Chapter 29: White Feathered Chicken

The first thing to do when building a house is to dig the foundation. Once the foundation is set, it’s just a matter of building the walls.

At this time, houses were simple and small. Jiang Liyun took a quick look but didn’t pay much attention. After all, she estimated that Jiang Lihai would probably live in this house for only about a dozen years.

People in the countryside really liked building houses, and in the following years, things changed rapidly.

Those who built houses in the 1980s in their village started tearing them down and rebuilding in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Many families spent all the money they had earned on building houses.

But since everyone was doing it, there was no need for her to intervene. Besides, their house was genuinely not spacious enough.

She did feel a bit sorry for Feng Yi. In addition to running the stall, he also had to manage the house construction, and he had to do a lot of the work, making him quite tired.

One day, after selling enough pan-fried dumplings, Jiang Liyun went to the reading room to read newspapers, as usual.

After spending half an hour flipping through the newspapers in the reading room, she returned to her stall and then closed up to go home.

They arrived home around ten o’clock.

Upon reaching home, Jiang Liyun saw Uncle Jiang.

In the rural setting of that time, many people didn’t have jobs, and Uncle Jiang worked as a farmer throughout his life. Now that both his sons were married and had their own households, he had some free time. With nothing else to do, he went to Jiang Lihai’s new house every day, checking the progress of the construction. If help was needed, he gladly pitched in.

“Uncle.” Jiang Liyun greeted Uncle Jiang with a smile.

“Liyun, you’re back from the town?” Uncle Jiang asked with a smile. “How was business today?”

“It was good.” Jiang Liyun chatted with Uncle Jiang while helping Feng Yi unload various items from the cart.

The coal in the stove hadn’t burned out yet, so Jiang Liyun casually took a kettle and placed it on the stove to boil water.

Hiring a bricklayer to work at this time was quite inexpensive, with a daily wage of only two yuan and five jiao. However, it was essential to prepare tea for the bricklayer, and lunch had to be taken care of as well.

“Uncle, why don’t you have lunch at our place today?” Jiang Liyun invited Uncle Jiang.

“Sure.” Uncle Jiang readily agreed.

Ever since Jiang Liyun started the stall, the Jiang family’s meals have become increasingly better, and Uncle Jiang was more than happy to have a meal at their place.

Uncle Jiang went to talk with Lame Jiang, while Jiang Liyun began preparing the meal.

She cooked stir-fried garlic shoots with sliced pork, braised radishes, pickled vegetable stir-fried dried tofu, and scrambled eggs with Chinese chives. Finally, she boiled a pot of water, threw in thirty raw dumplings, and added vegetables when the dumplings were almost cooked, creating a pot of vegetable dumpling soup.

In their community, dumplings could be considered a main dish, and this dumpling soup was always a hit!

When the meal was ready, the bricklayer arrived.

Seeing the delicious spread on the table, he smiled and said, “Your family is really generous!”

In his previous jobs, having a dish like scrambled eggs with chives on the table would be considered good, but the Jiang family had meat in every meal!

Like today, with both meat slices and dumplings, he could easily eat two bowls of rice.

Feng Yi had carefully selected this bricklayer after consulting with many people. He was a good person, and after enjoying the excellent meals at the Jiangs’, he worked diligently.

Uncle Jiang also had a big smile on his face.

His family never ate so well on a regular basis!

Just as they were about to start eating, two children, a boy and a girl, rushed in and went straight to Uncle Jiang. “Grandpa!”

These were Uncle Jiang’s grandchildren. The older one was six years old, and the younger one was four. For the past few days, they have been coming to the Jiangs’ house every mealtime and then staying to eat.

Jiang Liyun knew that these two kids coming over were probably suggested by her second aunt, but she didn’t mind them having a meal at her place and didn’t stop them.

While enjoying the meal and chatting, Uncle Jiang brought up the news about the Feng family next door. “Old man Feng has started raising chickens. I saw him bringing home a lot of chicks, keeping them in the main room.”

The bricklayer commented, “They’re also raising chickens? More and more families are doing that lately.”

“Raising chickens can make money! Plus, with the upcoming New Year, last year, chicken prices skyrocketed during the holiday!” Uncle Jiang said.

“True.” The bricklayer nodded.

“My son also wants to raise chickens, but it’s hard to buy chicks now. They even have to pay extra, and sometimes connections are needed to get them,” Uncle Jiang sighed.

Jiang Liyun couldn’t help but say, “Uncle, if everyone starts raising chickens and they can’t sell them, the prices will inevitably drop. In the end, they might even incur losses.”

Jiang Liyun remembered from her past life that many people in Qiutou Village lost money because of chicken farming.

The White Feathered Chicken had a short breeding time and yielded a lot of meat. After it was introduced to their country in the 1980s, it quickly gained popularity. Initially, families who started raising chickens made a lot of money, but as everyone saw the profits, they all jumped on the bandwagon.

And around the end of this year, due to raising too many chickens, the price of chicken plummeted, and they couldn’t sell them.

At this time, people were eager for meat, and for the entire market, the quantity of chickens raised would be easily consumed.

The critical issue was… The logistics at that time were not efficient.

In their area, whether raising chickens, ducks, or even pigs, it was mainly supplied to the town, or at most, to the county seat. Generally, it wouldn’t be transported to distant places for sale, and ordinary folks didn’t have such connections.

Moreover… Transporting them to distant places was costly, and chickens could accidentally die on the way.

Anyway, many chicken farmers ended up incurring losses.

If white-feathered chickens, once grown, weren’t sold promptly, they would require a considerable amount of feed. Because there were many chicken farmers, feed prices were also very high.

She remembered that, in the end, many chicken farmers slaughtered and preserved the chickens for themselves. Even families that didn’t raise chickens would buy some cheap chickens to preserve.

In the winter of that year in her past life, many households in Qiutou Village had preserved chickens in their homes, and her family was no exception.

Back then, every time she came home, she could see chickens with ropes tied around their necks hanging from the rafters.

Those chickens looked like they were hanging from the beams.

Preserved chicken meat was quite delicious, but due to the humidity in their area, her mum was reluctant to make it. By the time they ate it, the taste of the chicken meat had changed.

But they didn’t detect any issues with it.

Jiang Liyun remembered that in her past life, her second uncle’s family raised dozens of chickens, while the Feng family next door didn’t.

Now, her second uncle hadn’t started raising chickens, but the Feng family next door had.

“Everyone loves eating chicken; shouldn’t it be sellable?” Uncle Jiang said.

Jiang Liyun replied, “Even if everyone loves eating chicken, they can’t consume that much. Besides, the prices of chicks and feed have increased. Raising chickens is not cost-effective.”

In rural areas, whenever something was found to be profitable, everyone would rush to raise or plant it.

As a result, the supply would exceed demand, and prices would plummet, leading to losses for the breeders or farmers.

Such situations were indeed commonplace.

Jiang Liyun remembered that, throughout the 1990s, her parents were stuck in this cycle.

Every time they heard that pork prices had risen, Lame Jiang would go buy piglets to raise, just like everyone else. Then, when their pigs grew, the price of pork would drop.

Jiang Liyun had warned them, but they would still do similar things next time.

For instance, when broccoli was first introduced to their area, someone made a good profit by growing it. As a result, everyone started growing broccoli, and Lame Jiang planted the entire family’s land with broccoli.

In the end, they couldn’t sell the broccoli. At that time, Jiang Lihai ate so much broccoli that his face almost turned green, and his former sister-in-law scolded Lame Jiang for a long time.

People tend to follow the crowd.

Uncle Jiang, in fact, didn’t like listening to others’ opinions, especially those from younger generations. However, Jiang Liyun earned a lot of money from her stall and was considered quite capable.

He started considering whether to raise chickens.

Jiang Liyun advised Uncle Jiang a few times but didn’t push further.

Some things people would eventually heed, and for those unwilling to listen, no amount of advice would make a difference.

As for the Feng family next door… Jiang Liyun glanced at them and suspected that they had decided to raise chickens due to her and Feng Yi’s success.

While running a stall in town, she and Feng Yi could earn more than twenty yuan a day. Of course, she didn’t reveal this amount to others and only mentioned earning slightly over ten yuan per day.

Even ten yuan was a significant amount, and many people in the village envied her. Some even wanted to learn how to make pan-fried dumplings from her.

The Feng family was naturally envious too.

After Feng Yi left the brick and tile factory, although Feng Laoer’s second son took over, the money he contributed to the family was much less than what Feng Yi used to contribute. Additionally, Feng Laoer’s second son and Zhou Qiaoxia’s son had not yet married, and future expenses would be considerable.

Feng Laoer and Zhou Qiaoxia seemed to want to make a profit by raising chickens.

Unfortunately, at this time, raising chickens wouldn’t bring in money; it would only result in losses.

However, Jiang Liyun wouldn’t go and warn them. Moreover, since they had already bought the chicks, if she said something, they would likely see it as jealousy.

Wait a minute!

Suddenly, Jiang Liyun thought of something.

By the end of the year, the price of chicken meat in their area would plummet. Could she make money from this?

Many people in their commune raised chickens, and during the town’s morning market at the end of the year, dozens of people would set up stalls selling chickens at very low prices.

But this was only happening in their area.

If she could take these chickens to sell in a big city, they would definitely sell!

Later on, some people started buying white-feathered chickens at low prices and sent them to the provincial capital to sell.

If others could do it, she certainly could too.

In her past life, someone bought live chickens to sell, but due to the high transportation costs, the profit wasn’t substantial. Could she slaughter and process the chickens before taking them to a big city?

The taste of preserved chicken might not be as good, but people at this time weren’t very picky!

Of course, the specific operation needed careful consideration, and she might not be able to pull it off with her limited capital.

She didn’t have education or connections, and she didn’t know how to make a lot of money in this era. However, with dedication and exploration, earning some extra money during this time was still quite simple!

Jiang Liyun had something on her mind, so she ate slowly.

Feng Yi noticed this and, worried that others might finish all the food before Jiang Liyun got a chance to eat, picked some good dishes for her.

In no time, Jiang Liyun’s bowl had a few pieces of meat and two dumplings.

She suddenly came to her senses and said to Feng Yi, “You should eat for yourself; don’t just focus on me.”

Feng Yi then obediently started eating.

After the meal, Jiang Liyun went to the front of the house to wash her face and hands with the hot water heated on the coal stove.

At this moment, she encountered Feng Laotou and Zhou Qiaoxia, who were pulling a cart full of feed.

Zhou Qiaoxia glanced at Jiang Liyun and said to Feng Laotou, “Old Feng, it’s really hard for you to go to the town early every day for the stall. From now on, we’ll just raise chickens and won’t rely on setting up stalls to face people’s attitudes.”

After saying that, she looked at Jiang Liyun and added, “Liyun, your family earns just over ten yuan every day by going out to set up stalls. Would you like to raise chickens too? But it’s not easy to buy chicks now, and you may not be able to get them.”

Zhou Qiaoxia seemed somewhat proud, as they had established connections to buy so many chicks!

Raising chickens was not easy, but compared to setting up stalls early in the morning, it was better. The key was that you could earn more!

Jiang Liyun had something on her mind, so she ate slowly.

Feng Yi noticed this and, worried that others might finish all the food before Jiang Liyun got a chance to eat, picked some good dishes for her.

In no time, Jiang Liyun’s bowl had a few pieces of meat and two dumplings.

She suddenly came to her senses and said to Feng Yi, “You should eat for yourself; don’t just focus on me.”

Feng Yi then obediently started eating.

After the meal, Jiang Liyun went to the front of the house to wash her face and hands with the hot water heated on the coal stove.

At this moment, she encountered Feng Laotou and Zhou Qiaoxia, who were pulling a cart full of feed.

Zhou Qiaoxia glanced at Jiang Liyun and said to Feng Laotou, “Old Feng, it’s really hard for you to go to the town early every day for the stall. From now on, we’ll just raise chickens and won’t rely on setting up stalls to face people’s attitudes.”

After saying that, she looked at Jiang Liyun and added, “Liyun, your family earns just over ten yuan every day by going out to set up stalls. Would you like to raise chickens too? But it’s not easy to buy chicks now, and you may not be able to get them.”

Zhou Qiaoxia seemed somewhat proud, as they had established connections to buy so many chicks!

Raising chickens was not easy, but compared to setting up stalls early in the morning, it was better. The key was that you could earn more!

Jiang Liyun: “…” Looking at Zhou Qiaoxia’s expression, was she deliberately flaunting this in front of her?

However, she didn’t envy them at all.

The Feng family reportedly bought over two hundred chicks… In the end, they might lose three or four hundred yuan.

Jiang Liyun went back to her room for a nap. Meanwhile, at the brick and tile factory, the boat carrying bricks destined for the big city finally returned!

Jiang Lihai stood on the towboat, looking at the brick and tile factory from a distance, feeling very conflicted.

Although his trip lasted only five short days, he had truly experienced a lot. At this moment, his mindset was completely different from before he left.

The big city was indeed too bustling. Talking to people there, he learned that in the factories of the big city, an ordinary female worker could earn more than three hundred yuan in a month!

He also found out that employees of some foreign companies earn over a thousand yuan a month!

The people there dressed brightly and looked like they were from a different world compared to him.

They really looked down on him and didn’t take him seriously.

He had prepared some eggs to exchange for ration tickets to buy cheap flour, but he hesitated when faced with the gazes of those people.

He wanted to give up and not buy the flour.

Fortunately, Sun Jinshan called him and took him ashore to exchange for ration tickets.

Initially hesitant, he gradually relaxed after doing it once or twice.

They exchanged ration tickets with retired old ladies in charge of buying groceries, who, although somewhat grumpy, were willing to take them to buy food.

Some of these old ladies had a good temper, but there were also some who frequently used the term “outsiders” and looked down on them.

Jiang Lihai was angry, but considering that these people didn’t actually know him, and if he embarrassed himself here, people in his hometown wouldn’t know… He decided to brazen it out and start wheeling and dealing.

In the end, he bought a hundred kilogrammes of flour and two hundred kilogrammes of rice.

He also followed Sun Jinshan to buy a large amount of cheap, miscellaneous cuts of pork.

He didn’t buy anything else; their stay in the big city was too short, and he didn’t have time to buy more things.

“We finally came back!” After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Sun Jinshan sighed.

Jiang Lihai also changed into clean clothes but remained silent.

Suddenly, a different emotion welled up in his heart.

He was about to get married, and there would be children in the future.

If he didn’t make some extra money, would his son be looked down upon when he went to the city in the future?

While in the city, there were some shops he didn’t dare to enter at all. Would his child also be afraid to go in?

He didn’t want it to be like this.

The people from the transportation team, when they come back from business trips, are allowed to rest for a day.

Jiang Lihai borrowed a shoulder pole from someone and carried the grain he bought from the city back home.

He calculated that the rice he bought was relatively cheap, and if he sold it here, he could earn five cents per pound, which would be five yuan for one hundred pounds and ten yuan for two hundred pounds.

Because grain coupons had to be exchanged for eggs, there was also a certain cost. So, when he really calculated it, if he sold two hundred pounds of rice, he could probably earn seven yuan.

If he earned seven yuan per trip, he could make twenty or thirty yuan a month!

Two years ago, Jiang Liping worked as a nanny for others, and because she was provided with meals and accommodation, the salary they gave Jiang Liping was only twenty or thirty yuan a month.

When Jiang Lihai returned home, he passed by the plot of land allocated to him by the village.

Then he saw that construction had already begun there!

The foundation had been dug, and Feng Yizheng was laying bricks on it, while Jiang Ershu was handing bricks to Feng Yizheng.

Jiang Lihai was stunned; his eyes suddenly felt a bit warm.

Feng Yizheng really lived up to being his good brother, actually helping him build the house!

And his second uncle…

Jiang Lihai had never liked his second uncle because every time he saw him, his second uncle would lecture him.

It was always the same thing, telling him to take good care of his parents and sister, to work harder, to be obedient, to find a partner…

It was as if, in his second uncle’s eyes, he was always lacking!

Who would enjoy being lectured? Jiang Lihai would hide whenever he saw his second uncle.

Moreover, Jiang Lihai was the eldest, and he knew that most of his grandparents’ things had been given to his second uncle.

In such a situation, his second uncle still came to their house to give advice, saying that he and his father were not doing well.

He always had opinions about Jiang Ershu’s family.

Unexpectedly, Ershu would also help him build the house. Jiang Lihai was somewhat moved.

At this moment, Ershu also saw Jiang Lihai: “Lihai is back. Since you’re back, you have to take care of building the house. You can’t keep hiding in the factory and not coming home like before. You’re the eldest at home, and you should do more farm work.”

“You’re not young anymore. Don’t always act so irresponsibly. You should learn about various things at home and between relatives. Your father can’t stand up anymore. Don’t be like him. I can help you watch over the house construction now, but what about the future?”

Jiang Ershu went on and on.

Some of what Ershu said was actually correct. But being criticised like this made Jiang Lihai uncomfortable, and his gratitude towards Ershu almost dissipated.

It was at this moment that Feng Yi handed a porcelain cup to Ershu: “Second Uncle, have some tea.”

Ershu took the cup and said to Feng Yi, “Feng Yi, you’re the most sensible!”

During this time, Ershu had talked to Feng Yi, and every time Feng Yi listened very attentively, unlike Jiang Lihai, who seemed visibly unwilling.

Jiang Lihai: “HiHis second uncle actually praised someone?!