My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 8 Wasteland
Wang Susu's attention had been focused on Chen Ling all along.

So she immediately noticed that Chen Ling was looking at her, and when she raised her head slightly, she met Chen Ling's burning gaze.

In the past, Wang Susu would have definitely avoided him awkwardly, or lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Because Chen Ling used to have very frightening eyes, especially when he was angry.

But it's different now.

Even though Chen Ling was staring at her, she wasn't afraid anymore; instead, she felt a strange little happy inside.

It tastes sweet.

For a moment, the atmosphere was both warm and ambiguous.

However, to everyone's dismay, the village committee's loudspeaker announced that the land exchange would be completed this month, and all households involved should prepare as soon as possible.

The loudspeaker announced it three times in a row.

With each shout, Wang Susu's face grew paler.

After shouting, Wang Susu's expression changed from a mixture of shyness and joy to panic.

She looked at Chen Ling, wanting to say something, but not daring to.

It's as if it has become that little white rabbit again, easily frightened by the slightest disturbance.

"Don't worry about Susu, I can handle the farmland issue!"

Chen Ling smiled reassuringly at her, and then said:
"You stay home and rest, I'm going to the brigade."

"Where are you going?"

Wang Susu was startled by his words and quickly stood up, looking at him nervously.

"I'll go and take care of the land exchange."

"As Uncle Wu said yesterday, the land where Erzhu built the greenhouse has been designated as a protected area, and we can't get our farmland back."

"In that case, we might as well get it done sooner rather than later. Redividing farmland is not a simple matter, so let's avoid dragging it out and causing other problems."

Chen Ling said.

"But, but we can't farm that land belonging to Erzhu's family..."

Wang Susu was extremely anxious upon hearing this, her brows furrowing tightly.

"It's been barren for over ten years, and even grass can't grow, let alone crops."

"How about we think of another way?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling patted her hand: "Don't worry, Susu, I have a plan. Do you think I've just been messing around in the county for the past two years?"

"I've heard a lot of information. I've heard that there are many abandoned wastelands in the south that have been developed into fertile fields, and I've learned their models."

"So exchanging our ten or so acres of land for Erzhu's thirty-odd acres is a very worthwhile proposition!"

"Besides, farming wasteland isn't without its advantages. At least you don't have to pay the annual retention fee, which saves you a lot of money."

"You probably already know that, right?"

What Chen Ling said earlier was pure nonsense.

What else can he do in the county town besides eating, drinking, and having fun?

However, what he said next was the absolute truth, without a trace of falsehood.

Therefore, Wang Susu was very conflicted after hearing this.

Biting her lip, she whispered, "But Erzhu's land used to be a lime factory site. There's so much lime buried underground. Everything you plant there dies. Can this kind of land really be developed into fertile farmland?"

Everything Wang Susu said was true.

The land belonging to Chen Erzhu's family was the site of his father's lime factory.

Later, a major earthquake struck, causing a collapse beneath the lime factory and burying countless tons of lime underground.

Because of this incident, Chen Erzhu's father was left with a mountain of debt and could no longer claim the land.

It has been abandoned for almost ten years now, and is now surrounded by a cemetery.

Everything that's planted on this land dies. A few years ago, before the Chenwangzhuang brigade was disbanded, some saplings were planted, and now more than half of them have died.

Even though it's alive, it's still only about the same height as a person after all these years; it's hardly grown at all.

The leaves were all withered and yellow, looking half-dead.

These were all burned from underground lime.

Wang Susu knew all this, which is why she had never felt at ease after hearing that the farmland had been exchanged with Erzhu's family.

If it were the old Chen Ling, he would definitely have been helpless.

But now that Chen Ling has the Sun and Moon Grotto-Heaven at his disposal, whether it's saline-alkali land or limestone land, it's not a problem.

Regarding the many wonders of the grotto.

You can make it sprout even if you stick a chopstick in the ground.

So Chen Ling wasn't flustered at all, and still comforted Wang Susu with a smile, saying, "It's okay, I have a way to solve it, you have to believe me, Susu!" "Alright, you stay at home, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he patted Wang Susu's hand again and walked out.

Seeing Chen Ling's resolute and confident demeanor, Wang Susu opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

She simply watched Chen Ling's retreating figure and let out a long sigh.

……

After leaving his home, Chen Ling went straight to the village committee.

However, he encountered many people talking on the street, and as he walked past, some people subtly pointed and whispered at him.

After listening carefully, Chen Ling realized that Wang Susu had lied to him yesterday.

Aside from exchanging farmland with him, Chen Erzhu paid money to contract all the other people's land.

In other words, no one was willing to exchange land with Chen Erzhu, since everyone in the village knew about the condition of that piece of land.
People aren't stupid; they can't grow crops.

Only Chen Ling, that good-for-nothing lazybones, foolishly pressed his fingerprint on the document for the two hundred yuan subsidy per mu that Chen Erzhu was entitled to.

Wang Susu kept this from him as well. Yesterday, she only said that a few families in the village had changed their leases, and some didn't want to. If they didn't want to change, Chen Erzhu would pay for the lease.

They wanted to use this method to persuade Chen Ling, and then find a way to discuss with Chen Erzhu about changing the land to a contracted land.

Unexpectedly, Chen Erzhu found someone in the county, and the township quickly stamped the approval for building the greenhouse, so the land exchanged completely became Chen Erzhu's.

"Oh, she really has it tough on me..."

Chen Ling sighed to himself.

He understood that Wang Susu had lied to him yesterday because there was nothing she could do.

In the past, if Wang Susu had told him the truth...

With his terrible temper, he might cause another scene.

"Erzhu's land is a wasteland. It's been abandoned for over ten years. Even grass doesn't grow properly. What can you plant there?"

"That lazy bum Fugui only thinks about eating, drinking and having fun, and he's greedy for the two hundred yuan that Erzhu gives him per mu of land. He doesn't even think that Erzhu leases other people's land and gives him one hundred yuan per mu per year, which is thirty or forty yuan more than other villages."

"Which of these two is better is obvious even to a fool!"

"Fugui eventually realized what had happened and was filled with deep regret!"

“I heard from people at the east end of the village yesterday that Fugui fainted in the yard after the village chief told him that the land could not be exchanged back. He didn’t wake up until dark.”

“I also heard about this from my old lady. It’s all that good-for-nothing’s fault for being greedy. It’s too late to regret it now.”

"What a pity for such a good wife. She's only suffering because of him. No wonder her family beat her up. She deserves it!"

"..."

Along the way, all sorts of things were said.

When they finally arrived at the village committee, Wang Laishun was still not there.

He said he was leading people from the township's family planning office to conduct some kind of investigation.

Chen Ling had no choice but to find a chair, sit down, and wait.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Wang Laishun returned, followed by a plump, tall, and beautiful young woman.

She was around thirty years old, had a great presence, and dressed very stylishly.

Of course, this "stylishness" is relative to the era.

Chen Ling glanced at them and thought that these must be people from the township family planning office.

"Hey, Fugui, you've come!"

When Wang Laishun saw Chen Ling sitting at the door, he greeted him with a smile.

Then, pointing to the young woman behind him, he said, "Come here, let me introduce you. This is Director Qin Qiumei from the township's family planning office."

"Director Qin is staying at Dongmei's house for the next few days. Since you live across from each other, you're bound to run into each other quite often."

Wang Laishun said with a smile.

What?
Do you live across the street at Dongmei's house?

Chen Ling then realized that Director Qin was an acquaintance.

On his first day after waking up, the disorientation of time and space left him disoriented and disoriented. He got out of bed wearing only a pair of shorts and went outside to look around.

Qin Qiumei, who happened to be carrying a bucket to empty the wastewater, saw him and, thinking he was being indecent, poured a bucket of cold water over his head.

I never expected to run into them here, and it turns out they have such a hidden identity.

The director of the township family planning office, that's something else.

There is only one female lead, Wang Susu; everyone else, regardless of their looks, is a supporting character used to drive the plot...

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(End of this chapter)