Chapter 162: Family Farm Begins Promotion

The Jia Family's matter was just a small incident.

After a period of time, the effects of the great flood began to erupt.

August 26.

Chen Hong brought back a piece of news from the Jiedao.

"Honey, let me tell you some good news."

Yang Qing handed her a freshly washed cucumber.

"What good news? Did you get a raise? Or did something good happen at your breeding center?"

Chen Hong took the cucumber, crunched a bite, and a wave of sweet cucumber flavor filled her palate.

"During the flood, our Jiedao became a limited place that could provide fresh vegetables."

"It left a deep impression on everyone."

"Besides, Xu Huizhen's family farm there is doing well, so the district government decided to fully promote family farms."

"Now Professor Chen has become a hot commodity."

Yang Qing was overjoyed hearing that.

"Has the Jiedao ever thought of setting up an agricultural technology station to promote family farm development?"

"For example, producing nutrient soil? Producing fertilizer? Managing related pests and diseases, plus producing and R&D of supporting equipment?"

"For example, automatic irrigators, matching different vegetable plantings with different nutrient soils, and mixed seeding and grafting techniques."

"Quality seed breeding, etc."

Chen Hong didn't understand what Yang Qing meant.

"Do these still need to be set up as a separate company?"

"Isn't it just about cultivating whatever you want yourself?"

Yang Qing led her around the various vegetable racks in the courtyard.

"Did you see any problems?"

Chen Hong thought for a moment.

"Our vegetables grow better than theirs."

Yang Qing led her again to the outlet of the fertilizer pool.

"Now the fertilizer pool is discharging water; this water is fermented nutrient water."

"Using it to water vegetables is perfect."

"This is just one part, after all, not every household can afford to build a water toilet, and the cost is too high."

"But we can produce matching specialized nutrient soil to provide ample nutrition for vegetable growth."

"To achieve increased yield and efficiency."

"Moreover, we can specially cultivate seed varieties suitable for rack vegetables to achieve increased yield and income."

"Most importantly, city people have no vegetable-growing experience, so harvests are uneven, but we can promote foolproof planting techniques through a specialized company."

"Make vegetable planting simple."

"This can also stimulate everyone's enthusiasm."

Chen Hong couldn't imagine that vegetable planting would have to be this complicated.

"Won't it be too troublesome?"

Yang Qing knew saying more would be useless.

"This matter, I will discuss with Professor Chen; then you and he can go promote the establishment of the agricultural technology station."

"Don't worry, there are only benefits, no drawbacks."

Yang Qing saw Chen Hong still hesitating, so he led her again to Liang Ladi's home.

Liang Ladi, upon seeing Yang Qing and Chen Hong, was a bit puzzled; Yang Qing pointed to her mushroom box.

"We came to look at it."

Liang Ladi, hearing Yang Qing talk about mushrooms, immediately became excited.

"Yang Qing, our mushrooms are almost ready for harvest."

"When will Professor Chen come over? I want to grow several more boxes of different kinds."

Chen Hong leaned in to look; through the glass, she saw a dense layer of shiitake mushrooms sprouting inside the box.

Each piece was big and plump, far better-looking than wild ones.

Moreover, this box alone could yield two or three catties.

According to five harvests, that would be fifteen catties.

Fresh mushrooms sell at three mao per catty, so this box could yield over four yuan.

Substrate costs two mao, the box two yuan, meaning planting once already makes money.

"I didn't expect mushrooms to actually grow, honey; can growing mushrooms this simply really make money?"

Yang Qing laughed.

"Of course, this is still in warm weather; you should know that these planting boxes can also grow vegetables and mushrooms in winter."

"Fresh winter vegetables can sell for about one yuan; that's when the real money is made."

Chen Hong also understood Yang Qing's meaning.

"You mean, we should also incorporate this planting box technology into the new company?"

Yang Qing said, as a matter of course.

"That's right; the substrate for growing mushrooms requires a professional environment and professional technicians to prepare."

"Ordinary people simply cannot grow them."

Moreover, the vegetables that can be grown in winter also need to be screened and cultivated; you grow a single cabbage, isn't that wasteful?

Chen Hong then understood Yang Qing's meaning.

Then I'll wait for Professor Chen to come, and we'll go find Aunt Wang together to settle the matter as soon as possible.

Liang Ladi, hearing their discussion, said nervously.

Yang Qing, you won't be promoting mushroom cultivation on a large scale, will you?

If we grow a lot, will we still be able to sell them at a good price?

Yang Qing didn't laugh at her selfishness; instead, he explained to her.

At first we'll only promote it in our street; what are you afraid of?

By year's end, your family can also have shelf vegetables; how could you keep monopolizing mushrooms?

The more we grow, the more we can eat.

How high can the price of vegetables go?

One yuan is the limit.

Moreover, even if we could grow a lot, each family only gets a few jin, which isn't enough for our own consumption.

Around Jingcheng, at Wenquan Mountain, vegetables can also be grown in winter.

Yet we haven't seen vegetables become cheaper.

Don't worry about the surplus.

We run a family farm mainly to meet our own vegetable needs.

Not to rely on it for making a living.

Liang Ladi, however, thought to herself: You're solving vegetable needs; I'm the one making a living.

Yang Qing stopped paying attention to her, took Chen Hong's hand, left Liang Ladi's door, and asked her.

Look at Liang Ladi's nervous appearance; can we pull this off?

Chen Hong nodded.

We can do it; I'll communicate well with Aunt Wang.

Saying that, she took Yang Qing's hand and walked back.

By the way, I have something else I want to share with you.

A few days ago, our foster center took more than twenty cats to the granary.

Guess what happened?

Yang Qing actually knew about this, because the image of the Cat Grandfather in that era was too glorious.

At that time, Cat Grandfather was a backbone force in the rodent extermination army.

Later, a soldier who had trained military dogs retired and went to work at the granary; he trained stray cats, forming a Cat Brigade that once made the news, becoming a sensational heartwarming story.

Now, with more professional training, the cats coming from the Hongxing Jiedao Foster Center will only be more capable.

Taking on the granary's rodent-removal task has also become a natural progression.

Yang Qing pretended not to know, playing the straight man.

How did it go?

Chen Hong said excitedly and proudly.

In just two days, we caught over seven hundred mice.

Each mouse earns two mao; in just two days we earned over a hundred yuan.

Our foster center can now be considered open for business.

Yang Qing gave a thumbs-up.

Awesome!

Over a hundred yuan is at least enough for you to support yourselves.

Chen Hong gave a hehe, silly laugh.

Not just that.

At the granary we became famous overnight; now many grain stores and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative come to buy or rent our cats.

If rented, it's one yuan per day; if bought, ten yuan per cat.

Not counting the recent precious cats we've bred.

Let me tell you, we've gotten rich.

Not counting the street's salary, at the foster center I can also receive twenty this month.