American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

After eating and drinking his fill, Fett, like an old man who had retired early, lay half-reclined on a rocking chair on the porch, basking in the sun.

A stack of cardstock lay on his lap, and he held scissors in his hand, "snip, snip," cutting them into business card-sized cards.

In the courtyard, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Dad and Uncle Roy squatted on the ground, putting the pile of newly bought net bags onto the packing machine one by one.

Several bow saws with newly replaced blades lay scattered nearby, their teeth gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Not far away by the cow pen, Aunt Rachel was wielding a pitchfork, tossing golden hay into the feeding trough one sprig after another with practiced ease.

Leila stood on an old wooden stool, holding duct tape and a huge price list, sticking them to the wall of the porch.

As she gestured to the name, she turned back and asked, "Is this correct?"

Fett squinted and glanced at it: "The right side is a bit higher!"

"good!"

"That's it, that's perfect!"

"Beep—beep—"

Two somewhat shrill honks from a horn broke the afternoon's tranquility.

A slightly worn Chevrolet station wagon slowly turned into the gate, its tires crunching over the gravel road.

There were still some mud spots on the side of the car that hadn't been washed off.

The car door opened, and a family of four got out.

The man driving the car was wearing a puffy dark blue down jacket, and his sparse hair stood out brightly in the winter sun.

As soon as he got out of the car, he waved to old Frank with a big smile:

"Hey! Brother Frank! Your Fett is really something! I saw the news last night, he really made Yudo proud!"

The old man put down the net he was carrying and went to greet him with a smile:

"It's Flagg! What brings you here today?"

"Didn't you say on the phone that we had to wait another week?"

"Are you worried that cutting down the trees now is too early, and the pine needles will all fall off before Christmas?"

"Oh! That was the original plan."

The bald man named Flag shrugged helplessly and pointed to the seven or eight-year-old boy beside him:

"It's all because of this kid; he saw the news and insisted on coming."

The little guy was wearing a red woolen hat, and his big eyes were darting around in the yard.

He quickly spotted Fett sitting on the porch with bandages wrapped around his legs.

"Look! Dad! It's him!"

The little boy suddenly broke free from his father's hand, pointed at Fett, and jumped up and down excitedly, his voice so shrill it was almost cracking:

"That's the superhero who took on the wild boar single-handedly! I saw him on TV!"

Before Flagl could react, the little guy rushed up to Fett like a calf, tilted his head back, and stared at Fett with an expression of admiration.

Flag smiled somewhat embarrassedly at Fett, his face showing the apology and helplessness unique to parents:

"I'm sorry, Fett, but this kid saw the news online and insisted on coming to see me in person. I couldn't stop him."

Fett sat up straight with a smile, extended his fist, and gently touched it to the little boy's, then pointed to the menacing boar's head hanging on the nearby pillar:

"That's the big guy I fought."

"How about it? Want to touch its fangs?"

The little boy's eyes widened instantly, and he nodded vigorously, shouting:

"think!"

On the other side, the slightly older little girl didn't rush over to Fett like her brother did.

She was wearing a pink cotton coat and was hiding behind her mother, only peeking out half of her head.

Those timid eyes completely ignored Fett and stared intently at Lyra, who was standing next to Fett in the porch.

Leila sat there, drawing on paper with a marker in her hand. Sunlight shone on her, and even her ordinary denim jacket exuded a sharp and cool vibe.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then finally seemed to have mustered up her courage.

She let go of her mother's hand and took small, quick steps, inching her way up behind Leila.

She reached out her little hand and gently tugged at the hem of Leila's clothes.

Leila turned around and looked at the little guy who had suddenly appeared with some surprise.

The little girl's cheeks were rosy, her head tilted back, her voice barely audible, yet filled with earnestness:

"Sister...you're amazing."

Leila paused for a moment, then her eyes curved into crescent moons.

She put down her pen and gently rubbed the little girl's pink woolen hat.

At this moment, the mother who had been standing by and watching walked up with a smile.

She stretched out her hands, beckoning to her two children:

"Alright, you two little rascals."

"That older brother has a leg injury and needs to rest; the older sister also needs to help with the chores. Let's not cause trouble here."

She pointed to the woods in the distance:

"Let me tell you a secret. Santa Claus is very picky. He prefers to hide the biggest and heaviest gifts under the tallest and most beautiful trees."

"Come on, let's go pick out the prettiest Christmas tree with Dad."

Upon hearing this, the little boy's eyes lit up, as if he could already see the mountain of gifts piled up under the Christmas tree.

He immediately dropped the pig's head in front of him, turned around and rushed back, grabbing his mother's hand and jumping up and down anxiously: "I want the biggest one! The biggest one!"

The little girl next to her was also somewhat tempted.

She hesitated for a moment. Although she was still a little reluctant to part with this cool older sister, she ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the Christmas present.

She let go of Leila's clothes and ran over with small steps, taking her mother's other hand.

On the other side, Flagg also stopped joking around. He looked at his father, patted his arm seriously, and said:

"Brother Frank, we've known each other for a long time."

"I saw on the news that you were having some trouble. We don't have any special skills to help you much, so all we can do is buy a tree and support your business."

Upon hearing this, old Frank's wrinkles smoothed out, and he burst into hearty laughter:

"That's enough! Your support is the greatest help you can give us."

As he spoke, the old man turned around, picked up a saw with a replaced blade, and handed it to Flagg:

"Go pick out the trees! Call me when you've chosen them, and I'll come and harvest them."

"I'll get you a bag of candy before you leave."

"Go back and dissolve it in warm water, then soak the roots in the sugar water. This will ensure that the leaves fall off slowly and the tree remains green until Christmas."

"Okay! We'll head over then!"

Flag waved to us, pulled the still-bouncing little boy over, and the four of them went happily into the woods behind the house.

Leila looked away, smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes that the little girl had just tugged at, and smiled:

"Those kids are so cute, aren't they?"

Fett shrugged and leaned back in his chair:

"The cute ones are indeed cute, but the uncut ones... well, they're really not cute."

Lyra was amused by Fett's words and burst out laughing, playfully punching Fett with her hand.

"What's the difference between saying that and not saying anything at all?"

Just then, the sound of an engine came from behind.

Two more cars drove in, one after the other.

The car in front is a brand new Ford Explorer, followed by a slightly worn Toyota pickup truck.

The people getting off the bus were probably regular customers from previous years.

As soon as they got out of the car, they greeted old Frank first, and then introduced the children to Fett and Leila, satisfying the children's curiosity.

After taking the saw from old Frank, they went into the woods in the backyard, chatting and laughing.

Outside the courtyard.

Old Johnny from the neighboring farm was leaning on the fence, clutching a deflated beer can, watching the cars heading to Fett's house.

Those cloudy eyes were filled with jealousy.