Chapter 1063: Reporter
The couple didn’t really mind, but Wei Kaiyun was happier than Jiang Xinyu. Mainly because he really didn’t like that female reporter.
"You should take some cured meat to the village chief’s house, that way it makes sense."
"Alright, I don’t know when I’ll be back."
Wei Kaiyun took the smoked meat Jiang Xinyu gave him and went to Li Yungui’s house.
Qu Xiaoli was about to cook when she saw her husband bringing back a stranger.
"This is Mr. Hu from the provincial newspaper, here to interview Xiao Wei. He’ll be eating and staying at our place for the next few days."
"Alright, I understand. Welcome, Mr. Hu."
"Hello, big sis."
"Okay, you two come inside, I’ll start cooking now. Mr. Hu, it’s just some simple home cooking, I hope you don’t mind."
"Big sis, you’re too kind. I’m already very grateful to have food to eat."
Actually, Qu Xiaoli was a bit worried about what to serve for lunch, since he was, after all, a guest.
After thinking for a while, she realized she still had eggs and noodles at home. She couldn’t offer anything better.
Lunch still needed to be made. Originally, she planned to make vegetable buns with wild chives and shrimp skin given by Jiang Xinyu, which tasted particularly good.
So for today, she decided to stir-fry peanut and egg with garlic sprouts.
Wei Kaiyun came in carrying the meat, "Sis, this will be a side dish."
Qu Xiaoli took it with a smile, whispering, "Just what I needed. Now I can stir-fry the meat with garlic sprouts."
Li Xue also returned from work, and the two started preparing lunch.
The three sat on the heated platform.
Hu Mingjin leaned over the table, recording the answers he was seeking.
After all, Hu Mingjin had developed some ideas during the journey, so his questions were prepared in advance.
Wei Kaiyun was quite frank about being sent to this place for labor reform.
As for the rotary tiller, seed planter, and harvester he developed, Hu Mingjin asked the most questions.
"Actually, I started working at the textile factory a long time ago, initially working in the machine repair group. I’m quite familiar with machinery.
My wife was pregnant, and my kids were too small, with only me working.
People release great potential when in hardship, so I tried drawing designs for the rotary tiller and seed planter.
I had the opportunity at the tractor factory, where the engineers revised the blueprints, and that’s how the first two machines were developed."
Hu Mingjin didn’t stop writing as his hands moved quickly, taking notes.
He believed Wei Kaiyun’s account; it made sense that someone knowledgeable about machinery could create unexpected innovations with a spark of inspiration.
Li Yungui sat listening nearby, occasionally chiming in.
Qu Xiaoli had Third deliver tea to them.
"Mr. Hu, take a break and have some tea."
Hu Mingjin obliged, drinking water and chatting with them casually.
When lunch was ready, Hu Mingjin glanced at it; he knew it was a sincere display of hospitality, rare delicious food in the village.
With meat and eggs, it was definitely good.
"Mr. Hu, do you drink alcohol? This is homemade sorghum liquor."
Hu Mingjin hurriedly declined, "Thank you, Village Chief Li, but I have work to do, so I won’t drink."
There was no Wei Kaiyun at the Wei family’s dining table, "Mom, where’s Dad?"
"A reporter came to interview your dad, he’s at Village Chief Li’s house."
The kids all knew; last time, Dad even made a special trip to the provincial city.
Old Yang also returned, "Did Xiao Wei mention anything?"
"Look at the document after you finish eating." Jiang Xinyu had already read it and understood Wei Kaiyun and Li Yungui’s thoughts.
After dinner, Old Yang read through it and immediately went to the pesticide factory to arrange things.
Xiao Wei’s idea was to deliver a truck to the provincial city; it seems unnecessary now. All the inventory could be sent to the capital, and when it’s accepted there, any remaining stock can go to the provincial city.
After lunch, no one rested; the three continued their discussion. Li Yungui was nodding off on the side, but he couldn’t leave or sleep, which was really uncomfortable.
Finally, feeling drowsy, he said, "Mr. Hu, Xiao Wei, you two can chat at home, I’m going for a stroll; a person can’t be lazy."
"Village Chief Li, sorry for delaying your rest."
Li Yungui waved it off with a smile, "No, it’s not that. I don’t usually nap in the afternoon; I just ate well today and sat on the heated platform, so I felt lazy. You two keep chatting."
Before leaving, he brought in a pot of tea.
He went directly to the pesticide factory, aligning with Old Yang’s plan.
"Chaoyang should be back soon, right?"
"Yes, almost. No need to rush, there’s still a week."
"Because we have outsiders here?"
"Since the leadership arranged for people to take over in a week, it’s an opportunity for us. Don’t overthink it."
"Old Yang, when do we repay the bank loan?"
"Once someone takes over, we can go repay the loan."
"Glad we listened to Xiao Wei and Xiao Jiang, and didn’t repay early."
"Yes, otherwise, this week would have been wasted."
"That’s true. But I’m worried about the fifty quota spots. Our village has forty families, and those that can split have split. The remaining ten spots, I won’t give to the village, I’ll give them to you two, Xiao Wei."
"I asked what they wanted; five chose to work, leaving five spots for you to allocate."
"Is Master Lu going?"
"No, he’s planning to stay in the village forever."
"Haha, people are fighting for job opportunities elsewhere, but here, there are many who refuse.
Old Yang, should I tell everyone that these five spots are for sale? The money will go to the brigade and be distributed to everyone later."
"You could try; surely there are many families who want them. Even after splitting families, some households still have several strong workers."
Li Yungui nodded, indeed it’s like that. "Alright, I’ll go talk to them, let them figure it out themselves.
What’s a fair price for these job spots? Do you think a hundred yuan is okay? I think it’s already quite a lot, and it makes sense."
Old Yang didn’t participate in such matters. This was Li Yungui’s decision.
"I’ll wait until the evening to discuss the price with the village leaders, I don’t want to get blamed. Too much or too little isn’t right."
Li Yungui stayed outside for two hours before returning home.
Hu Mingjin had finished asking about Wei Kaiyun’s personal information.
But since arriving in Li Family Village, he wanted to write an article about the village.
"Village Chief Li, can I pursue this idea?"
"Of course, it’s great for our Li Family Village. I should thank Mr. Hu."