My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 124 In full swing
"No rush, Yuqiang went to get a ladder. Let's saw off the branches and stuff first."

"Uncle Fugui, the ladder."

"Alright, Brother Xian, stop for a second, we need to cut the tree down first."

Wang Lixian and the others stopped what they were doing. The young men quickly propped the ladders from Chen Ling's house and Chen Yuqiang's house against the two trees, then climbed up with machetes and saws to begin clearing the branches.

"Wow, look at all these bird nests in the tree!"

"Me too, someone just touched my hand and it's covered in bird droppings."

"Uncle Dajiang, Uncle Dajiang, are there any bird eggs in the tree?"

"No bird eggs. In this sweltering heat, no bird will incubate its eggs. They're about to start sawing. Get away quickly, or you might get hit."

To cut down such a large tree, you first need to use a machete to clear away the small branches and leaves, then saw off the branches, and then cut the trunk.

There were many people here today, so the work was done quickly. It only took half an hour to fell the two old locust trees.

After Chen Dazhi loaded the two trees with branches and leaves and hauled them away in a donkey cart, Chen Ling looked them over and said, "Let's not dig up the roots. These two trees are decades old, big and deep-rooted. Digging them up would be time-consuming and laborious, a complete waste of time."

"That saves us trouble. Brother Xian has prepared the iron bars and hooks. Let's start demolishing the house."

As they were talking, for some unknown reason, a piece of blue tile from the roof of the old house suddenly slid down with a loud crash, startling everyone.

"Damn it, this half-collapsed old house is terrifying."

"Li Xian, tell me how to dismantle it. The previous methods are definitely not going to work. Most of these main rooms have collapsed. If we try to remove the roof, it could easily hurt people."

Apart from the main room, Wang Lixian first removed the roofs of the other old houses, dismantled the purlins and beams, then dismantled the load-bearing structures, and finally demolished the walls. He wanted to leave more materials for Chen Ling so that Chen Ling could use them when he wanted to build two houses in the fields.

The main room was originally planned to be demolished in the same way, but it seems that won't work now.

As the saying goes, "An old house can stand for a hundred years, but it can't withstand a sudden sway."

The meaning of this statement is very simple.

Many old houses in rural areas look dilapidated and about to collapse, but as long as no one demolishes them or causes any major disturbance, they may not fall for decades.

However, if it bumps against the wall a few times, or if its foundation is affected, it can easily collapse.

This is what Chen Ling's old house looks like now.

After being submerged by the flood, two large trees fell to the ground one after another, and the half-collapsed main hall was shaken up. It couldn't withstand people climbing up again to slowly dismantle it.

After hearing this, Wang Lixian looked at Chen Ling and said, "Fugui, you make the decision."

"That's too dangerous. It could easily hit someone. We should just tear it off."

Chen Ling shook his head: "I'll unload the oxcart and dismantle it with you."

So Chen Ling led the ox and, together with the others, chanted slogans and used iron hooks and sticks to trip the walls of the old house. Several groups of people pulled on the long rope together, and after a few rounds, the old house collapsed one after another, and dust flew everywhere.

“There are still two sections of the courtyard wall on the east side that haven’t fallen down. Fugui, let’s go and push them down.”

After the old house was demolished, Chen Dazhi noticed that two sections of the wall on the east side of the yard had not completely collapsed, so he called Chen Ling to push them down.

"No need, I can come by myself."

Chen Ling waved his hand, walked over and kicked the two sections of the earthen wall down.

"Wow, Uncle Fugui's kicks are even stronger than a donkey kicking!" Liu Nier clapped her hands and shouted, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"Get out of here, you can't even compliment someone properly."

Wang Lixian glared at them and scolded them, then, fearing they wouldn't run around wildly, he said, "You guys go and gather some grass, feed the cows and donkeys, and I'll buy you popsicles for lunch."

"it is good."

Hearing that there were popsicles, the children's eyes lit up. They went to the front yard to ask Wang Susu for a basket, and then excitedly went to cut grass outside the village.

There were quite a few people today, not just men, but also women. They helped Wang Susu knead dough and steam buns in the front yard. Some, like Sister Xiuying, led their younger sister Wang Xiuhua to borrow bowls, chopsticks, tables, and benches from each household.

Before long, groups of women and young wives came over carrying baskets full of bowls, chopsticks, and porcelain basins, along with stools and tables.

Every household has these items on hand, but many are rarely used, are dirty, and covered in mud and ash, so they need to be cleaned beforehand.

"Xiuying, have you marked the bowls, chopsticks, and benches?"

"Don't worry, Auntie, they're all marked, you can tell whose they are."

"Sister-in-law, my bowls got flooded. I'm afraid cold water won't get them clean. Should I boil them a few times?"

"Oh dear, how could I forget about that? The pots are already occupied, why don't you come to my house?"

"No need, no need, let's go to my house, it's nearby."

"Okay, then let's all go to Yuqiang's house."

"Yes, it's convenient at my house. I even told Yuqiang this morning that if Uncle Fugui's family has a lot of people coming, we should use our stove too. But when things get busy, we don't have time to think about it."

"It's okay, I'll talk to Susu later and see how to arrange lunch."

When they got home, they hadn't even washed the dishes a few times before carrying them to Chen Yuqiang's house again.

Before they could finish carrying the load to Chen Yuqiang's house, a group of people from the city's construction team arrived at the alley entrance.

"Aunties and grandmas, is Brother Fugui home? The lime and the ramming machine have been delivered. Where should we put them?"

"Oh my, they even brought a tamping machine. Fugui is busy in the backyard. I'll go call it for you right away."

Goodness, this is quite a busy job.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu didn't have a moment to spare either. Fortunately, Chen Dazhi and Wang Lixian were there to help manage things. Otherwise, given the situation today, the young couple, who had never experienced anything like this before, would probably have been even more flustered.

Around noon, the steamed buns on the stove were ready. Chen Ling went to the front yard to take a look and guessed that there wouldn't be enough to eat, so he would have to steam another batch.

That's how it is when you need people. Putting aside other things, when it comes to food, there can only be more, not less. Otherwise, if they're not full and there's no food left, it'll be a laughing stock.

There was no other way; if I steamed another pot, my own stove would be occupied, so I had to go to Chen Yuqiang's house to cook.

Today, Chen Ling is going to make a big pot stew, which is tofu, meatballs, vegetables, pork, and vermicelli all stewed together.

In many parts of northern China, it's called "aocai," "luandun," or "huicai." In Northeast China, it's called "zhuroudunfentiaozi." "Daguocai" is the common name for it, and in some places it's called "aoxiantang." They're all the same thing.

The pork and tofu were very fresh; Wang Jusheng had bought them in the county town. He'd been helping Chen Ling manage them for the past couple of days, because summer produce couldn't be stored for long. The well water was needed frequently, so it couldn't be left unused. Many other families' wells hadn't been completely cleaned yet, so they couldn't store food there. Therefore, whenever they wanted to cook something, they would have Chen Ling write a note in advance, and he would drive his donkey cart to the county town to buy it for them.

Today I not only bought pork and tofu, but also a bunch of cigarettes and alcohol. In this hot weather, when working in the countryside, you can have less alcohol, but you can't do without cigarettes.

Chen Yuqiang's kitchen was clean and tidy, and the stove and pots were spotless. His wives had cleaned it several times that morning.

This saved Chen Ling a lot of trouble. After washing up, she put on an apron and went into the kitchen to wash vegetables, make meatballs, and soak vermicelli.

Wang Jusheng helped him tend the fire, assisting him in various tasks.

……

"Goodness, it's only a few o'clock, and the aroma is already wafting out."

"It's 11:30 already, Fugui has probably already started cooking." "Uncle Dazhi, what's for lunch today?"

"I don't know either. Judging from the smell, there must be a lot of meat. Fugui is really generous."

"Hahaha, it's all because you guys keep saying you want to come over for a free meal. Do you think Fugui would dare to be stingy?"

"That's true, but let's make this clear beforehand: no matter how good the lunch is, nobody is allowed to drink alcohol, understand?"

"We know, we know, we're not stupid, we still have work to do this afternoon."

As they were talking, Wang Jusheng ran out and called out, "The food is almost ready. Everyone, wash your hands and faces and get ready to eat. It's hot, so go back and rest for a while after you finish eating. We can get back to work this afternoon."

"Jusheng, what dish did Fugui cook? It smells damn good."

"Haha, it's a big pot of stew! More than ten pounds of pork went into the pot, how could it not be delicious?"

Wang Jusheng gestured, and when everyone heard this, their eyes lit up. A big pot of stew with more than ten pounds of meat, and everyone would get half a bowl of meat. How delicious would that be?
“Fugui said that if there are children or elderly people at home who didn’t come, go and call them over.”

"Oh my, this kid is so kind."

The men beamed with joy, and when they told their wives in the front yard, the whole family was happy.

Wang Laishun was leading Qin Qiumei and several township leaders to the village when he heard this. His eyes twitched. This kid just can't be without money. As soon as he has a few coins, he starts to squander it. He can't even fit two ounces of sesame oil in his belly, but he stews more than ten pounds of pork in one go. Even if he sells vegetables, he can't just waste them like this. Susu didn't know to try to persuade him.

The old Party Secretary was in a bad mood. As he walked over, he muttered, "There was plenty of meat at noon. Everyone should just have a bowl. If we eat too much, it will affect our work in the afternoon. The leftovers from the big pot will be left over until dinner. They'll taste even better when eaten the second time."

"Hahaha, Fifth Uncle, Fugui doesn't even care, why are you feeling sorry for him?"

Chen Ling then came out wearing an apron. Upon seeing these people, he smiled and said, "Fifth Uncle, Director Qin, and all the leaders, we've come all this way. Let's have lunch here."

As he spoke, Wang Jusheng opened two packs of cigarettes and distributed them to the villagers: "Fugui bought some good cigarettes, Director Guo and Township Head Liu, you can have them."

"Jusheng, Party Secretary Wang, this is the little brother you mentioned a few times before, right?"

"Yes, his nickname is Chen Fugui, and his full name is Chen Ling. His father used to be a postman in the county."

"What a fine comrade, and such a handsome man!"

"Whenever you've figured things out and want to work in the countryside, you're always welcome here."

The leaders lit cigarettes, chatted and laughed with Chen Ling and the others for a few moments, and then left.

The men and women who came to help with the work were quite surprised. They all went up to Wang Susu and asked why the township head wanted Chen Ling to work in the township. Was he going to become an official?

Before Wang Susu could even speak, Zhang Qiaoling started talking, holding Da Tou in her arms, which shocked everyone who heard it.

"Good heavens, I'm so incredibly rich! I almost became an official!"

“Look, that young woman from the family planning office is still talking to Uncle Fugui and doesn’t want to leave.”

"That must be Dongmei's older sister. I wonder what she's saying to Fugui. Let's go listen."

Today, not only the township head came, but also the director of the county's livelihood office, who came to inspect the post-disaster reconstruction work. However, Qin Qiumei's staying was definitely not for this reason.

"Dahai had been wanting to come for a long time, saying he wanted to bring you and Jusheng some things. But after the disaster, he couldn't be as free as before and was a bit tied up. A few days ago, he had to go back to the city for some business, so he called me to come and apologize to you."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Everyone's been busy with the floods this year."

The relationship between people is nothing more than interaction. As long as you don't dislike each other, you can eventually become friends after frequent interactions.

Zhao Dahai felt comfortable getting along with Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng. He said he would come to visit them after the disaster when he met them in the county town last time, but he has not been able to come. The main reason is that he did not come to see the village after the disaster, and he felt quite bad about it.

Let Qin Qiumei deliver a message.

Let's have lunch here.

"No, Chunyuan went to my mother's to call Dongmei today, I have to rush back."

"Okay then, I'll come again next time with the sea."

"Definitely. You're busy today, go home now."

Qin Qiumei smiled, waved to Wang Susu in the courtyard, and turned to leave.

She hadn't gone far when she smelled a rich aroma wafting over. It was lunchtime, and her stomach started growling. She immediately regretted her decision.

The food smells so good, I might as well stay for a meal before I leave.

The stew was ready, and Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng carried the large wooden basin from Chen Yuqiang's house to the yard. The aroma wafted all the way there, reaching half the village.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat!"

"Wash your hands, everyone, bring your bowls and serve your food. There's plenty of meat today, so feel free to eat as much as you want. You can also eat as many steamed buns as you like, don't skimp on the ones for me."

Chen Ling shouted loudly.

The little kids who had been clamoring for popsicles suddenly fell silent and ran back to their parents to get bowls and chopsticks to serve the food.

A steaming pot of stew, with glistening, oily pork belly, tofu, and meatballs, is covered with a thick layer of oil droplets and is still bubbling away.

"It smells so good, and it's so juicy!"

The large wooden basin was overflowing with vegetables, and in no time more than half of it was gone. The men, holding bowls and steamed buns, squatted in the shade by the wall, shoveling the food into their mouths with gusto, their mouths dripping with oil.

The women set up tables and ate under the shade of the trees.

The meat smelled delicious, and the steamed buns smelled delicious too; everyone ate to their heart's content.

"With such good food, we can't just do chores this afternoon. Help Fugui tidy up the backyard quickly so we can lay the foundation tomorrow."

“Auntie is right. Just leave a few people to help Susu wash the dishes. Fugui will even cook for her. We can’t just not work.”

The women ate their meal while whispering amongst themselves.

At this moment, Chen Ling came over and called out, "Sisters and aunts, if one bowl isn't enough, there's more in the pot."

Today, pork has a lot of fat, so the fat doesn't weigh as much. For the same weight, it's bigger than a piece of lean meat. Also, these days, pork isn't from feed-fed pigs, unlike in later years when the meat shrinks after cooking. Now, pork expands when cooked, making it seem like there's a lot of meat, and it's very fragrant.

"That's enough, Fugui, you don't need to worry about us."

"..."

"This kid is really good. He's gotten better and better in the last six months. When I'm looking for a husband for my daughter, I'll find someone like Fugui."

"That's right. People used to say that people with wealth and status couldn't achieve anything, but now that you compare yourself to the neighbor across the street, the difference is obvious."

"We just overheard the family planning office staff telling Fugui that Chunyuan went to her parents' home to invite Dongmei back. Maybe the couple is going to reconcile."

"Oh my goodness, these two are no pushovers, will they ever stay still?"

"Who knows."

Women may gossip, but the more they have to talk about, the more enthusiastic they become at work.

After having dinner and resting at home for a while, everyone came back early in the afternoon. Except for a few who stayed to help Wang Susu wash the pots and pans and the stove, the rest went to the backyard to help. After eating and drinking their fill, they all put in a lot of effort and worked with great enthusiasm.

(End of this chapter)