My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 108 Trivial
"Mother, didn't you see how ignorant this good-for-nothing is? He didn't even say a word to me when he saw me. Why are you still arguing with him?"

After Chen Ling walked away, Wang Juxiang, perhaps seeing that Chen Ling didn't take the initiative to talk to him, fanned the stench with his straw hat while covering his face with a towel and said in a muffled voice.

Hearing this, Liang Guizhen snorted, wiped her sweat, and said, "This spendthrift may be ignorant, but he's used to being extravagant. He's always so generous when he comes over to give things. Your father has helped him a lot; let him visit more often, he'll surely benefit from it."

"The greenhouse vegetables that I used to ask Lanhua to take back were given to me by this spendthrift. Those vegetables sell for two yuan a pound in the county town. Who else would give away such expensive stuff? Only this spendthrift would do something like that."

But Wang Juxiang scoffed at these words, "Forget it, Mom. Look at this scoundrel, he's always running to the eldest son's house now, giving all the good stuff there. He doesn't care about his father at all."

"They're obviously trying to curry favor with the big boss, the policeman, and they can't be bothered with our village secretary."

When Wang Juxiang spoke of his elder brother Wang Jusheng, his eyes were filled with annoyance, as if he looked down on him. But despite his disdain, his tone was sour, just like his mother's usual way of speaking.

However, when Liang Guizhen heard his words, her old face immediately darkened: "What a load of rubbish! What good is it for him to suck up to the boss? He even looks down on the Party Secretary. Why doesn't he mention that the Party Secretary is the father of a policeman?"

"The eldest brother is really something, always associating with bad friends. It's such a small thing as harvesting wheat, but he has to treat people to food and drink even after slaughtering the sheep. This has happened twice now. I don't know what benefits they can give him. I'll have to say something to him about this another day."

The old woman was cursing and swearing, but her eyes kept darting around, thinking to herself that Chen Ling and his men must have sent a lot of good things to the eldest son's family.

He immediately hatched a wicked plan.

Wang Juxiang probably understood the implication in his mother's words, and his mind started to stir. He quickly said, "That's right. I heard that the eldest brother has started hanging out with Li Xian from the east of the village. During the holiday a while ago, Li Xian even gave the eldest brother half a truckload of watermelons."

"Half a cart? My goodness, why did they give so much? There are only a few people in the eldest son's family. They can't possibly finish all those melons. Aren't they afraid they'll spoil in this hot weather? They're all just wasting food."

Liang Guizhen's eyes widened immediately, her old eyes shining, and then she started cursing and scolding her eldest daughter-in-law, saying that there were so many watermelons in the house, and she didn't even bring a couple home. Did she have any respect for her parents-in-law?

"Alright, alright, why waste time saying so much nonsense? After we finish this load of manure, we'll have to come back for another one. Let's get to work, stop talking so much nonsense."

Wang Laishun couldn't stand it anymore, so he interrupted his wife and drove the donkey cart out of the village, intending to take his second son to the fields late at night.

……

Chen Ling was unaware of this little incident that happened after he left. For the next two days, he helped Wang Susu set up the silkworm racks, and then took the children out to catch scorpions every night. They searched the entire village and then went outside the village, working very hard. Fortunately, the harvest was not bad.

Having caught quite a few scorpions, it was time to sell them. The happiest time was counting the scorpions. Liu Nier and the other mischievous kids found a soft, flat spot outside Chen Ling's yard, plopped down, dug a hole in the ground, dumped all the scorpions in, and quickly covered them with soil.

Then, each child carefully peeled away the soil layer by layer with their own tongs, gradually revealing the scorpion's raised tail. They then used the tongs to pull the scorpions out of the soil one by one and put them into a bag. The children poured the scorpions they had caught into the bag one by one. After counting them, Xizi stood to the side and used a twig to write and draw on the ground to record the number.

"Xizi, you'd better remember this clearly: who caught how many, how many big ones, and how many small ones. After I sell the scorpions, I'll come back and give you the money."

Chen Ling squatted down beside him, opening his pocket and letting Liu Nier pick up scorpions one by one and put them in, while smiling and instructing Xizi.

He had inquired about scorpions when he delivered film to the county town a few days ago. He said there were slightly fewer scorpions this year than in previous years, so the price was good. They were bought by the size, not by weight; large scorpions were two cents each, and small scorpions were one cent each. He had caught enough scorpions last night, and Liu Ni'er happened to come to ask him how to sell them, so he came up with this idea.

"Okay, Uncle Fugui."

The children were very excited when they heard that they would split the money after selling the scorpions.

"Goodness, Fugui is keeping work points for the kids."

Just then, Chen Dazhi rode by on his bicycle carrying two heavy bags. Seeing the little children sitting on the ground enthusiastically counting scorpions, he stopped his bicycle and said with a smile.

"Haha, it's just nonsense..."

Chen Ling stood up and smiled: "What have you been up to, Brother Dazhi?"

"We ground two bags of flour."

Chen Dazhi parked his bicycle and came over to take a look: "There are quite a few scorpions here. Have you fed them? If you put them in a bag without feeding them, they'll fight. Big scorpions will even eat the little ones when they're hungry."

Scorpions are social creatures. A scorpion colony is like a big family, and they can live together peacefully. However, if they are put together with scorpions from other colonies, they will fight and even eat each other when they are hungry.

"We fed them, we fed them insects and wheat bran, we fed them until they were full."

The little children immediately shouted loudly.

"It's good that you've fed them. Scorpions are good stuff. If a scorpion dies, you'll get one less popsicle."

Chen Dazhi stood with his hands behind his back for a while, then turned to Chen Ling and said, "Fugui, do you have a hoe? I'm planning to plant corn in that old field in the ditch to the west these next few days. I've already composted the manure, and I still need to turn it over twice. But my hoe is about to rust and break, so it's unusable."

"A hoe? I don't have a hoe, how about a monthly hoe?"

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He didn't do farm work before, and Wang Susu did all the harvesting and hoeing. So the family only had a monthly hoe, and didn't have the kind of heavy digging hoe that men used.

In rural areas, hoes are generally divided into three types: hoes, digging hoes, and flat hoes.

As the name suggests, the crescent-shaped hoe is mainly used for weeding. This type of hoe is very sharp, and many young men and women who are new to farm work are not familiar with it and cannot control their strength well, so they are very likely to injure their legs and feet.

Therefore, beginners usually use a flat hoe.

It's suitable for teenagers or elderly people with limited physical strength, as it doesn't require much strength. The hoe tip is flat and the hoe body is short. However, one drawback is that beginners are prone to getting blisters.

The hoe is a very heavy hoe that is more than 20 centimeters wide. It is the main tool for turning over soil in mountainous areas. The hoe is relatively long and goes deep into the soil. It is not only heavy but also powerful. It is relatively difficult to use and is a farm tool specially designed for men.

Not all farmland in the village had to be plowed by livestock. In the past, there were few animals in the village; the brigade's animal shed only had a handful of oxen and horses. Everyone in the village had to take turns plowing. Some families had more land allocated to them, and even if they took turns, they couldn't finish plowing in a day. So, the remaining land had to be plowed by the villagers themselves, carrying hoes to dig the fields. This was a task that required strength to compete with the animals, and ordinary women couldn't do it.

Although there is no shortage of livestock now, some people's private plots are at the foot of the mountain or in the gully, like Chen Dazhi's, where the livestock cannot get in, so they have to do it themselves.

“We have a hoe at home, your sister-in-law is using it. It’s alright, if you don’t have one, it’s fine, I’ll go look for another one.” Chen Dazhi smiled. He had come specifically to ask because Chen Ling’s family hadn’t planted any crops this year and wouldn’t need a hoe, but who knew they didn’t have one.

While a hoe can be used to till the soil, it doesn't dig very deep, only reaching the surface. It's also too slow and time-consuming. It's fine for women to use as an assistant, but it's definitely not suitable as the main tool for tilling the soil.

"Uncle Dazhi, you need a hoe? I have one at home, I'll go get it for you."

Just then, Chen Yuqiang heard the voices outside, came out to take a look, and brought out a hoe.

Chen Dazhi took the hoe, thanked them, and didn't leave immediately. He chatted idly in front of Chen Ling's house. Before long, the children had finished counting all the scorpions and put them all into bags.

“Dada, did you see that? I’ve caught almost two hundred scorpions these past few days. Uncle said I can make at least twenty yuan.”

Xiao Sen ran to Chen Yuqiang's side and cheered, telling him to look at the few crooked numbers Xizi had written on the ground.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Yuqiang only glanced at it before turning around and slapping Xiao Sen on the head: "What are you yelling about? So what if it's twenty yuan? No matter how much it is, it was all caught by your uncle. You even dared to have your uncle go to the county town to sell it for you. Look how capable you are."

Xiao Sen never expected to be scolded after making money. He was stunned for a moment, then pouted and looked like he was about to cry. This child was still too young, only five years old. Ever since the last time he drowned, his family had been very strict with him. Today was a rare happy day, and he ran to Chen Yuqiang to ask for praise, but he was scolded again.

Seeing this, Chen Ling quickly picked up the child and comforted him, "It's alright, it's alright. Xiao Sen is very capable. Apart from Liu Ni'er and Xi Zi, you've caught the most."

It would have been better if he hadn't said those words; as soon as he did, the child's tears started falling in a steady stream. But it has to be said, this child really has a stubborn streak; he pursed his lips and didn't cry out, just stared at Chen Yuqiang with teary eyes.

Good heavens, Chen Yuqiang was both amused and exasperated: "Uncle, stop protecting him. How can you be like this? Taking them to catch scorpions is one thing, but after they're done, you even help them sell them in the county town. You've spoiled them rotten. Look at my child, so ignorant. Get down from your uncle's arms!"

"I won't come down, I won't come down! Uncle didn't spoil us. He said he'd let me catch scorpions and sell them to give to you and my mother. He also said he'd buy me candy and treats from the county town. He told me to listen to you and not run around. You don't know anything and just scold me, boohoo..."

"When I grow up, I will be filial to my uncle but not to you. When you are old and lying in bed, I will ignore you and not let you eat. I will starve you like Niu Laosan starved his mother."

Xiaosen puffed out her cheeks, gritted her teeth, and started making threats. As she spoke, she cried even louder, sobbing uncontrollably on Chen Ling's shoulder.

"Good heavens, now it's like I, the father, am in the wrong."

Chen Yuqiang shook his head and smiled bitterly, then said to Chen Ling, "Uncle, you see? This kid can actually tell right from wrong, he's just relying on you to back him up."

After saying that, he turned to Xiaosen and said, "Alright, alright, come down now. Your uncle is going to the county town on business. If you don't behave, he'll get annoyed and won't like you anymore."

"Uncle wouldn't do that."

Xiao Sen retorted, but still slid off Chen Ling's arms, glanced at Chen Yuqiang, squeezed back into the pile of dolls, sat down on a rock, and watched them play with marbles on the ground with tears in her eyes.

……

"Fugui, I heard that the couple across the street from you are getting a divorce?"

"Huh? Uncle Dazhi, you've heard about it too?"

"That's right, everyone in the village is saying that Dongmei is going to cheat on Chunyuan. Chunyuan is scared when he finds out."

"Haha, we don't know that, but it's true that her daughter was sent back to her parents' home after spring and hasn't come back since."

“Uncle Fugui, you don’t go out much, haven’t you heard any noise? Wenli said the other day that this woman always stands on the roof and peeks into your house.”

Chen Ling simply shook his head at what the two of them said. "I don't know much about what happened across the street. Wenli told your aunt about this woman peeping into my house last time, but we have a dog, so I'm not afraid she might have any bad intentions."

After all, Chen Erzhu's matter is long in the past. Qin Dongmei, as a woman alone, would need a lot of ability to cause trouble.

In the afternoon, Chen Ling went to the county town, sold the scorpions to a pharmacy, and then went to the photo studio to pick up the photos. He developed two sets of the film, put one set in an envelope to send to Wang Susu's family, and kept another set for himself.

After finishing these tasks, Chen Ling took a stroll around the small courtyard in the south of the city, picked up the small pieces of paper on the ground, estimated how much he needed to prepare for his return to the city, and then rode his bicycle home. As soon as he passed the reservoir dam, he saw the little children crowding at the village entrance, eagerly waiting for his return.

"The scorpions are all sold out, time to split the money."

Chen Ling gave a shout, and the little kids immediately jumped and cheered as they surrounded him, climbing onto his bicycle one by one. Soon, three kids were squeezed onto the front crossbar, three more onto the back seat, and a toddler wearing open-crotch pants was sitting in the front basket.

Good heavens! Eight people were crammed into a 28-inch bicycle, and they kept shouting "It's time to split the money!" as they drove through the village, attracting many villagers to come outside and watch the spectacle with smiles and amusement.

Some people might ask, without understanding, "What kind of money is Fugui going to give out?"

At this point, the children would proudly reply, "Uncle Fugui is going to give us twenty yuan each for selling scorpions!"

"Good heavens, each child gets twenty dollars? Are scorpions really that expensive this year?"

Everyone was stunned. In the end, even the parents of many young children were alarmed and followed behind Chen Ling's bicycle, asking if it was true.

"It's true. A few days ago, each scorpion sold for a maximum of two cents, but when I went to ask today, the price went up by one cent."

"The main problem is that there aren't many scorpions this year. We've basically searched the whole village and surrounding areas lately, and we've caught almost all of them to make this much money. If we want to catch more scorpions, we'll have to go to the mountains."

Chen Ling's words had little effect; instead, they made many people even more envious: "Go look in the mountains if you want. If you don't dare to go at night, you can go during the day. What are you afraid of? Everyone says there are fewer scorpions this year. If you don't go catch them now, you won't be able to sell them for any money."

So over the next two days, many villagers with ulterior motives went into the mountains to look for scorpions after finishing their work during the day. Some even sent their children to Chen Ling, hoping he would take them into the mountains to look for them.

Chen Ling wouldn't be polite to such people and refused them outright. They were like oxen that didn't know their own limitations, shamelessly running over to take advantage of anyone they could. They had no self-awareness whatsoever.

However, recently all the scorpions in and around the village have been caught, so Chen Ling has stopped going out to look for scorpions. Liu Ni'er and the others have also stopped going. At most, they will come and call him to catch snakes or go to the old house to catch two nests of birds. After catching them, they will light a fire on the spot and roast them to eat.

(End of this chapter)