My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 416 Keeping in the Dark
"Wow, a ribbon bird! How did it grow so big and plump?"

Chen Ling looked closer and saw that the large bird nets were full of birds flapping wildly, making the two large nets sway. But the most conspicuous one was undoubtedly the bird that Lao Zhong, the lynx's father, had mentioned.

This bird was none other than the ribbon-tailed bird that Chen Ling had met briefly last year when he accompanied his father-in-law to collect herbs in the mountains.

However, the common paradise flycatcher is generally characterized by its extremely long tail and small body.

Including its tail, it's only about 30 centimeters long.

It has no tail and is just a bird about the size of a sparrow.

But the paradise flycatcher that crashed into the net was unusually large.

It is about the size of an ordinary magpie, with a plump and round body, looking very prosperous, like a chubby gray magpie.

But it's much prettier than a grey magpie.

The grey magpie has a black semicircle on its head, a gray body, and a long, straight tail, just like the flower magpie.

Except for its head and wingtips, which are bluish-black, this ribbon-tailed bird is entirely white.

Although it has now crashed into the net and is struggling to flap its wings, it still appears graceful. After looking at it for a while, it has a bit of the charm of a peacock.

Upon hearing Chen Ling identify the bird as a ribbon-tailed paradise flycatcher, Zhao Dahai's father, Zhao Yubao, hurriedly squeezed in front of the two, exclaiming, "Hey, a ribbon-tailed paradise flycatcher! I know that! We even have two traditional Chinese paintings of ribbon-tailed paradise flycatchers at home..."

"Oh dear, Fugui, you have to be gentle with your hands. The beauty of this ribbon bird lies entirely in its tail. Don't ruin it."

"Don't worry, Uncle Zhao." Chen Ling chuckled as he took the incredibly plump paradise flycatcher off the net, then didn't bother with the other birds on the net.

Seeing the two old men staring longingly at the ribbon bird in her hand, their eyes fixed on it, she realized they were no different from two little children seeing a beautiful bird.

Just by winking at the two families of Shanmao and Zhao Dahai, the two young couples burst into laughter.

The two elderly women felt ashamed and quickly went over to pull them away.

"It's alright, Auntie. Since Uncle Zhong and Uncle Yubao like it, let them take a look. This bird lives up to its name; it's called a Ribbontail. Look at its tail, so long and flowing. When it flutters, it's just like the ribbons on a kite when we fly it in the spring. It's so beautiful when it flies..."

“My father-in-law and I only met once in the mountains last year. I didn’t expect to run into you here this time. This ribbon-tailed bird is also called the long-lived bird. The longevity symbolizes happiness, health and long life. Look at this, what a good omen.”

Chen Ling said, stroking the ribbon-tailed bird in his hand.

The two elderly couples were delighted to hear this, and Zhao Dahai's mother clapped her hands with great joy: "Oh my, Fugui knows how to talk! Just like Dahai said, you're wasting your talents if you don't go out and make your way in the world."

Old Zhong and Old Zhao nodded repeatedly.

I thought to myself: This ribbon-tailed bird has landed on the net, which means we've got health and longevity in our hands now. It's definitely a good omen.

He then asked Chen Ling, "Can this bird be kept as a pet?"

Chen Ling shook his head: "No, this bird is timid and won't survive."

"Can't it survive? Then, then, Dujuan, come and take a couple of pictures so you can draw them later."

The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, quickly told their daughter-in-law to take out the camera and take pictures.

“Don’t rush, Sister Juan. If I hold it in my hand, the picture won’t look good. How about we put it in the cage first…” Chen Ling said.

Du Juan smiled confidently: "It's no problem. You hold me in your hand and take a couple of pictures first, then find a suitable place to release me, and I'll take a few more. I often photograph and paint birds, so it'll be fine."

“Okay then. This bird is delicate, so it would be best if we didn’t keep it in a cage.” Chen Ling nodded and smiled.

The paradise flycatcher is a beneficial bird, and it is also quite shy in the mountains and fields.

There are many other birds around the farm, especially this year, but I haven't seen many Paradise Flycatchers.

Of course, not seeing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, otherwise such a large one wouldn't have suddenly appeared.

They must usually hide from others to eat so plump and round food here.

If it were a normal-sized bird, about the size of a sparrow, this large-mesh bird net wouldn't be able to catch it.

The group of them were enthusiastically taking pictures of the birds while also observing the other birds on the bird net.

Upon seeing the guests arrive, Wang Cunye had already turned back to the farm to call out Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan to greet them.

The father-in-law also knew that Chen Ling's friends were all wealthy people who had no worries about food and drink, and that their only hobby was playing.

They must have come all this way not just to see the sights.

I mainly came here to have fun.

See how everyone stops in their tracks when they see the birds on the bird net?
So when they called Wang Susu and her daughter out, they also brought two bamboo cages and had someone put birds into them.

"Mommy~ Hurry~"

As soon as the three adults left the farm, Rui Rui had already climbed onto Heiwa's broad back and run quite a distance.

At this moment, he still made Heiwa and the other two stop, and while riding on Heiwa's back, he anxiously shook his little legs and urged them to hurry up.

The little guy is walking more and more steadily now, but he still prefers to be carried around by the two big dogs rather than walking on his own.

Fortunately, Chen Ling had warned the two dogs not to follow his whims and lead him around anymore.

They generally only move within people's sight.

The family felt comfortable letting them play together.

"Hey kid, slow down! Have you forgotten who got a spanking the other day?"

Wang Cunye called out to him.

The little guy, however, was only focused on giggling and laughing while riding on the dog's back.

"Oh dear, it's Rui Rui! Come here, come here, let Auntie give you a hug."

Chen Ling and the others were busy releasing and photographing birds when Xiang Wenxia heard the commotion in the orchard. She looked over and saw the little baby riding on the big black dog. She immediately cried out in surprise.

She and Zhao Dahai really like Rui Rui.

My chubby daughter, Ya Ya, also really enjoys playing with Rui Rui.

Hearing her mother's words, she hurriedly ran over from the bird net and tiptoed to look around the orchard.

When Ya Ya saw Rui Rui riding the dog over, she couldn't help but open her mouth wide in surprise and exclaimed, "Rui Rui, you're being naughty! How can you ride on a dog? My grandpa said you can't ride a dog."

The brat didn't care about any of that; all he knew was that riding the dog around and having fun was great. He ran over first, laughing and joking.

They left Wang Susu and the two elders far behind.

After taking photos of the paradise flycatcher, Chen Ling and the others released it.

Rui Rui, that brat, rode on the back of the big black dog, with a big yellow dog wagging its tail beside him, and darted out of the orchard at the head of the pack.

Shouting "Daddy~ Daddy~", he headed straight for the bird net to find Chen Ling.

Zhao Dahai and Xiang Wenxia were chasing after them, very worried, and Ya Ya was jumping and hopping around in a panic.

The brat, oblivious to everything, left only a string of childish giggles, laughing heartily. The lynx, seeing this, glared at him, "Good lad, so young yet already so imposing. You'll have to get your dad to take you hunting in the mountains someday."

The elders from both families changed their expressions, glared at the lynx, and quickly stepped forward to catch it, afraid that the little guy would fall.

"Oh dear, sweet child, why are you riding the dog around like that? It's so dangerous!"

"Fugui, why don't you do anything about it? The baby is still so young."

Hearing this, Chen Ling smiled helplessly and called out to the little thing, "Aren't you coming down? All you do is run around aimlessly."

Rui Rui then helped Heiwa slowly lie down, and then grabbed the thick fur around Heiwa's neck and huffed and puffed as she climbed down.

He wobbled over to Chen Ling's side, hugged his leg, and chuckled.

Seeing this, Lynx said to the two elders and Zhao Dahai and his wife, "Alright, look how nimble he is, let's not worry. This kid must have gotten used to playing like this..."

The two elderly people breathed a sigh of relief, but were also filled with curiosity.

On the way, Lynx and Zhao Dahai also told them that Chen Ling's family might be a little different from other families.

It's only now that I realize, this isn't just a little different, it's completely different.

Even before they finished speaking, Zhao Dahai was still muttering to himself, "He's definitely a rich kid, he's just different from other kids. I haven't seen him for a few days, and he can not only ride a dog, but also run around on the ground."

Ya Ya, however, tugged at his arm and said aggrievedly, "Daddy, Rui Rui ignores me. I don't want to play with him anymore."

Zhao Dahai quickly comforted him, "Rui Rui is only one year old, he's still young, he's the younger brother, you should be more considerate of him."

As the father and daughter were talking, Wang Susu and her parents arrived.

The group exchanged warm greetings.

The two elderly women held Wang Susu's hands tightly. Wang Susu was slowly showing her pregnancy, but she looked healthy and didn't appear bloated or heavy like a pregnant woman, which earned her a lot of praise from the two elderly women.

Xiang Wenxia and Du Juan were quite envious, and the conversation soon turned to their experiences with pregnancy and parenting.

The men, along with two elderly people and a little child, were picking birds from two bird nets.

It goes without saying how large the flock of birds is near the farm. Even though Chen Ling used a bird net with a large mesh, the car's sudden disturbance almost completely destroyed both nets.

Not to mention those that managed to break free from the internet and fly away in the middle.

Although the two old men were cultured, they also had a bit of a childlike temperament, with a playful and innocent nature. Seeing so many birds online made them extremely happy.

While asking Chen Ling what birds couldn't be caught, and what birds were good or bad, he happily picked birds from the net.

The birds looked like fruit being picked.

This feeling of a great harvest made them feel extremely happy and satisfied.

Most of the birds caught in the net today were spotted doves. These birds are particularly silly, and their reactions are a beat slower than other birds. They don't even know to dodge when a car comes, and they only start to fly up from the ridges when the car is right in front of them, resulting in almost all of them crashing into the net.

Chen Ling told the two old men to release all the other birds, but keep all the doves, and tonight they would stew doves and other delicacies together.

I'll chill a jar of fruit wine later; it'll be so refreshing to drink on this summer night.

"Daddy~ I want it~"

As the adults picked the birds, Rui Rui pointed to a beautiful yellow-billed tit on the net and exclaimed.

"You want this? Okay, Daddy will catch it for you. First, Grandpa will tie the bird to a rope for you, and then you and your sister Yaya can take it and play with it."

Chen Ling caught the titmouse and handed it to Wang Cunye.

The old man found a piece of straw rope, tied one end to the mountain sparrow's claw, and the other end to a small bamboo stick with a fork.

Hand the bamboo stick to Ya Ya and let her take Rui Rui to play.

Fluttering, fluttering—

Soon, the tits began to flutter and fly around the bamboo stick, a truly beautiful sight.

When it gets tired of flying, it hangs down straight like it's been hanged, swinging back and forth on the rope of the bamboo stick.

At this point, the two little ones would poke it with their hands, making it continue to fly around the bamboo stick, laughing and having a great time.

……

“We came early because we’ve been hearing a lot about the giant softshell turtles in your reservoir lately. Now, people in the provincial capital and the city are calling your reservoir ‘Turtle King Lake,’ saying that only fish and shrimp from Turtle King Lake are considered high-class when hosting banquets. They’re incredibly expensive.”

“I heard from Dahai that someone is driving a long way to buy your seafood. So Lao Zhong and I couldn’t sit still at home. We asked an old friend to inquire about the price. We were worried that you would lose money if you sold it, so we rushed over.”

After releasing the two caged doves back into the farm, Zhao Yubao explained why he had come early on the way to the reservoir.

Their original plan was to arrive a few days before the Dragon Boat Festival.

I didn't expect to come so early.

I heard some rumors circulating outside, and since I didn't have anything going on at home, I decided to come over earlier than planned.

To prevent Chen Ling from being scammed without his knowledge.

After hearing this, Chen Ling first thanked the two families for their kindness, and then asked about the prices of high-end and ordinary fish in the provincial capital and the city.

It was almost identical to what Sun Yanhong had said, so he laughed and said, "Uncle Yu Bao, Uncle Zhong, you only know one side of the story."

"This price is a bit expensive, but it's not easy for any middleman or restaurant to make a big profit from us. It's only slightly better than other businesses."

“Our Gucheng County is a famous mining area. I don’t know if you’ve heard of places with mines, but the transportation costs for transporting ore out are extremely high, especially since the transportation here is terrible and there are roadblocks everywhere. The transportation costs are even more outrageous.”

"In other words, under normal circumstances, even if there are transport vehicles, they mainly transport ore; no one transports aquatic products, fruits, or vegetables."

"Think about it, it's the same short distance. If you get 500 yuan for hauling a truckload of ore to the city, but only 200 yuan for seafood or fruits and vegetables, no wonder nobody would want to do it."

"Therefore, given the poor road conditions here, it's very difficult for seafood and fruit to get out of the area, unless you offer the same freight rates as ore trucks, then no one will be willing to do it."

“Right now, we’re just starting to make a profit shipping our seafood out here. We can also do some other business by leveraging the reputation of our local soft-shelled turtles. Once we’ve established a good reputation, negotiating business will be much easier, and those middlemen will be more willing to pay the same shipping fee. We can’t let them not make a penny, can we? Nobody’s going to be taken advantage of, right?”

After listening, the two elderly people had different expressions. "So that's why. It seems you're right. Given the situation here, everyone needs to make a profit to do business, which is also good for your local development."

In reality, while Tian Hongli's business is thriving, its potential and longevity cannot compare to Sun Yanhong's lobster restaurant.

Chen Ling wasn't afraid of anyone trying to frame him.

He could even handle Sun Yanhong, that scheming woman.

They dared to cause trouble, even if they didn't bring out those unnamed special spices and seasonings from the cave.

Using spiritual water to cultivate common seasonings is a powerful weapon that can easily surpass Sun Yanhong's recipes.

In short, he understood everything, but he just found it too troublesome and was too lazy to bother getting involved.

Making money is just something you can do casually; in the end, it's all for a better life.

(End of this chapter)