Chapter 156 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi didn't mind everyone chatting, and they usually even joined in the conversation.

As they chatted, someone asked, "Boss, I heard that our bamboo is going to be used to make spaceships, is that true?"

Qing Mengzhu paused for a moment before realizing what a spaceship was, then chuckled, "It's not that easy. It's just that someone is interested in our bamboo. As for what they'll use it for, we'll have to see later."

Another person wondered, "Can bamboo be used to build a spaceship?"

Qing Mengzhu discussed this matter with Ming Chunxi last night and read relevant reports and papers overnight. Now she is quite clear. "It can be used to make components for non-critical parts."

Another curious voice came from the vegetable garden. "Is it woven from bamboo?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "Of course not, it requires a series of complex processes."

Qing Mengzhu gave a brief explanation of bamboo fiber composite materials.

The bamboo fibers must first be extracted and then combined with matrix materials such as resin. Only after a series of complex processes can the bamboo be put into use.

Bamboo fiber can reduce structural weight while maintaining a certain level of strength, making it a promising material.

Everyone seemed to understand, but only asked, "Does that mean it can be sold for a lot of money?"

Someone else said, "I remember someone in the next town selling bamboo for a really high price, I think it sold for over 100,000 yuan a stalk."

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "That probably won't be a large-scale sale. Everyone wants to control costs. If it's sold at an excessively high price, the company will simply abandon that raw material and develop more cost-effective ones instead."

People were just chatting about interesting things and joining in the fun; no one really thought that the bamboo from Qing Mengzhu's family could fetch a high price.

In a couple of days, everyone will forget about it.

Unexpectedly, after delivering the week's vegetable packages, Qing Mengzhu led a group of people up the mountain to cut bamboo branches.

He specifically requested that bamboo branches with prominent nodes and numerous shoots be cut, and he even provided examples of such bamboo branches for everyone to reference.

The bamboo in his yard has been planted for almost a year, and now it has grown very tall and has sprouted many branches.

Now we need to cut off the thicker branches, but leave the main branches untouched.

The workers present were all experienced farmers, and they could tell from the situation that he was going to cultivate new seedlings, so they couldn't help but be curious.

Qing Mengzhu didn't explain much, she just smiled and led everyone to work.

The bamboo in his yard is much harder than ordinary bamboo, but fortunately, he doesn't need a knife to cut it; he uses a small chainsaw.

With the help of a chainsaw, cutting bamboo branches wasn't too tiring for everyone.

However, the bamboo branches grow quite tall, so carrying the ladder all over the mountain is not an easy task for them.

If Qing Mengzhu hadn't said there would be subsidies, not many people would have been willing to do it.

This job is too tiring.

At noon, everyone sat in the bamboo forest to have lunch.

Zhao Hexi specially bought boxed lunches from restaurants in town, including two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of soup, which was a decent work meal.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi ate the same food.

It's fine if we don't eat lunch, but once we're full, everyone gets sleepy.

Their company already had a lunch break, and seeing this, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi simply let everyone rest in the bamboo forest for half an hour.

Many people immediately put their hats behind their heads and lay down using them as pillows.

In mid-April, the weather had already warmed up. Lying in the bamboo forest, the wind rustled the bamboo, bringing with it a refreshing bamboo scent. It was very comfortable to lie there.

Even Qing Mengzhu herself felt sleepy, let alone others.

Zhao Hexi lay down not far away and whispered, "It's hard to imagine how comfortable it would be to sleep in the bamboo forest in the summer."

Qing Mengzhu: "Beware of snakes and insects."

Zhao Hexi: "Surely not? Your hazel grouse are such strong fighters, and there are so many wild birds, snakes, and insects in the bamboo forest. They probably wouldn't survive there either."

Qing Mengzhu: "There's still some, it just depends on luck, whether you get bitten or not?"

Zhao Hexi rubbed the goosebumps on her hands. "Don't scare me like that. If that's the case, does that mean we have to be careful when we sleep now?"

A smile appeared on Qing Mengzhu's face.

Zhao Hexi could tell from his expression, "Hey, I knew it! Didn't you just lead a group to clear out the weeds around here? How could there still be snakes and insects? Is it fun to scare people?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's fun."

Zhao Hexi spat at him, then turned away angrily and went to sleep on the other side.

They trimmed the excess branches and leaves from the cut bamboo branches, keeping only the nodes, and then tied the bamboo branches together and carried them down the mountain.

Qing Mengzhu specially prepared a rooting solution using the previous shrimp hatching pond. In addition to the regular rooting powder, he also added Inducing Agent he bought from the Interstellar Mall, which would improve the rooting effect.

After soaking the bamboo branches in rooting water, they transported them to the pond and placed them there temporarily.

After some time, once roots have grown from the bamboo knot, it can be transplanted.

Qing Mengzhu led her people to cut all the bamboo on both mountains, and finally cut out more than 90,000 usable new branches.

In this situation, a new mountain would definitely need to be rented to plant the crops.

Zhao Hexi has been extremely busy lately, and having added the matter of renting the mountain to his schedule, he asked, "What are your thoughts on renting the mountain? Should we rent the mountain in our village or several nearby villages?"

Qing Mengzhu shook his head and asked, "Do you know Zhaiqian Village in Laixi Town?"

Zhao Hexi hung out with them every day, and when he heard that familiar name, he immediately remembered. "Isn't that the name of Yi Yanbai's village? What? You want to plant in their village?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Go and ask. There are many mountains over there, and quite a few people stay behind. You should be able to find out."

Zhao Hexi asked in bewilderment, "Didn't you want to lead them to grow tea?"

Qing Mengzhu, "The tea seedlings can't be prepared in a short time. Let's first check out the bamboo and also observe the local customs."

Zhao Hexi: "Understood, I'll go ask. Their area is so remote, they should be more welcoming to us renting the mountain."

It would take some time before we could rent the mountain, so Pei Guangjian brought people over to visit first.

With a beaming smile, Pei Guangjian excitedly shook hands with Qing Mengzhu and then enthusiastically praised the bamboo in his yard.

Qing Mengzhu listened from the side and guessed that their experiment had yielded good results, otherwise Pei Guangjian wouldn't have been so excited.

Sure enough, after praising their bamboo, Pei Guangjian started talking business with them, saying he wanted to purchase 10,000 bamboo stalks with a diameter of more than five centimeters and a length of more than five meters.

Qing Mengzhu wasn't surprised. After a moment's thought, she quoted a price. "Those kinds of bamboo would probably cost two thousand each."

Pei Guangjian choked for a moment. "So expensive?!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Most of my products are relatively expensive, and our product positioning is different from other products on the market. You should have heard of our bamboo shoots before; those weren't cheap either."

Pei Guangjian remembered, but still found it hard to accept. "But this, this is too expensive."

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "We only quoted such a low price because you're a state-owned enterprise. In reality, if we cut down the bamboo and boil it to make fresh bamboo sap and bamboo vinegar, we could earn much more from one bamboo."

Pei Guangjian: "What is the process of boiling fresh bamboo sap and bamboo vinegar?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Let me show you the process. I also have some fresh bamboo sap that I've brewed; I'll take it out for you to try."

They vacuum-packed the fresh bamboo juice they had prepared earlier and stored it in the refrigerator, occasionally drinking it as a beverage.

Qing Mengzhu went directly to the refrigerator, took out two bags, poured them into cups, and gave them to Pei Guangjian and his colleagues.

Neither of them had ever tasted Qing Mengzhu's fresh bamboo juice before. Now, after picking up their cups and taking a sip, they exchanged a glance, their expressions quite subtle.

Fresh bamboo juice is so special; it has a slightly sweet taste with a refreshing aroma. After drinking it, your whole chest feels relaxed. Even without experience, you can tell it's a good thing.