Chapter Thirty-Three: The Black Stone Field at the Eastern End of the Village (Please Subscribe!)

After waiting for more than half an hour, the sick cow that had been rolling on the ground just moments ago suddenly managed to stand up. This greatly impressed everyone and made them look at Li Yi with newfound respect.

Li Yi stepped forward to examine the cow and then said to Feng Kai, “Uncle Feng, the cow is fine now, but it must be kept from catching a cold in the next few days.”

“All right, I’ll have the production team put it in a rainproof shed separately at night,” Feng Kai replied.

“Also, when feeding it, don’t just feed fresh grass.”

“Why’s that? Besides, what else is there to feed at this time of year if not fresh grass?”

Li Yi explained immediately, “Summer grass is tender and contains a lot of moisture. If the cow eats too much, it’s prone to diarrhea and other illnesses.”

“This old yellow cow just caught a chill. Feeding it too much fresh grass now would only make things worse. It’s best to mix some good-quality dried grass into its feed, or grains like soybean meal or wheat bran would work too.”

Actually, it would be even better to feed it some cornmeal or whole corn, but considering most families are barely scraping by, there’s hardly enough grain to spare for the cattle. So Li Yi kept that to himself to avoid stirring resentment.

“You really know a lot, Yi. I’ll have the cowherd take care of it,” Feng Kai said appreciatively.

Then he called out to the other villagers, “Alright, everyone, time to head home. Isn’t anyone going back?”

Seeing no more excitement, the crowd gradually dispersed until only a few remained at the scene.

Feng Kai noticed Li Yi hadn’t left and asked curiously, “Your sister and your wife have gone. Why aren’t you leaving?”

Li Yi smiled, “I have business with you, Uncle Feng. I’m not going home until it’s settled.”

“I was wondering why you came over for no reason. So, what’s the matter?” Feng Kai said, half-joking.

“I want to apply for a plot of land...”

“What? Apply for land? What do you want to do? I’m just a humble village secretary; I don’t have that authority!” Feng Kai exploded before Li Yi could finish.

The village’s land was all accounted for, even a small private plot was fought over fiercely. Feng Kai wasn’t about to set a precedent.

“You’ve got me wrong. I want to build a house. I’m about to get married soon. I can’t have nowhere to live!” Li Yi said.

“A house? You mean a homestead plot?”

“Yes, a homestead plot.”

Feng Kai immediately relaxed. Managing homestead plots was indeed the village’s responsibility, and no one would dare question his approval.

“The village is only so big. You want a plot on that side, but remember, it can’t exceed three fen,” Feng Kai said.

Li Yi did the math: one mu is about 666 square meters, so three fen is nearly 200 square meters.

A three-room brick-and-tile house would take up about 90 square meters, leaving over 100 square meters for a small courtyard.

But thinking about his old house, where just the vegetable garden took up 200 square meters, Li Yi felt it was a bit small. He said, “Uncle Feng, after building the house on three fen, there won’t be much space left. I want to plant some fruit trees and vegetables in the courtyard later. Could you approve a bit more land?”

He then handed over two bottles of wine hanging from his bicycle handles.

He wasn’t afraid of being accused of bribery; these days, everyone greased the palms of the village secretary or team leader to get things done.

Feng Kai gave him a sideways glance and said, “The black stone land on the east side of the village hasn’t grown anything for years. I talked with your Uncle Zhang about it recently. We decided to stop farming it. If you don’t mind, you can mark out a piece.”

The black stone land on the east side of the village? Li Yi immediately recalled. That plot was at the very eastern edge, with gray-brown rocks less than half a meter underground and occasional black stones.

Because of all the stones and poor water retention, nothing ever grew there. In recent years, the production team had gradually abandoned it.

But Li Yi knew it was a treasure trove.

The villagers didn’t realize that beneath that rocky land lay abundant mineral deposits—particularly valuable molybdenum ore.

A few years later, the prospecting team discovered high-grade molybdenum there, and the state established a molybdenum mining base.

At that time, the land was bought by an outsider from the village who set up a pig farm. When the land was expropriated, he received compensation of 500,000 yuan.

In the 1980s, 500,000 yuan was an enormous sum—equivalent in purchasing power to tens or even hundreds of millions today.

Now, with those billions sitting before him, could Li Yi really give up?

Seeing Li Yi’s silent expression, Feng Kai sighed, “Good spots in the village are eyed by everyone. Three fen is the limit, but if you really don’t want the black stone land...”

Before Feng Kai finished, Li Yi hurriedly said, “I don’t mind... I don’t mind. Let’s settle on that land.”

Now it was Feng Kai’s turn to be silent. The land was big, but nothing would grow there.

“You need to think carefully. The village only allows one application for homestead land. If you choose the black stone land, you can’t regret it later.”

“No regrets... no regrets. Whoever regrets it’s a fool!” Li Yi said quickly.

That land was worth billions in potential. Who would regret getting it for free?

“Yi, I’ve clearly explained the land’s condition. It’s big, but basically useless for farming. Are you sure you want it?” Feng Kai asked again, making sure.

“Yes, that’s the one. But you have to approve a bigger plot for me.”

“How big?”

“Five mu.”

“Get out of here! Whose homestead is that big? At most, you can have one mu!”

“Uncle Feng, one mu isn’t very big, and every household has private plots. My family should have some too!”

Li Yi continued, “Besides, the land’s productivity is so low, you should allocate more.”

Feng Kai thought it over and agreed. “That land is about a dozen mu. I’ll give you three mu: half a mu for the homestead and the remaining two and a half for private use.”

Three mu was still a bit small, but Li Yi was satisfied. “Alright, thank you, Uncle Feng!”

With that, Li Yi was about to leave.

“Wait a moment!”

“Uncle Feng, do you still have something to say?” Li Yi asked hurriedly.

“Take the wine back with you.”

“Come on, you can’t take back a gift like that. Besides, my father asked me to give it to you. If I bring it back, he’ll break my legs!” Li Yi laughed.

“Hmph, if he knew I gave you that black stone land, I’m worried he’d come to my house and break my legs!” Feng Kai said, picking up his pipe and walking away without looking back.

Watching the old man’s helpless yet resolute figure, Li Yi felt a strange sense of solemnity.

But thinking of his father’s fiery temper, he knew he’d have to explain things carefully when he got home. Otherwise, his father might really go after Feng Kai.

With that thought, Li Yi mounted his bicycle and sped toward the village.