My 1995 Small Farm.

"Oh, and there's also iced meat. I haven't had it in a long time."

Chen Ling smiled and patted Liu Ni'er's head. It was still before the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, and with the heavy snow, many villagers were preparing food.

The so-called 'ice crystal meat' is not actually made of ice.

There wasn't a single icicle inside.

So, it's something used to cheer up the kids at home, especially during the Lunar New Year when it snows.

Ice-cold meat is made with shochu, sugar, saccharin, and pure fatty meat.

It needs to be marinated for several days.

After being marinated, the fatty meat becomes snow-white and translucent, like ice.

This frozen meat isn't just a snack for kids to eat or to satisfy their cravings.

It can also be used to make some snacks, such as meat-filled dumplings and frozen meat dumplings.

It's delicious on its own, with a refreshing and sweet taste that's not greasy or heavy, making it perfect for satisfying little ones' cravings.

"Big Grey, if you eat any more poop, you'll be punished by having to stand guard in the snow all night!"

The little children were having a lively time when Liu Ni suddenly cried out in surprise. It was her little wolfhound who had picked up a frozen piece of poop that Rui Rui had left behind yesterday and jumped onto the woodpile.

It wagged its tail at Chen Ling and the others with a grin, its tail spinning like a windmill.

But they just wouldn't budge.

"Sixth Sister, don't worry. It's cold now, so the poop is frozen solid, like an ice pop. It's not dirty. Just think of it as your dog eating an ice pop..."

The snotty-nosed child tried to persuade him.

Chen Ling was speechless: "Alright, alright, aren't you guys disgusted? You're eating with food in your hands and poop in your mouths. Doesn't it make you nauseous? Go away right now."

The little children giggled upon hearing this.

"Hey Blackie, come here, go and hit it!"

Just then, Rui Rui, dressed in a round, chubby outfit and wearing a tiger-skin hat, ran out and saw the little wolf pup frolicking on his family's woodpile.

The brat couldn't stand the disobedient dog, so he pointed his little hand upwards and told Heiwa to go up and teach it a lesson.

Heiwa spoils his child the most.

Hearing the sound, he rushed over.

Unexpectedly, after the snowfall, the ground became too slippery, and Heiwa's body was too clumsy. He couldn't jump up and instead bumped his head against the woodpile, causing snow to fall in a flurry.

Heiwa was furious, feeling his authority greatly diminished. He barked at the little wolfhound, telling it to get down immediately.

That scared the little wolf cub so much that he didn't dare to run wild anymore.

They quickly lowered their heads, tucked their tails between their legs, and came over to fawn over him.

"Alright, stop scaring it. This puppy doesn't know any better yet. We can teach it slowly later."

Chen Ling patted her son's head and then said to Liu Nier and the others, "Go inside, the TV is on, watch TV, it's cold outside."

So the dolls all rushed off.

After a while, they saw Chen Ling and several other men shoveling and sweeping snow in the yard.

The children all came out again, each carrying a tool, following behind them, shoveling snow and playing around.

There are many women and children in the family, so they shouldn't be shoveling snow while it's still snowing.

Unfortunately, the snowfall at the foot of the mountain was unusually heavy, and soon a thick layer of snow had formed, so it had to be swept away.

If we don't sweep, we won't be able to get out the door soon.

"Fugui, did you secretly hide some fish before, or did you find them again? How come there are so many red eels under the snow and ice?"

As Zhao Dahai was sweeping snow, he came across two winding irrigation ditches. Suddenly, through the ice, he saw small red fish crawling motionless at the bottom of the water.

Some lay on the rocks, some squeezed into the crevices between the rocks, and some of the larger ones even drilled holes underwater, with only their heads sticking out.

"It's just a red eel, why are you making such a fuss?"

Chen Ling walked over speechlessly: "I sold those two red eels I had two years ago to Professor Han's team. They've already bred this new species artificially..."

These are the newly bred ones.

I remember telling you this before, have you forgotten? Or did you simply not remember it at the time?

"Huh? Holy crap, did you say that?"

Zhao Dahai looked bewildered: "I was thinking of reporting you, but it turns out this fish isn't worth much anymore."

"Report? What do you want to report about Fugui? You don't think he cheated me, do you?"

Upon hearing this, the lynx laughed.

He and Professor Han did spend a considerable amount of money when they bought Chen Ling's two fish.

In 1995, a single fish cost over 10,000 yuan.

This is not a small amount even for some of the wealthiest people.

Even more outrageous, they weren't ornamental fish, but two mutant eels.

To outsiders, this does seem rather incomprehensible.

"It's not that I'm trying to scam people, but I know Fugui so well, I know what kind of person he is..."

Zhao Dahai said with a hint of complaint, "The key is that I like this fish too. Didn't I tell you before that I wanted to keep two to play with?"

"Then you go ahead and fish it out."

Chen Ling laughed: "Want to raise them? That's easy, there are plenty underwater."

Lynx followed up with, "You also raise fish? Fugui told you before that Uncle Han has already bred these fish, but you haven't paid much attention to it."

"Sigh, I was busy back then. I haven't had a moment's peace these past two years. I only started thinking about this now that I've finally had some free time."

Zhao Dahai himself found it strange; his memory was clearly not bad, but he just couldn't recall when Chen Ling had said that.

Chen Ling then reminded him, "I told you this when I went to the city once, but I was having dinner at your house and I told you on the phone, so it's understandable that you don't remember."

"Oh, I remember now, that time it was Fugui who brought Heiwa and Xiaojin, along with Erhei, riding a motorcycle with the dog all the way there."

The lynx suddenly clapped its hands in realization.

Leung Yuet-man also said he remembered it.

Zhao Dahai was indeed not home at that time.

"Well, I knew it! I had no recollection of it at all. It turns out it was mentioned on the phone. No wonder."

Zhao Dahai then smiled.

"But Fugui's fish is really well-raised. It's so energetic and beautiful even in the dead of winter. It's really enviable." That's true.

The fish in Chen Ling's two small ditches.

Besides the bright red eel, there are also several other types, such as fine-scaled salmon, mandarin fish, red-lipped barb, and peach blossom fish.

Of course.

As for now, Chen Ling had already caught those red-lipped barbs and mandarin fish before the Lunar New Year and had been eating them one after another.

The breeding fish were also kept inside the cave.

Outside, in the farm's small irrigation ditch, only red eels and some cold-resistant small fish and shrimp remain.

It is usually used for children to play and have fun.

“Fugui knows how to raise animals well; he can raise anything well.”

Liang Yuemin walked over and said, "But I'm very curious, in such cold weather, with snow and ice, don't these fish freeze to death?"

Or do you have your own secret to wealth and prosperity?

"What secret could there be?"

Chen Ling shook his head and laughed, "In winter, the water under the ice isn't actually as cold as you imagine. The kind of bone-chilling cold you're thinking of is basically nonexistent."

These fish are just like wild fish; they'll find any low-lying spot where they can hide, whether it's a cave, a crevic in a rock, under a rock, or in withered grass...

It's very easy to overwinter.

Liang Yuemin lacked life experience and didn't understand these things.

After Chen Ling finished speaking, he still hadn't figured it out: "If that's the case, then why does the big fish tank in the central hall of your wooden house in the backyard need to be kept warm by a heated wall and a kang (heated brick bed)?"

"That's for sure, because there are tropical fish and shrimp, and tropical turtles in there. If the temperature drops below ten degrees, they'll die on the spot."

Chen Ling laughed heartily.

This change in climate and temperature is real, and even spiritual energy and spiritual water cannot save us from it.

In other words, even if all the water in the fish tank were replaced with the spiritual water from the cave, the fish, shrimp, and turtles inside still wouldn't be able to withstand the cold in the face of such a sudden drop in temperature.

Unless they are giant turtles like those garlic-headed turtles, which have been raised in caves for a long time and have undergone genetic mutation and evolution, they cannot withstand the severe cold.

Ornamental fish raised in diluted, artificial water are just for fun; there's no need to go to such lengths.

"Oh, is that so? I was indeed ignorant."

Liang Yuemin smiled wryly: "No wonder we city folks see how easy it is for you to raise things, Fugui, and we all think we can do it too. But here in the countryside, nobody says that. It turns out everyone knows the ins and outs."

Lynx chuckled: "Yes, there are some in the countryside too. Some people even want to learn from Fugui and raise dogs. Take Yangtougou, for example. In the end, they attracted a pack of wolves and had to call Fugui over to deal with them."

"Hahaha, and in the countryside, several places are also following Fugui's example and setting up this farm. By the way, aren't the Wang brothers in the village one? But no one outside is as shrewd as the Wang brothers."

The Wang brothers, at least, were close to the wealthy and could benefit from it.

The others are so far away, I don't know what they're doing, they're just messing around.

Zhao Dahai directly mocked.

"Hey, by the way, have you heard about Teacher Chen Xiao'er? He's coming back to do all this too."

Liang Yuemin suddenly remembered something: "I originally heard that his wife mainly contracted mountain land in Beijing to plant trees and raise chickens, but after moving here, she wanted to do it here as well."

"Yes, but what Brother Er did was because he was disheartened by the Spring Festival Gala, which is different from my farm model."

Chen Ling shook his head. "I've already suggested to him that the mountain land here doesn't hold its value as well as the land in Beiji. After he finishes leasing the land here, he can use the remaining money to buy a courtyard house or a commercial building in Beiji."

The group chatted as they shoveled snow.

The fishponds, pavilions, and corridors for raising birds and pigeons were all cleaned up.

Afterwards, the pigeon coop was lined with new, clean, and warm wheat straw.

These pigeons should actually have a pigeon coop built for them in winter, which would make them warmer.

Chen Ling had planned to build one in the village courtyard, something simple that could block the wind and snow.

However, the climate change this winter was unexpected.

I thought it was nothing and didn't do anything about it.

I didn't expect the snow to come so suddenly, so there wasn't time to deal with it.

Fortunately, these pigeons were domesticated from wild pigeons, so they are not so delicate.

Chen Ling can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

……

While shoveling snow and chatting, Liang Yuemin's phone rang.

When the call connected, it turned out the caller was looking for Chen Ling.

"It's about the 'Return to Glory' production team. We know you're the backbone of our team, so we wanted to have a quick meeting with you."

Liang Yuemin covered the phone and laughed, "I guess they think you've acted before, and they're afraid that when it comes to the actual performance, you'll be tired, awkward, or disobedient, and they'll be too embarrassed to say anything to you then."

Meeting you in advance now is probably just a way to test the waters. If you find it difficult, it's a way to discourage you from trying.

Or perhaps reduce his screen time.

After all, this is a political mission.

"Oh! I understand!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling found it quite amusing: "They're treating me like a big boss. It's also Yuemin's fault for using my family's farm name for the brand; it's so misleading."

"Oh, I just wanted you to experience what it feels like to be respected. Then no one will dare to look down on you, which will save you a lot of trouble and give you more motivation."

Liang Yuemin patted Chen Ling on the shoulder and handed him his phone: "Why don't you say a few words?"

"No, I won't say anymore. They misunderstood me. Let's talk about it when we meet. You can agree for me."

Chen Ling shook his head, feeling a little helpless. He muttered to himself, "They promised to give me a side story to act in, but now they're putting pressure on me again? They've suddenly gone back on their word. I was hoping to bring my brother-in-law along, and take the whole family on a trip. I wonder if that'll work now?"

Actors back then didn't earn as much money as they do in later years.

He was mistaken for a sugar daddy, and being young, he was probably just seen as someone who was messing around on set.

They think acting in dramas and TV series is fun, so they go out and have some fun.

Despite his experience in writing articles, this kind of mainstream drama is not something that ordinary people can handle.

A writer writing an article, an actor acting in a play, or a screenwriter creating a script are not the same thing at all; the content is vastly different.

It's only because Fugui Farm's braised beef noodles have brought honor to the country in the past year that Chen Ling has been so confident; otherwise, he wouldn't have such a big face.

They even called specifically to ask. (End of Chapter)