sbdcsierra Chapter 332: Farm Daily Life 4
Chapter 332: Farm Daily Life 4
Paul Pence’s family of three was different from Chet Lawrence and his group. They were only short-term workers. Aside from food, Evelyn Ford wouldn’t provide them with anything else.
Chet Lawrence’s group of six were long-term workers. Evelyn Ford had promised them three sets of clothes and three pairs of shoes a year, the same standard as Officer Graham and his people.
Aunt Crane’s situation was dire. According to her, she had been separated from her husband and children. She had managed to survive solely on the belief that they would one day be reunited.
Aunt Crane was in charge of cooking two meals a day. If people didn’t want to cook for themselves, they could eat directly at the farm’s mess hall. She was also responsible for cleaning. After a few days of observation, it was clear that while she had a reserved personality, she was a quick and efficient worker. A worthy choice by Officer Graham, indeed.
The newly hatched broiler chicks grew quickly. These meat chickens could start laying eggs in just one month. They were large, growing to seven or eight kilograms, with a lot of fat and short legs, which made them prone to falling to their deaths. However, they were also very easy to raise.
Raising ducklings was comparatively more troublesome, and they grew more slowly. The fluffy ducks were cute at first, but once they got a little older, they became incredibly annoying. The entire farm was filled with their "QUACK QUACK QUACK."
But with the broiler chickens, the farm added breakfast to the menu: one boiled egg per person every morning. The broilers could lay two eggs a day, resulting in a very high yield.
The feathers from the slaughtered chickens and ducks were all saved to stuff clothing. There were also many pelts left from the Snow Rabbits they had butchered before. Since Yunnis Denton and Aunt Crane knew how to make clothes, Evelyn Ford gave the pelts to them. A few days later, they had made three rabbit fur coats—one each for Evelyn, Wyatt Vaughn, and Wendy. The leftover scraps of fur were given to the two women as a gift.
"Miss Ford, what are you doing?"
Joelle Finch had come to return the remaining seeds when she saw Evelyn Ford directing Ronan Kendrick and Quincy at their work.
"It’s too cold. I’m planning some entertainment for everyone."
Joelle Finch looked curious. "Entertainment?"
"We’re clearing out this room so everyone can come watch TV at night."
Joelle Finch was stunned. "Watch TV? Miss Ford, you have a television?"
"No, it’s a DVD player. You put the disc in, and it plays. I traded for a DVD player and some discs back in Tarr City."
The DVD player and discs had actually been found in a residential building while scavenging for supplies a long time ago. There were all sorts of movies: war films, martial arts films, zombie flicks, melodramas about mother-in-law conflicts, palace intrigue dramas, and angsty romances. There were nearly a thousand discs in total.
"Miss Ford, can I come watch too?"
"Yes. We’ll play them for two hours every evening, and everyone is welcome. Quincy will be in charge of this room, so just find him."
Evelyn Ford had already given the key to Quincy. Everyone could come watch from eight to ten in the evening.
"Miss Ford, you’re the best! But... isn’t this a bit extravagant? Won’t it waste a lot of electricity?"
Evelyn Ford smiled. ’It is a bit of an extravagance,’ she thought, ’but the weather is just too cold. I feel like people need some form of recreation besides work to keep their spirits up.’
"It won’t. The cost is low." Two hours of playback wouldn’t even use one kilowatt-hour of electricity.
The DVD player was rechargeable and had a long standby time.
Ronan Kendrick finished setting up the fireplace while Quincy brought in some wood. The two of them still needed to make some low stools.
Evelyn Ford accepted the seeds, and Joelle Finch left. Joelle told Yunnis Denton and Raymond Shepherd the news, and by the time work was over, everyone on the farm knew they could watch TV.
Wendy came running from the rabbit hutches. Seeing the DVD player on the table, she hugged Evelyn Ford excitedly.
"Alright, everyone, calm down. From eight to ten every night, you can all come here to watch. The rest of the time, this room will be locked. If anyone tries to sneak in, they’ll face the consequences." Quincy took the discs Evelyn Ford gave him and fiddled with the machine like a pro. Once the DVD player was on, an image immediately appeared on the screen.
The DVD player’s screen was only twenty-one inches, but the picture was very high-definition and didn’t lag at all.
"Okay, everyone go eat dinner now. Come back at eight. How about this: I’ll blow my whistle later, and when you hear it, you can come over to watch."
Eager to make it back by eight for the show, everyone scattered like a swarm of bees. Quincy chuckled and hung the key around his neck.
"Starting today, I’m the official TV administrator."
Wyatt Vaughn was not happy. "Evelyn, Quincy isn’t suited for this position. Why don’t you let me do it?"
Quincy was shocked. "Wyatt Vaughn, how dare you try to steal your husband’s job!"
"If you admit you’re my man, then give me the TV administrator job."
Quincy shook his head. "No way. Only I am competent enough for this job."
Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, everyone else quickly cleared out.
"Those two are a match made in heaven. They fight every day and will probably make up five minutes later."
"It’s too much. I can’t watch."
"Time to eat. We need to go over early to get a good spot. I haven’t watched TV in years. I’m so nostalgic."
"I love martial arts films the most. I wonder what Quincy is going to play tonight."
"I like thrillers and sci-fi movies."
"I want to watch a xianxia series."
...
Everyone was excited. To them, this was a spiritual oasis in the post-apocalyptic world, and no one wanted to miss it.
At eight o’clock that evening, everyone showed up promptly at the door of the screening room, including Paul Pence’s family of three.
Quincy played a crime thriller for them. Everyone was completely engrossed. The movie only played for two hours that night, and when ten o’clock came, no one wanted to leave.
The firewood in the fireplace had been replenished several times. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick stood at the very back, and at ten o’clock, the two of them left.
Quincy turned off the DVD player and started ushering people out.
"Everyone, hurry home now. You can watch again tomorrow night."
"Quincy, play a comedy tomorrow. All this fighting and killing isn’t fun to watch at all."
"Play a horror movie instead. I guarantee it’ll get everyone’s spirits up."
Quincy raised a hand to quiet the crowd. "Don’t worry, we’ll play all genres. Watching TV is a pastime. You all still have to work hard. Be careful, or Evelyn Ford might just tear down the screening room, and then you won’t be able to watch anything even if you want to."
No one dared to make any more suggestions.
"Alright, everyone out. I’m locking the door."
Back in their cabin, Evelyn Ford flopped directly onto the bed.
"Watching TV with them is so noisy, louder than the ducks in the pen. I’m not going to join the crowd tomorrow night. I’d rather work in the space."
Ronan Kendrick chuckled. "If you’d given the job to someone else, it would have been quieter. With Quincy in charge, he’s the one leading the ruckus."
Evelyn Ford rubbed her temples. "I need to find something else for Quincy to do. The guy has too much energy; he can be really annoying sometimes."
Ronan Kendrick raised an eyebrow. "In that case, you might as well banish him to the mines or send him to Tarr City to trade for supplies."
"No, that won’t work. If he lost the truck, my losses would be too great. On this team, the younger ones aren’t tactful enough, and the capable ones are getting older. Nathan Xavier and Drako are decent, but I can’t entrust something like that to them yet."