Chapter 253

Guo Aihua said: "I planted seven or eight acres, and your second uncle planted five or six acres."

Su Xinghui frowned and said: "So little, that income is really not enough."

Guo Aihua said: "How much income can you have by relying on farming? We all rely on odd jobs to earn some money, otherwise, the whole family's life would be difficult."

Su Xinghui nodded and said: "Relying solely on farming is indeed not enough. Have you thought about doing any side businesses?"

Guo Changqing said: "The family raised two pigs last year. One pig was slaughtered for the New Year, and one pig was sold for some money. We are preparing to catch a few piglets to raise and sell in the spring, and raise some chickens and ducks."

Su Xinghui said: "I think you can also engage in some other side businesses, such as digging fish ponds to raise fish, or planting lotus roots and lotus seeds in paddy fields. These should all be more profitable than farming. You can keep most of the fields for grain and use a small part for these side businesses. By then, the money earned will be much higher than planting all grain."

Guo Changqing asked with some surprise: "Xinghui, how do you know these things?"

Su Xingyun laughed: "Grandpa, you don't know yet, right? Xinghui is working in the countryside now."

Guo Changqing said: "Really? I really don't know. I only heard from Suhua that Xinghui returned to Shangjun to work, but I didn't know he went to the township."

Su Xinghui said: "Grandpa, I work in Meng Hu Ling Township in our county. Last year, our township helped farmers engage in many side businesses, and the farmers' income increased rapidly. So I think if you want to get rich, you also have to engage in side businesses."

Guo Aihua and Guo Zhonghua looked at each other, and there was some hesitation in their eyes. They were both very traditional farmers who felt that farming was a matter of course. At most, they raised pigs and chickens, but they had no bottom line for engaging in other side businesses.

Guo Aihua said: "But every year we have to pay public grain to the state. My second uncle and I have to pay three or four thousand pounds a year, and we have to leave enough food for the family. If we plant less, I'm afraid it won't be enough."

This is a problem. In this era, rural farmers have to pay public grain, which is to complete the annual grain purchase task. The yield of paddy fields in this era is not high, unlike twenty years later when the yield per acre can reach more than one thousand pounds. In this era, a yield of five hundred pounds per acre is considered good.

Calculating this way, three or four thousand pounds of public grain is the yield of seven or eight acres of fields, and their family of ten needs about two thousand pounds of food a year. The paddy fields they plant can just meet these two needs.

After thinking about it, Su Xinghui said: "You can keep a part of the paddy fields to plant public grain, and use another part to engage in side businesses. After earning money, go buy food. This is also better than planting all paddy fields."

"Buy food?" After the two brothers looked at each other again, Guo Aihua still shook his head and said: "I still don't feel at ease. Besides, we are farmers, and we have to buy food from others. What does that look like?"

Seeing that his uncles' thinking was still a bit stubborn, Su Xinghui shook his head in his heart. However, farmers in this era are like this, unlike later when the government not only didn't collect agricultural tax but also gave grain subsidies, and not many people were willing to plant grain.

Su Xinghui said: "How about this, you can use most of the fields to plant grain, and only use one acre of fields to plant lotus roots to try. If you plant lotus roots, one acre of fields can harvest at least one or two thousand pounds, and one pound of lotus roots can sell for more than one yuan. The income from one acre of lotus roots is equal to ten acres of grain!"

Hearing the income of lotus roots calculated by his nephew, the two uncles were moved. They hadn't calculated that the income from planting this thing was so high.

Su Xinghui added: "Actually, you can also raise some fish in the lotus root fields, such as crucian carp, carp, etc., which is another income."

Guo Aihua said: "But we don't have the technology to plant lotus roots. What if we fail?"

Su Xinghui said: "This is simple. Our Meng Hu Ling Township engages in side businesses by inviting experts from Jiangcheng Agricultural University to teach technology. If you really want to do it, I can help you ask the experts, and by the way, they can also recommend some good varieties."

This time the two uncles were moved, and Guo Aihua said: "Okay, then I will trouble you to help us ask."

Su Xinghui laughed: "Eldest Uncle, why are you so polite? You are my uncle. It's nothing for me to help you ask. I also hope you can get rich!"

Guo Changqing laughed: "Aihua, you listen to Xinghui, he is right, he has great knowledge."

Guo Aihua said: "Well, Xinghui is a high-achieving student from a famous university. I hope my two boys can also be admitted to a university."

Su Xingyun asked: "Are they in middle school now? How are their grades?"

Guo Aihua said: "Those two boys are in the first and second year of high school. Their grades are quite good in the township high school, but it's hard to get into a university. It would be good to get into a technical secondary school."

Guo Zhonghua also shook his head when he mentioned this. His daughter and son were both in junior high school, and their grades were very average. After all, it was a township middle school, and the teaching quality could not be compared with the city, but now it could only be like this.

Su Xinghui had no good way to deal with this. After all, it was too far away, and he couldn't help these cousins with their homework. He could only wait for an opportunity to help them in the future. After all, there are many paths in life, and it is not necessary to be admitted to a university.

While they were talking, the two aunts came out and said that the meal was ready, so everyone went to the kitchen to serve the dishes and prepare to eat.