Chapter 374: The Feed Is Running Low

Zhou Zhiming arrived at the old village chief’s house early in the morning. “Old Village Chief, the feed is running low.”

He had no choice. He didn’t feel comfortable directly telling Zhou Yimin, so he came to find the old village chief and asked him to speak on his behalf.

When the old village chief heard this, he was a bit troubled. He hadn’t expected the feed to run out so quickly.

“Alright, I’ll go discuss it with Yimin shortly.”

Hearing the old village chief agree, Zhou Zhiming let out a sigh of relief. He was afraid the old village chief would ask him to go talk to Zhou Yimin.

“I’ll go get busy then!”

After saying that, he left.

Zhou Zhiming still needed to keep an eye on the greenhouse. After a night of heating, the temperature inside the greenhouse had already reached 20 degrees Celsius, which was suitable for planting.

The ideal temperature range for growing crops is typically between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius. This range is based on the needs of the crops and the actual experience of controlling the environment inside the greenhouse, promoting photosynthesis and respiration, and improving both yield and quality.

If it weren’t for Zhou Yimin’s reminder, many villagers would likely have gone there to escape the cold, and it would have been problematic if issues arose.

Zhou Zhiming checked every two to three hours to make sure the firewood was burning well. If the firewood wasn’t enough, he would add a bit more. He just needed to ensure the fire didn’t go out.

Every time he checked the firewood, people were drawn in by the warm air and didn’t want to leave.

When he arrived at the greenhouse, he saw that several villagers were already waiting at the entrance.

Since there were no orders yet, no one dared to enter the greenhouse for fear of any accidents. After all, safety was the priority.

“Everyone can go in now!” Zhou Zhiming called out.

Zhou Xuping joked, “Didn’t you say there’s a risk to life if we go in?”

Everyone else laughed at that.

Zhou Zhiming felt a little embarrassed. He hadn’t heard the instructions clearly before, and when he relayed the message, it ended up sounding like entering the greenhouse was dangerous.

“Alright, alright, don’t laugh. I know I miscommunicated this time, and I’ll make sure to do better next time.”

After saying that, he led everyone into the greenhouse.

To ensure proper air circulation, he raised one side of the curtain so fresh air could enter. Otherwise, with the high carbon dioxide levels inside, it wouldn’t take long before they risked carbon dioxide poisoning.

This round of planting included vegetables like chives, water spinach, and Chinese cabbage.

These vegetables have short growth cycles and can be harvested repeatedly, which will help the village earn more money.

Growing vegetables was basic for every farmer, so Zhou Zhiming didn’t need to say much.

Everyone quickly took on clear roles: some people worked on tilling the soil, others planted the seedlings, and others were in charge of watering.

If it were in the future, an automatic irrigation system would solve the watering issue.

But now, most of the water was frozen, making it difficult to water the crops. Moreover, the thawed water couldn’t be used directly; if it were, it might freeze the freshly planted vegetables. So, they had to place the water inside the greenhouse to warm it up before using it.

The old village chief arrived at Zhou Yimin’s house and found that Zhou Yimin had just woken up.

“Old Village Chief, what brings you here?” Zhou Yimin asked.

He knew that the old village chief wouldn’t come to see him unless there was something important.

The old village chief spoke frankly, “Yimin, do you still have any feed left from the last batch you gave the village?”

“Zhimin just told me that the remaining feed is running low, and if we don’t replenish it, we may have to feed them something else.”

He knew that the reason Zhou Jiazhang’s chickens were doing so well was because of the feed Zhou Yimin had provided, so he was hoping to buy some more.

As long as the price wasn’t too outrageous, the village could afford it.

After all, the last batch of chickens had grown big and healthy, which meant they could sell for a higher price than ordinary chickens.

The old village chief was also thinking about expanding the scale of the farm. Now that the village had some money, he thought it would be a good idea to reinvest, perhaps because he had spent a lot of time with Zhou Yimin and had come to understand that earning money requires more than just being frugal.

The idea of making money by opening up new sources was something he had absorbed from Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin fell into thought when he heard this.

While feed could be bought from stores, it would be hard to hide the source for long, and people might notice something was off.

Why not build a processing workshop in the village specifically for making feed? That way, the village could not only produce its own feed but also expand the farm, killing two birds with one stone.

“Old Village Chief, I have an idea. Let’s discuss it.”

The old village chief immediately sat up straighter when he heard this.

“Go ahead.”

Zhou Yimin began, “I’m thinking of building a processing workshop in the village. That way, we can produce feed here, and by producing more, we can also expand the farm.”

“Yimin, I didn’t expect us to think of the same thing. I was also thinking about expanding the farm,” the old village chief said, clearly pleased. He hadn’t expected to be on the same page as Zhou Yimin.

It seemed like his thinking hadn’t fallen behind despite his age!

Zhou Yimin hadn’t expected this either. It seemed the old village chief had indeed changed. In the past, he wouldn’t have made such a bold decision.

“Old Village Chief, you’ve changed quite a bit!”

The old village chief nodded. It was probably because of the time spent with Zhou Yimin that he had started to adopt a more open attitude.

“Yimin, your idea is good, but can we produce the feed here in the village?” The old village chief still had some concerns.

He definitely wanted to make feed locally so the village wouldn’t have to buy it. However, the issue of raw materials was a concern. If that couldn’t be resolved, then all the talk would be in vain.

“Also, how are we going to solve the raw material problem? And most of the villagers can barely read, do you think they’ll be able to do this work?”

The old village chief voiced his worries.

He was afraid that once the workshop was set up, the villagers wouldn’t be able to do the work, and all the effort would go to waste. Worse yet, they might end up giving the work to someone else at a cheaper price, which would be even more frustrating.

Zhou Yimin spoke up, “The raw materials are indeed an issue.”

“But as long as the villagers go through some basic training, producing feed won’t be a problem. It’s not technically complicated.”

After hearing this, the old village chief relaxed.

“In that case, I’m reassured,” he said.

Zhou Yimin smiled. “I’ll take care of the raw material issue!”

If necessary, he could find people to help. His network of contacts could come in handy now.

The raw materials were mainly corn, barley, wheat, and soybean meal. If necessary, they could improvise and use corn cobs instead of corn kernels.

So, resolving the raw material issue shouldn’t be too difficult.

(End of this chapter)