My 1995 Small Farm.

Why didn't you bring the dog this time?

"I didn't bring them. I drove here, so I couldn't bring them with me."

The two dogs are too big to fit in the car, so let them run over.

It's not a good time during the Lunar New Year.

It's almost Chinese New Year. I helped take care of the kids for most of last year, so let them get some rest.

Where is the car parked?

"It was parked in the town government compound. There were few people there, and it was a lot of space and very quiet... This packhorse was borrowed from the town."

"Alright, go wash your hands, let's get ready to drink."

Once the family gets along, there's no longer any sense of unfamiliarity or distance between them.

When you meet them, they won't be overly enthusiastic, nor will they engage in the polite formalities that are common between strangers.

But they all had genuine smiles on their faces.

Seeing relatives makes me happy.

Su Ligai and Guo Xinping, who are sisters-in-law, do not sit at the table.

They took turns holding Kang Kang and Le Le and playing with them.

"Oh my, they're growing so fast! They're about four months old now, and they've already started biting people's hands."

"Haha, the two little ones have grown up quite a bit. Look at Lele, this chubby girl, she's so much like Su Su, and Kang Kang is also a bit like Su Su, though their eyebrows and eyes do resemble Ling Zi's..."

"Right? The two little ones look quite different from Rui Rui. Rui Rui is growing up to look more and more like Ling Zi. Back in Chenwangzhuang, the villagers there always said..."

Rui Rui looks exactly like Ling Zi did when she was little, except she's a bit chubby and sturdy.

This is true.

Although Rui Rui is still young, he has a sturdy and robust frame, much more rounded and strong than Chen Ling was when he was a child.

Especially when they're chubby and have some meat on their bones, they're very cute.

When Chen Ling was a child, he was a dark-skinned boy with bright, dark eyes, very white teeth, and a clear, innocent smile.

Rui Rui, on the other hand, is always sneaky and mischievous, born with a playful spirit.

By this time, she was already following behind Wang Zhenzhen and her two younger cousins, pulling on the tail of the family's little yellow dog.

Chen Ling and his group of men were simply toasting and drinking at the dinner table.

In fact, most of these New Year's gatherings are just for heart-to-heart talks, open conversations, and exchanging feelings.

Especially when grown men sit together, who doesn't boast a little? When they're drinking and getting into the mood, they'll talk even more.

"After going to the city with Lingzi and seeing the world, I realized that the market environment is really great now. You really can't underestimate the rich people in society."

Every single one of those wealthy people is someone who dares to spend money.

As long as the product is good, high-end, and has a touch of sophistication, it's sure to sell.

"That's right. Nowadays, everyone says we shouldn't idolize foreign things, but foreign countries are developed, and the things they make are stylish and attractive. When people see them, they feel very proud to wear them."

Those wealthy people are scrambling to buy them.

"No, brother, that's not what I meant. I meant that idea Lingzi had for those T-shirts, the kind about repurposing tin cans..."

In short, it's a very simple thing; just modify it to look more fashionable, and you can make a lot of money.

It's not the same as blindly worshipping foreign things. As long as our products are good, foreign goods can't compete with us.

In your cultured terms, we need to summarize the lessons learned from this success.

From now on, we'll process all the things that don't sell well.

Make it look more fashionable.

It's gotten to the point where even we ourselves can't tell the real from the fake.

You'll see then, you'll definitely make money.

After this meeting, Wang Qingzhong seemed to have a sudden enlightenment, and what he said was extremely insightful.

Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

As expected of the clever and resourceful Chinese people, they came up with the "Made in China" model so early.

Of course, the earliest "Made in China" products were actually low-end, labor-intensive manufacturing industries that were transferred from overseas.

They come here to set up low-end factories, making our people work like cattle and horses.

Later on, pirated versions became increasingly common.

Same label, same trendy style, still incredibly stylish.

It's cheap and of good quality.

This applies to every industry.

Many people have become rich through this method.

"What my second brother said makes sense."

Chen Ling laughed: "But, there aren't that many cheap deals like those T-shirts. We should do things properly in the future."

What is a T-shirt?

Those are defective products, fabrics and clothes that people don't want, which are then used to make T-shirts, handbags, etc.

Chen Ling went to the garment factory to buy the garments by weight.

One pull and you have a whole tractor.

It was collected as garbage.

You need the right timing to snag a bargain like this.

If you specifically choose to do this, then you're just waiting to see if a windfall will fall from the sky. There aren't that many good things like that.

"For example, the new beverage I developed for an instant noodle factory before the Lunar New Year. I won't go into the advantages of the formula, as that's actually irrelevant..."

The most important factors are the bottle's design and quality.

The bottle needs to be stylish, with a beautiful streamlined shape, looking high-end, and it can also be used as a cup after the drink is finished.

Chen Ling was referring to Liang Yuemin's company, whose beverages sold out before the Lunar New Year.

These drinks are very inexpensive to produce.

Each time they cook, they make a huge pot; it's done in a sealed oven like that, and they fill it directly.

We have as much as you want.

Whether the flavor is strong or mild depends on the amount of water and the ratio of sugar.

However, the cost of designing and manufacturing the bottle is much higher.

"And my salted duck eggs sell very well in the city. It's the result of years of hard work. Regular customers know the quality, and good things never have trouble selling."

Chen Ling's chicken and duck eggs were mostly nutritional supplements given as gifts, sent to hospitals, or used to visit the elderly and children.

"However, just before the New Year, I sent some to my little apprentice, and my mother also reminded me to press some walnut oil for him. After they returned to Beiping."

I made some packaging boxes, and they turned out to be quite pretty gift boxes.

I heard that one of their friends has a house specifically for receiving gifts, which he then sells. The salted duck eggs and walnut oil there fetch dozens of times more than what we get here.

A man relies on his clothes and a horse relies on his saddle.

Now Chen Ling is gradually starting to value the importance of packaging. He used to be lazy; he'd just sell whatever he could find when he ran out of money.

It's rather casual.

Actually, I just felt that thinking too much was troublesome.

But now, his business has accidentally grown too big, and some people are causing him trouble and worry.

All he needs to do is offer suggestions or come up with a couple of nice design drafts.

He doesn't need to do other troublesome things.

Then we should do whatever is best.

After all, he had previously felt that he had sold many of his good items at a loss.

For example, chicken and duck eggs; in later generations, free-range eggs were half the price of regular feed eggs.

But what if we switch to specially supplied eggs?

Aren't Chen Ling's own chicken and duck eggs better than any specially supplied chicken and duck eggs?

That was really a bargain sale back then.

After the New Year, he decided to take advantage of his free time to work on all of these things.

Anyway, he's a golden brand now, and plenty of people are coming to him to do things and want to cooperate with him.

"Good, good, good. Qingzhong has finally figured it out. When you and Lingzi talk about business, I can't get a word in edgewise. You even praise my high level of education. What am I compared to that?"

My skill level is so low now, I'm practically falling into a ravine.

Wang Qingwen raised his glass and said.

Everyone laughed and drank.

"Brother, what you're saying is true. Everyone has their own strengths. If you ask us to teach students, we'll definitely be at a loss."

At this moment, Wang Cunye brought out the stir-fried braised pig ears and braised pig head meat to the table.

This is a skill he learned from Chen Ling in Chenwangzhuang.

This stuff is cheap and goes well with alcohol. It can be eaten cold or hot after being braised, and it has a unique flavor when stir-fried. The old man especially likes it.

Seeing his son and son-in-law chatting happily, he quickly sat down and joined in the conversation.

"Lingzi's started to speak in riddles now; you never used to praise me like this..."

Hearing his brother-in-law's words, Chen Ling rolled his eyes inwardly. The past is the past. You beat me so badly back then, how could I possibly speak kindly to you?

However, these were just thoughts I kept to myself.

He smiled and said, "Brother, what you're saying is true. Actually, you and your second brother are both known for your talent and are good at studying. You can see that from Zhenzhen. Our family has a natural talent for reading and learning."

They were all limited and delayed by the social conditions of the past.

Susu and I were thinking that after the New Year, we might see if we could audit some classes at a university…

"Huh? Going to university?"

The two older brothers were instantly dumbfounded.

Wang Cunye also stopped eating and froze.

"Yes, brother, you used to write essays yourself. When you have time, you can organize them, or write something when you have some free time, and I'll find someone to publish it for you."

If you could write a collection of essays or stories, publishing wouldn't be a problem.

Chen Ling chuckled and said, "Big brother, your writing is much better than mine. I remember that sentence you wrote... The scream was like a sharp blade slicing through the sky, then exploding above our heads, with fragments flying far away..."

Susu showed me that yellowed composition book, and I spent half the afternoon reading it, thoroughly enjoying it.

Wang Qingwen used to write a few things. Despite being a math teacher, he also harbored some literary dreams.

He wrote about witnessing the funeral of an elder in the village when he was a child.

It's a bit strange.

The kind where someone is possessed by a ghost.

There were also instances of corpses rising from the dead during burials, which frightened people.

However, since it was the Lunar New Year, Chen Ling did not elaborate on the details.

He only said one sentence that left a deep impression.

But just that one sentence made Wang Qingwen incredibly excited: "You, you can still remember what I wrote..."

Who doesn't want to be recognized?

Wang Qingwen was no exception, and continued, "I really do have something I want to write recently, but other teachers say that my essays are just pointless whining. Can they really be published?"

"Yes, you can rest assured."

Chen Ling looked confident and raised his glass: "Come on, drink up. Just keep writing."

Wang Qingwen's essays are indeed somewhat obscure and tinged with affectation.

But the short story is really well written.

It has a very eerie atmosphere.

Chen Ling admired him greatly.

He felt he was very talented, and his Chinese language scores were consistently among the best in high school.

However, his writing skills are still far inferior to his brother-in-law's.

The main reason is that my brother-in-law is conscientious. He can spend half a year writing a story and is willing to spend time thinking about, revising and polishing it.

of course……

That was before we got married.

With Chen Ling's encouragement, his confidence has been rekindled.

Chen Ling never lies or boasts in this regard.

With Zhao Yubao around, publishing and releasing are trivial matters.

And then there is...

Chen Ling himself also thought that the local folk tales and legends could be carried forward by his brother-in-law in the future.

Wolf, yellow-throated marten—the more sinister the creature, the more worthwhile it is to write about.

He lacks that kind of imagination; he can't write like that. He can only do factual reporting.

……

They toasted and drank, enjoying themselves immensely.

The excitement lasted until the afternoon.

Wang Qingwen finally couldn't hold back any longer, and regardless of whether it was the New Year or not, he said directly: "We often go to Zhuguo County next door. I heard that there are some things being set up in the mountains there."

Fenglei Town is located on the very edge of Lingyun County. People from here rarely go to Lingyun County town; they mostly go to the neighboring Zhuguo County.

It's very close; you can reach it in half a day by leading a packhorse.

"A platform made of things from the mountains? An animal platform? An earthen platform? Or a stone platform?"

Chen Ling was stunned. No, brother, I meant the artistic embellishment of folk legends. Could it be that such supernatural things really exist?

"People say that the earthen platform was built by spirits and monsters. You can't pass by it at night. If you do, you'll get lost and wander in circles, like you're trapped in a ghost wall, and you won't be able to find your way out."

Wang Qingwen said earnestly, "There are many strange things in the mountains, and your father knows even more. Didn't you used to listen to his stories every day?" (End of Chapter)