Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 558

   "Woo..."

  The steam locomotive sounded a long air whistle, and rumblingly passed by. There were tall white cotton bales piled in the carriage, and it galloped into the distance like a long dragon.

  Bian Chunsong put the bicycle aside, took out the water bottle and poured a few sips of water, watching the long train go away, still looking fascinated.

  From the bottom of his heart, he likes this kind of industrial steam machinery, the long black smoke from the steam locomotive, and the steel wheels carrying dreams away. He often sees but can't see enough.

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

The freight wagons stranded here moved one by one, and two heavy four-wheel tractors roared vigorously. The carriages were full of grain and drove past the railway turnouts, making the air faint. The smell of diesel burning.

  Bian Chunsong wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushed the bicycle for two steps, and rode up with his legs. He rang a crisp bell, and quickly surpassed several mules and wagons lightly.

   Facing the countryside, carrying the fresh and fragrant earth air, he felt particularly relaxed.

  It’s close to the outskirts of Suzaku. I rode for nearly 20 kilometers in an hour and a half. Bian Chunsong’s two-legged bicycle is like a hot wheel, and the speed is quite fast.

  He is not going to enter the city, but is going to go straight through a dirt road on the outskirts of Suzaku City and continue toward the outer suburbs, which can save a lot of roads.

   His family’s farm is about 10 kilometers away from Suzaku City. There is a seasonal river that originates from the Great Dividing Range. This river has 7 obvious bends. The locals call it "Qigaizi River".

  After entering the dirt road, the speed suddenly slowed down.

  But it didn't affect Bian Chunsong's mood in the slightest. He was getting closer and closer to home. He was humming a song softly in his mouth, and he felt that there was an endless energy in his body.

  All the way

The dwellings dotted in the rural fields are mostly wooden buildings. Some are wooden bungalows with high ridges, with raised cornices on both sides of the wooden roofs, and some are Chinese-style wooden houses. There are few, if any, rock-stacked or brick-and-concrete houses. It is limited to manor houses of the rich, or commercial houses such as shops, banks and telegraph houses in towns and villages, and wooden houses are still the main dwellings.

This is mainly due to the remoteness of the countryside and abundant forest resources in the surrounding area. The price of building wooden houses is relatively low. The local temperature is generally between 5 and 22 degrees. The wooden houses are more comfortable to live in. The key is low cost. Find a few familiar Neighbors with carpenters' craftsmanship can be built.

This is completely different from the cities. Nowadays, in the first- and second-tier cities of Queensland, reinforced concrete houses and rock piles are generally the mainstay. Wooden houses are gradually eliminated due to poor thermal insulation and durability, although the construction cost is higher. , Urban residents with more financial resources are more willing to make their homes more comfortable.

  Bumping on the dirt road for an hour and a half, Bian Chunsong was finally able to see the high roof of the farm. It was a two-story wooden building with 6 separate rooms on each floor and a beautifully decorated porch.

Surrounding the house is a circle of wooden fences, pig pens, and chicken coops are all in the fence. Across the distance, we can see the bacon and salted fish hanging on the rope in the yard, reflecting the color of sauce under the sunlight. It makes people move their index fingers.

A sound of horseshoes came quickly from far to near. This was a few cowboys on horseback chasing up from behind. When a young man saw Bian Chunsong and laughed and said, "Hahaha...Songzai, you still know Come back, I thought you were reluctant to stay in the big city!"

   "Big Brother, are you going to beat rabbits again?"

   "The rabbits in the field can't stop fighting, and they ran over to the crops every three to five. Several nearby farms are planning to organize a dragnet hunting. Would you like to count you?"

   "Forget it, I will be back in a tight schedule this time. I will leave tomorrow for one night. I'll talk about it later if I have a chance."

   "Okay, come to us when you have time."

The young man looked at Bian Chunsong, who was resting on the ground with one leg, and after confessing a scene, he licked his legs and rode away. Several other knights followed closely, and soon they were far away. .

  Bian Chunsong did not see wild rabbits behind their saddles, knowing that this stuff was overwhelming and no one would eat them in the countryside. If the wild rabbits were killed, they would put them on the ground to fatten up the fields.

   Near the farms near the big cities, because there are more hunting, there are often knights hunting leisurely in the city, and occasionally some wild rabbits are not very harmful.

In remote farms like theirs, the hare disaster is more serious. Sometimes you can see dozens or hundreds of hare flocks damaging the crops, and even on a large scale, there are even thousands of hares, which can damage the entire crop. In particular, the scourge of vegetable fields is particularly serious.

Therefore, most of the nearby farms only grow a small amount of vegetables for their own food. They mainly grow wheat and soybeans. Wheat is ground into flour as the main food. Wheat bran can be fed to horses, cows, pigs and chickens. Soy straw can also be fed after crushing. The cow feeds the horse.

Every farm here needs to raise at least a dozen horses, and dozens of horses as many as hundreds of horses. They are a symbol of the wealth of private farms. Horse-drawn carriages are the main force of work and transportation. Horse riding is the main means of transportation. Sheep and pig feed is not a small number.

  Don't think that horses only eat grass. Such horses can't do farm work. Normal wheat bran straw is the main feed. After being piled up and fermented, they will be fed more nutritiously, which is called fermented feed.

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

   Green fodder like grass should also be eaten together, and you can ride out to feed on a horse, which is a small proportion.

  Bian Chunsong rode his bicycle closer and closer to home. From a distance, he heard the barking of sheepdogs in the wooden fence. Several sheepdogs rushed out from the gate of the courtyard and rushed all the way.

  He was surprised to find that there are two greyhounds who are good at catching wild rabbits. This dog is also called Gree, native to the Middle East. It is widely announced in European countries that it can run at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers and is very flexible.

   "Aunt A Fen, Songzai is back!" Bian Erhu, a farm worker who was feeding pigs in the yard, cried out, his tone full of joy.

  Bian Chunsong walked into the yard with his bicycle, and a few dogs screamed excitedly around him, their tails wagging very happily.

   "Brother Tiger, where is my dad?"

   "I drove a carriage to the Liujia Mill early in the morning to grind the new wheat harvested this year into flour. My brother and uncle went together. I guess I can come back before dark."

   "Oh, he will definitely have a drink in town, and then play cards with those old guys, and he won't come back at night anyway."

Bian Chunsong knows his Abba’s temperament well. He is a person who can’t stay idle. He has to go to town to gather with his old guys, drink and play cards and talk about the mountains. He doesn’t come back until he has a good time. He is also a neighboring farmer. Main pastime.

  The two were talking, a middle-aged white woman with black hair and black eyes came out of the house and saw Bian Chunsong yelling happily; "Oh... God bless, Songzai is back."

   "Second mom, I brought you a floral skirt."

   "Thank you, my child, you will be fine when you come back. Don't bring anything to your second mother. There is nothing missing at home."

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

Several people walked into the room chatting and laughing. Bian Chunsong's mother was a traditional Chinese middle-aged woman, she was thin and she heard the voice coming down from the wooden building, standing on the stairs, looking at him with relief and said; Good boy, why do you have time to come back to see Aba and Ama today?"

  Bian Chunsong hurriedly greeted him and said respectfully; "Ama, I will come back and have a look when I have a chance. I am afraid that I will be busy for some time in the future."

   "Then... how many days can I spend at home this time?"

   "Ama, I live at home for a day, and I will leave tomorrow afternoon. The company has accepted a new scientific research project. I and my teacher have to participate in scientific research. I may not be able to return for a while when I am busy."

"Oh, you young people go out to do big things, don't worry about home." Aunt Affin looked at Bian Chunsong lovingly, pulled his hand over and patted it gently, and said; "Your dad goes to the town to grind noodles. I'm going, I asked him to inquire and inquire to see if there is a suitable sister to say about the family. In the past few years, the family has also saved some money, and it is enough to marry you a wife."

   "Ama, I'm only 23 years old this year, so don't worry."

"What does it mean to be in no hurry?" Aunt Affin looked upset, stretched out her hand and gently hit his arm and said; You, your dad went to Nanyang alone when he was 19 years old. He earned this family business with his bare hands and brought us all from the mainland to enjoy the blessings. At that time, your dad was 23 years old and retired from the army for this big family. Otherwise, I might be a Ferguson now. Look at you... I'm 23 this year and I'm not in a hurry. I can wait to hug my grandson!"

   "Uh...well, grandma." Bian Chunsong reluctantly responded.

Aunt Affin is not easy to fool, she scolded him when she saw his reluctant look; "Songzai, you have spent all your time in the big city. With your own mind, the things of starting a family have been delayed. Really a foolish boy.

  What kind of family are we?

  I barely died of starvation when I was in the mainland, and I could drink two meals of gruel a day. Only after I got here did I live a good life. Have you forgotten all those miserable days?

  Songzai...Keep your own duty in mind, and don’t pick and choose. The women in the city are good, but which good family’s daughter has no owner?

  Don’t think about finding a hag for me to come back. You can’t understand what you say. Do you still have your grandma to serve her?

  Since ancient times, the marriage of men and women has always been the order of their parents. In the words of the matchmaker, where can you do whatever you want?

  Before I married your dad, I didn’t even see him. Is that good?

I want to buy you a Malay daughter-in-law a few years ago. She is a young and beautiful woman. I don’t need any gift money, cart money or anything. I just need to make two clothes and sell my life for another 20 pounds to get married. You must say you are in school It is not suitable to marry a wife, because you are afraid of your classmates' jokes and don't say anything.

  Okay, your father and I are up to your temper.

  Now...If you miss this village, there will be no store.

  Malay daughter-in-law has nowhere to buy it. It costs £40 to 50 to buy an Arab daughter-in-law, which is a lot more money at once.

Our Chinese daughter-in-law is too expensive. Your dad and I are thinking about giving you a new relationship. Your sister is 9 years old this year, and she will be able to leave the cabinet in a few years. Let's find a suitable person to change her relationship. For the gift money, forty or fifty pounds of miscellaneous matchmaker's money is enough.

  As long as we can marry someone who knows the cold and the hot back, your dad and I will let go of our hearts..."

  Ama held hands and complained, Bian Chunsong's heart was warm, and immediately knelt down and said; "My child is not filial, please punish me."

  "You kid...what do you kneel down again, get up!"

   Seeing Bian Chunsong knelt down, Aunt Affin's heart softened again, and she hurriedly pulled him up.

  Family reunite to talk together, it’s fun...

  Bian Chunsong's family has a large population. There are 8 people in the family. Bian Chunsong is the eldest son of the family and was born to Affin Affin. There is also a younger sister who is only 6 years old this year.

The second mother is a white native of Cuba and belongs to Erfangtou, who was married by Bian Chunsong’s father Bian Shoutian when he was the captain of the cavalry squad. She has two daughters and one man and three sons. The oldest is 9-year-old Bian Chunhua. She is a beautiful little girl of mixed race.

   Aunt Affin said that the change of marriage refers to Bian Chunhua. According to the local market, marrying an innocent woman from a Chinese family as a daughter-in-law. Don't even think about it if there is no gift of 120 pounds or more, let alone the door, not even the window.

  For Bian’s farm, this is definitely an unbearable burden.

Fortunately, Affin Affin has the confidence, because in addition to the two money-losing boys, there are three daughters in the family, so the old couple thought of changing their relatives, and exchanged the 9-year-old Bian Chunhua for a relative. In a few years You can leave the cabinet if you are older.

  In their old concept, males are the best in the Bian family, and girls are from other people's families after all, and they are uncountable.

  This private farm covers an area of ​​72 acres and is considered to be a medium-scale farm. It is a reward that Bian Shoutian received with his military merits during the Dragoon Guards.

  The family on the farm, together with two hired workers from the mainland, can earn about eighty or ninety pounds after a year of hard work.

  Excluding the money paid to the hired workers, and then removing the family members for eating, drinking and spending, the maintenance of the pigsty and stables on the farm, and the addition of agricultural and animal husbandry equipment, you can save twenty or thirty pounds every year.

  This does not mean that the farm makes this little money, because the herd is expanding every year. Now there are more than 110 cows and more horses. Now there are 27 horses, all of which are money.

  If you sell it all in a cruel heart, it won’t be a problem to collect five or six hundred pounds. The problem is that you can’t get through the future?

  As for the chickens or domestic pigs, it’s not worth the money. A dozen pigs are mainly kept at home for food, and the excess is sold in the town.

More than 100 chickens are left to lay eggs and killed for food. In addition to the eggs and milk for the family, the horses who do heavy work need to give some eggs to strengthen their nutrition, and the horses who ride horses need to put a few eggs in the feed. , Give me some fat right away.

  After this calculation, there is nothing left.

   35 acres of fields have been reclaimed in the farm, which mainly grows wheat and soybeans. Every year there is a rotation of wheat and soybeans, and cattle herds are stocked in other places.

Bian’s farms are very common. They are basically rich farmers. They eat chickens, ducks, fish and eggs and milk. The host and hostess have at least two sets of clothes for the family. They can raise five or six children, and the children don’t need to wear them. The patched clothes are fully nutritious.

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

  This is the way to run a private farm. It is impossible to be too poor to eat, but it is also impossible to make a lot of money.

  　 There is still a chapter published in the evening, stick to the promise and unwavering, thank you readers and friends for your enthusiasm, and I would like to express my solemn gratitude.

  (End of this chapter)