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

"Brother Yunzhou, why didn't you let me speak just now?" After Zheng Yunzhou and the other two left Long Zhiqing's residence, Lin Qingqing frowned slightly and asked with a heart full of doubt.

Zheng Yunzhou chuckled softly, a thoughtful look in his eyes: "Heh, after careful consideration, I still think it's best not to say anything. If it were really as simple as we think, the other educated youth at the settlement would have already sought out Long for easy jobs." He shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

Lin Qingqing nodded, seemingly understanding, but still somewhat unwilling. Zheng Yunzhou knew she was straightforward, but not without her moments of inconsideration. Long Zhiqing had not only politely declined the pastries they brought, but had even refused to let them cross the threshold—a clear rejection. Forcing them would only make the atmosphere more awkward.

Han Feng, standing to the side, also felt a sense of sympathy and nodded silently, a hint of agreement flashing in his eyes.

That afternoon, sunlight streamed into the village committee courtyard as Long Lifan walked in with light steps. Inside, Lin Guodong and several other village officials sat around a table, their brows furrowed, carefully checking each piece of data in their ledgers. Several sheets of paper covered in numbers were scattered on the table, standing out prominently.

As Long Lifan pushed open the door and entered, everyone's eyes immediately focused on her. She glanced curiously at the ledger on the table and asked, "Captain, what are you all busy with? You're calculating so meticulously."

Lin Guodong looked up, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his seriousness: "Ahem, Long Zhiqing, a few of us are currently tallying up the income for the past few months. We're mainly thinking about whether we can pay back the money we owe the machinery factory."

Long Lifan was taken aback by his words, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Hmm? What's wrong? Has Factory Director Xu come to collect payment?"

Lin Guodong shook his head and gave a wry smile: "That's not it. It's just that the few of us felt uneasy about still owing money. So we sorted out the accounts from the past few months and found that we had raised enough money."

Hearing what the others were saying, Long Lifan swallowed back the words she was about to say. She had wanted to make a sarcastic remark, "Even the creditors aren't in a hurry, so why are we rushing around like this?" But then she thought that this was not the social atmosphere of decades later.

In this day and age, people value credit above all else, especially older generations like Lin Guodong, who regard being in debt as a great disgrace and are eager to pay off their debts as soon as they have the money.

"Captain, there's really no need to be in such a hurry..." Long Lifan tried to soften her tone, wanting to express her thoughts.

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou, the accountant, interrupted her: "Who says we're not in a hurry, Long Zhiqing? You don't understand, so much money is tied up in my hands, I'm on tenterhooks every day. The thought that this money isn't ours, but has to be returned to someone else, makes me even more anxious. Let's return the money as soon as possible, so I can finally relax and not have to worry about it getting lost all the time..."

Zhou Huiji's words made Long Lifan chuckle. Thinking back to the days when the brigade's accounts were empty and Zhou Huiji was always frowning; now, although there's daily income, Zhou Huiji is still worried about managing these "hot potatoes," which is both funny and heartbreaking.

“The money can indeed be repaid, but I don’t think it’s necessary to touch the funds in the account.” After a moment of contemplation, Long Lifan offered her opinion: “I plan to start selling the pigs at the pig farm and begin purchasing a new batch of piglets.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and Miao Dashan was full of doubt: "Long Zhiqing, you're going to sell them after only four months?" He knew the pig farm's situation well; the pigs there were only about 200 jin (100 catties) at the moment. Last year, those two pigs had grown to almost 300 jin (150 catties), so he thought selling them now was clearly not the best time.

Lin Guodong and the others also looked at Long Lifan with puzzled expressions, waiting for her explanation.

“Secretary Miao, Brigade Leader, you may not be familiar with the ins and outs here.” Long Lifan smiled slightly and explained, “We raise pigs to make money. I’ve calculated it carefully. Once pigs grow to a certain size, the amount of grain they consume every day will increase exponentially, while the increase in meat production will not keep up with that speed. In this way, the consumption of grain and the production of meat are not proportional, and it is not worthwhile to continue raising them.”

Although the group was still somewhat confused, their trust in Long Lifan led them to decide without hesitation to follow her plan. "Alright, it's settled then, let's start selling the pigs!"

Afterwards, Long Lifan arrived at the pig farm and found Wang Yuan busy at work. Selling the pigs really needed Wang Yuan, an experienced worker at the farmers' market, to handle it. After all, Wang Yuan knew the details best—how to sell them and where to sell them. Besides, they also needed his help to borrow a vehicle; they couldn't possibly carry so many pigs out one by one by themselves, could they?

"What? You're going to sell it already?" Wang Yuan's expression was exactly the same as the village officials' before, full of surprise after hearing Long Lifan's plan.

“That’s right,” Long Lifan nodded with a smile. “Comrade Wang, this isn’t a research base; we have to think about making money. Haven’t you noticed? As pigs grow, they eat more and more, but they grow slower and slower.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuan found it quite reasonable and nodded in agreement. Long Lifan then added, "However, Comrade Wang, if you wish to continue your research, I can leave a few pigs to grow."

These words made Wang Yuan beam with joy, and he said repeatedly, "That's great! I'll go to the county tomorrow to help you find a place to sell your pigs!"

The next morning, Wang Yuan couldn't wait to set off for the county town.

The sun had not yet fully spread across the land, and the air carried the fresh scent of morning dew. Before noon, the roar of truck engines grew louder as they approached, breaking the tranquility of Dongwan Village.

In addition to the familiar truck at the farmers' market, two more enormous vehicles were added, slowly driving into the village entrance.

At this moment, a middle-aged man stepped out of one of the trucks. He was burly, with a large belly and an oily face, clearly indicating that he lived a comfortable life.

Wang Yuan, with his sharp eyes, jumped off the bus as soon as he saw the man get off and quickly walked towards Long Lifan, his tone both urgent and respectful: "Long Zhiqing, this is Station Master Ma from the food station. He personally led the team here for this acquisition."

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan turned her gaze to Station Chief Ma, thinking to herself: As expected of a cadre at the food station, his demeanor and the lucrative opportunities are indeed different from those elsewhere.

But she maintained a polite smile and extended her hand respectfully: "Station Chief Ma, welcome, welcome. It's truly an honor for our village that you could come in person."

These days, selling pigs is no longer simply about pricing them by weight; it's all about grading. The fatness, meat quality, and even the sheen of the coat can all affect the final price.

Good quality pigs can sell for 6 cents a pound, while slightly inferior ones can only fetch 5 cents. The price depends entirely on the purchasing manager's word. Long Lifan knew perfectly well that if she wanted the village's pigs to fetch a good price, she had to be courteous to Station Chief Ma, build a good relationship with him, and strive for a better grade.