My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 551 Appearing on CCTV

The scenery in the provincial capital at night is not much different from that in the city.

It's just that the city is a bit bigger, the roads are a bit wider, and there are a bit more and taller newly built buildings.

But it's very lively tonight.

In many places, crowds suddenly gathered on both sides of the road, and many people in the residential buildings opened their windows to look out.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a young man riding a horse and leading two tigers through the city.

Later, I didn't see what happened, but suddenly a large eagle landed on the young man's arm.

Many pigeons were also perched on the horse's back.

This drew gasps and exclamations from the crowd.

But the young man seemed to dislike being watched. He lowered his hat, shook his clothes, and as if by magic, all the pigeons on the horse's back obediently fell into the side pocket of the horse.

Then the young man, with one arm supporting the eagle, rode away on horseback with the tiger in tow.

It is said that he eventually ran to a crayfish restaurant in the square.

Many people saw it.

It is said that the young man knew the female owner of the crayfish restaurant.

This new food, crayfish, looks delicious, but many people can't afford it. They only know that it's selling like hotcakes because it comes from the place where giant soft-shelled turtles live. People from all over the country drive here, but no one knows how much money the female boss actually makes.

Everyone says that someone must have made money and bought the tiger.

To infer the extent of their wealth.

In an era of limited information, many things were as simple as a farmer speculating that the emperor was using a golden hoe.

In short, all sorts of bizarre rumors exist, even in the era of advanced internet, let alone now.

When it gets to the next person, the story changes completely.

Regardless, the lobster restaurant was extremely busy for many days in a row, with people coming to see the novelty and ask about the unusual things.

……

"You're getting more and more impressive these days, riding horses, hawks, and tigers in the streets, acting like a spoiled brat."

Chen Ling and Sun Yanhong were talking in a room upstairs in Xiaolong's shop.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou lay on the floor next to Chen Ling, breathing slightly.

They ran so far and so fast just now, they must have been exhausted.

"What do you mean, 'spoiled brat'? I have serious business to attend to, and it's officially approved, okay?"

Chen Ling rolled his eyes, stroking the feathers of Er Tu Zi beside him, thinking to himself that this silly bird had followed them here without warning, flying all this way with pigeons. He wondered how worried they would be if they found their pigeons missing.

“I know you’re amazing… By the way, you probably don’t even know it yourself, but you’ve been on CCTV News.”

Sun Yanhong suddenly remembered this and quickly turned on the TV news: "Look, if Yu Bangjin hadn't called me just now, I wouldn't have known either if I hadn't been watching TV."

Chen Ling glanced at the TV and was immediately dumbfounded: "Holy crap, no way... It's just killing a wild boar, why is CCTV making such a fuss? Don't they have anything else to report?"

He was speechless when he saw on TV that the news was about fighting the wild boar king.

I thought to myself, how come this little thing is getting so big?

"You came so suddenly that I didn't get a chance to see what was going on, but I think there was some news about the old Turtle Prince at the beginning."

As Sun Yanhong spoke, sure enough, the subtitles on the TV changed, displaying the unsolved mystery of XXX's magical place. The host also changed his tone to emphasize the mystery as much as possible.

Chen Ling was even more speechless upon seeing this, muttering to himself, "Damn it, this feels like watching 'Into Science' and 'Legend of Mir 2'."

As we all know, documentaries about science show nothing but unscientific things.

The legendary stories were alright at the beginning, but after the source material ran out, they basically relied on making things up to grab attention.

But there is nothing we can do.

The key is that people fall for this approach at this point.

A single suspenseful moment can keep you hooked.

I would sit quietly in front of the TV for more than an hour or two, and I wouldn't go to the bathroom until the commercials started.

"CCTV is just jumping on the bandwagon. Our local TV stations have revisited this countless times, and the newspapers have printed so many articles about it. What's there to watch?"

Chen Ling impatiently wanted to turn off the TV.

However, Sun Yanhong snatched it away, saying, "My God, this is CCTV! Being on CCTV is such an honor! You'll be famous all over the country from now on."

How can you be so indifferent?

"What do you mean 'nationally famous'? It's not even their real names. Didn't you see that the names on the list are all 'Little Chen' and 'Old Wang'? Besides, it's not like we built a giant rocket. What's so glorious about that?"

"You really are... Even if you're not famous, you've still made a big splash. Everyone you know knows you."

Besides, even if the person isn't famous, at least our place is, right? At least in the future, our county and city will all be vying for your attention.

I think we need to hurry up and expand our business. I need to find someone to record the footage of you on CCTV News and play it repeatedly in our store.

It also needs to be made into a large photo and hung at the store entrance.

Then, looking at the shop's employees, she asked, "Don't you think so?"

The two young people nodded eagerly, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Chen Ling.

"Forget it, can't you just let me be a quiet farmer?"

Just then, the phone in Sun Yanhong's office rang. Just as the woman had said, it was an acquaintance inquiring about Chen Ling.

People like Liu Jiancheng, Yu Bangjin, and Tian Hongli, as well as many others who knew Chen Ling but whom Chen Ling didn't know, all called to inquire.

Some were looking for collaborations, while others were asking if they could meet up for a meal.

Yu Bangjin expressed his deep regret, saying that he hadn't been able to run the pickled vegetable business with Chen Ling.

In short, Chen Ling underestimated the power of appearing on CCTV at this time.

Fortunately, the people at the provincial TV station listened to their advice and used pseudonyms, otherwise he would be quite infamous now.

These phone calls left Sun Yanhong radiant and full of energy.

Chen Ling, however, kept dozing off.

Bored, I ate sunflower seeds on the side and played chess with the waiter.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou, on the other hand, remained highly excited, perched on either side of Chen Ling's chair, watching the television with great interest.

It seemed quite interesting.

Finally, no more calls came in.

Chen Ling stood up and yawned. "Have the crowds outside dispersed yet? There are too many people in the provincial capital tonight. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought Tiger into the city. It would have been so much easier to just take a boat from the dock and head home."

He got up, and the two tigers followed suit, stretching lazily on the floor.

Er Tuzi also looked back from the windowsill.

Sun Yanhong laughed and said, "Oh my, I thought you had nothing to do at night and came out to walk the tiger."

"I'm not that bored. I finally got to go out, so I had to take this opportunity to talk to you about something. After all, crayfish won't be as popular after summer."

When business matters came up, Sun Yanhong immediately became serious and stern, dismissing the two waiters and asking Chen Ling to sit in the office chair for a detailed discussion.

What Chen Ling was talking about was nothing more than the future shift from crayfish to hot pot.

When the weather is hot, crayfish is the main dish, and when the weather turns cold, hot pot becomes the main dish.

We can add some special species, like bamboo rats. Just adjust as needed.

After discussing it for a while, it was already past 10 p.m.

Chen Ling was too lazy to stay out overnight any longer and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

So, just as he had come, he rode a horse, carried an eagle, and led two tigers to the dock.

There's a large ship at the dock arranged by Professor Han, waiting for him these past two days to serve him.

Moreover, to avoid Chen Ling having to travel back and forth, the fish tank was placed on it in the afternoon, so he could leave directly once he finished his business and got on the boat.

However, with both horses and tigers on board, the people on the boat were inevitably a little apprehensive.

In the end, it was only after Chen Ling made the tiger act cute, roll around, and bow that they felt relieved.

Traveling by water is very slow.

Even traveling downstream is much slower than by land.

Not to mention going against the current on the way back.

In addition, horses and tigers get uncomfortable after being on the boat for a long time and may experience some physiological reactions. They also need to stop at the dock to eat and rest.

It took a day and two nights to reach Tenghe Township Wharf, and they didn't arrive until dark on the third day.

Of course.

Once you get here, everything will be fine.

Find a quiet time when no one is around, put the fish tank and the two tigers into the cave, then ride away on horseback, living a very carefree life.

But since there were tigers around, they didn't go back to the county town; they only went back to the farm outside the village.

This time it went quite smoothly.

Since it was dark, no one in the village saw Chen Ling bring the tiger back from outside the village, which avoided attracting unnecessary attention again.

As for the visitors this time, apart from the devout and superstitious pilgrims who worship the Turtle King, everyone else comes and goes, the old ones leaving and the new ones arriving.

Accommodation at family farms is expensive, and not many people stay there long-term.

There was only one family of three who were still paying to stay in two rooms, but apart from the very beginning, no one else had come to check in.

That's pretty strange.

So, only my father-in-law and sister-in-law are at home looking after the house.

Apart from the village dogs and livestock, no outsiders knew that Chen Ling had brought a tiger back late at night.

After returning from Fenglei Town, Wang Zhenzhen was reluctant to go to the county town because she wanted to watch cartoons and TV dramas on TV every night.

During the day, I also play with my friends.

Of course, they didn't just play around; they also carried red-tasseled spears and led Erhei and the others to drive away chickens and ducks and patrol the farm.

It can be of great help.

In other matters, the two old men, Zhao Yubao and his wife, often come over, and the old ladies from both families also help out. After living there for two months, they have become more and more accustomed to life in the countryside.

Sometimes Wang Cunye felt embarrassed to ask his elders to come and help him.

But they enjoyed it immensely.

They feel a great sense of accomplishment when they can help make decisions and take charge at the farm.

In addition, with the lynx and cuckoo around these days, Yu Qi'an and his wife would occasionally wander back.

So... this time when I go out, Chen Ling doesn't need to worry about anything at home.

"Wow, brother-in-law, why did you bring a tiger back..."

Just as Chen Ling finished setting up the fish tank, Wang Zhenzhen rushed downstairs. Little kids are always excited when they see tigers and lions.

"Slow down, are you afraid you won't fall?"

Chen Ling frowned as he spoke.

Wang Zhenzhen ignored him completely and rushed to the two tigers, excitedly shouting, "Afu and Ashou, do you two still remember me?"

When Ah Fu and Ah Shou returned to their familiar place and saw familiar faces, they were very excited. They rubbed their big heads against Wang Zhenzhen and then started circling around the yard, sniffing everywhere.

It caused quite a commotion.

Wang Cunye was feeding a nest of newly hatched snakes in the snake box in the backyard when he saw two tigers crawling over, which startled him so much that he trembled all over.

Fortunately, I saw Chen Ling and Wang Zhenzhen chasing after me in time, otherwise I would have been terrified.

"Lingzi, this is too scary! Why did you bring the tiger back to the village again? Wasn't the tiger supposed to be quite sick? I hope it doesn't go berserk and hurt someone."

"It's alright, Dad. You're all better now. These two little tigers are just like our dogs. They're sensible and understanding, and they won't hurt anyone."

Chen Ling smiled and explained.

"Oh, is that so? How did you get back? Did the zoo staff bring you back?"

"No, Professor Han hired a boat, and they have some involvement in this..."

The father-in-law and son-in-law talked for a while.

Suddenly, Wang Cunye slapped his thigh:
"Oh, by the way, Zhenzhen and I were watching TV just now and we saw that you were on CCTV, Lingzi! That's really something, you've made our village proud."

"..."

Alright, no need to elaborate, anyone with a TV already knows this.

"Brother-in-law, Ah Fu and Ah Shou still won't let me ride."

Wang Zhenzhen is really brave. She had played around with two tigers before, and now she chases after tigers and climbs onto them.

Unfortunately, neither Afu nor Ashou would let her ride on their backs.

"Don't ride them anymore. They've been starving and thin lately. Let them rest and grow stronger before you ride them again."

"Oh, okay, so does that mean the two tigers are now ours? We won't be going back to the zoo, we'll just keep them as our own?"

"...What? What are you thinking? So you didn't hear a word I said just now, huh..."

"Hehe, I don't understand what you're saying to Dad."

"Don't understand? I don't know which little monkey used to hide outside the door and eavesdrop a lot."

"I don't care, I'm going to sleep with Afu and Ashou tonight."

"Give me a break! Bringing a tiger into the house to sleep? Aren't you afraid it will break the bed? Besides, that tiger skin must be so hot to be near."

"...I'm not afraid of the heat. If you won't let me stay indoors, then I'll stay outside."

"Alright, alright, I'll bring the bed out. There are no outsiders at home today, so we'll all sleep in the yard tonight, keeping watch over the tiger."

The livestock pen where Afu and Ashou used to live has now been converted into many dog ​​kennels for their dogs to give birth.

The other livestock pens, apart from those occupied by poultry and livestock, were filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items.

There's no way to house the tiger right now.

I'll just stay home for the night.

Anyway, below the bamboo house is a very spacious courtyard paved with bluestone and surrounded by flowers and plants, making it very comfortable to sleep here at night.

Chen Ling brought out bamboo beds, and the three of them each occupied one. They lit mosquito-repelling ropes around the beds, chatted, looked at the stars in the night sky, and occasionally teased the tiger for a while.

I was imagining where I would take the two tigers to play tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)