Chapter 65 Chapter 65 First update, two updates in one...
With this group of monsters, Lin Xinghuo's family's life suddenly got back on track. This life not only refers to the daily life of firewood, rice, oil and salt, but more to the path of cultivation.
The villagers of Buxian Village were close and united, truly treating Lin Xinghuo, the young fairy, with genuine sincerity. Lin Xinghuo had always found this peaceful and tranquil atmosphere a great and satisfying place to cultivate and live. But after moving to the Spirit Village, she suddenly felt like she had found companions. That feeling of not being alienated was probably even more profound for spirit beasts like caracals and fox cubs. Lin Xinghuo didn't know how to describe it, but she felt a genuine sense of spiritual cultivation.
Now Lin Xinghuo's life has become divided into two circles. One is the outer circle of Buxiantun including experimental fields and riverside farms; the other is the inner circle of Nanshan hidden behind the mountain residence.
The two communities were both divided and, to a certain extent, harmoniously integrated. Spirit beasts, including spirits resembling mortal beasts, still frequently descended the mountains to assist the villagers. With their help, the crops grown and produced by the production brigade were gradually and systematically transformed into semi-spiritual goods. If all of them could eventually be converted into low-level spiritual products, they would provide a substantial supply base for Lin Xinghuo and the Spirit Village. While the circumstances and talents of mid- and high-level cultivators might vary widely, every advancement in their cultivation inevitably consumed a vast amount of resources. It could be said that without foundation, there was no progress. "Dharma, wealth, companions, and land" were all indispensable, and this became increasingly true as the level of cultivation increased. The benefits of converting these spiritual products to Buxian Village were evident, not a single elderly person passed away, and not a single infant died, during the past two harsh winters.
Let’s talk about the inner circle first. Since the basic food supply has been guaranteed, the monsters have shown their abilities, and the training materials of Lin Xinghuo’s family have become more and more abundant.
To illustrate the larger picture, let's start with spiritual food. While spirits aren't good at farming, quite a few are capable of raising and feeding livestock. From Lin Xinghuo and the shrew Anian down to the fox cubs, all enjoy a blissful life with meat to eat.
Take Qingji, for example. Although he couldn't even defeat the giant fish in the Songwazi River, forcing them to flee, he was truly a water spirit, raising magical fish in the Mirror Lake in the valley. One was the pearl turtle, which had appeared in Qingji's hometown. It resembled an open tree canopy, with tender, sweet, and sour flesh. Qingji claimed that the pearl turtle, with six legs, was a spirit. The one he raised had only two legs, and its feet bore pearls, which could be used to refine weapons and elixirs. The second type is raised from the sturgeons in the Songwazi River. Sturgeons are originally ordinary fish that were formed after the ancient thorny fish lost their spiritual power during the spiritual period. Even if Qingji did not intervene, after a few years when the spiritual energy is thicker, there will definitely be some sturgeons that can transform into spiritual sturgeons... The spiritual sturgeons raised by Qingji are much smaller than ordinary sturgeons, but can weigh thousands of pounds, making it easier for Qingji to eat them than to eat small shrimps. In order to feed the spiritual sturgeons, Qingji had to dig through the Mirror Lake and the underground river, and also gave birth to several kinds of fish and shrimps that were not of the highest rank.
The small fish and shrimp Qingji used to feed the beluga sturgeons revitalized Lin Xinghuo's farm. Now, Fox Er Lin Dingbao has switched from hunting foxes to being a chicken and duck herder. Da Huang has become a shepherd, and Hua Hua has returned to her old job, raising a group of demon pigs...
Don't underestimate this change. The chain reactions it triggered are simply countless. In less than two years, Lin Xinghuo's family have all advanced to the first level. Although it is only a small realm in the big realm, this breakthrough speed is not slow even in the ancient times when spiritual energy was rich.
The survival of the fittest process in the outer ring's planting and production was meticulously planned by Lin Xinghuo and her several "small groups" from Buxian Village. With the approval of the old Party Secretary and others, progress was smooth. Among them, Wei Layue, a natural businessman, contributed the most and had the longest foresight. In particular, during the initial seed selection, Wei Layue firmly opposed testing the first-level spiritual rice that Lin Xinghuo had already cultivated with some success. Instead, she identified the newly transformed sweet potato semi-spiritual seeds as the most suitable for the current situation.
Wei Chunfeng thought the semi-spiritual corn variety, which doubled its yield, was better, while Wei Chunxing preferred the lower-yielding but richer spiritual rice. Both agreed that the semi-spiritual sweet potato variety, which simply tasted better, was the last choice to consider.
But Layue had said back then: "Inconspicuous is the best choice!" The semi-spiritual corn seeds could double the yield, but the problems that followed were simply unbearable for Buxian Village. First, corn seeds couldn't be saved. Villagers wouldn't save the previous year's high-yield corn to plant directly. No one had that awareness. So, was Lin Xinghuo required to replace the seeds distributed by the seed station every year? If not, what was the point of replacing the semi-spiritual seeds that only produced one year? If so, Buxian Village would be doomed. Everyone would have to think about the seeds from the seed station. Why was the yield so high only in your brigade?
Moreover, consecutive bumper harvests aren't necessarily a good thing. In today's climate of restricted trade, an overabundance of grain is a disaster. If this creates a climate of internal laziness and external greed, the entire village will be ruined. Why did the old Party secretary and village elders, hoping for the bumper harvest of 1973, hand over the extra grain? Why did they work so hard to establish so many collective workshops, not even letting the members idle when heavy snow blocked the roads? Furthermore, cotton was only planted that one year. For the past two years, no matter what the higher-ups requested, the brigade refused, citing failed experimental plots and ongoing research as excuses. Most of the newly reclaimed wasteland that year became vegetable plots, orchards, and herb fields. They preferred to enrich the villagers' tables rather than let old grain accumulate in the cellar.
As for the spiritual rice, it can be planted on a small scale in the experimental fields. Currently, the focus is still on yield. After all, most fine grains are quota grains. The government only looks at whether the public grain has been paid enough, and will not lower the standards because the rice of the brigade is good.
"The sweet potatoes grown by Xinghuo are just right. You can grow the most of them and get the most harvest." Layue said, "Think about what we eat the most? Sweet potatoes! Sweet potato noodles, dried sweet potatoes... I wish I could eat sweet potato steamed buns with fried sweet potato leaves. Not only humans, but also livestock eat sweet potato vines the most. The most popular workshop in our village is still pine wine, but don't forget that pine wine is brewed with sweet potatoes as the main ingredient... If the sweet potatoes taste better and are more nutritious, what else can we ask for?" Besides, the little fairy said that these semi-finished seeds will get better and better as they are planted. After many years, they will become new varieties with high yields and special effects. It would be stupid not to use these seeds that can gradually get better and make a fortune quietly.
For less-cultivated crops like soybeans, peanuts, and wheat, which can be saved for individual seed, Wei Chunfeng suggests mixing a small amount of Lin Xinghuo's good seeds into the collective seed supply. When the harvest arrives, everyone will automatically and consciously save the best seeds for seed. This way, over several years, the variety upgrade can be completed discreetly and without fanfare. This also helps adjust the replacement rate, without causing trouble for the collective and quietly benefiting the villagers.
Wei Layue not only persuaded Wei Chunfeng and her brother, but also set the tone of "slow pace and silent influence" for this reform. Lin Xinghuo saw that the eyes of the old branch secretary and others who were listening in were brightened. The look in their eyes when they looked at Layue that day was more loving than usual. If Wei Layue herself had not been unhappy, she might have squeezed Hong Zhong out to become the successor to the old branch secretary.
This crop revolution, led by Lin Xinghuo but steered by Wei Layue, brought tremendous results in just two years. The entire Bushan Village, Lin Xinghuo's family, and Jingguai Village all benefited from it.
The two circles, connected by Lin Xinghuo, thus further merged. Apart from anything else, the immense food pressure on Lin Xinghuo and the spirits was greatly relieved: Lin Xinghuo secretly struck a deal with the brigade headquarters, using gold to purchase the annual surplus grain. The brigade's core, led by the old branch secretary, took a huge risk and agreed that before the government liberalized trade, Lin Xinghuo would secretly purchase the entire brigade's clearance grain. This practice, Buxiantun secretly copied from the county grain depot, involved counting the old grain as it arrived each year. The remaining amount was essentially a fixed amount, and the excess was considered clearance grain.
In this way, the brigade saved gold for the village, while Lin Xinghuo filled the food gap, achieving a secret and secure exchange between the two sides. As for the growing amount of money piling up in the brigade's secret account, the village elders, acting as another layer of oversight, were somewhat aware of it. But to be on the safe side, Lin Xinghuo and the three Weis kept their dealings with the brigade secret; after all, it was something that couldn't be discussed publicly. The old branch secretary and his men used the banner of Hetan Farm and Heqing as a platform, and the village elders didn't question them further.
*
The people who had endured countless hardships on Hetan Farm had also experienced a period of peace and tranquility in Buxiantun over the past two years. They had seen this small village nestled in the mountains gain electricity, new clothes, abundant food, and a spirit that was a stark contrast to the outside world. They had even been influenced by the changes, not only recovering physically but also looking several years younger. When Fang Tongjian received a call from his former superior, he almost refused the invitation to return to Beijing for recuperation.
In fact, the situation outside is still precarious, although overall it is moving towards dawn.
Old Ning carefully finished a cigarette before speaking with a complicated expression, "Old Fang, you have to be prepared. Before dawn, it will be darker and the road will be more difficult to walk on!"
In January 1975, one of Mr. Ning's former supervisors resumed his work. He was a man of drastic measures, a man of integrity. Upon taking office, he initiated a comprehensive overhaul, bringing a truly clear situation. Mr. Ning had originally decided to leave his two children in Buxiantun for the time being and return to Beijing to support the work, but the tide of the movement swept in again, and those with ill intentions once again targeted his former supervisor. His report also disappeared without a trace.
Now is the time when the situation is at its most intense. Those troublemakers cannot tolerate any writers who are not in their camp, especially high-level intellectuals like Fang Tongjian who are strong in themselves and have even stronger social circles.
Fang Tongjian knew it, but a breakthrough had finally arrived. The leader's statement that literature and art should "let a hundred flowers bloom, not just one flower." This was a ray of hope for hundreds of thousands of cultural workers! Fang Tongjian didn't dare miss this opportunity. He thought that by being closer to the center, his articles might have a chance to tear open the deep night before dawn...
Old Ning knew his feelings very well. When he was about to return to the front line of the dispute a few months ago, wasn't he thinking of risking his old bones to fight a big battle? "I'm just reminding you. Don't worry, Lao Fang. I will hide your precious manuscripts for you!" Just like he entrusted his grandchildren and nephews to Lao Fang. Lao Fang has no descendants, and those manuscripts are his lifeblood. Old Ning promised to take good care of them.
Unexpectedly, Fang Tongjian rolled his eyes and said, "Burned."
"What! Burned?" Old Ning was so worried that he thought, did Old Fang really not intend to live this time he returned to Beijing?
"Why are you so stubborn!" Ning Lao said angrily, "Who told me before that 'as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood'? You don't want to write a petition loudly, do you?" It's useless, it won't reach the leader at all!
But Mr. Ning couldn't bring himself to say this. In the hearts of these veteran cadres who had been overthrown and reformed, the leader was still, as the song sang, the "Red Sun of the East," a symbol of faith. Moreover, he was said to be in poor health, and his personal meetings with outsiders were becoming increasingly rare. Fang Tongjian had been so stubborn, but he had lost his life in vain!
Fang Tongjian fished out a pear jam candy from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth before saying slowly, "Look at you! I told you not to be as impatient as a monkey! It's just a few pieces of paper, so just burn them. As long as you remember it in your mind, you can write it down whenever you want."
Those were not just a few pieces of paper, but a huge stack thicker than □□. Old Fang started writing it when he was sent down to the countryside, and it took him a lot of effort to preserve it - "You didn't ask Xiaolin to memorize it, did you? Hey, you are really good, making things difficult for the child again!" Old Ning suddenly realized that Fang Tongjian did not have such a memory, but the half-apprentice he relied on did.
Old Ning was a little unhappy: "In my opinion, it's a waste for Xiaolin to learn from you! With that girl's skills, she should be a soldier and go to the battlefield!" Ning Bangyan thought back to when he was the one who reminded Lao Fang to look at Lin Xinghuo's calligraphy. Later, when the girl caught Lao Fang's eye, he even gave Lao Fang many opportunities. As soon as the girl was scooped into Lao Fang's bowl, he regretted it so much! It was his carelessness. When Xiaolin started fighting with the anti-Confucius working group, he didn't realize that the child was so skilled. Later, when he saw it with his own eyes, Ning Bangyan immediately wanted to send a telegram to his former subordinates to recommend Lin Xinghuo to join the army. But at that time, it was not only Fang Tongjian who got in the way, but he almost offended the villagers of the village!
But Fang Tongjian hadn't finished showing off yet. The thin and handsome old man put the candy cube in his cheek and said happily: "My little apprentice is so filial that he wants to send me back to Beijing. He said he won't feel at ease until he sees me settle down."
"You'd never be so mean to a child!" Old Ning reached out and snatched a candy from Fang Tongjian's pocket, saying sourly, "What's going on in Beijing? How dare you bring a child there? A girl at that..." Only girls could be so considerate. Look at this beetroot candy, specially stuffed with honey and pear jam, just in case Fang Tongjian gets a cough from the autumn dryness. Old Ning thought bitterly, his two brats are just peddlers, begging Aunt Xiaolin for a few tricks. Not to mention making them something to eat, they even have to mend the crotch of their pants after their shrewd grandchildren rubbed it out climbing a tree.
"I wouldn't agree to send any other kid, not even a man like Lao Guo, back," Fang Tongjian said. "But Xiaolin wants to go now. We all know what she's capable of... and she's going this way to send her parents' remains home."
Ning Bangyan was silent. Having lived on the riverbank of Buxiantun for so long, even those who were not superstitious had to admit that there were indeed some abilities in this world that could not be explained at present. This was also the reason why Ning Bangyan no longer wanted Lin Xinghuo to join the army. Otherwise, he would be crazy to let such a promising soldier be buried in the countryside.
But thinking about it this way, Ning Bangyan felt even worse. Some people's lives were just too good. Before, everyone was worried about Lao Fang, thinking he had no children or grandchildren, and if something bad happened, there wouldn't even be anyone to take his ashes home. But he had just moved to a new place and struck it rich. He had a good little apprentice. Not only was he smart and easy to teach, but he also took good care of Lao Fang, taking care of everything from food, clothing, housing, and transportation. My goodness, Lao Fang's face was so red and pale, anyone would believe he was under fifty, right?
If I were to send him back again, I'm afraid it's because I'm worried about Lao Fang's safety. If I had told him earlier that this girl would be there to protect him, he wouldn't have been worried at all. It's a waste of time!
As if afraid that Ning Bangyan's pout wasn't enough, Fang Tongjian even asked him to borrow clothes. "Lend me two sets of your old clothes. My tattered clothes were burned in the stove by the maids. It's not appropriate to go back wearing such formal clothes..."
"I don't have any. Why don't you just ask your apprentice to patch you up a couple of times?" Old Ning snorted. "Look at how I've dressed you up. You look like a decent human being. Even if you go back in a tattered bag, your face and body don't look like you've been through much."
That's true. Fang Tongjian felt that his health was better than before he was sent to the cadre school. Especially after sitting in the maid's yard with the deer roe with a nose ring pierced through his ear, the new hair that had grown back was all black. Fang Tongjian didn't dare let anyone see, so he quietly took a pair of scissors and cut off the white tips at the front of his hair. However, Fang Tongjian observed that many of the old fellows at the labor camp should have received that strange "gift", but the maid hid it well. Unlike him, they didn't know how to count it, and they all thought it was the child's good medical skills that gave them the nourishment.
And the effects weren't as obvious as his own. Only this stubborn old Ning and Secretary Chen from Buxian Village could compare. Fang Tongjian glanced at Ning Bangyan. This old guy hadn't even noticed that he looked ten years younger than his age! When he was chasing Ning De to beat him up a few days ago, he ran as fast as if he was gored by a bull. He ate eight steamed buns and a pot of mixed vegetables for one meal, and he still had the nerve to envy other people for having such a good apprentice! His apprentice was just like him, noble and upright, kind and righteous!
That being said, Fang Tongjian still managed to snatch two sets of patched clothes from Old Man Ning. But shoes were a little tricky to find. While he could borrow some tattered clothes, these tattered shoes were hard to find, especially since he was a scholar with delicate feet. Old Man Fang didn't want anyone to know that his feet were about the same size as the women at the Riverbank Farm. Fang Tongjian couldn't bear to part with Huo Huo's leather boots, so at the beginning of autumn, his apprentice sent him two pairs of low-top boots. With his eyes, having experienced wealth, he couldn't tell what leather they were made of. They were so comfortable and satisfying that walking felt like walking on clouds.
Lao Ning even laughed at him for being a show-off, saying what did a country old man know!
So when Lin Xinghuo came over to help him tidy up and pay his respects, he saw a handsome and elegant scholar wearing tattered clothes that were obviously ill-fitting and cotton-padded shoes with holes on his feet - "Master Fang, you - your inner shoes are sticking out." Even if he was sent down to the countryside to suffer, he would try his best to dress himself up when he returned to Beijing. Master Fang was smart all his life and was afraid that people would find out that he was living well and cause trouble for Bushantun and Hetan Farm, which would only make things worse.
Fang Tongjian was a bit embarrassed. He had finally managed to get these shoes from Yang Gengshun's house, but Yang Gengshun, a man raised on goat's milk in Mongolia, had such big feet that even after three pairs of socks, the heels still fell off. It just so happened that Fang Tongjian was reluctant to part with his new shoes, so he just wore them on...
The old guys at Hetan Farm also looked at Fang Tongjian strangely. Yang Gengshun burned his fire hook red and said, "Why not just burn two holes in the shoes and then stick a piece of cloth on them?"
Lin Xinghuo quickly stopped them. These two pairs of shoes were experimental products made by Mao Anian before he made shoes for her. They were afraid of fire hooks after coming out of the cauldron. If they were really burned, it would be difficult to explain.
"Just keep it simple. I brought you clothes and medicine."
"What medicine?" Lao Ning asked, "Are you making medicine pills for your master again?" If he takes more, he will become a rejuvenated old demon.
Lin Xinghuo not only made pills for Fang Tongjian, but also left a large gourd for Hetan Farm. This medicine is indeed for nourishing and nourishing, but because it contains a cotinus coggygria, which is a first-level spiritual wood that she specially cultivated to extract yellow dye so that she could dye Qingji's small robes and hats. Cotinus coggygria can also be used as medicine, but the first-level spiritual implant is more overbearing: for example, it can "dye" people into yellow hemp like dyeing cloth.
Take one pill a month, but the yellow smell of one pill will take at least three months to disappear.
As the saying goes, a white complexion can hide a hundred uglinesses, but a yellow face can ruin everything. No matter how energetic a person is, as long as his face is yellow, he will look bad. It is enough to just fake it and get by with it.
Originally, she was worried about the difficulties in explaining what to do if Hetan Farm encountered an inspection after she left, so she refined more. But then she changed her mind and thought, it's already the autumn of 1975, and the days of peace and prosperity won't be long. Who knows when the gentlemen on the farm will return to Beijing to "recuperate" like Master Fang. It's better to start eating now. This gourd of medicine is enough for the entire farm for two years, and it's also a final nourishment for the body.
"Hey! This medicine is good!" When Fang Tongjian came out after changing his clothes, no one paid attention to what he was wearing. The main reason was that they felt a sense of misery when they saw his yellow face. Especially since Old Fang kept his back straight, it gave him the air of an old man who could endure hardships without bending his back!
On the day of his departure, even the villagers from Buxiantun who had come to see him off spontaneously murmured, "Didn't the radio say that the leader had instructed that there were too few model operas and that the repertoire needed to be expanded? Comrade Lao Fang's job back home is to write new operas for the leader and for us ordinary people. That's such a great thing, why does he look so grim?"
"Who says not? I just told my kid, as long as you have education, you won't be afraid of hardship!" The third brat still talked back, saying that no one in his family had a brain like him. The father who had just beaten the child summed it up bluntly: "Old Fang doesn't look like he's going back to the city, he looks like he's going to jail."
There was also an aunt who was blindly superstitious about the fairy lady. She held Lin Xinghuo's hand and warned: "Aunt, if Comrade Fang can't get used to it, please bring him back to our village."
Immediately, many women responded in unison, and Lin Xinghuo was confused. On the contrary, the mao Anian, who was lying on her shoulder, looked at Fang Tongjian with bright eyes, wondering why this old man was so popular?
Lin Xinghuo was also in a dilemma. Many women were attracted to Master Fang, and even matchmakers from Liangzigou had introduced her to him. The most outrageous thing was that the widow who wanted to marry Master Fang was only in her early thirties, but Master Fang ignored her and even came to Hetan Farm to cook and clean for him. Fortunately, Hetan Farm was strictly managed, with no outsiders allowed in or out, which helped drive away the most uninhibited of Master Fang's suitors... Unexpectedly, the aunties in the village, who all had their own sons and daughters, became even more jealous of this seemingly unrelated matter. One day, they dug up every last bit of the widow's past. Unexpectedly, the widow Liang, who had returned to her parents' home, and the wife Chen Laifu later married were cousins within five generations of mourning. Now, Buxian Village was calling Chen Laifu's wife "Golden Widow" again! It was obvious from the moment she spoke that these two old sisters came from a bad family. They only coveted the meat in other people's nests, and gave birth to the precious grandson born by Widow Jin to the old man Chen and his wife who came back to Buxiantun to show off. How shameless they were.
After shaking hands with the old branch secretary and others who had seen him off, Fang Tongjian straightened the pen in his jacket pocket and calmly rescued the young disciple: "Let's go!"
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