PDLP Chapter 71 Secretary Li Offers Advice
Chapter 71 Secretary Li Offers Advice
Several days have passed since the dead animals were found at the pig farm, and now "swine fever" has been discovered in the neighboring town.
As a result, some people made wild guesses that there was a problem with Xu's pig farm. These baseless rumors not only made the village nervous, but also the brigade.
The Xu family's pig farm was built with the help of the production brigade.
The purpose was to have them take the lead in the village, so we can't afford to have any problems at such a critical juncture.
Therefore, after the meeting, the brigade decided that Secretary Li would go to the Xu family to check the specific situation, and other cadres would visit the people who were present that day.
The purpose was to find out exactly what happened and whether there was really a problem with the pig farm.
The Xu siblings looked in the direction of the sound and saw Secretary Li, wearing a straw hat, walking towards them.
Xu Chunsheng stood up and offered his chair to Party Secretary Li:
"Secretary Li, please have a seat. Isn't the brigade busy today?"
Party Secretary Li sat down and asked directly:
"I heard yesterday that there were problems at your pig farm? Dead chickens and dead rats?"
Xu Chunsheng poured another bowl of tea for Party Secretary Li and nodded:
"This happened a few days ago, but we explained it clearly on the spot and also asked a few older people to go into the pig farm to check. The pigs are indeed fine."
After he finished speaking, he also mentioned that he had spent money to seek clues.
"But so far, no one has provided any information."
Party Secretary Li, holding his teacup, frowned and said:
"You can't just do this. If a small thing gets spread around too much, it will become a big problem. Take me to the pig farm to have a look."
Xu Chunsheng led the group into the pig farm. Party Secretary Li inspected each pen, paying particular attention to the pigs' feeding and hygiene.
Party Secretary Li looked up at the loud fan on the wall and asked loudly:
How often do you clean?
Xu Chunsheng, standing beside him, replied:
"We do a simple cleaning every day, and a thorough rinse every two or three days. Once the floor is almost dry, we spray it with alcohol to disinfect it."
"We clean up the manure every day, and we don't dare to let too much manure pile up in the pigpen. Sometimes after feeding the pigs, we'll clean it out when we have time."
If too much manure is piled up in the pigsty, it will produce a strong stench in less than a day, especially in this hot weather. Even with the exhaust fans on, the smell will not dissipate completely.
In a hot and smelly environment, pigs not only have a smaller appetite, but they also attract rodents, ants, mosquitoes, and other insects, which can bring various germs and potentially cause the pigs to get sick.
After listening to Xu Chunsheng's words, Party Secretary Li had a better understanding of the situation:
"Your pigsty is indeed well-managed; there's really no unpleasant smell here."
Party Secretary Li looked down at the floor of the pigsty, then at the remaining pig feed in the trough. It was all fresh, unlike what had been left over before.
Some pigs were eating with their heads down, and they seemed to be in good spirits. He looked at the corner of the pig trough again and saw that there was no residue left.
Finally, I checked the pigsty and found no accumulated filth. I sniffed the air and it smelled like normal pig manure, without any sour or rancid odor. Overall, the hygiene looked quite good.
After the two came out, Secretary Li asked Xu Chuanshan to take him to see the granary where they stored grain.
Bags of corn and bran were piled up inside, all elevated so they didn't touch the ground.
"You must make sure to feed those who buy the food first."
Xu Chunsheng nodded:
"That's how we do it. We bring in new food only when the old food is almost finished feeding the rest, and then we put the old food away separately. We're just afraid that if we put too much food in, it will attract mice and get moldy."
Afterwards, Party Secretary Li visited the place where they mixed the ingredients and made cornmeal.
The eldest sister was skillfully mixing cornmeal, bran, and feed. Secretary Li watched for a while; the whole process was seamless, without any unnecessary movements.
After everything was prepared, the older sister started cleaning the surrounding area as a matter of course. This was a habit she had developed over time, and she did it subconsciously.
After inspecting the pig farm, Party Secretary Li had a better understanding of the situation: Xu Chunsheng's pig farm appeared to be functioning properly at the moment.
Party Secretary Li fanned himself twice with the straw hat in his hand:
"Sick pigs have been found in the next town. The weather is hot now, so the incidence rate is high. You need to be extra careful."
"Okay, I'll come again tomorrow morning. You go to the town's livestock station and ask a veterinarian to come to the pig farm for an inspection."
After Xu Chunsheng agreed, Party Secretary Li added:
"Let's call one person from each household in the village over for a debunking meeting. Some of the people who were at your pig farm that day have already gone to find out what happened, and we'll let them know to come tomorrow, so you don't need to go and call them out specifically."
After listening, Xu Chunsheng immediately understood Secretary Li's intention and thanked him profusely.
"I'm sorry to have troubled Secretary Li again. I was too naive before. I didn't expect things to turn out like this."
It's no wonder Xu Chunsheng didn't know; his family is now considered one of the wealthiest households in the village, and no one would dare to spread these rumors to their faces.
Some people asked those who were present that day, and in order not to offend Xu Chunsheng's family, they would definitely say the good things, but that didn't stop the people who came to inquire from having their own ideas.
Xu Chunsheng understood that the reason he had specifically called over the people who were present that day and convened a meeting of the entire village was to have them testify and recount what happened that day in front of everyone.
So after seeing Secretary Li off, Xu Chunsheng finished feeding the pigs and rushed home.
"Dad, Secretary Li just came to the pig farm and asked us to call everyone in the village. He said he'll have a veterinarian come to our pig farm tomorrow morning to examine the pigs. We ask everyone to be witnesses."
"Why do we need to do an inspection? Our pigs are fine!"
"There are too many rumors. It's no use talking about this kind of thing yourself. You have to clarify it in front of everyone to shut people up."
Mr. Xu irritably rubbed the top of his head:
"These people really have nothing better to do. If I find out which bastard threw that dead chicken, I'll give him a couple of whacks!"
"Let's go, let's hurry."
This kind of thing can't be done by Xu Chunsheng alone, because in the eyes of the older generation, Xu Chunsheng is still too young, and Xu's father still needs to be involved in asking for help.
The two packed a bottle of wine from their home and some candy, and went to the village chief's house first.
After the two arrived at the village chief's house, they both called out to him:
"uncle."
"Grandpa."
The village chief warmly welcomed him:
"Hey, Hongjun, Chunsheng, come and sit down. Men, go pour some tea."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mr. Xu revealed the purpose of his visit:
"Uncle, it's like this. Recently, some people have said that there's a problem with our pig farm. Secretary Li asked us to invite everyone to a meeting at the pig farm tomorrow morning to clarify this matter."
"We just wanted to trouble you to come with us and talk to every household in the village."
Finally, Xu Chunsheng added a compliment:
"Grandpa, the villagers trust you more, which carries more weight than if we came to visit them individually."
The village chief readily nodded: "Yes, I'll go. Let's go."