While they were chatting, Uncle Kang pushed a cart of manure to the edge of the field and spoke with Gu Qingcheng.
"Uncle Kang, from the perspective of the farm, the current manure supply is sufficient for the existing fields to improve the soil. If I were to clear more land, can we keep up?"
"No problem. We already have 300 pigs, 120 cattle, 400 sheep, 350 chickens, 500 ducks, and 700 geese. We no longer need to buy livestock from outside; the offspring we raise ourselves are enough.
The farm can be expanded further. We can clear the wasteland on the back mountain and extend the cattle and sheep pens to give them more space to roam. We can also raise more young animals.
"Okay." Gu Qingcheng immediately agreed. "Absolutely no problem. Have Liu Ding assign a dozen or so people to help the farm clear land."
Jobs like this were considered extra work, which could earn contribution points that could be exchanged for supplies at the supply and marketing cooperative. Therefore, people were eager to take on such tasks.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ding immediately gathered a dozen or so strong young men and had them go help Uncle Kang.
In Phoenix Village, Gu Qingcheng's word was law. Whatever she wanted to do, a mere idea might pop into her head, and she could order someone to execute it immediately and without question.
Gu Qingcheng felt a sense of complete control, finding it very convenient.
Gu Qingcheng slowly began to formulate a plan.
After returning home, she picked up the statistical data recently submitted by the various small teams and began to write and draw in a notebook.
Little Wolf, having eaten his fill, came over and nuzzled against her leg. Smelling his owner's familiar scent, he contentedly lay down on the straw mat under the desk and fell fast asleep.
Little Wolf, for now, had not yet shown any wolf-like wildness, behaving like a docile dog.
But then again, dogs were originally domesticated from wolves.
Gu Qingcheng bent down, stroked its little head, and scratched its little belly. Little Wolf whimpered in his sleep, obediently accepting his owner's affection.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng busy, Mi Guo assumed she was engaged in some important, sacred task and dared not disturb her.
Mi Guo retreated to the side, pondering what delicious meal he should prepare today.
Yesterday, Yan Xin had brought over a side of wild boar ribs. He had already marinated them last night, and decided to have charcoal-grilled wild boar ribs, along with steamed white rice and a stir-fried dish of vegetables.
For vegetables, he had planted many small bok choy in the garden by the door, which were perfect to eat now before they got too old.
Mi Guo acted immediately. He chopped the ribs into pieces, wrapped each piece separately in tin foil to retain moisture, and then placed them on the prepared charcoal grill.
Mi Guo had a small vegetable patch in a corner of the courtyard near the kitchen. He had specifically asked Uncle Kang for a lot of manure, and with sufficient fertility, the vegetables grew luxuriantly and looked so fresh and vibrant.
Mi Guo pulled out over a dozen small bok choy, then trimmed them with a knife, peeled them into slices, and washed them in the sink.
His kitchen also had a system of bamboo pipes bringing in spring water. The water flowed from the bamboo pipes into a stone basin below. The bottom of the stone basin had a hole; to hold water, he would plug it with a cloth. After washing the vegetables, he could pull out the cloth plug to drain the water, which was very convenient.
After being rinsed, the bok choy leaves were clean, looking even more refreshing and appetizing.
Mi Guo brought the washed vegetables inside, and saw that the wild boar ribs were already sizzling and releasing oil. He flipped the ribs and continued grilling.
Then, he lit both burners of the stove, one for steaming rice and the other for stir-frying vegetables.
He crushed four cloves of garlic. He put the vegetables into the wok and stir-fried them with garlic, salt, MSG… Because Gu Qingcheng liked vegetables, he always cooked double the usual portion.
At this time, the aroma of the wild boar ribs also began to spread. He had marinated the ribs with a garlic-flavored sauce, so the aroma was particularly enticing.
They both had hearty appetites, so they grilled half a side of wild boar ribs in one go.
The ribs were already oozing oil. The oil dripped onto the charcoal below, creating white smoke and a more fragrant, rich roasted meat aroma.
Mi Guo picked up the ribs and placed them on a pristine white plate. Thinking something was still missing, he took two sausages, sliced them, and put them on the charcoal grill to continue cooking. After they were done, he added them to the plate.
By now, the rice was also cooked, emitting its unique fragrance. He scooped out the rice, including the crispy bottom layer, and placed it in a basin.
Mi Guo prepared two basins of rice and made a mushroom and sliced meat soup. Once all the dishes were on the table, he called Gu Qingcheng to eat.
Gu Qingcheng was never one to neglect a meal. No matter how important her current task was, she would set it aside as soon as she heard it was time to eat.
Eating the fragrant roasted wild boar ribs, Gu Qingcheng gave Mi Guo a thumbs-up, saying:
"Your skill is always on point, surpassing even Michelin chefs!"
Mi Guo smiled happily and asked Gu Qingcheng what she had been busy with that morning.
Gu Qingcheng then explained her plan.
"Is it feasible?" Mi Guo asked, greatly surprised by his sister's idea.
"Think about it," Gu Qingcheng explained, "Who wouldn't cherish something that belongs to them? Only when it becomes their own will they value it immensely."
"Okay, I understand."
Mi Guo supported any plan proposed by Gu Qingcheng.
This time, Gu Qingcheng finally made up her mind. It was time to bring about change in Phoenix Village.
But before making any changes, she needed to gather relevant data and have a clear understanding of the situation to act with reason and evidence.
After eating, Gu Qingcheng continued with her statistical work until evening.
Gu Qingcheng calculated that Phoenix Village now had some foundation. They had cleared a total of 500 mu of wasteland, with each plot planted with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and millet.
Due to a shortage of seeds, only 10 mu were planted with millet.
100 mu were planted with rice, and 150 mu each with sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Gu Qingcheng tallied the figures. If the yield was normal, this grain would be enough to sustain the entire village for a year. However, to provide for more people, more wasteland would need to be cleared.
In the evening, Mi Guo took a watering can to water the vegetable garden.
After harvesting the small bok choy, he left a small patch of land empty. Instead of replanting bok choy, he took garlic cloves, pushed them into the empty soil, covered them with soil, and watered them.
Garlic grew quickly and could be eaten in about ten days.
Garlic sprouts were a good ingredient, useful for stir-frying with meat or making soup.
After watering the vegetables, Mi Guo washed his hands and took Little Wolf for a stroll in the village.
The weather had warmed considerably, and Little Wolf had grown. The children only needed to wear light and warm clothing.
Many children were playing on the communal grounds: hopscotch, eagle catching chick, throwing handkerchiefs… Games were being played in every corner, and the children were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
In these times, without the internet or mobile phones, the best way to relax was by playing games.
These games were all taught to the children by Gu Qingcheng. They were simple and easy to learn, involved group participation, and allowed for competition, sparking the children's desire to win, making them so engrossed that they forgot about anything else.
Despite their simplicity, these games were extremely popular.