Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 178

"This fowl plague is highly contagious. Before long, all the chickens, ducks, and geese in this yard will be infected. Besides, we usually don't lock up the chickens, ducks, and geese we buy. We just leave them in our backyards, letting them run around and come into contact with the chickens, ducks, and geese of our neighbors. The fowl plague then spreads to the neighbors, and the fowl plague spreads to the neighbors' chickens, ducks, and geese. They come into contact with the chickens, ducks, and geese of the next-next-next-door, and soon the chickens, ducks, and geese of the whole village will be infected with the fowl plague."

You guys keep three or five chickens and geese and don't think much of it, thinking it has nothing to do with you. At most, it'll just be a few chickens, ducks, and geese dying. But there are several households in our village that raise chickens, ducks, and geese professionally, so the losses for them are much greater.”

Zhao Tingming's words were all reasonable. "Besides, I only asked that you not buy chickens, ducks and geese from Jurenzhangzi. If you can buy healthy chickens, ducks and geese that are not infected with fowl plague, you can bring them back. This way, the losses in our village can be minimized, and we won't have to deal with a situation where every household's chickens, ducks and geese are infected with fowl plague and have to be thrown away because we can't eat them. What else can't you accept?"

Some people's resolve has begun to waver, many said.

"Village chief, are you telling the truth? You're not lying to us, are you? Is this chicken plague really that terrifying? If we accidentally bring back a chicken, duck, or goose with chicken plague from outside, will all the chickens, ducks, and geese raised in the village be infected in no time? And is it absolutely impossible to eat the meat of chickens, ducks, or geese infected with chicken plague? If we do eat them, is the consequences really as terrible as you say?"

"Yeah, yeah, village chief, is it really that scary?"

Zhao Tingming was hesitant to draw any conclusions. Everything depended on the arrival of the township veterinarian to assess the situation, provide a solution, and then make a final decision. However, this wasn't something to be taken lightly. They couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture. Strict management was for everyone's benefit. Even if just one person in the village suffered greatly because of this, the weather in the dead of winter was exceptionally cold, a time when people are most vulnerable. In those coldest days of winter, many elderly people couldn't withstand it. For older people, let alone eating spoiled food or getting sick, even a simple cold or headache could easily take their lives.

The cold already weakens the body's functions. It's especially bad for the elderly. They say it's rare to live to seventy, and although food and clothing aren't a problem these days, not every household is wealthy. There's no air conditioning, and only a few households have central heating, making this freezing weather even harder to endure.

“Even if we’re going to eat, we should eat healthy ones. You can go to other villages and see. Anyway, I’ve taught you how to tell if chickens, ducks, or geese have fowl plague. You can go outside and pick out healthy chicken, duck, or geese that don’t have fowl plague.”

Zhao Tingming spoke with great dedication, showing how much effort he had put into the village. Many people were tempted, as some of what he said was true. Discarding chicken, duck, or goose meat contaminated with fowl plague would only result in a loss of a few dozen yuan, but if someone got sick and had to be hospitalized, the cost would be much higher, potentially tens of thousands of yuan. The risk was simply too great.

But some people didn't see it that way. Qian Bin, nicknamed "Big Mouth," was indignant. He had just had a few drinks that day, lost money gambling, and had a fight with his wife. He was looking for a way to vent his anger.

"Village chief, let me just say this: as far as I know, chickens, ducks, and geese sold in the next village are only three or four yuan each, half the price of those in other villages. And I've seen quite a few people in their village eating chickens, ducks, and geese, and they're all fine. It's not as terrible as you say. Besides, what Aunt Li said is right. If you cook the chicken, duck, and goose meat a little longer, until it's very tender, all the unclean things will be cooked away. If it's cooked properly, it's still edible. Don't even mention chicken plague. Just a while ago, I poisoned some pheasants with a powdery substance called 'Flat Feather Frost,' and I was fine after eating it."

Flat-hair powder was originally an insecticide, but after some experimentation, it seemed to work on pheasants and other small animals. The process involved soaking corn kernels in the powder and then scattering it in the mountains. In winter, when food was scarce, pheasants and rabbits would eat it and die from the poison. However, humans seemed unaffected; no one has died from it so far.

He figured he wasn't afraid of anything poisonous, so why would he be afraid of a mere chicken plague?

absurd.

ridiculous.

"If you ask me, I should thank this chicken plague. It really brought down the ridiculously expensive prices of chicken, duck, and goose meat. Before, a chicken would cost eight or nine yuan, which was incredibly expensive. Now, all the chickens, ducks, and geese in Jurenzhangzi are only three yuan each, which is very cheap. I heard this from a friend in Jurenzhangzi. He said that the prices of chicken, duck, and goose would drop significantly recently, and the prices would only be pushed down even further. He only told me this, but now I'm sharing this secret with everyone. Don't listen to the village chief's nagging about any bans. It would be foolish not to take advantage of a bargain. Besides, who knows if the village chief is just saying this on purpose, so that we don't go to Jurenzhangzi to buy chicken, duck, and goose meat at low prices. He might just go there and buy all the cheap chicken, duck, and goose meat himself, and then sell it to us at a higher price. Maybe that's what the village chief is thinking."

After saying all this, Qian Bin crossed his arms and gave the village chief a look that said, "I see right through you."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Many people said, "Qian Bin, is what you said true? Is it really true that the chicken, duck and goose meat sold over there by the Juren Cane is only three yuan a piece?"

"Normally, a regular rooster would cost eight or nine yuan, ridiculously expensive. I always wanted to complain about the pricing in their village, but after this chicken plague, the chickens, ducks and geese are so cheap now. Sigh, I want to go there to buy some now, but if I go too late, they'll be sold out very quickly."

But there were still some rational villagers, such as Wu Er, who said, "Can cheap goods be good? They're probably just diseased stuff."

Grandpa Liu grumbled, "Oh, Wu Er, I think you're worrying too much. This chicken plague isn't as scary as Old Zhao makes it out to be. You haven't experienced any famines, have you? You don't know how precious food is. In my day, being able to eat rice every day was a blessing, let alone meat. During the great famine, I even ate tree bark. The feeling of hunger is truly unbearable. If I were to throw away this chicken, duck, or goose meat, it would be worse than being killed. Anyway, I don't want to do that. Besides, this chicken plague is just a fabrication. The meat isn't moldy or smelly, so why can't it be eaten? I think if we boil it until it's tender, it'll be ready to eat. We could even make a soup that would be a delicacy. It's not as scary as Old Zhao makes it out to be."

Many people were tempted by what she said, and Aunt Li chimed in, "Qian Bin, is the information you've gathered really reliable? Is the chicken, duck, and goose meat at Jurenzhangzi really that cheap? Sigh, what you said made me want to go there tomorrow to buy a few chickens, ducks, and geese. Unfortunately, I only asked Xiangzi to buy me three chickens today, which cost me several tens of yuan plus transportation costs. If you do the math, those few tens of yuan could have bought almost ten chickens. I feel like I've lost a fortune, and I feel really uncomfortable. No, I need to stock up on more chicken, duck, and goose meat. I need to buy more so we can eat meat every day. I should buy more while the price is cheap. Qian Bin, could you ask your friend to keep an eye out for about ten chickens, ducks, and geese for me? I'll ride my oxcart to Jurenzhangzi another day to buy some, so that other people don't buy them all and I won't be left out. That won't do!"

The others also became anxious upon seeing this. "Hey! Aunt Li, your request is too much! Qian Bin, ask your friend to keep an eye out for a few. Don't worry, Uncle's request is much less, just nine chickens."

Others shouted, "Me too! Me too!"

"Don't try to take it from me, I want some too, Qian Bin. Auntie can give you the money first, just leave me eight chickens, two ducks and one goose."

"Qian Bin, I want one too!"

Many people have already started shouting around Qian Bin.

Zhao Tingming's face grew increasingly grim. He had come to promote the idea that people shouldn't eat it, but things had turned out like this.

He shouted angrily at the top of his lungs, "Quiet down! Stop making a fuss!"

Zhao Tingming rarely gets this angry. He is usually easy to talk to and gentle, but it is extremely rare for him to be so serious and unsmiling like this.

The others were also frightened by Zhao Tingming's appearance, and they all became more reserved, even lowering their voices.

But Qian Bin remained nonchalant, even scoffing, "What's wrong, Village Chief? I guessed what you were thinking, and now you're getting angry? What's wrong with us talking? What business is it of yours? You're so controlling, why are you interfering with what we common folk say? Even if you're the village chief, you can't act like this. Did you secretly buy a bunch of cheap chickens and ducks, hide them, and then sell them to us at a high price? You're rich enough to eat and drink extravagantly, while we common folk can't even afford cheap meat. What kind of logic is that? Everyone, you be the judge! I think this old Zhao is up to no good!"

Zhao Tingming's face flushed red and veins bulged. He couldn't help but snatch the cane from Grandpa Liu's hand, raise the cane, take a big step forward, grab Qian Bin's collar, and, under everyone's shocked gaze, strike Qian Bin hard on the back with the cane.

"You son of a bitch, try spouting that nonsense again! I'll beat you to death, you little bastard! What kind of rubbish are you spouting! Have you drunk some horse piss and forgotten who you are?!"

"I think it's because your parents didn't raise you properly, that you developed this habit of talking nonsense! Do you know how big of a mistake you're making by talking like this!"

"You say I'm after the chickens, ducks, and geese from the 'Juren Cane' (a local deity) and want to sell them to you at a high price to make a fortune? That's all bullshit. If I really did that, I wouldn't have issued this ban. That way, I wouldn't be embarrassed if I bought chickens, ducks, and geese from the 'Juren Cane' area later, and I wouldn't have to keep my position as village chief."

"And listen to that friend of yours who was raising the cane talking nonsense. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by saying that you can eat chicken, duck and goose meat that has fowl plague if you cook it until it's very tender? What if you really get sick from eating it? Can you afford to take responsibility? What if you end up in the hospital? Will you pay for it? Since you don't want to take any responsibility, don't talk nonsense to me."

"I'm so angry! If I don't teach you a lesson this time, I'm not a Zhao!"

As Zhao Tingming spoke, he struck Qian Bin with considerable force. One blow left a clear red mark on Qian Bin's back, causing Qian Bin to howl in pain.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"It hurts so much!" Qian Bin cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face. He tried to break free, but Zhao Tingming held onto his collar tightly, and no matter what he did, he couldn't get away. It was as if he was being held firmly by a pair of giant pincers.

For the first time, Qian Bin felt fear towards Zhao Tingming. In the past, Zhao Tingming had always been gentle and easy to talk to outsiders, never acting so crazy as he was now. This time, Zhao Tingming was truly enraged; it was the angrier he had ever been in his life.

Qian Bin was terrified. His back was burning with pain. He looked around at the people who all seemed stunned. Qian Bin quickly shouted again at the top of his lungs.

"The village chief has killed someone!"

"The village chief has killed someone!"

Qian Bin screamed, tears streaming down his face from the pain. Although he was young and strong, he wasn't stupid. He couldn't very well turn around and beat Zhao Tingming up, could he? Zhao Tingming was over sixty years old; he dared not fight back. What if the old man collapsed and tried to extort money from him?

The villagers, realizing what was happening, rushed over to try and separate the two men. However, Zhao Tingming was strong, and when they managed to pull him and Qian Bin apart, Zhao Tingming kicked them away and flung them off again. He then stepped forward and punched Qian Bin in the face.

Zhao Tingming thought Qian Bin was just a junior, a brat who hadn't even fully grown up yet. He wondered what kind of fake alcohol Qian Bin had been drinking, making him stupid enough to be used as a pawn. Where in the world would you find such a cheap windfall? Usually, that guy selling chickens, ducks, and geese was the most expensive, easily nine or ten yuan a piece, but this time he was selling them for only three yuan a piece. Anyone with a normal brain could tell there was something fishy going on.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. What made the man offering such a low price, regardless of the potential loss, was the chicken plague? He knew his chickens were sick, so he was willing to sell them for whatever price he could.

Qian Bin, that kid, is really something else, coming straight to cause trouble. He usually speaks without thinking, which Zhao Tingming doesn't usually mind. But this is a serious matter. Not only did Qian Bin ramble on, but he also tried to pin the blame on him. Zhao Tingming has been the village chief for over twenty years, and no one has ever talked to him like this before. So it's understandable that Zhao Tingming is extremely agitated.