My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 367 is booming
Zhou Weijun's film crew arrived quite quickly; after discussing accommodations, they arrived the next morning.

When the film crew arrived, Chen Ling didn't bother to give them a special welcome.

The rooms in the wooden building were already there.

Zhao Dahai and Liang Yuemin stayed here before; there were beds and blankets.

Just let Zhou Weijun and Yu Qi'an handle the reception; they're all acquaintances anyway.

Unexpectedly, after the film crew arrived, they didn't rush into the farm or pack their things. Instead, they played around in the orchard outside the farm with Zhou Weijun and his two companions.

They were taking photos, squatting by the canal splashing water and catching fish—it was quite a lively scene.

The spring breeze is warm, hundreds of flowers are in full bloom, and the fruit trees in the orchard have grown tall and should be bearing fruit this year, creating a vibrant and fragrant scene.

Especially after the rain a couple of days ago, the flowers on those fruit trees are blooming very profusely.

The apricot blossoms bloom earliest, tree after tree of pink and white, with delicate stamens and specks of pale yellow. Each petal is like a touch of rouge, with a faint blush, and the green leaves complement each other, making it a truly beautiful sight.

Peach trees are mostly planted on the outer edge, clustered together, their blooming flowers are delicate and beautiful, swaying gracefully in the wind, like fire and rosy clouds, charming and graceful.

There are also pear blossoms, as white as snow, clusters and clumps, shimmering silver in the sunlight, accompanied by drifting willow catkins, creating a picturesque scene.

In the season when flowers bloom, bees and butterflies naturally flutter about.

White, yellow, and pink butterflies frolicked among the flowers everywhere in the orchard. There were also large butterflies that flew in alone, some bright red and some colorful, which were quite beautiful. Countless wild bees buried their heads in the flower stamens, buzzing and shaking their plump rear ends, greedily licking the pollen.

In the warm spring breeze, everything is so vibrant and full of life.

Not to mention, there are all sorts of birds flying up and down in the orchard, colorful fish swimming back and forth, sheep bleating as they graze by the stream, ducks foraging and playing on the river, and flocks of chickens scattered on the hillside. The beauty and vitality of spring are displayed here to the fullest...

The entire crew was extremely satisfied with this location.

The portly director at the head of the group nodded repeatedly in praise, saying that Zhou Weijun had found them a great place.

But once we entered the farm, the feeling changed again.

What greets the eye is a landscape of red flowers and green trees, and the sounds of chirping birds and babbling brooks fill the ears. The unique tranquility of the mountains is mixed with a peaceful and serene atmosphere that washes over you.

Wow, are we really going to live here from now on?

"This little building is so beautiful, with pavilions and corridors. Look, look! It's a golden-red kitten with such a long tail."

"And that one, and that one too, what ran past? It looked like a squirrel, but why is it yellow?"

Upon entering the farm, several young women couldn't help but shout and scream; these were probably some actresses.

They were lucky enough to bump into a weasel that had accidentally returned home. They mistook it for a squirrel and excitedly chased after it to take a closer look. They were only shocked when they learned it was a weasel.

A group of men weren't interested in the small animals running around; they just stood by the lotus pond with their hands behind their backs, watching the koi swimming around inside.

Taking advantage of the situation, I briefly introduced myself to Chen Ling, paid for his accommodation, and even gave him the money Yu Qi'an had spent on livestock.

This brought in nearly 50,000 yuan.

And the cost of the meal wasn't even included.

After all, Chen Ling's family doesn't provide them with food.

They'll have to solve it themselves.

However, this is not a big deal. The villagers are happy to cook a big meal every day. In the past two years, the turtle has caused a lot of trouble, attracting a large number of people every time. Everyone has also gained experience in hosting outsiders.

Furthermore, this is a money-making opportunity; as soon as they heard the news, everyone rushed to bring it to their homes.

……

"Wow, besides the 20,000 yuan from selling the livestock, just having people stay at home for half a month brings in another 20,000 yuan. Running a farm can really make money."

Zhou Weijun and Yu Qi'an took the film crew out for a stroll, and Wang Cunye, counting his money, couldn't help but let out a loud shout.

Why are you shouting so loudly? Do you want outsiders to know that our family has made money?

Gao Xiulan glared at the old man, then turned to Chen Ling and his wife and said, "To be honest, I never thought that doing this in our poor mountain village would be profitable. Now that I see it, I'm actually hoping that more people like this will come and stay for a few more days."

That's right. If a room costs 100 yuan a day, and ten rooms are occupied, that's 1,000 yuan a day. In half a month, that's 15,000 yuan.

Besides, their own farm has more than just these ten rooms.

"You're always thinking good things. Didn't you hear what Xiao Zhou and Xiao Ma said? The only people who can stay at our house are actors who can appear on TV. Other people who want to stay aren't allowed to."

The old man curled his lip. "Didn't you see that little Zhou led his men back to the village? The rest of them will probably either stay at Jusheng's house, or at Lixian's or Dazhi's house, or maybe at Sangui's house too."

Wang Cunye was referring to the homes that Zhou Weijun and Yu Qi'an had been visiting frequently these past few days.

They were either getting birdcages for them or catching birds for them. Plus, these families had a good relationship with Chen Ling, so they felt they were relatively familiar with him.

"Are you really not providing meals?"

At this point, Wang Cunye couldn't help but ask his son-in-law.

"Don't worry about it for now. We're busy spraying pesticides on the wheat fields these days. Even if we weren't busy, it would be too noisy for so many of them to be eating and drinking at home."

Chen Ling shook his head.

Wang Susu had already discussed it with him, so she added, "We're just trying to run it now. It's okay for people to come and stay, but we can't let it interfere with our normal lives. A-Ling doesn't want to focus all her energy on this, and neither do I." Wang Susu felt that it would be better to focus the farm's main business on breeding and winemaking.

These are indeed all genuinely good products from her own company. Selling them makes her feel more at ease, and the money she earns feels more secure.

"No, what you two are saying is not what I meant. I mean, after we finish working in the fields, your mother and I are just sitting at home doing nothing. We might as well cook a meal for someone in the village. Our village has a pretty big yard."

Wang Cunye explained with a smile.

He shared the same thought as Gao Xiulan: since the accommodation fee was already so high, wouldn't it be more profitable to cover the cost of a meal? It would be a waste not to earn this money.

My daughter is about to have another baby, so I really need to save up some money for the future.

That's what the two elders thought, but when Chen Ling heard his father-in-law say that, he had a different idea. He and Wang Susu exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement, saying, "Then Dad, Mom, you can cook for them in the village whenever you have time. We can pay whatever other family charges for a meal."

The two elderly people have taken care of them and their children for the past two years, putting in so much effort and helping them so much. They would refuse to accept money from them at other times.

We send things to the village, but we can't bear to eat them or wear them. We often bring them back for them.

Now that they have the opportunity to do something to earn some pocket money, Chen Ling and Wang Susu are quite willing.

Since the two elders don't want to be idle, they can do whatever they want, and the money they earn will be theirs.

Otherwise, how could you enjoy a life of luxury while your elderly family members suffer hardship and poverty, without any money to spend?

The elderly couple were unaware of their daughter and son-in-law's intentions; they were simply delighted, happy to be able to do something for them.

……

When the film crew came to the village, not only did Chen Ling's family make money, but many villagers also made a small fortune.

For example, those families who provided food and lodging for the film crew, and those families who caught beautiful birds, made birdcages, and sold the birds and birdcages to Yu Qi'an.

Even many children in the village have become little money-making experts.

When it comes to catching birds, their skills are second to none, and they are full of energy, daring to go anywhere. When it comes to catching birds, even adults can't compare.

These kids have earned at least ten or twenty yuan from Yu Qi'an alone.

Even the primary school in Wang Zhenzhen's county was affected. The children were short of pocket money, and no one complained about having too much. After they learned that catching birds could be exchanged for money, they all went crazy.

Every day, he gets incredibly enthusiastic about catching birds.

This brought Yu Qi'an both pain and pleasure.

He's an optimist with a good temper and a soft heart. Sometimes, even if the little kids catch ordinary birds, or birds with injured eyes or claws, he'll still accept them even if they're injured.

Of course, we will also make it clear to the children that they should not catch such things anymore.

The children were obedient and liked him, and soon they started calling him "Uncle Qi'an" and "Brother Qi'an".

Zhou Weijun and Ma Wei always told Chen Ling that Yu Qi'an was his half-brother, and that the two of them had such similar temperaments, always acting like child kings.

In any case, the power of role models is boundless. If even little kids can make money, how can the adults sit still? The whole village, young and old, men and women, all pitch in and catch birds whenever they have a spare moment.

They were arrested and sold to Yu Qi'an.

Yu Qi'an, on the other hand, was very easygoing. He would buy whatever caught his eye, and if it didn't suit his taste, he would either feed it to Chen Ling's dog or have it released on the spot.

After all, some birds are temperamental, and if you catch them rashly, they will die quickly.

After putting the birds he had chosen into cages, he hung them all under the corridor next to the lotus pond at Chen Ling's farm.

Now, the corridor is almost full of all kinds of birds and birdcages, all of which he bought himself.

He wanted all the beautiful and melodious birds, but there were too many birds in the mountains to catch them all, and he couldn't take them all with him. So he had no choice but to leave it at that for now.

In addition, due to the sunny weather, a large number of people gathered at the reservoir again, and many villagers were also hired by the film crew to act as extras to make up the numbers.

During this period, both Tian Hongli and Zhou Weijun's film crews have genuinely generated income for the villagers. Almost every household in Chenwangzhuang has made money, which is much better than farming.

Everyone attributes this achievement entirely to the Turtle King who guards the reservoir, saying that their village only became wealthy this year thanks to the Turtle King's blessing.

Once this story spread, the crowds, which had gradually thinned out because the old turtle in the reservoir had stopped appearing, flocked back in, each carrying offerings, lighting candles and burning incense, kowtowing and praying, hoping that the Turtle King would bless them with wealth.

For miles around, including the nearby county town, Chenwangzhuang is bustling with people every day, like a grand market, crowding the reservoir and making the businesses of the villagers who set up stalls in Chenwangzhuang increasingly prosperous.

Even if Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan just set up a stall and sell two meals of communal food, they can earn more than fifty yuan a day.

These meals weren't prepared by them on purpose.

It was food prepared for the film crew. At first, they didn't get the quantity right and made a bit too much food. After they finished eating, there was still more than half a pot left. Seeing that the reservoir was bustling with activity recently, the elderly couple did what many villagers did and took some to sell. As a result, they couldn't stop once they tried it.

Including the food expenses provided to the crew, they could earn over a hundred yuan a day.

Although these days don't last long, they make them feel exceptionally content.

The elderly couple now look radiant and energetic every day. They like to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and count their money over and over again. It doesn't really matter how much or how little money they have; they've seen far more money in Chen Ling's hands. The key is the sense of accomplishment they get from earning money on their own, which is incredibly exciting.

Even Wang Zhenzhen said that her parents seemed to have become several years younger all of a sudden, and that when Wang Cunye picked her up from school, his voice was particularly loud and he walked with a brisk pace.

(End of this chapter)