My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 63 Embarrassment
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Chen Ling laughed, saying that people these days don't know how to clean up.

Also, they're reluctant to use oil.

Although it was already the 1990s, most of the mountain people still lived a very difficult and impoverished life.

They are quite frugal when it comes to oil.

It is a common phenomenon that two pounds of oil can last for three months.

Think about it, if you eat three meals a day, two of them are just pickled vegetables, and you only cook the last meal, how much oil would you use?

Some are even more frugal; even if they only cook one meal a day, they carefully brush a thin layer of oil onto the bottom of the pot.

They just want to eat the oily, greasy taste.

Sometimes the brush inevitably gets wet, and when it gets into the oil tank, it actually absorbs more and more oil...

People from different villages used to say that Chen Ling was lazy and a spendthrift.

When you compare your life to others, it really is like that.

In other people's eyes, Chen Ling is the kind of kid who has never accumulated any wealth.

They're not cut out for everyday life.

If we keep squandering our wealth, one day we won't even have enough to eat.

……

"Come to my place sometime, Brother Xian, and I'll make you some crayfish. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the taste."

Chen Ling glanced at the reservoir and felt an urge to immediately go down and scoop up a net.

"Okay, let's invite Jusheng along then."

Wang Lixian smiled.

I had a meal with Wang Jusheng at Chen Ling's house last time, and we got to know each other quite well. I found that this college student had a pretty good personality and was easy to get along with.

"Don't worry, we definitely won't forget Brother Jusheng."

Chen Ling laughed and then asked, "Doesn't Erzhu provide lunch? Why are you making you come here to fish yourself?"

"The meals are provided, but the cooks are older men like Brother Guoping and Uncle Sangui, who can't do heavy work."

"I just help with grocery shopping, cooking, and chores every day."

"So we'll take turns doing the fishing..."

As Wang Lixian spoke, he pointed in that direction: "Look, there's already smoke rising from the chimneys. They built a shed and installed a stove a couple of days ago, making cooking very convenient."

Chen Ling glanced at it and nodded knowingly.

Then, driving the oxcart, he and Wang Lixian walked and talked as they went down the dam and headed out of the village.

We plan to go directly to the field and plant these 500 saplings.

Anyway, given his current physical condition, this kind of work will only take him half a day.

Just dig the hole and fill it with soil.

There's no need to care whether they live or die.

After all the saplings are planted, they will be watered with the spring water to ensure that each one grows well.

Chen Ling and Wang Lixian were talking.

The others with Wang Lixian couldn't get a word in edgewise, so they just whispered amongst themselves in the background.

Every now and then, he would glance at Chen Ling with a rather strange look in his eyes.

They all felt that this person was very different from the one they knew before.

Listening to Chen Ling and Wang Lixian's conversation and their demeanor, it was clear that they had become much more mature and composed.

This is starting to look like we're living a more serious life.

So later on, the two young men who had worked with Chen Ling back then started to speak much louder.

Whatever Wang Lixian and Chen Ling said, they would follow suit and talk about related topics.

This was clearly an attempt to join their conversation, but because of a minor grudge with Chen Ling, they were too embarrassed to speak directly to them, so they used this method to attract attention. Chen Ling found it amusing and responded with a few words.

Sure enough, the two immediately took the initiative to come up and start a conversation.

After exchanging only a few words with Wang Lixian, they began to talk about the ups and downs of life, even reminiscing about their past experiences working away from home.

The past conflicts were also recounted in a joking tone.

Then the others couldn't help but chime in, laughing and joking, and the past unpleasantness just vanished without them even realizing it.

The group's laughter and chatter grew even louder.

So when Chen Erzhu rode over on his motorcycle and saw them, especially when he saw Chen Ling in the middle, his face showed undisguised surprise.

"Fugui, where are you going?"

"I just ordered a batch of fruit tree seedlings and I'm going to plant them in the fields."

Chen Ling smiled faintly.

A young man standing nearby added, "Erzhu, didn't you hear the loudspeaker? Someone from the county sent it over and told Fugui to go to the reservoir dam to pick it up."

This young man was two years older than Chen Ling. His name was Chen Ze. He was from the same clan as Chen Ling and they had grown up together since childhood. They were of the same generation.

When he went out to work before, he had a conflict with Chen Ling. Now that they had just made up, it was time to make conversation even if there was nothing to say. After Chen Ling finished speaking, he stood up and added.

"No, I just went to the county town and ordered two big barrels of soybean oil, otherwise there wouldn't be enough for everyone to eat..."

Chen Erzhu said something, then his narrow eyes looked back and forth between Chen Ling and the oxcart's fruit tree seedlings.

A hint of mockery flickered in his eyes, especially when he recalled how he had lied to this kid to his face when they met in the county town last time. His tone became sarcastic and unfriendly.

"You've got some nerve lately, huh? Planting fruit trees! With your meager savings, don't risk losing everything..."

"Erzhu, you don't know this, do you!"

“After your family gave that piece of wasteland to Fugui, grass has grown on it this year. A couple of days ago, when I went up the mountain to get animal traps, I saw that those half-dead trees had also sprouted new branches and green leaves this year. I think it’s no problem to plant fruit trees.”

"If you don't believe me, ask Brother Xian; he knows too."

Before Chen Ling could respond, Chen Ze spoke up first.

"Yes, I know about that too."

Wang Lixian nodded. He knew about Chen Ling and Chen Erzhu's affair, so he deliberately added, "If you ask me, in less than two years, those thirty acres of land will be turned into fertile fields."

Then others followed suit.

"I heard some people in the village gossiping before, saying that Erzhu treated Fugui like a fool and cheated him. Nothing grows on the wasteland, but he insisted on giving it to Fugui. I don't know how he fooled him behind the scenes."

"Now that I see it, that's not true at all. Erzhu, a man who's capable of great things, wouldn't stoop to such a low level. He must know that the fertility of his own wasteland has improved again. Otherwise, Fugui definitely wouldn't agree to exchange with Erzhu. Fugui isn't stupid..."

"We can't listen to those women in the village anymore; they're all talking nonsense."

"That's right. I worked away from home for a year and a half and didn't come back. They said I had died out there. Those damn women, you can't believe what they say."

"..."

Their back-and-forth banter made Chen Erzhu extremely embarrassed. He could only force a smile and nod repeatedly in agreement with the others to hide his embarrassment and inner annoyance.

He cursed these bastards in his heart. When did they become so close to that stupid kid Fugui? Didn't they used to never speak to each other when they met? Now they're all speaking up for him.

They even exposed all his dirty secrets with Chen Ling, albeit in a misunderstanding tone, but it sounded awkward and uncomfortable no matter how you listened to it.

Chen Erzhu's face burned with embarrassment, but luckily he hadn't been out there for nothing all these years. He forced a smile and spoke in a normal tone, so no one noticed anything amiss.

Otherwise, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

Seeing this, Chen Ling smiled without saying a word, but inwardly he sneered. Others might not know what was going on, but how could he not?
He could naturally sense Chen Erzhu's unease, but he was too lazy to argue with this brat, so he casually greeted him and drove away in his oxcart.

After Chen Ling left, Chen Erzhu's emotions gradually calmed down. Otherwise, with Chen Ling present and knowing the inside story, his words would have made him extremely embarrassed.

But when he returned to the construction site of the greenhouse, he felt angry and frustrated again.
"It's really damn strange. That wasteland hadn't grown any grass for over ten years, but how come it suddenly became good after this silly kid took over?"

I made up my mind that I had to go and take a look when no one was around.

I saw several great suggestions from everyone today, which really sparked my imagination. The wisdom of the masses is truly boundless! Also, thank you all for the tips and monthly tickets; I bow to you all...

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(End of this chapter)