My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 169

"My goodness, this little thing is so capable of causing trouble."

"And, and you've done such a good job."

Han Chuang leaned closer and took a closer look. He was amazed by the neatly stored and meticulously categorized grains inside the rat hole.

Then, they immediately rubbed their hands together, ready to make a big splash.

Seeing this, the others followed suit and soon reaped their own rewards. Of course, they also dug up quite a few rats, and with two dogs nearby, they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

Whenever a mouse ran out, Wang Zhenzhen, along with Xiao Lizi and the two dogs, would chase and intercept it. They ran for most of the day without feeling tired at all, only shouting and laughing with great joy, filling the fields with the clear, childlike laughter.

"Oh no, there's a snake..."

Not far away, Qin Yueru suddenly threw down the shovel and screamed, her face turning pale with fright.

I got up to run away, but I twisted my ankle and almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Liang Hongyu caught her.

Then the old lady looked into the earthen hole next to her and was also startled.

"It really is a snake, and it's huge."

"Xiaoru, you dug the wrong hole! You wanted to dig a mouse hole, but you dug a snake hole instead..."

"I don't know, Fugui, come quick! It's escaped! Oh dear, it really escaped! It's so scary!"

"Let me see, let me see, what kind of snake is it?" Chen Ling picked up a shovel and walked over in a few steps.

Inside the dug-out cave, there was a large creature coiled up, its body covered in yellow rings, its head raised and its tongue flicking in a show of defiance.

"Oh, it's this one. Don't be afraid, it's just a grass snake, it's not poisonous."

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the snake. There weren't many venomous snakes in the area; this kind of grass-headed snake usually only caught frogs and mice in the fields and posed no threat to humans.

So Chen Ling just picked up a tree branch and waved it around in front of the snake's head.

The creature flicked its tongue and kept shaking its head back and forth along the branch.

Snakes have poor eyesight and usually can't see what's in front of them clearly. If a branch moves, it will move along with it.

Once it's attracted...

Chen Ling suddenly pressed down with the branch in his hand, slamming its head onto the rock.

Then, with a flick of a branch, before the others could react, the snake was sent flying.

"This grass snake isn't poisonous, but it's filthy and smelly. If you touch it with your hands, you'll get the stench on you, and it's hard to wash off."

The grass-headed snake, also known as the stinking king snake or king krait, is one of the larger non-venomous snakes. It is fierce and has a rather unpleasant odor.

In some places, it is also called the vegetable flower snake.

However, it is not the same type of snake as the local rat snake.

The local "vegetable flower snake" refers to a snake with patterns resembling rapeseed flowers. Its scientific name is actually the Black-browed Rat Viper. It likes to live in people's homes, making its home in the eaves and wall crevices. It likes to eat sparrows and swallows, so in some places it is also called the "house snake".

"If that's the case, why not kill it?" Qin Yueru asked, clutching her chest, her face still a little pale.

"Yes, we usually don't kill grass snakes when we encounter them. While they smell bad, they have one advantage: they're excellent at eating venomous snakes. Where grass snakes are, there are basically no other venomous snakes within a radius of several miles..."

"Oh? Is that so? If I dig up its hole, will it die?"

Hearing that the grass snake had such a great effect, Qin Yueru suddenly became a little worried again.

"It's alright, it's not its own hole, it's just a mouse hole. It crawled in to eat mice..."

"Have you heard of snakes and rats living in the same nest? When snakes are hungry, they often crawl into rat holes. Some lazy snakes will occupy the rat holes after eating the rats. They eat and live wherever they go, and when they lay their eggs, they just randomly choose a rat hole to lay their eggs."

"So this is ah."

In the end, everyone was speechless. The simple act of digging a mouse hole had truly broadened their horizons.

Such a novel and interesting thing is unimaginable to anyone who hasn't experienced it firsthand.

Apart from Chen Ling's family, everyone else was digging mouse holes for the first time. Listening to Chen Ling tell them about the fun things they used to do when digging mouse holes, they became enthusiastic and dug in the morning and then in the afternoon, until it was almost dark before they stopped.

They dug rat holes just for fun, and the grain they dug out was of little use. In the end, they left it all to Chen Ling to feed the chickens and ducks.

It must be said that the day's harvest was quite fruitful. When we got home, two large burlap sacks were piled up, mainly with corn, and a small amount of millet and sorghum.

He didn't waste any of the dozens of rats; he took them all home, big and small, and fed them to the weasels. He also let the civets raised by Liang Hongyu and her husband try to eat a few of the little ones that hadn't even opened their eyes yet.

This time, they brought all five civet cats with them. They were four months old, about the size of adult wild cats, but they were too timid. As soon as they got home, they curled up in the bamboo basket and dozed off. Although it's not good for domesticated civet cats to be too wild, it's also frustrating that they have no wildness at all.

Liang Hongyu and her partner also wanted to keep the animals lively, perhaps by letting them catch mice at home, but unfortunately, it didn't work at all.

So, Chen Ling used fish from his home to lure them, and also made them milk powder. He used several things in combination to finally get rid of the nest of baby mice.

Dinner was served early tonight. After dinner, before the group left, Chen Ling made sure they each caught two baby rabbits. This was their second litter this year, and they were already old enough to eat grass. They were fluffy, chubby, and tiny little bundles of fur, the most adorable time of their lives.

That guy, regardless of age or gender, once he picks you up, he won't let go.

Especially Han Chuang, who was so happy when given two little rabbits that he forgot to take his house key. Chen Ling had to chase after him to return it to him.

……

Soon, it was the ninth month of the lunar calendar.

After entering the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the water level of the river continued to drop, and frost fell in the mountains.

If you go out for a walk early in the morning, you can see a thin, grayish-white layer on the trees, in the vegetable garden, and in the fields.

However, it quickly melts away when the sun rises.

After the first frost, the weather turned cold quite quickly.

This late autumn is much colder than usual. The north wind howls at night, and every morning when I open the door, the yard is full of withered branches and fallen leaves. Last night, the wind was so strong that it overturned the thatched pile outside the yard and blew it everywhere.

This was prepared for cattle and sheep. Two cartloads of each, along with corn stalks, were brought back and all of them were piled up in the alley.

However, the corn stalks were bundled together, and the haystacks were only covered with a plastic sheet and weighed down with stones. When the wind was strong, they were blown all over the place.

With no other option, Chen Ling took out a bamboo rake and started digging on the ground. After a while, Wang Susu also got up and went to Yu Qiang's house to borrow a bamboo rake to help him. The yard was relatively flat, so it was easy to sweep the thatch and dead branches and leaves into piles.

The two piled them up again in a corner of the alley outside the courtyard. At first, they looked inconspicuous, but soon they were piled into a stack of firewood, enough to burn until winter.

However, the thatch could no longer be used, so we had to go outside the village to load two more truckloads.

After cleaning, I went inside and checked the time; it was still early.

Chen Ling hitched up the oxcart, took a pitchfork, and went to the threshing ground outside the village to reload the thatch twice. He then returned and tied it up securely.

If you have livestock, this is essential during the autumn and winter seasons.

Eating is secondary; the main thing is to make a nest for them to keep them warm. The straw needs to be changed frequently to keep it dry and warm.

Moreover, when a sheep is about to give birth, the straw it sleeps on should be changed frequently to keep it dry and clean. Otherwise, if it is uncomfortable during its pregnancy, it will be irritable and keep bleating.

In addition, we need to weave some thatch to serve as roofs for the sheepfold.

Thatched cloaks are made by weaving thatch into the shape of a raincoat, piece by piece.

This is what was used to build thatched houses in the countryside. It's made by stacking layers on top of each other, creating a sloping shape, and it's very effective at preventing rain.

Compared to weaving straw mats, this is much simpler and rougher, and it's quite quick to weave.

But there's no rush. You can do it whenever you have free time after meals.

After tying up the thatch, Chen Ling washed up and went to cook. After a busy morning, he was getting hungry.

Just then, Wang Susu returned from picking two cabbages in the field, and the porridge and steamed buns in the pot were almost ready, so Chen Ling started to cook.

These days, cabbage that has been touched by frost has become the most popular dish on the village's dining table.

The cabbage grown by this farmer, born in autumn, tastes a bit dry and astringent.

However, if it has been touched by frost and stir-fried over a wood-fired stove in a farmhouse, there is no need for too many complicated steps. Just render some lard and stir-fry some chili peppers. It is simple and delicious.

Sure enough, the aroma of the cooked cabbage whetted everyone's appetite. Not only Chen Ling and his companion, but even the little girl Wang Zhenzhen ate two whole steamed buns.

"It smells so good, Xiao Chen. Are you eating meat so early in the morning?"

As soon as they finished eating, the idle old women of the county town pushed their bicycles into the yard early in the morning.

The two dogs knew this was a regular customer who came to buy things, so they barked twice as usual and then ignored him.

"No, I just used lard to cook some vegetables."

Chen Ling peeked out from the kitchen and saw that there were quite a few people, four or five in total. She said, "Aunties, we haven't collected enough chicken and duck eggs yet. Let's wait another half month. I'll try to save more for you."

A couple of days ago, when he took the village children to school, he also delivered a lot of things to Liang Hongyu's family. This whole family rarely comes empty-handed when they visit, so he naturally makes sure they bring something too. It's not a lot, but it's a small token of his appreciation.

"Ah, okay, we didn't come to buy anything this time. We came to see your wife about her illness. It's been a chronic ailment for years, and nothing seems to work. We happened to be free today, and Qiumei told us that Susu knows some folk remedies, so we came to ask her to take a look and give it a try..."

"I see. Come, please have a seat."

Chen Ling moved the stool and chair over, said a few words to Wang Susu who came out, and then sent his sister-in-law to school.

As the weather grew colder, Wang Lixian began building his mushroom shed, with Chen Ling helping out for most of the day each day. The work was simple, mainly setting up the frame, which covered less than two-tenths of an acre. It wasn't an inverted arched shed, but rather a sloping earthen shed with three earthen walls, two triangular gable walls on the sides and a long back wall, using bamboo and wood as the framework.

This type of construction is low-cost and requires little manpower to set up, making it very easy.

That noon, Wang Lixian's family provided lunch, but Chen Ling left before the meal was served. It was Wang Susu who came to call him, saying that one of their sheep was about to give birth and that he should hurry back.

"Oh? Is the sheep about to give birth? Do you need our help...?"

Wang Lixian had just lit a fire in the stove when he heard this, so he quickly came out to ask.

Liu Yuzhi also came out, her eyes looking in this direction.

"No need, no need, Brother Xian, Sister-in-law, you go ahead and prepare the meal, we'll head back now."

Chen Ling waved his hand, telling them to go back.

In fact, the young couple had already made preparations.

Because it's getting cold, especially at night, I cleaned up the woodshed a few days ago, laid out a thick layer of dry straw, and let the two sheep live there.

I thought I would have to wait a few more days, but I didn't expect that I would give birth so soon.

The two hurried home.

Before I even entered the yard, I could hear the bleating of sheep coming from inside the house. They sounded very urgent and uneasy.

I went to check the woodshed. The black goat wasn't making any noise, but the white dairy goat had already pressed its head against the corner of the wall, bleating and pawing at the ground with its hooves, starting to work hard.

Upon seeing this, the two immediately prepared to deliver the baby.

Actually, these two sheep were brought back by Chen Ling using the cave. After drinking the spiritual water of the cave, it can be guaranteed that both the ewes and the lambs will be very healthy.

However, since both ewes were giving birth for the first time...

They have no experience in raising children.

It still needs someone to look after it.

For example, some sheep may be healthy, but they are not affectionate towards their lambs. After giving birth, they will not lick the slime off the lambs at all. Some will not recognize them, and some will even trample on the lambs.

These factors can all affect the survival of the lambs.

Therefore, it's important to manage the first production run well.

Today's dairy goat was relatively easy to manage.

The two white lambs were born smoothly in about an hour.

When a sheep gives birth to its second lamb, it is easy for it to become exhausted. This is because it used up all its strength to give birth to the first lamb, which can lead to a difficult birth for the second lamb.

Fortunately, our two sheep are healthy and strong, so we don't need to worry about that.

After the two lambs were born, the mother sheep quietly lay on the hay in the corner and licked the slime off the two lambs.

Not long after, the two lambs wobbled to their feet.

Kneeling beneath the ewe, he repeatedly pressed his head against the ewe's milk ducts.

It's hungry and looking for milk.

"As long as they can find milk on their own, that's fine."

The young couple, Chen Ling and his wife, breathed a sigh of relief. It was best that they didn't have to interfere; this way, the lambs would grow faster and stronger.

Then he watched with delight as the two lambs fought over milk.

So that evening, their family also drank goat milk.

Colostrum from dairy goats is quite good.

It's very thick, with a thick layer of milk skin. Although it's a bit fishy, ​​it tastes great.

Unfortunately, the joy didn't last long.

Dairy goats are easy to manage, but black goats are not so good.

The black goat gave birth to twins at dusk the next day, but this black goat was a heartless mother who didn't recognize her children. She was stupid and clumsy. After the first lamb was born, she didn't even bite off the umbilical cord, let alone lick the slime off the lamb.

Chen Ling first tried to clean the mucus from the lamb's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears to prevent the lamb from suffocating due to breathing difficulties. She then smeared the mucus on the black goat's nose to let it become familiar with the child's scent.

It bites the umbilical cord and licks the mucus.

Unfortunately, it still didn't work. They shrank back, even retreating to the wall, showing considerable resistance.

With no other option, Chen Ling and Wang Susu had to do it themselves. After cutting the umbilical cord, wiping away the mucus, and disinfecting, they discovered that there was still one baby left to be born.

Another flurry of activity.

Strangely, it resisted taking care of the lambs, but when the lambs went to the udder behind it for milk, it didn't react much, lazily ignoring them and letting them drink.

Judging from this, this woman is probably a careless mother.

However, the four lambs were born healthy and strong. In addition to what they drank, the family could also produce three to four catties of milk every day, so the milk supply was plentiful.

Goat milk is highly nutritious and quite filling.

Wang Susu drank three or four catties of goat milk every day, which was too much for her to drink alone, so she made her younger sister and Chen Ling drink it too.

Wang Zhenzhen was fine; the little girl, like her older sister, loved drinking milk and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chen Ling was no good.

After drinking it for several days in a row, my burps tasted like milk, so I couldn't drink it anymore.

Putting everything else aside, this stuff is really bad for young men if they drink too much of it; it can easily cause internal heat.

…These days, I let the sheep graze every few mornings, and after breakfast I go to Wang Lixian's house to help build the shed. The earthen shed is simple, and it was built in no time. After it was finished, we had a drink, and then all that was left was to slowly choose which kind of mycelium to buy.

With some free time, Wang Lixian went out of the village for two days in a row, finding some construction teams he knew to come to the village to look at land for Chen Ling and calculate how much it would cost to build his farm.

So Chen Ling took out the prepared blueprints and led the people to walk around the field.

It was pretty much as he had expected.

At this point, labor costs are actually not expensive. The expense lies in what materials you want to use for construction. Earthen walls, brick walls, wire mesh—anything is fine, it's all up to you. If you want something fancy, spend more money; if you want something rough and simple, save some money.

Chen Ling's requirements weren't high, and they could all handle them. The only problem was that they couldn't gather enough people this year. The construction team Wang Lixian used to work for in the township was almost disbanded; the older members were getting old, and the younger ones had gone out to work elsewhere.

Today's visitors are from Chengdong Village; they're the same here, with only five or six people at the moment.

Chen Ling's project wasn't a small-scale construction project; the area was huge, and with so few people, it would be impossible to manage.

I just said I'd try to ask him, and if Chen Ling can wait until next spring, there definitely won't be any problems.

Chen Ling didn't say anything after hearing this. He sat at Wang Lixian's house for a while, drank tea and chatted, and then saw him off.

On the way back, I passed by Cui the Cripple's house and saw many people chatting there. Wang Laishun was there too, sitting in the crowd with a smile, hugging his knees and swinging his legs, looking very relaxed.

The old man has been living the high life lately. Since the city's interview, the disaster relief funds have been disbursed quickly, a benefit that other villages haven't received.

When it aired a few days ago, he even went to the county town to bring back a television set and put it in front of the brigade. Although everyone didn't know what the thing was for, being on TV at least gave them a chance to see their faces.

Moreover, the relief funds were actually delivered to my hands.

Wang Laishun, the village party secretary, has seen a significant increase in prestige among the villagers.

He used to find the village's trivial matters troublesome and always tried to smooth things over, so many people didn't like him. But now, people greet him warmly from afar.

I only came to Cui the Cripple's house today to buy some soy sauce, but several men from the village forced me to play chess here.

They were chatting and laughing when they saw Chen Ling walking over, so they quickly called him over.

Knowing that he had just led a group of people outside the village to build some kind of farm, I asked him how he planned to build it and how much it would cost. Finally, I couldn't help but ask him how much money he had earned this year.

Over time, people gradually came to understand that Chen Ling must have earned a lot from selling vegetables after the floods this year, but no one knew exactly how much.

Seeing their keen interest, Chen Ling remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal anything. It wasn't that he was deliberately withholding information; he simply felt that the amount of money was irrelevant, as it was a murky affair to begin with.

But after he got home, Wang Susu did some calculations for him.

You wouldn't believe it until you calculate it. The young couple has earned over two thousand yuan in the past few months from selling vegetables in the county town, including chicken and duck eggs, rabbits, and game from hunting in the mountains.

(End of this chapter)