Chuxia Lin smiled and nodded to the villagers as she heard their support from within the crowd.
Turning back to Huang Dashun, she continued, “Boss Huang, are you really not aware of the problem with your chickens? I’ve repeatedly reminded you that Xiyang Food Factory absolutely doesn’t accept sick or dead chickens and also reminded you to vaccinate the chicks. Today, when Houzi went to pick up the goods, the plucked chickens you provided clearly had quality issues, and we have the right to refuse purchase.”
As soon as mention of sick and dead chickens emerged, a stir went through the crowd.
Huang Dashun didn’t expect that the other party would really notice, but he still tried to maintain his composure.
“Mr. Lin is being too serious. I admit, there are some problems with a portion of the chickens in my farm. But in such a large chicken farm, with two to three thousand chickens, it would be normal if it weren’t just a few, but even dozens of chickens dying, right? Why is Mr. Lin making a big deal out of nothing, affecting our cooperation? Moreover, Houzi is just a delivery guy. You can’t always just listen to his side of the story.”
He sighed in a manner that seemed to express difficulty and embarrassment at having to speak up.
“I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Lin, Houzi and I have had some disagreements lately. He hinted that he wanted me to give him something, but I’m a straightforward person and didn’t indulge his whims. I didn’t expect that because of such a trivial matter, he’s now holding a grudge against me.”
Huang Dashun shook his head helplessly and looked at Hou Xiaobao.
“Brother Houzi, such small matters aren’t worth mentioning. Look at you, falling out with your elder brother. Besides, weren’t you always keen on my niece? I’ve talked to my sister about it – I was planning to arrange a formal meeting between you two. Don’t worry, my niece and I have always been close since her childhood. With me playing matchmaker, there’s no way it would fail.”
Faced with such a combination of tactics, even Chuxia Lin had to admire Huang Dashun’s responsiveness.
First, he explained the current situation of the chicken farm without outright denying the dead chickens problem, but also did not admit to a chicken plague.
Then, he implied that Houzi has questionable character and might be retaliating against Huang Family Chicken Farm, making a mountain out of a molehill.
Lastly, he attempted to appease Hou Xiaobao.
Hou Xiaobao, being around twenty-five or twenty-six and still single, if he truly fancied Huang Dashun’s niece, then this matter really struck a chord with Hou Xiaobao’s sensitive spot.
But no matter how quick-witted he was, it was no match for Hou Xiaobao’s loyalty.
With a face full of shame and urgency, he said, “Mr. Lin, don’t listen to Huang Dashun’s nonsense. I’ve never asked him for anything, never slandered him. There’s a real problem with the chickens at Huang Family Chicken Farm. I’ve seen with my own eyes, the chickens in the coop, sickly and lopsided, the majority of them gasping for air. It’s an outbreak of chicken plague.”
As soon as the words “chicken plague” were uttered, the people present could no longer stay calm.
Ma San, who had just been speaking on behalf of Huang Dashun, lived not far from the food factory. This year, his wife had raised over twenty chickens, hoping they would bring some extra income to the household.
What if it spreads?
“Quick, drive this man out! Don’t let him bring the chicken plague into our village.”
The surrounding people were more concerned about the Qin Family Village’s own poultry farms, which belonged to the whole village. The village chief had said that they would receive dividends from the farm’s profits.
“Drive him out, push him that way, keep him far away, and don’t let him come to Qin Family Village ever again.”
The villagers, armed with shovels, pickaxes, and hoes, waved their tools at Huang Dashun aggressively.
If he was just a little slower, those shovels might land on his head.
Huang Dashun hadn’t expected the Qin Family Village’s villagers to be so united. He fled in embarrassment, still throwing out threats.
“Mr. Lin, as far as I know, Luo Family’s poultry farm can’t meet the high demands of Xiyang Food Factory.”
“We have a contract in black and white. If you refuse my chickens, be careful, I’ll take you to court. You just wait and see how that lawsuit turns out.”
Lin Chuxia was not afraid in the least. “Go ahead and do what you need to do. Moreover, I have already sent someone to report the epidemic at your chicken farm to the disease prevention station. I believe the staff from the disease prevention station will soon visit your chicken farm. Whether it’s ordinary sick chickens or chicken cholera, the staff from the prevention station will give everyone the results.”
If it’s confirmed that Huang Dashun’s chicken farm has an epidemic, Xiyang Food Factory won’t take a single chicken and won’t bear any responsibility.
On the contrary, Huang Dashun, since he didn’t heed Lin Chuxia’s warning to vaccinate the chicks on time, must compensate Xiyang Food Factory for the loss of supplies caused by his negligence.
Upon hearing that the staff from the prevention station were going to his chicken farm, Huang Dashun’s face changed dramatically.
He could no longer bother arguing with Lin Chuxia and scrambled home as fast as he could.
With the man driven away, the villagers were still somewhat worried.
“Qin Yang’s wife, if it really turns out to be chicken cholera, our chicken farms won’t be affected, will they?”
Lin Chuxia thanked her fellow villagers first and then comforted them with a smile, “The chickens on our farm have all been vaccinated, so they shouldn’t be affected. However, we still need to be careful and cautious, promptly deal with sick chickens, and cut off the source of infection.”
“Yes, yes, we must be careful and cautious.”
An experienced old lady nearby said with a smile, “Don’t worry, once they’re vaccinated, there won’t be any problems. My chickens were vaccinated last year, and when the disease spread through the village, ours were fine.”
“That puts my mind at ease. Earlier this spring, the village chief announced through the loudspeakers that the staff from the disease prevention station were vaccinating the chickens at the farms and advised everyone who keeps chickens at home to get them vaccinated too. Ours were vaccinated.”
“Ours were vaccinated as well.”
“When the village chief tells us to do it, and with the prevention station’s staff personally coming to our doors, who wouldn’t vaccinate?”
It must be said, in Qin Family Village, the words of Qin Shusen, the village chief, carried the weight of law; most people were willing to listen.
Of course, there were a few exceptions.
Ma San’s expression grew uglier as he listened to the discussions among the crowd, eventually trembling as he asked the person next to him.
“If the chickens weren’t vaccinated in the spring, would vaccinating them now still be effective?”
“I’ve heard from the staff at the prevention station that the vaccine needs to be administered when the chickens are chicks. If your chickens are already about to lay eggs, vaccinating them now won’t make any difference.”
The bad guy had been chased away, and the issue was resolved, so people went about their usual conversations as they carried their farm tools to the fields. Only Ma San remained stupefied, standing in place.
Su Wensong was on his way to work when he heard about the incident and rushed to the office, where Lin Chuxia, Qin Han, and Sun Bingnan were already present.
Qin Han had already notified Qin Jiang and the village chief. Even if there was an epidemic in another village and it might not spread here, they still had to be on high alert.
The chickens at the Qin Family Village chicken farm were about to be ready for market; this was the first batch of chickens from the farm, and the village chief took it very seriously. He immediately called for an emergency meeting with the working staff.
Qin Han didn’t listen much and returned to the food factory after conveying what Lin Chuxia had told him.
There was Zhang Guilan at the Bun Shop, and at the moment, the chicken cholera was a major issue.
“Sorry, Mr. Lin, I am late.”
As the factory manager, Su Wensong felt guilty for allowing Lin Chuxia to handle the situation alone.
Lin Chuxia waved her hand, “It’s okay, take a seat, and let’s discuss this together.”