"Woo........."

The steam locomotive sounded a long whistle and rumbled past in front of you, and the carriages were piled high with white cotton bales, galloping into the distance like a long dragon.

Bian Chunsong propped the bicycle aside, took out the kettle and poured a few sips of water, and looked at the long train away with a look of fascination.

In his bones, he liked this kind of steam machinery full of industrial feeling, the long black smoke coming from the steam locomotive, and the steel wheels carrying his dreams away, which he often saw but couldn't get enough of.

After the train passed, the railing at the fork in the road was erected, and the master of the railway track blew his whistle and waved a small flag to let it go.

Stranded freight wagons moved one after another, and two heavy-duty four-wheeled tractors roared mightily, carrying a load of grain as they drove through the railway switches, making the air smell faintly of diesel burning.

Bian Chunsong wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushed the bicycle and ran two steps, and rode on it as soon as he kicked his legs, he rang the crisp bell, and soon overtook several mule and horse carts lightly.

Facing the fresh air of the countryside with the scent of earth, his mood was particularly relaxed.

It is already close to the suburbs of Suzaku City, riding nearly 20 kilometers in an hour and a half, and Bian Chunsong pedals the bicycle on two legs, which is like a hot wheel, and the speed is quite fast.

He was not going to enter the city, but was going to go straight through a dirt road on the outskirts of Suzaku City and continue in the direction of the suburbs, so that he could save a lot of roads.

His family's farm is about 10 kilometers from Suzaku City, and a seasonal river that originates in the Great Dividing Range passes by the river, which has seven distinct bends and is known locally as the "Seven Kidnappers River".

As soon as you enter the dirt road, your speed slows down.

But this did not affect Bian Chunsong's mood at all, he was getting closer and closer to home, he hummed a song softly in his mouth, and felt that there was endless energy in his body.

All the way

Most of the houses dotted with the countryside are wooden buildings, some are wooden bungalows with high ridges, wooden roofs with provoking cornices on both sides, some are Chinese-style wooden buildings, and there are few houses made of rocks or bricks and concrete, and even if there are, they are limited to the manors of the wealthy, or commercial buildings such as shops, banks and telegraph houses in the townships, and the houses are still mainly wooden houses.

This is mainly because the countryside is remote, there are rich forest resources around, the price of building wooden houses is relatively low, the local temperature is generally between 5~22 degrees, wooden houses are more comfortable to live in, the key is low cost, find a few neighbors who are familiar with carpenter's craftsmanship can build up.

This is very different from the city, where Queensland's first- and second-tier cities are now dominated by reinforced concrete houses and rock piles, while wooden houses are gradually being phased out because of poor thermal insulation and durability, although the construction cost is higher, and urban residents with more financial resources are more willing to build their homes more comfortably.

After an hour and a half of jolting on the dirt road, Bian Chunsong was finally able to see the farm's high roof, a two-story wooden building with six separate rooms on each floor and a beautifully decorated porch.

Around the house is a circle of wooden fences, the pigsty in captivity, the chicken coop are all in the fence, and from a distance you have seen the salted meat and salted fish hanging on the rope in the yard, reflecting the sauce color in the sunlight, and it makes people move their appetite when they see it.

A sound of horses' hooves came quickly from far to near, and it was a few cowboys on horseback who chased after them, and a young man laughed when he saw Bian Chunsong; "Hahaha...... Songzai, you still know how to come back, I thought you would be happy to stay in the big city! ”

"Big Strong, are you going to hunt rabbits again?"

"The rabbits in the field can't stop fighting, and they come over every now and then to scourge the crops, and a few farms near us are ready to organize dragnet hunting, do you want to count you as one?"

"Forget it, I'm coming back in a tight time this time, I'll leave tomorrow after staying for one night, and I'll talk about it when I have a chance later."

"Okay, come and play with us when you have time."

The young man looked at Bian Chunsong, who was on the ground with one leg, and after explaining a sentence of the scene, he rode away with his legs on the belly of the horse, and several other knights followed closely and soon left behind.

Bian Chunsong didn't see the hare behind their saddle, knowing that it was so rampant that no one ate it in the countryside, and the hare was killed and left on the ground to fertilize the field.

In the vicinity of the farms near the big cities, because there are more hunts, there are often knights who hunt casually in the city, and occasionally you can see some hares, which is not a big scourge.

In remote farms like theirs, the scourge of hares is more serious, sometimes you can see dozens or hundreds of herds of hares scourge crops, and even thousands of hares on a large scale, which can scourge the entire crops, especially the vegetable fields.

Therefore, most of the nearby farms only grow a small amount of vegetables for their own consumption, mainly growing wheat and soybeans, wheat is ground into flour is the main food, wheat bran can be fed to horses, cattle, pigs and chickens, and soybean straw can also be fed to cattle and horses after crushing.

Each farm here has at least a dozen horses, more than dozens or hundreds, which is a symbol of the wealth of private farms, horse-drawn carriages are the main force of work and transportation, riding horses is the main means of transportation, plus cattle, sheep and pig feed is not a small number.

Don't think that horses only eat grass, such horses can not do farm work, normal wheat bran straw is the main feed, piled up and fermented to feed more nutritious, called fermented feed.

If you do heavy work, you should also feed some black beans or soybean meal to increase the nutrition of the horses.

Green fodder such as grass should also be eaten together, and you can ride a horse out to feed, which accounts for a small proportion.

Bian Chunsong rode his bicycle closer and closer to home, and heard the barking of shepherd dogs in the wooden fence from a distance, and several shepherd dogs rushed out of the courtyard gate and galloped all the way.

He was surprised to find that there are two greyhounds that are good at catching wild rabbits, this kind of dog is also called Gree dog, which is native to the Middle East and is widely announced in European countries that the maximum speed of running can reach 60 kilometers, which is very flexible.

"Aunt Ah Fen, it's Songzi who is back!" Bian Erhu, a farm employee who was feeding pigs in the yard, screamed loudly, his tone full of joy.

Bian Chunsong pushed his bicycle into the yard, and several dogs surrounded him and barked excitedly, wagging their tails very happily.

"Brother Erhu, where is my father?"

"Early in the morning, I drove the carriage to Liu's mill to grind the new wheat that had just been harvested this year into flour, and my brother and uncle went together, and I guess I can come back before dark."

"Oh, he's going to have a drink in town and play cards with those old fellows, and he'll not be back until the evening."

Bian Chunsong knows his Abba's temperament well, he is an idle person, every once in a while he has to go to the town to get together with the old guys, drink and play cards, and come back until he has fun, which is also the main pastime of the surrounding farmers.

While the two were talking, a middle-aged white woman with black hair and black eyes came out of the room and saw Bian Chunsong crying out happily; "Oh...... God willing, Songzai is back. ”

"Second mother, I brought you a floral dress."

"Thank you, my child, it's good for you to come back, don't bring anything to the second mother, there is nothing missing at home."

"Well, there are all the gifts." Bian Chunsong replied.

A few people walked into the room with a smile, Bian Chunsong's mother was a traditional Chinese middle-aged woman, with a thin figure, who heard the voice and walked down from the wooden building, standing at the top of the stairs and looking at him with a relieved expression; "Good boy, why do you have time to come back to see Abba and Grandma today?"

Bian Chunsong hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully; "Grandma, I'll come back when I get the chance, I'm afraid I won't be free if I'm busy for a while in the future."

"That'...... How many days can you spend at home this time? ”

"Grandma, live at home for a day, I will leave tomorrow afternoon, the company has taken over a new scientific research project, I have to participate in scientific research with my teacher, and I may not be able to come back for a while when I am busy."

"Oh, you young people go out and do big things, don't worry about your family." Aunt Ah Fen looked at Bian Chunsong with a loving expression, took his hand over and patted it gently, and said; "Your father went to the town to grind noodles, I asked him to inquire by the way, to see if there is a suitable sister-in-law to talk about a family, the family has also saved some money in the past few years, and it is enough for you to marry a daughter-in-law."

"Grandma, I'm only 23 years old this year, so I'm not in a hurry."

"What do you mean by not being in a hurry?" Aunt Ah Fen's face was unhappy, and she stretched out her hand and gently slapped his arm and said; "I think back then, your Abba and Auntie got married at the age of 16, Grandma gave birth to you at the age of 17, and your Dad went to Nanyang alone at the age of 19, earning this family business with his bare hands, and bringing us all over from the mainland to enjoy happiness, at that time, your Abba was 23 years old, and retired from the army for this big family, otherwise now he may be a lord, look at you...... I'm 23 this year, I'm not in a hurry, I'm waiting to hold my grandson! ”

"Uh...... Okay, Grandma. Bian Chunsong reluctantly complied.

Aunt Ah Fen was not easy to fool, and when she saw his reluctant look, she reprimanded; "Songzai, you have spent a lot of time in the big city, you have your own thoughts, and the matter of starting a family has been delayed again and again, and you are really a boy who doesn't know anything.

What kind of family are we?

When I was in the mainland, I barely starved to death, I could drink two meals of gruel a day, and I lived a good life here, have you forgotten those difficult days?

Songzai ...... You must keep in mind your duty, you must not pick and choose, the women in the city are good, but which daughter of a good family has no master?

Don't you want to find me a ghost woman to come back, I can't understand what I say, do you still want my grandma to serve her?

Since ancient times, men and women have been married by their parents, and the words of the matchmaker can do whatever they want?

I hadn't even met him before I married you, so that's fine, isn't it?

A few years ago, I wanted to buy you a Malay daughter-in-law, she was young and beautiful, she didn't want anything for the bride price, the car money, just make two clothes, and give 20 pounds to sell her body to marry back, you have to say that you are in school and it is not suitable to marry a wife, you are afraid of the jokes of your classmates, and you don't want anything.

Okay, you and Abba are in your own hands.

What about now...... If you miss this village, you won't have that store.

There was nowhere to buy a Malay daughter-in-law, and it cost forty or fifty pounds to buy an Arab daughter-in-law, which was a lot more money at once.

Our Chinese daughter-in-law is so expensive that she is going to die, I am thinking about changing your relationship with your father, your sister is also 9 years old this year, and she will be able to get out of the cabinet in a few years, let's find a suitable person to change her family, all kinds of bride price, matchmaker money miscellaneous forty or fifty pounds is enough.

As long as I can marry someone who knows cold and hot and comes back, I will let go of your Abba's heart......"

Grandma held her hand and chattered and complained, Bian Chunsong's heart was warm, and he immediately knelt down and said; "The child is not filial, please punish grandma."

"You kid...... What are you doing on your knees again, get up! ”

Seeing Bian Chunsong kneeling down, Aunt Ah Fen's heart softened again, and she hurriedly dragged him up.

The family gathered together to talk and have fun......

Bian Chunsong's family has a lot of people, the family has a total of 8 people, Bian Chunsong is the eldest son in the family, born to Aunt Ah Fen, and there is a sister with the same father and mother, who is only 6 years old this year.

The second mother is a native of Cuba, belongs to the second house, and is married to Bian Shoutian, the father of Bian Chunsong, when he was the captain of the cavalry squad of the dragoon guard, and has two daughters, one boy and three sons, the eldest is 9-year-old Bian Chunhua, a beautiful little girl of mixed race.

Aunt Ah Fen said that the change of relatives is referring to Bian Chunhua, according to the local market, marrying an innocent woman from a Chinese family as a daughter-in-law, without a bride price of more than 120 pounds, don't even think about it, let alone the door, not even a window.

This is definitely an unbearable burden for Bian Family Farm.

Fortunately, Aunt Ah Fen has confidence, because in addition to the two boys who lost money, there are three daughters in the family, so the old couple thought of changing relatives, and took the now 9-year-old Bian Chunhua for a family, and they can get out of the cabinet when they are a few years older.

In their old concept, men are the top of the Bian family, and girls are from other people's families after all, and they can't be counted.

This private farm covers an area of 72 acres, which is considered a medium-sized farm, and it is a reward that Bian Shoutian received for his military exploits while riding the dragoon, and belongs to the military merit field of ten taxes and one day.

The family on the farm, plus two hired workers from the mainland, could earn about eighty or ninety pounds after a year's hard work.

In addition to the money paid to the hired workers, and the food, drink, and flowers of a large family, the maintenance of the pigsty and horse sheds on the farm, and the addition of agricultural and animal husbandry equipment, we can save twenty or thirty pounds a year.

This does not mean that the farm earns this money, because the herd is expanding every year, and now there are more than 110 cows, and there are more horses, and now there are 27 horses, which is money.

If all the ruthlessness is sold, it will not be a problem to get together five or six hundred pounds, but the problem is that the future days will not be over?

As for the chickens or domestic pigs, they are really not worth much, and the dozen or so pigs are mainly kept for their own food, and the surplus is sold in the town.

More than 100 chickens are kept to lay eggs and kill to eat, in addition to a large family to eat eggs and milk, the horses that do heavy work should give some eggs to strengthen nutrition, and the riding horses should also give a few eggs in the feed every three or five times, and give the horse some fat.

Once you do that, there's nothing left.

The farm has 35 acres of land and is mainly planted with wheat and soybeans, with annual wheat and soybean rotations, and cattle in other areas.

This kind of situation is very common in the Bian family farm, which is basically a rich peasant, and they eat chickens, ducks, fish, meat, eggs and milk, and use at least two sets of clothes for the male and female masters, who can raise five or six children, and the children do not need to wear patched clothes, and the nutrition is completely enough.

As for how much money is saved, it is very limited, and it is mainly used for expanding reproduction.

It's impossible to run a private farm, it's impossible to be so poor that you can't eat, but it's also impossible to make a lot of money.

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