Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Around 5 p.m., a black motorcycle sped past the dealership, drawing the attention and criticism of a group of villagers.

"It's not like we're looking at it, nor is it a kingdom that's occupied."

"The guy on the back seat looks like the second son of the Hong family. Why is he coming back on a motorcycle?"

"I heard from the kids that Chen Mian went to the village to sing and dance again today. I guess she'll be back to life in a couple of days. Old habits die hard."

……

Chen Mian was unaware of the gossip and got out of the car right in front of her own house.

In the afternoon, he took Yao Wang to visit his nearly 45 mu of cotton fields, which were growing very well. He expected to be able to harvest the first batch of cotton in mid-September.

"Brother Yao, see you later."

"Okay, this isn't difficult for you."

Yao Wang was quite satisfied with his trip, as the cotton was sufficient proof of Chen Mian's family's ability to repay the loan.

Chen Mian's request was for a short-term loan, and as a genuine farmer, he could even delay payment until the settlement stage, even if he received an IOU from the cotton station.

The missing collateral isn't much, and with some documentation from the brigade headquarters, they can definitely help with the process.

When Chen Mian returned home, she found the house unusually lively. In addition to her parents, her older brother and sister-in-law, Cheng Aiguo and his family of three were also there.

Cheng Haichao sat at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) looking unusually honest and unassuming, as if he were tied up with a rope and his mouth was gagged.

After exchanging greetings, Chen Mian sidled up to Cheng Haichao, their arm around each other's shoulders a familiar sight to everyone.

After listening for a while, I realized that it was about emptying the cotton, and the four brothers, Chen Hongqiang, had already started to take action.

Cheng Aiguo was very interested in cash transactions, so he came here to find out if it was reliable.

Not being an outsider, Chen Hongguo frankly stated, "At the time, I thought that dumping cotton was ultimately an illegal act, and the Second Cotton Mill was unwilling to do so, so I didn't agree."

"If you ask me, we should just sell to the cotton station honestly. The only problem is that it's easy to get IOUs, but things are much better now than before. At most, we'll have to wait three or four months longer, which is better than living in fear and anxiety."

Seeing Cheng Aiguo deep in thought, Chen Mian chimed in, "Uncle, what's your estimate for this year's cotton yield?"

When the issue of yield per mu was mentioned, everyone in the room became more serious. The problem of bollworms has been very serious in the past two years, and it would be a good thing if this year's yield could be the same as last year's.

Cheng Aiguo turned to look at Chen Mian, somewhat surprised. This child had really gotten to the heart of the matter with just one question.

He sighed and said, "Last year, none of the more than one hundred households in the village weighed more than 300 jin (150 kg), and this year the situation is probably the same."

"They're dumping cotton because of the reduced yields in the last two years. Can the authorities just ignore it forever?"

Chen Mian's next words hit the nail on the head, startling the family of three.

Once the incident is exposed, the cotton dealers will go to jail and be fined, the cotton will be confiscated, and the cotton farmers who sold the cotton will also be fined to some extent, and their reputations will be ruined.

Cheng Haichao nudged Chen Mian with his elbow and immediately moved to his parents' side. He had witnessed another side of Chen Mian today and paid special attention to what she said.

"Mom and Dad, let's not go through with this. Er Mian is right, it was really dangerous."

Cheng Aiguo didn't say anything, but just looked at Chen Mian in surprise. His parents, older brother and sister-in-law were all listening calmly, nodding as if Chen Mian was the one in charge of the family.

After much deliberation, Chen Mian's words made sense, but I'm really short of money right now, and I don't know when I'll be able to cash out this year's IOUs.

Chen Hongqiang suggested that they could wait for the cotton price to be announced before discussing the matter further, and that the price would definitely not be low.

After considering it for a moment, he asked, "Er Mian, what do you think about me selling some of it first?"

Chen Mian shook her head. This kind of selling method is a big no-no this year; people will regret it to the core.

As far as I can remember, Cheng Aiguo came across some cheap materials and wanted to quickly exchange them for money to build two more rooms in his new house, planning to renovate it next year after saving up enough money.

He was so eager to sell the cotton to his own family that he ended up being fined 1000 yuan.

He asked knowingly, "Uncle, are you in a hurry for money?"

Cheng Aiguo looked at Chen Hongguo and his wife with surprise: "Our second nephew is really quick-witted."

"That's how it is..."

The rural construction industry is not in its peak season at this time of year, so some materials are often cheaper.

Especially since I found out a few days ago that a batch of good bricks were only one cent each. If I waited until autumn to buy them from the brick factory, the price would be at least two cents more, and sometimes even as high as one and a half cents.

The time difference is only two months, but the two rooms will probably need 5000 bricks, which could add 200 yuan to the cost.

Adding in the cost of lime and cement, the whole set would cost around 1,300 to 1,400 yuan. This is based on the premise of not hiring workers, and it doesn't even include the cost of meals for villagers who come to help with the work.

Upon hearing this, Chen Hongguo and his wife considered the situation for a moment, then exchanged a glance and nodded.

"It's not much different. I'll get you some first, and we'll decide on the bricks later," Chen Hongguo said in a deep voice.

"No, no..."

Cheng Aiguo waved his hands repeatedly, afraid that his elder brother would misunderstand that he had come to borrow money.

Then he explained again that he was thinking of saving as much as possible, and he was really fed up with the idea of ​​getting IOUs.

However, to the surprise of both families, Chen Mian spoke up again: "Uncle, there's no need to rush."

When Chen Mian saw that Cheng Aiguo's cup was empty, she got up and went over to pour him a cup.

"After the autumn harvest, you'll definitely be the only family in the village who wants to build a house, and there will be quite a few people who want to buy bricks. At that time, you should walk around the village more and try to help them make arrangements."

"It would be more cost-effective for several households to buy materials together, including shipping costs."

"Wow~"

Cheng Haichao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, staring at Chen Mian with wide, round eyes.

He couldn't understand the loan pitches used in the restaurant before, but these words were easy to understand, so why did they come out of his mouth in such an old-fashioned way?

Cheng Aiguo took a sip of water and smiled relaxedly.

He had inquired beforehand, only asking his relatives and friends, and heard that no one was building houses anymore, so he gave up.

As for dealing with unfamiliar people, I was a bit apprehensive. Considering that my two back rooms wouldn't cost too much, I decided to do it myself.

Knowing his sworn brother's temperament, Chen Hongguo said, "Er Mian is right. I'll make arrangements for you once I'm done with this."

"It's simple, no need to go through all that trouble. We'll just use the brigade headquarters' loudspeaker to announce it. It's a win-win situation, Uncle, you don't need to feel embarrassed," Chen Mian said casually.

Actually, Chen Mian really wanted to say that after the autumn harvest, our family would also need to buy bricks and build a house, but the location was rather special.

"Alright, I'll do as my second nephew says. I'll go take a stroll around after I get the IOUs redeemed."