring. In the meantime, we'll use something else." Yun Ting said with a smile."Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We'll distribute the rations tomorrow." With that, the Brigade Leader left first.The surrounding villagers, however, gathered in twos and threes, discussing pig farming with great enthusiasm. They seemed to already see a group of fat pigs being taken away to exchange for money, gradually creating a sense of anticipation—if the pigs were raised well, not only would the team have income, but they might even be able to wear new clothes!" Yun Ting, has your brain been damaged by the cold wind?"Yang Qingqing suddenly said this, and Yun Tingwas stunned.Then, he said jokingly, "That's right. I was squatting by the wall sunbathing just now, and I think the wind got into my ears. My head is still buzzing. I'll have to find some cotton to stuff in my ears tomorrow, so that it won't follow the wind and blow away all my cleverness.""Are you complaining that you have too much free time?""You don't understand, I'm striving to be a modelof educated youth, haha..."Yang Qingqing knew that this was definitely not her purpose, but she didn't ask any further questions.The next day! It was the day for distributing grain again. Everyone was in high spirits, as if it were New Year's Day. Since they had seen it last year, there was nothing new. So Yun Ting didn't rush to see the excitement as early as last year. Anyway, the Educational Youth were at the back of the line for grain distribution, so there was no rush.