My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 472 Cicada Shells for Popsicles
"Hey, hey, hey... Ah Fu and Ah Shou, what are you two doing? Come down here."

When faced with an energetic little child, even the two brightly colored tigers could only retreat. When they got tired of playing, they would simply climb onto the bed next to the tiger cage and the livestock pen.

When Chen Ling saw this, he hurriedly tried to stop them, but the two silly tigers wouldn't listen. After climbing up, they arched their heads on the bed and lay down on their sides, sprawled out.

I can comfortably close my eyes and I won't hear what you're saying.

This is the downside of enlightenment.

She knows how to be close to people, but she loves to act like a child.

"Damn it, you're not listening, are you?"

Seeing that the two single beds were crushed under the weight of the tiger, and the mosquito nets were ruined, Chen Ling walked over angrily and slapped the tiger.

These two beds are used for guarding the tigers at night. They are covered with straw mats, pillows, and mosquito nets, and are quite clean.

As a result of the two tigers' antics, and considering they had just played in the water and were covered in mud, the things on both beds were completely ruined.

How could Chen Ling not be angry?

He wasn't going to tolerate them, so he went up and slapped them a few times.

But the two tigers were exhausted and sleepy from being tormented by Rui Rui, and the worst part was that they couldn't resist at all and could only endure it. Now that they were lying on the bed, they suddenly felt really comfortable.

When Chen Ling hit them, they just squinted their eyes, exposed their wet bellies, and hugged his arm with their front legs, purring and trying to stop him from moving.

This left Chen Ling feeling helpless.

"These two little tigers are really something. They've changed a lot since they came here. They've only been here a few days and they've already started climbing into people's beds."

Seeing that Chen Ling had finally suffered a setback, Xiao Li couldn't help but laugh.

These two guys still don't seem wild or ferocious, which puts them at ease, and they're even in the mood to tease Chen Ling.

Liu Jiancheng and his companion walked over with smiles, watching this novel scene.

The little kids, needless to say, erupted in another burst of excited shouts.

Chen Ling knew that these two guys had seen him sleeping in the bed last night and wanted to climb up in the morning. He didn't let them and scolded them a bit, but now they've climbed up.

"Climbing into bed is a minor issue; the real problem is that he made a complete mess of things, rendering them unusable."

Chen Ling said with a dark face.

If it weren't for the fact that our own single bed was big and sturdy enough, it wouldn't have been able to withstand the torment of those two tigers and would have fallen apart.

This was also the first time he realized that tigers were not something ordinary people could raise.

These big cats are too big to keep at home. Putting aside whether we can even keep them, the space is just too small, and they can't keep up with all the things in the house.

Next, this feeling became even more profound.

While Chen Ling's family was eating, the dogs would bark and howl outside, and they couldn't be left alone.

Good heavens, the roar of a tiger is no small matter!
Outside the farm, chickens and dogs were running wild, and the village dogs were trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound.

Helpless, Chen Ling brought them home, but they didn't stay still for long. They fought with the dogs over a chicken bone and knocked the table over.

After a while, it started teasing the kitten with its paws again.

Although the kitten is just a civet cat, it has gotten used to them these past few days. When provoked, it even uses its claws to slap the tiger's face.

He greeted them while yelling fiercely.

The two tigers fled in disarray, running wildly through the farm, knocking over countless things along the way.

After causing trouble one after another, the two of them realized they had done something wrong, and looked at Chen Ling with pitiful, downcast faces.

This left Chen Ling with nowhere to vent his anger.

I thought to myself, I shouldn't have given these two silly tigers intelligence training. Back then, Heiwa and Xiaojin were the same, and it took three or four months of tempering before they improved.

Back then, I was just a puppy, so I didn't feel much.

But when it happened to two sub-adult tigers that were almost the size of adults, it was a disaster.

"It's a good thing I'm leaving tomorrow, otherwise I wouldn't dare to hit him, and scolding him wouldn't do any good either. It's really worrying."

After the initial excitement wore off, the two tigers became like mischievous little bears, causing a lot of headaches for the elderly couple in the family.

However, this situation will soon be over.

The tiger's happy times are short-lived.

They set off for the zoo the next day.

He didn't even get to see Chen Ling one last time before he left.

Chen Ling didn't see the two tigers acting like two little babies, looking aggrieved and panicked in their cages, constantly roaring and reluctant to leave.

He was summoned to the village by Wang Jusheng early in the morning.

It is said that Wang Qingwen called the township from Fenglei Town, asking Wang Jusheng to pass on a message that Wang Cunye's cousin had passed away, and that the old man should rush back as soon as possible.

Come on.

There's nothing anyone can do when something like this happens.

Chen Ling didn't even have breakfast before riding his motorcycle with his father-in-law and sister-in-law on the back, heading towards Fenglei Town.

Get there as soon as possible so we can get back to the village sooner.

Gao Xiulan has to take care of Wang Susu, so she can't go back.

So Wang Zhenzhen should go back too.

We're family, after all. It'll look better if one more person goes back.

Upon arriving in Fenglei Town, Chen Ling did not rush back that day, but instead stayed at Yaowang Village for a day.

The main reason was that, apart from the funeral, Wang Qingzhong was too emotional.

He made a lot of money from those substandard clothes. He sold almost half of them after only two sales, which boosted his confidence. He has already started looking for workers.

The couple pulled Chen Ling aside and chatted about this and that.

It's natural not to express gratitude to family members, as it would seem distant.

They just said that when Susu gives birth, her two sisters-in-law will come over to help take care of her.

Chen Ling smiled knowingly and said nothing more.

He knew his two brothers-in-law's character better than anyone else, and trusted them more than anyone else.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been willing to lend a helping hand.

He mentioned it to Wang Cunye on several occasions.

However, Wang Qingzhong couldn't change his mindset. He was afraid of losing money and being scammed. He was afraid of this and that, which was the most fatal thing.

Fortunately, the idea Chen Ling gave him wasn't too big of a step.

It's also relatively simple and reliable to do.

It's quite suitable for people like them who don't have much experience.

As for profiting from grain trading, that's quite different from that; the effort required is completely different. When Chen Ling got home, he told his wife and mother-in-law, and they were both happy for the two brothers.

……

"Selling popsicles! Popsicles with white sugar and mung beans! We'll trade cicada shells for popsicles!"

Once it's past ten o'clock in the morning, the cries of ice cream vendors start to ring out in the village. They're either middle-aged men in red vests or old men in straw hats.

As soon as they heard the vendor's cries, all the village children would swarm around him.

Each person carried a cloth bag or a bag cut from a urea bag, took out the cicada shells they had collected, and went to exchange them for popsicles.

An ice pop costs five cents.

But this year, prices have soared, and five cents suddenly seem worthless.

To be honest, it's two for a dime, and I wouldn't even mention five cents separately.

Fortunately, the kids didn't have to worry about whether it was a dime or five cents; they could just exchange cicada shells for it.

Chen Ling had just carried Rui Rui out of the village courtyard when they encountered Liu Nier and the others exchanging popsicles for an old man's cart.

The father-in-law and sister-in-law went back.

Naturally, he was also responsible for herding sheep and taking care of the children every day.

The birds and pigeons kept in the village courtyards also need to be fed.

"Uncle Fugui, here's an ice pop for you."

"Grandpa Uncle, eat mine."

“Rui Rui will eat too.”

As soon as Chen Ling came out, the kids who had exchanged their popsicles rushed to hand them to him.

He was never stingy with these kids, and they were very generous to him in return.

He's the first person I think of when I find something good.

Some of the little kids even complained to him that his grandma was hiding good things and wouldn't let them out, so they had to eat them sparingly. But he insisted on giving them to Chen Ling first, saying that he had to let Uncle Fugui try the good stuff.

When his father-in-law and mother-in-law heard this, they laughed for a long time, saying that he had really become a king of the kids.

"Alright, alright, you can take these to your families. They're working over there in this sweltering heat."

“I’m not working for Grandpa Zhao anymore. My dad and mom have both gone to the fields to spray pesticides. There’s been a lot of rain these past few days, and the corn has gotten infested with insects.”

"Yes, it's the same at home. They say there are so many insects this year that even the birds can't keep up with them. They say we need to spray pesticides quickly, or the corn seedlings will be eaten up."

Listening to their chatter, Chen Ling understood that the environment was too good, and there were more insects.

In addition to the pheasants and wild birds, the dog has caused quite a bit of trouble, since it has a big appetite and has to go all over the fields every day to find food.

Upon hearing this, the old man selling popsicles took out popsicles from his wooden box and laughed, "The soil in your Chenwangzhuang is so fertile and rich that even insects swarm here. Our crops don't grow well, and insects don't come here."

"Hey, old man, where are you from?"

"Qinwan was flooded once, and the land there is even less useful now."

During floods, in some places, the water washes away fertile soil, making the land increasingly barren.

In some places, fertile silt accumulates, greatly improving soil fertility and resulting in bumper harvests for crops for two or three years.

"Qinwan is close to the county seat. Many teachers and officials come from your area, so you don't care about the money from that small plot of land."

Chen Ling smiled and said.

Qin Qiumei and Qin Rongxian are both from Qinwan. It's true that some people from that area have become government employees, and they're quite famous.

“Those belong to other people; we are just ordinary people living a hard life.”

The old man spoke, but upon hearing Chen Ling's words, he still smiled happily.

Then, while collecting cicada shells to exchange for popsicles for the children, they told stories of high-ranking officials from their area in the past.

He clearly knew who Chen Ling was.

I'm willing to brag a little in front of this celebrity.

It would be much more fulfilling to hear Chen Ling nod and agree than to hear it from an ordinary person.

Before they could finish speaking, the little one in Chen Ling's arms started to get restless, whining and wanting to get down and have an ice pop.

Liu Nier and the others offered him some, but he refused.

I want the one in the box.

They even peered inside the box through the small square holes.

"Goodness, this kid is just like you when you were a kid, Fugui. He always peeks at the popsicle box first when buying popsicles."

Old Niwai walked out from the south with his little grandson and teased.

They were obviously there to exchange their popsicles.

"...When Uncle Niwai saw me, all he did was expose my shortcomings."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled helplessly.

As a child, he was very curious and wanted to know what treasures were inside the boxes that sold popsicles.

I've done a lot of ridiculous things because of this.

I'm even thinking of setting up my own ice cream stand to sell popsicles, so I'll have an endless supply of popsicles.

Unfortunately it didn't work out.

I later found out that it was filled with cotton. With cotton filling the space, the popsicles wouldn't melt no matter how hot it was.

"Haha, you're getting more and more capable these days. If I don't tease you a bit soon, I'm afraid you'll grow wings and fly far away. In the end, it's still better to live in the city. It's more glamorous there, don't you think..."

Old Niwai laughed heartily, took out a dime and handed it to the popsicle vendor: "Here, give me two popsicles."

The old man selling popsicles said, "You can exchange cicada shells for popsicles."

"Hmph, which village are you from? You old lecher, all you do is fool little kids."

Old Naughty snorted.

Then, with a crooked mouth and a sidelong glance, he muttered to Chen Ling, "Cicada shells are expensive this year, more than twenty yuan a pound. To trade cicada shells for popsicles, how stupid would you have to be to do something like that?"

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this, but didn't say anything.

You need to collect at least a sackful of cicada shells to sell them properly; otherwise, you can only exchange them for popsicles.

He didn't care.

After a moment of stunned silence, the little kids ran home in a panic, their popsicles no longer so sweet.

Seeing this, Rui Rui, holding an ice pop in her hand, looked around in confusion, wondering why all her friends had suddenly run away.

(End of this chapter)