Chapter 242: Medicinal Herbs Whose Prices Will Soar in a Few Years

Lin Heng had also stayed in Ancheng before and knew where the machinery factories were, but he couldn’t go directly there, as that would seem very strange.

However, making inquiries was also very easy, and soon they arrived at the largest Hongxing Machinery Factory in the northern part of the city. The variety of machinery produced inside this factory was extremely extensive.

As soon as Lin Heng entered, a middle-aged man came over to receive them. Seeing that Lin Heng and the other two were so young, he was somewhat surprised.

“May I ask what kind of machinery you three need to purchase?” the middle-aged man inquired with a smile.

Lin Heng glanced at him and asked, “Do you have large aerators for fish and shrimp farming?”

“Of course we do. Please come with me,” the middle-aged man nodded with a smile and led Lin Heng into the workshop.

The principle of a large aerator was very simple: an electric motor drove an impeller to rotate in the water body, generating a large number of bubbles, which allowed the water and air to fully contact each other, thereby allowing oxygen to better dissolve into the water body.

“The aerators produced in our workshop are mainly floating types, meaning they float on the water surface. According to power, there are four models: seven hundred and fifty watts, one thousand five hundred watts, two thousand two hundred watts, and three thousand watts. They are also divided into two types: two hundred twenty volts and three hundred eighty volts. They can function on water bodies of different areas. They are guaranteed for replacement within three years and for repair within five years.”

After finishing his introduction, the middle-aged man smiled and inquired again, “Which model would you like to buy?”

Lin Heng and the other two looked around the place, especially Lin Yue and Lin Hai, who were very curious about this thing, as they had never seen it before.

“What are the prices for the two hundred twenty volt ones respectively?” Lin Heng asked again. Red Maple Mountain couldn’t pull three-phase electricity, so buying a three hundred eighty volt one would be useless even if they took it back.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “The prices from low to high are one hundred fifty, one hundred eighty, two hundred, two hundred thirty, and two hundred fifty. Even the smallest seven hundred fifty watt one can function on a one-mu pond.”

Lin Heng nodded to show he understood, then inquired again, “How much are the small chaff cutters and crushers respectively?”

“For household use, the cheapest chaff cutter is eighty yuan, and the crusher is one hundred,” the middle-aged man said again.

Lin Heng could still accept these prices. In this era, the prices of state-owned enterprises were all set, and there was no such thing as bargaining.

Later, when private enterprises and individual businesses increased, coupled with the implementation of a market economy policy, bargaining became a thing.

“Do you have feed machines?” Lin Heng asked again.

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, “We do have this, but only large ones. They are all sold to feed factories. The cheapest set sells for twenty-eight thousand. They include grinding equipment, mixing equipment, compression equipment, pelletizing equipment, drying equipment, and crushing equipment. They do not include puffing equipment or packaging equipment.”

“The domestic aquaculture industry is currently in a period of vigorous development. Starting a feed factory to produce feed is completely worry-free in terms of sales.”

After saying this, he added another sentence.

Lin Heng nodded. He really did want to start a feed processing factory. In his previous life, he had processed feed himself and knew the ratios for many types of feed.

And in these times, the domestic feed production industry had just started. Starting a feed factory was definitely a great opportunity, especially as more and more people engaged in aquaculture over time, making feed practically in short supply.

Lin Heng also had a plan in mind to establish a full industrial chain company covering everything from feed production to aquaculture technical guidance. For now, he would slowly accumulate capital himself. Later, when the market economy policy arrived, he would aggressively seize market share and expand at once into a leading enterprise in feed production.

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t afford these things now, but there was no hurry. Opportunities would still be available for a short while. By next year, he should have enough capital to open a feed production factory.

Unlike the provincial capital Ancheng, which was so developed, currently in Taibai City, there weren’t even a few people engaged in aquaculture, let alone feed production factories.

“Alright then, I’ll buy three of the two thousand two hundred watt aerators, one seven hundred fifty watt one, then one crusher and one chaff cutter each, and another one thousand five hundred watt water pump,” Lin Heng said, looking at the middle-aged man.

Naturally, he didn’t have the money to buy one for every pond, and that wasn’t realistic either. Buying four to take back and use would be enough.

“Alright, the one thousand five hundred watt water pump is worth one hundred fifty. All together, the total is one thousand and eighty yuan. Let’s go over there to sign the contract.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately beamed with joy and led Lin Heng and the other two to the front office.

After signing the contract, Lin Heng paid the deposit. He would pay the balance when he came to pick up the goods tomorrow.

By the time all this was done, it was already noon. The sun hung high, and people and vehicles came and went on the streets, making it countless times more bustling than Taibai City.

Lin Hai gazed at the street and sighed with emotion, “Money really flows like water. Brother Lin Heng, the amount you spent today alone is enough for an ordinary person to earn in eight or nine years.”

“If you want to make money, you have to spend it first. There’s no other way. Buying from the main factory here in Ancheng is actually cheaper,” Lin Heng sighed. Things like aerators weren’t even sold in Taibai City.

Other equipment was also considerably more expensive there.

“So, what do we do now?” Lin Yue exhaled and asked.

Lin Heng smiled, got into the car, and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you guys to have some fun in Ancheng and broaden your horizons.”

After the two got in the car, Lin Heng took them to eat some very distinctive local cold-skin noodles and roujiamo in Ancheng. Then he took them to see the large number of preserved ancient buildings in the area, which were all imperial territory in ancient times.

Lin Heng also took the opportunity to walk around many places. These areas were still farmland now, but in twenty or thirty years, they would become land worth its weight in gold. Buying just a little bit of land now would ensure future generations wouldn’t have to worry.

What he needed to do now was accumulate capital. Only with enough money could he secure these important locations.

“So this is Ancheng. No wonder it’s the provincial capital. It’s really big and prosperous.”

Lin Yue looked at the ancient pagoda in the distance and sighed with emotion.

Lin Hai leaned on Lin Heng’s shoulder and said with a smile, “I’ve really broadened my horizons following Brother Lin Heng this time.”

“Let’s go, let’s explore some more. I guess you two also want to buy some gifts for your families,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

After another round of exploring, the three of them each bought some small gifts for their families.

“We’re here, this is the place.”

Not long after, Lin Heng arrived at an old book market that sold books and stationery.

“This place is great. I was planning to buy a few books too,” Lin Hai said with a smile.

After wandering around the market for a while, Lin Heng picked out books using a burlap sack. He roughly knew which books were good and just stuffed them directly into the sack.

These old books cost a few cents each, with the expensive ones costing a few dimes. Even the hardcover ones were only around one yuan each.

“Brother Lin, isn’t this magazine pretty good?”

Lin Yue held up a copy of Reader’s Digest and said.

“Throw it away. That’s garbage,” Lin Heng waved his hand dismissively. Reader’s Digest and Yilin were both fucking cancers, poisoning a whole generation. He didn’t want his own family to be affected.

Although Reader’s Digest had only been founded for four years in this era and might not have been so outrageous yet, he still wouldn’t buy it.

Nonsense about some Israeli idiot reading sixty-four books a year, about Westerners reading books on the subway, about Jews being the smartest—pure bullshit, just deceiving people in the country who didn’t know any better.

He had been deceived for a long time in his previous life, thinking it was amazing. It wasn’t until technology advanced and his thinking matured that he understood the truth.

“If you’re not buying it, don’t slander it. These are good books,” the stall owner retorted unhappily.

Lin Heng glanced at him with a look that said “you’re an idiot.” Fine. He went to the neighboring stall and bought a hardcover set of Mao’s Selected Works and a hardcover set of Das Kapital. These were the scriptures Chinese people should be reading.

After making a round through the market, he bought two burlap sacks of old books, along with some new books, totaling over two hundred volumes, which cost him over eighty yuan.

After stacking the books in the car, Lin Heng found a high-end hotel in the evening, costing five yuan a night, and also stored the car there.

That night, aside from someone slipping small cards under the door crack, they were completely undisturbed.

Early the next morning, Lin Heng went to the transport station to pick up the truck and first headed to the machinery factory to load the goods.

At the machinery factory, after testing the machines to confirm there were no issues, they were swiftly loaded onto the truck. Lin Heng also settled the prepared final payment.

Then he came to the Provincial Agricultural Science Institute.

“Are the saplings I ordered yesterday all ready?” Lin Heng found the salesperson from yesterday and inquired.

“The grapevines and apple trees have all been dug up. The rest are still being dug and should be finished by noon,” the salesperson said apologetically.

“I see,” Lin Heng nodded and inquired further, “Do you have seeds for medicinal herbs like ginseng and turmeric here?”

“Yes, we do. Ginseng seeds are five yuan per jin, turmeric is rhizomes, one mao per jin,” the salesperson nodded.

“What about forsythia and astragalus seeds?” Lin Heng asked again.

“We have those too. Forsythia seeds are three yuan per jin, astragalus seeds are five yuan per jin,” the salesperson added.

Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll also buy twenty jin of ginseng seeds, five jin each of forsythia and astragalus seeds, and two hundred jin of turmeric seeds.”

These medicinal herbs would see their prices skyrocket in the future, becoming in short supply. Planting them now would allow for an easy, huge profit in a few years.

“Let’s settle everything together at the end,” the salesperson noted it down on paper and said to Lin Heng.

“Sure, let’s start by taking us to load the fruit saplings.” Lin Heng nodded.

Led by the sales representative, the truck drove into the nursery base from the side, and Lin Heng and the others went to supervise the loading.

The saplings were all bare-rooted without soil balls, bundled ten to a small bundle, and ten small bundles to a large bundle. Then, their roots were dipped in some yellow mud slurry water before being loaded onto the truck.

Lin Heng simply watched from the side, checking if the quality and appearance were up to standard. Lin Hai and his elder brother Lin Yue enthusiastically went to help move the goods. Country folks are like that, always eager to lend a hand.

In the end, they even gave an extra fifty saplings to account for any shortages or dead plants.

The kiwi fruit saplings had only just started being dug up, so Lin Heng had to go fetch the seeds first, then go handle the strawberry seedlings.

“Little brother, what are you doing with these strawberry seedlings?” Lin Yue asked curiously. He had never seen this kind of fruit before.

Lin Hai jumped in to answer, “I know. Tian Yan said it’s a kind of especially delicious fruit that came from abroad. We don’t have it in our little area.”

“That’s right. Strawberries are very tasty and also particularly easy to grow.” Lin Heng nodded with a smile.

This large-grained variety of strawberry was only introduced to China in 1915. It has been spreading in recent years and won’t become widespread across China until the 1990s.

“They look a lot like mock strawberries,” Lin Yue remarked, looking at the strawberry seedlings in the cultivation bags.

“These are much bigger than mock strawberries and taste much better too. You’ll know when they bear fruit,” Lin Heng said with a laugh.

The watermelon seeds were the same. The latest watermelon seeds cultivated by the Agricultural Science Station were far superior to the original ones in both sweetness and resistance to pests and diseases.

The same went for the other crop seeds. Lin Heng believed that this year’s harvest from his family’s crops would astonish everyone in the village. In terms of yield, local seeds could only be completely outclassed.

Soon, Lin Heng and the others had all the saplings loaded, with only the kiwi fruit saplings left.

“Let’s go eat first,” Lin Heng said with a smile.

They took the driver along for a meal and also handed him a pack of cigarettes. The pockmarked-faced driver immediately beamed with delight.

“Boss Lin, are you twenty-five?” the pockmarked-faced driver asked with a smile.

“Twenty-one,” Lin Heng replied, smiling.

“So young!” The pockmarked-faced driver was even more astonished. Being twenty-one and able to come buy these things, his family background was probably not ordinary.

The things he bought today must have cost two to three thousand.

Lin Heng just smiled without explaining.

After the meal, they returned to the Agricultural Science Institute. The remaining kiwi fruit saplings had been dug up, and after counting, they were moved onto the truck.

“Wait a moment, leave some space on the side. Don’t put anything there.”

Seeing the driver haphazardly directing the loading, Lin Heng quickly stopped him.

“What’s up? Do you have other things to buy?” the pockmarked-faced driver asked, turning his head.

“Yes, I also want to buy two dairy cows. This space is reserved for the cows,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Alright then.” The pockmarked-faced driver was startled and cleared out that area.

“Mr. Lin, all the goods have been loaded,” the sales representative said, walking over with the documents.

“Good, I’ll go settle the bill.”

Lin Heng nodded and followed him out to settle the account. He had already withdrawn the money in the morning.

After settling the bill, Lin Heng had his elder brother Lin Yue ride in the passenger seat with the driver, while he drove the three-wheeler with Lin Hai.

There was a dairy cow breeding farm in Ancheng. Lin Heng had already inquired about the specific location yesterday.

They drove directly to the outside of the breeding farm.

“Who are you?”

Hearing the sound of the vehicle, a middle-aged man soon came out, looking curiously at Lin Heng and the others.

“Do you sell dairy cows here?” Lin Heng inquired.

“Yes, I sell them here,” the middle-aged man nodded.

“How much for an adult dairy cow, and how much for a calf?” Lin Heng asked.

He still had over seven hundred and thirty yuan on him now. The three thousand he brought was almost spent.

But dairy cows shouldn’t be too expensive either.

“For a three-year-old adult dairy cow, it’s six hundred per head. For a five-month-old calf, it’s one hundred and twenty per head,” the boss said, looking at Lin Heng.

“Let’s see the cows first. What breed of dairy cows are these?” Lin Heng inquired. The quoted price for the cows was undoubtedly too high, but now wasn’t the time to haggle.

“Please come in.” The boss glanced at Lin Heng’s attire and smiled, inviting him in.

Entering the building, Lin Heng found that this farm was quite sizable. Upon asking, he learned they raised over one hundred and fifty dairy cows in total, which was a considerable scale.

“The cows here are all Holsteins. They have high milk yield, strong adaptability, and large milk-producing organs.”

The middle-aged man spoke while pointing at the cows as he introduced them.

Lin Heng nodded and said, “I know. This cow is a breed introduced from the Shandong Cattle and Sheep Breeding Base, right? Its full name is Holstein cattle. But yours should be a hybrid—I just don’t know what kind of cattle it was crossed with.”

“Do you not have Ayrshire cattle or Swiss Brown cattle here? Both of those are quite good breeds too.”

As soon as Lin Heng said this, the owner looked at him with a completely different expression. This wasn’t some clueless novice—this was someone who truly understood dairy cattle, a fellow insider.

There will be another chapter tonight.

(End of Chapter)