Because of the shock of the pig slaughter, Song Tan became much simpler and rougher when selecting vegetable seedlings, and even added things like loofah and lentils.
The boss thought she was very straightforward and a good customer, so he gave her a suggestion: "I see your vegetable garden is quite big. It's fine in spring and summer, but when autumn and winter come, will you build a greenhouse? If you want to build a greenhouse, come to me. We are professionals in this field."
Greenhouse…
Song Tan hasn't made up his mind yet.
It's very tiring all year round, so I plan to let my family rest in the winter. However, the resistance to rest probably comes from my grandparents and parents.
After all, they would never want to miss out if they can make money.
After returning home for a while, she has seen through the money-grabbing mentality of her family members, so she didn't say anything decisive this time.
I just wanted to know in advance: "What can be sold in greenhouses in winter?"
"Needless to say?" The vegetable shop owner was beaming with joy:
"Fruit, then you can grow strawberries! At the strawberry base next to the city, a pound of strawberries costs thirty to fifty yuan during the Chinese New Year. Tell me if you can make money!"
"As for other vegetables, anything with green leaves, except cabbage, can be grown in winter."
Of course, when doing business, you have to praise the good things. For example, no one mentioned what to do if the strawberries couldn't be sold or the road was blocked.
However, for Song Tan, there are 10 to 20 people at home who need to prepare food for each meal. If anything cannot be sold, he can just clean it up and make some dried dishes or sauces.
At most you won’t make any money, but at least you won’t lose money.
She made note of this and decided to think about it again after she was done with her busy autumn and winter work.
The most urgent thing at the moment is to bring the pig butcher Master Zhang with us.
Master Zhang is 57 years old this year. In the city, this age is just the beginning for retired people, and they are still energetic, but in the village, he can be considered an old man.
He used to ride his bike back and forth between villages to take jobs, but later on, every household stopped raising pigs and he was old, so he moved to the town with his son.
When he heard that someone was looking for him again, the old man was quite happy:
"Aren't you not allowed to raise pigs at home? Why did you raise one? Was it done secretly?"
Song Tan laughed: "No, I've reported it. It's not on the main road, it's in the back mountain, so it won't cause any trouble."
Family farms can apply to raise pigs.
Master Zhang had a small shoulder bag tied around his waist. It wasn’t very big, probably about the size of a palm.
Song Tan took a look and Master Zhang saw it. He patted his bag proudly and said, "The guys who eat are all in there. They have been with me for more than 40 years."
"There has been basically no activity in the past few years. I feel like my hands are numb. What's the situation with your pigs?"
What could Song Tan say? Our dog stole a puppy
He wrote in a simple way: "We originally had five pigs that had been castrated, but a while ago a little wild boar ran down from the mountain and we kept it together, so we decided to castrate it to prevent it from fighting."
That's true. Wild boars run around rampant in the pigpen, while domestic pigs have good tempers and are docile in nature. It would be unsuitable if this affects their appetite and prevents them from growing meat.
But Master Zhang still felt a little regretful: "Your family is really lucky. Wild boars are hard to catch even in the mountains. Why don't you keep them as breeding pigs?"
Song Tan was helpless.
Why? Because Wulan didn’t want to buy another sow.
According to her experience, "I haven't raised pigs for several years. It's risky to raise so many pigs this year. If I raise a sow and let it give birth to piglets, if something goes wrong, wouldn't I lose money in vain?"
"In the first year, be conservative."
Moreover, Wang Lifen and Wu Lan at home both felt that wild boar meat was not very tasty.
Since they were in power, Song Tan decided to give the wild boar a knife.
If you castrate it when it is young and keep it for another year, the fishy smell probably won’t be that strong by the end of the year and it might even taste better!
Alas, Fairy Tan has suffered for a long time!
Master Zhang nodded and said, "That's true. Wild boars have good physiques and their tempers will improve if they are castrated. Otherwise, it will be difficult to work with them when they grow up."
He was also very happy: "I haven't castrated a wild boar in decades."
After thinking for a while, he took out his phone again: "Can I send a vibrato later?"
Song Tan: …
Much more fashionable than her.
But she also warned: "Be careful not to get approved because of the bloodiness."
"That's fine," Master Zhang said nonchalantly, "I can still post on WeChat Moments."
"By the way," Song Tan hadn't asked yet, "How much does it cost to castrate a pig here?"
Master Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Originally it should be twenty dollars, but this is a wild boar, and I am quite fond of it. Plus, you returned the car to your home and picked me up and dropped me off... I'll give you ten dollars."
Song Tan: …
If she wasn't practicing Taoism, her hands would be shaking as she held the steering wheel.
Is it that her wild boar and the car that picks her up and drops her off are not valuable, or is it that the pig’s important items are not valuable
Master Zhang didn't notice her shock, this price was the market price in the village. After all, there were only two or three people who could slaughter pigs in the surrounding area, but in the past, every household raised pigs. It was not a problem for him to earn three to five thousand yuan for a job.
Of course, the price has not changed for at least ten years - because there is no one in the village and no one raises pigs now!
He is now a retired craftsman. It doesn't matter whether he has money or not, as long as he has it, it's enough.
However, now that he has a career, Master Zhang is looking forward to it: "If you have piglets in the future, call me when they are born and I will come to your house to castrate them!"
That's a must!
Song Tan originally didn't want to raise a sow to give birth to piglets, but now his family has mentioned it, he will have to arrange it sooner or later next year.
But by then, the pigpen in the back mountain needed to be renovated.
Hmm... I wonder if Zhao Fangyuan can design a house with a chicken coop or pigpen
Master Zhang was also satisfied.
But soon, he remembered something else: "Who are you going to ask to butcher the pig?"
Song Tan: …
There is no need to be so anxious. She has to wait until autumn and winter. Otherwise, the pigs will not grow up, and eating meat will mean eating Wulan's money. She can't do that!
"Master Zhang, can you also kill pigs?"
Master Zhang sighed sadly: "Oh, why not? I used to do it with my brother - he specializes in butchering pigs."
"He was strong, so he held the pig down. I had steady hands, so I was responsible for the cut. In fact, I knew that he saw that my child was in the hospital at the time and that he had run out of money, so he deliberately took me with him to give his family some meat."
"It's not possible now. In the past two years, he didn't pay attention to the three highs and he passed away."
As he spoke, he kept muttering, "I'm old now, I have to control myself, I can only eat a small bowl of rice, no matter how delicious it is, I can't eat too much."
"My brother was like that. He was a pig butcher. Every household had a pig butchering dish and they would even send him some water before he left. When he was young, he had a very good life. He had meat for every meal and grew up to be big and strong."
"I'm getting older, but I haven't lost weight. Now my blood pressure is going up..."
Then he wiped his eyes again and said, "I am now open-minded and will never eat more than one bite."