mesbooks Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chen Zheng carefully put away the business cards and contract samples, already planning his next steps.
The exchange meeting continues tomorrow, and with Master Qian backing him up, there's no worry about selling the remaining goods.
I'm going to the seafood company to report for a training course the day after tomorrow.
Five days was just enough time to clarify all the parts of Teacher Zhao's book that I didn't understand.
As for the land title, Director Fang's reply should be available after the training course ends.
As the sun began to set, the number of people in the exchange center gradually decreased.
Some vendors were already packing up.
One by one, the tin sheds were emptied, and cleaners began sweeping the passageways with large brooms.
Chen Zheng told Zhang Jianguo and Chen Rong to pack up the rest of the things.
Almost all the goods I brought today have been sold out, with only a few small crucian carp and half a bucket of eels left.
If we sell for another day tomorrow, we'll definitely be able to sell out.
"Let's go to Dongfeng Hotel. Chef Qian said he reserved a table for lunch."
Zhang Jianguo rubbed his hands and said he was already hungry; he had eaten two cornbreads at noon and had already digested them.
Chen Feng also complained of being hungry, put the eel basket on the cart, and said with shining eyes that he wanted to try the dishes at Dongfeng Restaurant.
Several people pushed a cart out of the exchange center.
During the meal, Master Qian pressed Chen Zheng to the head seat and poured him a full glass of baijiu.
"Today, your goods—four soft-shelled turtles, two mandarin fish, eighteen catties of eels, plus crucian carp and bream—sold for nearly two hundred yuan in total."
At the exchange meeting, you mentioned that Guo Changlin is the largest seafood wholesaler in the provincial capital.
Director Ding is in charge of the supply of goods to dozens of government canteens throughout the county.
"With two major connections established in one day, you won't have to worry about selling your fish next year."
Chen Zheng picked up his wine glass and took a sip.
The liquor was strong and burned his throat, so he put down his cup and picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks.
The braised pork at Dongfeng Restaurant is different from the one Lin Xiaoyun's mother makes; the pieces of pork are cut into larger chunks.
The soy sauce is plentiful, and the bottom is made of dried plum vegetables, giving it a salty-sweet flavor.
"Master Qian, how long have you known Guo Changlin about that line?"
"It's been more than ten years."
Master Qian took a sip of his wine and tapped the table with his chopsticks.
"He used to work as a purchasing agent at a state-owned aquatic products company in the provincial capital. Later, he started his own business and opened Jianxin Aquatic Products."
This man has one good quality in business: he doesn't cheat people from the countryside.
They offered higher prices than state-owned companies, and the payment was prompt.
If you can sell your fish in the provincial capital, you can earn two to five cents more per pound than in the county. Two thousand pounds would mean several hundred yuan more in extra profit.
"What kinds of plants does he mainly collect?"
He accepts anything, as long as it's in good condition.
The provincial capital has a population of three million, and consumes at least tens of thousands of kilograms of aquatic products every day.
His company supplies the two largest vegetable markets in the provincial capital, as well as several state-owned restaurants.
Master Qian said in a low voice, "But he also has a problem: he has long payment terms. Sometimes he doesn't settle accounts for a whole month."
If you sign a contract with him, remember to clearly state the payment deadline; don't give him a chance to delay.
Chen Zheng kept these words in mind and then asked, "What about Director Ding?"
"Ding Changhe? He's a long-time purchasing agent at the county supply and marketing cooperative. He knows a lot of people in the county and has strong connections."
Once you've established this connection, you'll have a share of the business in dozens of government canteens, school canteens, and factory canteens throughout the county.
However, his order volume is not large; a canteen only gets a few dozen kilograms of fish a month.
Its strength lies in stability and long-term sustainability.
As Master Qian spoke, he slammed his hand on the table, startling Zhang Jianguo, who was engrossed in gnawing on a chicken leg.
"Oh right, there's one more line I haven't told you about."
Next month, the county will hold a commendation meeting for livestock farmers, and Vice County Head Xu, who is in charge of agriculture, will personally oversee the event.
"All the major livestock farmers in the county will come then. If you go, you'll meet a lot of people."
"A commendation ceremony for livestock farmers? I've never heard of that!"
"The official notification hasn't been issued yet, but the list has already been finalized."
"You were one of the thirty fish farmers recommended by the aquatic products company, representing the entire county."
Master Qian chuckled, "I had Old Zhou report you."
Although this is your first year raising fish, you spoke with Deputy County Head Xu at the trade fair, and he remembers it.
Chen Rong sat quietly to the side, having finished his rice and neatly arranged his chopsticks on the rim of the bowl.
"Master Qian, my brother is going to the awards ceremony. Is it possible for him to meet people from Lijiawan?"
"Lijiawan? Sure, there are several large-scale livestock farmers in Lijiawan in the whole county."
Master Qian looked at Chen Rong, "Why are you asking about Lijiawan?"
Chen Zheng put down his chopsticks: "Li Dashan, the third house at the east end of Lijiawan Village, we met at the trade fair."
He bought fish from me once and even gave me his address. He's been raising fish for several years and has more experience than I do.
He even told me last time that if I really succeeded in raising fish, I should share my experience with him.
"I know Li Dashan," Master Qian nodded.
"The head of the fish farming business in Lijiawan has three fish ponds, totaling about ten acres of water surface."
I went to buy some fish last year when they were being harvested, and the silver carp and bighead carp were doing quite well.
However, grass carp and black carp are generally of poor quality, often having white spots on their gills.
He's a hardworking and reliable person, but he lacks technical skills.
"Lack of technology?"
"Yes. He used to raise fish in the production team, and he used the old methods."
Later, when the household responsibility system was implemented and people started working independently, they still used the old methods and didn't know how to update them.
Raising fish is different from farming. When you farm, you can farm the same way your father did, and it can remain unchanged for hundreds of years.
Fish farming is a new job; the species are changing, the diseases are evolving, and the feed is also being modified.
Old methods are outdated and will lead to losses.
Chen Zheng picked up his wine glass and took another sip. The alcohol hit him hard, and his face felt hot.
He put down his wine glass and looked out the window.
The windows of the Dongfeng Hotel face Dongda Street.
The leaves of the plane trees on the street are starting to turn yellow, and the streetlights shine on them as if they are plated with gold.
"Master Qian, besides getting to know people, what other benefits are there from that awards ceremony?"
"Yes, loans." Master Qian took a sip of his drink.
"The county allocated a special fund of support, which was distributed through the Agricultural Bank of China, specifically for livestock farmers."
Interest rates are half that of ordinary loans, with repayment periods starting from three years.
If you are recognized as an outstanding farmer, your loan amount can double.
"What is the credit limit?"
"Five hundred for ordinary households, one thousand for outstanding households."
Chen Zheng was startled.
In 1984, in a rural area, a loan of 1,000 yuan meant that a strong laborer could only earn a few hundred yuan a year by working himself to the bone.
If we can get this money, we can expand the fishpond next year.
Dig two more ponds, making a total of five or six acres of water surface, and release four or five thousand fish fry.
In addition, by breeding the fish fry themselves and preparing their own feed, the costs are spread out, and profits emerge.
"But this money isn't easy to get."
Master Qian picked up a piece of fish and removed the bones from the plate.
"Deputy County Head Xu is a stubborn man. He doesn't care about relationships or personal connections; he only cares about things."
You need to show him that you're genuinely working on it before he'll approve it.
What does it mean to "truly do it"?
"You can't just raise fish. You have to raise them well, with both quantity and quality, and you also have a long-term plan."
If you tell him how many acres you plan to expand next year, how many fish you plan to raise, and what new technologies you plan to use, he will accept it.
If you just keep saying you want a loan or want to make money, he won't even look at you.
Chen Zheng thought about these words three times in his mind, and then nodded.
Just then, the kitchen curtain was lifted, and a chubby cook came out carrying two plates of dishes.
One dish is eel paste, made by cutting eel into sections and cooking it with soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine.
It was topped with a layer of boiling hot oil, and it was still sizzling when it was served, with an aroma that hit you right in the head.
The other dish was steamed bream, with three decorative cuts made on its body.
Topped with shredded scallions and ginger, the fish is white and tender, falling apart easily with a touch of chopsticks.
"Try the eel paste." Chef Qian pushed the plate towards Chen Zheng.
"There are plenty of eels in Baiyang Lake, but people here don't eat them."
The guests from the provincial capital specifically requested this dish, saying it was called "Xiangyou Shanhu" (literally "Sizzling Eel in Hot Oil") and was made in the authentic way.
It took me a month of learning from Lao Zhao to master it.
If you have a lot of eels in the future, just send them over, and I'll give you a separate price.
Chen Zheng picked up a piece of eel paste with his chopsticks. The meat was tender, oily, and had a rich, savory sauce flavor with a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
The aroma of caramel lingers on the tip of the tongue.
He took one bite and knew exactly why people in the provincial capital loved this dish.
It completely removes the earthy taste from the eel, leaving only its fresh and tender texture.
"Master Qian, were the eels in this eel paste killed fresh before cooking or were they killed in advance?"
"Freshly killed. Once the eel dies, the meat becomes loose and tasteless. It must be alive, killed and cooked immediately."
Chen Zheng noted this detail down.
Eels can only fetch a high price when they are alive; their price drops when they die.
When catching eels in the future, we need to be extra careful during transportation. The water level should be just right – not too much, not too little, and the temperature should not be too high.
Zhang Jianguo slurped down a bowl of rice and then filled a second bowl.
I poured the eel broth over the rice, mixed it up, and ate half a bowl in a few bites.
Not to be outdone, Chen Feng gnawed the chicken leg down to the bone and then reached for another one.
Chen Zheng watched them eat, shook his head with a smile, and used a handkerchief to wipe the grease from Chen Feng's mouth.
"Eat slowly, it's not like we'll be out of food tomorrow."
"Brother, this food is so delicious!"
Chen Feng mumbled, his cheeks puffed out, "We've never had such a good meal during Chinese New Year."
Master Qian laughed heartily, "Go back and tell your mother to learn a few tricks from Master Qian."
"My mom is a great cook! It's just... it's just that we don't have that much meat at home."
After Chen Feng finished speaking, he lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.
Chen Zheng felt a pang of sadness.
He picked up his chopsticks and placed a large piece of braised pork on Chen Feng's plate, and a piece of steamed bream on Chen Rong's plate.
Then he poured himself half a glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp.
The alcohol was taking effect, and my head was spinning a bit, but my mind was becoming clearer and clearer.
Master Qian's words today have essentially laid out a net for him throughout the county.
Guo Changlin's provincial capital aquatic products company was in charge of external sales, while Ding Changhe's supply and marketing cooperative was in charge of internal supply.
Deputy County Head Xu manages the support loans and funds, and thirty farmers are responsible for technical exchanges.
If this net is woven tightly, the fish in the ponds will have already found a market before they even leave the ponds next year.
In addition, if he can gradually clarify his seven land deeds, he can gradually reclaim the land around Baiyang Lake piece by piece.
In the future, in addition to raising fish, we can also establish a freshwater aquaculture base.
Raising soft-shelled turtles, eels, loaches, and snails, and even building a small cold storage facility for deep processing.
Fish balls, canned fish, and smoked fish can generate profits several times over.
But these things can't be rushed.
In the rural areas of 1984, even a television set was conspicuous. If you suddenly stood out too much, the whole village would be watching you.
When people are jealous, they're capable of anything.
"Master Qian, there's one more thing I'd like to ask you." Chen Zheng put down his wine glass.
"Li Dashan from Lijiawan raises fish in his fishpond using the old methods."
What exactly do you mean by the "old method"?
Master Qian put down his chopsticks and took a sip of wine: "The old method is the breeding method from the production team era."
The pond is an earthen pond, with no gates controlling the inlet and outlet, relying entirely on rainfall.
The fish fry are wild, caught from Baiyang Lake, without any strain selection, so they grow slowly.
The feed consists of pig manure, chicken manure, and cow manure, without any added concentrates, resulting in an unbalanced diet.
Over the course of a year, the yield from one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of water surface is at most two to three hundred jin (approximately 100-150 kg), and sometimes even less than one hundred jin.
"What about the new method?"
"The new method is what you are learning now."
The pond should be dug scientifically, with the inlet facing the direction of incoming water and the outlet at the lowest point of the terrain.
The gate can control the amount of water entering and leaving the water.
The water quality is adjusted using lime and aerators.
The fish fry were purchased from a fish farm in the provincial capital; they are of a high-quality variety and grow quickly with strong disease resistance.
The feed is formulated scientifically, with manure as a base and concentrated feed as a supplement.
One mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of water can yield four to five hundred jin (approximately 200-250 kg), and with proper farming, it can reach six hundred jin (approximately 300-400 kg).
Chen Zheng silently calculated it.
With a water surface of more than three acres, the old method only yields five or six hundred catties of fish a year, which, at seven cents per catty, amounts to less than four hundred yuan.
The new method can produce 1,200 to 1,500 catties a year, which, at an average price of one yuan, is more than 1,000 yuan.
It's three times less.
"Then why isn't anyone in Lijiawan using the new method?"
"Because nobody taught me."
Master Qian sighed.
"The county aquatic products company only has three to five technicians, and they can't possibly cover all the dozens of villages in the county."
You know Zhou Haiming, right? He's the lecturer at the training course.
He was responsible for providing technical guidance to six townships all by himself, and he was always on the go.
He wanted to visit many villages but didn't have time, so he could only rely on training courses to pass on his skills to those willing to learn, who could then pass them on to others.
"That's easy." Chen Zheng pushed his wine glass forward.
"After I finish my training course, I'll go to Lijiawan to see Li Dashan."
He was an old acquaintance of my father's, and I taught him what I had learned.
Master Qian looked at Chen Zheng and suddenly smiled: "You're different from other kids."
Other people learn skills to make money, but you learn them and then want to pass them on.
"Master Qian, my father once said something like this. He said that Baiyang Lake is too big for one person to finish eating."
Let's all make money together, and let's all find a way together.
You can walk fast alone, but you can walk far together.
"Your father is right." Master Qian sighed, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Unfortunately, his health deteriorated later."
Otherwise, with your father's abilities, he would definitely be among the top livestock farmers in this area.
Chen Zheng poured Master Qian a full glass of wine, and then served Zhang Jianguo and Chen Rong each a piece of food.
Chen Feng was already a little drowsy, lying on the table, his eyelids drooping, and he was still chewing on the meat he hadn't swallowed.
After finishing his meal, Chef Qian asked the cook to pack up the leftovers.
The leftovers filled two lunchboxes, and another piece of braised beef was cut, wrapped in oil paper, and stuffed into Chen Zheng's arms.
"Take this back for your father to try. The braised beef at Dongfeng Restaurant is the only one of its kind in Qingshui County."
"Thank you, Master Qian."
"No need to thank me. I'll have the kitchen try making your snails and clams. If they turn out well, you can send more over in the future."
The snails from Baiyang Lake are large and don't have a strong muddy taste. People in the provincial capital are very particular about them, and they can sell for several cents per pound.
Chen Rong's eyes lit up when he heard this.
He exchanged a glance with Chen Zheng, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
He caught those snails and clams in the shallow waters of Nanwan Bay; it didn't cost him much, just took some effort.
If we can really sell them for a good price, we can bring some back every time we go to the lake.
It was already completely dark when we came out of the Dongfeng Hotel.
The streetlights on East Street were a bright yellow.
There were fewer people on the street, and the popsicle vendors had already packed up and closed their stalls.
Only the corner grain and oil shop was still open, its interior emitting a bluish-white light.
Zhang Jianguo pushed the cart ahead, the wheels rumbling on the cement ground.
Chen Rong and Chen Feng held the fish baskets on either side of each other. The baskets were mostly empty, with only a few fish left to sell tomorrow.
"Ah Zheng, tomorrow is the last day of the exchange meeting, shouldn't we go early?" Zhang Jianguo asked, turning around.
Go early.
Tomorrow will be crowded; it's the last day, everyone's rushing to buy things, the stalls will definitely be packed. I'll get up at 4:30 and arrive at 5:00.
"Okay." Zhang Jianguo quickened his pace by half a step, and the cart wheels spun even faster.
We arrived at the bus station and boarded the bus.
The shuttle bus swayed along. Chen Zheng leaned back in his seat, the effects of the alcohol slowly wearing off, and his mind cleared.
He closed his eyes and went through the day's events in his mind.
When the car arrived in Baiyang Town, Chen Zheng woke up Chen Feng, who was dozing off.
Chen Rong got off the bus first, carrying a fish basket.
It's a 15-mile dirt road from the town to Lutang Village.
The moonlight made the road surface appear white, and the corn leaves rustled in the fields on both sides, while crickets chirped merrily.
Several people entered the village.
A dog barked twice and was silenced by its owner.
When they arrived at their doorstep, Chen Zheng pushed open the courtyard gate.
A kerosene lamp was lit in the courtyard. Old Chen was still awake and was squatting on the threshold smoking.
He saw them come in and tapped his pipe on the threshold.
"Dad, why aren't you asleep yet?" Chen Zheng walked up to him.
"We've been waiting for you." Chen Laosan stood up. "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten. It's from Dongfeng Restaurant, Chef Qian treated me." Chen Zheng handed over the braised beef he was carrying.
"This is for you, braised beef. Chef Qian had the kitchen specially cut it."
Chen Laosan took the oil paper package, smelled it under his nose, and nodded.
He placed the oil paper package on the stove and turned to go inside.
Zhang Cuihua came out, carried Chen Feng into the inner room, placed him on the kang (a heated brick bed), took off his shoes, and covered him with a thin quilt.
Chen Feng mumbled something incoherent in his dream, turned over, and fell back asleep.
Chen Rong changed the water in the remaining fish basket to make sure they were all alive before going inside.
Chen Zheng squatted in the yard and went over today's accounts again by the moonlight.
The two days added up to a little over two hundred yuan. Adding the money from the last day of the trade fair, plus the money I saved from selling turtles and fish before, the total came to a little over four hundred yuan.
This amount of money is enough for a family in Lutang Village to live on for several years.
But he knew in his heart that this was just the beginning.
According to the diagram drawn by Master Qian today, the fishpond will bring in more than a thousand yuan by the end of the year.
Next year, we will expand the scale and double it again. The year after that, we will double it again by adding our own fish fry breeding and deep processing.
But there are pitfalls everywhere: fish diseases, floods, market fluctuations, policy changes—any one of these can swallow all your money back.
He put away the account book, then scooped up a ladle of cold water from the water vat and washed his face.
The cold water gave me a refreshing feeling.
Chen Zheng woke up at around 4 a.m. the next day.
When the rooster crows for the first time, there is already some noise in the yard.
As usual, Zhang Cuihua was the first to get up. The kerosene lamp was lit in the kitchen, and the water in the iron pot was boiling.
Zhang Jianguo pushed the cart into the yard.
Chen Zheng loaded the last batch of goods onto the cart: about ten crucian carp, seven or eight bream, and half a bucket of eels, all of which were leftovers from yesterday.
The quality isn't as good as yesterday's, but it's still fresh, so selling it at a reasonable price shouldn't be a problem.
Chen Rong is not going today; he'll stay home to look after the fishpond, change the water, and feed it.