amaotonovel Chapter 383 You still have that much face, right?
Chapter 383 You still have that much face, right?
The next morning, not long after dawn, a commotion arose outside the courtyard.
Li Xiangyang rubbed his sleepy eyes, lifted the quilt, and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Who is it so early?" Li Xiaoyun was also woken up and frowned slightly.
“I don’t know,” Li Xiangyang said, turning to Li Xiaoyun. “I’ll go check.”
Li Xiaoyun quickly sat up: "Wait a minute, I'll get up too."
"It's alright, you should get some more sleep," Li Xiangyang advised. "It's good for pregnant women to sleep more."
Li Xiaoyun, however, was already dressed: "I can't sleep, let's get up."
Li Xiangyang couldn't persuade her otherwise, so the two of them went to the courtyard one after the other and opened the gate.
"Oh dear, Brother Li, I'm sorry to bother you!"
Outside the courtyard, as soon as Ma Laosan saw Li Xiangyang, he immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, rubbing his hands together. "It's still early, I was being presumptuous."
"Mr. Ma, what brings you here?" Li Xiangyang asked curiously.
Ma Laosan was a straightforward and outspoken man: "I have some good news I'd like to discuss with you. Let's go inside and talk; it's cold outside."
Li Xiaoyun had already gone to the kitchen to start a fire and prepare breakfast. Li Xiangyang invited Ma Laosan into the house.
"Bring everything in," Ma Laosan ordered his two men behind him, then turned to Li Xiangyang, "I brought some small gifts for your wife, just a small token of my appreciation."
The two henchmen came in carrying large and small bags and laid them out on the table.
Two bags of fine white rice, a box of ginseng, two boxes of canned fruit, and a lady's watch.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiangyang was startled. These items were scarce goods that required ration coupons to purchase, and even with coupons, it wasn't always possible to buy them.
Judging from Ma Laosan's demeanor, he probably has some important request to make.
"Mr. Ma, this is too much of a waste," Li Xiangyang quickly declined.
Old Ma waved his hand dismissively: "These are just small items, not worth much. Just accept them as a gift."
As the two were talking, Li Xiaoyun brought in steaming millet porridge and several flatbreads. She was taken aback when she saw the table full of gifts.
"Good morning, Mr. Ma," Li Xiaoyun greeted him politely.
Ma Laosan quickly stood up: "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard. Please don't find this small gift too much."
Li Xiaoyun smiled politely: "Mr. Ma, you're too kind."
Li Xiangyang served Ma Laosan a bowl of porridge: "Boss Ma, let's eat and talk. What's the rush?"
Without any hesitation, Ma Laosan took the bowl, blew on it twice, took a sip of porridge, and praised, "This porridge is well-cooked; your cooking skills are excellent, sister-in-law." Then, he put down the bowl, his expression becoming serious.
"Brother Li, it's like this, I've been thinking about a business opportunity lately, I'd like to raise deer."
"Raising deer?" Li Xiangyang was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood Ma Laosan's intention.
Old Ma nodded, saying enthusiastically, "Yes, it's deer farming. Think about it, every part of a deer is valuable. Deer antlers can be used in medicine, and deer blood can be used to make wine. If you raise them well, you can definitely make a lot of money!"
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "The idea is good, but given the current situation, I'm afraid it's impossible for an individual to pull it off."
Ma Laosan said confidently, "Brother Li is indeed insightful; that's right. That's why I've come here seeking help. If an individual can't handle it, the village production team can; then it becomes collective property."
Li Xiangyang suddenly realized: "So you want to get through our Xiaoliang Village production team..."
"That's right!" Old Ma slapped his thigh. "I know your village suffered from floods and a poor harvest. Applying for a side business shouldn't be difficult now. As long as you handle it, I'll figure out the wine; you just need to provide deer antlers and blood regularly. Don't worry, you definitely won't lose out."
Li Xiangyang pondered, "This matter needs to be discussed with the production team leader and the old Party Secretary. And we also have to get past the Forestry Bureau."
Seeing Li Xiangyang's hesitation, Li Xiaoyun interjected, "Boss Ma, this matter is of great importance, and we can't agree rashly. How about this, let my husband go and discuss it with the villagers first, and see what their opinions are?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Laosan nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, sister-in-law is right. Brother Li, why don't you go to the village and sound them out first? I'll be waiting for your news."
“Okay,” Li Xiangyang agreed, “I’ll go talk to the old Party Secretary and Captain Zheng today, and I’ll let you know when I have any news.”
After seeing Ma Laosan off, Li Xiaoyun said thoughtfully, "What's Ma Laosan up to?"
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "What else could it be? He must have spotted a business opportunity. Of course, whether he makes money or not isn't that important, the important thing is that with the deer blood wine, he can give it away."
"So what do you think?" Li Xiaoyun asked.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "If this can be done, it will indeed be a good thing for the village. Having such a side business will definitely alleviate a lot of pressure. Of course, I didn't actually intend to make money from this, but after the negotiations, we shouldn't get less of what's due."
Li Xiaoyun nodded: "Then you should go find the old Party Secretary quickly; it's better to settle things sooner rather than later."
Li Xiangyang put on his coat and kissed Li Xiaoyun's cheek: "I'm going to the village committee. You stay home and rest well, don't overwork yourself."
Li Xiaoyun saw him to the door: "Be careful on the way, don't fall."
Stepping out of his house, a gust of cold wind blew in his face. Li Xiangyang shrank his neck and quickened his pace toward the village committee.
In the courtyard of the village committee, the old Party Secretary was basking in the sun.
Although it was the dead of winter, the sunshine still felt warm on my skin.
"Old Party Secretary," Li Xiangyang greeted him, "out here basking in the sun so early in the morning?"
When the old Party Secretary saw Li Xiangyang, a kind smile appeared on his face: "Xiangyang's here? Come in and sit down."
Li Xiangyang followed the old Party Secretary into the office and happened to see Zheng Dehou organizing the account books.
"Captain Zheng is here too," Li Xiangyang nodded and greeted him. "Perfect timing, I have something to discuss with you."
Zheng Dehou looked up: "What is it? Why are you so serious?"
Li Xiangyang sat down and briefly explained Ma Laosan's idea.
The old Party Secretary and Zheng Dehou listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
"That's a good idea," the old Party Secretary said thoughtfully. "If we could have such a side business, it would definitely help everyone make things a little easier."
Zheng Dehou also agreed: "Moreover, deer farming doesn't require much manpower; a few villagers can take good care of them. We happen to have a few older villagers who can't do heavy work, so we can arrange for them to look after the deer, which increases their work points and reduces their physical burden."
Seeing that both of them were supportive, Li Xiangyang felt somewhat reassured: "Then, is it likely that the application will be approved?"
The old Party Secretary stroked his beard: "It shouldn't be a problem. The higher-ups are now advocating 'diversified operations and increased income,' and raising deer, as long as it's clearly stated that it's for increasing collective income, meets the standards."
"That's good," Li Xiangyang nodded. "But there's still one more hurdle, the Forestry Bureau; you'll need a special permit."
Zheng Dehou patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder: "Isn't this all thanks to you? Didn't you do some good work in the Forestry Bureau? You still have some influence, right?"