?Chapter 42: 42 Contributions Chapter 42: 42 Contributions And pigweed? There was plenty on the mountains, and pigs could eat it, so it was definitely best to feed them with pigweed.
As for nutrition and scientific pig breeding?
Rural folks had no one to guide them, so they didn’t think too much about it, feeling content as long as the pigs were well-fed and watered.
But the Lin Family was different.
Even the water prepared for the piglets was warm.
The pigsty was dry and well-lit.
It looked different from the other households’ roughly built sheds.
Lin Tang symbolically gathered some pigweed, then went home.
She planned to make some nutritious feed according to the knowledge in the books.
The feed was made of wheat straw, husks, corn roots, wheat bran, etc., mixed in a certain ratio.
It was said to be very suitable for piglets a few months old.
Lin Tang, worried that her family would be reluctant about the ingredients used in the feed, made just three days’ worth to start with.
After making it, she took out a portion.
She added some water and stirred it into a mushy consistency.
Then she poured the feed into the stone trough in the pigsty.
The three piglets immediately went crazy.
They snorted and jostled in the trough, eating with great gusto.
“Little auntie, the piglets like this,” Goudan said, his face flushed with excitement.
Hutou, imitating his father, said solemnly, “Eat quickly, grow meat quickly, so we can have meat in the house once you’re ready to be sold.”
Niuniu parroted on the side, “Eat meat, Niuniu wants to eat meat.”
Looking at the piglets in the sty, her gaze was extraordinarily fervent.
Choudan, being easy-going, saw his siblings looking happy and felt joy too.
Clapping his little hands, he said, “Eat meat!”
Lin Tang, watching her lively and adorable nieces and nephew, felt warmth in her heart.
There would be meat, eggs, sugar, and new clothes…
After feeding the piglets, Lin Tang instructed Goudan to take good care of his younger siblings, then went to the production team’s office. Sёarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The brigade’s leaders were going to the commune that afternoon.
Her letter for submission could be mailed out with the help of her uncle.
Arriving at the production team’s office, Lin Fu was just about to leave.
“Tangtang, what brings you here? Something the matter?”
Lin Tang smiled and handed him the rather thick letter.
“Uncle, I have a letter to send. Could you mail it for me? I’ve written the address on it,” she said.
Lin Fu, accepting the letter, smiled broadly.
The wrinkles on his face made him look very amicable.
“Sure.”
He replied first, then looked curiously at his niece.
“What’s this? Where does it need to go?” he asked casually.
Lin Tang didn’t keep it a secret and said it was her submission.
There was no reason to hide it.
Moreover, her Uncle Fu was not the type to gossip.
When Lin Fu heard that Tangtang was submitting an article, his eyes lit up, and he was visibly pleased.
“You’re submitting to the newspaper?”
“Yes, I’m giving it a try. Not sure if it will go through,” Lin Tang replied modestly.
She felt confident about her manuscript, which even included illustrations for a comprehensive presentation—it should pass.
But, without final confirmation, who could guarantee there wouldn’t be a mistake?
Lin Fu patted Lin Tang’s shoulder, looking very trusting.
“Why wouldn’t it be certain? You will definitely succeed.”
He had an indescribable confidence in his niece.
In his eyes, Tangtang was intelligent and studious, capable of success in whatever she did.
Lin Tang, aware of how her relatives viewed her through rose-tinted glasses, didn’t argue and smiled, “Thanks, uncle.”
“What’s there to thank for? If you get published in the paper, it’s a joy for our entire brigade. I couldn’t be happier,” Lin Fu said.
Then, he carefully placed the letter into his bag, treating it with utmost seriousness.
After taking care of things, Lin Tang left to earn work points in the fields.
Lin Fu, along with other grassroots cadres from the brigade, rode in the oxcart towards the commune.
Along the way, the manuscript in his arms was touched no less than five times.
He Jun, the scorekeeper of the production team, noticed this and teased, “Captain, what precious treasure have you tucked against your chest? I’ve seen you touch it several times already.”
Lin Fu had not even realized how many times he had touched it and awkwardly touched the tip of his nose.
“Nothing much, just an itch on my chest, just scratching it, that’s all!” he said with a laugh.
Not a single person in the cart believed him.
Seeing that he didn’t want to elaborate, everyone did not press him further.
They smoothly changed the subject.
“Captain, do you think it’s useful for us to go see the Commune Leader?
Can the commune really arrange for a pig farming expert for us?”
As the purpose of the trip was mentioned, He Jun felt a sense of suspense.
He was not at all optimistic.
If the commune could arrange a pig farming expert, Jianming Brigade would have gotten rich from pig farming long ago, instead of everyone being in debt.
With He Jun’s question, the gazes of the other brigade cadres naturally fell upon Lin Fu.
Lin Fu let out a deep sigh, unable to confirm anything.
“Whether it works or not, we have to try. Since we’ve taken on this task, we can’t just mess around!
The hopes of the members are on us; we can’t let everyone down with debts.”
As the captain, the pressure on him was extraordinarily great.
Every household in the production team was having a hard time!
It was only by relying on those two mountains that they had barely managed to avoid starvation in the past two years.
Now that life had just started to improve, they had taken on this task.
If pig raising were merely about feeding and cleaning the pens, that would be the end of it.
But in reality, pig raising was not that simple!
The neighboring brigade had also tried it, hadn’t they?
However, their losses were frighteningly huge, leaving every household with at least dozens of yuan in debt.
Don’t think that a few dozen yuan isn’t much.
One should remember that in the countryside at this time, you can’t save fifty yuan in a year, not to mention there’s food and drink to consider.
A few dozen yuan was like an astronomical figure.
As a result, the surrounding brigades would change color as soon as pig farming was mentioned.
This year the production team had taken on this hot potato of pig farming. Shuangshan Brigade couldn’t refuse, so they could only figure out how to do it right.
Even if they couldn’t make a fortune, at the very least, they didn’t want to end up in debt.
Seeing the low spirits of the others, Lin Fu patted the cart’s frame.
“Why be so downhearted? We haven’t hit the worst yet.
Someone has to walk the path of pig raising. Let’s give it our best shot.
If it doesn’t work out, we’ll look for another way.
But if we succeed, can you imagine what that would be like?”
What would that be like?
That would be fantastic, of course!
He Jun laughed heartily, “If we succeed, not to mention prospering, at least everyone will have enough to eat…”
The Deputy Captain Li Jiancai lifted his chin, his face brimming with confidence.
“I think having enough to eat is the minimum. If we do it right, some families might even be able to afford bicycles!
Just like those wealthy brigades we read about in the newspapers.”
Qian Hua, the accountant of the brigade, sat beside Li Jiancai.
Qian Hua nudged Li Jiancai’s shoulder and said, “You really dare to dream. I think it’s good enough to just not go hungry.
If we could occasionally enjoy a meal with meat, that would already be extraordinary!”
Dreaming of the good days brought by successful pig raising, the worried expressions on the faces of the brigade cadres in the oxcart slowly faded away.
In their place was a surge of determined spirit.
Over an hour later, Lin Fu arrived at the commune with the cadres of the Shuangshan Brigade.
The commune to which Shuangshan Brigade belonged was called ‘Red Star Commune’.
The commune occupied a large area and was made up of rare brick and tile buildings that looked very imposing.
The walls were plastered with straw and mud.
The roof was constructed from red bricks and wood; the ground was clean and the interior bright.
Compared to other houses, these were luxurious enough to turn heads.