Rebirth 78: After being jilted at the altar, I reached the pinnacle!

Li Hanliang glanced at him and recognized the chubby guy as being from the same team. He thought his name was Liu Quanyou, but he knew the guy was just a straightforward person, so he didn't say anything more.

I fiddled with it for about two minutes.

Li Hanliang then gripped the joystick and spun it rapidly. The tractor, which had just stalled, started spinning again with a whirring sound.

"You've got some skills, kid."

"I'll remember this favor today. After I finish delivering the feed to the pig farm, come to my house for dinner tonight, and I'll have your aunt cook two good dishes."

Han Jianguo was taken aback for a moment, then grinned broadly.

Upon hearing this, Li Hanliang chuckled, then suddenly his eyes darted around.

Pig farm?

As the saying goes, if you want to be rich, build roads first.

We can't repair the road, but shouldn't we make some plans about these pigs?

Li Hanliang knew very well that the first household to earn 10,000 yuan in the late 1970s had made its fortune through animal husbandry, so this couldn't be considered undermining socialism.

Li Hanliang's eyes lit up. He first pretended to be simple-minded and chuckled twice, then pulled Han Jianguo, who was about to get into the car, and said, "Don't do that, Uncle. I heard you're going to the pig farm. I'm free, so can I take you with me?"

"Uncle, don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble. Besides, I've finished all the work for the team. If you don't believe me, go ask Secretary Zhang."

Want me to bring you along?

At first, Han Jianguo had some doubts, but seeing Li Hanliang thumping his chest loudly, and considering that the young man had just made a name for himself, he couldn't say anything.

I could only nod.

"Alright then, you and Quanyou sit in the back of the truck and keep an eye on the feed. I'll take you for a spin."

"Got it."

Li Hanliang flipped over and sat on the truck bed.

"I don't know what's so great about all this noise and hype at the pig farm that people are so eager to go. They'd be better off staying home and relaxing. I have to read Dream of the Red Chamber tonight."

Li Hanliang was in high spirits, but Liu Quanyou looked reluctant and seemed to have a lot of complaints.

No wonder, with the popular TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber" starring Liza Wang currently airing, in an era where entertainment is relatively scarce in every household, the biggest excitement is the TV series being broadcast on the collective black-and-white television set at the east end of the village.

But Li Hanliang ignored him, looking around at the scenery with great interest.

The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and even the surrounding air felt much fresher.

In an era free from air pollution, such a clear sky is a scene that countless people have dreamed of ever achieving. Autumn harvest is approaching, and everywhere are waves of golden wheat; a gentle sniff fills the nostrils with the fragrance of rice. Many production brigades are organizing the autumn harvest.

Everyone's face was beaming with enthusiasm, as if they were looking at the wheat field with immense satisfaction.

"very nice."

Li Hanliang sighed, this kind of fulfilling happiness is a kind of contentment that the working class of decades later, burdened by mortgages and car loans, could never experience.

The road is a bit bumpy.

Asphalt roads have just become common in cities, but have not yet been laid out in towns and villages.

The tractor chugged along the dirt road, the bumpy ride almost making me throw up the steamed buns I'd just stuffed in at noon.

If you want to get rich, have fewer children and build more roads.

It seems that what was said was indeed true.

Otherwise, even if you have rare and precious materials, it's all for nothing if you can't transport them out.

However, these are not issues that Li Hanliang needs to consider right now.

Damn it, I only have a two-ounce grain coupon in my pocket. What am I supposed to think about in the business world? I need to catch my breath first.

Fortunately, the journey wasn't long.

About half an hour later, the tractor stopped outside the pig farm.

From Li Hanliang's perspective, pig farms in the 70s were not yet large-scale, poorly managed, and caused significant pollution to the surrounding environment. He had previously thought that Liu Quanyou's description of pigs as "slutty and frivolous" was a bit of an exaggeration, but after experiencing it firsthand, he realized that Liu Quanyou's assessment was incredibly honest.

This smell is so strong that even someone with a loss of smell would stumble over.

Han, however, didn't seem to care much. He had Li Hanliang watch the tractor at the door, and then he carried two sacks of feed on his shoulders, one in each hand, and led Liu Quanyou, huffing and puffing, into the factory.

Li Hanliang didn't care and pondered what he should do.

Unexpectedly, a loud crash came from the factory, followed by a heated argument.

Li Hanliang was taken aback, then stepped into the factory. As soon as he entered, he saw Han Jianguo glaring angrily, his beard bristling and eyes wide. He was holding onto the collar of a middle-aged man in front of him, and the spittle coming out of his mouth almost sprayed onto the man's face.

"Old Han, you're yelling at me, but there's nothing I can do. What can I do if the commune won't accept my goods?"

"We can't force someone to buy or sell something."

The middle-aged man looked helpless and could only offer a reluctant explanation.

"Nonsense! They say they won't buy anymore, but what are we going to do with these pigs? The Lunar New Year is only three months away. Where will the grain coupons the brigade promised the villagers come from?"

"If you can't produce it by then, won't the villagers chop you up alive? Besides, if the commune won't accept it, can't you think of another way? Do you think the factory director is just a figurehead?"

Han Jianguo cursed loudly, his teeth practically showing, as if he were about to bite anyone he saw.

"What's the matter?"

Li Hanliang walked over and nudged Liu Quanyou, who looked constipated. Liu Quanyou glanced at him, frowned, and whispered, "What else could it be? Didn't you hear? This year, the supply and marketing cooperative won't buy the pigs our brigade raises."

"This year, our brigade has raised more than twenty big fat pigs, which is unprecedented. If we can't sell them in the next two months, we'll be in big trouble by the end of the year!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanliang was taken aback.

He knew the pig farm was village collective property, and he hadn't expected the marketing cooperative wouldn't accept it. In those days, money was important, but grain coupons and meat coupons were even more important.

Any purchase, including appliances, bicycles, rice, flour, and cooking oil, required a receipt.

Even having money won't help.

Now, tickets are hard to come by, and no family is well-off. The work points they've saved can't even be exchanged for a few ounces of grain coupons, let alone enough to support a large family in the brigade. Liu Quanyou is right; the whole brigade is counting on this meager benefit to have a good New Year. If even a whisper of the news that the fat pig can't be sold gets out...

Good heavens, the pig farm manager is going to get away with this; the villagers might even be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles to hold a big meeting.

but.....

This seems like it has potential.

"Uncle, don't worry. If we can't sell these big fat pigs, we'll figure out a way. What's the use of making things difficult for Factory Director Zhang Yongsheng? Besides, these pigs will be ready for market soon. Solving this problem is the most important thing."

Li Hanliang's advice was very skillful.

Upon hearing this, Han Jianguo, who had just been swinging his fist, plopped down on the ground.

Li Hanliang is absolutely right; these big, fat pigs will be ready for market soon. If it were just one or two, the village collective could scrape together what they could, but there are a full twenty of them!

What can he do if the supply and marketing cooperative can't accept it?