Chapter 383: Transported Back to the Commune

Director Huang carefully examined the feed in his hands, as if trying to discern something unusual from it. This tiny thing could actually raise such healthy chickens?

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, no one would probably believe it!

The feed appeared smooth on the surface, with a color that varied based on the ingredients—likely corn and soybean meal, giving it a light yellow hue. It was firm in texture, had no obvious odor, felt dry to the touch with a certain hardness, and made a crisp sound when pieces collided.

“How exactly should this feed be used to raise chickens? Is there any particular method?”

“Zhiming, why are you still dawdling here?” the old branch secretary urged from the side.

“There’s really nothing special about it. Just feed them like usual—however you normally do it—just mix in this feed during feeding time.” Zhou Zhiming quickly explained.

“And also, if you’re feeding only this kind of feed, occasionally throwing in some vegetable leaves or other things can shorten the chickens’ growth cycle even further.”

“But we didn’t have this much feed before, so we didn’t dare to waste it.”

Director Huang looked a bit excited. “Comrade Zhou, is everything you’re saying true?”

If it was, then this would be huge news for the farming industry.

“Yimin mentioned it to me in passing before,” Zhou Zhiming replied.

Everyone present knew Zhou Yimin wasn’t the type to speak nonsense, so what he said had a high degree of credibility.

Looks like it’s worth testing—once they tried it out, they’d know if it was real.

“Branch Secretary Zhou, why don’t I see Yimin around?” Director Huang suddenly asked.

“Director Huang, I’m right here.”

The sudden voice startled everyone present—after all, no one had seen Zhou Yimin, only heard his voice.

Then Zhou Yimin quietly stepped out from the side.

“Yimin, are you trying to learn from Cao Cao? Don’t you know old folks like us can’t handle a scare?” the old branch secretary scolded.

He even had to calm his heart down a bit—good thing he didn’t have heart issues, or that shock might’ve sent him off to meet his ancestors early.

“Where could I ever master Cao Cao’s skills?” Zhou Yimin knew exactly what the old man was implying.

Lin Guohuai and Zhou Zhiming, who hadn’t caught on yet, were still completely confused.

Weren’t they just talking about how Zhou Yimin shouldn’t scare people? Why had the conversation shifted to Cao Cao?

“Yimin, what kind of riddle are you and the old secretary playing?” Zhou Zhiming couldn’t help asking.

“Brother Zhiming, what the old secretary means is that I appeared just like the saying goes—‘Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao appears.’” Zhou Yimin explained.

“That phrase means someone suddenly appears in front of you just as you’re talking about them—often surprising people.”

Once Lin Guohuai and Zhou Zhiming heard this, they finally got it.

“So that’s what it meant.”

“Yimin, you really did say Cao Cao and Cao Cao appeared!”

The two of them eagerly applied their newfound understanding.

Seeing these two jokers, Zhou Yimin couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless.

Director Huang said, “Yimin, how should we distribute these 100 sacks of feed?”

“Director Huang, your commune can take 50 sacks, and our village will take the other 50. That’ll be enough to last us until the feed processing workshop is built and starts producing new feed,” Zhou Yimin shared the plan he had already thought through.

The old branch secretary instinctively wanted to keep more for the village, but seeing the look in Director Huang’s eyes, he immediately backed down.

Director Huang was quite satisfied with this arrangement—but he wasn’t planning to take the feed for free. Noticing that Zhoujia Village already had electricity, he offered, “Yimin, how about we install a telephone in the village? It’d make it easier to keep in touch.”

Before Zhou Yimin could react—

The old branch secretary immediately jumped in, “Director Huang, are you serious?”

He looked at Director Huang with eyes full of excitement.

Seeing that look from the old secretary gave Director Huang goosebumps.

“Of course I’m serious.”

He had his own reasons, too—this way, it’d be easier to consult Yimin when needed.

Once he got confirmation, the old branch secretary was thrilled.

You had to understand—telephones weren’t something just anyone could install. Most folks could only access one at a dormitory office or a shared phone at an alley or hutong entrance.

Aside from the commune, there wasn’t a single village nearby known to have a telephone.

Just imagining how envious the neighboring villages would be once theirs was installed filled him with joy.

Compared to the old branch secretary’s excitement, Zhou Yimin’s reaction was much calmer. After all, he had used cell phones in the future. Desk phones like this had already been phased out by then.

“Thank you, Director Huang!”

Still, he expressed his gratitude.

“No problem. I’ll arrange for someone to come install it tomorrow,” Director Huang replied.

The old branch secretary ordered the villagers to load 50 sacks of feed onto the tractor. Good thing they had brought it—otherwise, there would’ve been no way to haul that much feed back to the commune.

After Director Huang brought the 50 sacks back to the commune, just having Lin Guohuai alone to unload them would’ve taken forever.

“What are you still standing there for? Go get some help!”

Snapping out of it, Lin Guohuai ran off and soon returned with several others.

Together, they carried all 50 sacks into the commune.

Director Huang then found the commune secretary and explained everything he’d discovered in Zhoujia Village, along with the 50 sacks he had brought back.

The secretary was stunned. “Yes, yes, Old Huang, you did the right thing. But we’ll need to test it out before reporting anything.”

After all, the results seemed almost too good to be true. Reporting it too early could jeopardize even these 50 sacks.

“Don’t worry, Secretary. I’ve already put Xiao Lin in charge of the whole thing. If the results are promising, he’ll report back to us right away,” Director Huang assured him.

The secretary gave Director Huang a meaningful look. He knew what kind of relationship Director Huang had with Lin Guohuai.

He also understood that “the fat meat doesn’t go to outsiders.” He didn’t say anything—so long as the feed worked, there’d be plenty of credit to go around.

“Old Huang, we’ll go with your plan.”

Relieved that the secretary had no objections, Director Huang felt a weight lifted.

He then called Lin Guohuai into the office.

“Xiao Lin, I worked hard to get you this opportunity—you better handle it beautifully.”

Lin Guohuai nodded, clearly understanding his uncle’s intention.

“Don’t worry, Director Huang. I’ll get it done.”

Seeing his nephew’s determination, Director Huang felt at ease leaving the task to him. Still, he offered a reminder: “Xiao Lin, this is important. Try not to let anyone else find out.”

There were still some troublesome elements around, and it was best to be cautious.

“Understood.”

After leaving the office, Lin Guohuai hoisted a sack of feed onto his shoulder and headed to the chicken coop. He mixed the feed with their usual food and fed it to the chickens.

He stayed to observe, and noticed the chickens did seem to have a better appetite than usual. But to truly assess the results, he’d need to feed them for a longer period.

(End of Chapter)