Mr. Liao was satisfied and went to check out the Jiang family's cotton field on the south slope with Sun Lizheng.
The cotton plants have grown quite tall now, and some have begun to form buds.
But there are many weeds in the fields and they need to be weeded in time.
"The governor asked me to come and see the growth of the cotton and whether it needs additional fertilizer." Although Liao Qilin was born a scholar, his family was also farmers and he knew something about agriculture.
Jiang Sanlang said, "Of course you need to apply fertilizer. My field is low-quality. We have already applied pond mud and fertilizer made from plants and trees. We estimate that the yield per mu will reach 500 to 600 kilograms. If you don't apply fertilizer, the yield per mu of low-quality field will only be 200 to 300 kilograms."
Liao Qilin nodded and motioned for him to continue.
"Not only do we need to apply fertilizer, but we also need to thin out some of the cotton leaves when the buds form. This is to allow more flowers to bloom, and to provide the cotton buds with enough light."
Jiang Sanlang said, "I also learned this from other old farmers. The leaves of any flowering or fruiting crops cannot be too lush, as that would rob the fruits of their nutrients."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
As they walked and looked at the cotton fields, Mr. Liao suddenly asked, "Brother Jiang, I heard that every household in your village grows golden ear mushrooms, and the profits are not bad. Is this true?"
Jiang Sanlang said vaguely, "It's just to supplement the family income. Many families in our village couldn't even afford to eat before, so we have to find a way to make some money. Otherwise, everyone will be like the people in the neighboring village, begging for food during the lean season."
Liao Qilin smiled and said, "Brother Jiang, don't worry. I'm just asking casually. Where did you get the seeds of your golden ears from?"
"My daughter first picked it up in the forest, and then slowly cultivated it. Now the spawn is all kept by our family, and each time we only have enough for our own cultivation." Jiang Sanlang said.
This matter cannot be concealed. Rather than letting Mr. Liao hear and believe what others say, it is better for him to say it himself.
Liao Qilin smiled and said, "To be honest, life in my hometown is not easy either. If they could also earn some other income like your village, they wouldn't have to flee the fields with their families."
Jiang Sanlang was at a loss for words.
Sun Lizheng smiled and said, "Not every household in our village grows golden ear mushrooms. Many farmers are also hungry. Sanlang and his family have limited golden ear mushrooms, and everyone is lining up to wait for them to allocate some."
Jiang Sanlang glanced at Sun Lizheng and didn't say anything.
Indeed, recently many people from other villages have come to him to buy golden ear fungus spawn, but he cannot give his own spawn to others, so he has not agreed for the time being.
As for whether other people in the village sold their products or not, he had no right to interfere.
Manager Zhou Mao once said that their purchase of golden ear mushrooms also depends on supply and demand. If supply exceeds demand, they will either lower the price or suspend purchases.
He had told the villagers about this, so the villagers were very protective of their food and rarely sold golden ear fungus to people from other villages.
But nothing is absolute. Every family has relatives in other villages, and they might secretly send some to their close relatives.
Liao Qilin wasn't just saying this casually, maybe he also wanted to create some side jobs to generate income for his fellow villagers.
A group of people visited the cotton fields. Mr. Liao went to see the mushroom shed of the three brothers of the Jiang family. Then he went to see other families. After sighing a few words, he finally got on the carriage.
Before leaving, he also told Sun Lizheng: "Sun Weng should severely punish those law-breaking people. Such blatant extortion is really a bad influence on the village."
"That's for sure, Mr. Liao, don't worry. I will definitely teach the Leng family a lesson. Please put in a few good words for them in the government." Sun Lizheng spoke earnestly.
"I will make it clear to the governor. When the cotton is harvested, the governor may come here to inspect it in person. Don't bring out those corrupt people who will damage the reputation of your village."
"Yes, thank you Mr. Liao for the reminder." Sun Lizheng clasped his fists towards Mr. Liao and watched the carriage drive away.
When he returned to the township hall, Sun Lizheng was furious.
This Leng family is simply a bunch of rotten apples. If I don’t teach them a lesson today, they will really think they are made of dough.
"Go and call Leng's husband Zuo Cheng! Then go to Leng Village and call the village chief as well!"
He just didn't believe that he couldn't cure a woman who was not faithful to her husband.
After a while, Zuo Cheng came over, followed by his daughter, Miss Zuo.
Sun Lizheng asked, "What's wrong with your wife? Why does she keep harassing the Jiang family?"
Before Zuo Cheng could say anything, Miss Zuo said, "That woman is no longer part of our family. My father wrote her a divorce letter yesterday and let her go back to her parents' home."
Sun Lizheng frowned: "Why divorce your wife for no reason?"
Miss Zuo: "That woman is not only unfaithful to her husband, but also a silver wolf that can never be tamed. Our family can't afford to support her! She gave birth to a son but didn't raise him. She also stole money from our family and took it back to her parents' home time and time again. Uncle Lizheng, who would dare to keep a woman like this?"
Sun Lizheng turned to Zuo Cheng and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zuo Cheng sighed, "Lizhang, I really can't afford to support her anymore. She stole thirty taels of silver from me in half a year. She didn't care about the two hungry children at home. She ran back to her parents' home whenever she had time and would not come back until she had spent all her money.
Before I could say a few words to her, she came to my house with her brothers. Look at the egg-sized bump on my head. It hasn’t even gone away yet. If my son-in-law hadn’t come, I would have been beaten to death by her family.”
"Is it really like this?" Sun Lizheng looked at the Leng family again with an even more unfriendly look.
What kind of family is this? They are just a bunch of scoundrels.
Lengjia Village Chief also came over. "Chief, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Sun Lizheng pointed at Leng's mother and son and said, "These three people from your village went to Chen Village to extort money. How do you think we can solve this problem?"
The village chief of Lengjia Village was very unhappy when he saw that the offenders were Cao Pozi's family again. He clasped his fists towards Sun Lizheng and said:
"Li Zheng, I can't control this family either. You can do whatever you think is right. The families who have pledged their guaranty have said that if Mrs. Cao's family commits another crime, they will jointly request to expel them from the village."
"Well, since you can't do anything about it, just send me to the authorities for extortion."
Sun Lizheng was really fed up with these trouble-making villagers. They were always looking for trouble for him, especially today when they offended him.
Leng and Cao were terrified and kowtowed to beg for mercy: "We didn't blackmail you, head of the village, you can't send us to the authorities."
Leng Da was also confused at this moment, and he also begged for mercy and no longer dared to be arrogant.
Sun Lizheng ignored them and asked his son to record the whole story and then asked them to put their fingerprints on it.
The Leng family members refused to confess, but the village guards held their arms and forced them to put a big handprint on the confession.
Leng and Mrs. Cao burst into tears, repeatedly saying that they would not do it again next time and begged that they should not be sent to the authorities.
Because once they are handed over to the authorities, their lives will be over.
A prison cell is not a place for women to stay. Not only will your reputation be ruined, but you may even get out alive.
Seeing that the situation was almost serious, Sun Lizheng used both kindness and force to make them pay a fine, and then the village chief of Lengjia Village would protect them and let them return home.
The village chief of Lengjia Village was also very cooperative. He followed Sun Lizheng's performance indifferently and threatened Cao Pozi and her son from time to time.
This trick was very effective. Leng and Mrs. Cao were indeed much calmer and did not cause any trouble after returning home.