Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

The next morning, when Long Lifan arrived at the chicken farm, the Lin sisters were already there. Lin Xiuxiu and Lin Feifei were walking one behind the other; Lin Xiuxiu was muttering something and gesturing wildly with her hands, while Lin Feifei was carefully taking notes with paper and pen. When her gaze inadvertently fell on Long Lifan, she immediately became somewhat nervous.

Long Lifan hurriedly waved, signaling Lin Feifei and her sister to come over. Lin Feifei was new to the chicken farm and was afraid of not doing her job well, so she couldn't hide her nervousness and unease. Seeing this, Long Lifan's lips curled into a warm smile, like the warm sunshine in spring, instantly dispelling the chill in the surroundings.

"Comrade Lin Feifei, you've only just arrived, so don't put too much pressure on yourself." Long Lifan's voice was gentle yet firm, every word carefully chosen to soothe the anxiety of this newcomer to the chicken farm. "Since I decided to hire you, it's because I value your abilities and potential. Everything takes time to learn, so take it slow, just like your sisters, aren't they doing very well now?"

Hearing Long Zhiqing's encouraging words, Lin Feifei's tension gradually dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling and rekindled confidence. She nodded gently, her eyes sparkling with gratitude and determination, as if at this moment, she had found her place in this new environment.

"Don't worry, Long Zhiqing, I will definitely not let you down."

Over the next few days, Lin Feifei gradually integrated into the daily routine of the chicken farm. Her figure moved around the chicken farm with skill and ease, not inferior to the veterans like Lin Yue.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting a warm glow on the busy crowd, adding a touch of warmth to their ordinary work. Every afternoon, a group of children would arrive at the chicken farm excitedly, carrying buckets full of earthworms, their little faces beaming with anticipation and excitement.

Half a pound of earthworms is exchanged for one centimeter of work points. This is an incentive method that Long Lifan and Lin Guodong jointly devised, which not only involves the children in labor but also lets them experience the joy of harvest. Long Lifan always carefully reminds the three of them to meticulously record the number of earthworms each child brings, after all, these work points are earned through their sweat and hard work.

Time flies like an arrow, and two days passed in the blink of an eye. That afternoon, Lin Feifei suddenly ran over with great joy, as if she had discovered a new continent, holding a warm egg tightly in her hand. "Long Zhiqing, look! A hen has laid an egg!" Her voice was full of excitement and pride.

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan immediately put down her work, took the precious egg, and her eyes sparkled with joy. It was as if her hard work over the past three months had finally paid off. She gently stroked the egg, as if she could feel the pulse of life, and her heart was filled with hope—since one hen had started laying an egg, the other hens wouldn't be far behind.

She immediately instructed Lin Xiuxiu to inform the village head, Lin Guodong, and the others. These days, as village officials, they had visited the chicken farm almost daily, eagerly anticipating good news from the farm. Lin Xiuxiu obeyed and left; soon, hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Lin Guodong and his companions practically ran there, their shadows elongated in the afternoon sun. They were panting, but their eagerness and anticipation were undeniable. Upon arriving at the chicken farm, they couldn't wait to ask, "Long Zhiqing, we heard the chickens are laying eggs? Is it true?" Their voices were filled with excitement, as if their long wait had finally been answered.

Seeing Lin Guodong and the others' anxious yet excited expressions, Long Lifan felt a strange sense of amusement, but more than that, she felt recognition and respect for their joint efforts. She nodded gently, handed over the eggs in her hand, and said, "Here, this is what Comrade Lin Feifei found just now."

Lin Guodong took the egg, holding it carefully in his palm as if it were a priceless treasure. Feeling the lingering warmth of the egg, his eyes shone with hope and anticipation for the future.

Secretary Miao and the others gathered around Lin Guodong, their eyes fixed on the egg in his hand, their joy evident. Ever since buying the chicks, Secretary Miao had been on tenterhooks, fearing something might go wrong. Fortunately, under the careful care of the educated youth Long, the chicks had grown up healthy and had finally laid their first egg.

This egg seemed exceptionally precious to everyone. They examined it closely, and Accountant Zhou suddenly said, "Hey, why do I feel like this egg is much bigger than the ones we usually see?" Upon hearing this, everyone came to their senses and carefully examined the egg in their hands, indeed finding that it was larger than an ordinary egg.

Several people looked at Long Lifan simultaneously, their eyes filled with doubt and anticipation. Long Lifan smiled and explained, "This is the result of feeding them earthworms. Feeding laying hens earthworms not only accelerates their growth but also increases egg production and egg weight." Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood; they didn't know earthworms had such benefits.

Lin Guodong recalled the time when Long Lifan had the children provide earthworms for the chicken farm. At the time, he thought that exchanging half a pound of earthworms for one work point was a bit too high, since earthworms were such small creatures that they were everywhere in the countryside. Now, it seems that Long Lifan's decision was truly wise.

Secretary Miao nodded in approval, saying, "No wonder Educated Long made those children dig for earthworms. It turns out that feeding chickens with earthworms has this benefit. Educated Long, if you have any good stuff in the future, just say it directly. Don't keep it to yourself and reveal it at the last minute. My heart can't take it at this age."

Everyone echoed her sentiments, praising Long Lifan's breeding techniques while also hoping that Long, the educated youth, could share more of what they didn't know. Long Lifan smiled and explained:

"I had read in a book that feeding chickens with earthworms was beneficial, but I hadn't actually tried it myself. Practice makes perfect, so I didn't say anything at first. Please feel free to offer any suggestions or ideas you may have, so we can work together to make the chicken farm even better."

"Lifan, I found another egg while I was patrolling just now." As the group was talking, Lin Yue's voice came from the side, and she was holding an egg in her hand as well.

Lin Guodong carefully took the eggs again, noticing that their weight was almost the same as the previous one. Holding two unusually large eggs in his hands, Lin Guodong was filled with surprise. At first, he thought it was just an accident, but as more large eggs appeared, he realized that this was probably the effect of feeding the chickens earthworms.

He secretly began to do the math. Each egg sold for 5 cents, and the chicken farm had over 300 hens. If every hen laid eggs, he could sell 300 eggs a day, earning 15 yuan.

?

For the Dongwan Brigade, this was like having a golden goose laying golden eggs every day, bringing them a steady stream of income. As for Lin Guodong, he felt that Long Zhiqing was the real golden goose, since some of the things Long Zhiqing mentioned seemingly casually were of immense benefit to the Dongwan Brigade.