Chapter 75: Air Force? Nonexistent!

“Look at these two chickens’ butts. The rooster has a reproductive protrusion, a small lump, but the hen doesn’t have that lump. This method is most accurate when checked on the day of birth. If the chicken is this big, we need to rely on other characteristics because the rooster might have atrophied reproductive organs, making it difficult to tell.

The second method is to look at the body size. The male is heavier, with a sharp, long beak, thick legs, and round eyes. The most important distinguishing feature is that the second and fourth toes of a rooster are of different lengths, while the hen’s are the same length.

At this point, you can clearly tell the gender of the chickens, no need for a third method.”

Lin Heng spoke calmly but authoritatively, handling the situation with ease.

The uncle had initially been lying back in his chair, but halfway through Lin Heng’s explanation, he sat up straight, listening attentively.

Xiu Lan’s face gradually showed admiration, and the two uncles standing by also moved closer to carefully inspect the chicken.

“You know, I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out, but you’re right,” one uncle said, holding up a chick and verifying Lin Heng’s words. His gaze shifted, now full of respect. This guy is definitely an expert.

Only an expert could explain so many details so accurately.

“What’s the third method?” Xiu Lan asked curiously.

“Yeah, what’s the third method?” The uncle selling chicks asked, equally curious, looking at Lin Heng with eager eyes.

“This is a secret that’s not passed on,” Lin Heng smiled slightly and looked at the uncle, “You can verify the first two methods yourself when you get home, but is it worth a chick to know the third?”

“Definitely! With this skill, I’ll be much more confident when buying chicks in the future. I’ll give you one big and one small chick, how about you tell me the third method?”

The uncle eagerly nodded, smiling at Lin Heng.

“Alright, come closer and listen.” Lin Heng led him aside and quietly explained the third method.

When the uncle returned, his face was flushed with excitement, his expression full of disbelief. “How did you know all this?”

“It’s in the books,” Lin Heng mysteriously smiled. In fact, he had worked at a large chicken farm in his past life to pay off debts.

Lin Heng was carefully selecting chicks, explaining to his wife as he went. “First, look for those that are lively and have a crisp call. Then, check their body temperature. A healthy chick will feel warm, and its body should be supple with no lumps.”

“Hubby, you’re amazing!” Xiu Lan was mesmerized by Lin Heng’s profound knowledge. Who would have thought there was so much to learn about a chick?

“Young man, you’re impressive, I’m really learning here. Do you smoke?” The uncle next to them took out a cigarette and offered it to Lin Heng.

“Thanks.” Lin Heng took it and tucked it behind his ear. He didn’t smoke, but he could bring it home for his father.

After selecting the chicks, according to Xiu Lan’s request, they picked eight hens and four roosters.

“Hubby, look, that uncle is trying to get chicks from other sellers, just like you did,” Xiu Lan pulled Lin Heng’s sleeve and pointed to the uncle who had just offered him the cigarette.

“Showing off is one of humanity’s pleasures,” Lin Heng chuckled and shook his head. However, he thought the uncle was clearly approaching the wrong person. The chick seller was an older woman, and she likely wouldn’t be impressed by his antics.

As expected, not long after, the uncle angrily left.

“Would you like to buy two ducks?” The duck seller asked them.

“Should we buy them?” Lin Heng asked Xiu Lan.

“How much are they?” Xiu Lan looked at the ducks, which seemed to be about two months old.

“Fifty cents each. They’re easy to raise at this age,” the woman smiled.

“Then let’s buy four,” Xiu Lan thought for a moment, then turned to Lin Heng. “Is it the same method for ducks?”

“Pretty much,” Lin Heng nodded.

“Then I’ll pick them.” Xiu Lan crouched down to start selecting.

They ended up picking two males and two females, while the duck seller seemed puzzled by Xiu Lan’s method of choosing.

“Should we buy some piglets?” Xiu Lan asked, pointing to the piglets by the river.

“No, I hunt for meat, so we don’t need pork. If we want it for the New Year, we can buy some then. No need for pigs right now, we’ll talk about it next year.”

Lin Heng shook his head. He didn’t want his wife to be overburdened. Chickens and ducks were fine, but pigs consumed a lot of food and required regular maintenance.

“Okay, that makes sense,” Xiu Lan nodded after thinking it over.

“What about a lamb? It’ll just eat grass by the river,” Xiu Lan pointed to a bleating lamb.

“Let’s get one. Go ask how much it costs,” Lin Heng nodded in agreement, following his wife’s suggestion.

“How much for this lamb?” Xiu Lan asked the seller.

“Ten yuan for a two-month-old, and fifteen for a three-month-old,” the seller replied.

Piglets and lambs were generally more expensive, typically costing around ten to twenty yuan, and calves cost even more.

“We’ll take the two-month-old one,” Lin Heng pointed to the slightly larger lamb.

It was a small white female lamb of a local breed.

After closely inspecting it, Lin Heng shook his head. “Let’s go, we’ll try another stall.”

The lamb appeared healthy, but its eye membranes were reddened, the eyelids pale, and there was excessive discharge, indicating it was likely ill.

“That lamb’s fine. If you want, I can lower the price a bit,” the seller said, seeing Lin Heng and Xiu Lan about to leave.

But Lin Heng didn’t respond, not wanting to argue, as he wasn’t sure and didn’t feel like confronting the seller.

They moved to another stall, where an older woman was selling lambs. The three-month-olds were also fifteen yuan.

Lin Heng observed the lamb, watched it run a few circles, and heard its loud bleating. It seemed fine, so he decisively bought it. “Honey, you pay.”

Including the previous purchases—pots, bowls, blankets, and sheets—they had spent a total of 32 yuan.

On their way out, Lin Heng noticed some fish and shrimp by the river and hurried over to take a look.

“Uncle, are these freshwater shrimp caught from the river?” Lin Heng asked.

The uncle had two baskets—one with shrimp about five to six centimeters long and the other with a few carp.

“Yes, I caught them just yesterday in the Huangtan River. Want to buy some?” the uncle asked.

Lin Heng picked up a few shrimp and saw that they were all carrying eggs—this was the breeding season.

“How much are they?” Lin Heng asked.

“Two yuan per jin. These are hard to catch. This is the standard price, and I’ve heard they sell for 2.50 yuan in the city,” the uncle explained.

“I can’t afford them,” Lin Heng shook his head and walked away. He was more interested in checking the shrimp situation in Huangtan River.

He planned to dig a pond this winter and start farming shrimp next year. Shrimp grow quickly in a year and can be sold at a good price. It’s a promising way to accumulate wealth in a short time.

The hardest part of shrimp farming is the high technical difficulty. Though it’s profitable, ninety-nine percent of beginners lose everything because the water quality, oxygen levels, bacteria, and predators are all factors to consider. A small mistake can ruin an entire pond of shrimp.

In his previous life, Lin Heng almost gave up on farming after losing money early on. Fortunately, he eventually mastered the techniques for farming shrimp and turned things around.

Lin Heng’s plan for this life was to make a few thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan this year, dig fish and shrimp ponds for the New Year, start by raising shrimp, and also grow fish and fruit trees. Later, he could rely on the income from shrimp farming to expand into other industries. He also wanted to farm the precious Qinling trout, a rare cold-water salmon species with enormous commercial value.

The uncle didn’t find it odd that Lin Heng was only observing without buying. Typically, wealthy people bought, while poor people couldn’t even afford meat, let alone shrimp.

Xiu Lan held the lamb, Lin Heng carried the chickens and ducks, and they also bought some candy for their daughter. They picked up a roll of wire for a homemade fence and began their way back.

“By the way, we forgot to buy a clock,” Xiu Lan suddenly said.

“Let’s get one, we need to know the time,” Lin Heng agreed.

They couldn’t afford a watch, but a clock would do. A watch is precise and costs at least a hundred, while a clock is simpler and only about ten to fifteen yuan.

They turned back, bought a wooden wall clock for fifteen yuan, and double-checked to make sure they didn’t forget anything.

“Okay, we’re done, we can go home now.”

Lin Heng looked at the couple and said.

“You didn’t buy a pig, but you chose a lamb?” Liu Juan, the older sister-in-law, seemed puzzled.

“Because I hunt, we don’t need pork. Lamb is better,” Lin Heng smiled.

Liu Juan: “…”

She didn’t know what to say. In this era, claiming you had enough meat to eat was a huge shock to others.

“Put the things on, let’s go.” Big Brother Lin Yue nodded and said.

There were too many things to carry, and after loading them onto the ox cart, the lambs couldn’t fit, so they had to be led by the reins.

“By the way, Lin Heng, I asked just now, and the Jin Yu Restaurant is willing to buy your thirty-year-old old turtle for thirty yuan.”

Lin Yue looked at Lin Heng and said.

Lin Heng hadn’t brought anything to sell, but he did have quite a bit with him.

“The price is fine, but I don’t want to sell it for now.” Lin Heng shook his head.

After packing up, Big Brother Lin Yue led the ox and his wife, Liu Juan, in front, while Lin Heng followed behind with the sheep and Xiu Lan.

By the time they got home, it was already 4:13 PM.

Lin Heng’s father, mother, and Cai Yun all came to help carry things.

Regarding why they didn’t buy pigs but bought sheep instead, Lin Heng explained it again.

Except for the chicks and lambs that were directly placed in the new house’s pen, everything else was pushed into the old house and would have to wait until the day of the housewarming to be moved.

“We’ll eat after we’re done moving. You’re probably starving by now.” Lin’s mother had already boiled water, and as soon as they got home, she quickly prepared noodles.

“I’ll scoop a bowl first,” Lin Heng said, too lazy to wash his hands, and went to scoop a bowl of sauerkraut noodles. He was so hungry, having only had a bowl of soup at breakfast.

The four of them were the same; after serving their food, they squatted on the stone step under the eaves and finished their noodles in one go. They were incredibly hungry but didn’t want to waste money buying food on the street.

After eating, Lin Heng and his big brother went to fix the pigpen and the chicken and duck pens, cutting bamboo to make two bamboo cages, temporarily housing the rabbits in them.

They planned to chop some cow tendon trees later to make a cage, wrapping it with iron mesh, which should be good enough for the rabbits.

Over at the carpenter Liang’s place, he had started assembling cabinets and furniture yesterday afternoon, and Lin Heng’s father was helping him.

Lin Heng looked at his small pavilion in the backyard and felt unsatisfied: “I need to put a wooden floor and raise the ground a little. Otherwise, rainwater will easily get in.”

He called Big Brother Lin Yue for help, and they chopped down several pine trees from the mountain.

They sawed the logs into three-meter-long pieces, turned them into pine boards, charred them by the fire, and brushed them with tung oil.

After resting for a night, the next day, they installed a wooden floor 30 cm above the ground in the pavilion, made a wooden step around the edges, and added wooden railings on the floor.

Now, the pavilion was complete, with a small square table and a few log stools inside. It felt just right whether for eating or drinking tea.

The rocking chair, however, didn’t quite fit in the pavilion, so Lin Heng placed it under the grapevine rack instead.

At the same time, he built the grapevine rack, even though there were no grape seedlings yet.

With that, the whole backyard was nearly perfect, apart from the lack of a lawn. The little bridge, flowing water, pond, pavilion, calamus, and orchids together created a picturesque farmyard.

He planned to add more plants later for even greater beauty.

Sitting in the pavilion for a while, Lin Heng threw some wheat bran to the grass carp in the pond before heading into the main house.

In the main house, a wooden food cabinet, 3 meters long, 1.5 meters high, and 1.5 meters wide, had already been finished.

On the side of the main house were also a 2.5-meter-high wardrobe, a writing desk with drawers, a vanity table, a china cabinet, three small boxes, and two tables, including a small rice and flour cabinet, all completed.

“Lin Heng, what do you think?” Liang the carpenter smiled as he pointed to the furniture.

“Uncle Liang, you really are a skilled carpenter. This craftsmanship is impressive,” Lin Heng nodded in satisfaction.

Although Liang the carpenter was a bit proud, his work was impeccable. The tables and cabinets had rounded corners, so children wouldn’t bump into them.

At a glance, there were almost no defects like burrs or rough edges.

With Lin Heng’s approval, Liang the carpenter grinned: “Once the wood is fully dry, we can start painting.”

“You’ve worked hard these days, Uncle Liang. I’ll make sure to toast you two cups at lunch.”

Lin Heng smiled slightly.

It was the 30th day of the fourth lunar month, and Liang the carpenter would leave after lunch.

Back at the old house, Lin Heng’s father found him and said, “Since Liang the carpenter is leaving today, why don’t you go out and see if there are any wild chickens or grouse nearby? Catch one to eat this afternoon.”

“Alright, the weather is nice today, so I’ll go take a look.” Lin Heng nodded. He knew his father was a very hospitable person who always wanted to treat guests well.

He grabbed his bow and arrow and set out with Xiong Ba, his dog, to see if there were any grouse in the back mountain.

However, prey wasn’t always easy to find. After walking around the back mountain, Lin Heng didn’t see any wild chickens, and he only found three chicken oil mushrooms, one of which was rotten.

“Let’s go, Xiong Ba. Let’s check the river.” Lin Heng rubbed Xiong Ba’s head.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba ran happily ahead.

Lin Heng didn’t go to the 18th Tang Ditch, as too many people had been picking honeysuckle there recently. He instead went to the edge of the fields to see if there were any rails, as catching a couple would be tasty too.

“Croak! Croak!!”

The big green frogs in the water croaked joyfully, hiding in the duckweed, thinking they were undetectable.

“Damn, is today going to be a bust again?”

Lin Heng turned his gaze to the frogs in the fields.

“No rails, but field frogs are still good.”

He grabbed a stick and with a single swing, a big green frog flipped over and died with its legs stiffened.

In just ten minutes, Lin Heng had caught twelve large frogs, weighing over two pounds combined.

Splash!

At that moment, a wild chicken suddenly flew out from the opposite hillside and landed in the forest above the field.

Lin Heng glanced at the frogs in his hands: “I misjudged you all, my apologies. Turns out there are wild chickens.”

With his bow and arrow, Lin Heng sneaked into the forest, but the wild chicken was unusually cautious. It flew away as soon as it was still over 100 meters away, heading straight for the mountaintop.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of splashes echoed, and several more green frogs turned belly-up.

“What mistake did I make? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

With the frogs in hand, Lin Heng went down to Shiban River, where he caught ten more green-headed watercocks in the shrubbery by the river.

After all, they were all birds, so catching green-headed watercocks didn’t feel like an empty-handed trip.

“Ah, what a fruitful day, right, Xiong Ba?” Lin Heng grinned, patting Xiong Ba’s head.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiong Ba gave a Samoyed-like smile, as if agreeing with Lin Heng.

“Good dog, here’s a field frog for you.” Lin Heng handed Xiong Ba a frog, since he had caught plenty.

When he got home, Lin Heng’s father wasn’t there. Lin Heng’s mother was cooking, and when she saw him come back, she asked, “Did you catch anything? If not, we can use some cured meat.”

“Of course I caught something. Do you think I ever miss?” Lin Heng raised the green-headed watercocks and green frogs.

Lin Heng’s mother stared at him, speechless.

“You call that catching something?” Lin Heng’s mother’s face darkened.

“No problem. Green-headed watercocks and frogs are just as good as wild chicken meat.” Lin Heng said seriously.

Lin Heng’s mother was furious and looked like she wanted to hit him. The sight of the frogs was enough to make her tremble: “I can handle the green-headed watercocks, but for the frogs, either you cook them yourself or feed them to the dog.”

“Woof woof!” Xiong Ba opened his mouth wide, happily jumping up, as if saying, “Feed them to the dog!”

“Fine, I’ll cook them myself.” Lin Heng looked unrepentant, not afraid of the frogs at all, thinking they weren’t much different from humans.

Taking a knife and a wooden board, he began preparing the frogs. He slit their skin at the head, tore it off, revealing the white meat.

After chopping off the heads, limbs, and cleaning out the innards, it was done.

Nineteen frogs in total, and after cleaning, there was a small bowl’s worth.

“Cook it yourself!” Lin Heng’s mother snorted coldly, clearly tempted to hit him at any moment.

“Dear, why don’t you cook it for me?” Lin Heng went to find his wife.

Xiu Lan was a bit scared because some of the frogs were still twitching even after being chopped up.

But since Lin Heng insisted, she went ahead and chopped the ingredients and started cooking.

“Lin Heng, you’re really getting wilder.” Lin Heng’s father shook his head helplessly, having only heard about people eating this but never tried it himself.

“Don’t worry, after you try it once, you’ll want to have it again.” Lin Heng grinned.

“I’ll dare to eat it!” Lin Wei, Lin Heng’s eldest nephew, was the first to support his second uncle. He had complained for a long time after missing out on the fried cicadas last time.

“Well said.” Lin Heng patted his nephew, glad that he had taught him how to use a slingshot.

The food was quickly served, with a luxurious spread of nine dishes, including three meat dishes—quite a treat.

“Uncle Liang, here’s your payment. It’s 22 yuan in total. Please count it.”

Before the meal, Lin Heng’s father settled the payment.

Liang the carpenter counted the money and smiled widely: “No mistakes with the money. I’m lucky to have worked here; we’ve had meat every day, and I’ve put on some weight.

Next time, I’ll bring a gift for you all, as a housewarming gift.”

“Too polite, it’s just part of the hospitality,” Lin Heng’s father said courteously.

“In any case, I’ve made a good friend in you. Next time, if you need anything, just ask. I’ll do it, no matter the price.”

Liang the carpenter said as he raised his cup.

Lin Heng’s father, big brother, and others also raised their cups. Everyone knew that Liang the carpenter was impressed by Lin Heng and admired his hunting skills.

“Uncle Liang, I’ll toast to you.” Lin Heng smiled and raised his glass.

“Good, good, good.” Liang the carpenter quickly raised his glass.

“Lin Heng, I have to say, this field frog is really delicious. I’ll make some at home too, it’s so fragrant and tender.”

Liang the carpenter couldn’t stop praising the frog meat after taking a few bites.

“This is really good.” Lin Heng’s father also changed his mind and ate with relish.

Lin Heng tried to give his mother a piece, but she immediately took her bowl away: “I won’t eat it, just looking at it scares me.”

No matter what, she refused to eat it.

“Fine, Xiu Lan, you eat it.” Lin Heng shrugged, knowing his mom had her reasons.

Xiu Lan was cheerful and ate two pieces, even feeding a small piece to Xiao Xia.

After dinner, Liang the carpenter packed up his tools, smiling: “After such a good meal, I’ll be leaving now. Next time I pass by your place, I’ll make sure to stop in, even if it’s just for a cup of water.”

“Too kind, we’ll definitely welcome you next time.”

Lin Heng’s father smiled and responded, and everyone saw him off to the road.

(The End of This Chapter)