In my days as a farmer

The lotus was definitely a painful lesson for Xia Dongli, but he figured it out after confirming that it was the lotus root.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with vegetable lotus root. Although the flowers bloom a little less, it can be eaten.

According to his conditions, there are tens of millions of flowers that can be viewed, but not many can be eaten, so Xia Dongli's original plan was to try to see if lotus root cultivation could be achieved here.

Lotus root likes warmth and sun. Although it is not delicate, it is not easy to grow well in the north. Lotus roots in the south can be stored in pond mud, but in the north they must be dug out and stored in warehouses.

Don't underestimate this process. Once the lotus root is broken, the incision will oxidize quickly, but it is very brittle, and it is easy to break during the excavation process.

Because of this factor, even though all kinds of agricultural machinery have been highly developed, digging lotus roots is still an activity that relies entirely on manpower.

Imagine, in autumn in the north, digging lotus roots by hand in the bitter cold wind... If this job is not expensive, how can any worker be willing to do it? !

Now that the transportation cost has been greatly reduced, instead of spending a lot of money and cost to grow lotus roots in the north, it is better to buy them from the south—because they are well grown in the south, the price of lotus roots is actually very cheap.

But the key to growing vegetables is not the cost but the fun, and Xia Dongli is also thinking about it. The lotus can purify the water, and the big lotus leaves can also help the small pond to shade the sun and provide a safe area for aquatic animals.

The stalks can provide supports for aquatic animals such as water slugs when they emerge. Although it is a pity that they will not bloom, the emerald green is also very beautiful.The key is that it is not bad to have more lotus leaves. Many dishes need lotus leaves to provide aroma. Since there are no flowers, there is no psychological pressure to pick the leaves.

What's more, the lotus root is not completely unable to bloom, or it is a little less, which can also provide a sense of surprise.As for flowers, the less they bloom, the more precious they are.

Vegetable lotus root is basically the original variety, so the flowers they bloom can still have long lotus pods. Fresh lotus pods are delicious. Use a toothpick to push out the bitter lotus seeds. The remaining lotus seeds are fragrant, crisp, tender and juicy. , Dry chews are delicious!

But this lotus pod, the only lotus pod in Xia Dongli's small pond, is now being gnawed in the mouth by the Xiangxiang pig.

Xia Dongli's heart was bleeding.

But he didn't blame Xiaobaa, after all, he never told Xiaobaa not to pick lotus pods to eat, and Xiaobaa is also a strong laborer in the family, going up and down the mountain every day is also very hard, and occasionally eats some milk...

Also, forgive that too, probably.

"Actually, I still can't understand why such a big sheep needs milk. Doesn't it smell fishy?" Xia Dongli looked at the two harmonious couples on the land with a complicated expression.

At the beginning, Xiaobaa was weaned naturally. At that time, it was completely attracted by the fresh fragrance of spring grass. When going out to play every day, it gnawed here and there to fill itself up. Some tasteless.

After a few times, Xia Dongli naturally started to feed roughage, and Xiaobaa also naturally started to eat grass, and later he jumped around looking for tender grass to eat. It seemed that he didn't have the slightest nostalgia for milk powder, so he also Didn't think much about it.

Animals like sheep are relatively self-care animals in nature, and they are not too hypocritical.But Xiao Baa was raised as a pet after all, so it was inevitable that she would be a bit delicate, and it was not a big deal if she was greedy for milk, and their family could not afford to feed her.

It's pig's milk... um.

Xia Dongli was fed human milk once when he was very young, and it was because his newborn cousin couldn't eat it.

At that time, there were not all kinds of breast milk preservation devices like now, and the disinfection of feeding bottles was not considered a pass, so the milk that could not be eaten after entering the feeding bottle could not be stored anymore.

But considering that it was the most nutritious colostrum at that time, the family members were a little reluctant to throw it away, so he was "fortunate" to try it as the youngest and most greedy kid at the scene.

That smell... After so many years, Xia Dongli hasn't forgotten the shock.

It is also an omnivorous animal, and pig milk is probably not much better than human milk, but after thinking about it, goat milk has the biggest smell of all milk, so maybe this smell is not too bad for Xiaobaa What?

"I don't know if it's a whim or a long-term transaction." He leaned over and whispered to Xun Yao, "If it's for a long time, you have to be careful that the piglets don't have enough milk, and Xiangxiang's burden itself is relatively heavy."

The number of teats of sows is not a fixed number, even the same breed also has different numbers.Xiangxiang has 7 pairs of nipples, so every time she feeds, a little piglet will be left behind, and she can only search for it one by one after the brothers have finished eating.

Thanks to Xiangxiang's not too picky eaters, she can eat everything. She has enough milk. In addition, the piglets don't use isolation pens, so they can eat whenever they are hungry and don't need to be huddled together. human intervention.

Under such circumstances, it is too extravagant to give some more milk to Xiao Baa.

"If Xiaobaa really wants to drink milk, make some pig milk powder for her." Xun Yao suggested in a low voice.

Pig milk powder was bought in advance because they saw that there were too many piglets, and they were afraid that Xiangxiang would not be able to feed them. Now they can’t use it anymore, and it’s not durable. If Xiaobaa likes to drink, it’s okay to give it .

"Okay." Xia Dongli thought it was a good idea, and he adjusted his posture as he spoke, his legs were a little numb from squatting all the time.

After all, Xiaobaa was also the cub he raised since he was a child. Although he was naughty and mischievous since he was a child, he was also cute when he was a child.

On some unimportant things, Xia Dongli felt that it was okay to indulge, as long as it was willing to work hard.However, he quickly thought of a very serious question: "After Xiaobaa has a wife and cubs, won't he still want to suck his wife's milk?"

Xun Yao was taken aback for a moment, his expression was hesitant to speak.Xia Dongli hurriedly interrupted him to prevent his brain from continuing to function. It is better not to think about this aspect, otherwise he was afraid that he would not be able to continue to be a kind old father!

But looking at Xiangxiang gnawing on the lotus pods from a distance with a sweet and comfortable look on his face, Xia Dongli couldn't hold back, and opened Taobao, wanting to buy some lotus pods online.

That's how people are. If Xiaobaa hadn't picked up his lotus pods, Xia Dongli would be dispensable, but human beings are afraid of the word "lose".

Once a loss has been experienced, the urge to make it up again is irresistible.

The first thing Xia Dongli was looking for was a Taobao merchant that was relatively close to here, but unfortunately, the nearest merchant was also in Jingzhou, and it would take three or four days to get to them by express delivery. The freshness of the day, after this time, the core will be bitter.

He looked at the lotus pod that had just lost its petals on the pond, and felt that he didn't know how long he would have to wait for this, so he simply knocked on the Taobao seller who looked the most pleasing to the eye, and wanted to ask if he could send SF cold chain. He went to the city to get it.

But when the shopkeeper saw the address of Xia Dongli's house, he was pleasantly surprised and said that they were neighbors. It turned out that the shopkeeper who opened a lotus root farm in Jingzhou, Hubei was a villager who went out from Lishu Village in the early years. His name was Lao Litou. It is the famous nine-hole lotus root king in Jingzhou.

The story of Old Litou is quite legendary. When Lishu Village lost a large market due to the impact of foreign pear varieties, a group of young and middle-aged people went out to work to subsidize their families. He was one of them.

At that time, the economic development in the south was far better than that in the north, so he gritted his teeth and went a little farther. He went to work in a local lotus root farm in Jingzhou, and learned all kinds of skills by playing games.

After saving some money in a few years, he followed the policy and contracted a piece of land to plant lotus roots.

Moreover, this guy had experienced the lessons of Lishu Village at that time. In the early stage of breeding, he first followed the market to raise some seven-hole lotus roots.

The seven-hole lotus root has a lot of starch, so it is the best choice for making soup, making lotus root powder and sweet-scented osmanthus lotus root. It was in great demand at that time.Moreover, it is short and thick, which is convenient for breeding and digging, and it is also relatively easy to transport, so there are many growers.

But after growing it for a period of time, he decided that the market for the seven-hole lotus root was becoming saturated, so he wisely introduced a good variety of the nine-hole lotus root and started planting it.

At that time, his actions attracted a lot of criticism, even the workers on the farm did not agree.Why?Because the nine-hole lotus root is a charming lady compared to the seven-hole lotus root.

The nine-hole lotus root is white and slender, crisp, tender and sweet. It can even be eaten raw when it is just dug out, just like a fruit. It tastes best when used in stir-fries and cold salads.

But this thing is not so easy for farmers to take care of. Things like lotus root are not easy to transport even when they are whole, let alone in an injured state.

The seven-hole lotus root is short and thick, and it can withstand pressure, so it can be transported by wrapping it in mud, but the nine-hole lotus root is not good, because it is thin and long, and it will break if you don't pay attention.Therefore, subject to the original transportation conditions, seven holes can be shipped to most parts of the country, but nine holes can only be supplied near the place of origin.

So, Old Li thought of a way. After many experiments, he piled up half of his wealth and rented a seafood transport truck, put salt water in it, soaked the lotus root in it, and drove to the north.

Although lotus root has many holes, it is not easy to taste, and salt water has buoyancy, and the temperature change is lower than that of clean water. Putting lotus root in salt water is convenient for transportation and not easy to perish. If the taste changes, you can wash it with clean water when you arrive at the local area, and you can go directly to the market.

Relying on this unique trick, Lao Litou opened up the northern and western markets, first promoted the nine-hole lotus root to other places, and made a lot of money.

And because of his strong sense of urgency, after making money, Lao Li did not let go of the breeding of varieties and the improvement of transportation methods, and did not put all the focus on the lotus root fields, but contracted some orchards And farms, multi-faceted flowering.

Therefore, even though he later encountered a large number of colleagues relying on the booming logistics industry to grab the market, Lao Litou was still able to remain invincible relying on his own product quality and capital chain.

By the way, he was one of the first batch of lotus root farmers who invested in green food farming. When his peers seized the farmers' market, his little Jiu Kongs were the first to put green food signs on them. business.

For users who buy vegetables in the supermarket, the crisp and easy-to-cook nine-hole lotus root is more popular than the seven-hole lotus root, which is mainly used for soup.

Relying on this foresight, Lao Li was once again ahead of his peers.

However, although he is a master in business, Li feels that these are the wisdom taught to him by his hometown and his youth experience. Therefore, he is very concerned about his hometown Lishu Village. cause.

A few years ago, he heard that people in his hometown were going to build a resort, so he took out a sum of working capital to invest in it without hesitation, and now he has a small surplus.

As soon as Xia Dongli talked about the resort, he had a more common language with people. He immediately praised the service attitude and entertainment facilities of the resort, and said that he would book 10 suites with Amway friends during the Golden Week.

Old Li was very happy when he heard the words, and immediately waved his big hand to show his little brother, how about it, don't you want lotus pods, and don't wait for the express delivery.

Tomorrow, I happen to be sending a batch of fruits to the fruit transit market in Lishu Village. I will ask someone to bring the lotus pods there, and you can just go and get them when the time comes.

This kind of fruit wholesale truck is used for door-to-door long-distance transportation, taking expressways and provincial roads all the way, and it takes less than a day from Jingzhou to Lishu Village.

Moreover, the north-south transportation must consider the problem that the fruit is affected by the temperature difference, so this kind of long-distance transportation is a cold-chain vehicle, so there is no need to worry about the freshness of the lotus in this kind of vehicle.Xia Dongli was overjoyed at the moment, placed the order immediately, and left his mobile phone number, asking the driver to call him when he arrived, and he went to pick up the goods.

So, the next day, he received a call from the driver, and everyone made an appointment to meet, and Xia Dongli happily drove the SUV to the fruit wholesale market ahead of schedule.

Anyway, I've come here, and it's a good deal to buy some fruits by the way.

Although the wholesale market has a quota, but they have a lot of families and animals, eating fruit is like running water, even if they can't eat it, they can send some to Assistant Xiao Li and Village Chief Xiao Song, Xia Dongli is very concerned about himself There is no psychological pressure to be able to buy the minimum batch.

He also specially brought a small trolley and pushed one with Xun Yao, posing as if he was going to make a big purchase.

However, while pushing the car from the parking lot to the wholesale market, Xia Dongli suddenly heard a low growl from the stairwell: "I don't want to do it anymore, I really can't do it anymore!"

A man in navy blue overalls was sitting on the stairs, holding a half-burned cigarette in his hand, his voice was full of exhaustion and helplessness.

Surrounded by some men who also wore overalls, they were all persuading him: "You are almost seeing the dawn, why don't you stop!"

"If you hold on, if you don't have enough money, the brothers will lend you more."

"Little brother, listen to my advice, you have been holding on for so many years, and you have reached 99 steps, if you give up now, do you think you will regret it in the future!"

"I don't know that I won't regret it in the future, I just know that if I don't stop now, I will definitely regret it." The man raised his face, with a look of helplessness and frustration, "Brothers, let me put it this way, starting from the end of June this year Up to now, I haven’t seen a few rains in my field, all of which are irrigated by pumping water, and hundreds of dollars are poured down every day, and my heart hurts and my liver hurts.”

"It's not that I don't want to hold on, I know I'm about to succeed, but I can't hold on anymore. My daughter is still waiting for her tuition fee." He stuffed the butt of the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep breath, "You said if I do it here A contract worker earns more than 6000 yuan a month. My wife can earn 1 yuan a month when she works for others, and more than [-] yuan a month is enough for the family to eat. But it’s really a waste of money to serve our land. I can hear it."

He shook his head and sighed: "There are disasters and disasters every year, and I have to spend money. I also see through it. This is because God doesn't give food. There is no way. Farming is really tiring. I might as well come here." Get a part-time job."

Everyone felt a little helpless seeing him like this. A middle-aged man who was closest to him handed him another cigarette, and said in a deep voice, "Then what about your land? All the fruit trees have been sold?"

"I'm going to sell it, but..." The man took the cigarette, but didn't light it, and just turned it in his fingers, and he sighed again, "Brother, you don't know, I just showed some meaning, The people around are all here to ask the price, and all of them have lowered the price extremely.”

He made a gesture: "One tree, this price."

When the men around saw his gesture, they immediately became angry: "You have had a big fruit tree for four years, and it will bear fruit after another year. At this price? Why don't they go grab it?"

"What they mean is that transplanting in this season is risky. The tree may not survive. The price has nothing to do with me whether it survives or not. It makes sense. If I can wait, I will wait until spring, but I can't bear it now. Go down." The man waved his hand, "I don't ask for my money back now, just take some if I can, and let me pay back the debt."

"Then... are you really going to sell it? You are all good seedlings, you didn't mean you got them from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences..."

"A good seedling is a good seedling, but it grows too slowly, so I can't wait any longer." The man looked at the spider web in the corner with heavy eyes, as if he was thinking of his high-spirited appearance back then, and finally he shook his head, "Forget it, no Mention it, let it be.”

The man had a bitter look on his face: "I'm probably not suitable for this job. There's nothing I can do. Thank you brothers. I'll pay you back when I sell the seedlings."

Several men around him patted him on the shoulder one after another when they heard the words, consolingly comforting, consolingly consoling, but before they knew it, they suddenly found that there was an extra person in their group of uniforms.

This young man looks fair and clean, well-dressed and well-dressed, with fancy gold-rimmed glasses hanging on the bridge of his nose, and his hair seems to have been hairstyled, strangely like those starlets on TV, anyway, he is gathering with everyone to smoke The stairwell was out of place.

A few people glanced at his small cart and probably knew it. Seeing someone approaching, someone enthusiastically pointed him in the direction, obviously thinking that he was lost.

The young man thanked him with a smile, then looked at the man who was sorting out his emotions and asked softly, "Hello, may I ask what kind of fruit you grow?"

"My family's farm just wants to purchase some fruit seedlings." He smiled slightly, pushed down the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and looked very professional. "If possible, can we talk?"

……Huh? !The big men involuntarily opened their eyes wide, looking at this young man who had nothing to do with farming written all over his body, from his hair to his shoes.

"I always feel a little bit like meeting a fisherman." - Several men couldn't help but whispered in their hearts.

Coincidentally, Xia Dongli also felt a little bit like this. This kind of bitter drama staged in a not-so-remote corner of the fruit wholesale market really looked like a scam!

It's just that his longing for cheap fruit seedlings made him decide to take the risk. He smiled as sincerely as possible, and at the same time opened his phone and poked Chen Li's WeChat.

Since it is a variety of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences... Xiaochen brand polygraph, you deserve it.