20demayo Chapter 147 Specialty Chicken
Chapter 147 Specialty Chicken
"How did this happen?"
Wang Qiang circled the rice paddy several times, his eyes wide open. He reached out and touched the soil in the paddy field; it was moist and delicate, carrying a fresh fragrance of rice.
"Can these fish fry really survive in the rice paddies?"
Wang Qiang still couldn't quite believe it.
"Of course it can. Otherwise, why would I have dug fish ponds in the first place? It was to give these fish fry a home. Besides, this rice-fish co-culture model has been scientifically proven and is absolutely safe."
Wang Qiang listened, still somewhat skeptical. He wandered around the rice paddies for a while longer, his eyes widening in amazement. After returning home, he went to find his father, Old Man Wang.
They went to discuss it.
"Dad, look at the rice-fish co-culture model in Lijia Village, it's really novel," Wang Qiang said excitedly.
Old Wang took a puff of his pipe, his eyes filled with disdain: "Fresh? Can freshness fill your stomach? He makes money and then has to turn it back into cash. Do you think these fish are raised for nothing? Don't be fooled by those fancy things. Let's just stick to farming."
Seeing that his father didn't believe him, Wang Qiang became a little anxious: "Dad, the people in Lijia Village have tried it and said it works quite well. Why don't we give it a try too?"
Old Wang glared at his son: "What are you trying! We only have a few acres of land. If we mess this up, what will we live on? Just focus on farming and stop messing around with that useless stuff!"
Wang Qiang was scolded by his father and dared not utter a word, but he was still itching to try it himself. He thought, why not try it secretly? After all, it's only a few acres of land, so even if he messes it up, the loss won't be significant.
So, taking advantage of his father's inattention, Wang Qiang secretly went to Lijia Village to ask Li Mu for advice on rice-fish symbiosis.
Seeing Wang Qiang's enthusiasm, Li Mu patiently explained to him, "This rice-fish co-culture is actually quite simple. First, you level the paddy field, then release the fish fry, and then plant the rice. How many do you want to plant?"
"I plan to try it out on one or two acres first," Wang Qiang said, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly.
Li Mu smiled and said, "Okay, then you can try it out with this one or two acres first. Remember to level the paddy field, put the fish fry in, and then plant rice. Also, you need to change the water in the paddy field regularly to keep the water clean, so that the fish can live well."
"Brother Mu, thank you so much."
"It's alright, we're all from the same village, helping each other is only right. Remember to treat me to a drink when your rice-fish symbiosis project is successful."
Wang Qiang was eventually discovered by Old Man Wang to be secretly consulting Li Mu about rice-fish co-culture. It was too late to scold him then; the land had already been tilled, the fish fry had been bought, and they were just about to release them into the rice paddies.
Looking at his son's determined eyes, Old Wang sighed. He knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he said, "Fine! If you don't bring back any money, I'll break your legs!"
After saying that, she ignored her son and turned to go back into the house.
Wang Qiang was overjoyed to see that his father had tacitly agreed, and immediately put the fish fry into the rice paddy.
After the rice seeds were sown, the off-season for farming began for Li Mu.
Li Jianjun and Tian Xiaohu were not used to having so much free time, and the two of them spent all day around Li Mu, trying to find something to do.
"Why are you looking at me? You should rest properly during the off-season."
"That won't do! I feel restless when I have nothing to do, and I always want to find something to do."
Li Jianjun scratched his head, while Li Mu had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and his eyes darting around.
Do you think... raising chickens and ducks is a good idea?
Tian Xiaohu's family raises pigs, and he was the first to object: "That's not as good as raising pigs. Who doesn't know how to raise chickens and ducks these days? It requires a large investment, the returns are slow, and they're prone to disease. People in our village have tried raising them before, and they lost everything."
Li Jianjun hesitated upon hearing this: "Then, what about raising pigs?"
Li Mu shook his head: "Raising pigs won't work either. Pork prices are unstable right now, and the breeding cycle is long and the risks are high."
Upon hearing this, both of them were deflated: "Then what are we going to do? We can't just sit around doing nothing all day."
Looking at the two men, Li Mu had an idea: "I think the chickens and ducks look good, but we won't raise ordinary chickens and ducks. If we're going to raise them, we'll raise specialty breeds, such as guinea fowl, royal chickens, and green-shelled chickens. These breeds are rare in the market, so they'll fetch high prices and be profitable."
The two were completely bewildered. What were guinea fowl, imperial concubine chicken, and green-shelled egg chicken?
"When have we ever seen such strange things around here?"
"There isn't any demand for them now, but they'll be all the rage in a few years. You have to be forward-thinking. Think about it, these unique varieties are rare here now, but there's market demand, especially from people who want a green and healthy diet. Once we start raising them and promote them, won't that be a new path to wealth?"
Li Jianjun didn't take it seriously. He curled his lip and thought to himself that these days, it's good enough to be able to fill your stomach, so why would anyone care about such things?
But seeing Li Mu's serious expression, he was too embarrassed to directly refute him, so he could only say, "Mu Zi, I understand what you're saying, but where do we villagers get the spare money to pursue green and healthy diets? We still need to be down-to-earth and raise some practical things."
Li Mu smiled.
“We don’t sell to villagers, but to wealthy and leisurely people in the city. Think about it, city dwellers have improved their lives, so they naturally start to pay more attention to food and drink. They’re tired of ordinary chickens and ducks, and they definitely want to try something new. Our specialty breeds can meet their needs perfectly.”
Isn't this the same path that we followed with the wild vegetable and blueberry juice products we launched before?
Li Mu's words made Li Jianjun and Tian Xiaohu nod repeatedly.
They felt that Li Mu's words made sense; city dwellers had a high standard of living and were indeed likely to pursue these specialty varieties.
Moreover, the wild vegetables and blueberry juice that Li Mu had previously launched sold very well, which gave them even more confidence in Li Mu.
"Muzi, let's get right to it. Let's go get these special breeds of chickens and ducks to raise tomorrow."
Li Jianjun slapped his thigh and made up his mind.
Tian Xiaohu chimed in, "Yes, Brother Mu is right. We need to be more forward-thinking and not just focus on the small immediate gains."
The three discussed it for a while and decided, "Let's go! Let's go check out the market!"
The market was bustling with people. There were all sorts of stalls selling farm tools, seeds, and snacks.
The three of them weaved through the crowd, looking around. There were plenty of chickens and ducks, but they didn't see any guinea fowl, royal chickens, or green-shelled chickens—these were the specialty breeds.
Li Jianjun was somewhat discouraged: "See? I told you, we don't have any of these strange things around here."
Li Mu remained calm and composed. He led the two to a chicken stall and pointed to the chicks, saying, "Look at these chicks. Although they are not guinea fowl or royal chickens, their feathers are bright and they are full of energy. You can tell at a glance that they are healthy chicks. We can buy some to raise at home."