My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 142 Carrying His Wife

Today is the weekend, and these kids can finally play freely.

After eating a couple of bites of food early in the morning, he wandered around the village aimlessly, not even walking properly. He would either hit the roadside bushes with a stick or kick stones as he walked.

He would occasionally recite a few rhymes.

I don't know who in the village had nothing better to do than make up this story and tell it to these mischievous monkeys.

Chen Ling silently repeated it twice, and it actually went quite smoothly.

He then didn't even acknowledge the children, and went straight home with the two dogs from the threshing ground.

After arriving home, I put down the bok choy, added some hay for the rabbit, and then went to Wang Laishun's house to tell him about the wild boar tracks in the cornfield.

Discovering a herd of wild boars in the cornfield was no small matter, and Wang Laishun immediately became serious upon hearing this.

He was just strolling around the fields yesterday and didn't really pay much attention.

Now, hearing Chen Ling talk about it, I know this is no small matter; it concerns the village's autumn harvest and cannot be delayed.

He hurriedly went to the brigade and turned on the loudspeaker to shout a proclamation.

As a result, a few more people patrolled the area every night, both to protect against wolves and to keep an eye on the young.

The main reason for guarding the fields is to prevent wild boars from damaging the unripe crops; this is even more important than protecting against wolves.

Chen Ling's family didn't plant any grain this year, so they were able to come and notify him in time after discovering the problem.

Wang Laishun praised him highly.

She insisted on pulling him along and giving him two jugs of sorghum liquor that her daughter had sent.

When Liang Guizhen saw this, her lips pursed into a long pout.

...In the end, Chen Ling did manage to take the wine home. Just then, Liu Nier arrived with the children, carrying a tabby cat in her arms.

As soon as she entered, she called out to Wang Zhenzhen, "Auntie, come quick! We've found the mother cat! She just gave birth to kittens less than half a month ago, and she still has milk."

Good guy.

Chen Ling was stunned upon hearing this.

So those mischievous monkeys were wandering around looking for milk for the piglets?
result……

Did you find a female cat and bring it back?
This cat has so little milk.

Finding a mate-friendly mongrel would be good too.

Not only Chen Ling was speechless, but Wang Susu also found it amusing. She simply told them to be careful not to get scratched or bitten by the cat.

The two ignored them and went about their breakfast.

Not long after the meal, Zhang Qiaoling came to find Wang Susu carrying Da Tou.

Wang Susu was kind and honest, and after marrying into the village, she was well-liked by the young women and wives.

Often, even after only one or two interactions, people start thinking of her whenever they need something.

Today, Zhang Qiaoling is here to teach her how to pickle vegetables, make chili sauce, and fermented bean paste.

It's the change of seasons, and many vegetables in the field have grown old; chive blossoms and cucumbers are good for pickling.

The cucumbers were a second crop, and Chen Ling didn't take much care of them, so they grew neither well nor badly.

We didn't eat much at home, and it would be a waste to let it rot in the field, so we might as well pickle it.

After a while, I'll go dig up some more mustard tubers; the mustard leaves can also be pickled.

Wang Susu discussed with him that she wanted to pickle more so that they could eat it all winter.

Another point is that Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste) is often an essential ingredient in the dishes Chen Ling cooks.

We also need to do some of that.

The two women were fiddling around together. Chen Ling held Da Tou and played with him for a while, then handed him over to Wang Jusheng's eldest daughter. He and Liu Ni'er gathered around to watch the wild boar cubs, making a lot of noise.

However, these piglets were very shy, which not only made the tabby cat jump over the wall and escape, but also bit several babies.

Fortunately, they were small and baby teeth, so they didn't hurt when they bit, and the children didn't care at all when they were bitten.

After playing with the wild boar cubs for a while, they giggled and surrounded Heiwa and Xiaojin, scratching their backs and hoping they would catch a few more wild boar cubs for them.

Chen Ling is now basically certain that these two batches of wild boar pups are from the same litter.

Putting everything else aside, their body sizes are similar, and if you put them together, you can't tell them apart at all.

Wild boars reproduce very quickly, producing offspring twice a year, with a litter containing anywhere from five or six to ten or even twenty offspring.

Not only do they produce a large number of offspring, but they are also highly adaptable. Except when they are wild boar cubs, they are rarely eaten by predators such as eagles and wolves.

If left unchecked, even a small herd of wild boars can double in number every year.

Fortunately, the villagers' enthusiasm for hunting wild boars is extremely high this year.

The reason is quite simple: everything is expensive in the second half of this year.

The wild boar was taken to the slaughterhouse and sold for a good amount of money.

After they came back and divided the spoils, it was enough to make others envious.

Many villagers immediately became restless...

Perhaps seeing an opportunity to make money, the men from house to house competed to patrol the night for the next two days, and those who had been there before clamored to go again.

Wang Laishun didn't say anything more and cooperated by handing out guns to everyone.

As a result, someone managed to kill one the next night.

There were many people this time, so they were easily captured.

What's strange is that this pig isn't very fierce or aggressive; in fact, you could say it's a bit timid.

When they arrived at the threshing ground, they shone torches on it and saw that it wasn't a wild boar at all, but a common black pig raised by an ordinary family.

How did the black boar get into the wild boar herd?
Many people can't understand it.

However, someone quickly recognized it as the one that Wang Lishan's family used to keep.

So I went to Wang Lishan's house, woke him up, and confirmed it was him.

His pigs have notches on both ears, which were marked when they were piglets.

Such markings are found in every household in the village, especially on chickens and ducks, which all look very similar. Without the markings, it would be impossible to tell whose chicken or duck it is.

The markings on this pig are known to everyone familiar with Wang Lishan's family.

Speaking of Wang Lishan's pigs, they got lost during the flood.

At that time, the villagers were all in a hurry to avoid the disaster and fled, so they didn't have time to take care of it.

Livestock like cows and donkeys can be driven around, but pigs are harder to manage, so they're simply left in the pigsty.

After they returned from hiding, where could they be found?

It seems they've gone up the mountain.

What the villagers couldn't understand was how this pig survived and managed to mingle with a herd of wild boars.
They are all a bit incredible.

Later, Wang Lishan thought about it and said that it was probably because his pigs were sows.

Wild boar families typically consist of one male and multiple females, and they generally find it difficult to accept unfamiliar males from outside the family.

The villagers also thought this explanation made sense.

Then they helped Wang Lishan drive the pigs home.

This pig stayed on the mountain for two months and lost a lot of weight; it's almost completely lost its fat, and its weight has probably been reduced by almost half.

Wang Lishan has been raising pigs at home for many years and has a wealth of experience. Not only has he earned the nickname "Old Pig," but his own child has also been called "Pig Boy" since he was a child. He can tell the general idea just by looking at him.

I gave the pig a quick treatment of its wounds.

He then told everyone that after fattening the pig at the end of the year, he would slaughter it and give each family a share of the meat.

Although it was a pig that had been lost by its own people, the situation was special, and it had been missing for a long time. Now that it had been caught by someone else, it was like prey that had been caught by someone else.

The people who sent it back to him did so out of consideration for their fellow villagers, and he couldn't just keep quiet and shamelessly demand it back.

Pork is so expensive this year, even the leanest pig can fetch a good price.

After he said that, some people said no immediately, while others remained silent...

Everyone has different thoughts.

Wang Lishan discussed it with his wife and suggested that they each take a piglet after the piglets are born.

This is a good idea; it saves face for everyone and prevents them from having worked for nothing.

So I agreed.

Unfortunately, from then on, although the night patrol teams grew larger.

But they failed to hunt another wild boar.

These wild boars aren't stupid. At first, they played guerrilla warfare with the villagers. They would shoot here and run there. If the villagers were in the south of the village, they would go to the north. They were impossible to catch.

Later, everyone wanted to join in the fun, and they were all eager to fight as if they were going to fight the Japanese devils.

In just three to five days, the wild boars rarely came down from the mountain anymore.

The good thing is that the corn in the village wasn't damaged much.

Chen Ling didn't get involved in what happened these past few days. When he had nothing to do, he took Wang Zhenzhen to see Wang Lishan's pig and see how rare it was.

Chen Yuqiang and Chen Ze also came to call him, saying that there were many people now and he wasn't afraid to hunt wild boars, but in the end he didn't go to join in the fun.

...On the 24th of August, there was a market day in the county town.

That day, after seeing his sister-in-law off, Chen Ling went to the market to buy some seasonings.

It's used for making fermented soybean paste.

Before the flood, Chen Ling had planted a lot of spices such as red chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns on his own land.

Although it's not fully ripe yet, Chen Ling can ripen it himself using the water from the cave.

These things are common, and there are quite a few wild ones in the mountains.

Today I mainly bought broad beans, soy sauce, and salt, especially soy sauce and salt, as they are used in large quantities whether making sauces or pickling vegetables, so I bought more.

After buying the oil, I wandered around the market and, by sheer coincidence, ran into two oil mill owners in a row.

They stopped him from leaving and begged him to give them some more peanuts.

The price has been set at 2.2 yuan.

Zhao Dahai mentioned last time that the price of spring peanuts in the city had risen to 2.6 or 2.7 yuan.

At 2.2 yuan in the county town, that's really not cheap.

This year's floods have raised concerns about food shortages, so farmland across the city is primarily planted with rice and corn in the fall, with very few peanuts planted. As a result, oil mills in small counties are finding it difficult to operate.

But Chen Ling has no time for this right now.

They just said that the autumn peanuts at home haven't been harvested yet, and they have to wait a little longer. They'll bring the peanuts and soybeans over when they're ripe.

The two sighed helplessly upon hearing this.

There's nothing we can do; that's just how it is this year.

Especially when it comes to grains, oils, and vegetables, whoever has the goods is king.

After leaving the market, Chen Ling didn't rush home. Instead, he turned around and headed towards the small courtyard in the south of the city.

I haven't been here often lately.

He came to the city alone today to see Wang Zhenzhen off, intending to finish shopping and then come over to tidy up.

There weren't many things in the small courtyard.

However, because a few fish were put in the small pond in the yard and some of the spring water was poured out, the water overflowed after a heavy rain and the yard was overgrown with weeds.

It was already like this the last time he drove Wang Zhenzhen to the city.

At that time, my family was busy building a house and didn't have time to worry about it.

This time when I came, the grass in the yard was even denser.

He had just opened the door when he heard a fluttering sound from the grass, and a flock of birds took flight.

There's plenty of grass in the yard, and the grass seeds and insects are food for birds.

In addition, few people come here, making it a paradise for wild animals.

There are birds, there are snakes...

Chen Ling took out a hoe from the cave and dug for a few minutes. Toads started jumping out, none of them very big, about the size of an adult's fingernail, but there were a lot of them.

It seems that the toad laid tadpoles in the pond, and they grew up and ran out.

So Chen Ling abandoned his weeding intention, parted the waist-high weeds, and waded through the dense grass twice to see what else was there.

And sure enough, there was a pleasant surprise.

It wasn't some kind of wild animal.

Instead, he found two winter melon plants in the corner. They had been overtaken by weeds, so they were not very big, only about the size of a small child's head. They had produced five or six fruits, but they were already old.

The melon vines are almost withered and dying.

Chen Ling was delighted with the sight of the winter melons and picked them all, planning to extract the seeds later and encourage the growth of two plants himself.

Although the name "winter melon" contains the character for winter, it is actually a heat-loving crop that cannot be planted in autumn and winter, and it is not available for purchase now.

We'll have to grow it ourselves.

When you get home, whether you're cooking a dish or making soup, everything tastes delicious.

He hasn't eaten winter melon in more than six months.

There was also a clump of mint growing at the waterway entrance; this stuff is extremely common, so he ignored it.

Seeing that there were quite a few small toads in the grass, he wasn't in a hurry to weed. Instead, he released all the red-bellied pheasants from the burrow, letting them peck around the yard. At this age, they were about two months old, not as beautiful as adult pheasants, and not very good at flying.

However, with wild pigeons around, Chen Ling would also make a point of going to the cave to feed the chickens and ducks every day, which made him feel closer to them than to the pigeons.

So we're not afraid of them running around when we let them out.

Then close the door and let them go around catching little toads to eat.

Otherwise, it would be such a waste to let such readily available food jump around and play all over the yard.

After they finished eating, Chen Ling cleared all the weeds in the yard by himself, almost two hours had passed.

Chen Ling glanced at the time; it was indeed getting late.

They broke open a winter melon, took out the seeds, buried them in the soil, and watered them with the stream water from the cave.

I stood by and watched the winter melon seedlings sprout, then grow wildly, rapidly producing vines, flowers, and fruit.

It doesn't need to climb, nor does it need to be topped, pinched, or pressed down.

The water in the cave is a panacea; it's just that unreasonable.

However, he hasn't used the Cave Heaven Water to accelerate crop growth much lately.

Firstly, we have enough money at home and don't want to go through all that trouble.

Secondly, many people in the county now know him, so even if he wanted to grow the produce and sell it for money, it would be difficult to explain the source of the goods.

So this trip was just for the sake of satisfying one's appetite.

Before I came here, I was thinking of planting some sweet potatoes in the courtyard.

Once the door is closed, no one can see what you're doing.

Now, the winter melon is just a side dish.

However, compared to winter melon, sweet potatoes need to be grown in more varieties.

The time of year is neither too early nor too late.

Dig a cellar before the first frost, and the vegetables will be stored better, allowing the family to eat for a long time.

The cellar in our house was filled in when we were laying the foundation for the house, because we also needed to build the courtyard. So we had to dig a new one.

Just before noon, Chen Ling rushed home and loaded two large bags of sweet potatoes into his car using urea bags.

Besides these, the cave also contained many other things.

We'll take it out after we dig the cellar.

Wang Susu was also very happy to see that he brought back so many sweet potatoes.

She hasn't really eaten sweet potatoes properly since last autumn.

Only Sister-in-law Xiuying gave us two bags of dried sweet potatoes.

That very evening, I made sweet potato porridge and even put a few in the oven to bake and eat.

The water from the cave made the food taste amazing, and the whole family enjoyed it to their heart's content.

There are many ways to eat sweet potatoes. In addition to the common methods of steaming, boiling, and roasting, they can also be deep-fried, made into a soup, baked into flatbread, or rolled into noodles.

Wang Susu was also planning to make some sweet potato dumplings the next day, mixed with vegetable leaves, which would be very fragrant and sweet.

I just didn't have time to do it.

Da Ni'er called her away.

Wang Lixian's fourth daughter has found a husband's family and wants her, as the aunt, to go and take a look.

This is not something men should get involved in.

Chen Ling was home alone. He let the rabbits out to roam around while he looked for a place in and around the yard to dig a vegetable cellar.

Autumn harvest, winter storage; dig cellars in autumn to prepare for winter.

Digging a cellar now is neither too early nor too late. In autumn, the groundwater level is not high, and digging a meter or two deep will not cause water seepage. After smoking and baking it, it can be used for many years.

You need to choose a good location to dig a vegetable cellar.

They are usually stored in well-ventilated, sunny, and easily accessible locations in front of or behind the house.

The size of the cellar depends on the amount of vegetables. In rural areas, vegetable cellars are usually about three meters long, two meters wide, and two meters deep, which is generally sufficient regardless of the quantity of vegetables.

Some families dig cellars outside their doors, across alleys, or behind their houses. Chen Ling didn't want to put in too much effort, so he dug one at a distance in the corner between the house and the courtyard wall on the west side of the yard. This way, it would be convenient to access the food without affecting the foundation.

Actually, they didn't originally put sweet potatoes in the cellar; instead, they had a special sweet potato well.

At that time, grain production was low, and sweet potatoes were the staple food on the table.

Every household has a sweet potato well and a vegetable cellar, which are separate from each other.

Later, when wheat and corn became the staple foods, they stopped digging.

Because digging a sweet potato well is much more strenuous than digging a vegetable cellar.

Sweet potato wells are narrower than water wells, going straight down, narrow yet deep.

People inside feel cramped and uncomfortable, unable to move freely.

It was especially difficult to dig the kiln in all directions after the well wall was dug. You had to squat at the bottom of the well, unable to straighten your back, and you couldn't exert any strength. You would accidentally bump your head on the well wall.

Other farm work can be done with great enthusiasm, but digging sweet potato wells is not an option; it's a humiliating job.

In the countryside, some busybodies even made up four great humiliations: digging a potato well, being put in solitary confinement, being cuckolded, and writing official reports.

Digging sweet potato wells was put first.

This shows how uncomfortable it was.

In comparison, digging a vegetable cellar is much simpler.

Chen Ling wasn't particularly skilled, but he was strong and could dig very quickly.

He paced back and forth, roughly measured the distance, and then started digging.

By the time Wang Susu returned at noon, he had almost finished digging.

With Wang Zhenzhen behind her and a large group of children, they rushed into the house one after another, and ran to see the wild boar cubs.

Lately, they've been running here after school, bringing out piglets and fussing over them. Every mealtime, their parents have to come and drag them home by the ears.

Chen Ling asked them to take the piglets away, but they refused, wanting to wait until the piglets were old enough to eat trough feed before taking them back.

Otherwise, they might not be able to feed themselves without Chen Ling.

It's the weekend again. This morning, they went to the outskirts of the village to cut some grass to feed his cows and rabbits, trying to please him. It's both funny and exasperating.

However, this time, instead of going straight to the wild boar cubs, he was drawn to the work Chen Ling was doing.

They knew about digging vegetable cellars, and had heard of it, but had never seen one.

They stood around and assisted Chen Ling.

After the cellar is dug, several thick logs are placed horizontally at the entrance, and some wooden sticks are placed vertically.

Then, bundles of sorghum stalks or corn stalks are laid out, leaving openings for the cellar and ventilation, and then covered with a thick layer of soil.

The cellar has now been dug.

If we don't have sorghum stalks or corn stalks, we can use reed stalks instead.

The little children, led by Wang Zhenzhen, were busy moving logs and carrying reeds, creating quite a lively scene.

Wang Susu originally wanted to help Chen Ling, but seeing this situation, she had no choice but to go to the kitchen and start cooking rice.

At noon, none of the children wanted to stay for lunch, so Chen Ling gave each of them two steamed sweet potatoes. They all ate with beaming smiles.

……

After the cellar is dug, the cellar door and ventilation openings should be opened to release the moisture inside.

Before winter arrives, when you put vegetables in, just smoke and roast them over a fire again.

After digging the cellar, it's time to take care of the vegetables in the field.

Weeding should be done where needed, and watering should be done where needed.

That afternoon, the young couple went to the fields with hoes and shovels.

They worked on it until the sun was almost setting.

The vegetable garden is ready; the peanuts and soybeans also need to be tended to.

But we'll have to wait until tomorrow.

"Uncle Fugui, we dug up some wild yams, do you want some?"

As the young couple sat on the edge of the field to rest and drink water, several people carrying baskets came down from the mountain.

Upon closer inspection, they were Chen Guoxing and Chen Guowang's sons, who were probably in the mountains collecting herbs. Recently, wild boars have stopped running down the mountain at night, and wolves have only been circling the village and haven't shown themselves much, so more and more villagers have started going up the mountain.

"No, the sun is setting, let's go home quickly."

Chen Ling smiled and waved his hand.

These people were around his age, and he had helped build his new house. After a few drinking sessions, they had become quite familiar with each other.

"There are also yams. Cook them in the porridge, they're delicious. Here, have some."

The group arrived at the edge of the field, stopped, and called out again.

"And potatoes?"

Chen Ling stood up, somewhat tempted.

Yam eggs grow on wild yams.

Wild yam is similar to hemp yam and iron stick yam, and it tastes pretty good.

The plant grows wild yam tubers underground and yam beans on its branches and leaves.

However, they call large yam beans "yam eggs" here.

Steamed or boiled, it tastes quite good, with a unique flavor compared to sweet potatoes.

Yes, there are plenty! Come and get them.

"Haha, then I'm not welcome."

"You're welcome, Uncle. There's no need to stand on ceremony with us."

As they talked, each person grabbed handfuls of food from the basket. Chen Ling said several times that it was enough before they stopped.

"Wow, they gave us so much."

After everyone had gone, Chen Ling scratched the back of his head, looking a little worried.

Since I didn't bring a basket or bag, I had to take off my shirt and wrap it up.

"Susu, come quickly, let's pack up and go home."

"coming."

Wang Susu picked up a kettle and carried a shovel as she walked this way.

She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly let out a scream, dropping both the kettle and the shovel to the ground with a clatter.

"what happened?"

Chen Ling realized something was wrong and panicked, so he rushed over.

"A scorpion, there's a scorpion in my clothes..."

The young woman screamed, stomping her feet and slapping her trouser legs.

But just as she sat down on the edge of the field without noticing, a scorpion crawled into her trouser leg. As she suddenly stood up, it stung her hard.

She is not afraid of snakes, but she is afraid of scorpions; she has been afraid of them since she was a child.

Things aren't much better now.

Tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

Chen Ling was heartbroken to see this: "Where did you get stung, Su Su? Let me see quickly, is there a poisonous sting?"

Being stung by a scorpion is not a big deal.

But it feels different when your own wife gets stung.

"No, not here, let's go home and look at it here..."

Wang Susu shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

After a moment of surprise, Chen Ling realized that the sting was probably in the wrong place.

Scorpion venom isn't very potent; the main problem is the pain. He was stung when he was a child and was in so much pain he was rolling on the ground in agony. He knows what that feels like.

Without saying much, he had Wang Susu climb onto his back and carried her home.

Hoes, shovels, and yams were all left on the ground, ignored.

The sun had not yet completely set.

On the dirt roads in the fields, people were everywhere, having finished their farm work.

They didn't know what was going on, but when they saw Chen Ling carrying his wife home, they assumed the young couple was having another fight, so they started teasing him from a distance.

They've been married for so long, why are they playing the "carrying wife on their backs" game? They love each other so much, they might as well just carry their wives back to their parents' home.

Some are even worse.

It's not even dark yet, why is Chen Ling in such a hurry to carry his wife into the bridal chamber?
Hearing this, Wang Susu's face burned with embarrassment, and she was too ashamed to look up.

A large group of children running wildly outside the village were overjoyed to see this scene and joined the adults in singing loudly: "The young couple whispers in each other's ears, secretly giving each other a kiss..."

Wang Susu was so embarrassed that she quickly raised her hand to cover her face, but she couldn't help feeling sweet inside.

Even the sting site doesn't seem to hurt as much anymore.