Chapter 20: I still have to rely on my son After running and returning home, Fang Wei took a shower and changed his sweaty vest. My dad gave me a gift for breakfast: barbecued pork buns with white porridge. After filling my empty stomach, I recovered the energy I had consumed during exercise and felt full of energy. As usual, after breakfast I went to feed the chickens. These little hens are quite sensible. After picking up the first egg yesterday, Fang Wei picked up three more eggs today! I can’t imagine how cheerful and happy he will be when six little hens lay eggs at the same time and he can pick up six eggs a day… Fang Wei happily put away the three eggs and fetched a bucket of water to water the new vegetable patch he had opened yesterday. Unfortunately, the rapeseeds don’t germinate so quickly. He thought about it, then found a few bamboo poles, placed them around the vegetable garden and stuck them into the soft soil. He then found a few plastic bags, tore them open and tied them to the bamboo poles. When the wind blew, the plastic bags would flutter in the wind, effectively driving away the birds that flew into the vegetable garden to steal food. After finishing these chores, Fang Wei returned to his room, took out the book "Ordinary World" that he had rented yesterday, and began to read it attentively in the cool courtyard in the morning.
"Ah--gulp--poof!" Through the low wall, the earth-shaking sound of the girl next door brushing her teeth disrupted Fang Wei's concentration on reading. The boy looked up speechlessly: "Xu Cailing, can you brush your teeth a little quieter?" "Ah--gulp--poof!" Xu Cailing ignored him. After brushing her teeth, she scooped up some clean water to wash her face. The girl's collagen-filled skin doesn't need any skin care products. Simply wash it with clean water. The crystal clear water droplets remain on her childish and clean face, giving her a feeling of a lotus flower emerging from clear water. Xu Cailing got up later today than yesterday because it was the last day of summer vacation. Her parents generously gave her a day off, so she didn't have to help dry the fish this morning. "Fang Wei, do you want to go surfing together?" "No, why would I go surfing so early in the morning? I just came back from a run on the beach." "Go ahead, go ahead." "No, I'm reading." "Oh, I'm boring you." Xu Cailing was in a bad mood, as if she couldn't rest for a moment. Yesterday, she and Asheng rented two comic books together. This time it was Asheng's turn to read first. She didn't know what to do for the time being. When she appeared in Fang Wei's sight again, she was wearing a big straw hat, old clothes, riding a bicycle, and ready to set off. "Where are you going?" "Go to the fish farm to dry the fish. Do you think I'm as free as you? Bye~!" Well, Fang Wei admitted that although Cai Ling was playful, she was indeed a very sensible girl. In comparison, his own cat was not sensible enough. Fang Wei was curious about where July had gone. He looked up and saw the tabby cat running out of Xu Cailing's house with a huge mouse in its mouth. “Meow wow——”
"..." Whose cat is this...? ! "Meow." "Hey hey...I don't want to eat it! Take it away!" July rolled her eyes at him with a heartbroken look, picked up the big rat in her mouth, found a quiet corner, and went to enjoy her delicious meal. …… Near noon, the familiar sound of a motorcycle was heard outside the yard gate, and Fang Xianfeng returned home from the dock. Fang Wei had already prepared lunch in advance, and when his father came back, he could just take a pair of bowls and chopsticks and start eating. Neither the father nor the son were very particular about food, so their lunch was simple: a plate of fried fish fillets, a plate of cold kelp shreds, and a bowl of steamed egg sprinkled with chopped green onions. "You made a great steamed egg. It's much smoother and more tender than the one your mother makes. You're a great cook." Fang Xianfeng praised his son while eating. Fang Wei didn't dare to admit that he was a better cook than his mother. He just had more free time than his mother. For example, for the dish of steamed egg custard, he would specially use warm water to stir the egg liquid, and put a plate on the bowl when steaming to prevent water vapor from penetrating. For his mother, who was busy on weekdays, she would not have the time to care about such details. She just wanted to make the dish as quickly as possible. Of course, Fang Wei still enjoyed the praise from his father. After all, it was rare for all men who were sons. The Chinese father-son relationship is the most subtle. They are like ruler and subject, like enemies, like friends...but it is difficult for them to be truly like father and son. When father and son exist in the same space, one is destined to be strong and the other weak, and only when the father lies on the bed are they truly father and son. When you were a child, you may have a lot of admiration for your father, but as you grow older, this admiration will gradually disappear, and there will be more misunderstandings between each other. You may become as irritable as your father, but you cannot bear the hardships that your father has suffered. You may hate his temper the most, but your temper is most like his. When I become a father myself, my father will be very old, and the backbone and burden of the family will slowly shift to me... Recalling something, Fang Wei asked while eating: "Dad, aren't you going to the dock this afternoon? How come you are free to come back for lunch today?" "I won't go to the dock anymore. I'm only busy in the mornings lately, and there's not much to do in the afternoons." "So what are your plans for the afternoon?" "Didn't the village say a few days ago that they had set up a breeding office? They said if we were free this afternoon, we could go over there to visit and learn. They said there would be breeding experts to give us guidance. I had nothing else to do, so I thought about going over to take a look." “The one that farms mussels?” "correct." After listening to what his father said, Fang Wei's eyes lit up. It seems that the suggestions made by me and my mother that day were listened to by my stubborn father who has always been a bit empirical. The old man hasn't mentioned this matter in the past two days, but he has been sitting at the gate and smoking more often in his spare time. I guess he is also thinking about whether this matter is feasible. Yes! Of course it is possible! Mussel farming, the largest mussel farm in East China, ten thousand acres of marine ranch, the future mussel hometown! This is the most correct path for the future industrial transformation of Pineapple Island! "Dad, I have nothing to do this afternoon. Can you take me with you when you go?" "What are you going to do..."
…… Having said that, the old man still called Fang Wei to go with him when he set out in the afternoon. "Get in the car." "Okay!" Holding on to his father's strong shoulders, Fang Wei raised his legs and sat astride his motorcycle. I remember one time in my childhood when we were coming back from my grandmother’s house, it was raining heavily. The three of us rode on a motorcycle, and Fang Wei was sandwiched between his father and mother. The rain was heavy and the wind was strong. He was protected by his parents, hiding in a large raincoat. The only sounds he could hear were his parents’ heartbeats and the sound of big raindrops hitting the raincoat. The strong wind blew the sides of the raincoat into waves, and he was responsible for holding on to the two sides of the raincoat, and occasionally he would secretly lift a corner to see where the motorcycle was... Even though there was a storm outside, it was the time when he felt the safest. Fang Wei is now much taller and can no longer hide in the raincoat between his father and mother as he used to. But when he sits on the motorcycle with one hand on his father's strong shoulders, Fang Wei still feels genuinely at ease. Under the hot afternoon sun, the motorcycle carried the father and son along a country road, with green farmlands on both sides. The two chatted casually. "Did the breeding office tell us how much the initial investment would be?" The wind was roaring loudly in my ears, so I had to speak louder. "I haven't gone into detail yet, but I heard that the village has support. For example, boats and other things that require a large investment can be rented out in the early stages..." "That's fine! Since the village has encouraging policies, the initial investment should be relatively acceptable. The key still depends on the breeding method and the harvest." "...boy, why do you talk so inconsistently?" “I learned it from a book!” "Does your teacher teach this?" "Teach yourself." …… The island is very small. After riding a motorcycle around the island for half a circle, the father and son arrived at Pineapple Beach. Considering that the sea area here is wide and the conditions are relatively suitable for the growth of mussels, the village has planned this sea area as a place for marine aquaculture, and individual farmers can use specific areas on a contract basis. The contract price varies depending on the region, but under the current favorable policies, the Breeding Office has given very large discounts. However, in the current environment, even with support, not everyone has the ability to engage in individual farming, and many capable families are still waiting and watching. After all, the tragic failures of marine farming such as scallops, abalone, and kelp are still fresh in their memory. Of course, marine aquaculture cannot be done without ships. Following the technicians and experts from the breeding office, Fang Wei and his son, together with more than a dozen villagers from the village who were interested in mussel farming, boarded the boat and headed for the mussel farming experimental field. On the boat, an expert in mussel farming also introduced himself to everyone, probably as a professor at an ocean research institute. In short, he sounded quite capable. Of course, everyone came here not to listen to these verbal theories, but to see with their own eyes the possibilities of mussel farming. Soon, the boat arrived at the mussel farming experimental field. Fang Wei used his hand to block the dazzling sunlight from his forehead and looked around. He saw an area of about five acres of sea with neatly floating rows of white floats. "This place is our test field. Xiao Wang, please slow down your boat..." Professor Xu leaned over the side of the boat and reached out to pick up a white float on the shimmering blue sea. These floats were neatly connected in a large area, but they were not fishing nets. As he pulled up the float, the long rope hanging in the sea water below also emerged from the sea.
The densely packed shellfish attached to the ropes are mussels. As Professor Xu lifted the rope, the fishermen who came to visit also showed expressions of surprise. “Isn’t the output high?” Professor Xu was very satisfied with the expressions of the crowd, and continued to explain with a smile: "Don't be fooled by the large number of mussels in our experimental field. Except for the larval stage of seedling cultivation, the entire breeding process of adults going to sea does not require feeding. This sea area is rich in nutrients. Our mussel seedlings mainly rely on the natural growth of marine organisms. It is not an exaggeration to say that 80% of them are wild mussels!" "In May or October every year, we wrap the rope and mussel seedlings with straw cloth, and then place the wrapped mussels in the sea 20 to 30 meters deep for cultivation. As the mussels grow bigger, the outer cloth gradually falls off, and the mussels are attached to the long rope. After about ten months of natural growth in the sea, it is time to harvest the mussels." "The yield of thick-shelled mussels attached to a seedling rope like this is about 300-400, and the yield per mu can reach 10 tons!" As Professor Xu was still talking, the people on the boat could not help but peel the mussels off the rope to have a look. Fang Wei also grabbed a handful and studied it carefully. "Professor, what kind of mussels are these?" Fang Xianfeng asked, looking at the large mussels in his hand. Mussel farming had been done on the island before. The best variety was the wild thick-shelled mussel, but its growth cycle was slow, and it was difficult to raise seedlings, and the number of wild mussels was also quite limited. The mussel farmers who were not discouraged introduced the purple mussel from the north. The output of this variety did increase, but it was small in size, had a short shelf life, and had low economic value. The mussels in his hand had shiny black shells and were long wedge-shaped. After peeling the shells, the inside was purple-brown or grayish-grey with a pearly luster. The key point was that they were no smaller than wild thick-shelled mussels! The meat was dense and thick, orange-red, apricot-yellow or yellow, and the body was quite full. At first glance, you could tell that they were top-quality mussels. When talking about varieties, Professor Xu also showed a proud expression on his face. "This is the thick-shelled mussel carefully cultivated by our technical team! Not only does it retain the original characteristics of wild thick-shelled mussels, but on the basis of quality, we have also greatly increased the yield. The most important thing is that the breeding and seedling period twice a year and the entire growth cycle have been shortened by nearly half a year!" "hiss……" After hearing this, everyone on the boat couldn't help whispering to each other. Some even peeled a mussel and put it in their mouths to taste it. We are all islanders who make a living from the sea. Even if we are not fishermen at the moment, we must have been fishermen two generations ago. In today's environment of increasingly scarce marine resources, those who are willing to get on this boat are those who are thinking hard about ways to transform. Even if they have never engaged in aquaculture before, they definitely understand the weight of Professor Xu's words. As expected, seeing is believing. The finished products of the mussel farming experimental field have greatly inspired everyone's confidence in farming. The atmosphere also became lively at this moment, and everyone gathered around Professor Xu and asked various questions related to mussel farming. Fang Xianfeng also squeezed into the crowd and was busy asking questions. Fang Wei had rarely seen his father so excited. He did not go up to join in the fun, but he was well prepared. He took out a small notebook and pen from his pocket and wrote down all the key points mentioned by Professor Xu. It includes the preliminary site selection and preparation, the acquisition and transportation of seedlings, how to grow seedlings, how to go to sea, what processes and equipment are needed, as well as daily management and maintenance, etc. Fang Wei recorded it all. Even when they returned to the shore and dispersed, the mood of this group of old men was still very enthusiastic. Then they remembered that their old brains had a poor memory and they had forgotten everything Professor Xu said. They only knew that this thing was really worth doing... Fang Xianfeng also slapped his thigh. He was just excited just now. Now when he thought about it, his mind was in a mess and he had forgotten what Professor Xu said. "Ah Wei, you just heard Professor Xu talking about how to choose the parent shellfish when raising seedlings..." "..." No one knows a father better than his son. Fang Wei silently handed the small notebook with records to the old man. "What is this... Good boy! Good boy!! You are amazing! It was indeed the right decision to bring you here!" Fang Xianfeng was overjoyed, and his whole body was in high spirits. "Didn't you think of taking me with you at first?"
"Dad's problem! Dad's problem!" "Ugh……" It’s really hard to be a rich second generation these days. (Thanks to classmate Yang Yang Yang yyy for being the leader! He is also an old book friend. Thank you very much for your support. The boss is generous! The boss will make a fortune~!) (End of this chapter)