My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 443 News
In Chenwangzhuang, most of the elderly people know how to weave nets. In the past, they were used to catch fish, cover grains, trap wild birds, pheasants, and rabbits.

So he can weave all kinds of nets, including gillnets, net bags, sticky nets, and casting nets.

Chen Ling used to weave net bags when she was a child, but now that she has a family and children, she is not as skillful as she was when she was a child. The ones she makes are very rough and messy. She has no choice but to go to the village to ask someone for help.

I'll also learn it myself when I have some free time.

Now that Zhao Yubao's project has started, many elderly people in the village who can't stay idle will also go to join in the fun and earn some extra wages.

Fearing that he would be disappointed if he went to other places, Chen Ling went directly to Chen Yongsheng's house to find his fourth grandfather, Chen Gannian.

You can't go wrong by asking him.

When they arrived at Chen Yongsheng's house, Chen Gannian was just about to drive the sheep out.

"Hey, Fugui, are the peaches in season yet?"

"Haha, it will be a while. Fourth Grandfather, do you still have the fishing nets you used to weave? I remember you had a pretty big one."

"Looking for a fishing net? There is one, it's in the old courtyard, I'll go get it for you."

The old man hung the sheep-driving whip on the wall, took the key, and led Chen Ling towards the old courtyard in the north of the village.

The old courtyard was where Fourth Grandma lived when she was still alive.

After Fourth Grandma passed away, she moved to the home of her eldest son, Chen Yongsheng.

Upon arriving at the old courtyard, it didn't take long for Chen Gannian to bring out a bundle of fishing nets from the old house.

In the countryside, things can generally be kept for a long time as long as they don't break. A fishing net is often used until it's completely worn out before people are willing to throw it away.

It's a minor problem; I can fix it myself, patch up half of it, and connect it to the new one, and it will still work.

Chen Gannian wove these nets many years ago, and occasionally he would take them to the market to exchange for some money for oil and salt.

“Fugui, do you think this fishing net is still usable? It’s been sitting for a long time, and the ropes in it are getting old and weak.”

Chen Ling took it and looked at it.

The old man wove this fishing net himself. It's not as exquisite and detailed as industrial products, but it's not far off. The mesh size is very regular and uniform.

"Well, it is a bit old. How about this, Fourth Grandfather, you drive the sheep to my house and let them graze in the orchard. In return, you teach me how to weave a net?"

"What is that? Weaving nets? Why would your kid want to learn that?"

Chen Gannian couldn't understand it at all, and the scars on his face scrunched up in a frown.

“This thing is worthless and it’s a waste of time. Why are you learning this stuff at such a young age? You should just focus on your work. If you need a fishing net, I’ll weave one for you. I don’t have much to do all day except herd sheep.”

"No, Fourth Grandfather, it's not about whether it's valuable or not."

Chen Ling quickly explained, "I also have a lake on the mountain, and I'm planning to raise fish there. The fishing net definitely needs to be bigger. And since it's used so often, it's bound to get damaged. So I should learn how to weave the net so I can fix it myself if it gets broken."

Actually, aside from dealing with the strange fish, he was just learning for fun.

This net can be used for everything from catching birds and fish to catching rabbits; there's no harm in learning how to use it.

"Oh, is that so?"

Chen Gannian believed him immediately and nodded: "Okay, then I'll teach you. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so we can knit together."

"OK."

Chen Ling smiled and helped the old man put the old fishing net into the snakeskin bag and put it away.

Then the sheep were herded to the farm and allowed to graze freely in the orchard.

An old man and a young boy sat in a pavilion in the bamboo forest and began weaving a net with ropes.

Weaving a net isn't something you can just do by hand.

Specialized tools are also needed.

Here, the three most common items used in net weaving are the shuttle, the weaving board, and the thread support.

A shuttle is a bamboo shuttle or bamboo needle.

It is made of bamboo strips and has a small hole for threading.

It is pointed at one end and has two thread-blocking feet at the other end.

When weaving a net, a shuttle is used to carry the thread, moving back and forth across the net, pulling the thread to tie it, forming a diamond-shaped grid.

This thing is handcrafted from bamboo blanks.

Use a large shuttle to weave a large mesh net, and a small shuttle to weave a small mesh net.

When sewing clothes, it's similar to using a large embroidery needle for wide stitches and thick thread, and a small embroidery needle for dense stitches and thin thread.

The mesh board, also called a wire mesh comb, is used to control the size of the mesh.

A wire support is made by connecting four bamboo strips to a central round wooden shaft with wire.

It makes it easy to wrap the network cable around it for threading the shuttle.

Chen Gannian's family already had all these tools; Chen Ling only needed to prepare the thread for weaving the net.

Chen Gannian first wound the thin hemp rope around the thread support, then stuffed it into the shuttle layer by layer, threading the shuttle. After threading the rope, he skillfully unhooked the thin hemp rope, weaving the net mesh by mesh.

"Watch closely, Fugui. When it's vertical, you have to go all the way through. When it's horizontal, you have to go all the way to the edge..."

Chen Ling watched intently, initially clumsy, finding it difficult to use the shuttle properly in his broad hands.

Fortunately, he learns things quickly, and after gradually adapting, he became proficient very soon.

Seeing that he was doing a pretty good job, the old man smiled approvingly: "Hmm, not bad, you're doing a good job. You're a skillful person, you learn everything quickly."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling chuckled and said, "I used to weave small nets when I was little. My dad taught me. Back then, we used to catch cicadas, fish, butterflies, and frogs. How could we not know how to weave nets? For boys, it was just as essential as a slingshot."

"Haha, yes, we all got through it."

Chen Gannian nodded: "Back then, when I wove nets, it was mostly for fun, but I also used it to catch small things and get something to eat. Otherwise, if there was no food at home, it would be hard to go hungry."

As Chen Ling's technique became more proficient, the old man and the young man began to chat.

The old man herded the sheep, and a pack of dogs ran back and forth to drive them away, preventing them from running around and requiring no human intervention.

"You really know how to raise dogs. They're so well-behaved and help people so much. They save us so much trouble."

"Hey, are those two dogs mating?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling quickly looked in the direction the old man was pointing.

It turns out that it was Wang Lixian's big black dog that got paired with Jiu Mao.

"Sigh, it's been going on for over half a month now. My little male dog has learned to mate, and the little female dog has followed suit and started fussing over the trough. Every day, either during the day or at night, they start mating whenever they feel like it."

Chen Ling smiled at the old man, his joy tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Nothing else.

I was worried that these first batch of wolfhounds, like Heiwa, would go into heat very late.

As a result, Er Mao started it, and then paired up with Red Wolf.

The male and female dogs went into heat one after the other, chasing each other and neither wanting to fall behind.

Except for Erhei, everyone else was paired up.

Some of the female dogs mated with the little yellow dog that came with Wang Qingzhong.

Some of them mated with Zhao Dahai's greyhound. Others mated with this big wolfhound.

Fortunately, apart from Erhei, Ermao, and Wumao, they were all female puppies.

Otherwise, if there are too many male puppies, they will take turns mating with Red Wolf, and it's questionable whether Red Wolf can handle it.

Before Lynx left, he said that Red Wolf must be pregnant.

However, Chen Ling's female dog needs to be kept under control and not allowed to mate with male dogs indiscriminately, otherwise the offspring will all be mixed breeds.

Chen Ling didn't seem to care much.

Black-backed, tiger-headed yellow, and greyhound are all good choices. First-generation wolfhounds actually have a high proportion of wolf blood, and they are very adaptable.

It's okay if it's a bit mixed up.

It's just one child, not all of them.

"Oh well, let them be a good match. You're both good dogs. I heard that some people even paid to buy the puppies before they were born."

Having more litters means making more money, which is a good thing.

Hehe, now that you mention it, no wonder people are paying to breed your dog with others, or even buying your dog. You can guard the house, hunt, and make money with this dog. Who wouldn't want one?
You probably never imagined that this is how you earn money to support your family.

Chen Gannian clicked his tongue in amazement.

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled: "Hey, I was just messing around."

"If you keep messing around like this, what will become of all the other people who farm and work as laborers?"

Chen Gannian's eyes widened upon hearing this.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a car pulled up and stopped on the dirt road outside the orchard. He immediately laughed again: "Look, another one driving a car to deliver money to your door."

Chen Ling looked over there and saw that Sun Yanhong had come over again.

When Sun Yanhong hurried over, she was taken aback when she saw what the old man and the young man were carrying: "Oh, what are you doing now, Fugui? Weaving a fishing net or something?"

"Fishing nets, of course. If you're raising fish, what kind of net would you weave if not fishing nets?"

Chen Ling put down the broken net he was holding, stood up, and led her into the house: "Didn't you go back to the city? Why are you back so soon?"

"Hey, that's great news! The fact that Zhao Yubao is going to settle down in your village is on the news."

Sun Yanhong was very excited when she talked about this. She took out a folded newspaper from her bag and handed it to him. "Look, they've given us a really big page. I heard that some fans want to write letters to Teacher Zhao. From now on, there will definitely be no shortage of people coming to visit."

"With 'Prince Turtle' and 'Great Writer' all over again, our reputation is growing. I thought it was just a passing fad, something that would blow away and disappear."

As Chen Ling listened to her rambling in his ear, he quickly glanced through the newspaper.

Unsurprisingly, it was just something those young reporters put together to find some news to get by.

"So, what are you planning to do now?"

"What do you mean, 'what do I want to do'? We're in this together now, partners."

Sun Yanhong glanced at him, then quickly smiled and said, "What do you think of me asking Teacher Zhao, this great writer, to take a picture, write a couple of lines praising the various local river delicacies, and then put it at the entrance of the shop? What would that look like?"

Chen Ling frowned and said, "Your lobster restaurant is so popular now, with queues every day, why are you still trying to take advantage of him? Is it really necessary?"

Sun Yanhong was immediately speechless, gritting her teeth as she said, "You're really too easily satisfied... Right now, the business is only booming in the city... Teacher Zhao is famous throughout the country, can't I use that to open a new store in the provincial capital?"

"..."

Chen Ling was speechless. "You're really holding a grudge, aren't you? Going to the provincial capital to steal Lao Tian's business?"

Sun Yanhong wasn't surprised that he saw through her thoughts so quickly. This kid was very clever, but he just wouldn't do anything.

He snorted dismissively and said, "He's just a middleman. I own a restaurant, so how can you say I'm stealing his business?"
Besides, he's already advertised our local turtle king in the provincial capital, so it's nothing new. If I want to open another lobster restaurant, of course I have to come up with something new, so I'll ask Teacher Zhao to take charge.

This is good for business, and good for our area. A temple is about to be built, and many people will come to visit. It's a win-win situation.

Chen Ling ignored all of that and simply said, "It's no use telling me this; I can't make the decision. Just go talk to Uncle Zhao about your ideas. If he's willing, then there's no problem."

The old man has already gone to live in seclusion in the mountains; asking him to do this or that is probably not going to work.

"Fine, fine, you're the boss, I can't order you around..."

Having no other option, Sun Yanhong stopped talking and looked around, asking, "Where are my sister-in-law and the baby? Aren't they home?"

"They're at home. I haven't seen them go out. They're probably playing in the backyard."

As Chen Ling spoke, he walked towards the backyard of the farm: "Do you need to bring any more wine this time?"

"Yes, we'll use it. How can we open a new store without your wine?"

Also, could I take some of those precious fish you've been hiding and refusing to sell this time?

Sun Yanhong glanced in the direction of the red-lipped barb and the fine-scaled barb, and said with a raised eyebrow.

“...Those fish, it’s not that I’m hiding them from sale, it’s that Lao Tian thought they were too expensive. Back then, he was afraid no one would want them. Those small-scaled fish cost two yuan a pound more than ten years ago. Think about it.”

Chen Ling didn't explain much, only giving her the previous price and letting her understand it herself.

Sun Yanhong was indeed a bit dumbfounded. It was selling for two yuan a pound in the 1980s, which was something she really couldn't have imagined.

"You treasure it so much? My goodness! I'll take some with me when I leave, maybe I can use it when I open my new shop... We're comrades on the same side now, can you give me a discount?"

"Haha, what do you think?"

"..."

"I knew it."

Thinking back, the fish Chen Ling sold to Tian Hongli were all priced at thirty yuan each. It was expensive, but after deducting the high transportation costs, he still made a fortune in the provincial capital thanks to the popularity of the turtles.

Even though they are expensive, most people who can afford them feel that it's worth the money.

Especially in terms of aquatic products other than ornamental fish, the quality is truly high.

You get what you pay for.

She gained a deep understanding from the wine at the farm and the cooking recipes Chen Ling gave her.

The red snapper and slender salmon will certainly not disappoint.

It's expensive, so be it.

Then, she can use the exorbitant price of the fish as a selling point to advertise again.

She was lost in thought when

Chen Ling had already walked to the snake box next to the woodpile and squatted down with his son.

Wang Susu and Wang Siyi were picking vegetables in the shade by the wall, using their baskets.

"Daddy, bugs."

Rui Rui held a small snake in his little hand. The snake had just hatched and was about the thickness of a chopstick. When he grabbed it, the snake wrapped around his wrist.

He tried repeatedly but couldn't get it off, so he reached out to Chen Ling in frustration and asked his father for help.

"It's okay, this is a lot of fun. You don't need to take it off. I'll take another one for you. You can wrap one around each wrist. It'll look really cool."

As Chen Ling spoke, he pulled out a small flower snake from under the snake box and wrapped it around his other hand. "Tsk tsk, look, isn't it beautiful?"
Seeing this, the little thing immediately made a face and looked up at him with great difficulty.

(End of this chapter)