Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 261 Find an opportunity

Upon hearing Zhang Wenliang's words, Chen Fan was speechless.

Frankly speaking, given the speed at which the people of Lujiawan are digging for soft-shelled turtles, the fact that they can still find quite a few is far beyond his expectations.

People's craving for meat back then was far beyond what people in later generations could imagine. It was one thing if they didn't know how to cook it before, but now that they knew how to process soft-shelled turtles, all five production brigades of Nanhu Commune sprang into action. The commune members would go out to dig for soft-shelled turtles whenever they had free time, which led to the spectacular scene of dozens of soft-shelled turtle meat stalls setting up shop at the last market day.

However, even the most abundant wild turtles are finite. Due to their unlimited hunting, the turtles that once teemed in the ditches of Nanhu Commune are now rarely seen.

Don't even think about having a turtle weighing over 10 pounds; a turtle weighing seven or eight pounds is considered a big one.

Fortunately, most people know the ancient hunting adage of "catching the big and releasing the small." In the past, people were afraid that soft-shelled turtles would eat fish fry, so they would not even let go of the palm-sized soft-shelled turtles in the fish pond. Now, they have learned to leave a way out, and most of the small soft-shelled turtles are released. The only difference is that they are released from the fish pond into a distant ditch, and then harvested when they grow up.

From being "unpalatable even to pigs" to being "preserved for breeding purposes," the turtle's life has undergone dramatic ups and downs in just over two months.

No wonder the native Chinese softshell turtle was eaten to the point of becoming an endangered species, especially the Yangtze giant softshell turtle, which was as precious as the panda, or even more so. At its most dangerous time, only a few remained.

While the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers is a significant factor, the main reason for this outcome is the pursuit of soft-shelled turtles, leading people to venture into mountains and rivers to catch them. The most obvious contrast is with frogs; in the same environment, frogs are only classified as "Level 2," while the Yangtze giant soft-shelled turtle is considered "Level 1."

Due to the scarcity of native turtle species, most turtle farming in later generations has relied on turtle species imported from abroad.

For example, the "Japanese Chinese softshell turtle," imported from Japan, has become the largest farmed species because it is most similar to the native Chinese softshell turtle, and it was even named "Japanese Chinese softshell turtle." Next is the pearl softshell turtle imported from the United States, and there are also Thai softshell turtles, Canadian spiny softshell turtles, Indian softshell turtles, and Malaysian softshell turtles.

However, these turtle species, in terms of both nutritional value and taste, are far inferior to the native Chinese soft-shelled turtle.

Chen Fan thought to himself that when the market opens up in a few years, and soft-shelled turtles haven't yet become popular across the country, he should seize the opportunity to buy more of the three major Chinese soft-shelled turtles, including the Yellow River soft-shelled turtle, the Hunan soft-shelled turtle, and the Jiangxi soft-shelled turtle, as well as the mountain soft-shelled turtle, the spotted soft-shelled turtle, the sand soft-shelled turtle, and the small soft-shelled turtle, which are unique to my country. He would collect them and build a Chinese soft-shelled turtle breeding farm here, which would serve as both a local soft-shelled turtle museum and a large-scale breeding farm.

It would be heartbreaking to think that in the future, if we wanted to eat native turtles, we wouldn't be able to, and would only be able to eat the incongruous "Japanese Chinese turtle."

Chen Fan was lost in thought as he led his horse. Zhang Wenliang walked ahead of him, scraping the mud off his shoes on a rock as he sighed, "Business is tough. I was hoping to earn a few dozen yuan extra every time I went to the market, but it's already going to fail after just one attempt."

With his hands behind his back and the reins in his hand, Chen Fan said with a smile, "You're getting a bit stuck on this. Who says you can only sell turtle meat when you set up a stall?"

Zhang Wenliang glanced at him, pursed his lips, and said, "You think you're so smart? I didn't know we could sell other things? But what could we sell? We can't get meat. Sell fish? How many can you catch by fishing? And it's a waste of time. Do we even need to work in the production team?"
To gather enough fish to set up a stall, you need to know how to cast a net to catch them. It's not like you just randomly throwing a net around like that. That's something only professional fishermen do. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the skill.

Besides, if I knew how to fish, I'd rather become a farmer. Farmers earn a decent income; they can sell their catch to the commune and receive a ration of grain. It wouldn't interfere with selling their own fish. How great is that?

Besides, whether it's fish or loach and eel, although they are meat, they're not as filling as real meat, and they basically don't fetch a high price. Even if someone wants to eat fish, they buy it and cook it at home. Many people don't know how to cook turtle meat, but everyone knows how to cook fish, so who would buy it from you?

After he finished venting his frustrations, Chen Fan calmly smiled and asked, "What did you just say the brigade headquarters appointed you for?"

Zhang Wenliang looked at him strangely, "The deputy director of the breeding farm."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately realized what he meant, his eyes widened, and he stopped and turned to look at Chen Fan. "You mean, it's okay to sell rabbit meat from farms?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Once the rabbits at the farm are grown up, some of the males can be disposed of, leaving only a small portion for breeding. Selling them to others is selling them, and selling them to you is also selling them. If you're confident, you can buy some rabbits yourself, slaughter them, skin them, and take the meat..."

Hearing his words, Zhang Wenliang was speechless. "Are you retaliating for calling me a rabbit executioner?"

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "Anyway, rabbit meat will definitely sell better than fish, and thanks to the farm, there won't be a shortage. It just depends on whether you're willing to be the executioner."

It will take at least one or two years for the farm to reach a certain scale. Before that, we can't keep investing in it without trying to recoup our costs. Finding a group of people to try selling to others is a good option.

Zhang Wenliang pursed his lips and nodded slightly. "Your idea is very good. It saves you the trouble of catching turtles. Catching turtles is free, but buying rabbits costs money. However, this business is still viable. Rabbits cost about 25 cents a pound, so a rabbit only costs 70 or 80 cents, at most a dollar. But you can get a skin and two or three pounds of meat. If you sell the cooked meat for 80 cents, you can make more than a dollar. If you sell it for a dollar as well, plus the rabbit skin, you can make more than two dollars in pure profit from a rabbit, which is no less than selling turtle meat."

He continued walking forward, smiling, "Now there's only one last question."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Let's see if my skills are good enough to set up a stall?"

Zhang Wenliang gave him a thumbs up, saying, "That's why I say you're smart."

Chen Fan curled his lip. Who was it that just said "you're so smart"?

……

A short while later, the two arrived in the village. Zhang Wenliang went home to change his shoes, while Chen Fan first settled the two horses in the livestock shed, and then took the two puppies to the brigade headquarters.

Xiao Liewen was leading his old buddies inside when Chen Fan quickly greeted them.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, the old man Lin beamed with joy. "Young Chen, I never expected you to be such a good cook. I've tasted dishes from all over the country, and there are countless people who cook better than you."

Xiao Liewen chuckled beside him. He had asked Chen Fan to cook lunch to entertain his old comrade-in-arms. He had originally wanted Chen Fan to stay for drinks, but Chen Fan didn't want to disturb their reunion and left after finishing the meal. Chen Fan smiled at Lin Yuanxiang and said, "You flatter me. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Lin Yuanxiang laughed heartily, "Good is good, I wouldn't lie."

Then, noticing the two small dogs at Chen Fan's feet, she changed the subject, "Are these your dogs?"

Chen Fan looked down, picked them up with one arm and one arm, and laughed, "Yes, they're village dogs, they're fun to keep."

Lin Yuanxiang pointed, "Can I take a look?"

Chen Fan smiled and immediately handed over the two dogs, saying, "Please, make yourselves at home."

The two puppies, once in someone else's hands, immediately began to whine pitifully at him.

Chen Fan glared at them, and the two dogs immediately fell silent.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yuanxiang's eyes lit up. "Wow, what an intelligent dog!"

He picked up the two dogs and examined them closely for a while, then hugged and squeezed them a few times before bending down to put them on the ground.

Duo Duo and Qiu Qiu immediately hid behind Chen Fan's feet, only their heads peeking out as they looked at him curiously.

Xiao Liewen pointed inside and said, "Don't block the doorway, let's talk inside."

Lin Yuanxiang, who was about to speak, smiled and turned to walk inside.

Lin Yuanxiang was not a member of the brigade headquarters, so Xiao Liewen led him to the reception room in front of the office.

This is actually a place where the staff of the brigade headquarters often stay. When they have nothing to do, they usually come here to smoke, drink tea, and chat. When someone comes from outside, they also stop here first.

Once inside the room, the group had just sat down when Chen Fan offered them cigarettes, at which point Zhang Wenliang walked in.

Seeing this, he first greeted Xiao Liewen and Lin Yuanxiang, then turned to Chen Fan and laughed, "It's better to be lucky than early. It's rare to see you taking out a Peony cigarette."

Chen Fan handed him one with a hint of annoyance, "Do you need a good cigarette?"

Zhang Wenliang chuckled, "Of course it's worse. I don't have much money. Besides, smoking your own cigarettes and smoking someone else's are not the same thing."

After exchanging a few jokes, Lin Yuanxiang turned his gaze back to the two dogs lying at Chen Fan's feet and said with a smile, "Our country is vast and rich in resources, and there are many good dog breeds. For example, the Shandong Hound is the legendary Erlang Shen's Howling Celestial Dog. There are also the Chasing Mountain Dog, Tiger-striped Dog, Arrow-haired Dog, Sichuan Dog, and Xiasi Dog. Broadly speaking, they are all native dogs, but they each have their own shape and characteristics, so they can be considered different breeds."

He took a drag of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Chen Fan. "These two mongrel dogs of yours are the most common breed in the south. They don't even have a special name; they're usually called guard dogs. They might not be as good at hunting as pedigree dogs like mountain dogs, brindle dogs, or tufted dogs, but they're extremely alert. Their ability to guard the house is unmatched by other dogs. If they're trained properly, they can fight just as well as those pedigree dogs."

Chen Fan didn't know what he meant by those words, so he smiled and said, "I haven't thought that far ahead, nor have I thought about letting them fight. I just keep them for fun."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Wenliang and Xiao Liewen and chuckled, “Our team has Captain Xiao and Company Commander Zhang in charge of security and protection. There isn’t even a petty thief. I doubt these two dogs are even needed for guarding the house. Why would they need to fight with hunting dogs?”

Lin Yuanxiang was so angry when he heard this that he almost choked.

How many young men don't like hunting with dogs? I practically offered to train his dog, but he really had no interest at all?

Xiao Liewen knew that the old company commander was testing Chen Fan, but he didn't understand why he mentioned Gouzi.
However, since the old company commander brought up the topic, he could only play along and said to Chen Fan, "Don't you like shooting and hunting? My old brother here is a master at training dogs. Let him train these two dogs for you for two months, and I guarantee they'll help you hunt foxes."

Chen Fan patted the small pistol at his waist and laughed, "If we're hunting, I'll release birds to scout first, then fire a shot. Not to mention foxes, even tigers will be gone. There's no need for dogs then."

Xiao Liewen was immediately speechless with anger. This kid wasn't cooperating!
Seeing that Captain Xiao's expression was off, Chen Fan immediately snapped out of his daze, coughed lightly, and said with a smile, "I was just afraid of wasting Uncle Lin's hard work. But if Uncle Lin is willing to help train these two dogs properly and make them more capable, that would be even better."

Hearing this, Lin Yuanxiang and Xiao Liewen both felt something was off.

What, do you think I'm begging you to let me train your dog?
These are all minor details. In any case, Lin Yuanxiang just needed a reason to get close to Chen Fan. He happened to see these two dogs today and found them to be very intelligent, so he thought of using the dogs as a breakthrough. However, he did not expect that this kid was not good at fighting dogs.

If you don't raise dogs to fight, should you keep a Pekingese as a pet like the wealthy and powerful people before liberation?
I'm just looking for an opportunity, why is it so difficult?
Seeing that Chen Fan had relented, Lin Yuanxiang immediately agreed, "No problem, leave it to me, and I guarantee it will be trained into the best dog in less than two months."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The first rule of training a dog is to make it recognize its owner. You should still take them with you most of the time. When you go to work, I'll come over and teach you how to train them, so they'll only listen to your commands."

Chen Fan thought he was going to take the dogs away for training, but when he heard this arrangement, he didn't think much of it and nodded with a smile, "Okay, then I'll bring them to work every day from now on."

Duo Duo and Qiu Qiu hid behind his feet, and suddenly felt a cold wind blow by, which was a bit chilly.

(End of this chapter)