My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 550 Tiger and Fish

Do what you do and love what you do.

Han Ninggui was a pure and devout old man.

Now that there are no wild tigers left in the mountains, they want to use Chen Ling's special abilities to help the tigers slowly return to nature.

This is something he has wanted to do for years, tracking endangered wild animals and plants.

"In the 1980s, people in the industry in Beijing noticed that the number of wild tigers had dropped sharply... Unfortunately, no one paid attention to it at that time. The number of wild tigers dropped from tens of thousands to a few thousand, then a few hundred, and now, while the Siberian tiger is still okay, the South China tiger cannot be found in the wild at all..."

Han Ninggui sighed: "It's not that we so-called zoologists are out of touch with reality and don't know that if there are too many wild tigers, it's easy for them to cause accidents and pose a threat to ordinary people."

The key point is that in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for us to search for animals, plants, or native species.

This should serve as a wake-up call.

Your father-in-law once told you a story about a ginseng goddess and a bellflower goddess.

I think the moral of this story is very similar to the principles we uphold.

Just like the eradication of the four pests back then.

Some things can be removed, but their existence has its reason for being; they cannot be completely eliminated.

The bald veterinarian said seriously, "Old Han is right. We still have to take this seriously. Otherwise, like the completely extinct Tasmanian tiger, our descendants will never even see it again. They will only know about it from history books, but they won't know exactly what it looked like, how tall and fat it was, how many toes it had, what color its fur was, or how it called... How tragic that would be."

The two had a worry.

I think the zoo will gradually ruin these animals.

Finally, like the Tasmanian tiger, due to various unforeseen circumstances and the lack of a suitable environment for survival and reproduction, only one individual remained, unable to reproduce, and went extinct.

However, after the reform and opening up, the Chinese people, who had been afraid of poverty, went all out to pursue development. Everything had to give way to economic construction, and these endangered plants and animals were just minor details that were not taken seriously.

Tigers are not a unique species like giant pandas that can be used to promote diplomacy.

It's normal that this hasn't received much attention yet.

Therefore, this stage requires the expertise of industry professionals.

but.

Tigers are extremely aggressive beasts, and even industry insiders often don't have a good solution for them.

Even though the South China tiger may not be as fierce and strong as the Siberian tiger, it is still a powerful tiger.

But it is a tiger after all, and it is extremely widespread, causing great harm and distress to the Chinese people.

Although named the 'South China tiger', they were extremely numerous in the past. In addition to South China, they also had populations in East China, Central China, Southwest China, and small parts of Northwest China.

It can be said that they are almost ubiquitous throughout the country.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been numerous "tiger disasters" across the country, with the South China tiger being the absolute main culprit. This is no joke.

"So, we still need your help, Fugui."

Han Ninggui had come prepared. After sighing, he took out a folded piece of paper with a short letter on it, requesting approval for funds for this matter.

“I’ll take care of the rest. We’ll just record a short news segment, and the payment will be released. I won’t let you raise tigers for nothing.”

Chen Ling then realized that the old man had been planning this for a long time and had already made his intentions.

However, this is one of the meaningful things he is willing to do.

After a moment of stunned silence, he nodded and said, "I will do my best."

……

It is now late July in the lunar calendar.

This year, all that's left for the family is the autumn harvest and the arrival of the baby.

After the autumn harvest, there's not much else to do.

In that case, it wouldn't be impossible to take the tiger back to the village for a few days each month.

Chen Ling gave the tiger intelligence.

He himself still looks forward to the feeling of roaring through the mountains with two tigers.

So neither side had any objections, and the matter was settled.

There were just too many tourists visiting the zoo today.

Because Chen Ling took the tigers for a walk this morning, many people are now gathered around the tiger enclosure.

Taking Afu and Ashou out at this time would attract too much attention.

If he dares to lead people out, others will dare to follow him into the streets.

Therefore, it's still not advisable to take a tiger out for a stroll in broad daylight.

We'll have to wait until tonight.

The zoo is too small; unlike in the mountains, you can go anywhere.

Chen Ling didn't want to stay here all day either.

After comforting Afu and Ashou for a while, he and Han Ninggui went out.

“Fugui, every time you come over you eat fish and crayfish. Why don’t you come to my house for dinner today? There’s something I forgot to tell you. Old Feng, didn’t I buy a lot of ornamental fish from you last year?”

As a result, not long after we got home, they started laying eggs like crazy, and the tank was full of baby fish.

At first, he was quite happy and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Later, they had more and more children, and the water tank and fish tank at home could no longer hold them all.

There was no other way but to take out the small fish that had grown up and sell them one batch at a time.

Guess what happened in the end?

Old Feng originally spent a lot of money to buy your fish, but in the end he made all that money back, and even made a lot more.

Han Ninggui shook his head, his face full of praise: "Now the whole Feng family is praising your fish. Not only are they of excellent quality, but they are also hardy and easy to raise. They produce a lot of fry, and the fry develop their colors quickly and well, making them very easy to sell... Tsk tsk, that guy, Old Feng was so happy that he brought two fish tanks all the way from Beijing and asked me to give them to you as a gift."

"Huh? A fish tank?"

Chen Ling was slightly surprised upon hearing this, "What kind of fish tank?"

"One is a celadon jar from Jingdezhen, and the other is a thick glass jar. Old Feng spent a lot of money to buy them. They are both of good quality and quite beautiful. They are just sitting at my house. Old Feng said that when you come to the city, he wants you to take them back to raise fish. Your big pond doesn't really show the beauty of ornamental fish, which is a real pity."

Han Ninggui laughed.

The bald veterinarian standing nearby was filled with envy, envying Chen Ling's abilities as a young man, and also envying his relationship with Han Ninggui and others.

He knew Old Feng too. Professor Feng Yi, who always wore a small mustache, was a famous botanist who loved flowers, birds, insects, and fish, especially fish.

Chen Ling's fish were so good that even he praised them.

That's truly remarkable.

He thought to himself: Is this young man some kind of omnipotent being? Can he raise anything that runs on land or swims in water?
I wonder if it's okay to keep flying creatures as pets.

At this time, Er Tuzi and the flock of pigeons were still frolicking around and hadn't flown down, otherwise he would have been even more surprised.

"Uncle Han, I don't have room for the glass fish tank at home, so why don't you keep it?"

Chen Ling himself likes traditional fishkeeping methods, and the farm he built also has a more antique style, so glass fish tanks wouldn't really match.

"Don't say it so early. Come to my house and see that fish tank first. Let me tell you, it's really beautiful. The glass fish tank is beautiful, and there's even an aquascape inside. It's like a dragon palace."

The little fish going in and out is so cute!

Han Ninggui smiled mysteriously.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's curiosity was indeed piqued.

He immediately had Han Ninggui and the other man drive, while he rode his little blue horse to their house.

When I got home, both fish tanks were indeed quite beautiful. I won't even mention the extra-large celadon jar.

The glass tank was not only of excellent quality, but the interior decoration was also truly stunning.

At the bottom of the spacious fish tank, there are actually ancient buildings with carved beams and painted rafters. Following the contours of the mountain, if the entire fish tank is filled with water and the lights are turned on, the small buildings at the bottom of the fish tank will look like a dragon palace standing on an underwater reef.

Chen Ling fell in love with him at first sight.

This is such a good thing, I want it!

Professor Han's house is so small, where would he put it? It's better to take it back himself.

Then he found out.

Han Ninggui's living room now has an extra large fish tank.

However, the quality is clearly not as good as the two that Feng Yi gave him; they must have been brought along as a side item.

There were two red eels in the tank, lying at the bottom. When someone tapped them with their finger, they would swim up from the bottom of the tank like two red ribbons, darting around the tank, full of energy and vitality.

"Speaking of which, these fish are quite expensive now. We spent a lot of money to buy your fish back then, bred them, and made all our money back, hahaha..."

Han Ninggui looked at Chen Ling with a mocking expression on his face.

Then, with a serious expression, he began to talk about the advantages of the red eel.

This thing is very beautiful when it grows up, comparable to a red arowana, and even more beautiful than some sea fish.

Moreover, they are easier to keep alive than those expensive fish.

"These red eels are becoming popular in Beiji. However, the silver-white eels that have been bred and mutated are not easy to raise. They are weak and prone to disease, have low reproductive capacity, and often exhibit atavism."

Once it reverts to its ancestral form and turns back into a swamp eel, what's the point of raising it? They won't even let it live in a tank anymore.

If we cook them, the ones raised in the tank won't taste good; the meat quality is poor, so we'll have to throw them away. It's such a waste.

We talked about ornamental fish for a while.

I inquired about the native turtle species in my area and learned about the history of the Wheatfield Turtle.

Chen Ling then used Han Ninggui's landline to call Feng Yi. They chatted for a while and agreed to meet again this autumn. They had a very pleasant conversation.

At the dinner table, Han Ninggui said, "This time when we go back, I'll find you a boat. Your little blue horse, the two tigers, and this fish tank can all be transported back in one trip."

Chen Ling paused for a second, then nodded in agreement.

He had originally planned to find an excuse to go back by car, but secretly ride a horse back. It wouldn't matter if Afu and Ashou followed along; when they got tired, they could be taken into the cave and released when they were rested.

It's nothing more than traveling at night.

But thinking about it, it's such a long way, and there are two expensive fish tanks...

I'm not going to be willful anymore.

After lunch, Chen Ling rode his horse back to his residence in the city.

Having not been in contact for a long time, and the wait for letters was agonizing, he wanted to make a phone call to Liang Hongyu's family.

In fact, it wasn't just him who missed them; his whole family there missed him too.

Once the old lady starts rambling, she stops talking.

Little Chestnut would also hold the phone and babble to him, asking him to tell her stories, or to let Chen Ling listen to her sing and recite ancient poems.

She couldn't keep up with him, so she secretly peeked at him.

Her mother, Qin Yueru, would tell Chen Ling that Xiao Lizi had cheated, which would cause her to scream and say that her mother was bad, making quite a scene.

Strangely enough, they never found talking to Chen Ling annoying, and Chen Ling himself was unaware of this.

Every time I said it was time to end the conversation and let Chen Ling go do his errands, we would end up chatting for a long time afterward.

They didn't stop talking until Chen Ling's phone ran out of credit.

That's just how things are these days.

My phone bill is overdue, so I can't make or receive calls, and long-distance calls are very expensive.

"Alright, I was so busy playing around that I forgot to tell Xiao Lizi that I was going to take the little tiger home. She'll definitely blame me next time we meet."

Chen Ling shook his head, closed the door, went downstairs, and went to pay his phone bill first.

In fact, more than ten years after that year, there were still plenty of people driving oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages on the streets and roads.

In some suburban counties and villages, it is common to ride oxen or horses to the market.

Therefore, Chen Ling riding a horse through the streets wouldn't be considered particularly unusual.

The reason why many people look at him is that Xiao Qingma is of outstanding quality and has the temperament of a traditional fine horse when it runs.

When I was paying my phone bill, there was an old man selling lotus seeds who seemed to know a lot about horses.

Tell him, "Seven green, eight white, nine pear blossoms, the green horse is like a girl who changes eighteen times as she grows up, becoming more and more beautiful... If you raise this green horse well, your luck will also be good. Take good care of it, young man."

Chen Ling smiled and responded a few times.

He thought to himself that this was just an ordinary blue horse, which would only shed its coat and become a white horse when it turned eight years old. No one could say for sure what would happen to the horse he had raised in his cave.

The idea that a white horse can change one's fortune is utter nonsense.

He's not Liu Bei or Zhao Zilong.

After paying the phone bill, I rushed back to the provincial capital without stopping.

Inspired by Professor Feng's fish tank, he wanted to visit the area around the ancient temple street in the provincial capital, where there were many old objects. If he could find some bargains, he could make his own fish tank and put some ornaments at the bottom.

He likes this kind of thing.

For example, the large skeleton of the Wild Boar King is also a large decorative piece.

However, the things on the ancient temple street are too chaotic, and after looking around, there's nothing I like. It's better to go down to the village and find something myself.

Of course, this trip wasn't without its rewards.

By a twist of fate, he discovered a little secret about Tian Hongli, a middleman who traded flowers, birds, insects, and fish.

No wonder that old man stopped competing with Sun Yanhong in the aquatic product market in the village.

It turned out that he had also discovered that Chen Ling's ornamental fish had outstanding advantages in various aspects.

In terms of appearance, vitality, and reproductive capacity, it has no shortcomings.

Lately, they've been hybridizing the ornamental fish they brought from Chen Ling's house with some high-end and expensive fish.

Once these ornamental fish breed and produce superior specimens, who will still compete in the aquatic market?

The journey was long and the transportation costs were too high. In any case, they couldn't fool the villagers or get any bargains, and they couldn't compete with Sun Yanhong, a local.

Unlike Sun Yanhong, who was only interested in small profits and unwilling to share money with Chen Ling, he was not like her.

Naturally, they stopped thinking about seafood.

It's better to secretly and quietly do something that will make you rich.

"Alright, the old man has given himself away. Looks like I'll have to raise the price a bit more when I sell the next batch of ornamental fish from my pond."

Chen Ling chuckled inwardly. In fact, even his lowest-grade ornamental fish were good as breeding stock. Inbreeding among the same batch of fish would allow them to reproduce for at least three generations without any problem. If they were to crossbreed with other people's ornamental fish, there would be no problem at all.

Judging from Tian Hongli's performance, she is likely to produce good talent.

"This is also an idea: crossbreed high-quality fish so that each batch of fish is a different species, and perhaps new varieties will even mutate, which is like the fun of opening a blind box."

So, for the rest of the afternoon, Chen Ling wandered around several fish shops and aquariums in the provincial capital.

They didn't rush back to the zoo until sunset to pick up Afu and Ashou.

(End of this chapter)