My 1995 Small Farm.

Autumn in the Qinling Mountains is the perfect time for an autumn outing.

The sky was high and the clouds were light, the sun was warm, and although there were no blooming flowers in spring and no fragrance of flowers and grass in the wind, the scenery was still beautiful and unique compared to the colorful spring.

Or rather, autumn in the Qinling Mountains is a riot of colors in the autumn leaves.

The mountains and forests are layered upon layered with autumn leaves, each displaying a different color. These colors change every single day, becoming more and more pronounced as autumn deepens.

In some mountains, the weather can change three times a day.

It was truly like a flowing, ever-changing oil painting.

When Chen Ling and his son returned to the village, they took a detour through the forest farm because they had heard people at the school gate on their way there say that someone had seen the River Turtle King at night.

He felt that garlic had been appearing a bit too frequently lately, so he wanted to go and see what was going on.

After looking around, I couldn't find Garlic Head; I guess he's not nearby.

He doesn't mind either.

The azure sky, the picturesque mountains and forests in the distance, and the migratory birds flying to and fro made the father and son feel relaxed and happy.

The older children roared mountain songs, while the younger ones cried out loudly.

They had long forgotten about the farce in front of the biscuit factory.

There aren't many people visiting this forest farm; it's always been sparsely populated. It's quite amusing that they're shouting and galloping around on horseback like this.

He rushed back to the village before noon, and when he arrived at his own courtyard, he no longer needed to help with the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

Chen Xiaoer and his group were there, as were Zhao Yubao and his group...

They came to help, and they also need a heated kang bed to get through the winter.

Let's help each other out.

But no matter what, you have to provide meals if you come to help.

Of course, Chen Ling doesn't need to cook today; his mother-in-law and second sister-in-law have already prepared it.

I made steamed noodles and egg drop soup.

You can eat it as soon as you get home.

Today's lunch was considered early. While eating, Chen Ling pulled Wang Qingzhong and his wife aside and started talking about the spicy snack machine.

He hadn't told either of them about this yet.

The two were surprised and puzzled when they heard that spicy strips could be made by machine.

I'm a little confused right now.

Chen Ling didn't explain much, simply telling them, "The machine to make spicy strips won't be able to do it in a short time, so mass production is definitely not an option. But don't worry, we don't need to think about it too much right now."

I've been to the mountains a few times these past few days, and I suddenly realized that we've been a bit stubborn before.

Second brother and sister-in-law, if you're not busy at home, keep making it. Even if it doesn't turn out perfectly, or doesn't meet my standards or taste as good as mine, it's okay...

Once we've made it, we'll sell it.

Even if it's just a little cheaper.

"Let's practice slowly, okay? You agree, right?"

When the two heard Chen Ling say this, they thought it made sense. Wang Qingzhong even slapped his forehead, thinking to himself that he was always worried about not doing it well and wasting the effort.

If my parents stay by my side, I'm afraid they'll see and nag, and I won't be able to finish. I'll also feel bad for my brother-in-law's good intentions.

I'm overthinking it.

Overthinking and acting hastily can easily lead to getting stuck in a rut and getting trapped in a dead end.

This is what people fear most.

Chen Ling has been going to the mountains more often lately, running around every day, riding hawks and walking dogs. His mood has broadened, and he suddenly understood.

It turns out I had been setting my standards too high.

Think back to the spicy snacks you saw in your past life. When they first started, weren't they all kinds of things, a mess, some delicious and some not?
There are many different types of spicy snacks, all of which have evolved step by step.

How can you make something exceptionally delicious all at once?
Wang Qingzhong and his team have only just started, how can we expect too much?

Besides, kids these days don't have the same discerning palates as those of later generations. Even if my brother-in-law and his wife can't meet my standards, their snacks are still better than most.

After all, the ingredients are there.

"Let's leave it at that for now. If there's nothing else to do, we can continue making things at home. Let's pick the really simple ones to do."

The simple spicy strips Chen Ling mentioned are the kind made with bean curd sheets, without the gluten.

All you need to do is soak the bean curd sheets.

Dip the fried food twice in the sauce to absorb the flavor, then coat it with a layer of bright red chili oil before you go buy it.

"Okay, okay, this is easy. Your sister-in-law and I are confident in this."

Wang Qingzhong was delighted to hear this and said, "When we pick up Zhenzhen, your sister-in-law and I can sell spicy strips on the side."

"Yes, you can go to pick up and drop off Zhenzhen too."

Chen Ling chuckled and said, "Well, you can also sell them near the entrance of Xinling Middle School. Our little courtyard is right there. If all else fails, we can just set up shop in that courtyard. We can make and sell them anytime, which is so convenient."

"Haha, that's right. My parents were saying that you've made this place your home, and you can't live in it all."

The more Wang Qingzhong listened, the more feasible it seemed.

Second sister-in-law Guo Xinping also said, "Yes, it's good to have people in the house. Your second brother and I will go there every day and light a fire."

"You don't need to go every day. Spicy strips are high in oil, salt, and spice, so their shelf life is much longer than that of ordinary snacks. Even if you make too many and can't sell them all, it's not a problem."

Chen Ling quickly finished the bowl of steamed noodles and then ladled out a large bowl of egg drop soup, drinking it while peeling and eating quail eggs.

Now that I'm the founder, I can't let myself be limited.

Since there's no competition from us, and the taste is good, we can do whatever we want with it.

So what if you use bean curd sheets as a shortcut?

Take your time.

Spicy strips, spicy chips, spicy shreds – let's get this business going first.

This business may be small, but it's easy to do.

It's better than my brother-in-law and his wife braving the wind and snow to collect grain in the mountains during the dead of winter.

Actually, the earliest spicy strips were made from soy products.

Back then, it wasn't called spicy strips; it was just a type of fermented bean curd, like dried tofu with tea leaves, which was very popular in the spicy-loving Hunan and Jiangxi regions.

However, the great flood of 1998 suddenly drove up the price of soybeans.

It doubled in price.

The price was too high, so they couldn't use soy products anymore. That's why they switched to using flour instead of gluten, which is what later became spicy strips.

……

That afternoon, Lao Zhou and the others left one after another. Before leaving, the Journey to the West crew came to find Chen Ling again and signed a simple agreement.

They took a liking to Er Tuzi and offered him relatively generous terms.

With Zhou Weijun and another knowledgeable person around, they naturally wouldn't resort to any underhanded tactics.

All Chen Ling needs to do is go to Beijing next spring.

Chen Ling needs to go to Beijing sooner or later because he wants to buy a shop there.

So when he left today, Chen Ling went to the village entrance to see him off briefly.

Two others, Chen Xiaoer and Chen Baoshuan, also came along as gifts.

Chen Xiaoer was targeting Zhou Weijun.

As for Chen Baoshuan, it's because Lao Zhou and those bosses made a lot of money for him and Chen Dazhi.

There were all sorts of things: amulets, pen holders, birdcages, flower baskets, and more. There were also small ornaments carved with local Chenwangzhuang artifacts, such as a thousand-year-old giant turtle, dragon sons and grandsons, cranes, and evergreen pines…

There are even images of Chen Ling's white calf, blue horse, and hawk, and even the wild boar king and sika deer are depicted.

If Professor Zhong hadn't refused to sell his paintings...

Those people will probably turn Old Zhong's paintings of local scenery into a carved woodblock print.

Although it didn't work out, Chen Dazhi and Chen Baoshuan still made a fortune.

The main reason is that people from the countryside have limited experience in the world. They do a good job, but they don't dare to ask for too high a price.

Those bosses are all rich. They think such good things are so cheap, so they get one and then want to get others.

In the end, it will definitely just keep getting more and more involved.

Zhou Weijun is just like that; he made a Chen Ling version of Wu Song fighting the tiger and also made a lot of birdcages, which couldn't all fit in the car.

"Do you think Uncle Fugui makes money raising so many sika deer? I don't think Xiao Fang is getting sika deer at very high prices, and they eat a lot to raise them, so it's not worth it in the end."

"Yeah, in the end, it's not as good as raising cattle and sheep."

"Maybe Uncle Fugui just wants to keep it as a pet. Isn't his little muntjac dog for Zhenzhen and Ruirui to play with?"

"That's definitely true... But I was thinking that it's easier to catch deer in the mountains now, and it doesn't cost any money. If raising deer is profitable, my family can catch a few and keep them at home."

Let them reproduce, then we'll sell their meat.

In the afternoon, Chen Ling was in the village courtyard with his second brother-in-law and the others, finishing up the last bit of the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

Just then, a group of young men returned from picking wild fruits outside the courtyard, chatting amongst themselves as they walked past.

"Did you hear that? I'm talking to you, Lingzi. People just don't understand why you're raising deer."

Wang Qingzhong shoveled away at the remaining mud and laughed.

"Who cares what they say? Can't I just keep it as a pet?"

Chen Ling was speechless.

Now, whenever people in the village see him doing something, they all wonder if they can make money by following his example.

It's not fair to say that this situation is bad.

As long as they don't come to him with all sorts of questions and don't bother him, he doesn't think it's a big deal.

Especially since the young men in the village are the ones with this kind of ambition, they are energetic, willing to make progress, and take the lead in doing things, so the atmosphere in the village is quite good.

Even now, hearing people guessing and speculating about it still makes me feel rather speechless.

Guo Xinping interjected, "In my opinion, Boming and Erlengzi, the younger brother-in-law of Jusheng, are the most reliable. Lingzi, you helped them make money, and they are still willing to learn diligently, buy newspapers to read the news, and try to find out about outside information. They are far better than the others in the village."

"Yeah, let's not even talk about Boming. A while ago, Erlengzi's family dug up a lot of good medicinal herbs and sent them over. When I saw them, his hands were all rotten. When I asked him about it, he didn't say anything."

Later, Jusheng said that the kid had been learning to make chili sauce and pickles at home.

Even if things don't turn out perfectly, at least you should figure out the recipe and its order; it's about knowing your enemy and yourself.

Chen Ling smiled.

In short, he felt that he had a pretty good eye for people; they were all quite reliable and not ungrateful.

That's good.

He himself doesn't have much ambition; he never thought about how big a business he was doing or how much money he wanted to make.

In other words, they can make some money with their relatives and friends, and then each family can own two houses or shops and collect rent.

This will be a reliable investment for at least 20 or 30 years, and it's a sure thing with no losses.

He himself still has the same old plan.

After having a house and a shop as a safety net.

He then worked hard to preserve the good things left by his ancestors, taking good care of dogs, cows, bees, and the like.

The rest of the time was spent planting flowers, growing fruits and vegetables, raising fish, and hunting.

That's where his fun lies.

Especially after he discovered the sinkhole, the many plants inside piqued his great interest.

I was even thinking of hybridizing some of the plants, fruits, and vegetables from the cave with them for fun.

For example, the watermelons he left in the cave during the first half of the year that he didn't move out.

They can also be planted in the sinkhole and cultivated and tinkered with there.

Very few people go there.

Developing new varieties makes it easier to sell them.

"I remember that the flowers, plants and trees in that miasma valley were growing quite well. Maybe after I finish exploring the sinkhole, I can go there and find some new things."

Chen Ling pondered to himself.

Professor Han and his team have been so busy this year; they haven't been able to figure out anything about the Miasma Valley yet.

They said they'd do another survey this fall, but nothing's happened.

Now he's gone to the Yunnan-Guizhou region.

"If they don't come, I'll just do something myself."

With nothing much to do in the village, Wang Qingzhong and his wife excitedly went back to continue experimenting with spicy strips.

Chen Ling stayed here, watering the flowers, feeding the birds, scratching the little white calf's itch, hugging its big head and stroking it, rubbing and kneading it. After playing with it for a while, he leaned against its broad body and sunbathed.

Taking advantage of the afternoon sunlight, I squinted and flipped through the folk ghost stories and legends in the local magazine.

I soon became drowsy.

The little white calf also curled up its legs and lay down beside the water trough, dozing off with its eyes half-closed.

While he was sound asleep, he heard a series of crisp 'snap snap snap' sounds. He opened his eyes and saw that a flock of sparrows had gathered in front of the crow and cuckoo's cage, trying to sneak inside and steal food through the gaps in the cage.

These little crows and cuckoos weren't very wild. Wang Zhenzhen had taken their eggs when they were young and raised them from hatching to adulthood. They rarely left their cages, and they didn't react much when sparrows tried to steal their food, let alone retaliate.

"Go! Go! Go."

Chen Ling waved his hand, scaring away the sparrows, and casually pulled out a slingshot from the cave. With a flick of his wrist, a sparrow fell to the ground.

"Hey, look at my aim, that's impressive."

Boasting a bit, Chen Ling pulled back his slingshot repeatedly and fired a burst of bullets. Lately, no one has been staying in the village at night. These stupid old thieves don't know how to build nests, so they've probably already found a place to stay at home.

So at first they didn't know how to dodge, and Chen Ling shot down several of them in succession before they all flew away in panic.

"Haven't used a slingshot in a while, but I haven't gotten any worse."

Chen Ling happily picked up the sparrows, tossing them into the cave as he went. After he finished, he slipped inside as well.

We shot the birds, and while they're still fresh, we'll feed them to the leopards.

Upon entering the cave, what an exciting scene it was!

Then you see the leopard with the severed tail, leading the cub that had just been released, confronting a pack of jackals.

That leopard with the broken tail, despite its docile and cowardly appearance in front of Chen Ling.

Chen Ling has now found it a companion.

It was still a young female leopard.

He immediately perked up.

Now, he looks arrogant and snarling, with the scars on his face making him look incredibly ferocious and terrifying.

As soon as it saw Chen Ling appear, it immediately turned tail and ran away like a mouse seeing a cat, not even caring about its beloved little female leopard.

"Hey, little tail, why are you chickening out again? Don't run away, come and eat something."