sjar Chapter 388 The Farmer's Thoughts
Chapter 388 The Farmer's Thoughts
The third suitcase, when opened, revealed a brown paper document bag, which looked quite mysterious.
At Chen Xiangqian's prompting, Li Ju'an opened the file bag and stared at it in disbelief, his eyes widening in shock: "What document is this?"
Chen Xiangqian smugly flicked his bangs and laughed, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted most, Brother Li? I'll get this document for you since you'll be making those trips to the barley fields all the time.
These words piqued the curiosity of the Lu brothers, who then leaned over to take a look.
Lu Zhiqiang could recognize every single character, but he couldn't understand them when they were put together. Curious, he kept asking Lu Jinyang what it was all about.
Lu Jinyang muttered, "Quarrying permit registration. Mining mineral resources requires approval and registration from the relevant level of geological and mineral resources authorities, and a quarrying permit will be issued three months later."
The process of filing and registering documents, requesting approvals, and awaiting the issuance of the license three months later filled the group with mixed emotions.
After Lu Jinyang finished reading, he looked up in surprise and shouted to Li Ju'an, "Li Ju'an, is the quarrying permit really going to be issued?"
Li Ju'an was equally excited.
He had anticipated that obtaining quarry registration would take at least three to five years, but Chen Xiangqian had submitted his application in just three months. He expected to receive the license in another month or so, and if all went well, the quarry could be contracted out next year. He remembered that in his previous life, the highway leading to the barley field was completed at the end of 83, becoming a crucial link in the Xing'an Mountains.
His quarrying business was also able to smoothly transport goods to the south in the year the highway opened, and he was able to contact bosses in the south who wanted to buy wind-eroded stones.
His eyes were full of joy. He excitedly hugged the registration form, gave Chen Xiangqian a big hug, and planted a big kiss on his face. The kiss stunned Chen Xiangqian. He wiped the drool off his face and laughed, "This drool is even more disgusting than a tiger's."
The group looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Chen Xiangqian brought three suitcases full of supplies. They included all aspects of life, household items, various seafood from the sea, dried fish, salted fish, shellfish products, and a string of sea pearl necklaces.
Li Ju'an naturally gave the sea pearl necklace to his mother, Song Lanhua. Song Lanhua liked it very much, called Lin Mei over, stroked Lin Mei's small hand and said, "This pearl necklace will be passed down. In the future, when a girl is born, she can wear it, and when a boy is born, his future wife can wear it."
Song Lanhua liked it, but she only wore it once before passing it on to her daughter-in-law, Lin Mei.
Lin Mei was touched and naturally remembered her mother-in-law's kindness. When she heard Song Lanhua say that the inheritance could be passed on to both boys and girls, she couldn't help but feel moved and asked Song Lanhua, "Mom, is it okay if I have a girl too?"
Song Lanhua was unaware that the Lin family favored sons over daughters, nor did she know the neglect Lin Mei had received since childhood. She patted Lin Mei's hand and said kindly, "Girls are good, boys and girls are equally good. Like Xiao, now that she's grown up, she knows how to help the family, which is much better than Ju'an was when she was little. Girls are thoughtful."
Song Lanhua's attitude towards Li Xiao has also changed significantly.
As Li Xiao grew up, she became sunny, healthy, and always smiling. She also knew how to be grateful to her mother and considerate of her family. Song Lanhua gradually came to understand. Her parents' generation favored sons over daughters, but in her generation, her daughter was also her child, and her daughter-in-law was also her child. As women, they naturally understood the grievances she had suffered since childhood.
Lin Mei threw herself into Song Lanhua's arms, and Li Xiao also came over and gently hugged her mother. The three women huddled together and cried.
Li Ju'an and Chen Xiangqian were talking in the hall when they turned around and heard crying from the inner room.
Lu Zhiqiang hated women crying the most. When his sisters-in-law cried, they all howled like pigs. They would argue and howl, and then cry again. If someone passed by the Lu family, they would think that something terrible had happened and they were about to have a big feast.
But after listening for a while, Lu Zhiqiang said, "How come a woman's crying can sound so beautiful? Li Ju'an, you're really lucky. You don't have a single shrew in your family? Not even a loudmouth?"
Li Ju'an listened for a while and said, "It's alright, this isn't crying, it's just being coquettish. Girls in the South are like that, both coquettish and demanding, like little devils. You'll know you like them when you see them."
Lu Zhiqiang laughed at him: "You're just talking nonsense. You've never even left your village, how do you know that southern girls are good? Have you ever even seen a southern girl?"
Upon closer reflection, he realized he had indeed seen her before. Wasn't she the female secretary brought along by the male boss in Shanghai?
He thought of the female secretary's graceful figure and her alluring charm. Her dark, piercing eyes glanced at him, both haughty and seductive, making his heart itch. He longed to conquer her and satisfy his desire.
Lu Jinyang knew what his brother was thinking at a glance and said, "What are you thinking? You dare to even think about those top-tier women? Only a big boss in Shanghai could get them."
Lu Zhiqiang snorted defiantly and said, "So what if you're a big boss in Shanghai? I'll be a big boss myself and show off my power someday. By the way, Li Ju'an, didn't you bring back that lamb? I'll buy it. I'll start a sheep farm and do some business someday."
After the land was distributed to individual households, many villagers went to the town or city to look for business opportunities.
Qian Dingxiang ran a tailoring workshop in the city, and business was booming. She loved to come back to the village to show off. This caused some unease among the men and women in the village.
How come some of the villagers who lived in the same village got rich first, while they are still stuck with their half-acre of land in the mountains, living in abject poverty?
The lack of enthusiasm for production indicates a problem with their mindset.
Brigade leader Yang Dezheng also noticed that many households were working hard and were more enthusiastic than before after being allocated land.
In the past, people worked for the production brigade and earned work points. Now, after the land was distributed, people are much more motivated to work, cultivating the land and harvesting grain for their own families.
Some villagers who did not return to their village do business in the town, contracting out their old farmland to other villagers and receiving rent every year.
Even Yang Dezheng was thinking, with everyone trying to make money and policies being relaxed, should he also start a business to supplement his family's livelihood?
Li Ju'an heard that Lu Zhiqiang wanted to buy his rock sheep.
He said, "If you want to buy it, of course, no problem. I can even give you this sheep for free."
"Really? Goodness! Good brother, how can I accept this? I'm shameless, I have to give you something. I can't take advantage of my brother for nothing. Even close brothers have to keep clear accounts, right?"
Lu Zhiqiang rubbed his hands together gleefully, saying he was embarrassed and ashamed, but his actions didn't falter at all; he was just short of reaching out to steal the sheep.
Lu Jinyang said, "These sheep can't be raised, or they wouldn't make money even if they were, right?"
Lu Zhiqiang paused, then suddenly shouted, "How could that be? How do you know? This isn't Little Black Bear. And I'm not the same person I used to be. I've become stronger."