My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 126 Flower Buns

On the third day of the eighth lunar month, Zhao Dahai happened to return, driving a black pickup truck. He had brought a lot of things from the city and drove directly into the village, parking in front of Chen Ling's house.

The village children had never seen a car with a cargo bed before, and they all excitedly ran after it from the village entrance.

Just then, Zhao Dahai arrived with a large bag of popsicles from the county town. After parking his car, he didn't even go inside the house before handing out popsicles to the children. He also gave some to the adults, ensuring everyone got a share.

There were few people working today, so it was relatively quiet. But Zhao Dahai's actions made Chen Ling's front door lively again.

"Uncle Fugui, Uncle Fugui, look! There are so many paintings here, paintings of you and Aunt Susu."

Many children, not satisfied with just popsicles, climbed into the car one after another, huddled together, turned the steering wheel, and honked the horn repeatedly.

Before long, some of the children saw the paintings placed in the back of the carriage and immediately started shouting.

"Oh dear, my little darlings, this painting has just been framed, you can't just touch it."

Zhao Dahai was startled when he heard this and quickly ran over to shoo the little children away.

"What painting is it, Brother Dahai?"

"It's an oil painting, painted by Du Juan. I'll have her bring it over for you."

Zhao Dahai wiped the sweat from his forehead and took several framed oil paintings from the car.

When Chen Ling stepped forward, he saw that the painting depicted the photos he and Wang Susu had taken before. However, Du Juan had repainted them in oil painting style, with some horizontal and some vertical sections. The finished product was quite beautiful after being framed.

Other villagers gathered around to take a look and marveled at the sight.

I thought to myself, Fugui is really something this year. He keeps making friends with capable people. Not only does he drive his car to our doorstep, but he also paints pictures for the young couple, making them look so sophisticated.

When Chen Ling called Wang Susu out, Wang Susu was also very happy.

"This painting is really beautiful. Sister Juan really put a lot of thought into it."

"Once the house is built, it will look even better with the painting inside."

The painting includes a photo of her and Chen Ling, as well as the two of them with a dog and riding a cow, and a little child bringing gifts. Wang Susu holds the painting in her hands, and she can't get enough of looking at it.

I thought to myself that such a beautiful painting must be expensive. I'll have to thank Sister Dujuan properly when she comes to the village again.

"Auntie, look at this picture. Don't the little children in this painting look familiar?"

"You look familiar, what's wrong?"

"Not really, it just looks familiar. It's a drawing of us, hehehe."

Wang Susu knew, of course, that it was them; she was just teasing them on purpose.

"Come on, everyone who has finished eating the popsicle, wash your hands and help your aunt take the painting home."

Zhao Dahai brought quite a lot of things this time. After taking the oil paintings off the truck, he started unloading them. Wang Susu called all the mischievous kids to the yard to prevent them from running around the truck and delaying the adults' work.

"What kind of friend is Fugui? He brought so much rice and flour. Look at this full cart. It's enough to eat for at least half a year."

"Haven't you seen this person before? He's the city leader who came to install high-voltage power lines."

"Wow, city leaders? How did Fugui get in touch with city leaders?"

"Who knows? People used to say he just hangs around in the county all day, but I don't think that's necessarily true. This kid is shrewd as a monkey when he gets involved with something, and he knows how to deal with people from outside."

“That’s right. Jusheng used to not interact much with the villagers, but now he’s the one who’s closest to Fugui.”

As Chen Ling and his team unloaded the truck, a group of villagers whispered amongst themselves, eagerly watching what was on Zhao Dahai's truck.

"Alright, Brother Dahai, take the rest to Brother Jusheng's house. We have enough to eat here."

After unloading several bags of rice and two bags of mixed grains, Chen Ling loaded the truck bed and stopped unloading anything else.

Zhao Dahai came over to deliver food to the two families, fearing they would lack food after the disaster.

Although he wasn't very polite to Zhao Dahai, he couldn't just unload all the stuff at his own house.

"No, no, Fugui."

When Wang Jusheng saw this, he immediately objected: "Your family needs manpower right now, the main beam hasn't even been put up yet, and the front yard hasn't been cleaned up. Unload a few more bags."

"Exactly, why do you keep carrying rice down the stairs, and then unload a few bags of flour too?"

Zhao Dahai also said.

"No need, no need. My family prepared food before building the house. There are more than twenty bags of wheat piled up at home. How could that not be enough? I just saw that you brought rice and other grains. They look fresh. I'll just unload a few bags to try and change things up."

Chen Ling waved his hand, saying that their county had few paddy fields and many dry lands, and the people here only ate rice a few times a year. Their staple food was noodles and steamed buns. They would try it when they saw it, but if they didn't see it, it was just so-so.

"you……"

Wang Jusheng was immediately at a loss for words: "There's so much left, my family of four will have to eat until next year."

"How about you, Dahai..."

"No, I'm not taking it back."

Zhao Dahai knew what Wang Jusheng was about to say as soon as he saw his expression, and quickly interrupted him.

"When I give gifts to others, they always complain that it's not enough. How could you two complain that it's too much?"

"Haha, you're the leader, aren't you?"

"Oh, Fugui, after all this time, you're already making fun of me after just a couple of words?"

After a round of laughter and commotion, they finally took the rest of the items to Wang Jusheng's house.

However, Zhao Dahai left two heavy bags of seaweed for him.

"So, we're going to set up the main beam on the fifth day of the lunar new year?"

"Yes, the fifth day of the lunar new year."

"So, when will this front yard be demolished?"

"Once the roof beam is in place and the roof is repaired, it can be demolished. Actually, the front yard is easier to manage. After the house is demolished, you can just repair the yard. It can be done in two days at most."

"That would certainly save a lot of trouble. What about the main gate? Should we repair it or not?"

"There's no rush to build the gate. After the autumn harvest, I plan to build a farm in the fields, and we can do it all together then."

"Oh, that's great! I'll come too."

“Bring my older sister and younger sister along too. My younger sister can sing opera. After the estate is built, she’ll give you a grand opera performance.”

"Great! I was thinking of showing a movie, or even better, a theatrical performance."

Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng sat in Zhao Dahai's car, chatting as they drove.

After the houses in the village were renovated, the roads were widened, allowing tractors to travel and cars to enter.

After driving the two around the village, Zhao Dahai learned that Wang Jusheng was going to the county town to buy meat for Chen Ling, so he drove them to the county town. However, since it was still early, he took them for a stroll along the Jinshui River.

The river embankments and dams, similar to those at Chenwangzhuang Reservoir, have been significantly raised and reinforced.

“Hey, there’s a huge pile of cement left over. Should I go and ask them to bring some home? We can use cement to repair the yard; it’s sturdy and won’t get soaked in water.”

"No need for that. We'll be planting things in the yard later, and it'll be inconvenient to repair it with cement."

"Jusheng, what about you? Want some?"

"I don't need it either. The yard will be dry after the cement floor is laid, and it will be unbearably hot in the summer."

"Alright, let's head to the county town then."

From outside Jinmen Village, you can go around to the Nansha River embankment in the county town by following the Jinshui River, but it's a bit far, taking almost half an hour longer than the mountain road. Except for Taoshugou, almost no one takes this route.

With Zhao Dahai driving today, we naturally don't care about that.

We chatted while enjoying the breeze outside the car window, and soon we arrived in the county town.

After the flood, the water level of the Nansha River is much higher than in previous years, and there are also an abundance of fish and shrimp in the river this year, just like in the Chenwangzhuang Reservoir. These fish and shrimp have been washed down from upstream or other rivers.

As they drove past the dam, some people were fishing with nets in the river, and others on the bank had already caught quite a few. "These fish look pretty good; we'll have to catch a few on the way back."

Zhao Dahai muttered something to himself and drove off; they were in a hurry to buy meat.

This year, people are poor and things are expensive. Only the butcher shop on the old street in the east of the county town is open. They only slaughter one pig a day, because they are afraid they won't be able to sell any more.

But even so, there are still quite a few people coming from all over every day to wait, most of them butchers, picking and choosing, and if you go late, you won't be able to buy any good meat.

Despite buying meat, Zhao Dahai still longed for fish.

Knowing that Chen Ling's fish was delicious, he kept talking about it, but Chenwangzhuang was located next to a reservoir, and in the eyes of the villagers, the fish was not something of great value.

It can't compare to pork.

Those who came to work for Chen Ling were all willing to put in a lot of effort, so he felt embarrassed to skimp on food. Since everyone thought pork was a good thing, he decided to buy more pork.

"No need for that trouble. There are plenty of fish in the reservoir now. I can catch a few for you if you want to eat some. I caught some recently; they were fish that came from upstream. They were especially fresh and delicious."

"Hehe, that's great, then I'll have to trouble you to give me some extra help."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dahai's mouth watered. "By the way, what are you going to do after buying the meat?"

"I'm going to deliver something."

Knowing that Zhao Dahai was going to bring them to the county town, Chen Ling specially brought some grapes and dates from home to give to Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu.

He was reminded of what happened last time when he saw Zhao Dahai driving to deliver rice and flour today.

The elderly couple were so kind to me, I couldn't just do nothing in return.

The last time they visited each other's home, the two said they would come again when the grapes and dates were ripe, as they looked delicious and they wanted to taste them. So Chen Ling brought them this time.

I didn't take the peaches; they're hard to store once picked. I thought I'd leave them hanging on the tree, but I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't noticed, and they've been pecked to pieces by birds.

After buying the meat, Chen Ling carried a large bag of dates and a basket of grapes into Liang Hongyu's house.

"Auntie is home? That's perfect."

"Fugui, come in quickly, come in quickly, why did you bring so many things?"

Liang Hongyu was wearing glasses and sewing clothes under a big tree in the yard. She was overjoyed to see Chen Ling enter.

"Rongxian, Rongxian, come out quickly, Fugui is here."

After calling out Qin Rong's name, Liang Hongyu looked back again and asked, "Where's Susu? Didn't Susu come with us?"

“She didn’t come. We need someone to do chores at home these days, so she has to stay home and look after the house.”

As Chen Ling was speaking, Qin Rongxian came out of the house, carrying two little mountain foxes in her arms, with several others following at her feet. They were all chubby and only gave Chen Ling, a stranger, a lazy glance before slowly walking up to Liang Hongyu and rubbing against her while whimpering.

“How prosperous you are! Look how strong and healthy this kitten is, the one your aunt and I raised.”

"Yes, he is quite robust."

Chen Ling was speechless. What had these wildcat cubs with their 'pointed mouths and monkey cheeks' made the old couple raise? If they kept eating, they'd all get as fat as piglets.

"Uncle, Aunt, the grapes and dates at home are ripe. I brought some for you to try."

"Oh, we were just saying that, why did you remember it? You're so busy, why did you go out of your way to bring it over?"

"It's nothing, I just happened to be here to buy meat today."

When will we be able to move to the main beam?

"The fifth day of the eighth lunar month."

"The fifth day of the lunar new year? The day after tomorrow? Then your uncle and I will go over early to congratulate you."

“Sure, but the mountain roads are difficult to travel these days, so I’ll come pick you and Uncle Qin up.”

"Why take on any more tasks? We're too busy with the main beams. We're not old and can't walk anymore."

The elderly couple waved their hands, saying that Chen Ling had come to their house alone today without Wang Susu, and they hadn't offered him a meal. However, when Chen Ling was leaving, Liang Hongyu tried to give him something, and he managed to dodge it by running as fast as he could.

"Fugui, I forgot to tell you, we forgot to buy paint. We need some flower-patterned steamed buns when we put up the main beam."

Back in the car, Wang Jusheng gave a reminder.

"Oh dear, I really forgot."

Chen Ling slapped his forehead. He had prepared the red cloth and firecrackers when he first came to sell vegetables with Wang Susu, but he was still missing a lot of other odds and ends.

So the three of them drove off to buy more paint.

……

Two days passed quickly. On the fourth day of the eighth lunar month, the beams were repaired, and on the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, the main beam was to be installed.

This day is auspicious, suitable for breaking ground, building houses, raising beams, and installing doors.

In rural areas, the roof beam is raised on the 69th day of the lunar month if possible; otherwise, it's raised on another day.

So early on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Ling got up to start packing. There were many things to do today, and many people would be coming, so she had to prepare in advance.

"Uncle, Uncle, what time are we going up to the main beam?"

While I was cooking, a bunch of little heads squeezed into the kitchen.

"11:30, what's wrong?"

“My father sent me over to ask if we still need to pay for the main beam, because we need to drill holes in it.”

Chen Ling turned around and replied, "I'll tell you, no need to drill holes, just tie it on when the time comes."

It's just a few silver dollars and copper coins; nobody steals these anymore.

However, if the roof leaks after the holes are drilled, or if the weather is humid, it will easily rot over time.

Building a house in the countryside is a major event. Regardless of the family's wealth or poverty, the best materials are always used. In particular, the roof beams must be made of top-quality wood, which can generally last for decades without any problems.

Sometimes even if the house collapses, nothing happens.

This is what is known as "the house collapsed but the beams remained intact".

The roof beams often break not because of insect infestation, but because of the holes drilled for the roof beam. Like the roof beams in Chen Ling's backyard, apart from the one where the roof beam was placed, the others are basically fine. They can even be used to build a cowshed or horse shed in the future.

"What about the flower-shaped steamed buns? Are we still going to make them?"

"Hey, didn't we steam them all yesterday afternoon? Didn't you guys see them?"

“They didn’t see it, but I did. It was steamed at my house, and it was decorated with colors—red, yellow, and blue—it looked so beautiful.”

"But I don't like flower-shaped steamed buns, I like sweets, hehe."

"Me too, Uncle, you'll have to add extra sugar then."

According to custom, when raising the main beam, people scatter flower-shaped steamed buns and candies to bring joy, peace, and good fortune to the new house.

"All you're thinking about is candy. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No, my mother said that Uncle Fugui's family is having a major beam-raising ceremony, and today's lunch will be good with lots of meat, so we're just waiting on an empty stomach to eat more at noon."

Good heavens, what era are we living in that these women are still like this? Aren't they afraid of not having enough energy to do the work?

Chen Ling was speechless. When he was a child, everyone was like that because people were really poor back then. They would wait for someone in the village to get married and go to collect food from the roof beams. It felt like a windfall.

"Are you hungry? We'll each have an egg later."

"We're not hungry. We'll wait until noon. After you've eaten, we'll help you put up the couplets."

"Okay."

"After the roof beam is erected, could you leave me some firecrackers?"

Good heavens, this is what's been waiting for.

(End of this chapter)