“But if it becomes an experimental base of the Agricultural University, then you won’t have to worry about the technology. The Agricultural University will regularly send teams to be stationed here every year. Although they mainly come here to do scientific research, they’re here and living in your village every day. If your planting base encounters any problems, you can consult the experts and professors of the Agricultural University. Do you expect them to charge you a consultation fee?”
"By the way, the experimental base can also get preferential purchase prices from the seed company affiliated with the Agricultural University. It's at least one-third cheaper than when you purchase under the name of the cooperative."
"Really?" Jiang Xiaoman stood up in surprise.
Of course he knew that he could reap many benefits by being backed by such an agricultural college. Just the free technical guidance alone could save the cooperative a lot of money every year!
It's important to know that some experts from agricultural universities are people that ordinary cooperatives can't necessarily hire even if they have the money.
However, becoming an experimental base for the Agricultural University meant he could even get a discount on mushroom bags—this was something he'd never heard of before.
"Don't get excited. There are restrictions on the types of products that are discounted. You can only get the discount if you purchase mushroom bags, mushroom sticks, and mushroom spawn developed by the seed company affiliated with the Agricultural University. If you change the type of product and buy it from someone else, you won't be able to enjoy this benefit."
"So, are the mushroom bags used in Banligou all produced by the Agricultural University? How are the annual yields and resistance to pests and diseases?" Jiang Xiaoman asked.
"You can rest assured about the quality of the mushroom bags. Don't be fooled by the fact that our provincial agricultural university isn't ranked very high in the country; they are very strong in mushroom strain research. Most mushroom farmers in our province use their mushroom bags because they can receive an extra 500 yuan subsidy per mu for using local mushroom bags..."
The sister who is a shareholder in the cooperative is probably really Jiang Xiaoman's best friend. She heard that Jiang Xiaoman calls her best friend "sister-in-law" and told her about all the preferential policies they can enjoy in their cooperation with the Agricultural University.
Jiang Xiaoman, Lang Ying, and the others quickly took out their notebooks to write it down.
These are all valuable tips that are hard to find outside!
After attending the free training course, Jiang Xiaoman and her group visited the cooperative's mushroom cultivation base.
In recent years, with the strong support of the agricultural university's research team, Banligou has really mastered the three-dimensional cultivation of mushrooms. Jiang Xiaoman and her friends are like country bumpkins visiting the Grand View Garden, finding everything fascinating.
Especially the chestnut trees in Banligou. In the past, chestnuts were the least valuable. During the harvest season, they would be difficult to sell, and they couldn't even sell for a few yuan per kilogram.
Now things are different; they've stopped selling chestnuts and are now using their ancestral chestnut trees to grow mushrooms.
Different mushroom varieties can be grown in different locations from the trunk to the base of the tree. Even fallen chestnut trees can be reused. Students from the agricultural university drilled dozens of holes in them and planted the mushroom spores directly on them.
Before the mushrooms could even be picked and sold, they were bought up at high prices by tourists from the village who wanted to see something unusual... It was more profitable than simply selling mushrooms!
Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoman was speechless.
That's why they say traveling ten thousand miles is worse than reading ten thousand books.
If they hadn't been brought here by their own people, how would they have known about these ways to make money?
Before leaving, Jiang Xiaoman added the other party as a friend and even asked for their business card. She planned to get some high-quality rock honey when she got back and have her father carve two bamboo ornaments for her to send over as a thank-you gift.
They did them such a big favor, they can't just leave without giving anything in return, can they?
That evening, Shanrong invited his best friend's family over. The whole family ate and drank, and Shanrong asked Jiang Xiaoman how the cooperatives in their village were doing. He heard that the beekeeping cooperative and the tea cooperative had been established, and his old friend Jiang Youliang had even become an intangible cultural heritage inheritor. He was so happy that he slapped the table and couldn't wait to pack his bags and go to Langshan Village with Jiang Xiaoman the next day.
Jiang Xiaoman and her group originally came here to check out the mushroom strains used in Banligou. If they were cost-effective, they planned to purchase a batch to take back and try.
After hearing what the eldest sister of the cooperative said, the three of them, especially Jiang Xiaoman, felt that if they wanted to expand this industry, it would be best for the government to take the lead from the beginning, like Banligou, where the village and the agricultural university cooperated to establish an experimental base.
In this way, new cooperatives can enjoy more policy benefits in the future, and technical difficulties will also be solved.
Upon hearing Shan Rong say he wanted to visit Langshan Village, Jiang Xiaoman raised his glass and invited his cousin and aunt to come to his house.
Anyway, his house has plenty of guest rooms, so even if his whole family comes to visit, there will be enough room for them.
Most importantly, he needed to hurry back to the village and then go to the town to discuss it with Director Sun.
Jiang Xiaoman knew that if they were the ones who proposed this, the village officials might not be willing to do it.
That's just how it is at the grassroots level. Since the annual salary is the same, whether you do a lot of work or a little doesn't affect your salary much. Village cadres would rather save themselves trouble than cause themselves any problems.
Besides, no matter how much overtime pay they get, can it compare to what they earn picking mushrooms in the mountains?
During this period, Lang Ying's processing plant was collecting mushrooms, and many village officials from nearby villages also went up the mountain to pick mushrooms.
I get up before dawn, go up the mountain to pick mushrooms for a few hours, and when it's time, I come down to work to clock in. After get off work in the afternoon, I go home to help sort mushrooms for my family...
In a month, they can earn more money than their salary, so who would be willing to work overtime at the company for free?
To get this done, it won't work if they try to persuade the village; they need to find a way to get the town to treat it as a political task and force it on them...
Chapter 213
Although Jiang Xiaoman didn't manage to purchase any mushroom strains during her trip to Banligou, she brought back some more valuable information, making the trip truly worthwhile.
Jiang Youliang was especially happy about Shan Rong's arrival.
At his age, the number of familiar people around him decreases year by year, so he cherishes every moment of getting together all the more.
Jiang Xiaoman was extremely grateful that when they were renovating, they bought two single beds for his father's room. He had originally planned that if his father got sick and needed someone to take care of him at night, he could sleep next to him and it would be convenient for him to take care of his father.
Now that's good. Let's tidy up that bed, put on clean bedding, and these two old buddies can chat together tonight.
After settling her cousin in, Jiang Xiaoman immediately took Lang Ying to town and found Sun Zheyuan.
Sun Zheyuan was very surprised to hear that they were going to establish a new cooperative so quickly. After Jiang Xiaoman briefly explained her investigation results and plans, Sun Zheyuan excitedly slammed his hand on the table—
“I think this can work! Our town’s deputy mayor, Kong, graduated from the Agricultural University. You wait here, I’ll go and report to him first.”
After saying that, Sun Zheyuan swept away like a gust of wind.
"No wonder government agencies and public institutions in this province prefer to recruit graduates from local universities. So this kind of connection is useful after all," Jiang Xiaoman murmured, staring at Sun Zheyuan's back.
Sure enough! With Deputy Mayor Kong, their "senior," stepping in, the Agricultural University gave a formal reply within a few days:
We can first arrange for a research team specializing in edible fungi to visit Langshan Village. If the conditions are met, they can be given priority for inclusion in this year's selection of experimental bases.
To Jiang Xiaoman's delight, Deputy Mayor Kong brought them another piece of good news—
The town has high hopes for Jiang Xiaoman's wild mushroom cultivation cooperative and hopes they can come up with a framework plan as soon as possible, preferably one that is closely aligned with the general direction of rural revitalization.
In this way, even if the agricultural university route doesn't work out in the end, they can still pursue the "Specialty Agricultural Products Planting and Breeding Support Program," where the town can apply for project support policies for them, including low-interest loans for farmers, various special subsidies, tax reduction and exemption policies, and so on.
This matter naturally fell to Sun Zheyuan.
Director Sun is a single guy who can just pack up and go. After returning to his dormitory, he packed his clothes and laptop, told the office, and went back to the village with Jiang Xiaoman and the others that same day to help Lang Ying finish the framework plan for the cooperative.
"What? You want me to take the lead as general manager? I... I can't do it, can I? How about letting Xiaoman do it instead?" Lang Ying waved her hands repeatedly in fright.
“Sister Yingzi, the policy support you can get by leading this cooperative is much greater than if Xiaoman and the others did it themselves.” Sun Zheyuan slowly explained the ins and outs to them.
Despite the online claims about the low status of rural women, those people are actually unaware of the policies. The government's current support for young people returning to their hometowns to start businesses is somewhat biased towards women over men.
Simply put, the preferential policies are the same for men and women on a large scale, but when rural women start their own businesses, in addition to the national and local governments, they also receive covert support from women's federations and local women entrepreneurs' associations!
Don't think that the Women's Federation only deals with trivial family matters. A few years ago, there was a young woman in their county who returned to her hometown to start a seedling and flower base. Because of the strong support of the Women's Federation, the base was directly designated as a social practice activity base of the Women's Federation at all levels in the county. Every year, the official business in this area alone is enough to cover the operating costs of the flower base.
This is tantamount to giving this young female entrepreneur a large number of guaranteed official orders for free!
Who wouldn't be envious?
Sun Zheyuan suggested that Lang Ying take the lead in the wild mushroom planting cooperative. On the one hand, because she is also a woman, she could seek help from the Women's Federation if she encountered difficulties in the process of starting a business. On the other hand, he was also envious of Sister Ying's "celebrity effect".
"Sister Yingzi, you're the first actress in our town to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress at a film festival. Don't you know you're a celebrity in our town now?"
Lang Ying: "..."
But I didn't win any awards! o(╥﹏╥)o
“But you’ve gained a lot of followers!” Jiang Xiaoman perked up at this and quickly joined Sun Zheyuan in persuading her.
"Sister Yingzi, you're now a role model for all the married women in Langshan Town! Everyone's watching you. If you become the general manager of the cooperative, wouldn't that be showing all the married mothers like you that even if you married the wrong person, there's no need to be afraid. As long as you cut your losses in time, there are endless possibilities for the future!!!"
Sun Zheyuan: "...Hey! If you say that, the Women's Federation in our town will have a fight with you."
There's nothing wrong with setting a positive example, but aren't you implying that you're encouraging rural women to divorce their unreliable husbands?
Anyway, getting a divorce means becoming a general manager, turning your life upside down, and finding a younger, fresh-faced man. Who wouldn't be envious?
The two glared at each other, each thinking the other's theory was wrong, but for some reason, Lang Ying suddenly seemed to have a change of heart and decided to take on the role of general manager of the cooperative.
Not only that, she also suggested that since the cooperative might have dealings with the Women's Federation in the future, could women be given priority in participating as the core members of the cooperative?
Sun Zheyuan was dumbfounded.
Jiang Xiaoman slapped the table and laughed: "That's absolutely right! Let's do it this way! People say women hold up half the sky, and in our Langshan Village, we're going to build a new cooperative where women can hold up the whole sky!"
Despite her apparent blankness, upon closer examination, Lang Ying's idea is actually quite good.
The main person in charge is a woman, while the entire cooperative is run by rural women. The latter is definitely more likely to be associated with the work of the Women's Federation!
Some voices have already emerged in various places, because the vast majority of young men in rural areas still prefer to work in cities. Therefore, strictly speaking, the responsibility for rural revitalization actually falls more heavily on the participation of rural women.
Inspiration struck!!!
Sun Zheyuan suddenly had an idea of how to write the framework proposal. He borrowed a guest room upstairs from Jiang Xiaoman, closed the door, and went into seclusion to create. He didn't even come down for dinner; Jiang Xiaoman had prepared it and brought it up to him.
While Sun Zheyuan was busy writing materials in seclusion, Lang Ying was also busy recruiting people to prepare for the wild mushroom cultivation cooperative in the city.
The first person she contacted was her best friend, Shan Ying.
Ever since Jiang Xiaoman filmed Shan Ying's family's daily life, which unexpectedly made Shan Ying's "professional slacker" husband suddenly realize his mistakes, Shan Ying's life is much better than before.
At least, her husband, Jiang Xiaohui, is much more diligent than before. When Lang Ying came to find Shan Ying, the couple were making dried bamboo shoots in the yard.
During this season, Langshan is overflowing with bamboo shoots—all kinds: moso bamboo shoots, wild bamboo shoots, red bamboo shoots, thunder bamboo shoots, snake-skin bamboo shoots…
Jiang Xiaoman has already posted this year's acquisition list and price list. Recently, almost everyone in the surrounding villages who is still able to move around has gone to the mountains to dig for bamboo shoots.
After peeling, blanching, and drying the bamboo shoots, they can be sold. This doesn't cost any extra money, and the more you dig, the more you earn. Shanying is hardworking, and she and Jiang Xiaohui dug several sacks of bamboo shoots in the mountains, which are now being peeled in the yard.
Lang Ying found a small stool and sat down. While helping to peel the bamboo shoots, she explained her plans to the Shan Ying couple.
“Here’s what I’m thinking: your two kids are grown up now, and it’s the time for you to work hard and earn money. If you keep doing this piecemeal, when will you ever be able to earn enough money for your two sons to get married?”
"Why not take a chance and join me in running the cooperative! Let's not talk about the distant future, just look at Shanyan and Xiaoman. How much money have they made in the two years since the cooperative was established? I can't guarantee more, but it's at least this much a year!" Lang Ying held up a hand to hint.
"Five hundred thousand?!" The couple gasped in shock.
"This is just the beginning. In a couple of years, when the cooperative's business grows bigger, let alone 500,000, 5 million is not impossible." Lang Ying's beautiful eyes sparkled with ambition. "Aying, you've helped out in the cooperative these past two years. Think about it yourself, if you really put your heart into it, can this cooperative really succeed?"
Is there even a need to ask that?
Just look at Jiang Xiaoman and Jiang Yu's ability to drive sales and you'll know.
The live-streaming room is constantly out of stock. All kinds of authentic Langshan local specialties are only out of stock, not unsold. This forces them to put other brands' products on the shelves to make up for the gap in the local specialties.
As for Lang Ying's wild mushroom sauce, it goes without saying! The two of them are best friends for many years. This time, the processing plant produced a batch of wild mushroom sauce, and Shan Ying didn't even get to try a single bottle. She was too busy helping to pack it up. It was in such high demand that the supply couldn't keep up with the demand!
According to Lang Ying, if a wild mushroom cultivation cooperative is established in the village, the cultivation base will no longer need to be rented at an extra cost. Instead, contracts will be signed with farmers who are willing to join the cooperative, and their own woodland will be used to plant the mushroom bags.
Secondly, there's no need to worry about sales. After all, the reason they cultivate wild mushrooms is because there aren't enough wild mushrooms for processing plants.