My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 118 Badger
The little wild animal's screams continued, especially when it noticed Chen Ling approaching, it screamed even louder, its "ooh ooh ooh" cries sounding like a wild boar, but much sharper.

It struggled incessantly, trying to escape, but unfortunately, no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't break free from the burly, bull-like Blackie. Instead, the blood on its head and neck flowed even faster, and its cries became even more pitiful.

Chen Ling was annoyed by what he heard, so he pulled out a carrying pole from the cave and told Heiwa to get out of the way.

Unexpectedly, this guy was quite fierce. After Heiwa let go, he still had the guts to roar at them, covered in blood, baring his teeth and charging savagely at Chen Ling.

Seeing this, Chen Ling, fearing that the blood would get on his body, moved slightly away and swung the carrying pole at the little wild beast's head.

With a loud "roar," the beast let out a miserable howl, staggered, collapsed to the ground, and quickly died.

Now Chen Ling finally knew what this strange-looking little beast was...

It turned out to be a badger.

Badger is a colloquial term for hog badger, which is generally about the size of a mongrel dog. It has short, stout legs, a large head and thick neck, small eyes and ears, and a clumsy appearance. When it gets angry, it makes a sound similar to a pig's squeal and has a snout similar to a pig's, hence the name hog badger.

This creature is nocturnal; it hides in its burrow during the day and only comes out to hunt at night, so it is not often seen by people.

Chen Ling had only seen it a few times in both his lives. His memories were still from when he was a child. It seemed that his grandfather had gone to the next village to get a scald or something to treat a burn. He used the oil he had made to apply the scald to the affected area, and the effect was surprisingly good.

Later that summer, while relaxing in the courtyard, his little brother was bitten by some kind of poisonous insect. It became inflamed and swollen, first incredibly itchy and then excruciatingly painful. It seems that he was cured after applying this kind of oil several times.

These memories are all rather vague now.

What impressed me most was that after the internet became widespread in my previous life, I searched online for what the "猹" (cha) in Lu Xun's writings was, and only then did I gain a clear understanding of the badger in my hometown.

He used to think that "cha" was just the badger from his hometown, since badgers also steal melons. Later he learned that the badger is a hog badger, also called a badger-pig in some places, while "cha" is a dog badger. These are two different creatures.

There is a dialogue between Runtu and Xun Ge'er in "Young Runtu" that goes like this:
"Dad and I are going to check on the watermelons tonight, you can come too."

"Managing thieves?"

"No. If a passerby is thirsty and picks a melon to eat, it's not considered stealing here. What we need to watch out for are badgers, hedgehogs, and harpies. Under the moonlight, listen, there's a 'rustling' sound; the harpy is biting into a melon. Then you grab a pitchfork and quietly walk over..."

……

See, this description of the badger clearly distinguishes it from the hog badger.

"I just don't know if the meat of this thing is gamey or not, or if it tastes good when cooked. Mr. Lu Xun never mentioned it."

Chen Ling poked at the badger's carcass a few times with the carrying pole and found that it was quite heavy, weighing at least twenty or thirty pounds. He then picked it up by one hind leg and put it into the cave: "It's still a piece of meat, we can't waste it. If all else fails, we can render it into oil. Anyone who wants to use it can use it, right?"

Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional and amused. It seemed that, without realizing it, he had been influenced by his wife and was now becoming more and more thrifty and good at managing the household.

"Huh? This badger's fur looks so familiar!"

When he turned around, Chen Ling glanced at the badger fur on the ground and was stunned.

After thinking about it carefully, something else came to mind.

About two or three months ago, not long after the saplings were planted, Little White Cow was quite frightened by something in the graveyard. He went in to look around but didn't see anything except a cave with these grayish-white, coarse hairs at the entrance.

I didn't know what it was before, but now that I think about it, I realize it was a badger.

"I didn't expect there were badgers around here so long ago. Luckily, I always planted and harvested everything immediately, and ordinary vegetables don't grow very fast. Otherwise, if these badgers had their eyes on me, I really wouldn't have been able to withstand their damage."

Badgers like to eat insects and small animals, such as earthworms, frogs, and mice.

But what's most hated is their thieving of crops—corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, watermelons. Perhaps it's because these things are sweet, but they wreak havoc with great enthusiasm, their destructive power second only to wild boars. And homegrown vegetables need to be irrigated with stream water, which, even after being diluted, has a special flavor that is extremely attractive to living things.

There's no guarantee they won't be targeted by badgers.

Chen Ling glanced at Xiao Jin, who was still digging in the bushes, and thought to himself that it was probably already eyeing the place. Since no one had come here after the flood, it had moved the cave from the graveyard to this place.

"Don't bother digging up Little Gold. The badger's burrow is very deep and winding. Why waste your energy?"

They had dug up a pile of soil around the cave, but still hadn't caught any prey. Little Gold was quite unwilling to give up, but Chen Ling told it not to dig anymore, so it obediently stopped digging, ran to him, wagged its tail, and whine and acted cute. It was also somewhat discouraged.

"Alright, alright, let them go for now. We'll come back tonight. If they still don't run away, we'll smoke them out and pour water on them. We're not afraid they won't come out."

Chen Ling patted Xiao Jin's head to comfort him.

Badgers are burrowing animals that like to dig burrows in barren hills, roadsides, and field ridges. They also encroach on the burrows of other animals, such as civet burrows and fox burrows.

But even if they take over someone else's territory, they will often rebuild and expand it.

Badgers have exceptionally sharp forepaws and can dig burrows very quickly, usually straight up and down. The deepest burrows can reach ten meters, while the average ones are several meters deep. When they are about to give birth, they will also dig horizontally, creating a network of burrows to allow them to escape, much like a cunning rabbit with three burrows.

He had just heard the noises coming from the burrow, and it was clear that there was more than one badger. They were most likely in their nursing period. At this time of year, who knows where the badger burrow has gone?

Xiao Jin's efforts to compete with them were a complete waste of energy.

After calming the two dogs down, I released some pigeons for a while.

He then walked around his orchard and noticed that the small ditch at the foot of the mountain had widened, with a bluish-green water flowing through it. Walking further northwest towards the foot of the mountain, he saw water flowing down from the mountain and into the ditch. However, the flow was very thin and not as clear as the mountain spring water in the south of the mountain. This was probably because the rain had been too heavy, causing a lot of water to accumulate in the low-lying areas of the mountain, which was now flowing down.

Normally this wouldn't be anything special, but Chen Ling discovered that there were quite a few footprints and droppings of wild animals around the ditch, and leftover bones and feathers among the weeds, clearly traces of wild animals from the mountains. However, based on these simple traces, it was impossible to tell what they were.

He couldn't even recognize badger fur, let alone these things; he only knew that the traces left behind definitely weren't from any kind of wild animal.

"This guy probably won't come tonight. If wolves or wild boars come down the mountain, I won't be able to handle them," Chen Ling thought to himself, becoming wary.

I originally planned to take advantage of the cool evening weather to weed and water the plants.

It seems best to forget it; coming tomorrow morning will be just as good.

As noon approached and the sun grew increasingly scorching, the two dogs lost all energy to run around. They followed Chen Ling slowly, their tongues lolling out, and didn't even bother chasing after the few mountain weasels peeking out from the nearby grave.

Chen Ling glanced at them twice, then picked up a clod of dirt and threw it forcefully. The mountain weasels were so frightened that they quickly shrank back into their burrows. Only after he had gone far away did they come out, bristling and barking loudly in protest.

Like badgers, this creature likes to burrow in the ground, especially in graveyards, and its calls are quite unpleasant, so the villagers find it unlucky.

"It's too hot. Let's go home."

Chen Ling called the dog, summoned the pigeons, and then got up to go home.

Now, most of the houses in the village are half-built. Some families have many members, so the construction is progressing quickly, and the houses are already completed and surrounded by walls.

When Chen Ling arrived in the village, Wang Lishan's family was squatting under a tree in the corner eating. Their fence was finished, and they were currently rolling up the yard.

Upon seeing Chen Ling approaching with the dog, he immediately exclaimed, "Hey? Isn't that a badger? These things are very slippery and not easy to catch. Where did you catch it?"

"In the fields at the foot of the mountain, our dog found a badger den with a nest of badgers. Unfortunately, they hid very well, and we only managed to catch one."

On the way home, Chen Ling took out the badger and had Heiwa carry it, otherwise it would be difficult to take it out once they got home.

The badger weighed over 20 pounds, which was easy for Heiwa to handle, but it still surprised others. While they were amazed by the badger, they were also envious of Chen Ling, thinking that Fugui was really lucky to have two dogs like that. He didn't have to work much and he could have meat every meal.

"Your dog is really smart. It smelled the badger's pungent odor. You're in for a treat today. Li Xian caught one a few years ago. That guy was fresher than mutton and more fragrant than dog meat. It was so delicious."

As Wang Lishan spoke, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

The surrounding people also started commenting on the badger.

Is badger meat really that delicious?

Chen Ling asked curiously, "Wild animals have a strong fishy smell and are mostly difficult to process. I remember that the oil rendered from badgers has a strange smell."

Just then, Chen Dazhi, who lived nearby, heard the commotion and ran out with a kitchen knife. When he saw the badger in Heiwa's mouth, he burst into laughter: "Haha, Fugui, you really got a good find! Badgers are very cunning; they only come out of their dens in the dark. I encountered one a few years ago when we were planting strawberries. Your sister-in-law and I chased it with hoes at night, but it got so angry that it scratched and bit people. It's very fierce."

"But it really is delicious. After removing the fishy smell, it is stir-fried in an earthenware pot and then braised. The taste is amazing. Even immortals would be unable to stand still after eating it."

Chen Ling's mouth watered at the thought, but he had never made this before and didn't know how to prepare it. He wondered if soaking it in stream water would work.

When everyone saw him like this, they all laughed. Wang Lishan said, "It's okay if you don't know how to tidy up. I'll give you a suggestion. Go to Brother Guoping's house later and tell him you're preparing to stew meat. Ask him for some seasonings. Sister-in-law Xiufen has collected a lot of strange and unusual medicinal herbs. They're great for removing fishy smells and adding fragrance. Dealing with a badger won't be a problem."

Chen Ling's eyes lit up after hearing this. "This sounds promising. I'll try it when I get back. Once the badger meat is cooked, everyone should come and have a taste."

Everyone was tempted, but after Chen Ling said that, who would actually agree? So they half-jokingly said that this little bit of badger meat wasn't enough for several people, and that going to his house would mean having to bring a bottle of wine, which wasn't worth it.

"What are you talking about? Why bring wine to my house? Badgers are rare, we just want to have something fresh, right?"

As a result, everyone just laughed and refused to agree.

Chen Sangui's son, Chen Baoshuan, was quite interested: "Fugui, how about coming to my house for a feast tonight? We just caught a nest of pigeons, and with your badger meat, it'll be absolutely delicious. My father also has some good wine; let's drink until we drop tonight."

Before Chen Ling could say anything, the people around him couldn't stand it anymore.

"Come on, a whole flock of pigeons only yields a few ounces of meat. You have the nerve to say you're sharing it equally?"

Some were even more ruthless, slurping wild vegetable noodles and shouting, "You wife-selling bastard, do you think you can get your wife to conceive just because Fugui is strong and even stronger than Yang Gangdan?"

For some reason, these words seemed to really hit a nerve with Chen Baoshuan. His already ruddy face turned a mix of red and blue, and he cursed a few times, "Damn your ancestors! Your family only borrowed seed!" before turning around and panting as he went home.

The others laughed even harder when they heard this.

“That ignorant brat is only making Uncle Sangui look bad. Fugui, don’t take him seriously.”

Chen Ling found it somewhat amusing upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that his status had risen so much that someone would tell him not to stoop to their level.

He then glanced at Chen Baoshuan's house and said, "Aren't Baoshuan and Xiangcao a couple who are quite difficult to deal with? They used to block other people's doors when they said a few good words for Xizi. Brother Lihui, aren't you afraid they'll cause trouble for you?"

"What's there to be afraid of? This scoundrel is now relying on others to help him build his house. If he dares to cause trouble again, see who will still pay attention to him? If it weren't for everyone's respect for Uncle Sangui, it would be a miracle if he and his wife could even build this house."

As Wang Lihui spoke, he gestured with his chin toward Wang Lishan, saying, "Putting everything else aside, all our uncles and brothers live nearby, so we're not afraid of anyone causing trouble."

Chen Ling then realized what was happening.

“Fugui, be careful. Don’t let Xiangcao’s fierce appearance fool you; she’s a real slut at heart. Haven’t you seen her dressed up like a prostitute these days, always standing at the door begging for men? I heard she even went so far as to ask Sister Xiufen for some folk remedies several times. You’d better not get involved with her.”

Wang Lihui was a man who couldn't keep his mouth shut, which made Chen Ling's face darken and he was utterly speechless.

He didn't dare chat with the group of men any longer, so he called his two dogs and went home.

This caused another round of strange noises, with people saying that the kid was still too young and his face was too tender. He hadn't even gotten to the real meaty stuff yet.

(End of this chapter)