boyutpedia Chapter 69 Collecting Pig Feed
Chapter 69 Collecting Pig Feed
After brewing the wine last time, Xu Chunsheng specially filled two jugs with the wine and bought some sugar and fruit to send to Secretary Li and Station Chief Wang.
Xu Chunsheng didn't forget even the cadre Zhang who had helped him with the procedures last time, and brought him a bottle of wine as well.
Firstly, I wanted them to taste the wine produced in my own workshop, and secondly, I wanted to maintain good relations and save face for them.
As for the village chief and the relatives and friends who were on good terms with his family, Xu's father went to see them off.
It's most appropriate for Mr. Xu to take the lead among the neighbors, as the pretext of trying something new can better enhance the relationship between them.
In June and July, the lees that were spread out on the bamboo mat the day before yesterday have dried completely after being exposed to the sun all day yesterday.
At this time of year, even people can't stand being exposed to the sun all the time, let alone the fermented grains that have been spread out and exposed to the sun.
Xu Chunsheng is packing the dried lees into nylon bags. Fifty catties of corn can brew about twenty catties of wine, and the remaining lees will weigh about sixty or seventy catties, but after being completely dried, they will weigh less than twenty catties.
This small amount of fermented grains mixed into the pig feed can be consumed by forty-odd pigs in two days, which also reduces the amount of mixed feed needed.
In summer, the temperature is high. If the lees are not dried in the sun, they will easily turn sour and spoil if stored directly. If pigs eat such lees, they will easily get sick and have diarrhea. In addition, the residual alcohol in the lees will make the pigs drunk. They will sleep more and naturally eat less and not gain weight.
Therefore, the excess water in the lees must be drained to allow the residual alcohol to evaporate. Then, it should be mixed with bran, cornmeal, and pig feed to ensure a balanced diet and make it easier to gain weight.
After packing everything up, Xu Chunsheng took the "Professional Livestock Farmer Certificate" issued by Party Secretary Li to the township grain depot and bought another 1,000 jin of corn.
Now that the piglets have grown to about 100 pounds, a thousand pounds of corn mixed with bran and pig feed is only enough to feed them for about ten days.
After Xu Chunsheng and his father moved the corn into the barn, Xu Chunsheng discussed:
"Dad, while it's not too busy in the fields now, let's hire someone to cut pig feed, dry it, and store it away so we don't run out of feed in the winter."
Mr. Xu nodded:
"At this time of year, the pig feed on the slopes and ridges is growing lushly, making it the best time to cut it."
"Take advantage of the abundance of grass now and hire people to cut more to dry. There's not much work to do in the fields right now, so it's convenient to hire help."
"Woof woof!"
Little Huang also barked twice in the yard, as if in agreement.
After discussing these matters, the two inspected the pigsty again before going home.
"Little White, Little Yellow, keep a close eye on the pig farm."
In just two or three months, the puppy had grown to the height of its calves.
Little Yellow is still a lively animal; it barks at everyone who comes. Little White, just like when it first arrived, often lies in its bed and sleeps.
Little Huang often runs around the yard, frequently getting itself tangled around a pillar, just waiting for the Xu family to come and rescue it when they come to feed the pigs.
To avoid restraining the two dogs, Xu Chunsheng tied them with relatively long leashes. Since no one usually comes to the pig farm, he wasn't worried about them hurting anyone.
The two walked outside, and Xiao Huang ran after them for a while until the rope was taut before stopping. As always, Xiao Hei simply raised his eyelids slightly and glanced in the direction the two had left.
In the afternoon, Xu Chunsheng and his father started talking about collecting pig feed in the village.
Xu's father was in charge of speaking in the village, while Xu Chunsheng drove to other villages because he had harvested Ophiopogon japonicus many times in various villages last year, and most people remembered him.
Moreover, after the success of Ophiopogon japonicus sales, the name Xu Chunsheng became known to more people.
"Boss Xu, what kind of things are you planning to buy this time?"
An old man put down what he was doing and asked him:
"Old man, have you eaten? I'm here to collect dried pig feed."
"You dry the pig feed. Dried pig feed is usually three cents a pound, while dried tender pig feed is five cents a pound."
"Shall we deliver it to you?"
"I'll give you an extra two cents for every hundred pounds you deliver it."
"Yes, I want it!"
The old man happily agreed.
At my age, I can't do manual labor. The job of collecting pig feed, as Xu Chunsheng mentioned, is the best in the village. I just need to cut it and dry it in my spare time. When the sun is scorching, it will be enough to dry it in a day or two.
After all, no family would hire someone to cut pig feed these days, and no one would pay to collect pig feed that's everywhere.
"You received so many babies?"
"Six cents for one hundred catties."
"Grandpa, could you please tell everyone that I need to collect a lot of dried pig feed? Could you all help me by cutting some from your own fields?"
……
Xu Chunsheng has repeated this conversation many times. He has gone to almost every household in the village to say it, which is quite a task.
"Auntie, have you eaten yet?"
Xu Chunsheng stood in Xiaowei's courtyard and called into the house.
"I've already eaten. Has Boss Xu eaten yet? Please come in and have a seat."
When Xiaowei's mother heard Xu Chunsheng's voice, she quickly came out of the house and invited Xu Chunsheng to come in and sit down.
After pouring Xu Chunsheng a bowl of tea, they brought out a few apples and some peanuts to serve him.
She picked up a knife and began peeling the skin. After she finished, she handed it to Xu Chunsheng.
"Boss Xu, we don't have much to offer you, but have an apple."
Xu Chunsheng accepted the apple with both hands:
"I can't finish it, Auntie, bring me the knife, we'll share one."
"I came here today because I want to collect dried pig feed in the village. It's the season when there's plenty of pig feed, and I want to eat some dried grass to feed the pigs in the winter. I would like to trouble you to help me put in a good word for me in your village."
Xu Chunsheng cut the apple in half and handed one half to Xiaowei's mother:
"Since you live far away, if you deliver it yourself, I'll give you an extra two cents for every hundred catties of dried pig feed. I'll give you an extra two cents for the live feed."
After saying that, Xu Chunsheng told her about the price of pig feed:
"Then I'll trouble you to tell every household in the village that I won't go to your village; I'll go straight to the next one."
"Yes, I'll make sure to explain it to every household. Mr. Xu, don't rush off, I'll cook you two sweet egg soup."
Xu Chunsheng wanted to leave, but couldn't because Xiaowei's mother stopped him.
"My water will be boiling soon. You've helped us so much, I don't know how to thank you enough. Have some sweet egg soup before you go, fill your stomach so you'll have the energy to go to the next village."
Xu Chunsheng couldn't refuse, so he ate five sweet egg soups at Xiaowei's house before Xiaowei's mother let him go.
During dinner, Xu Chunsheng was talking to his family:
"There will definitely be many more people coming to sell pig feed later, so let's be careful. We'd rather offend people than accept pig feed from those who try to make up the numbers with rotten or moldy feed."
This suggestion was met with approval from the whole family. They felt there should be a set procedure for accepting things; they couldn't just take anything old and rotten.
"That's the way to do it! We can't just spend money to buy some rotten grass."