Chapter 1782
People from the Farm
Liao Zhisen replied without hesitation:
"It's not far, about twenty miles. Our car is parked right next to the fields. Once they reach the edge of the fields, they can drive back quickly."
As he spoke, Liao Zhisen glanced at his watch and added:
"I estimate they'll be back in about an hour and a half."
After listening to Kaba Kaba's eyes, Wang An nodded helplessly and said:
"An hour and a half! Oh my god."
The main problem is that more than an hour has passed since those four people left, and now it will take another hour and a half.
In other words, it would take the two brothers more than half an hour to make a round trip.
And that's only if you have a car.
This gives you an idea of just how large the farmland must be!
However, this is all normal. You have to know that the farms in the entire Heilongjiang Province cover more than 5 square kilometers of land. If the area were small, it would not be able to become the largest grain production base in China.
Liao Zhisen smiled and said:
"These past few years we've had cars, so we can go faster. Before, we only had oxcarts, horse-drawn carts, and tractors, which were really slow. I remember it was around 73."
Bored, Liao Zhisen chatted with Wang An and others about some old stories about turning the Great Northern Wilderness into the Great Northern Granary.
Although Liao Zhisen spoke in a very plain manner, he still captivated Wang An and the other three.
It has to be said that it was truly not easy to transform this vast and boundless Great Northern Wilderness into the Great Northern Granary!
According to Liao Zhisen, in order to develop the Great Northern Wilderness, more than 10,000 young men and women have left their blood and lives on this black soil forever. The youngest of them was not even 18 years old, and the oldest was no more than 30 years old!
These people are truly remarkable, and they deserve our heartfelt respect and admiration.
As Liao Zhisen recounted the story, an hour and a half passed by in the blink of an eye. Even after a group of people on horseback and mules arrived, Wang An and his companions still felt a sense of wanting more.
It was clear that these people had been temporarily called from the fields, as everyone was covered in mud and grime.
As native rural people, Wang An and his three companions were easily recognizable at a glance.
When these people saw the wild boar carcasses scattered all over the ground, their eyes lit up with greed, because with these wild boars, they could finally have meat to eat.
I learned from a casual conversation with Liao Zhisen that although the farm can harvest a lot of grain every autumn, most of the grain is transported away to support other places, so the farm workers are actually short of food. Although they are not starving, they are not eating well.
As for meat, it's even scarcer; being able to eat meat two or three times a month is considered quite good.
Of course, at this time it wasn't just farms, but all over the country, that everyone was experiencing a meat shortage.
There's no other way. With food shortages, livestock can't be raised in large numbers, the livestock industry can't develop, and where will we get so much meat to eat?
While waiting, Liao Zhisen and his team had already counted the number of wild boar carcasses. After these people arrived, a farm accountant surnamed Zou took the initiative to handle the accounting. However, a disagreement arose during the accounting process. Wang An insisted on only accepting payment for 40 wild boars, which was 2,000 yuan, while Liao Zhisen insisted that the accountant pay Wang An for 42 wild boars, which was 2,100 yuan.
Liao Zhisen said somewhat impatiently:
"Xiao An, we already feel bad enough for taking six wild boars from you for free, how can we possibly take advantage of you by taking two more?"
Wang An, however, said with a smile:
"Brother Liao, don't refuse. It's just two wild boars, what's there to refuse, right?"
After a pause, Wang An continued:
"Here's what we'll do: when you get back, stew both of these wild boars, and then let all the brothers who came to help have a good meal. Consider it our treat to some meat, and that's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
Liao Zhisen still declined, saying:
"These wild boars are too many for you to invite. Besides, you've already given us a very low price for them, so don't refuse. Just take the price you owe us."
Wang An insisted:
"How can what you bought be the same as what we gave you? Brother Liao, you have to let us contribute something to the reclamation cause, right? We can't do much else, giving away two wild boars is nothing. Alright, Brother Liao, don't put those two wild boars in the account. When you get back, stew them all up so the brothers can have a good treat."
Turning his head, Wang An said to Accountant Zou:
"Come on, Accountant Zou, don't listen to Lao Liao, just listen to me. Forty wild boars in total, 2 yuan. Just write up the invoice, then give me the invoice and another 2 yuan, and that's it."
Although policies have been largely liberalized in terms of buying and selling, it is still necessary to follow formal procedures and issue proper invoices when doing business with government entities.
After Wang An finished speaking, Accountant Zou subconsciously looked at Liao Zhisen, who looked at Wang An with a helpless expression before nodding.
Liao Zhisen never expected that there would be someone like Wang An in this world. You know, when dealing with the government, you follow the proper procedures and the money comes from the government.
Besides, this was just a chance encounter, and we don't even know if we'll ever meet again. There's absolutely no need for Wang An to be so generous.
With Liao Zhisen's approval, Accountant Zou began to write on the paper as Wang An requested.
After the order was placed and the money was paid, the transaction was considered complete. Wang An and his three companions then helped the people tie the wild boar carcass to the backs of horses or mules before bidding farewell to Liao Zhisen and the others.
Before parting, Liao Zhisen repeatedly urged Wang An and the other three to visit the WD County Farm whenever they had time, as he wanted to personally receive them.
Wang An and his three companions readily agreed, but they all knew that this parting might be their last, or even the last time they would see each other.
After parting ways with Liao Zhisen and the others, Wang An and his three companions also turned east.
Perhaps because they took a detour, they completely avoided those donkeys and horses, or perhaps those donkeys and horses had completely lost track of Wang An and his companions and could not find their whereabouts.
In any case, Wang An and his three companions traveled quite smoothly for the next two days. Once they reached the territory of DJ County, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai did not find any strangers approaching.
The past two days of travel had been a rare period of enjoyment for Wang An and his companions. (End of Chapter)