Chapter 141: Just Now You Didn’t Want to Grow Them
The red banner reads: Warmly welcome Director Lu of the food factory to Red Flag Commune.
On either side of the banner, stand two rows of people.
Together, the two rows have one gong, while the rest hold basins and sticks.
Rough but effective.
"Welcome, welcome, warmly welcome."
The shout of welcome made Director Lu quickly get off the vehicle.
The leaders of Red Flag Commune immediately stepped forward with firm handshakes.
"Director Lu, welcome, welcome!"
Director Lu instantly switched to his director mode, engaging in pleasantries.
Jiang Cheng and the two directors who accompanied them stood at the back.
The group was ushered inside.
This kind of entourage is like being watched, observed, like a new animal at the zoo.
Indoors, after some small talk, Director Lu said, "President Ma, let’s go check the test field now, time is of the essence."
"Director Lu is committed to production, I’m impressed, impressed!"
President Ma complimented him.
Director Lu had only one thought: Jiang Cheng’s compliments sound better, more pleasant.
Others... are just a bit deliberate.
The group went by mule cart.
Cars are not suitable for the bumpy countryside roads.
It was Jiang Cheng’s first time on a mule cart, quite novel.
At first, it swayed, appreciating the natural scenery, the breeze passing by, everything felt lovely.
But half an hour later, Jiang Cheng had just one thought: When will we arrive?
Her bottom felt like it was breaking!
The road was simply too bumpy!
No exaggeration, she had practically bounced off once.
Forty more minutes, and the mule cart finally entered the village.
"The mule cart is here! The mule cart is here!"
A few barefoot boys crawled out of the ditch, chasing after the mule cart.
Several elderly at the village entrance also got up, stretching their necks to look again.
Didn’t hear of any new educated youth coming?
President Ma called over a child, asking him to find the brigade leader.
The boy didn’t move, staring curiously at President Ma and the group.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng took out two pieces of fruit candy from her pocket and handed them to the boy.
The boy’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he dashed off immediately!
"I’ll go right away! I can run really fast!"
The boy went to deliver the message, leaving President Ma slightly amused.
Soon, the brigade leader arrived, covered in dust, with quite a few corn leaves on his head.
"President Ma, why have you come?"
President Ma, with a stern face, criticized: "Didn’t we inform you at the last meeting, these days Director Lu from the food factory is coming for inspection, why are you still like this!"
The brigade leader replied sheepishly: "I’m busy with the autumn harvest, where do I have time to idle?"
Seeing this, Director Lu interjected: "The autumn harvest time is precious, let’s get to business."
The matter turned to the main topic.
The brigade leader knew Director Lu wanted to use their village land, and he was somewhat unwilling.
There wasn’t even enough food; where is the free land to plant those useless crops?
In the brigade leader’s eyes, Director Lu was almost like those educated youths who eat without working, all here to take their village resources.
President Ma stared daggers at the brigade leader several times, but unfortunately, the brigade leader wasn’t one for acting.
Jiang Cheng noticed the small gestures among them and instead thought this village was quite good.
At least, no duplicity.
After wandering around, Director Lu chose a flat piece of land, on the outskirts, not affecting the farmers’ large-scale planting.
The brigade leader’s complexion slightly improved.
But whether it’s feasible or not, they’ll have to wait until the agricultural expert arrives tomorrow to know.
Therefore, Director Lu and his team will stay overnight in the village.
The brigade leader straightforwardly called over the women’s director to arrange accommodation, while he threw up his arms and went back to the field to rush the harvest.
President Ma was so irritated his teeth itched.
If not for the suitable distance, terrain, and a river nearby, he truly wouldn’t have chosen there!
Compared to the brigade leader’s frankness, the women’s director was much smoother.
The interesting thing is, the two of them are a couple.
The women’s director arranged for Jiang Cheng and another female director to stay at her house.
Director Lu and another production director, along with the driver, President Ma, stayed at an elderly widow’s house in the village.
Once the lodging was arranged, Sister In Law Cheng began organizing dinner.
Jiang Cheng and Director Lu immediately took out their own provisions, the two sides politely refused and pulled back and forth, finally, Sister In Law Cheng accepted with a smile.
After accepting, Sister In Law Cheng went directly to the back yard to catch a chicken, preparing to butcher!
The aroma of native chicken stewed with potatoes wafted far.
The brigade leader returned, visibly upset, though it was hard to tell.
Why butcher a chicken!
Sister In Law Cheng whispered to the black-faced brigade leader: "They brought their own provisions, and even gave cloth coupons and sugar coupons, killing one chicken isn’t enough to reciprocate, put away your sulky face!"
"They are the director, what’s the point of this act?"
The brigade leader was not oblivious, just felt for the land.
"Understood!"
Reluctantly, the brigade leader washed up, then managed a bit of a smile, returning indoors to dine.
Dinner included mixed flour pancakes.
A dish of chicken stewed with potatoes and a large pot of tofu stewed with fish, considered quite hearty dishes.
Other dishes were made with whatever was available in the yard.
The group ate and drank, naturally starting to chat.
"Grow cucumbers?"
The brigade leader, who managed a few smiles, dropped them again.
These city folks really know how to toss around ideas.
Who doesn’t have cucumbers in the garden, who would buy them?
"Brigade leader, these cucumbers aren’t for us to eat, we’re selling them to other countries."
"What?"
The brigade leader was even more dumbfounded.
Jiang Cheng continued: "Brigade leader, the foreigners love cucumbers! The ones they grow aren’t as good as those grown by us Hua Xia people!"
"We’ve been farming for five thousand years, not to mention anything else, just talking about you, brigade leader, you could grow cucumbers better than the Eight-Nation Alliance, couldn’t you?"
The brigade leader shook his head vigorously!
Definitely not!
"What’s this about the Eight-Nation Alliance?"
Jiang Cheng solemnly nodded.
"Of course! They haven’t had anything good to eat, if we grow this and sell it to them, they’ll have to pay us."
"Brigade leader, can you guess, how much can we sell these cucumbers for?"
The brigade leader was completely drawn in by Jiang Cheng’s words.
There’s no helping it, farming is his lifeblood!
Plus, this involves family grudges and national humiliation, how could he ignore it!
"One cent per kilogram?"
Jiang Cheng shook her head.
"Two cents? Cucumbers aren’t worth much."
Jiang Cheng shook her head again.
"Brigade leader, we Hua Xia people are the best at farming, how could we sell so cheaply."
"I mean fifty cents... per kilogram."
"What!"
The brigade leader stood up abruptly.
"Fifty cents per kilogram! That’s almost like pork!"
"Impossible!"
Jiang Cheng didn’t explain, taking out a fabric doll from her backpack, and placing it on the table.
"There’s nothing impossible, this doll sold to foreigners, thirteen US Dollars each, nearly thirty Hua Xia yuan."
"Our cucumbers, using the most advanced greenhouse technology, expert team guidance, Hua Xia’s first batch of off-season vegetables, brand new canned production line, ancestral secret recipe, adding all this up, am I too expensive for fifty cents?"
The power of stacking names is formidable.
Upon hearing this, the brigade leader immediately pounded the table and shouted, "That’s too cheap!"
Director Lu turned his head: Brother, earlier you didn’t want to grow, did you??