Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 809

Chapter 809: Chapter 683: Does This Count as Walking Right Into the Trap?

Under the moonlight of a summer night, the courtyards of Zhang Family Village were faintly visible, with some surrounded by stone walls, but mostly with bamboo fences.

Even in such conditions, the Zhang Family Village’s production team was envied by nearby villages, and families with children liked to form marital ties with them.

But Zhang Guoqing couldn’t forget the envious eyes of most village children watching his son’s tiny sandals, while they ran around naked and barefoot.

Poor, too poor!

Except in snowy days, the villagers would let their children run naked all year round if possible. Could parents really bear to see their children in rags? It’s all due to poverty.

If every household had an additional income, perhaps it could change the fate of the entire village. Once they had enough to eat and wear, naturally they’d want their children not to remain ignorant.

Only the next generation leaving Zhang Family Village, stepping into schools to enrich themselves, can alter the fate of generations living off hunting and farming.

"Third Grandpa, have you gone to sleep?"

Standing at the door of the Old Captain’s house, Zhang Guoqing knocked and called out loudly, startling the neighboring hunter’s dogs into a frenzy of barking.

If it were in previous years, it wouldn’t be long before the entire village’s dogs would be barking back and forth. It’s just that in recent years, they’ve been short on food, unable to even afford to keep dogs. This particular dog had once saved the old hunter’s life, so out of gratitude, the family kept it despite the difficulty.

"Wait, I’ll open the door now."

After a moment, the Old Captain shuffled out in his slippers, opened the door, revealing his tired and weathered face.

"Third Grandpa, did I wake you?"

The Old Captain looked behind him, saw that he was alone, shook his head, "Not yet, I was just mulling over the team’s work. Come in if you have something to say."

Zhang Guoqing followed him into the east room, passing the outer room where the Third Grandma and her eldest daughter-in-law were still mending clothes, confirming they hadn’t gone to bed yet, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Pour yourself some water. So, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

It was late, and Zhang Guoqing didn’t exchange too many pleasantries, directly discussing the idea of setting up a food processing factory in the village. Whether this could materialize depended on the decision of the knowledgeable elder before him.

As the Old Captain listened, a smile spread across his face, "I’ve had this thought too. Seeing as the hunting path has ended, relying solely on the meager harvests from our fields isn’t sustainable."

Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement.

"During the last meeting, I mentioned this to the township. They were inclined to approve it, but we’d have to handle everything ourselves, and still owe quite a bit to the township annually. So I kept it to myself and didn’t tell anyone else.

The math on this doesn’t add up. Running a factory, just glass bottles and labor costs require significant upfront expenses, and we’d have to share some of the profits with the township. After all this, it’s not much different than selling directly to the procurement station."

Zhang Guoqing understood that he didn’t want to give the township a good deal. It’s understandable; they’re scared of paying tribute. Who knows if the profits they hand over would increase year after year?

The Old Captain saw Zhang Guoqing deep in thought and smiled knowingly, then suggested, "Actually, the best way is not to run a factory at all. During the winter, we process things ourselves in the ancestral hall, calculate by work points, then sell under the production team’s name and distribute the money. No outsider can take advantage of the village."

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