My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 114

Wang Susu breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, then left the kitchen and went to the east wing to feed the chickens, ducks, quails, and other animals. She had been in such a hurry when she came last night that she hadn't had time to tidy up much; she had simply opened the basket and put them inside, laid a straw mat on the ground, and then left them there without doing anything else.

Actually, chickens and ducks are fine if left alone; they can sleep and lay eggs on straw mats. But quails are different. Now, more than half a month has passed, and the male quails have already hatched their chicks. Yesterday, I covered them in a basket, making sure they were well covered to prevent rainwater from getting in. Luckily, they didn't suffocate, but they are not in good spirits.

It was quite cool on a rainy day. Wang Susu knew that the little quails were afraid of the cold, and they had gotten quite wet in the rain yesterday. She wasn't comfortable keeping them warm next to the male quail, so she asked Liang Hongyu to find two jars, filled them with hot water, wrapped them in rags, and placed them next to the quails to provide warmth.

Afterwards, while cleaning up the chicken and duck droppings inside the house, I observed them. It took quite a while before the little quails regained some energy.

In fact, quail chicks can run around on the ground within half a day after hatching, and at most within ten hours. But unfortunately, it rained heavily, so they stayed in the chicken coop after hatching. Now that they are warm, they are chirping and starting to run around in the house.

Seeing this, Wang Susu felt much relieved. After cleaning up the manure inside the house, she put on her straw hat and went to wash the little white calf under the shed. The little white calf was very clean, and last night it was covered in mud and water, which made it very uncomfortable. It was only because it was smart that it had endured it. Now that it saw Wang Susu coming, it immediately lay down on the ground and let Wang Susu do as she pleased. After a while, it comfortably twitched its ears and mooed.

This attracted Liang Hongyu and the other girl to come and join in the fun, but the little white ox had already been very generous by letting them ride it once last night, so it would never let them touch it again. It turned its head, glared at the two girls with its big eyes, and snorted loudly at them.

Helpless, the two could only stand far away, afraid of angering the little white calf. They had originally thought that since the calf had ridden on their backs last night, they could get closer to it. After all, they had never seen such a beautiful calf before and liked it very much. But they didn't expect that the next day the calf wouldn't let them touch it.

The elderly couple were surprised and also felt it was a pity.

Seeing this, Wang Susu comforted the little white ox for a couple of moments and then explained to the two of them, "Actually, the little white ox is very sensible, but it's a bit stingy. It doesn't let anyone else get close except for me and A-Ling."

"Besides that, Xiaobai is also very protective of the house. Before, when some people came to our backyard to steal eels, it was Xiaobai who chased them away. I heard from A-Ling that if those people hadn't been carrying hunting rifles, Xiaobai would have chased them. Later, fearing that the hunting rifles would hurt it, it quickly called it back."

The elderly couple, unaware of this incident, couldn't help but praise the little white calf upon hearing it, finding it even more intelligent. However, they dared not approach it further, standing not far away and watching Wang Susu brush the calf's body until Chen Ling called for breakfast. Only then did the three of them get up and go to the kitchen for breakfast.

……

Over the next few days, the heavy rains stopped, but light rains continued. The county launched several red signal flares in the past few days, indicating that the flood situation was extremely urgent.

During this time, someone from the county came to inform Qin Rongxian and his companion, bringing them a message.

The situation was similar to Chen Ling's guess. There was indeed a problem upstream of the Jinshui River. This river is usually very turbulent, and this time the rainstorm came on very suddenly. As the water level rose, even the reservoir and the Nansha River were not enough to share the pressure, causing all the villages and towns on both sides of the Jinshui River to suffer.

Fortunately, the rain has subsided in the past few days, and the military and police rescue teams were dispatched quickly; otherwise, there would likely have been a large number of casualties.

Given the current situation, it's definitely not going back to the village anytime soon. With nothing to do, Chen Ling spends his days either taking the dog for a stroll with an umbrella, or staying at Liang Hongyu's house to read, write, or draw some blueprints. Since the village was flooded this time, the two courtyards of his house can be demolished and combined into one. He'll also take the opportunity to design the fields at the foot of the mountain and build a small estate.

Plant flowers, trees, chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep inside, dig a large pond, build several irrigation ditches, raise fish and grow lotus flowers. Just imagining that scene is beautiful.

As for the courtyard in his own village, Chen Ling turned to look outside. Actually, the place where Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu lived was quite nice. It was clearly well-arranged, very neat, with gray eaves and dense window frames, giving it a sense of ancient charm.

Compared to the houses where other people in the county live, it's much more elaborate.

In the center of the courtyard stands a large tree that would require two or three people to encircle. Its trunk is twisted and gnarled, resembling an enlarged bonsai. Its canopy, like a canopy, covers the entire courtyard, exuding a powerful presence.

"It doesn't really fit in the village; it's better to keep it simple."

Chen Ling shook his head and gave up on the idea.

It would be easier to build a village at the foot of the mountain. We can just follow the layout of the cave. There are houses deep in the woods, with water channels winding around the front and back of the houses, and lotus flowers blooming everywhere. We can't build a stone arch bridge, so we can build a stone slab bridge instead, which will make the natural beauty even more apparent.

As he gazed out the window, his mind began to fill with thoughts and inspiration.

The light rain kept falling outside. The chickens and ducks huddled together inside the house, dozing off and refusing to come out. They had also laid far fewer eggs in the past few days. However, the rabbits seemed completely unaffected, running around in the rain and getting soaked. The elderly couple were afraid that they would slip out through the drain and get lost, so they braved the rain to chase them all over the yard. After catching them several times, the rabbits only became more unruly, as if they were playing a game with the elderly couple.

Seeing that they were being mischievous, Chen Ling tied them together with straw rope and threw them with the chickens and ducks. Even so, they were still not well-behaved and kept making a ruckus inside the house.

Two days later, after being reminded by Wang Susu, Chen Ling realized that they weren't just playing around, but that a pregnant female rabbit was looking for a place to burrow. Only then did he remember that his rabbits were wild rabbits that Liu Nier had given him.

To adapt to the harsh living environment in the wild, wild rabbits generally enter their estrus period at four months old and mate in a very short time. At this time, they need to dig new burrows or expand their original burrows to prepare for reproduction. When they are six months old, they will give birth to offspring.

It's the 20th of the sixth lunar month now, and my rabbits are over four months old. But because we have so many good things at home, they're growing much better than wild rabbits and developing faster. At the current rate, they probably won't be six months old; they'll probably give birth to baby rabbits in another month at most.

So their current tendency to dig holes everywhere is an instinct they have before they reproduce.

After learning the result, Chen Ling suddenly realized that his family had produced quite a few offspring. Especially after the baby quails hatched, the mother quail laid two more clutches of eggs, and the male quail started working again. It looked like another clutch of baby quails would hatch in just over half a month.

And then there are rabbits. These creatures grow up and reproduce quite quickly. Wild rabbits can easily produce a litter every month when they are domesticated, especially since they have a good diet.

"This guy, I never thought about getting into farming, how come he's almost become a large-scale farmer?"

Chen Ling scratched his head, turned around and saw that the chicken and duck eggs in the corner of the room had filled two bamboo baskets, and sighed helplessly.

That's right, they are two bamboo baskets, not bamboo hampers.

Think about it, back when we only had two hens, we fed them with stream water and they could collect ten or so eggs every two days. Now we have seven or eight hens and four or five ducks. They lay so many eggs that we can't even eat them all.

Before the flood, he had planned to sell some in the county town, but when Liang Hongyu and her husband came, he couldn't go. Now, half a month has passed, and he has accumulated more and more, and there is almost nowhere to put them.

The outside world is in a mess, so we can't sell it now.

Chen Ling was somewhat worried when he heard Liang Hongyu call them down.

"Fugui, Susu, come out quickly, your Uncle Qin has fried the silkworm pupae, come down and eat."

"Okay, here we come."

Chen Ling responded, stopped thinking about it, went out, called Wang Susu who was outside processing silkworm cocoons, and went downstairs.

After silkworms spin their cocoons, they molt into pupae in about seven days. If you don't want to keep the silkworm eggs, you have to put the cocoons into boiling water to kill the pupae. Otherwise, after a few more days, they will turn into moths and bite through the cocoons. This will damage the silk threads, making them incomplete and much shorter than normal, so they won't fetch a good price.

This process is actually the process of unraveling the cocoon. Put the silkworm cocoon into boiling water and cook it for a while. When the cocoon becomes softer and softer and the water in the pot turns yellow, you can take it out and soak it in clean hot water for a few minutes.

At this point, the cocoon should be pressed to the bottom of the water to prevent it from floating on the surface. Use chopsticks or something else to stir vigorously in one direction. As the water rolls, the cocoon will become looser and looser, and then the silk threads will come out.

Grab the end of the wire and pull it upwards to extract the wire. Wrap it around the coil and pull it out like you're winding a thread.

However, Liang Hongyu's side doesn't have a silk reeling machine, otherwise it would be much faster.

Speaking of silk reeling machines, there is an ancient poem that says, "Every time it rains, the reeling machine is turned upside down," which shows that rural women in ancient times would often turn the silk reeling machine on rainy days. When it rained, they didn't have to go to the fields to work, so they had time to do this.

So, for the past two days, Wang Susu and Liang Hongyu have been busy at home dismantling silkworm cocoons, collecting silk threads, and peeling off the silkworm pupae that were scalded to death by boiling water and putting them in a basin.

Silkworm pupae are a good thing. Even after they've been scalded to death, they shouldn't be wasted. They're high in protein and nutrients, and frying them is the best way to eat them.

Not only is it delicious, but it also nourishes the spleen and stomach and replenishes blood and qi, making it a good choice for people of all ages.

As soon as Chen Ling went downstairs, he smelled a very special meaty aroma mixed with the scent of hot oil and chili peppers. It smelled like fried chicken from later generations, but the aroma was obviously more peculiar and intense. When he got to the kitchen, he saw two porcelain basins of silkworm pupae on the dining table.

Each silkworm pupa is about the thickness of a little finger, golden in color, and has a reddish sheen, making it very appetizing.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu picked up two with their chopsticks and put them in their mouths. They were savory and flavorful, and they crunched and chewed, filling their mouths with a crispy and fragrant taste.

This prompted Heiwa Xiaojin to run over and whine for food.

"Fugui, Susu, grab some and eat. You can't pick up more than two with chopsticks, it's not enough."

As Liang Hongyu spoke, she took two bowls and poured some food into each of them, letting them hold the bowls in their hands and eat it.

"Do you have any steamed buns, Auntie?"

Chen Ling didn't stand on ceremony and took the bowl, asking the question.

"It's still steaming and not ready yet, but I knew you wouldn't be full without staple food, so I prepared it for you a long time ago."

Liang Hongyu smiled and got up, then walked to the door and called Qin Rong out first.

“Rongxian, come out to eat! After frying the food, you run inside to play with the cat. You have no manners at all.”

"I'm coming."

Qin Rong responded and then carried several small civets out of the house.

“Fugui, Susu, look how strong this little fox is.”

"This guy, your aunt and I have never been able to keep anything alive. They always die within half a month. Even cacti don't work. The Yue people say that we are the bane of flowers, birds, insects and fish."

"Who knew that we two would actually be able to feed these little stray cats? Isn't that strange?"

Qin Rong first put the little foxes down from her arms, her face beaming with joy.

Liang Hongyu was also very happy: "After all, we saved her. We are destined to be together."

Chen Ling rolled his eyes inwardly. What fate or anything like that? If they hadn't fed the civet with malted milk powder made from their water for a few days, it would have been a miracle if it hadn't survived. With the way the old couple held the civet around all day, they might have played it to death one day.

I'm still too idle.

If you like something and don't want it out of your sight, you'll play with it every day. Who can resist that?
Isn't it true that everything you raise dies?

Chen Ling even suspected that if the old couple could kill the cactus, they must have nothing better to do than take it out for a stroll in the street.

That's his opinion.

But the elderly couple were incredibly excited, it was their first time raising animals.

Chen Ling watched as the two elders gradually shrunk the wildness of the five civet cats. When they first brought them home, the little guys were starving and would eat, but they wouldn't let the two of them get close. They wouldn't even let them touch them. They would stay in the basket all day long, their eyes darting around with a sneaky look, and they had an undeniable wildness. They were not as cute and endearing as house cats when they were kittens.

But the old couple didn't care about any of that. They would always hold the little civet cat and feed it, and when it went to sleep, they would put it on the bed and put it in the quilt, afraid that it would get cold at night. They treated the civet cat like their own grandson.

The little wildcats struggled to run away countless times, but were always pulled back and held in their arms, not allowed to move. They even followed them to poop and pee. In the end, these wild and spirited kittens were forcibly made docile and obedient.

Now it stopped struggling, knowing it was useless, and quietly nestled beside Qin Rongxian's legs, waiting for the food to be put into its mouth.

The baby tabby cats are actually quite similar to domestic kittens. They open their eyes in seven or eight days and can walk in about twenty days. This litter of baby tabby cats is now about a month old. Besides drinking malted milk powder, they can eat other things. You don't need to worry about their delicate digestive systems. As long as their wild temperament is corrected, they will be just as tough as tabby cats and will enjoy eating anything.

Chen Ling was speechless. He got up, took the steamer off the table, and started eating the silkworm pupae with steamed buns. These were mulberry silkworm pupae, which were crisp and fragrant, much tastier than the juicy tussah silkworm pupae. He finished a steamed bun in just a few bites.

Wang Susu, however, was extremely supportive, saying that the old couple had taken good care of the civets; otherwise, how could they possibly survive with such wild instincts? The old couple's smiles never faded as they were praised.

……

Time flew by in the misty rain.

On the 28th day of the sixth lunar month, Chen Ling was awakened by cheers in the early morning. Wang Susu, who had been lying next to him, had also sat up. When she went outside, she was surprised to find that the sky was clear and blue, and a beautiful rainbow was rising on the horizon. Under the sunshine, it was shining with a magnificent light. The rain that had been raging for more than half a month had finally disappeared without a trace.

The streets and alleys were bustling with people, cheering and celebrating, as they could finally go home.

(End of this chapter)