How to Save a Failed Farm

Ye Qun was awakened by more and more heavy knocks on the door, and heard someone say in a daze, "God, you have a fever." He blinked slowly, a little unable to react.Not long after, a cold towel was placed on his forehead, and Ye Qun immediately woke up a lot. He looked at the furry face above him in a daze: "Lance?"

Lance said worriedly: "Qun, you have a high fever, 102.2 degrees."

Ye Qun was stunned for a moment, and then realized the degree of Fahrenheit that Lance said. He struggled to sit up, his whole body was so sore that he couldn't help moaning.

Lance immediately helped him to lie down, and at the same time handed him a glass of water: "Take some medicine first, and if the fever doesn't subside by noon, I'll take you to the town to see a doctor."

The country people are so kind. Ye Qun took the water glass with mixed feelings and said, "Thank you." He was moved and guilty when he thought that he fell ill at the host's house and the owner was still taking care of him dutifully. Didn't he like it? A person who troubles others.

But he was too weak to lie in bed and be cared for by the big, kind man.He has always paid attention to exercise, and his physical fitness is very good. The last time he had a fever was probably 20 years ago. Ye Qun felt that he had never felt so uncomfortable.There were several medicine bottles on the bedside table. Lance thoughtfully wanted to unscrew and pour out the pills for him, but Ye Qun stopped him: "Uh...I'm allergic to some medicines. I brought the medicine myself."

He was dizzy and couldn't see what was written on the medicine bottle that Lance brought, but he was sure that he couldn't just take other medicines. Ordinary medicines might not only be ineffective for him, but also cause rejection.

Lance nodded: "Where is it? Let me get it for you."

"Inner second compartment in my bag. Thanks."

"Is this it?" Lance picked up a medicine box and said with a puzzled face, "You carry so many medicines with you, it's an exaggeration."

Ye Qun opened the box to pick out the medicine bottles he needed, and replied, "Well, hiking is not an easy task in order to deal with various emergencies." He couldn't remember what medicine he could take now, so he opened the memo took a look.

"I understand." Lance watched him finish his medicine, took his glass, "I'll get you another glass of water."

Fortunately, the disease hadn't completely destroyed his immunity. Ye Qun lay in bed all morning, drank a little oatmeal specially cooked by Lance at noon, and recovered a lot in the afternoon.

He was very grateful for Lance's shelter and care, but paying the money would definitely offend him. Ye Qun walked around the farm, racking his brains to think about how to repay Lance.

Lance was feeding the chickens behind the house, which had several fenced-off, straw-lined fields that looked like poultry pens, but only one had two chickens in it.

"You're up, are you feeling better?" Lance clapped his hands happily, picked up the iron bucket at his feet, and walked towards him.

"I'm much better, thank you very much, Lance." Ye Qun said sincerely, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lance shook his head: "I think you should go back to the house and continue to rest. It's still cold outside."

"I'm ready." Ye Qun emphasized, he took a deep breath, "The air here is really fresh."

"Of course, that's the benefit of living in seclusion. Look at these skies and fields, come on, I'll show you around the farm." When he smiled, he always showed two rows of white and straight teeth without hesitation, which made his smile full of infection force.Ye Qun noticed that there was a cute little dimple on Lance's right cheek, sweetheart, he looked at Lance's bright smiling face and flashed the word out of place in his mind.

"I think you should wear more." Lance said, and then his coat covered Ye Qun.

"Are there only two chickens in your farm?" Ye Qun looked around the farm, it was really too deserted, there were only Lance and his two chickens living on about 150 acres of land.

"Yes." Lance smiled a little shyly. Although he was a big, silly man with a beard and muscular body over 1.9 meters tall, he still had a cute smile.Like he's a furball, but he's also a pretty handsome one.And with a smirk all day long, he is an easy-going and optimistic person. "I have no experience. I didn't take protective measures in the first winter. Most of the pigs, chickens and ducks froze to death. Now, these two lucky ones are left."

"It's a pity." Ye Qun said, "Did you just buy this farm?"

"The first year, I only started learning how to run the farm last December."

"Whoa, so you used to have a job in town?"

Lance said with nostalgia and pride, "Reporter, I used to be a reporter. What about you, what do you do?"

"I work at the winery, but I quit my job."

"To travel around the world?"

"Probably," Ye Qun hesitated for a moment, and replied vaguely. Lance has the characteristics of a simple countryman, and he has a very upright face, which makes it hard to deceive him.But Ye Qun was also unwilling to confess his illness in front of someone he had just met for a day.They've talked a lot though, maybe they're friends now?

"What about you? Experience life?" He could see that Lance was not a native Texan, and his accent was not like the enthusiastic driver who took him to the Woodlands before, but a bit like a British.

"No, in fact, this farm belongs to my father." Lance couldn't help but hang his head, "He passed away. As the only son, I must come back to inherit it."

Ye Qun opened his mouth, but in the end he could only say, "I'm sorry for mentioning your sadness."

"It's nothing." Lance smiled, "but I'm a complete layman, and I made a mess of his farm."

"No one knows what to do from the very beginning." Ye Qun comforted him, "You are very skilled at what you do. At first I thought you had lived here since you were a child."

Lance shook his head, his expression was filled with lingering loneliness: "We lived in England when we were young, and my mother was British. Then she passed away, and my father took me back to the United States and bought this farm. "

Lance put his arm on the fence bordering the farm, and Ye Qun stood beside him, and they looked at the sinking sky together.The sun was setting, filling the sky with warm orange light like spilled paint, the last vestiges of warmth lost in the cold November air.

He murmured, "I hated the farm when I was a kid and never helped my father with anything. If only I had learned more."

At dinner time, in order to repay Lance, Ye Qun decided to cook a big Chinese meal. In fact, he doesn’t know how to cook, but he thinks that even the simplest scrambled eggs with tomatoes can be considered a big meal for Americans who lack taste buds. up.

Lance asked him if he would cook Kung Pao Chicken, and Ye Qun thought it was a good thing he didn't mention Zuo Zongtang Chicken.He said yes without hesitation, then turned on his phone and started searching for recipes.Lance took out a piece of chicken breast from the refrigerator, and Ye Qun pretended to pick it up skillfully and weighed it: "Wow, Hunter Farm's acoustic chicken."

"I bought it at the supermarket." Lance said shyly, "Uh, actually, I dare not kill chickens."

Ye Qun: "..."

He made classic tomato scrambled eggs and shredded potatoes. Although it was his first time making Kung Pao Chicken, Ye Qun personally felt very good. There are various practical kitchen tools in Lance’s kitchen, including kitchen scales, which are very convenient for novices Season according to the recipe.He also found a small bag of rice, without a rice cooker, he steamed the rice following an online tutorial.

Lance was full of praise, so delicious that he almost shed tears.

"I love China," Lance announced, pouring the last spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs over white rice.

Ye Qun was very pleased. As a bachelor who eats canteens all the year round, it was a surprise that his cooking skills got such a high evaluation.He likes Hunter Farm very much, and the two days he lived here made him feel peaceful. Lance is also a very easy-going young man.But his illness was gone, and there was no reason to bother the eager big man.He decided to leave tomorrow: "Is the town far from here? Is there a station?"

"It's a little far away. I can drive you there with a tractor." Lance put down the spoon, as if he hadn't thought of it, "Are you leaving? But Rose from the bakery in town got married on Wednesday, and I received an invitation. I guess you will also be interested to see it, weddings in the countryside are very lively."

Of course Ye Qun is interested. He hopes to experience different lives as much as possible during the last period of his life, but he doesn't want to continue eating and drinking.He said tactfully, "I can't bother you anymore."

"Not at all, you don't bother me at all, on the contrary, I am very happy for you to continue to live." Lance looked at him sincerely, with a hint of expectation in his brown eyes, "You know, I live alone , you will not disturb me at all, I am very happy to have you by my side."

Are all Texans this enthusiastic?Ye Qun questioned in his heart, but he had absolutely no way of rejecting these grape-like dog eyes.He nodded: "Okay, I'll stay, but you have to make me do something, or I'll have a bad conscience."

November is about to enter winter, which is the slack season for farming.Lance actually has nothing to do every day.Ye Qun hasn’t been so leisurely for a long time. Every day, he takes his camera and walks around Lance’s farm. The 150-acre farm is not too big, but every inch of Woodland’s countryside is worth taking pictures.

Among them, about [-] acres of corn are planted, and there is a small lake of about [-] acres, hidden under the shade trees and straight green cypresses that block out the sky and the sun.There is a small garden in front of the house, hibiscus and hyacinths are clustered in the flower hedge, and the deep pink and purple flowers adorn the small white house beautifully.

Near the house is a wooden barn, the backyard is a pasture, and some fruits are planted. Of course, it is late autumn, and the leaves can only see red apples hanging on the apple tree.

All in all, although Lance's small farm is beautiful, the crops are also very single, and he can't even achieve self-sufficiency. Although Ye Qun grew up in the city, he still doubts whether his farm can be profitable.

From the farm, a mountain range rose at the end of the horizon, the only undulation in this vast plain.Lance said that on the other side of the mountain is the wide blue bay.

"If you come here again next spring, you will see green fields and golden sunflowers. At that time, you can take you to the woods to hunt, and there is a large lake nearby where you can fish..." Lance suggested enthusiastically.

He is really a very simple and enthusiastic person, looking at the innocent and harmless hairball leaf group and thinking silently.In just three days, Lance had completely considered him a friend, and so had he, and they shared each other's lives like eighth-graders who just made best buddies.It was not so easy for him to recognize a friend before. He is 27 and nine years old.But maybe Lance is special, maybe the disease has changed his mentality.But he will definitely be lying in the hospital or at home next spring. He is a conservative person and does not want to die on the road in a foreign country.