My 1995 Small Farm.

That's right, at this time of day, he can't fall asleep even when he's lying in bed.

With two little kids at home, if they don't sleep, the parents can forget about getting a good night's rest.

really.

There are still some things that I haven't figured out yet.

Kang Kang and Lele ran up to him one after the other, each holding a small turtle in their hand, chuckling and looking up at him as they called him "Dad," then held them up for him to see.

"Wow, you two are really something! You even dared to catch a turtle. Did you learn that from your brother?"

Chen Ling now has experience in raising children and knows that such young babies simply cannot understand when scolded or prevented from playing with certain things.

So he ignores anything that isn't dangerous, and instead guides the child gently by playing with it.

Take, for example, the wheat field turtles caught by the two little kids in front of us.

That is, the yellow-margined box turtle.

These turtles are intelligent and interactive, and generally do not bite.

So he simply let them play.

"Come on, let's go out and play. It's raining, let's not stay upstairs."

Chen Ling led the two children out, and upon looking outside, he saw that Heiwa and his brother were indeed guarding the outside.

Otherwise, Wang Susu would definitely not have felt comfortable letting the two little ones run up here.

……

Around 10 p.m., Chen Ling had just put Kang Kang and Le Le to sleep and was about to go back to her own bed with her husband to rest.

The rain outside the window had stopped, but water was still dripping from the eaves, making the night seem especially quiet.

Wang Susu sat on the edge of the bed mending clothes.

Rui Rui climbed a tree to pick peaches during the day, and his trouser leg got a tear.

"This child is just like you, always on the go." Wang Susu bit off the thread and shook her head with a smile.

Just as Chen Ling was about to speak, the cell phone in the living room suddenly rang, its shrill sound particularly jarring in the quiet night.

"Who could it be so late?" Wang Susu put down her needlework.

"I'll go pick it up." Chen Ling put on his coat, slipped on his shoes, and walked to the living room.

When the receiver was turned on, Zhang Lihua's excited voice came through: "Ah Ling?! Is that Ah Ling? My God, I finally got through! It's so hard to get through to the phone in your village. I've been trying to call every spare moment these past few days, dozens of times!"

"Hua brother?"

Chen Ling glanced at the wall clock; it was 10:20 PM. "Why are you calling so late? What happened?"

"Great news! Fantastic news!" Zhang Lihua's voice trembled through the receiver. "Your fish! They're selling like hotcakes! They're all selling like hotcakes!"

Chen Ling pulled up a chair and sat down: "Tell me slowly, Brother Hua, what happened?"

"Let me tell you!"

Zhang Lihua spoke rapidly with excitement: "Didn't our batch of fish just arrive at the Hong Kong Island aquarium market a few days ago?"

As you instructed, I didn't rush to sell it. Instead, I consigned it to my friend's aquarium shop and priced it at 50% higher than the market price.

Even so, I still think the price is too high, and I'm worried it won't sell.

He took a breath and continued, "And guess what? The next morning, as soon as we opened the door, an old expert came in, a gentleman in his sixties who specialized in playing with koi."

He immediately took a liking to our red and white koi, saying that he had never seen such a good one in his forty years of keeping fish!

He immediately took out his money and bought it, even asking if there were any left!

"and then?"

A smile appeared on Chen Ling's lips.

Of course he knew how good those fish were...

How could something raised in the spiritual waters of a grotto be anything less than excellent?
"And then the news spread!"

Zhang Lihua's voice rose even higher: "In just the last two days, the threshold of my friend's shop has been almost worn down by people walking all over it!"

Those who came were all experts: the aquarium owner, private collectors, and several fish dealers from Southeast Asia.

They all say our fish are different... not just one that stands out, but every single one of them!

"The koi carp are so brightly colored that they look like they've been painted, yet they're real, vividly alive."

The goldfish are plump and swim gracefully, especially the dragon eyes, which are bulging like light bulbs but are not dull at all, they are very lively!
And those native fish, like the whitebait and bitterling, are even more vibrant in color than wild-caught ones. When they swim in a group in the aquarium, it's like a flowing rainbow!

Chen Ling listened and understood.

The effects of the spiritual water in the cave on living organisms are comprehensive, not just about making them grow faster and reproduce more vigorously, but also about optimizing them from the inside out.

This optimization is most evident in ornamental fish...

Color, vitality, and state of being cannot be hidden.

"What's the situation now?" he asked.

"Sold out! Not a single one left!"

Zhang Lihua exclaimed excitedly, "The most amazing thing is that the buyers were scrambling to buy it, which drove the price up! The final transaction price was more than ten times higher than our asking price on average!"
The largest red and white koi fish sold for five thousand Hong Kong dollars!

Five thousand Hong Kong dollars.

Chen Ling did the math in his head; at the current exchange rate, it was roughly four thousand yuan.

One fish is worth a year's wages for a worker in the city.

"Brother Hua, calm down."

Chen Ling smiled: "It's good that the fish are selling well, but we need to stay calm."

"I can't calm down!"

Zhang Lihua slammed his fist on the table on the other end of the phone: "Ah Ling, do you know what this means? It means we've found a gold mine!"
On Hong Kong Island, those who keep ornamental fish are all wealthy people who are willing to spend money.

As long as the fish is good, price is not a problem!

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Several big buyers left messages saying that as long as there are fish like this, they will buy them all, and the price is negotiable."

In particular, fishmongers from Southeast Asia want to establish long-term partnerships with us, shipping fish to Singapore and Malaysia for sale.

Chen Ling remained silent for a moment.

He already knew these fish would fetch a good price, but the market's enthusiastic response still exceeded his expectations.

But this is a good thing...

There are just too many fish in the farm's ponds and ditches; they're worried they can't digest them all.

"Brother Hua, like this..."

He organized his thoughts: "First, we can't release too many fish at once. Things are valued for their scarcity; if we release too many, they'll become worthless."

The second batch of fish will be shipped in two weeks.

"Second, we need to categorize them. Select the best ones and price them separately as 'top-quality' items, even if it's doubled or several times the price."

The above-average quality items are considered "premium" and are priced 50% higher than the market price.

For regular orders, we sell at market price, focusing on volume.

"Third, the packaging needs to keep up."

The bags and boxes used to pack the fish must be professional, and the transportation must be safe.

The death of a fish means more than just financial loss; it also damages reputation.

Zhang Lihua responded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! Ah Ling, you're so thoughtful! I'll get on it right away! But..."

He hesitated for a moment: "Ah Ling, could we get more fish for our second batch? With the current situation, I'm afraid we won't have enough to go around."

Chen Ling thought for a moment.

It's no problem to catch three to five hundred fish from the farm's ponds and ditches, and they reproduce quickly. As long as the density is controlled, fishing can be sustainable.

“Okay, we’ll prepare 300 fish for the second batch, but Brother Hua, you have to make sure the quality is good. We can’t let the quality drop. Any sick fish should be thrown away to feed the turtles or arowanas. We’d rather sell less than ruin our reputation.”

"Don't worry! I'll keep an eye on it myself!"

Zhang Lihua assured, "By the way, A-Ling, there's something else... Boss Xu Yingguang also came to see me today."

He said he has a friend who owns a high-end seafood restaurant and wants to import edible fish from us on a long-term basis.

Especially the 'Qinling fine-scaled salmon' you mentioned before, it makes a particularly delicious soup.

The price was very fair.

Chen Ling smiled.

This was an unexpected surprise.

Ornamental fish are for the wealthy, while edible fish are for the mass market.

"Sure, but let me make it clear that our fish are raised in spring water, completely natural, but production is limited, and we can't guarantee daily availability." "I get it! Scarcity drives up prices!" Zhang Lihua finally understood.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ling sat in the main room, listening to the dripping water from the eaves, and slowly made plans in his mind.

Wang Susu came out of the house and draped a coat over him: "Whose call was that so late?"

"Brother Hua, it's about Hong Kong Island." Chen Ling briefly recounted what Zhang Lihua had said.

Wang Susu's eyes widened when she heard this: "Five thousand Hong Kong dollars for a fish? My God, how much stuff can you buy with that?"

"Things that are rare are valuable."

Chen Ling pulled her hand and sat her down: "Our fish are indeed different from ordinary ones. Haven't you noticed when you feed them? Their colors are particularly bright, they are very energetic, and they don't get sick easily."

Wang Susu thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. The koi in the pond are still swimming even in the coldest winter, unlike other people's fish, which lie at the bottom as soon as it gets cold."

"That's the advantage."

Chen Ling said, "Susu, I've thought it through. Our farm can specialize in developing specialized aquaculture in the future. Ornamental fish is one way, edible fish is another, and then there are wild game... like pheasants and rabbits, we can try raising those too."

"Won't it be too tiring?"

Wang Susu was a little worried: "Now you're in charge of the dikes, the school, and you also have to worry about village affairs..."

"Not tired."

Chen Ling patted her hand: "These things can't be done by one person alone. Let Brother Hua sell the ornamental fish in Hong Kong Island, we can cooperate with Han Chuang's food factory to raise edible fish, and we can leave the wild game farming to the villagers."

"As long as we control the source... raise the fish fry and breeding stock well, provide technical guidance, and let everyone do the rest."

He looked out at the dark night, but his eyes were bright: "It's not true wealth if one person is rich, but true wealth is when everyone gets rich together. Our Chenwangzhuang has mountains and rivers, and such good resources, there's no reason for us to live in poverty."

Wang Susu leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "I'll support whatever you want to do, just don't overwork yourself."

"Don't worry." Chen Ling put his arm around her shoulder. "I know what I'm doing."

The rain subsided the next morning, turning into a light drizzle.

Chen Ling got up early and stood at the gate of the courtyard.

The distant mountains were shrouded in rain and mist, while the leaves of the trees nearby shone brightly after being washed.

The air was intoxicatingly fresh.

Wang Laishun arrived wearing a straw raincoat, his face showing fatigue but unable to hide his joy: "Fugui, the statistics are in! In our villages, except for Majia'ao where more than 30 mu of wheat on the slopes were not harvested in time and were soaked by the rain, all the wheat in the other villages has been salvaged! The loss is less than 10%!"

Chen Ling let out a long sigh of relief.

A loss of 10% is the best possible outcome in the face of such a heavy rain.

"Fifth Uncle, make sure all the drying grounds in each village are ready so the wheat can be dried as soon as the rain stops. Also, organize people to clear the drainage ditches in the fields. This rain has been going on for a long time, so we don't want the land to be flooded."

"It's already being arranged!"

Wang Laishun laughed and said, "Fugui, we owe you a lot this time. If you hadn't foreseen that it was going to rain and organized things in time, the losses would have been huge."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled: "It's because everyone worked together to snatch food from the dragon's mouth. It's all about the power of many hands making light work."

It's almost noon.

Construction on the dam has resumed, but this time, the workers are even more enthusiastic.

Chen Ling wasn't idle either.

First, they cleaned up all the fish in the pond and canal.

The best breeding fish were selected and kept separately for breeding purposes.

Sub-adult fish are raised in separate ponds to control density.

The small fish fry are then moved to a special nursery pond.

Then comes the plan to expand aquaculture.

There are a few acres of wasteland to the east of the farm, which can be dug into fish ponds.

Seeing him so busy that he barely had time to rest, Wang Susu said with concern, "Slow down, don't tire yourself out."

"Not tired, Susu, you don't understand. People who like raising fish or dogs don't feel tired when they're doing these things."

Chen Ling stood by the pond, watching the fish swimming in the water, his eyes full of smiles: "Su Su, have you noticed? Our fish seem to be even more beautiful now."

Wang Susu looked at it carefully.

Indeed, although these sub-adult fish are only just beginning to take shape, they are becoming more and more impressive every day.

The koi's red is more vibrant, and its white is purer.

The goldfish's eyes are brighter, and its tail is more graceful.

Chen Ling said softly, "The mountains and waters are beautiful, and the fish we raise are also excellent."

Just then, Rui Rui and Xiao Ming ran over, holding a small net in their hands: "Dad! There are lots of little fish fry by the pond! Can we catch a few and raise them?"

Chen Ling squatted down: "Sure, but you can only catch five, and you'll have to be responsible for feeding them and changing their water yourself."

"it is good!"

The two children cheered and ran away.

Xiaoming has been back with them for half a month now, but Liang Yuemin and his wife have never mentioned taking him back to school.

Chen Ling wasn't in a hurry.

First of all, the chubby boy often accompanied Liang Yuemin and his wife to various places, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong Island. His knowledge and experience far surpassed that of a junior high school student.

At least in English, they are far ahead.

This is Chen Ling's opinion.

In Liang Yuemin's eyes, following Chen Ling's influence and teaching by example might be more beneficial for their son.

So there's no rush to send the chubby boy to school.

The chubby boy was having a blast.

Actually, it wasn't just them who were having a blast playing with the dolls.

After the rain, Chenwangzhuang Reservoir became the liveliest place in the surrounding area.

The news spread like wildfire...

A giant fish, longer than a person, swam into the Jinshui River, and a laughing "river pig" did somersaults on the surface of the water.

People from the city arrived in jeeps and on motorcycles.

People from surrounding villages, young and old, walked more than ten miles to come.

The reservoir dam and the hillsides along the banks were packed with people watching the spectacle.

Construction had to be temporarily suspended...

With so many people surrounding it, construction is impossible.

Wang Laishun and several village officials were working up a sweat, maintaining order to prevent anyone from falling into the water, and explaining that the big fish had already "returned to their home in the Yangtze River."

Chen Ling didn't join in the fun.

He is planning a new fishpond on the farm, drawing its outline on the ground with lime powder.

Wang Susu took Rui Rui and Xiao Ming to watch for a while and came back saying, "It was packed with people, like a temple fair. Many people even brought nets and harpoons, trying to catch fish."

"Let them watch. They'll disperse when they've had their fill."

Chen Ling didn't even look up, continuing to draw lines: "The fish swam away a long time ago, what a wasted trip."

What he didn't expect was that among the crowd, there was a figure wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, with his collar turned up high—it was Li Lianjie, who should have already left.

It's time for Li Lianjie to leave...

The car is all arranged, and the luggage is all loaded.

But just before leaving, his assistant told him that the "river pigs" had returned from the reservoir, and he couldn't resist the urge to go and see them.

Upon looking, I was immediately enveloped by the bustling crowd.

He dared not squeeze into the crowd...

If they are recognized, it would cause trouble in this mountain village.

So we went around to a higher hillside on the west side of the reservoir, where there were fewer people and a better view.

As soon as I steadied myself, I heard a gentle voice beside me: "Young man, are you here to see the Jiang pig too?"

Li Lianjie turned his head and saw an old woman in her sixties with her hair neatly combed, wearing a clean blue cloth shirt, carrying a bamboo basket filled with some wild vegetables such as purslane.

She had a kind face and bright eyes, and was looking at me with a smile.

"Ah, yes, I came to take a look." Li Lianjie subconsciously pressed down the brim of his hat.

"Don't push over there, it's dangerous."

The old woman sat down on a large rock next to him and patted the spot beside her: "It's clear from here, and quiet too." (End of Chapter)