My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 394 What's so fun about growing vegetables?

“I heard from Dahai that Fugui, your farm is doing quite well. People have started coming here this year.”

After Zhao Dahai's father, Zhao Yubao, had a drink with Chen Ling, he said...

"Yes, some people went there, but they were attracted by the big turtles in our reservoir. It only lasted for a short time, and now almost everyone has left."

Chen Ling said.

Actually, the farm doesn't benefit much from these tourists. The people who stay at the farm are the directors and actors from film crews, and they are the ones who make the most of the money.

The benefits brought by tourists are mainly the money earned from selling tickets for the little white cow and from the money earned by the father-in-law and mother-in-law from selling food.

As for Chen Ling ordering a second-generation wolfhound himself, that's still just a rumor; however, the beef's reputation is gradually growing.

"The transportation there is bad, and it takes a lot of effort to go back and forth. It's normal that people have scattered. But your farm doesn't rely on those people to make money. Selling wine and agricultural products is enough for you to earn."

Han Ninggui peeled quail eggs for the two little girls, Ya Ya and Rui Rui, and said with a smile.

When it came to wine and agricultural products, Zhao Dahai's mother perked up and praised repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Fugui even brought two jars of wine home. That wine was really delicious. Dahai said it was quite expensive."

After saying that, the old lady said to the people next to her, "Dahai and Xiaolin often go to their place, sometimes with Wenxia and Dujuan. They play there for several days at a time. Xiao Chen knows a lot of things, and all the young people love to go and play with him..."

The old lady praised Chen Ling a lot, saying how good he was at hunting, how delicious his cooking was, and even how better he was at farming, growing grains and vegetables that tasted better than others.

These elderly people really enjoyed chatting with Chen Ling.

When it was time to take their seats, they specifically sought out someone to sit with Chen Ling's family.

They toasted and chatted, appearing very close and lively.

This aroused the curiosity of many bystanders, who would frequently turn their gazes toward them and eavesdrop on their conversation.

These elderly people are no ordinary individuals.

He is both a great writer and a great professor.

They had specially chosen this seat and were so affectionately surrounding the two young people; everyone thought this family of three had some extraordinary background.

Zhao Yubao, Han Ninggui, and others had a good relationship with Shanmao's father, and as elders, they shouldn't have been sitting here.

However, since everyone here today is one of our own, the Lynx family didn't make any fixed seating arrangements. There's no need to consider relationships or take turns sitting down; everyone is just allowed to sit however they feel comfortable.

So usually, people who know each other sit together.

Chen Ling and his group would naturally be considered to have a close relationship with the elderly.

Some of them were familiar with Zhao Dahai's family; they were relatives of Shanmao's family. Out of curiosity, they sat down to see who Chen Ling's family was and to get to know them.

The elderly couple that Zhao Dahai's mother is talking to now are just like this.

After hearing Zhao Dahai's mother's praise, they truly believed it. They looked at Chen Ling with amazement and exclaimed that one cannot judge a young person by their appearance.

"People say we're entering a new era, and farming is a dead end. But I say it depends on the person. Xiao Chen is a good example. People are scrambling to buy the vegetables he grows and the eggs his chickens and ducks lay."

Zhao Dahai's mother was still praising him.

Chen Ling blushed upon hearing this.

I thought to myself, "My dear aunt, my chicken and duck eggs are indeed quite good, but I haven't grown or sold any vegetables in the past two years. I really appreciate your praise."

At this point, the old lady was still very enthusiastic as she talked to people. Finally, she said with great interest, "Little Chen, during the Dragon Boat Festival, your Uncle Zhao and I will come to visit you. We'll also go see my goddaughter. We'll help you harvest the wheat, and you can teach us how to grow vegetables. Your Uncle Zhao and I have been wanting to cultivate a small plot of land to grow some things for a long time."

"Welcome, welcome! Auntie, you and Uncle Zhao and your family should come over. We have a temple fair and dragon boat races for the Dragon Boat Festival this year. It's sure to be a lot of fun."

Chen Ling replied with a smile.

As soon as he said that, several people at the nearby tables who had been eavesdropping on their conversation suddenly became interested and crowded around to ask him all sorts of questions.

Inquire about the area and ask about the old turtle and water monster that they had heard about before.

They asked their questions noisily and then dispersed.

The elderly men and women at the table kept pestering him to share his farming experiences, saying that they couldn't grow vegetables well in their own gardens and asked him for advice.

Chen Ling had no experience. Although he had gradually become more familiar with farm work over the past two years and was becoming more adept at it, he was still only a half-baked expert.

I only picked a few easy-to-manage and easy-to-grow vegetables and suggested they plant them.

Loofah, pumpkin, green beans, etc., you can grow them in large patches. These things can be grown on the upstairs balcony, and they are very easy to manage.

Other vegetables, regardless of whether they are easy or difficult to grow, the key issue is that in cities, space is limited, and watering and fertilizing become problems, resulting in vegetables that don't taste very good.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

In the countryside, many crops need to be sprayed with pesticides before rain and fertilized after rain. Some crops even need to be watered after rain, requiring the seedlings to be turned over in muddy fields. Other crops start attracting insects from the moment they are planted and need to be sprayed with pesticides continuously until harvest season to prevent pests.

You have to pay attention to everything, from before and after rain to the weather and the seasons. This applies to the countryside as well. In the city, there's less space to grow vegetables, so you can't always manage it properly. Sometimes you can't pay attention to these things, and it's normal for the produce not to taste good or not to grow well.

After Chen Ling explained these things, he thought they would find it troublesome, but to his surprise, they listened with great interest.

Why spray pesticides before rain? Aren't you afraid the rain will wash them away and render them ineffective? Isn't that a waste of effort and pesticides? And after rain, you still need to water the crops; won't you overwater and drown them?
"No, for example, with eggplants, after they've borne fruit, you have to water them again after it rains..."

Chen Ling took out the eggplant again and repeated the explanation.

Then he briefly explained the benefits of spraying pesticides before the rain.

"...Look, after the rain, the crops have had enough water. If you spray pesticides then, they won't absorb them. Spraying pesticides after the rain is naturally not as effective as spraying before the rain."

"The argument that rain washes away pesticides is a waste, but the crops have already absorbed the pesticide's effects before the rain. Moreover, spraying pesticides is like giving them a preventative shot in advance, which improves their resistance and prevents diseases from growing after the rain."

"Oh, so that's it."

After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

As they get older and have nothing else to do, they have plenty of free time and want to grow their own flowers and vegetables—a hobby deeply ingrained in the bones of many Chinese people.

After exchanging a few words with Chen Ling, they all became eager to get started, each wanting to make a big splash.

"Just now, Xiao Chen mentioned that mushrooms can also be grown. This autumn, we've set aside a room to grow some mushrooms."

"Pshaw, growing mushrooms is too much trouble. You might as well do what Fugui said, just carry a rotten log into the yard and let it grow wood ear mushrooms on its own."

"Hahaha……"

The conversation of a group of elderly men and women left the guests at other tables speechless.

I really can't understand why these great professors and writers would be so interested in discussing these things.

It's just growing vegetables, what's so fun about that?
(End of this chapter)