Zhao Mancang still disagreed.
He did not believe that two educated youths from the city knew how to raise pigs well; the so-called “Scientific Pig-Raising Guide” was, in his opinion, mostly nonsensical theories copied from books.
Accountant Zhao flipped through the pig-raising guide. “I don’t quite understand what you’ve written here. Why don’t you explain it simply to everyone?”
“The content is quite extensive, so I will select a few points to talk about,” Ye Qiu smiled confidently and spoke eloquently. “First is the issue of the pigsty. Only a place with high terrain and good drainage is suitable for building a pigsty. In winter, one must pay attention to heat retention; you can bury straw fermentation pits underground to utilize biological heat to raise the temperature, and you can also seal wall cracks with mud. In summer, you must pay attention to cooling the pigsty; you can trellis loofah vines around it or pour cool water on the ground. Next is pig feed. To make the pigs grow fat and fast, you cannot feed them only pig grass; you must supplement their protein. As for how to supplement it, there are several feasible methods in the guide. Finally, you can regularly spray the pigsty with wood ash water to disinfect and kill bacteria, reducing the possibility of the pigs getting sick…”
The people at the village committee meeting were stunned.
There was so much to consider when raising pigs? Wasn’t it just a matter of keeping the pigsty clean and feeding them grass on time every day?
After hearing her words, Zhao Mancang could not find a single word of rebuttal.
Was raising pigs difficult?
Before hearing Ye Qiu’s words, everyone thought the only difficulties were making the pigs put on more meat and keeping them from getting sick. Now, after hearing her explanation, everyone started to doubt themselves: had they been raising pigs incorrectly all these years?
No wonder the pigs couldn’t put on much weight year after year; it turned out they had been doing it wrong all along.
Seeing that the village officials were intimidated by her, Ye Qiu added, “I believe raising pigs is a nuanced task. It isn’t just as simple as keeping them alive until the New Year; it requires constantly discovering new problems and making improvements. Daily life also requires more attention, so it needs to be done by two people together.”
Seeing that the others had nothing left to say, Zhao Ze took the initiative to speak. “Two people raising only five pigs—the villagers might have objections.”
To be precise, they would definitely have objections.
Previously, when Zhuzi’s mother raised all five pigs by herself, people didn’t see the trouble she went through—like having to go to the pigsty in the middle of the night if it started raining. They only saw that her work was easy and her work points were high, so they had been complaining for a long time.
Now, allowing two people to raise the pigs all at once—the villagers were unlikely to agree to that.
Ye Qiu and Qu Tong exchanged a glance.
Qu Tong took the initiative to speak. “Educated Youth Ye and I have discussed this. Previously, the auntie received ten work points a day; for the two of us, four or five points each a day is enough. If, by the end of the year, the pigs have grown even fatter, we can just be allotted a few more ounces of pork.”
The village officials looked at each other and felt that her proposed conditions were not impossible.
The total amount of work points remained the same; they were just being split between two people.
Furthermore, according to the guide provided by Educated Youth Ye, raising pigs really seemed to require two people. If they raised them well this year, they could raise a few more next year. The brigade certainly wouldn’t be at a loss.
“We knew before we came that raising pigs would require everyone’s consent,” Ye Qiu continued to raise the stakes, revealing her trump card. “So, the two of us discussed that if we end up killing the pigs or making them skinny, Educated Youth Qu and I can bear a portion of the responsibility and compensate the brigade for the loss; we definitely won’t have any complaints.”
Hearing this, Qu Tong gave her a surprised look.
Last night, hadn’t she said she would bear the full loss? How did it become “a portion” today?
But knowing that this was beneficial to her, she didn’t speak up and agreed with Ye Qiu’s decision.
Zhao Ze frowned: “That is quite a risk.”
Ye Qiu smiled and shook her head. “Of course, it isn’t a risk. It’s because we have confidence that we dare to say this.”
The two of them dared to make such a promise, and neither of them seemed short of money or the type to default on the brigade’s accounts; the village officials all felt this was quite reliable.
Moreover, the village couldn’t find anyone suitable to replace Zhuzi’s mother for the time being, so it wouldn’t hurt to let them try.
Except for Zhao Mancang, who still had some reservations, the other village officials felt that it was fine to let Ye Qiu give it a try.
The minority submitted to the majority, and the village committee finally decided to hand the pig-raising work over to Ye Qiu and Qu Tong.
Afterward, they continued to discuss some issues regarding pig raising, and by the time they walked out of the village committee, it was already evening.
Qu Tong was excited the whole way back.
“Great, this is great!” She hopped and skipped with joy. “I don’t have to go to the fields to work tomorrow!”
Ye Qiu nodded happily as well.
Raising pigs was much easier than working in the fields. As long as they fed them three meals on time and cleaned the pigsty regularly, the rest of the time was their own—they could do whatever they wanted.
Having been in the countryside for almost a week, she could finally live a comfortable life.
“Today is a good day. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight,” Qu Tong said, turning to Ye Qiu.
She wasn’t a fool; she could certainly see that the main reason the village officials agreed to let them raise pigs was that Ye Qiu had credibility in front of them and Zhao Ze was willing to give her a chance.
Ye Qiu was the protagonist, while she was just an attachment. As long as Ye Qiu spoke up, the Brigade Leader wouldn’t hesitate to replace her.
So, setting aside the “villainous boss” aspect for now, she had to make sure to stick close to this powerhouse.
Qu Tong clenched her fists firmly.
Ye Qiu smiled and accepted her invitation.
After a while, Qu Tong asked hesitantly, “Should we invite Zhao Lan and Grandma Zhao to join us?”
Although she had previously held some opinions about the female lead, after moving into the Zhao family’s home and spending time with Zhao Lan every day, she finally understood why she was the female lead.
Filial, resilient, attentive, diligent…
A girl with so many virtues certainly deserved a good ending.
Ye Qiu nodded. “During our stay, although we paid rent, Zhao Lan and Grandma Zhao have been very kind to us. Since we’ve encountered such a good thing, we should invite them to eat with us. I will pay for half the food.”
Zhao Lan and Grandma Zhao were both easy-going people. Since moving in, they had someone to cook their meals, someone to help mend their clothes, and they could always get the latest news in the village.
Regardless of which angle she looked at it from, the landlord was a good one.
Qu Tong shook her head. “You’ve already worked hard enough. This is the only contribution I can make; don’t fight me on this, or I’ll be unhappy.”
“The young lady’s contribution is huge; don’t underestimate yourself.”
Ye Qiu was telling the truth.
It might seem like she had a wide range of choices and could ask anyone to raise pigs with her, but Qu Tong was the best choice.
First, she had money and could bear the losses. Second, she was obedient—though she could be spoiled and arrogant at times, as long as she determined that you were a smart person, she was willing to listen to you.
Overall, she was a very good partner.
Hearing her affirmation, Qu Tong grinned, her face full of happiness.