In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

In most rural areas, if the land is not good, the yield of corn grown per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres) is only about 250 jin (a Chinese unit of weight, approximately 0.5 kg).

Winter wheat yields are around 130 jin, millet around 180 jin, sorghum around 200 jin, rice around 300 jin, and sweet potatoes around 1400 jin!

At that time, there weren't many high-yield varieties available, and this was the most accurate estimate of the actual yield at that time.

In addition to the impact of drought, if production declines, the food shortage will be even greater.

So the practice of falsely reporting high yields is truly deadly. In many places, labor and fertilizer are invested in a few plots of land without regard to cost, and those plots do indeed produce high yields, but what about the other plots?

Having prepared the food, Wang Xingguo began tending to the vegetable gardens in his space. These gardens were very important; once December arrived, they would transform into money-making treasures.

Don't be fooled by the fact that everything is only worth a few cents per kilogram now. By December, these fruits and vegetables will be gone since November, and December is when greenhouse produce begins to come out.

Wang Xingguo wanted to pass off these fruits and vegetables as local specialties and sell them at a high price to make money.

Ordinary people shouldn't even think about it; a monthly salary of a few dozen yuan is barely enough to support a family.

These vegetables are all meant to be sold to wealthy people, so even if Wang Xingguo offers wholesale prices, he can't possibly sell them cheaply. Anyway, how they use their vegetables to rip off rich people is their business.

Wang Xingguo looked at his pigs, which were still hanging on scaffolds. He wondered when they would grow into big, fat pigs.

Time slowly passed, and the sky darkened. However, the space would not become completely dark. Even if it became completely dark outside, the space would still be dimly lit, so there would still be no problem seeing things up close.

Calculating the time, Wang Xingguo left the space, rode his tricycle to the intersection of Gaobeidian Village, found a spot and released the seventy-one bags of cornmeal, then rode the tricycle into the village.

The clansmen were all prepared; oxcarts, donkey carts, and handcarts were ready, and they were just waiting for Wang Xingguo to come and give them instructions. They still trusted Wang Xingguo; after all, he had paid for most of the pigs, so there was no need for him to lie to them.

The beam of Wang Xingguo's flashlight caught the attention of the clansmen, who all stood up. Wang Changshun went to greet him, and once Wang Xingguo was close, he asked, "Xingguo, how did things go?"

Wang Xingguo replied with a smile, "Twenty-first Master, arrange for the clansmen to hurry to the crossroads to collect the grain. Each bag weighs 180 jin, and there are 71 bags in total. The people who delivered the grain have already left. I haven't had dinner yet, so please arrange for someone to get me some food."

Hearing that everything went smoothly, Wang Changshun breathed a sigh of relief and happily said to his second son, who had come to watch the excitement, "Second son, go and tell your sister-in-law to make a bowl of egg noodles for your nephew Xingguo."

Wang Yongqing agreed and ran home as fast as he could.

Wang Xingguo told them to go and move the grain directly, as he was too lazy to go out himself.

He rode the tricycle to Wang Changshun's doorstep, and with Wang Yongqing's help, pushed the tricycle over the threshold and into the yard.

Wang Xingguo greeted his aunt and his wife, and was then pulled into the living room, which was also their master bedroom, by his aunt.

This is how it is in rural areas nowadays: a large brick house with the living room and earthen bed all in one place. Only when people get married will they build a new house so that the young couple can have a convenient life together.

Wang Changshun's side consisted of three mud-walled, tile-roofed houses and a kitchen built with straw and mud walls.

They usually live in two rooms, and the other room is a warehouse and a place to store miscellaneous items.

Grandma Twenty-One asked with a smile, "Xingguo, do you have a boyfriend yet? If not, how about Grandma introduces you to someone?"

Wang Xingguo replied with a grin, "Twenty-first Aunt, you're too late in introducing me. I not only have a girlfriend, but I've also won over my future father-in-law. Now all that's left is for my older brother to get married so we can get married."

The twenty-first aunt said with a regretful look, "That's such a pity. I'm from the He family, and I have a very pretty girl. I was thinking of introducing her to you as your wife."

Wang Xingguo touched his nose and said, "Thank you, Aunt Twenty-One, but it's a pity we weren't meant to be."

He already has a girlfriend and is waiting to get married, so even a twenty-one-year-old mistress can't do anything about it; the matter has to be dropped.

The grain was transported back, and the noodles were also prepared—cooked dried noodles, which are quite rare in the countryside. Usually, after farmers have handed in enough poultry and livestock to meet their quotas, they continue to hand them in, and they will receive dried noodles or brown sugar, and sometimes even cloth or similar items as rewards. This is actually to encourage farmers to sell any poultry and livestock they don't meet their quotas to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The grain was distributed on the spot, first equally among the people, and then weighed according to the number of people in the household. Since there was still a lot of grain left over, it was distributed to the three ancestors of the first generation and the five female ancestors of the same generation.

The clansmen are very happy. Now that the grain has been distributed to each household, everyone is cooking for themselves. Being able to get more cornmeal is a good thing for everyone.

Wang Xingguo ignored all of that. After finishing his noodles, he lit a cigarette and pondered what to do next.

First of all, the fish-exchanging business at the hospital cannot be stopped. After July next year, everything will require receipts, and most of the people who can afford to stay in these two hospitals are from cadre families, so it's easier to get receipts from them.

Secondly, he has no way to get alcohol and cigarettes, so he can't stop exchanging things here. This is the only place where he can get cheap cigarettes and alcohol.

Finally, he needed to find a place of his own. With the help of his tribesmen, he didn't need to worry about manpower. It was time to set up his own place!

However, this matter cannot be rushed. We need to first establish connections with the neighborhood committee and the police station, and then slowly find a powerful backer to protect our territory.

You need to choose your backer carefully, otherwise your business could be turned upside down.

Wang Changshun and his son returned to the house. Wang Xingguo quickly got up to greet them. After the three sat down, Wang Changshun said to Wang Xingguo, "Xingguo, you did a good job this time. The three ancestors all praised you highly. You should take some time to have your brothers and sisters come back to offer incense to the ancestors and let them know that there are people of their clan here."

Wang Xingguo nodded and said, "Uncle Twenty-One, I know about this. It's just that my eldest brother is busy with work at the wire factory, and my younger brother and sister are in school. How about I bring them back to kowtow and offer incense to our ancestors after they start their winter vacation?"

Wang Changshun nodded and said, "That's fine. I'm not saying I'm rushing you, but I just want you to know that you should have this intention. The family genealogy has already included you, so it wouldn't be right not to come back and offer incense to our ancestors."