Chapter 45: Selling Pigs

Chapter 45: Selling Pigs

Morning.

Eastern Village Village, Han River Brigade.

Dai Chunqing looked at the two large, fat pigs happily eating in the pen, his wrinkled face beaming with joy. He turned to his eldest daughter, who was feeding the pigs, and said, "Alan, give them a little more food. Later, we'll take the smaller one to the food station to sell, and we'll keep the bigger one to slaughter and sell ourselves."

Dai Fanglan, dressed in patched clothes, nodded and replied, "I understand, Dad."

Ten minutes later, the two fat pigs were full and content.

Dai Chunqing picked up a long stick and, together with his son and daughter, drove the slightly smaller pig toward the Shuangwang Food Station.

Since 1970, Bobai County had implemented a "buy one, keep one" policy for pig production and sales. This meant that whether it was a collective or an individual, after selling one pig to the state, they could slaughter another and sell it on the market at a negotiated price.

Before 1970, farmers who sold live pigs to the state were rewarded with 25 kilograms of raw grain, 10 kilograms of fertilizer, and 2 feet of cotton cloth at state prices. After 1970, the state increased the raw grain reward. For a pig with a gross weight of 60 kilograms, the reward was 20 kilograms of raw grain. For every additional 1.25 kilograms of weight, the reward increased by 0.5 kilograms.

Although the rewards had increased, selling pigs to the state wasn't as profitable as slaughtering and selling them privately. The state-listed price for pork was significantly lower than the market price, and the rewards couldn't make up for the difference.

Therefore, Dai Chunqing decided to sell the smaller pig to the state and keep the larger one to slaughter and sell himself.

Eastern Village was very close to Double Prosperity Market. It took Dai Chunqing and his children only ten minutes to drive the pig to the food station.

The Double Prosperity Food Station was located near the supply and marketing cooperative. As Dai Chunqing and his daughter arrived, Deng Shirong happened to be leaving the cooperative. He immediately noticed Dai Chunqing's two children.

Recently, Deng Shirong had been riding his bicycle around Double Prosperity, gathering detailed information about eligible men and women in each village, preparing for matchmaking.

His efforts had yielded a lot of potential matches, but Deng Shirong was still carefully considering which young man would be best suited to which girl.

Marriage was a lifelong commitment, affecting not only the couple but also their families and future children. Deng Shirong had vowed to himself that he would approach matchmaking with caution, ensuring that each match was well-suited before making any introductions. He refused to pair people randomly just for profit, as that could ruin someone's life.

The two couples he had successfully matched earlier were proven to be happy in their previous lives, so he had no reservations about bringing them together. Now, however, he had to rely on his own judgment, which inevitably brought some pressure.

After all, in his previous life, he hadn't been able to predict the success of his own children's marriages, so he wasn't entirely confident in his matchmaking abilities.

Still, as the saying goes, failure is the mother of success. The failed marriages of his children and others in the village had provided valuable lessons. In his later years, Deng Shirong had analyzed these marriages, summarizing the reasons for their failures and gaining some insight.

Seeing Dai Chunqing's two children of marriageable age, Deng Shirong, driven by his matchmaking instincts, pushed his bicycle over.

"Cousin, you've raised this pig really well. It must weigh around 200 kilograms, right?"

Dai Chunqing smiled and replied, "We haven't weighed it yet, but I estimate it's about 200 kilograms."

Deng Shirong praised, "That's impressive! How did you raise it? I've been raising a pig for half a year, and it hasn't gained much weight."

Dai Chunqing chuckled. "I raise pigs the same way as everyone else. I feed them sweet potato seedlings and some low-quality sweet potatoes. As long as the pigs are well-fed and get enough rest, they'll grow quickly."

"That makes sense," Deng Shirong nodded, then glanced at Dai Fanglan, who was standing nearby holding a wooden stick. "Cousin, is this your daughter?"

Dai Chunqing hummed in acknowledgment. "Yes, this is my eldest daughter."

When Deng Shirong mentioned her, Dai Fanglan smiled shyly.

Deng Shirong smiled back and asked, "Your daughter isn't young anymore. Has she found a husband? If not, I can help introduce her to someone. There are many young men of the right age in our village. I'm sure we can find someone suitable for her."

Dai Chunqing's interest was piqued. "Cousin, which village are you from?"

"I'm from Thatchfield Village in the Help and Correct Brigade."

"Thatchfield Village is a good place. Are there any girls of marriageable age in your village? My eldest son hasn't married yet!"

"There are definitely girls of marriageable age, but our village has just distributed the first batch of fields, and the mountains still need to be divided. If you want to marry a girl from our village, you'll have to wait until the mountains are divided. Which village are you from, cousin?"

"I'm from Eastern Village!"

"Eastern Village is very close. Have you divided up the fields and mountains in your village?"

"There aren't many fields and mountains in our village. They were all divided up soon after the harvest."

"Abiao, how many children do you have?"

"I have three sons and two daughters..."

Deng Shirong and Dai Chunqing, one eager to play matchmaker and the other desperate to find a wife for his son, continued chatting at the entrance of the food station.

By the time Dai Chunqing's son and daughter returned with the money from selling the pig and the state rewards, Deng Shirong had a basic understanding of their family.

Dai Chunqing took the money from his eldest son and said, "Uncle Jiu, if you're free, why don't you come to my house for a visit?"

Deng Shirong nodded. "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer!"

Dai Chunqing smiled. "Aze, go get some money and buy two or three pounds of pork. Alan, go back and start cooking."

Seeing this, Deng Shirong quickly waved his hand. "Cousin, if you're going to be so polite, I won't come!"

Dai Chunqing laughed. "Uncle Jiu, I'm selling pigs today, and I was planning to buy some pork for the kids anyway. I'm not just being polite to you."

This might have been partly true, but Deng Shirong knew that if he weren't visiting, Dai Chunqing wouldn't have bought so much pork. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, cousin, wait here for me. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some candy and cakes."

"Uncle Jiu, you're too kind!"

"It's only right. I can't visit your house empty-handed!"

With that, Deng Shirong left his bicycle behind and quickly walked into the supply and marketing cooperative.

(End of this chapter)