"What else did little sister mention?" Lin Xiao’an and Lin Xiaole also sensed the implication and asked with interest.
Lin Xiaoxi wore a rather proud expression, smiling, "Little sister said that nowadays, there’s a shortage of everything, including food. Merely farming grains won’t bring in big money, but fruits and vegetables are scarce in the cities. If we could lease a large area of land and turn it into orchards and vegetable gardens, we would definitely make a profit."
Seeing their attention was on him, Lin Xiaoxi continued, "Little sister said that we should seize the opportunity to lease land sooner rather than later. The policies have just been released, and local officials are surely not yet familiar with them, so we can take the chance to negotiate lower prices. Historically, the first person to try something new always reaps the biggest benefits."
"Do you think this sounds promising?" Lin Xiaoping said excitedly, "I may not be sure about other things, but I’m certainly as good as anyone when it comes to tending the land. It’s just that I have never grown fruit before, so I’ll need to do some research."
"It’s not just about farming," Lin Xiaoxi added. "If we have enough funds, we can also develop animal husbandry—chickens, ducks, geese, and even pigs, cattle, sheep, as well as fish—all have potential for profit."
"Our hills here are not taken seriously," Lin Xiaoxi noted. "Little sister said if we contract them to raise chickens and plant fruit trees, it’s bound to succeed, but it will require more effort at the start."
"Can it really be successful? We won’t end up unable to sell our products, will we?" Lin Xiao’an interjected, worried.
"Why wouldn’t we be able to sell?" Lin Xiaoxi countered, "Think about it. There are more and more restaurants in towns and cities, and people are living better lives. Before, if you ate meat a couple of times a year, it was a lot. That’s not the case anymore; now, well-off families eat meat every few days, and in time, won’t that mean eating meat at every meal? Without mentioning others, little sister’s family is already living at that standard."
"Really?" The three brothers, Lin Xiaoping included, were happy and envious upon hearing this. To them, the best life would mean eating meat at every meal.
"I have a question," Lin Xiao’an said, frowning. "If elder brother does well, the villagers will surely follow suit. Others are no problem since they lack the capital, but if our family members start competing with elder brother, won’t that lead to a dilemma?"
"Don’t worry about that," Lin Xiaoxi said, marveling at how thorough little sister had been, and then smiled, "Little sister has already thought about it for Xiao Ping. One person can’t corner the entire market. Once Xiao Ping becomes a leader, he can seize the first-mover advantage. As long as he secures supply contracts with large institutions and restaurants quickly, he won’t have to worry about not being able to sell his produce."
"Furthermore, although there are those in our clan with money, not everyone is willing to become an entrepreneur. A secure job is still the most appealing. With little sister as an example, surely several people in our clan would want to send their own children to college."
Indeed, the Lin clan had quite a few smart kids, and though Lin Xiaoping and Lin Xiaoxi themselves were none too shabby, the kinds who didn’t take to their studies like Lin Xiaokang and his siblings were rare. It’s as if all the family smarts had gone to Lin Xiaoguai alone, a rarity in the Lin family.
The brothers thought about it, and Lin Xiaoping declared, "Done. I’ll take on this venture." Even if he incurred losses, having so much land, he would not starve to death.
"Xiao Ping, don’t rush into doing everything at once that little sister mentioned. It will be hard to handle if you try to accomplish it all too quickly," warned Lin Xiaoxi, worried he might be overly eager for quick success.
"Don’t worry, I know my limits," Lin Xiaoping assured, smiling. "I plan to lease the hill behind us first. Also, I’m going to try selling some of the vegetables from our private plot in town to test the waters. If that goes well, I’ll expand the cultivation area."
Lin Xiaoping, who seemed laid-back, was not of a laid-back disposition at all. No amount of urging would make him decide before he was ready, but once he did, he would consider all aspects. His meticulous nature was quite rare among men.
"What about me, Xiao Xi? Go ahead and tell me what little sister suggested for me," Lin Xiaole asked eagerly.
Seeing him , Lin Xiao’an did not mind waiting since it would be his turn eventually.
"You?" Lin Xiaoxi smiled and said, "Xiao Le, don’t you like tinkering with tractors?"
Lin Xiaole was startled, "Little sister isn’t suggesting I go operate tractors, is she? That’s definitely not for me. Elder brother and second brother are better at it than I am. I just like fixing them, not driving them."
He had an erratic nature. The production team leader had once asked him to drive a tractor, but he simply lacked the talent. Whenever he drove on the uneven village roads, bystanders would inevitably sweat bullets for him.