Chapter 96 Chapter 96 I want to raise some fish and shrimp
In October, the Fan family was busy harvesting this year's grain. Everyone was either working in the fields or in the warehouse, and had no time to spare.
It rained two days ago and the weather suddenly turned cold. Dafu caught a cold and felt listless all day long. He couldn't even go to the private school.
This kid has always been strong and seldom catches a cold, but when he gets sick he's as weak as a mountain falling.
When he was sick, he couldn't jump or leap, so he became especially attached to Fan Jing.
This morning, his little face was red from sleep and his voice was a little hoarse. Chen Sanfang went to help him put on his clothes, but he stayed in the quilt and refused to stick his head out, so Fan Jing had to do it for him.
Seeing that he was not feeling well, Fan Jing felt sorry for him, so he did not go to the city with Kang He today. I stayed at home to take care of him.
After being coaxed into eating some porridge and rice in the morning and then given some medicine, Dafu snuggled in Fan Jing's arms, played with a clay doll for a while, and then said he wanted to read the Thousand Character Classic to Fan Jing.
Fan Jing asked Xiaoxiang to get it for him. The little guy didn't read many words, and perhaps because of the medicine, he became sleepy again.
Seeing that the person was asleep, Fan Jing took advantage of the opportunity to drive to the neighboring Dajing Village. Mrs. Zhang in the village was celebrating her birthday and had given their family four chickens, six ducks, three fat rabbits and half a pig.
Everyone in the family was busy, so Fan Jing asked to send it over when he was free. It wasn't far, and it would take less than half an hour to drive there and back.
After unloading the poultry and counting the goods with the Zhang family and settling the payment, Fan Jing was on his way back when he saw a group of people gathered together at the village entrance. He didn't know what they were doing.
Fan Jing didn't want to join in the fun, fearing that Dafu would wake up soon, but then he heard someone shouting:
"Fish for sale! Fish for sale! Great prices!"
Hearing that they were selling fish, Fan Jing stopped the car and went over to take a look.
He saw two large ponds that had been drained of water. Several men were catching fish in the ponds. Several large wooden basins by the ponds were filled with more than ten fish each.
"Is this the Zhang family releasing water to catch fish for their birthday?"
Fan Jing asked the women who were watching the fun.
"It's not the Zhang family's pond. They bought some fish here for their birthday celebration.
This is the Meng family's fish pond. The Meng family is moving to the capital, and the fields have been handed over to relatives to take care of. The fish pond is not easily accessible, so he drained the water and sold all the fish, and will no longer raise fish.
Fan Jing had heard from Chen Sanfang a few days ago that there was a family in Dajing Village whose son had married well. The man had no parents and was doing business alone. He wanted to take the son's parents to live with him to enjoy a good life.
I didn’t expect it to be the Meng family who raises fish.
Fan Jing had no time to ask about other people's affairs. He saw that the old fish caught in the pond were quite good, so he bought two large red-tailed carps and four large black carps.
Two pairs of soft-shelled turtles were also caught from the pond, and he took them too.
Seeing that Fan Jing wanted a lot, the Meng family used two buckets to store the fish for him and also gave him a few small red carps, saying that they were for him to raise for his children to play with.
The two men helped carry the buckets of water to Fan Jing's car, and Fan Jing thanked them.
When they got home, Dafu had already woken up, but he didn't want Xiaoxiang to pick him up. He wanted to wait for Fan Jing's family to come before he would get up.
The little guy rubbed his eyes, and Fan Jing wiped his face, and he became a little more alert.
"Where have you been?"
Fan Jing picked him up and said, "I went to the next village to deliver goods. I saw a fishmonger and bought a few. When your father comes back, I'll teach him how to make fish soup for you."
Dafu leaned on Fan Jing's shoulder and said, "I want to see the big herring, too."
Fan Jing then carried him to see.
Since there was no cat at home, there was no need to worry about it causing trouble. Xiaoxiang took a large wooden basin, poured water into it, and put the fish in it.
Dafu was particularly fond of the little carps whose bodies were almost red. Fan Jing went into the house to get some glutinous rice and fed the fish with him.
He found it very interesting to see the little fish open its soft mouth to swallow the rice, then flick its tail and hide under the belly of the big fish.
"It would be nice if Fifteen were here, he likes red carp too."
Fan Jing was watching over the little boy feeding the fish. When he heard what he said, he said, "Then you should take good care of this little carp and look after him together when he comes back."
"When will Fifteen come back?"
"I'll be back next year."
Fan Jing said: "It's been less than two months."
Dafu was happy to hear that the New Year was approaching, and said that he could see his second aunt again during the New Year.
In the afternoon, Kanghe came back a little early. He was worried about Dafu, so after finishing his work, he closed the shop early.
He saw Fan Jing shooting at targets in the yard and asked him, "How's Dafu? Did he have a fever again today?"
"I've taken the medicine twice and it's getting better."
Kang He finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without even unloading the car, he went into the house to see Dafu.
Fan Jing unloaded the cart, led the mule into the shed and fed it some water and fodder.
"Where did the fish come from?"
After a while, Kanghe went and carried Dafu out.
"Little Dad said he wanted Dad to make fish soup."
Kang Hexiao pinched Dafu's little face and said, "You little greedy devil."
Fan Jing then told Kang He where the fish came from.
"There are a few soft-shelled turtles outside. Let's make some soup with them. Send a jar to the main room."
Grandma Fan's health has been getting worse recently, and both families have been more filial than before, always trying to prepare some nourishing food for her.
Kang He agreed and called Fan Jing to go to the kitchen to help him.
Seeing that Kanghe was going to cook today, Xiaoxiang went outside to wash clothes.
Fan Jing lit the fire in the stove, and Dafu sat next to him with his head lowered to peel garlic.
"The Meng family sold all the fish in the ponds. So they won't raise fish in those two ponds anymore? What's going to happen to them?"
Fan Jing said: "I didn't ask in detail."
After that, he looked at Kang He and said, "You want that pond?"
"At the end of last year, I went there to release the water and catch some fish to sell. I saw that their fish were well-raised. Although they don't taste as good as the fish we used to catch in the mountains, they are still very good."
Kang He was busy killing and cutting fish while he said to Fan Jingxian, "Dajing Village is not far from our village. If people don't want them and are willing to sell them, we can make a living by taking them over."
Fan Jing thought that he could turn anything he heard into a business plan, regardless of the size of the business, and was willing to inquire and work hard.
It is precisely because of this kind of personality that our family has the life it has today.
Thinking of this, he felt a little regretful that he had not asked more clearly before.
"When I bought the fish, the Meng family gave me two buckets to hold the fish and brought them back. If you want to know the pond, you can go and ask about it while you return the buckets."
Kang He agreed. Later, he prepared the turtle soup, marinated the fish, and prepared all the other ingredients, just waiting for everyone to come and cook later.
Taking advantage of this time, he drove to Dajing Village.
When he came back, it was dark.
Fan Jing asked him, "How?"
Kang He was in a good mood and said, "We originally caught the fish, and later we wanted to give the two ponds to relatives to manage and grow rice. I heard that I was interested in taking them over, so I'm willing to sell them to you."
Although the Meng family lived a good life in the provincial capital, they were also a family with many plans. The reason they did not sell all their land and properties was that they considered that if there were any changes in the future, they could still return home.
But when he went to the provincial capital, he still wanted to have more money, so he sold the two ponds so that he could get a subsidy.
After discussion, they agreed to sell it to Kanghe for thirty strings of cash.
Kang He felt it was expensive, so he rounded up the price and paid twenty-eight strings of cash.
Fan Jing said, "Are you planning to raise fish after buying it?"
"I'm not interested in fish. I'd like to raise turtles, shrimps, frogs, and other animals."
Kang He said, "There are many fish sellers out there, including river fish and pond fish. Fish raised in ponds are the cheapest. If the pond is large, we can raise a lot of pond fish, which is not bad. But if the pond is small, it is better to raise some rare fish and raise them carefully."
Although Fan Jing felt that Kang He's plan made sense, raising cheap pond fish might not be as profitable as slaughtering pigs and selling meat. If he raised some species that were rare in the market, he could make more money.
These are the quails raised in their home. Now many wealthy families buy them specifically from him for their kitchens.
"If you raise fish, fry are easy to find, but if you raise other species, they're hard to find in the county market."
Fan Jing had been to the fish market before and occasionally saw people selling shrimp fry. However, the quality of the fry was not very good even for an amateur. If he bought them at a high price, it would be difficult to raise them.
Raising something is difficult in every way, but the hardest part is probably getting started.
In the past, the family spent a lot of effort on the livestock.
Speaking of this, Kang He said proudly, "That old man Meng is a kind man. He also wanted to make this deal, so he told me that the aquatic products in our county are not very good, and there are not many fish fry. It's hard to find them, and the good ones have to go to Fang County next door to buy them."
"The first batch of fish fry his family bought was from Fang County. There's a river there, and there are many more rivers than in our county, so the aquatic products there are also richer than in our county."
Kang He said, "I will go to give him the money tomorrow. He has prepared the land deed and will also give us the address of a reliable person in Fang County. That person is Old Man Meng's cousin. He will teach us how to buy seedlings. Let's go find him."
After hearing this, Fan Jing felt relieved. Now that there was a way, things would be much easier to handle.
After October, when the autumn harvest was over, Kang He and Fan Jing began to prepare for aquaculture.
This was their first time doing business in this area, and they didn't have anyone suitable to send to Fang County, so they decided to go there in person.
He packed up some things, got a pass, and set out in a mule cart.
It’s not too close to Fang County, but it’s not too far either.
If you walk there, it will take at least three to five days. If you drive a car, it will take one or two days. If the car is faster, you can get there in a day.
The weather was getting a bit cold in late autumn as winter approached. The two of them dressed warmly and rushed along the official road to Fang County.
It is said that this is the first time that Fan Jing has left the county town and traveled to another place since he was so old.
Many of these ordinary people were born in the same place. If their hometown had not suffered a disaster or disease, most of them would never leave the county in their entire lives.
The official road along the way was quite busy, unlike the deserted road where there was no one in sight for ten miles.
After autumn, winter comes and it is the end of the year. Many merchants are busy at this time, buying food, reselling New Year's goods, and there are even escort teams.
When the two men were resting at the post station and refilling their water bags with hot water, they met a businessman who traveled all year round and was very talkative.
He told Kang He and Fan Jing that the official roads between counties had become increasingly bustling in the past two years. With peace in the world, more people and households were doing business.
The people now live a stable life and are much more well-off. Business is much better than it was a few years ago when the war had just ended.
The two talked quite harmoniously and walked together for a while. When they said goodbye, the merchant gave Kang and Fan Jing some tea he had bought from other places and a box of Poria cocos.
Kanghe also wanted to give some things back to others, but since they were not going out to sell goods, they did not prepare too many good things.
So he took the two pepper rabbits and a small square box of dried peppers to the merchant.
"Dried peppers? This smells so good!"
The merchant had a keen nose and he immediately smelled the spicy aroma inside the box. He opened the box and saw that it was indeed dried Sichuan peppercorns. He couldn't help but take another deep sniff and couldn't hide his delight on his face.
He said to Kang He, "This spice is not produced in my hometown, and it is sold at a very high price in the shop."
The businessman said that in their hometown, peppers are only used in cooking during festivals, and only wealthy families can enjoy this flavor.
There were also very wealthy families who used pepper to paint the walls to repel insects and rats, in order to show off their family's power.
"My dear brother, this box of dried peppers is worth several thousand taels of silver back home. It's really valuable."
After saying this, the merchant wanted to find another expensive gift for Kanghe.
Kang Hejue, the merchant, was quite kind, and said to him, "These are spices grown at home, not bought at a high price from outside, so don't be polite."
Upon hearing this, the merchant said, "I wonder how much it is? If you're interested in running a business, why not sell some to me and let me take it back home to sell, and we can both get a share of the profits."
Kang He said, "It's not a big estate. It's just one and a half acres of trees. I've carefully tended it for several years, and it's only now producing some fruit. Most of it has already been sold in season. If we want to continue trading, we'll have to wait until next year."
The merchant didn't want to hear this and was willing to wait. Tong Kanghe gave him an address and told him that the price would not be lower than the market price in their county, and it would arrive as scheduled next year.
Kang He was happy to have more outlets for his products, so he gave him a small pot of mountain pepper oil.
After parting with the merchant, Kang He and Fan Jing took over driving the cart.
Fan Jing shook his slightly sore hands and said, "You are quite thoughtful and generous, deliberately giving away valuable things."
Kang He smiled and said, "I just saw that he was a foreign merchant, so I gave him some local specialties."
Fan Jing raised the corner of his mouth, opened the lid of the water bag, and drank some hot water.
Kang He stretched his neck, and Fan Jing took two sips with him.
Their mule ran fast, and the car entered Fang County when it was getting dark.
The lights in the county were bright, and it seemed much more lively than their county. This was because Fang County had a better location and was a fortress.
"There's an inn ahead. Let's stay there."
Kang He glanced at the inn that Fan Jing mentioned. It was a small place, and the two lanterns hanging in front of the door were not lit.
The price of this kind of inn is not high, and it is specially for travelers who are looking for a cheap place to stay for one night.
"It's not easy to come out here, let's find a spacious inn to stay in."
Fan Jing said, "It's the same everywhere. It's just one night's sleep. It's over once you close your eyes. Why make so many things so important?"
Kang He snorted, "That's very different."
He had some unsophisticated thoughts in his mind: "Just obey me this time."
Fan Jing thought that it would only happen once or twice if he followed his lead, but his words made people feel that he was overbearing.
So, the two of them found an inn called Changting. It was really big, with four or five floors. Long colorful lanterns were hung on the gatehouse, and it could be seen from a long distance.
Seeing the two men parked the car at the door, the guy came out trotting to greet them and called someone to pull the cart to a special animal shed.
Kang He went to ask for a room, and Fan Jing stood at one end and listened.
This man actually wanted a room upstairs, which cost two strings of cash for one night. He shook his head secretly, thinking that he must not let his family know about this.
Well, the two of them were led upstairs by the waiter and entered the house.
It was indeed an upper house, as the room was spacious and all the furnishings were elegant, better than their own home.
The waiter first lit the charcoal fire in the charcoal basin, and said that he would bring hot water up to the house for the two of them in a while. The food could also be brought into the house. If they wanted to have some fun, they could also eat in the hall downstairs.
Their cook is well-known throughout the county and has superb cooking skills. If you stay at their inn, you must not miss the opportunity to try the cook's skills.
Kang He responded and rested in the house for a while with Fan Jing, while the waiter brought up some water.
After driving all day, I felt my body was stiff from sitting. I stretched out my arms and legs and lay on the couch for a while. The room was warm, unlike the cold outside. I didn't want to move.
This is what is meant by the fatigue of traveling by boat and train.
Fan Jing then lightly kicked Kang He and asked, "Do you want to go wash first or should I?"
Kang He closed his eyes and spoke in a lazy tone, as if he was about to fall asleep: "You go first, I'll wash later."
Fan Jing went into the bathroom first. He took off his heavy clothes and tied up his hair. Kang He followed him in.
"I'd better wash with you, since the water brought here is not much."
Even though they had been married for several years, Fan Jing still felt a little uncomfortable without clothes. He said, "Three buckets of water aren't enough? I've never seen you use so much at home."
Kang He, however, seemed to be deaf and just took off his clothes. Suddenly, the man opened his mouth to him.
His thick eyebrows frowned, and he said in a serious tone, "Let's wash together so we can go downstairs and eat faster. Even if you're not hungry, I'm hungry too."
Fan Jing saw the naked man with a bared ribbed abdomen and sinewy muscles, his ears slightly red, and he turned his back.
But this man couldn't pretend to be serious for more than a quarter of an hour. He had no intention of taking a shower together to save trouble. It was obvious that he had no good intentions.
But after a moment, when Fan Jing stopped thinking about other things, he went to hug the person.
Fan Jing struggled a few times, but the bathroom was small and it was bath time, so he easily succeeded.
The two of them tossed and turned in there for a while, but Fan Jingjue felt annoyed and told him to go back to bed.
Hearing this, Kang He whispered in Fan Jing's ear, "I originally said that this is all. Since you've said so, I'll do it two more times."
Fan Jing's face turned red, thinking that this person was not only talkative but also shameless.
The bed outside was not wide, but it was sturdy. Although the two men were strong, they did not make any noise that would attract people's attention.
After about an hour, the two of them stopped because they were tired.
The water in the room had gotten cold, so Kang He poured it out and called the waiter outside to get some more water.
The guy seemed to be used to it and didn't look like he had anything else to do, so he went to call for water again.
Fan Jingyao was a little unhappy, so neither of them went downstairs to eat at night. They only ordered three or four dishes to eat in the room.
Kang He peeled a plate of prawns for Fan Jing. He dipped some spice vinegar in them, ate them, and then they both went to bed.
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