My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 402 An unexpected gain
"Boss Tian, ​​I can also guarantee that the fish and shrimp here are better than those elsewhere."

As soon as Chen Ling finished speaking, Little Sheep patted his chest and assured Tian Hongli.

As he spoke, he grinned again: "You haven't been to Uncle Fugui's farm yet, so you probably don't know how many treasures Uncle Fugui has here. Last year, a professor was clamoring to buy his fish. Although I haven't tasted that kind of fish, I did eat his cured fish in the spring. The taste was indescribable, far superior to other cured fish."

Tian Hongli's eyes widened in surprise: "Good heavens, even a professor is buying fish from here, then I'd better take a look."

Chen Ling chuckled and explained, "They're just some small-scaled fish and red-lipped barbs. I don't raise many. I'll take you to my farm and you'll see."

"Fine-scaled fish and red-lipped barb?"

Tian Hongli was momentarily confused upon hearing this, then tentatively asked, "I know about the red-lipped barb; I've seen quite a few. They're beautiful and can be sold as ornamental fish, and they're also a good fish to eat. But what kind of fish is this fine-scaled fish? Is it in the same league as the red-lipped barb?"

Tian Hongli is not a professional in the aquaculture industry.

When it comes to the ornamental fish industry, he can talk about it quite a bit, since he makes a living from it.

But when it comes to proper seafood, it's much worse.

If it weren't for the abundant resources here and the opportunity to make a fortune by leveraging the turtle's reputation, he wouldn't have rashly come to buy aquatic products.

So I was puzzled when I heard about the fine-scaled fish.

"Well, we'd say they're about the same level. This fine-scaled fish, also called fine-scaled salmon, is a cold-water fish. It's only found in the Northeast and the Qinling Mountains here. Ours is the Qinling fine-scaled salmon..."

Chen Ling gave him a brief explanation.

What marine remnants, what prices were reached in the 1980s?

Tian Hongli listened with a sense of awe and wonder, thinking to herself, "No wonder the professor likes it. It turns out this fish is so rare, and it was left on land from the sea many, many years ago."

They became even more eager to head into the farm.

I want to see this rare fish in person.

Upon entering the farm, before even seeing any fish, one is immediately struck by the breathtakingly beautiful and tranquil scenery.

At this time of year, upon entering the farm, one is immediately struck by the dense, layered expanse of emerald green lotus leaves, interspersed with vibrant, delicate red lotus blossoms.

Besides lotus flowers, all sorts of other flowers and plants whose names I don't know are also blooming in profusion.

Some flowers bloom on the ground, while others climb, forming an arched flower bridge in the long corridor.

It's a world of flowers.

You wouldn't notice it from the outside of the farm, but once you step inside, it's a refreshing surprise, as if the scenery suddenly becomes vibrant and lively.

Moreover, the air was filled with the fragrance of various flowers.

This gave Tian Hongli a little surprise.

He kept praising, "What a wonderful place! I didn't realize you were such a refined person, Brother Chen. You've arranged a farm with flowers and grass, it's so picturesque."

He thought to himself: No wonder so many people came here to play recently. I was wondering what was so fun about this farm, which is just a place to raise chickens, ducks and livestock. Turns out there is a whole different world inside.

Even a businessman like him, who doesn't understand romance, felt that this place had an indescribable charm; the air felt fresh and comfortable, and he didn't want to leave.

Not to mention everyone else.

Tian Hongli came twice before, firstly to conduct an on-site investigation to check the quality of the fish, and secondly to pay deposits to the villagers. Because he was eager to make money, his words and actions were too mercenary, so Chen Ling didn't negotiate with him much. In addition, he was eager to take advantage of the old turtle's influence and buy up all the ornamental fish in the area, so he didn't stay long.

So I've never been to Chen Ling's farm before, this is my first time here.

"It's not about being elegant or not. It's just some wildflowers and weeds that I plant. I trim them when I have free time, but when I'm busy, I'm too lazy to take care of them."

As Chen Ling spoke, he gestured with his hand, leading the two to the two irrigation ditches on the west side of the farm to see the fish.

The fine-scaled fish and the red-lipped barb are more valuable, so Chen Ling didn't raise them in the irrigation ditch or lotus pond for fear that some birds and small animals that sneaked into the farm would steal them.

Instead, they were kept in a secluded area by binding a fine wire mesh between the front half of the two water channels.

There was barbed wire above the irrigation canal, and there was also barbed wire at the confluence of the canal and the lotus pond, as well as at the waterway leading out of the farm. It was really well protected.

When Tian Hongli got closer and saw the situation, she immediately frowned before even seeing the fish with her own eyes.

I thought to myself, "These two sections of irrigation canals are completely covered with wire mesh. How cramped must the fish be inside? Can they really thrive like this?"

The farm covers a large area, and although these two sections of irrigation canals are only the first half, they are not short.

While it may not be short, let's not even talk about the fine-scaled fish. The red-lipped barb lives in the Yangtze River. If it is only kept in a small section of enclosed waterway, let alone raised well, it is very likely to die if not careful.

Do these two young people even know anything about fish?

They even said that a big professor came to buy it. Could it be that the fish were caught in the mountains and they're just bragging about raising them themselves?

That's what he was thinking, but when he squatted down and carefully observed the ditch through the wire fence, he was startled again.

There were even layers upon layers of tiny, dark fish fry in the irrigation ditch.

Fish fry were produced when they were raised in this kind of canal?
Thinking of Chen Ling's potion, Tian Hongli's heart stirred, and she quickly said, "Brother Chen, could you fish out a few for me to take a closer look? I've never seen the fine-scaled salmon you mentioned before."

"Alright, if you're really interested in buying seafood, I'll not only let you see it all today, but I'll also let you eat your fill. In any case, you have to try our fish and shrimp to know what you're looking for."

"Oh, that's great!"

Tian Hongli was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this.

Whether it was what the villagers said or what he heard from Little Sheep, his impression was that Chen Ling was not easy to fool. He seemed to be a capable and impetuous young man. If he didn't want something, he wouldn't listen to reason or persuasion.

He never expected to get a free meal at the farm today.

Chen Ling squatted down with a smile, lifted the wire mesh, and called to Erhei, asking it to bring a net and a small bucket. He immediately scooped up several plump slender salmon, and also scooped up half a spoonful of the small fish fry that were gradually growing.

"These fish fry are..."

"Oh, these are fish fry hatched from fish eggs produced this spring. There were also fish fry last year, and they've already grown up."

Chen Ling pointed to the big fish and fry in the small bucket and said, "Boss Tian, ​​look, the older ones are darker in color, and the younger ones are lighter in color. The lighter ones are the fry from last year that have just grown up."

"The same goes for the red-lipped barbs on the other side; the longer they are kept, the redder and more beautiful they become."

Tian Hongli quickly got up and went to look at the winding canal further north. Upon seeing it, she exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, there are so many fry of the red-lipped barb!"

So, not only do they not feel stifled living in these two small sections of irrigation canal, but they actually live quite comfortably.

Each fish was raised to be healthy, lively, and plump, and so many fish fry were produced in every canal.

Tian Hongli glanced at Chen Ling in surprise, thinking to herself: This kid really does have some skills.

Thinking back to the black dog carrying the bucket and net, and then thinking about the medicine we used to improve the survival rate of ornamental fish.

He immediately cursed under his breath: Damn it, this kid is famous for raising dogs, but I didn't expect him to be so good at raising fish too.

He should have realized this long ago, from that potion.

I've been so blinded by making money lately that I've completely forgotten about this.

However, he wasn't interested in investigating what strange abilities Chen Ling might have; all he wanted now was to make money as quickly as possible. So he paced back and forth between the two irrigation ditches, looked around carefully, and then said to Chen Ling, "Brother Chen, I won't look at your other fish for now. I'll go to your village committee first and ask around to see what the situation is like here. If it's difficult to buy fish and shrimp in the village, I'll try getting some fish from you first."

His idea was simple: the fish and shrimp in the reservoir and river were ostensibly owned by the village collective, and dealing with the village was not as straightforward and efficient as dealing with individual households.

Although Chen Ling might charge a higher price, as long as the fish are of good quality, riding on the coattails of the turtle craze, he'll definitely have no trouble selling them.

Moreover, as long as the fish is of good quality and there is sufficient promotion, it is easier to open up sales channels.

"it is good."

Chen Ling nodded in agreement, which would save him the trouble of having Little Sheep test the sales channels himself.

After chatting briefly, they escorted Tian Hongli out of the farm together with Little Sheep.

"Xiao Fang, are you coming with me?"

"No, I have something to report to Uncle Fugui."

What Little Sheep wants to talk about is, of course, Liu Jiancheng's situation of selling apricots.

Once Tian Hongli was out of sight, he whispered instructions to Chen Ling.

"Old Liu's business is selling quite fast. He bought them all while people were buying salted eggs. He said he couldn't tell much from two baskets, but everyone who tasted them said they were delicious. He's gotten addicted to selling them. He even bought the ones that you brought for your family, Uncle Fugui, to eat."

The little sheep chuckled and said, "He regretted it afterward and asked me to bring him some more next time I go over."

Chen Ling laughed when he heard this: "Old Liu, at first his wife was not happy about their family doing this, but now she is getting more and more addicted to doing business."

Liu Jiancheng, a government official, married a woman from an extraordinary family.

Naturally, they wouldn't approve of such a business.

Initially, salted eggs were only given as gifts.

Later, his father-in-law and mother-in-law retired and had nothing to do. In addition, the salted eggs tasted so good that people kept asking him to buy them and bring them back. Relatives, friends, leaders and former colleagues all came to his door. The two old people were very proud and felt a great sense of accomplishment that so many people came to them for help.

Later, as he made more money and his pockets bulged, he gradually became unstoppable and more and more addicted to selling.

That's how business works. When things go smoothly, you feel a sense of accomplishment and make money, which makes it easier and easier to do. It's like there's an attractive magic to it.

If things don't go well from the start, then you're doomed. Everything will go wrong, no matter what you do, it will be wrong, and everything will be a failure and a complete mess.

Chen Ling took the money from selling apricots from the little sheep and stuffed it into his pocket without counting it: "Tell Lao Liu to come back to his hometown when he has time and eat whatever he wants at my orchard. We're partners after all, so we should get together more often when we have free time."

"understood."

The little lamb now obeys Chen Ling's every word.

He also knew that Chen Ling didn't really care about the orchard; he just treated it like the crops at home—harvesting when they were ripe and selling them for profit. That was all.

"Uncle Fugui, what kind of box is this? Why is it hanging on the tree?"

The little lamb was suddenly startled when it noticed a strange, large wooden box hanging among the dense foliage of a tree in the farm, and it became very curious.

"Oh, that's a bird box for the hawk. The trees on my farm are too young, and there aren't many suitable tree holes, so I made a bird box for it to live in more comfortably. Otherwise, it would be pitiful to have it sleeping standing on its hawk's perch all the time."

Chen Ling has recently been thinking about catching two pairs of pigeons from the village to raise. These pigeons are hatching chicks again this year. They hatch at this time every year, so he plans to make a nest similar to a bird box for them to live in. He hopes to eventually raise a few homing pigeons or ornamental pigeons.

"Oh, so this is the hawk's nest. Has it found a mate?"

"Not yet, let's wait another year or two. Let's keep it like this for now. If it really doesn't work out, I'll think of a way to catch a male hawk for it to mate with."

Chen Ling smiled, his face already showing anticipation.

Seeing this, the little lamb thought to itself: Uncle Fugui really does care more about these things.

Then he helped Chen Ling go outside to catch fish and shrimp, and catch eels and loaches, so that they could have a river seafood feast at noon.

While letting Tian Hongli taste the flavor, we should also reward the little sheep.

Two months have passed, and Chen Ling is still quite satisfied with the kid's performance.

"Wow~"

The two were busy catching most of a bucket of fish when Erhei suddenly came running over from the foot of the mountain, shouting.

Heiwa and Xiaojin went to the village with Wang Susu. They both became Rui Rui's little shadows. Today, only Erhei and Xiaohuamao were at home. The other dogs had all gone to herd sheep with Wang Cunye.

Honestly, Erhei's personality isn't suited to be a hunting dog.

It worries about everything all day long, running around everywhere. When planting flowers and vegetables, it joins in to help dig holes and carry seeds and seedlings. When fishing, it also goes into the water to help drive the fish away. It's very meddlesome.

Wang Cunye said helplessly, "You're just a dog, why are you so busy every day? You're busier than a person!"

Today, I saw Chen Ling tending to the spring at the foot of the mountain. Since no one was at the farm, I was worried about him going out with me, so I stayed behind with the little kitten to guard the house.

Then it started barking, I don't know what happened this time.

Chen Ling saw it, all wet, carrying a white object and placing it at his feet. He thought it was a bird egg, but upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't. Bird eggs are oval, while this egg was perfectly round, white, and about two sizes smaller than a ping-pong ball.

"Oh? These are turtle eggs. You found a turtle?"

Erhei put down the turtle egg and continued barking loudly, trying to get Chen Ling to come over.

Chen Ling picked up the turtle egg, smiled at the little lamb, and said, "Let's go take a look."

The turtles that lay eggs are all quite large, usually weighing several kilograms, so it's a considerable harvest.

The two men, carrying buckets, followed Erhei to the vicinity of the ditch.

Erhei first ran to the bushes and made a fuss, then quickly dug out several white turtle eggs with its claws. Adding them to the one in Chen Ling's hand, there were five in total.

With just a few eggs, Chen Ling knew that the turtle hadn't finished laying them yet. He planned to fill in and smooth out the turtle pit, and then catch it when it came back to lay eggs at night.

However, before he could take any action, Erhei, having finished digging up the turtle eggs, busied himself running to the ditch and barking incessantly in one direction.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling slapped his forehead: "I know, it's Xulong that's being delivered."

He quickly went over and retrieved the two traps from the river. Sure enough, he caught a turtle the size of a bowl. The other trap was also full of eels, loaches, and all sorts of small fish and shrimp.

When the little lamb saw that the two whisker traps had yielded a good harvest, it praised, "Erhei is amazing! You found a turtle in the whisker trap and even managed to find where it laid its eggs."

Chen Ling smiled and patted Erhei's head, "Haha, its temperament isn't suited to be a hunting dog, but its nose is still quite sharp."

I just casually set up a trap a couple of days ago, and I was able to catch a turtle so quickly, which is quite an unexpected bonus.

There's definitely enough food for a whole feast of fresh river delicacies today.

Back at the farm, Chen Ling first steamed a pot of white rice, and then he and Little Sheep washed and tidied up the things together.

However, just as Chen Ling was about to go to the kitchen to cook, Erhei busily led Wang Cunye back, barking loudly as soon as he entered.

Wang Cunye also shouted at the entrance of the farm: "Lingzi, come out quickly, that fish farm owner is about to get into a fight with someone."

(End of this chapter)