My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 481 The Boy Who Hitchhiked on the Car

This situation was something neither Wang Jusheng nor Chen Ling could have imagined.

He kept to himself, staying at home and not making a fuss.

How did you suddenly become like a big star? Life is full of surprises, a surprise without any joy.

Fortunately, people nowadays just want to see what this young man, who has become quite famous in the last two years, looks like—is he a fierce and menacing figure, or does he have three heads and six arms?
This is completely different from the star-chasing fans of later generations.

They're not as crazy as celebrity fans.

Since the local leaders also knew him, they made a announcement over the loudspeaker, and the crowd quickly dispersed.

Chen Ling felt ashamed; he really didn't want to be in the limelight like that.

I secretly told myself that I should be more low-key in the future.

The weather is nice today.

After leaving the township government and exiting Changle Township, there were quite a few pedestrians on the road.

People riding bicycles, donkeys, and carts...

Scattered here and there, you could run into one every now and then, just as Chen Ling's tractor passed by.

Most of them were carrying goods.

The busy farming season is now over.

I no longer need to spend all day tending to that small plot of land.

Everyone either does some small business or finds a place to work for others, all in order to earn a living.

Although many people went out to work this year, there are quite a few who are reluctant to leave their hometowns and travel far away.

So he started looking for small businesses that he could do to make money right now and traveled around doing them.

"Dad! Daddy!"

As they got further and further away from Changle Township, and closer to the trade route, and as the mountain road gradually widened, Rui Rui tugged at his clothes and called out.

"What's wrong? Do you need to pee or poop?"

"That, that..."

Rui Rui pointed her chubby little hand to the right.

"What?"

Chen Ling thought that this brat had found some wild birds or animals and was going to go down and chase after them.

As soon as I turned my head to the back of the car, I heard someone shout:
"Hey Erheizi, what are you doing? Why are you hitting someone's car?"

It turned out to be a skinny, dark-skinned young man, riding a dilapidated old bicycle, holding onto the tractor with one hand and the handlebars of the bicycle with the other, hitchhiking along with the tractor.

"Erheizi, let go of my hand."

The other one was also riding a bicycle, but he was clearly a few years older, about the same age as Chen Ling.

Both of their vehicles had two large bamboo baskets and a large net bag on the back.

"Huh? Aren't you that girl, from Si Ni'er's family?"

Chen Ling glanced at the young man who was about the same age as him and felt that he looked very familiar. Then he thought about it and realized that this seemed to be Si Ni'er's son-in-law.

"Uh, Uncle Fu, Uncle Fugui? It's you."

The young man from Yangtougou recognized Chen Ling instantly and immediately felt somewhat embarrassed.

Then he yelled at the boy, "Hey, you son of a bitch, let go of me! This is Uncle Fugui from Chenwangzhuang. If you dare to hitch a ride on his car, I'll beat you up when we get back."

"Brother, we've ridden this far, I'm exhausted."

The skinny, dark-skinned boy immediately protested, then boldly sized up Chen Ling: "Um, Uncle, are you from my sister-in-law's side? Can I hitch a ride on this stretch of road? It's a pretty wide road."

"Hehe, okay, go ahead and drive a bit, it's fine, I'll drive slowly."

Chen Ling nodded with a smile.

The boy, still young, was overjoyed upon hearing this and exclaimed excitedly, "Brother, did you see that? This uncle told me to hitch a ride on the car!"

"Stealing goods from trains and cars" has two meanings: one is that of highway robbers who steal goods from trains and cars.

The word "扒车" should be pronounced "pā". The "pā" in "扒手" means to steal.

However, the common practice of hitching rides on vehicles in the countryside no longer involves theft.

It's like hitchhiking along the way.

This is very common these days.

It's common even in counties and cities.

Many people who couldn't afford tickets to go home would hitchhike on buses, tractors, or large trucks.

Some drivers will curse at this.

But some drivers, even if they know, will not stop it and will tacitly allow it, kindly giving someone a ride.

Some even kinder people will let others into the car, fearing that it might be dangerous for them to cling to the car from the outside.

Chen Ling had done this kind of thing quite a few times back then.

That's why he saw the boy's behavior.

Instead of feeling angry or resistant, my heart was filled with a flood of memories.

This era had its so-called 'barbarity and backwardness,' but it also had its own unique innocence.

Happiness seems to be very simple.

"Huh? What about people?"

In a moment of distraction, Chen Ling realized that the two people behind him had disappeared.

Could something have happened to them right after we let them hitch a ride on the car?

It shouldn't be.

This road is so wide.

I wasn't driving fast, and I was driving steadily, so how could anything have happened?
I was just about to stop the tractor to take a look.

Then they saw Si Ni's son-in-law and their young son pedaling hard on their bicycles to catch up.

The skinny, dark-skinned boy, who looked like a monkey, pulled out two peaches from somewhere and pretended to hand them over, saying, "Uncle, here, take these, give them to the kid."

Then, chuckling, he said, "Around noon, I stole a few peaches from someone's orchard on the way. They've already been washed, and they're very sweet."

Young people are innocent and their emotions are written all over their faces; even their expressions of gratitude are simple and direct.

Chen Ling wouldn't refuse his kindness and reached out to take it.

He let his son hold one, then took it himself and started munching on the peach with one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other.

Beside them, Si Ni's son-in-law, quite helplessly, continued to nag, "I told you this is Uncle Fugui from Chenwangzhuang..."

"What are you muttering, bro?"

The boy, with one hand on the tractor, turned around and laughed, facing the mountain wind, saying, "Come and hitch a ride with me! It's so much fun and cool." At this moment, Chen Ling finished eating the peach in a few bites, spat out the pit, and turned back to them, saying, "I hauled a whole load of stuff today. The back of the truck is piled high and full, otherwise I could have just taken you guys."

"Wow, Uncle, you're so kind."

The cousins' behavior made Si Ni's son-in-law even more helpless: "...This is Uncle Fugui, your sister-in-law's Uncle Fugui. We're family, isn't that right?"

He repeated it several times.

Erheizi then began to realize what was happening.

He paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about something.

Then she suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Uncle Fugui from my sister-in-law's family? He's Chen Fugui from Chenwangzhuang? How come he's so young?"

Then his gaze changed from simple kindness and enthusiasm to fervent worship.

He yelled, "Uncle, I heard you hunted a tiger the other day, didn't you?"

Good grief, he brought this up again as soon as he opened his mouth.

It's clear that Wu Song's fight with the tiger is more deeply ingrained in people's minds than anything else.

If he actually plays Wu Song and appears on TV, he might as well never go home again.

Going home and having people stare at you like you're a monkey is so boring.

However, the boy's fervent admiration warmed Chen Ling's heart, making him willing to say a few more words.

We had a brief chat.

Sisi's son-in-law gradually relaxed, and his serious expression turned into a smile.

He initially admired Chen Ling quite a bit, but after learning about the relationship between Chen Ling and his father-in-law Wang Lixian's family, that admiration turned into more of awe.

Even though we haven't seen each other more than a few times in the past six months.

Wang Lixian only saw Chen Ling when his family was busy with farm work or something else happened.

But that doesn't diminish his respect for Chen Ling.

That's why we took this meeting a bit more seriously, not wanting my younger cousin to run around in front of us.

"Where are you two brothers going? Yangtougou isn't close to here!"

"We're going to collect chickens from the mountains near Fenglei Town."

"Collecting chickens?"

"Yes, my brother and I bought chickens and sold them on the same day. After we finished, we took a boat to the city and sold them to roast chicken shops there."

"Oh? This deal sounds promising!"

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow, thinking that besides beef, roast chicken was another local specialty.

Yellow beef has disappeared in later generations, but roast chicken still exists and has even been featured in food documentaries.

It has a history of over a thousand years.

At that time, to be honest, the local roast chicken was even more popular than it would be in later generations.

The reason is simple.

Later generations developed rapidly, with a wide variety of delicious foods, giving people too many choices.

Now, for many locals, the only food that comes to mind right now is roast chicken.

Once I've made some money, I just want to treat myself to a roast chicken.

How could it not be a hit?
“The chickens raised in the mountains near Fenglei Town are very cheap, and the eggs are cheap too. Let me tell you the truth, Uncle. Once, my brother went to several villages and collected a big basket of eggs. But he accidentally fell down the mountain and broke half the basket. Even so, he still made a profit when he took them to the city.”

Erhei chuckled.

Si Ni's son-in-law also said, "When we first returned home, my family and my uncles' families ate eggs to their hearts' content. They fried them, steamed them, filled up a large pot, and ate them for several meals."

After all, you can't bear to throw away a broken egg.

Take back what's broken, what didn't leak out too much.

It was all broken up, so we lit a fire on the spot, roasted it, and ate it.

Not a single bit is wasted.

"Eggs are hard to come by now, but chickens are still good, and you can make a profit."

"That's true. You're doing a great job buying chickens. Our city's roast chicken is famous for its deliciousness, and buying chickens from the mountains is a stable business."

"Wow, Uncle, you also think this business is viable? Now we feel even more confident, and we'll have to work hard from now on."

In their minds, and based on the various rumors of the past two years, Chen Ling was the best at making money.

With his approval, their confidence soared even higher.

They were like they'd been injected with chicken blood.

Having someone to talk to on such a long journey can alleviate the boredom and monotony of the trip.

However, the two of them didn't stick to Chen Ling's car all the way to Fenglei Town. They stopped as soon as they entered the village below Fenglei Town, turned from the mountain road onto a small road, and went up and down the mountain to collect chickens in the village.

Actually, after chatting with them all the way, Chen Ling also had some thoughts about what to do with his own chickens and ducks in the future.

But after careful consideration, I realized that for now, the main source of income for my chickens, ducks, and geese is selling eggs. Although the meat is of excellent quality, there's no need to rush into selling them in large quantities.

Let's keep this in mind for now.

At the same time, I feel a bit emotional; it really isn't easy for people to earn money these days.

Like Wang Qingzhong, the second brother-in-law, who used to travel from village to village with a pack animal team, transporting and reselling grain, they sometimes lost count of how many miles they walked and how many mountains they crossed in a day.

Si Ni's son-in-law is the same; once they've collected enough chickens in the village, they immediately head to the city.

The process of buying and selling takes at least three days round trip.

of course.

It's hard work, but it's still faster to make money than farming.

In those days, due to the underdeveloped information technology, information exchange was infrequent.

The pricing is very opaque.

The price difference between goods can be quite large.

Things are especially cheap deep in the mountains, but once they're sold in the city, they easily fetch several times their original price.

Just as Erheizi said, his cousin broke half a basket of eggs, but still made a small profit in the city.

and so……

Even if it's hard work, I'm satisfied and willing to do it if I can make money. I'm even full of energy and don't feel tired even if I work several shifts a month.

"If I didn't have this celestial realm, and didn't have the ability to know my past life in a dream, would things still be like this?"

Looking at his son holding the small water bottle and muttering to himself, Chen Ling smiled nonchalantly.

Why think so much? It's good as it is now.

(End of this chapter)