Chapter 487 - 28: Turning Waste into Treasure (Part 2)
Mei Nian has a knack for managing Meijia Village. A common saying among farmers is "Low Grain Prices Hurt Farmers," which means that in years with good harvests, the price of crops actually drops, resulting in less money than in years of poor yields. Currently, the sweet potatoes at Yanqing Farm are exactly in this situation.
To analyze, Zhuo Feng’s sweet potatoes are actually in a better position than "Low Grain Prices Hurt Farmers." The sweet potatoes hit the market early and in large quantities, and since it was the first year of planting sweet potatoes and there were no suitable business partners, selling them became a major problem.
"It sounds good, and I must say, Xiao Xian, you only have a middle school education, yet you seem smarter than those college graduates who studied economics. Let’s go inside, your uncle is cooking," Zhuo Feng pulled Xiao Xian into the house, and the family of three had a pleasant dinner together.
After dinner, Zhuo Feng shared Xiao Xian’s ideas, and Feng Xing praised them highly.
The sweet potatoes initially sold for about three yuan per pound in the market, but by processing them into sweet potato flour, they could be wholesaled at seven to eight yuan per pound. Given this, there was a margin for profit, as long as they could find the right flour factory.
As for sweet potato leaves, their usual practice was to sell them at the vegetable market for about eighty cents a piece. But if they were canned, the price could at least be multiplied a few times over.
"However, whether it’s canned sweet potato leaves or dried sweet potato strips, we need to find someone with processing skills, otherwise, it’s just a waste of materials," Feng Xing offered a suggestion.
"Hey, didn’t you say your mom is good at making all sorts of pickles? And when you were young, you used to gnaw on dried sweet potatoes and peanut dates at home. Why not go back and learn from her?" Zhuo Feng was referring to Fengxing’s mother. People of her generation liked to eat their meals with pickles and were quite skilled in pickling radishes, winter melons, and small white cabbages.
"As for the flour factory, we can visit a nearby one and ask around. I heard they not only have sweet potato flour but also pumpkin flour, glutinous rice flour, corn flour, and all sorts of flours," Zhuo Feng felt both moved and embarrassed as Xiao Xian managed to solve the sales issue for sweet potatoes immediately upon his return.
At night, Zhuo Feng and his wife discussed the arrangements for Feng Xing’s return home. Feng Xing was worried about Zhuo Feng and Xiao Xian being at home alone, so Zhuo Feng complained about his mother-in-law. Xiao Xian let the couple banter. In Meijia Village and Chengde, she always felt something was missing from her surroundings. Now, she realized it was the lack of her aunt and uncle’s bickering.
After leaving the house, Xiao Xian strolled to the edge of the sweet potato field. Yanqing had a low population density and everywhere seemed very spacious, especially at night when the emptiness made it conducive for reflection.
Reflecting on Mei Nian’s words from yesterday, Xiao Xian could understand them in hindsight. As a Natural Cultivator, her background was weak. If not for the "sugarcane seedling" in her space helping her, she would basically be an ordinary person. Recent events, from herbicides at Yanqing Farm to being chased by the Xu family, even encountering bad people on a simple trip, served as warnings to Xiao Xian.
As a true Natural Cultivator, one must fully immerse and experience different types of life like Tianya Senior, allowing oneself to truly become stronger from the essence.
"Alright, once I finish the farm chores and my summer homework, I will immediately go to Mr. Mao. Anyway, the farm owes him some potted plants. I will also see what useful things I can learn from the floristry company," Xiao Xian made up her mind, felt much relaxed, stretched lazily, and was just about to turn back to the house.
She heard a strange flapping noise by her ears. It sounded like an insect flapping its wings, but bees and butterflies are rarely active at night.
Xiao Xian turned and walked a few steps towards the noise, focusing her eyes on the field ridge, where a clump of bees hovered, led by a bee twice the size of an ordinary one, fluttering its wings hundreds of times per minute, its pattern emitting a scale-like glow in the night.
Bees? Space could help identify various plants, but it was powerless with animals.
"It’s a hornet, young master, and it’s a mutated hornet, the one that drove away those villains that night. Strange, it usually behaves quite friendly towards people and crops on the farm, why is it acting up tonight?" Little White Jiao, who had witnessed a few occasions where cows and sheep stung by the hornet drowned in White Dragon Pond, knew the threat of hornets and quickly advised.
This isolated "Queen Bee" had been living here for several months. Previously, it showed no aggressive behavior towards Zhuo Feng and his wife, perhaps because it recognized their scent, the original fake "Xiao Xian" being a hibiscus, the hornet wouldn’t show any hostility towards "her."
True Xiao Xian had just returned, bringing a foreign scent from outside and standing at the head of the sweet potato field, which the hornet saw as provocative, prompting a group of bee soldiers to attack.
"Tsk tsk, even hornets are bullying me now, looks like it’s time to show some power," Xiao Xian pursed her lips, since she’s advised to use the Spiritual Rhinoceros Scissors less, she decided not to use them.
"Little White Jiao," she called lazily.
"Young master, I’m a flood dragon, not a frog," Little White Jiao, feeling its status, didn’t fancy eating the likes of flies or frogs.
"Watch closely," Xiao Xian narrowed her eyes, met the hornet’s protruding eyes directly, and with a flick of Spiritual Energy from her hand.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)