Conversely, if he fails, even if he goes door-to-door to persuade people, probably no one will dare to take the risk again.
Jiang Xiaoman doesn't blame the villagers for lacking courage. They're all people who've been poor for a long time. They've used every inch of their land to grow crops, just in case their children don't earn money while working outside and the whole family has to eat potatoes. At least they won't starve to death.
It's not that they're afraid to take risks; it's that they simply don't have the slightest capacity to bear the risks of starting a business.
Chapter 144
Recently, Jiang Xiaoman's fans have been a bit bored because their beloved Xiaoman-ge spends all his time wandering around his own stove.
They either cook for the helpers or dig bamboo shoots and pick vegetables!
Although the art style is still very soothing, after looking at it for a while, I seem to be experiencing some aesthetic fatigue...
That evening, the fans received an update notification and lazily clicked on the video. Unexpectedly, what greeted them was a vast expanse of densely packed wild beehives!
The fans instantly sprang to their feet, exclaiming, "Here it comes!"
Xiaoman promised to take us to the old forest!
Wait a minute! Didn't we agree to go into the mountains to pick some rare wild vegetables?
Why did you go to see Yanmi again?
I swear to God! This time, it really wasn't Shanyan and his group who went looking for them on purpose!
They originally came specifically to find prickly ash shoots.
According to Ah Hu and his team's intelligence, spring came early this year, and the tender shoots of prickly ash sprouted early on the sunny slopes of the mountains. If they could pick a batch of the first shoots before others, they could make a small fortune.
Unexpectedly, when they got here, Qingshan's ears were sharp, and he heard what sounded like wild bees buzzing from below a ridge in the distance.
The group moved to the bottom of the embankment, looked up, and exclaimed, "Wow!"
Above that embankment was a stone beam, and hanging from the beam were layers upon layers of heavy wild beehives!
Ah Hu's voice cracked with excitement: "Master! It's Dong Mi! The most valuable Dong Mi!"
This is rock honey that can only be harvested by luck once a year.
The Langshan area has a wide variety of plant species, and wild bees can forage in the wild almost all year round, so under normal circumstances, honey can be produced in the area all year round.
But the most precious of these is winter honey.
Firstly, winter honey is scarce, and scarcity drives up its price.
Secondly, winter honey has less moisture and a very high degree of maturity. It has the effects of moisturizing the intestines and relieving constipation, moisturizing the lungs and relieving cough. Whether for nourishment or medicinal use, it is more valuable than spring and autumn honey.
To put it simply, in terms of price, Shan Yan sells his rock honey for 180 yuan per jin (500g) in spring and autumn, and can generally sell it for 280 yuan per jin in winter.
Moreover, because winter honey is rare and hard to find, sometimes even if some local tycoons want to buy some as gifts, they may not be able to find much even if they pay extra to have Shan Yan and his team go into the mountains to look for it.
Anyway, in the mountain area, he never posts on social media to attract customers for the very few genuine winter honeys that he happens to find each year; instead, he directly contacts those few major clients.
They only sell it on the market because they don't want it.
With such a large patch of winter honey, why would they need to look for any tender shoots?
Even the first harvest of wild aralia shoots can only sell for 80 yuan per kilogram at most, while winter honey sells for 280 yuan per kilogram. Anyone who has attended elementary school for two years knows which one to choose.
So everyone divided the work on the spot—
Shan Yan and two others stayed here to guard the area, and also to chop some more wet firewood in preparation for harvesting honey.
Jiang Xiaoman and Qingshan went to his house to prepare camping supplies and food for several days for the group.
There was another man nicknamed "Crooked Man" because he was said to be fast on his feet. Shan Yan sent him down the mountain to find the porters he often worked with and to carry up large items such as sealed barrels and tents that they often used.
Along the way, Qingshan was so excited that he jumped and skipped, saying that he hadn't seen such a large patch of winter honey in several years.
Jiang Xiaoman was initially quite happy, but then she thought about it again. Such a large cluster of wild beehives, hanging right under the stone beam, and yet no one had ever discovered it. It was clear that the indigenous people deep in these mountains were becoming fewer and fewer...
"Qingshan, I see you're not young anymore. Haven't you ever thought about going to the city to work?" Jiang Xiaoman asked him curiously.
"Sigh! My father died early, and only my mother is left at home. A few years ago, my mother went into the mountains to pick mushrooms and broke her leg. If I go to the city to work, my mother will starve to death if she stays at home alone."
Qingshan scratched his head, seemingly a little embarrassed. "My master was originally unwilling to take me in, saying that I was the only one left in my family, and going into the mountains to harvest rock honey was a job that risked one's life for money. According to the rules here, families with only one male member are not accepted."
"Later, Brother Xiaoyu took pity on me and pleaded with Master on my behalf, letting me run errands to earn some living expenses. Master doesn't allow me to go up to the cliff."
Jiang Xiaoman glanced at him, then suddenly smiled and ruffled the messy hair on his head: "It's okay! If our beehives have a good harvest this year, and we plant a few more acres of chrysanthemums next year, your annual income won't be any worse than working a regular job."
Moreover, for migrant workers like Qingshan who lack education and skills, their final destination is almost always assembly line work, where they are screwed in screws.
After a month of hard work, deducting expenses such as food and accommodation, it would be considered very good to save 20,000 to 30,000 yuan by the end of the year.
But starting a business in your hometown is different. First of all, you hardly spend any money on food, drink, and accommodation, and you can save most of the money you earn.
Beekeeping and tea cultivation are not high-profit industries, but they are profitable in the long run. Moreover, the time required to work each year is only ten days to half a month, which does not interfere with Qingshan's trip into the mountains with Shanyan and the others to find honey.
That means you'll have three sources of income a year. And if managed well, it's a stable business that you can live comfortably for a long time.
Unlike factory work, which is a job that relies on youth, once you get older, you'll experience dizziness, blurred vision, and slow movements, and the factory won't want you anymore. You'll end up going back to the village to farm.
Having made up her mind to promote the sale of chrysanthemums, Jiang Xiaoman deliberately inquired along the way about what each household in the Laoshan Aozi area usually grows.
"The most common crop is potatoes, since everyone in the family needs to eat them. The rest are sweet potatoes and corn, but we don't dare plant soybeans. Those attract wild boars and birds. You know, Brother Xiaoman, we don't even allow hunting many birds in the mountains anymore. They're all protected animals. Planting soybeans would yield no harvest."
"Have you calculated how much income your family can make from farming in a year?" Jiang Xiaoman asked him.
“What kind of income can we make? We raise two pigs every year and have to slaughter them to make our own cured meat, so we can’t sell them. There are plenty of weasels in the mountains, and we don’t dare to raise too many chickens, just a dozen or so. We have to keep them at home at night, and it’s only enough for our own family to eat all year round.”
"The potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and the like that I planted were stolen and trampled by the animals in the mountains. What I could harvest was not even enough to feed my family. If we relied solely on farming, my mother and I would have starved to death long ago!" Qingshan chuckled. "Fortunately, my master treats me well. He takes me along whenever there is a business that makes money. He helps me run errands and earns three or five hundred yuan a trip, which is enough for my family's living expenses for a month."
"Looks like you're a super-helpful assistant! Okay! If I ever need anything done, come lend me a hand if you're free." Jiang Xiaoman smiled.
...
We walked and talked for about an hour before arriving at Qingshan's house.
The location of Qingshan's house is really good, nestled against the mountain and facing the water. There's a mountain stream right below the threshold in front of the door, so it should be quite convenient for washing and cleaning.
He only has one mother, whose maiden name is Zhou. When she saw her son bring guests back, Aunt Zhou greeted Jiang Xiaoman with a smile and invited him to sit down. She also gave him a plate of candy that she had bought during the New Year. She still treats him like a child.
Jiang Xiaoman looked closely and saw that Aunt Zhou's right leg was indeed limping when she walked. It was probably because she hadn't recovered properly after breaking her leg. She only had one son, and there were no other families around. No wonder Qingshan didn't dare to go out to work.
Despite her slightly unsteady gait, Aunt Zhou's home was impeccably tidy, and the earthen rammed earth floor in front of her door was always spotless. She was clearly a woman who knew how to manage a household well.
Hearing that her son was taking some things to the mountains, she quickly took out her key, opened the door to the next room, and told her son to bring all his things out.
Shan Yan is an experienced mountain runner. To prevent people from needing supplies while traveling, he selected several families from among his apprentices that were spaced at appropriate intervals and stored a batch of supplies at each family.
For example, items needed for setting up a campsite include rainproof tarpaulins, moisture-proof mats, simple cooking utensils, salt, and sugar.
Aside from the most crucial rope, which he personally kept, for other items, if needed urgently, one could simply go to the nearest house to retrieve them, which was much more convenient than leaving them at his house.
While her son and Jiang Xiaoman were tying things up, Aunt Zhou took a vegetable basket and went to her own vegetable garden to pick a basket of bok choy, a large bunch of garlic sprouts and scallions, and also pulled up quite a few carrots. She tied the carrot tops together and hung them on one end of the carrying pole, with garlic sprouts hanging on the other end.
From a distance, it looks just like vegetables growing on a carrying pole!
Carrying large and small bags, they returned to the place where they found the wild bee nest. Shan Yan and the others had already cut a lot of branches and were sawing wood to prepare to set up tents.
You can't cut down big trees in the mountains, but no one will care if you cut off a few branches that are in the way. In fact, some big trees can grow better if you prune their branches and leaves properly.
The branches that Shan Yan and his men cut back were from these large trees. This is actually more convenient than cutting down the tree directly. After cutting it down, the small branches can be tied together to smoke out wild bees, and the thick trunk is perfect for setting up tents.
With everyone working together, they managed to set up a temporary tent before dark, and surrounded it with damp firewood. They took turns keeping watch at night, and it wasn't so scary in the deep mountains and forests.
Thinking that many fans might not have seen the old forest after dark, Jiang Xiaoman specially set up a tripod at the campsite, planning to shoot a video of camping in the woods and invite senior mountain running expert Shan Yan to tell fans what to pay attention to when camping in the wild.
"Just don't do anything reckless," Shan Yan concluded coolly.
Jiang Xiaoman: "..."
"Ahem~ Brother Yan, the fans want to hear the details, why don't you elaborate?" He then whispered enticingly, "If this video makes money, I'll buy my three nieces new dresses! Princess shoes! I guarantee they'll be the most fashionable in our village!"
Shan Yan rolled his eyes at him, but as a father, he really hadn't thought he'd actually have to buy his daughters dresses and princess shoes...
The thought of his three daughters wearing new dresses and stylish little leather shoes, perhaps hugging his neck and shouting "Daddy is so good!" made Shan Yan's cold face relax slightly, and he finally spoke.
However, he always spoke sparingly, while his disciples, having enjoyed Jiang Xiaoman's delicious food, were a bit too talkative. Whenever their master said something concise, they would chime in with examples and explanations, making quite a lively scene for a while, and turning this video into a truly informative one!
Later, Jiang Xiaoman edited this video separately and uploaded it to several video accounts, which surprisingly attracted many outdoor bloggers to share it, making the video unexpectedly popular.
Jiang Xiaoman couldn't stop smiling as she looked at the earnings in the backend. True to her word, she bought three spring princess dresses for the Camellia Sisters online, complete with shoes, socks, and innerwear, as well as matching headwear.
This made the three camellia sisters the talk of the town at school and in the village!
You should know that people in the mountains only get to wear new clothes once a year, during the Spring Festival. Even when they buy new clothes at other times, they tend to choose practical and durable styles that are easy to clean.
Unlike Jiang Xiaoman, who bought the Camellia Sisters tulle dresses with lace and rhinestones, making them shine like RMB under the sun.
When you go out, who in the village doesn't take a second look?
Even Aunt Chen, upon hearing of this, brought a small basket, a dozen eggs, and apples and bananas bought along the way, and made a special trip to Langshan Village. She held the three sisters' hands and looked at the exhibits for a long time. By the end, she couldn't help but wipe away tears and sighed repeatedly—
"Good! That's good! You three sisters must take good care of your two fathers from now on, remember?"
Seeing her three nieces standing before her, dressed in clean and elegant princess dresses, Aunt Chen was incredibly grateful to Shan Yan and Jiang Yu. These three girls were truly blessed; she, their aunt, could finally rest easy.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
The next morning, taking advantage of the thick fog in the mountains, Shan Yan immediately led his men down from behind the stone ridge to the vicinity of the beehive. They first placed burning, wet firewood in the crevices next to it, and waited for the wild bees to be dazed and disoriented by the smoke and flee. Then they quickly divided the work and cut down one-third of the beehive by noon!
The heavy honeycomb filled everyone with joy, for it was the most valuable winter honey of the year!
They were busy harvesting honey up there, while Jiang Xiaoman was busy filming videos down below.
He broke off a piece from the freshly harvested rock honey, held it up to the camera, and showed his fans what freshly harvested winter honey looks like.
"I heard from Brother Yan that winter honey production varies from year to year. A good year produces more honey, while a bad year produces less. This year was supposed to be a bad year, so they didn't come to the mountains to look for honey after winter started, thinking they would raise the honey for another year."
"I didn't expect to be so lucky this year. Although it's a low-yield year, this patch of wild beehives is well hidden, under a stone ridge. If you don't go down under the ridge, you really won't find it. So this patch of wild beehives must have been left untouched in the spring, which is why it has stored up so much honey until now."
"Look, isn't this honey sticky? It's almost crystallized! Let me give you all a taste." With that, Jiang Xiaoman took a bite of the honeycomb along with the honey. The moment the rock honey entered her mouth, it wasn't purely sweet, but rather had a slightly bitter taste, along with a faint hint of some kind of herbal flavor. Only after chewing a few times did the sweetness emerge, and it was absolutely delicious!
"The taste is not like the local honey we usually drink. That kind of honey is filtered and settled, but this one is mixed together. You can see that the capped honey is mature honey, and the uncapped honey is raw honey."
"The capped mature honey has been stored for a long time and is already semi-crystallized. It has a sandy texture and the taste is not pure sweet; it has a slightly bitter taste. It should be the honey from wild Chinese herbal medicines in our mountains, or the honey from the flowers of the Schefflera arboricola."
Jiang Xiaoman smacked her lips a few times, then couldn't resist taking another big bite!
He said it tasted a bit bitter, but his actions told a different story. He ate one bite after another, and in no time he had finished off a whole chunk of honeycomb.
Fans: "..."