Chapter 31: Red Hot

The team leader couldn’t wait and held a village cadre meeting that very night. Everyone unanimously decided that the whole village would grow box vegetables or mushrooms this winter. After the oil mill recruitment ended tomorrow, they would hold a village-wide meeting to discuss growing box vegetables.

The next morning at 8 o’clock, the village oil mill recruitment began. Each household was limited to one person signing up. Including villagers and educated youth, a total of 98 people signed up.

The first assessment was to have everyone extend their hands. Those with dirty hands or unkempt nails were eliminated first. The first rule of food production was to pay attention to personal hygiene. Nearly half of the people were eliminated in the first round. The villagers weren’t very careful about personal hygiene.

The second assessment was to carry 100 jin of grain at a time. 20 people passed.

The third assessment was to pick beans, seeing who was the fastest. The top 12 were selected.

The top 12 stayed to work at the factory, while the remaining 8 were responsible for purchasing raw materials from nearby villages and towns.

Among the 20 people, there were 2 aunties from the village, 3 male educated youth, and the rest were men from the village. The families of those selected were naturally overjoyed and prepared to celebrate at home.

The selection of workers for the village oil mill was a major event in the village. Everyone gathered together, and the team leader took out a loudspeaker and began to speak.

“Everyone, pay attention! There’s one more thing I need to announce. Please be quiet.”

“Besides the oil mill workers who will start working tomorrow, all the village’s labor force will start going up the mountain to chop wood tomorrow. In addition to the oil mill, our village is also going to set up a mushroom factory and a pig farm.”

As the team leader spoke, several villagers carried a box of napa cabbage and a box of oyster mushrooms over.

“You can all come forward and look at these box vegetables. We will organize villagers to grow mushrooms. The village will purchase the spawn collectively. Each household should report the amount they want to grow. The spawn is 1.6 yuan per jin. Based on normal mushroom production, the profit per jin can be doubled. Moreover, the spawn can be harvested three times. The yield of the last two harvests will be slightly lower. If you grow them well, you can get even more. The box you see here can produce 12 jin of mushrooms from one jin of spawn. If you grow them well, the village will arrange for a collective purchase and sale. The village will take 30% of the money from the sales as public funds, which will be used for future village construction, road repairs, and school construction. We need to start preparing for this.”

“We will start distributing grain and collecting spawn statistics in the afternoon. Everyone should go up the mountain to chop wood, carry soil, and collect firewood to make boxes. Those who want to eat green vegetables in winter can grow them themselves. The village will not be responsible for purchasing them. Each household should report the amount based on their own situation. The temperature needs to be around 20 degrees Celsius for the mushrooms to grow well. So, you need to take good care of them after you take them home. Don’t force it if your house isn’t big enough, and don’t try to do it if you don’t have enough firewood.”

“We will start distributing grain and collecting spawn statistics in three days. Everyone should make boxes these next few days. We will build pig pens after the oyster mushrooms are planted.”

As the team leader finished speaking, everyone crowded forward to get a closer look at the box vegetables and oyster mushrooms.

It was a chaotic scene, but everyone was enthusiastic.

Some educated villagers started to calculate. According to the team leader, if they grew them well, the profit could double. 100 jin of spawn could earn 160 yuan. Three harvests in three months would be 480 yuan.

Whoa!

The surrounding villagers couldn’t help but gasp. That’s a lot! It’s more profitable than working at the oil mill, and you can grow them at home. One villager shouted, “Stop gossiping and hurry up and go to the mountain to get wood, carry soil, and collect firewood!”

“Yes, yes. The team leader has found such a good way for us to make a living. Everyone, be more proactive. Go back to work.”

This time, the villagers didn’t need the team leader or the village head to shoo them away. They all went back to their homes.

Hearing that the village was planning to build a school, the villagers felt even more hopeful about life.

The whole team was full of energy, a scene of great prosperity!

After the meeting, Xia Ning’an returned home. She made a cup of milk powder for Lu Zecheng and pushed him to her room. She moved the radio over, and the two of them chatted and listened to the radio. She didn’t stop working either. She took out the Lenin suit that Bond had cut and started making it. She asked Bond to change the collar of the Lenin suit of this era to a modern trench coat collar. Then, she added a pocket to the waist. The style was very similar to a modern trench coat. She thought that the weather would get cold soon, so she added a layer of cotton to each garment. To avoid affecting the style, she made a thin layer, like a lining, that could be removed and washed.

With Bond’s help, she worked quickly. She finished making her own suit in one afternoon.

After making the clothes, she took them to the space to wash, dry, and iron them. Then, she hung them in the wardrobe in her room.

For dinner, she planned to make oil residue radish buns. She had taken out a large piece of lard when she came back yesterday. She went to the kitchen to render the lard. Lu Zecheng wanted to help her build the fire. He had been able to do many things by himself these past few days, and Xia Ning’an didn’t refuse. She picked out small pieces of firewood and placed them beside him. Rendering oil residue required a low fire, and Lu Zecheng only needed to add a little firewood at a time.

Xia Ning’an knew he wanted to help, so she let him. During the day, when she was at home, they had some things to talk about. Xia Ning’an would let him do things he could do. If he was left idle, he would overthink things. They worked together very well.

After rendering the oil residue, Xia Ning’an sprinkled a little salt and pepper on it. She filled a small bowl with it and gave it to Lu Zecheng to eat as a snack. She went to knead the dough.

Lu Zecheng finished eating the oil residue, washed his hands, and fumbled around to help her roll out the dough.

He rolled out the dough very well, round, thin on the edges and thick in the middle, perfect for making buns.

“Zecheng Ge, you’re amazing. You can’t see, but you can still roll it out so well. From now on, you’ll be in charge of rolling out the dumpling wrappers for our family during the New Year.”

“Okay.” Lu Zecheng’s lips curled up in a smile. He was happy. An’an said from now on, he would be in her future.

They worked together seamlessly, and soon, they had made four baskets of buns. It really is true that a couple who works together never tires.

Xia Ning’an arranged the buns in rows and started to boil water to steam them.

Xia Fu and Xia Mu came back from work at that moment.

“Father, Mother, there are some oyster mushrooms in the winnowing basket. After dinner, you can send some to the uncles and aunts you know to try them. Let them grow more so they can earn more money during the New Year.”

“Okay, I was thinking the same thing.”

Lu Zecheng slowly built the fire. Xia Ning’an used another stove to cook coarse grain porridge, made a cold dish of cilantro and wood ear mushrooms, and cut a few salted duck eggs. Dinner was ready.

Since Lu Zecheng came to recuperate, the food at home had been particularly good.

At dinner, Li Fang said,

“Life has been good these past few days. An’an and Xiaohou have both grown taller. It seems like all the delicious food hasn’t been eaten in vain. Xiaolu’s injuries have also healed well. Your father and I are also much healthier. We never dared to imagine this kind of life before.”

Xia Ninghao said happily, “I’m 180 centimeters tall now. I’m so happy.”

“Are your new pants too short?” Xia Ning’an teased him.

“Ah? I haven’t tried them on yet. I haven’t even worn the new clothes and pants. They wouldn’t be too short, would they?”

He said, not even finishing his meal, and ran to his room to try on the clothes.

After a while, he came out excitedly. “Little Sister, you really have foresight. The clothes and pants still have some room. I can still wear them even if I grow a few more centimeters.”

When Xia Ning’an bought them, she had intentionally bought larger sizes for herself and Xia Ninghao. Now, Xia Ning’an was 166 centimeters tall. She wondered how much taller she could grow.

That night, after taking a shower in the space, Xia Ning’an looked at herself in the mirror. She found that her body proportions were perfect. Although she wished she were a few centimeters taller, her current figure was the golden ratio. Her skin was also very smooth. The original owner’s skin was already very smooth and delicate. She had a small frame and soft flesh. She looked thin, but she had some meat on her. This kind of skin was something every girl dreamed of. The only drawback was that she was very sensitive to the sun and prone to allergies. But after the genetic modification, she wouldn’t have allergies anymore.

Her hair was blacker and thicker. The proportions of her three courts and five features were better, and her bridge of the nose was more prominent. She had become even more beautiful.

She went to bed contentedly. Tomorrow, Zecheng Ge would regain his sight!