Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Seven months later, all ten of Zhou Gui's goats had reached adulthood, and all five ewes were pregnant. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these five ewes would give birth to lambs five months later.

Zhou Guangcai was very happy to see the ten goats that had grown up in the sheepfold.

During this period, whenever he had free time, he would go to the mutton processing plant in town to ask the technicians about sheep farming issues.

It can be said with certainty that in Dongling Village, if he considers himself second to none in sheep-raising skills, absolutely no one would dare to claim to be first.

At the same time, I learned from the technicians about the different growth cycles of goats, and what time, climate, and temperature are most suitable for their growth.

A very bold idea suddenly popped into my head.

“Dad… all five rams have grown to over sixty pounds. If we continue feeding them, they won’t gain much more weight… Although we’ve made a lot of silage, the weather is too cold after winter, so it’s not only a waste of feed, but they also don’t gain much weight.”

"If I'm unlucky, I might even lose weight..."

"Anyway, all five ewes are pregnant... I think I should sell the five rams now."

"I heard that the processing plant recently brought in a new batch of lambs from another place."

"It's better to raise lambs than to raise these grown goats."

"It not only saves on silage, but also makes them grow faster..."

"Once we sell the rams and get the money, we should renovate the sheepfold..."

“I remember the technician telling me that the goats’ growth would slow down after winter when the weather gets too cold.”

“We’ll cover the entire sheepfold with a roof and plaster the front with mud so that the cold wind won’t get into the sheepfold in winter, and we can try our best to keep them from getting cold. Maybe they can even grow up in the winter.”

"The new batch of goats will be available for sale in eight months."

“Five of these ewes will give birth to lambs, and after eight months they will grow up and we can sell another batch of goats. That means our family can sell a batch of goats every four months.”

When it comes to raising sheep, his son Zhou Guangcai's skills far surpass his own. Zhou Gui nodded in agreement almost without hesitation.

"Listen to you……"

"You tell us how to raise it, and we'll raise it exactly that way..."

With his father's support, Zhou Gui's last remaining concerns disappeared, and he decisively made a decision: "Then let's go sell sheep tomorrow..."

"Dad, could you borrow Uncle's cart for a bit? It'll be just the right amount to take all five sheep to town."

"Bring the lambs back with you."

"Once we sell five rams, we'll have money. This time, we won't buy on credit; we'll pay directly to buy lambs and bring back seven or eight goats at once."

The old man didn't nod immediately, but asked with a worried look, "Son, we still have five ewes at home, and you bought seven or eight lambs. Isn't that too many?"

What if we don't have enough silage?

Zhou Guangcai answered confidently, "It's definitely enough..."

"Our silage is prepared for the appetite of ten adult goats."

"The lambs have small appetites; two of them can't compare to the appetite of one adult goat..."

"Even if we only buy seven or eight lambs, we can afford to feed them."

"I've been thinking about this for the past few days..."

"If we clear all those slopes on the back hill and plant pasture, we can easily support twenty goats..."

"Isn't this too risky?" The father, Zhou Gui, still hesitated, staring at his son as he continued to ask.

“I remember when the technician at the processing plant found out we were making silage, he said that the hillside behind our house could only support a maximum of fifteen or sixteen goats…” “You’re raising twenty right away? What if there isn’t enough hay and silage?”

Zhou Guangcai explained with a smile, "Father..."

"I've already asked about this..."

"The technician did mention fifteen or sixteen goats, but they were all adult goats..."

"I'll say it again: the hay and silage used to feed one adult goat can easily feed two or three lambs."

"As long as our goats are of different sizes and not all at the same stage, it's fine."

…………

Early the next morning, Zhou Gui and his son tied up all five rams and loaded them onto a cart. One pulled the cart in front and the other pushed it from behind, leading the two children on a grand procession towards the town.

No sooner had the group left the village than the news that Zhou Guijia had gone to town to sell sheep spread like wildfire throughout the village.

Some people looked envious, thinking that Zhou Gui's family had finally reaped the rewards of their hard work over the past six months.

Some people were filled with envy, unable to bear seeing others get rich and be better off than themselves. They secretly prayed that the five goats Zhou Gui sent to town wouldn't fetch a good price, and it would be even better if they lost money.

More neighbors showed expectant expressions on their faces.

Like Zhou Gui, they all signed cooperative sheep-raising agreements with the town's mutton processing plant.

If the goats Zhou Gui delivers to the processing plant can't fetch a good price, it means that their goats will also have to be sold at a low price.

If Zhou Gui's family makes money by raising sheep, then they can also make money.

Many people were watching everything happening at the village entrance, and as soon as Zhou Gui and his son returned to the village, they went to inquire about the goat purchase price at the processing plant.

…………

Today is market day in town, and it's very lively.

As soon as Zhou Gui and his son arrived at the town entrance, they attracted the attention of many people.

For the people of Tangshan Town, the five goats are a tremendous fortune no matter how you look at it.

Zhou Gui and his son dragged five goats to town to sell, making it hard for them to go unnoticed.

Several sheep traders who frequent the town were also eyeing Zhou Gui and his son.

Seeing the five goats was like seeing stacks of ten-yuan bills beckoning to them; they all crowded around, wanting to buy all five goats.

“Fellow villager…I’ll take these five goats…four cents a pound…it’s not a holiday or festival now, so only I can offer you such a high price…if these five goats weren’t so fat, I wouldn’t even bother offering them for three cents and five cents…” a goat dealer immediately said to Zhou Gui.

Under normal circumstances, a price of 40 cents per pound is indeed very reasonable.

Last year during the Chinese New Year, the purchase price of live sheep was only 40 cents per pound.

Normally, when there are no holidays or festivals, the purchase price will drop by about five cents.

From the sheep dealer's perspective, this purchase price was already very reasonable.

But for Zhou Gui and his son, this price was far from what they expected.

According to the cooperative sheep-raising agreement signed with the processing plant, the plant would purchase live sheep at a price of 50 cents per kilogram.

The sheep vendor offered a price that was a full cent lower than the asking price.

A pound of live sheep is one cent cheaper. Five goats weigh over 300 pounds in total, which adds up to a discount of over 30 yuan. That's enough to buy 200-300 pounds of corn. They absolutely refuse to do it. (End of Chapter)