My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 276 The True Value of the Fine-scaled Fish, Old Turtle Published in the Newspaper

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.

Life in the countryside remains peaceful and pleasant.

But the city was already bustling with activity.

On Sunday, the wide streets were bustling with traffic, the constant honking of car and motorcycle horns mingling with the broadcasts from loudspeakers and the hawking of various goods, creating an exceptionally noisy atmosphere.

The rich aromas of freshly baked rice, meat, pastries, and mooncakes waft through the air, tantalizing people's taste buds.

The department store on the street corner was packed with people, forming long queues as everyone prepared for the holiday.

Today, Liang Yuemin and Liu Yinhuan were not busy, so they took their little chubby son out for a stroll and some fun.

Having just come out of the park, I saw this lively area and headed this way. But halfway there, the chubby little boy, who had been skipping and hopping all the way, suddenly stopped in front of a newsstand.

At that time, newsstands sold not only newspapers and storybooks, but also soft drinks, snacks and toys.

When the chubby boy saw some fun toys, he squatted down in front of the newsstand and started fiddling with them with great interest.

Unexpectedly, after only a few rummages, the chubby boy suddenly stopped.

Then, her eyes widened in surprise, and she turned around to wave her little hand eagerly at Liang Yuemin and his wife, saying in an excited voice, "Mom and Dad, come here quickly! I see Uncle! I see Uncle! He's in the newspaper!"

When Liang Yuemin and his companion first heard this, they were still a little confused. When they came over and saw that Chen Ling was indeed in the newspaper.

The newspaper wasn't publishing any other news.

The news concerned the appearance of a giant turtle and a water monster in Chenwangzhuang Reservoir in Lingyun County.

The newspaper included many photos, one of which showed two Chen Ling standing by the reservoir, pointing in one direction and explaining to the reporter. This photo was placed next to a large picture of a giant turtle, in a prominent position.

So the chubby boy recognized him at a glance.

"Oh, so this is the news report. I thought it was something else."

Liang Yuemin picked up a newspaper, glanced at it, and then said to Liu Yinhuan with a smile, "You know what, Fugui is quite photogenic."

"Yes, Fugui and Susu are both good-looking, and their photos look great."

Liu Yinhuan nodded, then took out some money and bought a newspaper.

The newsstand owner, listening to the conversation of the family of three, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know the person in this newspaper?"

“Yes, I know him. He’s my brother,” Liang Yuemin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the newsstand owner quickly pressed for details: "So, is the story about such a huge turtle in the news true or false?"

"Of course it's true!"

Seeing his father's disbelief, the chubby boy quickly answered, then stretched out his two chubby arms wide and gestured as he spoke: "That old turtle is this big, no, no, it's much bigger than this. It's all by itself and leads seven subordinates. When we went to Uncle's house to play, there were so many people watching the reservoir and feeding them meat. They're so powerful! Uncle also said there were monsters in the reservoir, and it was the big turtle that led its shrimp soldiers and crab generals to drive them away, just like in Journey to the West."

The chubby boy had limited communication skills and spoke incoherently, leaving the newsstand owner completely bewildered.

"This...this thing actually exists? This place is a bit scary. How can such a huge turtle be raised here? What kind of water monsters live here? What if it eats people..."

Upon hearing this, the chubby boy immediately retorted, "They don't eat people! How could they eat people? Uncle's place is so much fun! Besides, even if monsters eat people, Uncle has dogs and cows to fight them off..."

"Xiaoming, you're talking nonsense again."

The chubby boy spoke indignantly, but before he could finish his sentence, Liang Yuemin and Liu Yinhuan grabbed his arms and pulled him away.

The newsstand owner was left alone, holding a newspaper and reading it with a furrowed brow.

"Such a huge turtle, isn't it a monster?"

……

The giant softshell turtle from Chenwangzhuang made it into the newspaper, with headlines including the startling phrase "Millennial Divine Turtle."

Meanwhile, Chen Ling's image in the newspaper was seen by both those who knew him and those who didn't. That evening, provincial and municipal television stations broadcast detailed news reports on the matter.

It's a short segment, about twenty minutes long.

Besides Chen Ling, Wang Lishan's conversation with some villagers on the dam was also recorded.

The photographer's skills were excellent, perfectly showcasing the beauty of Chenwangzhuang's landscape. Chen Ling's farm and orchard even made it onto television, and Heiwa, Xiaojin, and Xiaobainiu all got a bit of attention.

The true appearance of the giant softshell turtle in the reservoir, which is the main character, has also been fully revealed to the public.

While the audience was shocked and curious, they were also attracted by the beautiful scenery. Those with connections contacted acquaintances at the TV station to inquire about the relevant information.

After that, not only the reporters who went to the village to interview, but even Liu Yinhuan was called by various friends to inquire about her.

This is especially true for Zhao Dahai, Professor Han, and others.

This is why transportation is extremely inconvenient nowadays.

Don't even mention that every village has access to roads; they haven't even built highways yet.

Otherwise, why would I need to ask around?

I went straight there.

……

Chen Ling was naturally unaware of the commotion outside.

At that moment, taking advantage of the warm afternoon sun, he carried a bucket up the mountain to catch fish.

An autumn mountain breeze brushed past his face as Chen Ling crossed a clear stream to search for the Qinling fine-scaled salmon, a spirit of the stream.

For ordinary people, this is not an easy job.

Last time, when the farm was newly built in the spring, I came here with Zhao Dahai and Shanmao to fish for fine-scaled salmon.

While scooping fish out of the water, they also searched for schools of fish. It took them more than two days to catch just a few fish.

Chen Ling's own words were simple.

Find a place where a group of fine-scaled salmon gather, pour some spiritual water to lure them all over, and then simply bring them into your cave.

However, he did not come up the mountain to catch fish today.

He said he was catching fish, but that was just an excuse he gave to his family. In reality, he went up the mountain to release the fish.

We found several mountain streams where the fine-scaled salmon lived and released the salmon from Dongtian into them.

The goal is simple.

There were too many fine-scaled salmon fry in the cave, their numbers were enormous.

Releasing them into mountain streams can help expand the population of local fine-scaled salmon and improve their genetic makeup.

Even if professionals discover the excellence of his finfish and want to catch some wild finfish from the mountains for comparison, it doesn't matter.

The reason he did this was that Chen Ling was more interested in the fine-scaled salmon than in selling alcohol.

He personally likes this little gadget too.

I'm willing to put in more effort.

It's great that you can make money while playing games.

Don't underestimate the slender-scaled salmon.

In reality, they are much more expensive than regular fighting fish.

According to Han Ninggui, this stuff once cost two yuan per kilogram in the late 1980s.

It cost two yuan per pound in the 1980s.

People from the countryside would definitely be shocked to hear this.

This fish sold for an astronomical price.

But in reality, this fine-scaled salmon, also known as the fine-scaled fish, is quite different from ordinary fish.

These are not comparable to ordinary fish.

Ordinary fish meat has a bland taste and a strong fishy smell. If you don't add oil, the fish won't taste good.

But the fine-scaled fish is different.

This stuff tastes delicious and has very little fishy smell.

Even if you simply make a pot of fish soup and sprinkle some salt on it.

The resulting dish tastes extremely good and is incredibly delicious.

Therefore, there is a reason why this thing is expensive.

However, although slender salmon are expensive, it would be a big mistake to think that raising them will make you rich.

The reason is that this thing is a cold-water fish.

Cold-water fish grow slowly and are very small.

Two yuan a pound, and a single fine-scaled salmon doesn't sell for much.

Moreover, farming has many disadvantages. Not only do they grow slowly, but farmed fish also don't taste as good as wild fish.

The reason is that once this fish is farmed, it loses its wild environment and cannot live against the current, thus failing to develop its unique meat texture.

Moreover, this fish is rarely seen in the wild, and its habitat is extremely limited. Therefore, even if this fish is very expensive, it is difficult for ordinary families to get rich from it.

To put it bluntly, raising these kinds of fish is like growing ginseng—slow to show results and yielding little return.

Like a ginseng root, it wants to grow to the thickness of two fingers.

It takes about six years for them to grow to maturity.

If you plant a lot and sell it by the ton, that's fine. If a large batch goes out, you can make money.

But six years is not a short time. Anything can happen during that period, and there are many risks involved.

The same goes for the fine-scaled fish.

They are difficult to raise and manage, grow slowly, and produce animals of varying quality, resulting in inconsistent prices. Raising livestock also carries risks.

This is why many places know that fine-scaled fish are expensive, but no one raises them.

Since then.

This naturally highlights the preciousness of the fine-scaled salmon that Chen Ling raises.

It tastes even better than wild ones.

Therefore, Feng Yi's desire to buy them all was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

He truly recognized the fish's quality and its rarity.

As for Douyu...

He bought them to keep as ornamental fish, for enjoyment.

They also noticed that Chen Ling's fish had more and more colorful and flamboyant colors than ordinary fighting fish, suggesting that a new variety had emerged.

……

We climbed the mountain, circling from the north to the western ravine, then went against the flow upwards, passing through a large area of ​​maple trees, and finally arrived at the mountain lake.

In the afternoon, under the sunlight, the lake in the mountains shimmered, and flocks of water birds flew up and landed on the water's edge, playing with each other, creating a beautiful and picturesque scene.

The waterbirds here are also the same birds that frequently visit the farm's orchards, shuttling back and forth between the farm and the mountain lake. Chen Ling has seen them many times and doesn't pay them any mind.

He carried a bucket over, looked around, and carefully searched along the lakeside for places where fine-scaled salmon lived. Finally, he found a relatively deep stream in the southwest where many of them still lived.

These creatures like to swim around, and with the changing water levels, the places where we used to catch fish in the spring are no longer there; they've all swum away.

After finding a suitable spot, Chen Ling put his hand into the cool, clear stream and began releasing the fish.

Following his thoughts.

Wherever he reached out, small fish appeared out of thin air, darting around in the water, shaking their heads and tails.

Soon a dense school of fish formed, swimming vigorously against the clear stream.

"Yes, about five hundred tails should be enough."

Chen Ling nodded, got up, picked up the bucket, and searched for the next stream.

They searched for fish while releasing them.

Finally, he released about five hundred small-scaled salmon fry into each mountain stream, then took dozens of large fish from the cave and put them into a bucket before turning around and wandering around the mountains and forests.

Today, he didn't bring the dog or the eagle with him when he went up the mountain. He carried the bucket himself, walked through the bamboo forest, and followed the stream into the forest of West Mountain.

It was early August in the lunar calendar, and various wild fruits in the mountains were ripening one after another.

The trees and wild vines were all laden with heavy fruit.

The weather was nice today, and there were quite a few people going up the mountain. We hadn't gone far when we heard people talking ahead.

Chen Ling went over to take a look and saw Wang Lixian with Da Ni'er and Si Ni'er, as well as Chen Fang and Chen Ze's family, standing among a pile of tangled vines, picking fruit.

"Hey, you guys are picking akebia here."

“It’s a real fortune. You’re living in the mountains now, it’s all different. You’re always going into the mountains,” Chen Ze laughed.

After he finished speaking, Chen Fang asked with a smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Let's catch some small-scaled fish."

"Oh, you're catching fish? I was wondering why you were carrying a bucket. But these small-scaled fish on the mountain are too tiny to fill a whole pot for your family."

Chen Fang shook her head.

As the adults were talking, Chen Fang's little child ran over with two August fried dough sticks and handed them to Chen Ling: "Uncle, you eat."

"Haha, good little Mao, so well-behaved."

Chen Ling put down the bucket, hugged the baby, took the August-fried fruit, wiped it clean, and shared one with him.

At this point, the 'August Fried' fruit is ready to eat.

However, they are not fully ripe yet, and the fruit has not burst open.

This thing is dark green, about the size of a palm, and the fruit is kidney-shaped and slightly curved. Every year in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when it is fully ripe, it will burst open from the back, and the opening will be quite large.

Therefore, it is commonly known as "August Explosion" or, based on its shape, "beef kidney".

When fully ripe, it's very sweet and fragrant, and tastes delicious.

However, there are too many seeds inside, so when you eat the whole fruit, you can only suck out a couple of mouthfuls of juice or savor the taste. You can't enjoy it as much as you would an apple or a pear.

However, it's very suitable for making juice.

"Has Fugui taken any traps these past two days?" Wang Lixian asked at this moment.

"I have set them down, but I've left those traps there for so long that they're no longer fooling wild boars or other small creatures."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Brother Xian, are you coming to the mountains to catch traps?"

"Hmm, let's use the traps to our advantage, and pick some wild grapes to make some wine when we get back."

Wang Lixian was there to pick wild grapes, while Chen Ze and his group were there to harvest walnuts.

Chen Ling wandered around the mountains with them. He released the fish for a short time and wasn't in a hurry to go down the mountain.

The group strolled around, chatting idly.

“Fugui, if you want to find a beehive, go to the South Mountain. There are many there. Alternatively, you can go deeper into the West Mountain. There are plenty of wild bee nests there, but they are mostly high up and difficult to find. You have to light a fire and smoke them out.”

"Oh, I see. Then I'll go for a stroll on Nanshan Mountain tomorrow."

As they were talking, they didn't pay much attention to anything else.

Suddenly, a sharp scream, "Whoa—," nearly scared the soul out of the person.

The woman and child were so frightened that they trembled all over and their faces turned pale.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Chen Fang's husband, unfamiliar with the mountains and forests, asked in a panic.

Wang Lixian listened carefully to the direction of the sound, frowned and said, "I guess my clip caught something."

Chen Ling also said, "That sound sounds like a cat. Maybe it caught a civet cat."

In the mountains, traps are most useless if they catch small creatures like civets or mice, because the traps become unusable once they smell of blood, and you have to remove the smell with cow dung or donkey dung.

"It's hard to say."

Wang Lixian shook his head: "Let's go take a look."

The group then made their way through a maze to the place where the sound had come from.

But when I got there, there was nothing left; only a bloody half of the tail remained on the clamp.

"Damn it, they got away."

Wang Lixian cursed his bad luck under his breath, bent down to take off the tail, held it in his hand and looked at it. What he saw next was terrible.

The composed man suddenly widened his eyes.

Then, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he turned to hand it to Chen Ling, saying, "Something's not right about this tail. It looks like a leopard's tail to me. Can you tell what's wrong with it?"

"Leopard's tail?"

Chen Ling was taken aback upon hearing this, realizing that the "leopard tail" Wang Lixian was referring to was definitely not a leopard, but a real leopard.

After taking it and examining it closely, it did indeed resemble a leopard's tail. The tails of male clouded leopards, also known as leopards, are indeed this long, but they had seen many clouded leopards before, and their tails never looked like this.

"That can't be right. The last time we saw a leopard here was in the 1960s. That's been so many years. Didn't they say there weren't any of these anymore?"

"I don't know either. Who can say for sure what will happen in these mountains?"

Wang Lixian sighed, glanced at Chen Ze and the other women and children who seemed a little frightened, and said no more.

After checking several other traps, Wang Lixian immediately cursed, "Damn wild boars, are they causing trouble at the camp this year?"

When Chen Ling and his group approached, they saw that the traps had all caught wild boar piglets, and one trap had even been pulled away by a wild boar, leaving a trail of scarlet blood on the ground.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh: "Good lad, you've got some guts! You managed to run away even after your leg was caught. This is a big lone pig! Brother Xian, why don't you come up the mountain and chase after it tomorrow? It would be a huge loss if such a big pig died in the mountains."

(End of this chapter)