Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 77, Chapter 448: Everything Happens

In Xujia Village, there are very few families who raise sows year-round, and Liu Shubing is one of the few who has done so for a long time.

Liu Shubing has his own methods for judging the quality and condition of sows.

Few people are willing to do the job of raising sows year after year.

Firstly, the process of delivering and caring for piglets is troublesome, and they are prone to disease outbreaks, resulting in the death of piglets.

Secondly, the pens have a strong odor, so villagers are not very willing to raise them;

Thirdly, and most importantly, the return on investment is slow and the risk is high.

Liu Shubing has been raising old sows for so many years because he didn't have much land to farm back then, so he figured out how to raise old sows on his own and make money by selling piglets.

At first, life wasn't easy, but as we gained experience, things got better.

The group stood outside the pigpen. Xu Chunsheng looked at the old sow's appearance: her fur was glossy and smooth, clinging tightly to her skin, and her abdomen looked somewhat round and full.

The old sow stood steadily and naturally, without any hunching or tightness in her body. Her tail occasionally swatted away flies on her rump, and her ears flapped gently.

Xu Chunsheng watched as Liu Shubing carefully stepped into the pigpen to observe the condition of the old sow.

Although the old sow looked at Liu Shubing warily when he suddenly barged into her territory, she herself was not agitated at all.

Perhaps because Uncle Li was standing next to them, the old sow didn't react much to the other people.

Liu Shubing slowly walked over, first tentatively reaching out his hand. Seeing that the sow didn't react much, he then casually stroked the hair on her back, nodding as he did so.

"Her fur is quite smooth, it seems Brother Li has taken good care of her. She doesn't shed any hair, and there are no scabs or red spots. She's a good sow."

Uncle Li, who was next to Xu Chunsheng, heard Liu Shubing's words and said with some pride:

"That's right. I let it out for a walk every day and then clean its pigpen. I wouldn't be willing to sell it if I weren't leaving."

Father Xu chimed in, "Haha, Brother Li's son is so filial. We're taking you to enjoy a life of comfort. You'll have a much easier time from now on, and you won't have to toil in the fields like we do every day."

Liu Shubing examined the pig's head more closely: the nose was moist, not cracked, and not runny; it was clean. He looked up and asked Uncle Li:

"Brother, did you breed this pig in April? I think its belly looks a bit big."

Uncle Li answered readily:

"Yes, it was bred on April 20th, almost two months old. Brother Liu, you've been raising sows for so many years, you can tell at a glance how long ago my sow was bred."

After saying that, he continued to say to Xu Chunsheng:

"She had eight pups in her last litter, and they all survived. This litter will definitely have no fewer than that. You're guaranteed to make a profit if you buy them."

After listening to Uncle Li's words, Liu Shubing squatted down and carefully examined the pig's stomach and udder. Then he checked the pig's vulva to see how it was recovering. The skin was dry and smooth, with no signs of redness, swelling, or pus, and there was no foul odor.

Finally, Liu Shubing reached out and placed his hand on the sow's ear to feel its temperature; there was no fever or weakness.

After Liu Shubing finished watching the sow climb out of the pigpen, Xu Chunsheng asked:

"Uncle Liu, what do you think of this old sow?"

Uncle Liu nodded:

"He seems to be doing quite well, and Brother Li has been taking good care of him."

After saying that, he walked out. He had finished his business, and the price was up to Xu Chunsheng and the others to negotiate.

Xu Chunsheng asked:

"Uncle Li, could you give me a discount on this pig?"

Uncle Li took a puff of his tobacco and said:

"This price is already very fair. It has only given birth once, and it will give birth again in less than two months. If it weren't for the fact that it would take a month or two to take care of the puppies after they are born, I wouldn't be willing to sell it."

Mr. Xu continued the discussion from the side:

"We'll settle the payment in one go, can you give us a discount?"

Uncle Li shook his head:

"It costs several dollars to hire someone to bring the pigs (for breeding), and I also fed them so much grain and pig feed, but the money..."

"Well, I see you really want to buy it, so I'll give you a two-dollar discount, just for good luck."

"448, everything will prosper."

Mr. Xu wanted to elaborate further, but Xu Chunsheng readily agreed:

"Yes, 448, may everything go smoothly."

Xu Chunsheng saw that there was really not much room for negotiation, and that once this old sow was taken home, she could give birth in a little over a month, and then be bred again, and she could give birth again in a maximum of five months.

In other words, it only takes seven or eight months to fully recoup the investment, which is also a profit.

Because raising your own breeding pigs takes seven or eight months before they can be bred, which means it takes a year to see piglets. These are all time-related costs.

However, if you buy this one yourself, you can see two litters in less than a year, which is really worthwhile. What's more, it can have about ten more litters after that.

After discussing it, Uncle Li led the group to the home of Li Ruyun, the village head, and asked him to help them draw up a written agreement and put their fingerprints on it.

Li Gang voluntarily sold his black-spotted sow (which had only given birth to one litter) to Xu Chunsheng for a price of 448 yuan, which was settled on the spot.

Witnesses: Li Ruyun, Liu Shubing

Buyers: Xu Hongjun, Xu Chunsheng

Seller: Li Gang

There are four copies of the agreement, one for each party, to avoid any future disputes.

After confirming that everything was in order, Xu Chunsheng paid Uncle Li in front of everyone, and then went to Uncle Li's house to take the old sow back.

Uncle Li helped the group drive the old sow out of the pigpen, muttering to himself:

"It likes to eat tender pig feed, bitter lettuce, and goose intestines; it doesn't like older feed. After it got pregnant, its appetite increased, and it needs to eat three meals a day..."

Xu Chunsheng followed beside him, nodding as he led the pig out of the house.

"Huffing and puffing."

The pig shook its head and sniffed around on the ground, its belly slightly drooping, looking like it was walking without any effort. It certainly looked like it had "only given birth to one litter of piglets".

Liu Shubing wasn't idle either, following along and calling out to Uncle Li, listening to his rambling and saying with a smile:

"Brother Li treats this pig like his daughter, hahaha."

After leaving the Li family, Liu Shubing picked some pig feed by the roadside and led the pig forward. Xu's father walked beside him to prevent the pig from wandering off, while Xu Chunsheng followed behind the pig, gently chasing after it.

Because they were chasing the old sow, what should have been an hour's walk took the three of them almost two hours to get home.

After buying the old sow, Xu Chunsheng handed over the daily pig-raising work to his father and elder sister, and began to focus on brewing wine.

That day, after finishing breakfast, Xu Chunsheng went to his family's bamboo shed for brewing wine and got busy.

"Brother Chunsheng!"

At some point, Cheng Runshu arrived and was looking at him with a smile.