Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 98 Relatives are also different

Lin Qin nodded heavily and then told her about Lin Yi's plan, "Those paddy fields are all planted with lotus roots. You know, Dad used to dream of making money by growing lotus roots, but unfortunately we didn't have that much land. This time, his wish has come true."

The other few acres of paddy fields were intended for rice cultivation, while Dad used the entire other area to grow vegetables. He also set aside a separate plot for ginger, as it's a fertilizer-loving plant and the soil needs to be kept moist for a while after planting it.

I'm thinking of having Wenjun buy some fruit seedlings after the New Year, so we can plant oranges, sugarcane, loquats, pomelos, mangoes, longans, lychees, and guavas on the hillside. These are the only kinds we can buy right now; planting a few of each would be more than we could eat.

Lin Ying was excited when she heard this, "I think you can raise some chickens, ducks and geese too. It's such a big place, it's a waste not to raise something. And pigs too! It would be great to build a pigsty!"

Lin Qin nodded thoughtfully, "You know what, the Tanka people raise pigs on their five-sailed boats. They keep the pigs under the cabin. I've seen it a few times. Wenjun didn't raise them before, and I never thought about it, but now I might consider it."

Pig farming is particularly smelly, but they only raise three or four pigs, so the smell isn't too strong. By moving the pigsty a bit further away, they can also build a composting pit, which can be used for their crops.

The most important thing is that by doing this, the family won't need to spend much money on daily food next year, and they can even make some money. They can save all the money they earn from fishing and wholesaling seafood.

The more Lin Qin thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed.

However, this would require drilling wells, since the entire island is surrounded by mountains, making it inconvenient to access water from the Nanxi River. Drilling wells would be much simpler: one inside and one outside. The inner well would be used specifically for irrigation, while the outer well would be connected to a tap for easier access to water.

With an idea in mind, Lin Qin worked even harder.

When the food was almost ready, Lin Ying quickly went to call the children over to eat.

In just a short while, the four children were covered in dirt, and their new clothes were all worn out.

Lin Ying was so angry that she grabbed a stick.

Lin Yi quickly intervened, saying, "What are you doing during the New Year? Are you looking for trouble? Let the child play if he wants, I'll wash him if he gets dirty!"

Lin Ying was speechless. "Dad, you have to have a limit to how much you spoil your child. How can you be so indulgent!"

Lin Yi retorted confidently, "That's how I raised Ya Ya and Ping An, look how great they are! Don't talk nonsense!"

With Lin Yi protecting his children, the four children felt emboldened, washed their hands, and sat down at the table.

There's a chicken and a duck, exactly four legs, one for each person, so adults won't fight with the children over them.

Zhu Fugen and Li Lan were incredibly excited when they saw the table full of meat.

"Uncle, our family's New Year's meal consists of a plate of meat, a pot of steamed eggs, minced meat stir-fried with pickled vegetables, and steamed rice. My mother can also make some taro rice. That's about it. It's not like your family's chicken, duck, fish, and meat, which are all you have."

Lin Qin put two large pieces of chicken and duck on Li Lan and Zhu Fugen's plates. "Eat more. These chickens and ducks were brought by your cousin. Ours aren't big enough, so my dad can't bear to kill them."

Li Lan completely understood, "Even if we raise our pets to adulthood, we can't kill them; we have to keep them to lay eggs."

Lin Ying nodded repeatedly, "Isn't everyone like this? I can only be this generous once a year when I go back to my parents' home for the New Year. Normally, my two children have to beg their grandma if they want to eat some meat. It makes me so angry! It's better to build a house and separate ourselves so we can live on our own."

Lin Qin wholeheartedly agreed.

The meal lasted until the afternoon.

Li Lan went back to her room and told Zhu Fugen about the fine for having too many children. "Five hundred yuan. Even if we sold all our possessions, we might not have that much. We simply can't afford to pay that." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Zhu Fugen had drunk some wine, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were glazed. He pulled Li Lan to sit down next to him and said, "The baby hasn't been born yet, why are you worried so much? If this baby is a son, then there won't be any problems!"

If it turns out to be a girl, and all else fails, we'll give her away to someone else to raise. That's what every family does around here!

Before coming to the city, he had all sorts of worries. After arriving and seeing the city's prosperity, he had an idea: if he had a daughter, he would find a wealthy family to adopt her. It would be better than her living with them.

Li Lan paused for a moment, clutching the hem of her clothes, biting her lip, and said, "Fugen, do you think if we have a daughter, we can let my cousin raise her? Look how rich her family is, they live well, eat well, and use well. The main thing is that they don't have any children of their own. Wouldn't it be perfect to give our daughter to them?"

Zhu Fugen's face immediately darkened, and he scolded in a low voice, "What are you daydreaming about! That couple has a son and a daughter. Even if they have another child, they will definitely want a son. It's not like they can't have children. Why would they raise a daughter?"

Besides, my uncle is watching over you. If you dare to even think about it, he'll send the child back to you. You won't have to pay the fine for having too many children, but you'll definitely be forced to get sterilized!

Li Lan was startled and dared not think about it anymore, feeling somewhat regretful.

Since there was no better solution at the moment, and since Nanyu was not Lin Yi's house but Lin Qin's house, it was not very convenient for people to come and go.

The couple stayed overnight in Nanyu and took the bus back early the next morning.

Before leaving, Chen Wenjun also prepared a lot of fish and shrimp for them.

Lin Ying and her family remained in Nanyu.

Lin Yi saw them off to their bus stop and bought them their tickets.

During the Lunar New Year, the station was full of people carrying large and small bags. Lin Yi squeezed through the crowd and finally managed to help Zhu Fugen and his wife get their luggage onto the bus. Just as he turned around, he bumped into Hong Weimin and his wife, who were getting off another bus.

Hong Weimin is the son of Lin Yi's eldest sister. This eldest sister was given away as a child bride in her early years and never returned to Shanglin Village afterward.

After the reform and opening up, they visited each other a few times, and Lin Yi still remembered his nephew, Hong Weimin.

"Weimin! What brings you to the city center?" Lin Yi was overjoyed, wondering what was going on this year, with relatives appearing one after another.

Hong Weimin was clearly also very surprised. He and his wife Huang Yuezhen carried large bags of luggage to a less crowded place. He excitedly shook Lin Yi's hand and said, "Uncle, last year our village notified us that the land was distributed to individual households, but we didn't get enough. My parents said they could manage to cultivate all that land, so they told us to come out and find work and earn as much as we could."

Yuezhen, this is my maternal uncle, quickly greet him.

Although Huang Yuezhen's clothes weren't anything special, they were clean and simple. Her hair was neatly combed, and she stood there smiling and greeting people, which was a pleasant sight.

Lin Yi led the couple directly to Nanyu.

Lin Qin and Lin Ying were busy cooking to entertain the couple.

Lin Qin turned around and found Huang Yuezhen standing at the door, feeling a little embarrassed.

Seeing Lin Qin looking at her, Huang Yuezhen quickly explained, "I just wanted to come and lend you a hand. Is there anything I can do? How about I help you wash the vegetables?"

(End of this chapter)