My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 129 Change
"Brother, Zhenzhen, stop standing there and sit down to eat."

"No, Susu..."

"Why did he get so much meat?"

Wang Qingwen was getting a little anxious.

"Eating half a bowl of meat in one meal? Is this how you eat? Even during Chinese New Year, we don't eat like this!"

"And this chicken and fish, the chicken is one thing, but why is the fish being cooked as a dish too?"

Fish meat is too bland and lacks oil. To make it flavorful, you need to use a lot of oil, which is why many people don't care for it. Without oil, it's tasteless, but if you add too much oil, you feel bad about wasting money.

The fish in this porcelain basin smelled delicious, almost as good as pork. Wang Qingwen knew without even tasting it that there must have been a lot of oil in it.

"Does he not know what kind of harvest this year is? Do you think it's easy to earn money? Making a meal like this, does he think he has too much food at home? Is he trying to make ends meet?"

"Brother, don't worry, we just need more people to help with the construction of our new house, and we bought too much meat, it's leftover..."

"What do you mean by 'using leftovers'? Are all the people who come to work stupid? They don't even eat the meat, and you're left with so much?"

Wang Qingwen frowned and asked.

He suspected that his sister was speaking well of Chen Ling.

"Brother, keep your voice down. If the neighbors hear, they'll think we're making a scene again."

Wang Susu offered a word of advice, explaining, "Today is the day for the main beam assembly, and with those helping out, there are nearly fifty or sixty people at home. A-Ling was worried there wouldn't be enough meat, so she had someone bring back half a pig..."

Then she explained why so many people came to her house to help this year.

After listening, Wang Qingwen's expression softened considerably: "It's not a bad thing to interact more with people in the village. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. There are no elderly people in your family, and you live far from your parents' home. If anything happens, it's good to be able to help them out."

"Yeah, I know, bro."

"Actually, things are much better now. Ah Ling is ambitious and has made many good friends. We are doing quite well now."

Wang Susu said with a smile.

"You never forget to praise this rascal, no matter what."

Wang Qingwen shook his head, then asked, "Do you have enough money at home? If not, I'll bring you some. If you ask me, just hiring people and feeding them will probably cost a lot once the house is built."

"No need, driver. Ah Ling and I made a lot of money selling vegetables this year."

Speaking of this, Wang Susu's smile became even brighter. She gestured to her older brother and said, "Everything is expensive now. We've sold so much just vegetables."

"Wow, that's quite a lot."

Wang Qingwen's eyes lit up immediately, and a smile appeared on his face.

He thought to himself with admiration: "Selling vegetables for over six thousand yuan, this guy is almost a ten-thousand-yuan household!"

"Brother, I'm in charge of all the money in the house now."

Wang Susu thought her older brother had understood her meaning, so she said with a little pride.

"That's a good thing. It's a good thing to let you manage the money."

"You're finally someone I can trust."

Wang Qingwen let out a long sigh, finally feeling completely at ease.

As long as my sister can live a good life, that's enough. My parents will be able to relax a bit in the future.

"Brother, are we still going to eat?"

At this moment, Wang Zhenzhen asked in a low voice.

The food smelled so good, and there was so much meat! It made her mouth water just looking at it, and her stomach was already rumbling.

But her older brother's angry expression was so frightening that she didn't dare to pick up her chopsticks.

"Brother, Zhenzhen, let's eat first. You've walked such a long way, you should eat more."

"You stay and eat with Zhenzhen, I'm going to say a few words to that kid."

Wang Qingwen shook his head, got up and walked out.

No matter how good the food is, it's not as important as my sister being happy.

He had some things to tell Chen Ling.

Having finally established connections with the villagers, it's true that you can't skimp on spending money when necessary. However, this kid is used to being extravagant, and if you don't say something to him, he'll start spending money recklessly.

Even though it was her younger sister who managed the money.

But in his opinion, his sister still couldn't control the boy.

……

When Wang Qingwen walked into the courtyard, Chen Ling was carrying grain out of the house on the east side.

Today was indeed quite busy.

I was busy with chores during the day, but I didn't expect my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to come over in the evening.

Chen Ling has been busy since early morning and hasn't been able to get a proper rest yet.

This mental and physical exertion was exhausting, even for someone as physically strong as him. Adding to that, the hot weather meant he was already drenched in sweat after carrying just a few bags of grain outside.

Wang Qingwen originally wanted to give him a few words of advice, but seeing his brother-in-law's exhausted face, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He sighed softly and went over to help him.

Chen Ling was quite surprised to see this, and quickly said that it was no need, she could do it herself.

When guests from your wife's family come to visit, how can you expect them to do chores right away?
Wang Qingwen didn't say much to him, but just silently helped him with his work.

It didn't take long for the two of them to move all the grain out.

Wheat, rice, flour, mung beans, and peanuts were piled up under the tree.

"We still have plenty of food at home."

"Yes, Susu was worried about running out of food at home, so she stocked up on some in advance."

"How are things on your parents' side? If you're not getting enough to eat, take some with you when you go back."

"No need, everything is fine on the mountain. The grain stored in the cellar is all good and there is enough to eat."

"That's fine."

Worried that it would rain at night, the two covered the grain with plastic sheeting.

When Wang Susu came out and saw this scene, she couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Behind her, Wang Zhenzhen also ran out with a bowl in her hand, following behind her sister, her mouth covered in rice grains as she ate.

"Brother, it's delicious."

"The meat smells amazing, you should try some."

"You eat, your brother-in-law and I haven't finished yet."

When Wang Qingwen saw Chen Ling go to clean the house, he also grabbed a broom and dustpan and followed behind.

Seeing this, Wang Susu quickly went over and said, "Don't worry about it, brother. I can take care of this. You and A-Ling should go eat. You've been busy all day. Eat and rest early."

He then snatched the brooms from Chen Ling and Wang Qingwen and shooed them out.

With no other option, the two went to the well to wash themselves before going inside to eat.

Upon entering the house and seeing the table full of meat, Wang Qingwen still felt a pang of heartache. How could anyone eat meat like this?
It's a complete waste of the year.

Chen Ling then added a tinderbox. Seeing Wang Qingwen standing blankly at the table, not touching his chopsticks, he smiled and said, "There's some wine at home, I'll go get it. There aren't many dishes today, let's just have a drink together."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingwen exclaimed, "This isn't a lot of food? How much would be considered a lot?"
This kid is spoiled by his parents; he doesn't know the value of daily necessities.

She sullenly replied, "I'm not drinking, I'm eating."

I picked up my chopsticks and started shoveling rice into my mouth, but there was more meat than rice. Every bite was full of meat – it was so extravagant!

I remember when we were poor a few years ago, we would chew the meat slowly and savor it until it lost all its flavor before swallowing it. It's nothing like how things are today.

And you know what? Lots of meat make it so delicious! Wang Qingwen had never eaten such a good meal in his life.

I thought to myself, this kid is really good at cooking, but he doesn't know how to be frugal. Look at this half bowl of meat chunks, the rice soaked in meat broth is covered with oil, it looks delicious.

Chen Ling eats quickly; Wang Qingwen had only eaten half a bowl when his bowl was already empty.

Seeing that the little girl was still diligently eating her rice, I picked up a piece of fish with my chopsticks and gave it to her.

"Zhenzhen, eating fish makes you smarter."

The little girl looked up at him, wrinkled her little nose at him, and muttered, "I'm naturally smart."

However, as soon as he put the fish in his mouth, his eyes lit up and he couldn't help but exclaim, "This fish is delicious!" Chen Ling laughed and said, "Isn't it delicious? The chicken is also delicious. This pheasant just grew up this year, and the meat is very tender and doesn't have much of a muddy taste."

"So this is pheasant meat? My sister said that Heiwa and Xiaojin can catch pheasants. Is this what they caught?"

"Yes, they often bring pheasants and rabbits home, as well as worms and other things. At first, they even caught civets, which were just hatched and not very big. They couldn't be tamed at all, and they would often disappear the next day."

"Those mountain weasels are incredibly fast, how could they possibly catch them?"

"Didn't I say that they've just come out of their dens? The big ones can climb trees and rooftops, so they're harder to catch. But the mountain civets are nothing. A few days ago, we even caught a badger's den, but the badger's den was too deep, so we only caught one outside."

Wow, there are badgers too!

Wang Zhenzhen's eyes widened when she heard this. She slammed her chopsticks down on the table, forgetting all about eating.

"Yes, there are badgers. Badger meat is quite delicious. If I have the chance, I'll catch one for you and make you some braised badger meat."

The little girl was impatient, and after hearing Chen Ling's words, Wang Zhenzhen couldn't sit still any longer and immediately asked, "Can we go tomorrow?"

"No, there are wolves in the mountains lately. They howl every night and sometimes even run down the mountain. Badgers only come out of their dens at night, so we can't catch them with wolves around."

"That's it."

The little girl was immediately disappointed: "There are a lot of wolves where we live, and there are even wolf-hunting teams in the village, right, brother?"

Wang Qingwen nodded, picked up the bowl and ate the meat soup along with it. "The wolf-hunting teams nowadays aren't as formidable as they used to be. They're just good at scaring people; they can't shoot many without guns."

In previous years, the wolves in the mountains were very rampant, especially in autumn and winter. After nightfall, they would run into the villages, and if you weren't careful, the livestock sheds would be destroyed. At that time, each commune would organize people to hunt wolves. They would ride horses, carry guns, and bring food and water, patrolling back and forth at night. Once they found traces of wolves, they would follow them and not stop until they killed or chased the wolves away.

Chenwangzhuang is relatively good, as it is separated by the Jinshui River, so even if there are wolves in the mountains, there aren't many.

Further west was a different story. People were often killed by wolves along the old trade routes, and wolves would even break into homes and eat children. Without wolf-hunting teams patrolling at night, it was impossible to survive.

"Brother, Zhenzhen, have another bowl. You've come such a long way, you should eat more."

Chen Ling got up, picked up the two bowls, and was about to serve rice.

"No, this is fine with me."

Wang Qingwen waved his hand, turned to the little girl and asked, "Does Zhenzhen still want to eat?"

"I can't eat anymore. My brother-in-law's cooking is delicious. I'm already stuffed."

Wang Zhenzhen rubbed her stomach and chuckled.

Good heavens, he finally called me brother-in-law! Chen Ling was overjoyed, his eyes crinkling into slits with laughter.

"It's okay if you can't eat. Whatever you want to eat tomorrow, your brother-in-law will make it for you."

Wang Qingwen, watching from the side, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye; look how smug that kid was.

Just then, Wang Susu finished tidying up the room and came in, asking, "Zhenzhen, have you eaten yet?"

"I'm full, sister. How come your husband's cooking is so delicious? I want to stay at your house forever."

"Then don't leave. We'll go back together when your brother-in-law and I go home in a while. But you have to sleep with your sister tonight. She misses you terribly."

"Okay, okay, I miss my sister too. I haven't slept with her since she got married."

Wang Zhenzhen jumped for joy, clinging to her sister's arm and refusing to let go.

She was really happy today, not only because she saw her sister but also because she had such a good meal.

Wang Susu looked at Chen Ling apologetically and said, "Ah Ling, why don't you sleep in the same room as our brother for now?"

"I'm fine. I'll sleep in the car tonight. There's grain piled up in the yard, so I won't drive home."

Chen Ling shook his head. It would be so awkward to sleep in the same room as his brother-in-law. It would be much more comfortable to sleep alone outside.

"It's getting late, brother. You and Zhenzhen should wash up and get some rest."

"Tonight's food is quite oily and salty, Susu, remember to prepare water for Zhenzhen and our brother, so it won't be too salty."

After giving a few instructions, Chen Ling pulled a fuse and walked outside.

Wang Qingwen, still a bit dazed, asked, "There are cars outside? What kind of cars, Susu? I didn't see any when Zhenzhen and I came here."

"It's a pickup truck that Ah Ling's friend brought. It's parked right here in the alley. He's been busy building houses, so it's just sitting here. Whenever he needs to buy something, he can just drive to the county town and buy it. It's super fast."

Wang Qingwen was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and after a long while he shook his head with a smile, saying with complicated feelings, "I didn't expect that he would actually turn into someone decent."

He then said to Wang Susu, "Father was right about him. This kid is better than me if he is willing to learn."

……

"Fugui, Fugui, how was last night? You didn't get beaten up again, did you?"

Early in the morning of the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, Chen Dazhi and Wang Lixian arrived. Before they even entered the house, Chen Dazhi started shouting in his loud voice.

Upon entering the courtyard, they found Chen Ling and his brother-in-law squatting by the grape trellis, their bicycles upside down, patching a tire.

"That can't be. It's you, Dazhi, who's stirring things up."

Chen Ling spun the tire, looked up, and replied with a smile.

He then said to Wang Qingwen, "The puncture isn't too big, but the tires are old and worn out. They're almost stuck to the outer tire, both front and back. Maybe we should replace them with two new ones."

"Okay, if it can't be repaired, then let's just get a new one. It's about time."

Wang Qingwen nodded.

He then got up and handed two cigarettes to Chen Dazhi and the other man, and the three of them stood aside and started talking.

When Chen Ling and Wang Susu got married, he had drinks with them. Compared to other people, he was quite familiar with them and they quickly hit it off.

Gradually, those who came to help finished their breakfast and came over.

Wang Qingwen also went up to each of them to offer cigarettes and greet them. Although they were guests, they were still Chen Ling's brother-in-law, so he couldn't just sit around doing nothing. Therefore, he followed Chen Dazhi and Wang Lixian's instructions and came to work today.

Chen Ling should just focus on what he needs to do and manage the people well.

"Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen, stop watching the rabbit, your brother-in-law is calling you."

Chen Ling was going to drive to the city. There was still a lot of meat left in yesterday's hot pot. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law didn't eat much, so it simmered overnight. There was no need to buy anything special today. The main thing was to change two new tires for her brother-in-law's car and fill up the gas tank.

It's one thing that Zhao Dahai came to help, but he left his car behind. He even brought food with him on the day he arrived. It's really unreasonable to make him pay for his own gas.

Also, it's time to sell the chicken and duck eggs at home.

We've had a lot of guests coming over lately, and we've mainly been eating meat. We haven't been eating many eggs, and we've accumulated almost two baskets of them.

It's hot outside, so it's better to sell them sooner rather than later.

Besides grains and vegetables, eggs are the most popular food on the market now. Chicken eggs and duck eggs used to be used as hard currency and there was never any worry about selling them.

Besides these, we also need to buy Wang Zhenzhen some new clothes. The little girl will be staying for a while this time, so we can't leave her without any clean clothes to change into.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, what do you want?"

The little girl came running out.

"I'm planning to go to the city, do you want to come?"

Are you going by car?

"Of course, you're here, of course you'll get a ride in the car."

"I want to go, I want to go! I've never ridden in a car before!"

Wang Zhenzhen was overjoyed to hear that she would be riding in a car.

This girl usually stays up all morning watching over the baby rabbits that just hatched from their nest, and now she doesn't care about anything else.

"Brother-in-law, wait a minute, I'll go back and get the money."

"What money do you need? Buy whatever you want, your brother-in-law will buy it for you."

Chen Ling chuckled and tugged at her braid. He had given the girl a big red envelope early this morning, containing five 10,000-yuan bills. The girl, who had never received so much money before, was incredibly excited.

She counted them several times, and finally, fearing that Wang Qingwen would scold her if he saw them, she asked her sister to save them for her.

"But I also want to buy a pencil case, an eraser, and a ballpoint pen."

"Buy it, brother-in-law will buy it all for you."

"Can we bring Heiwa and Xiaojin along too?"

"Yes, anything is fine as long as you're happy today."

Chen Ling drove the pickup truck out of the alley, and Wang Zhenzhen and her two dogs eagerly climbed on. Their eyes were full of novelty as they touched and looked at everything, hugging Heiwa and Xiaojin and shouting all the way.

(End of this chapter)