My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 67 Quail
"Brother Guoping, why did you walk to the meeting? Why didn't you ride a bike?"

Chen Ling looked at Chen Guoping and asked.

The old man was of medium height, with a thin, somewhat sallow face, but his eyebrows were thick and black, making him very distinctive.

"Why ride a bike? It's only a few miles in the blink of an eye. I've been doing this for decades, I'm used to it. If it weren't for my eyesight getting so bad these past two years, and me not being able to see clearly at night, walking at night would be a piece of cake."

As Chen Guoping spoke, he sighed, "It's a pity, I'm getting old after all. You can't deny getting old. If I hadn't run into you, I don't know how I would have gotten home today."

Chen Ling had nothing to say and invited Chen Guoping to get on the oxcart.

"Fugui, did you buy these ducklings?"

After getting on the oxcart, Chen Guoping noticed the bamboo basket containing the ducklings and could hear soft chirping sounds coming from inside.

"Yes, I happened to see them, so I bought some to raise with my chicks at home."

Chen Ling waved his whip and pulled the oxcart to the side of the road to make way for several old Liberation trucks that were coming from a distance.

"Oh my, these little ducklings are so small, and they're all huddled together. Why are you covering them with a lid? Aren't you afraid they'll suffocate?"

Chen Guoping opened the lid of the bamboo basket, took a look, and said.

He had also heard from others that the young man had recently started to take care of his family and had begun helping his wife with household chores.

But now it seems that they still don't do a good job.

If they can't even take good care of ducklings, you can imagine how bad they are at farm work.

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this, but offered no explanation.

This old man had no idea of ​​the wonders of the Sun and Moon Grotto.

He's not so ignorant; he fed the ducklings with water from the Dongtian Creek before putting them on the oxcart, so how could they suffocate?

"Hey kid, I'd better keep an eye on things for you."

Seeing that he was still smiling, Chen Guoping shook his head helplessly, reached out and pulled the bamboo basket to his side, half-hugging it in his arms.

This way, the ducklings won't get suffocated, and they won't run away.

Chen Ling thanked him and then drove the oxcart forward again.

After walking for a while, Chen Guoping suddenly asked, "Fugui, you've been around the county town for quite a while now, do you recognize what those old Jiefang trucks that just passed by were for?"

"Ah? Old Liberation, I didn't notice that..."

Chen Ling shook his head and asked with a smile, "What? Brother Guoping, you know?"

"Hey, of course I know."

"This old Jiefang truck was sent down by the municipal power supply bureau. It has been passing by the county road frequently in the past two years. You used to practically live in the county town every day, how come you don't even recognize this truck?"

As Chen Guoping spoke, he pulled a small pipe from his waist, opened the cloth bag, put the pipe bowl inside, filled it with tobacco leaves, pressed it down with his thumb, then struck a match to light it, and began to smoke with relish.

"Sent by the municipal power supply bureau?"

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat, "Is this for installing high-voltage power lines in the lower-level towns?"

"That's right, I think it won't be long before it's our village's turn."

Chen Guoping exhaled a puff of smoke. "Once this high-voltage line is installed, at least the electricity bill will be cheaper, if nothing else."

"Haha, it will definitely be cheaper than it is now. The government only came to install high-voltage lines in the last two years because they saw that electricity was so expensive and inconvenient in our poor area."

Chen Ling said with a smile.

Now, not to mention the entire Lingyun County, but just in Changle Township, the price of one kilowatt-hour of electricity is over two yuan.

Chen Ling remembered that in his previous life, around the year 2000, the electricity price in his hometown was 1.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour, which wasn't much better than it is now.

In short, it's quite outrageous that the poorer the area, the higher the electricity bills are.

"Yes, setting up high-voltage lines is a good thing, but this cooperative medical system is a real headache. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to go to Jinmen Village and Taoshugou. Now I won't even be able to go to Erzhu's place..."

Chen Guoping sighed as he smoked, feeling sorry for the ten yuan he earned each day.

Chen Ling didn't know how to respond to this. In his previous life, he was in college at this time and didn't understand what the cooperative medical pilot program in rural areas was all about.

It's not the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme that I'm familiar with. I've heard people mention it a few times before, and it seems to be about integrating doctors from neighboring villages to provide joint treatment.

The intention was good, but having three or four doctors together, passing the buck back and forth, and often causing minor friction, greatly reduced the efficiency and enthusiasm for treatment. It's a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

……

We drove along, chatting all the way, and by the time we got home it was completely dark.

At this moment, Wang Susu, with her two puppies, stood at the door, eagerly waiting.

Seeing Chen Ling drive the oxcart into the alley, he hurried up to greet him and asked softly, "Didn't you say you were just going to the city for a stroll? Why are you coming back so late?"

At this point, he suddenly frowned slightly and glanced behind him twice: "Hmm, I think I saw someone..."

"Oh, that's Brother Guoping. He had a meeting at the county hospital all day, so I gave him a ride back on my way."

Chen Ling explained with a smile, and then put down the bamboo basket containing the ducklings.

"I ran into a vendor selling ducklings in the city, so I bought some and raised them together with the chicks."

Wang Susu lifted the lid, looked at the ducklings huddled together in the basket, let them out, and herded them into the yard without saying much.

Only after Chen Ling parked the oxcart and came out did she take his arm again and gently persuade him to come back earlier in the future.

Previously, Chen Ling had spent too much money buying cattle and saplings, which worried her a bit. She had also suggested that Chen Ling take a break after planting the saplings.

The meaning is that we don't want him to keep messing around like this. Otherwise, the fruit trees won't bear fruit for two years, and there won't be any profit. If he continues to spend money so extravagantly, he'll be constantly in debt and eventually won't even have enough to eat.

Chen Ling agreed to her request.

After planting the saplings, we really didn't do anything else besides cooking.

I said I'd go to the county town for a stroll today, but I didn't get back until this late.

Wang Susu felt as if she had returned to the days when Chen Ling spent his days aimlessly wandering around the county town. She was indeed afraid that Chen Ling would go off to wander around aimlessly again, and she felt inexplicably worried and uneasy.

Now that he's finally changed for the better, she doesn't want Chen Ling to revert back to his old self.

"I didn't mean to come back so late. I just happened to run into an old friend today. He's getting married at the end of the year, and we hadn't seen each other for a long time, so we stayed a bit longer."

Chen Ling said, half-jokingly.

He also knew that Wang Susu's thoughts were about living a good life.

I understand her concerns. Any woman who ends up with a husband who is unambitious and prone to domestic violence would become cautious and sensitive.

But we can't just tell her about selling "greenhouse vegetables" so abruptly. It's not easy to explain if we do, so we need a more suitable opportunity.

So while tidying up the food, he said, "Don't worry about the household expenses. I'll go up the mountain again in the next few days to collect some medicinal herbs. We can also take out the leftover herbs from last time that weren't dried properly and dry them. I'll take them to the city to sell next time."

In fact, Wang Susu had thought of going up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs to solve her income problem.

But she was, after all, a woman. It was one thing for her to have her own ideas, but it was another to have them expressed by her husband.

This at least shows that Chen Ling is willing to think of ways to live a better life and is willing to work hard. As long as he shows such an attitude, it makes her feel much more at ease.

So she gently hummed in agreement and went over to help him prepare dinner.

After dinner, Chen Ling was about to go to the backyard to feed the cows when two little children came to the house.

"Uncle Fugui, Uncle Fugui, look what I brought you..."

It was Liu Nier and Xizi who entered the courtyard carrying kerosene lamps.

Is it a ladybug?

Chen Ling glanced at them, but the two little children had their hands behind their backs, preventing him from seeing, so he made a casual guess.

"No, I gave the golden beetle to Aunt Susu this afternoon."

Liu Ni'er shook her head, then smiled mysteriously and took out a wine box from behind her:

"Uncle Fugui, you'd never guess..."

"Hehehe, it's a quail!"

Thank you all for your investments, donations, and monthly passes. I didn't expect such strong support even after a two-day hiatus. I'm truly overwhelmed and deeply grateful! I'll list the thank-you names when I post the launch announcement...

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(End of this chapter)