My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 245 Second Injury
"What's wrong, Dad? What's wrong, Dad?"

"Have you found anything?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Wang Zhenzhen led a group of children out of the bamboo forest, each holding a stick, running around like a bunch of restless little monkeys.

"It's a thieving snake, stealing our eggs..."

Wang Cunye pointed to the slightly nervous grass snake on the ground. Surrounded by people, the snake was now somewhat flustered, slowly curling up its body and emitting a series of threatening hisses.

Unfortunately, it was too greedy and stole too many eggs, so it couldn't even curl up into an attacking posture.

"Wow, this snake has so many rat bumps inside!"

"Nonsense, these are egg bumps, not rat bumps."

Seeing the egg-stealing snake, the little children were incredibly excited and waved their sticks at it.

"You thieving worm, you thieving worm, I'll beat you to death, you thieving worm!"

The grass-headed snake couldn't withstand the mischief of these monkeys. It trembled all over in fear and made a terrified hissing sound. But it wasn't quite a sound, because in its panic it tried to run away, but it had swallowed too many eggs and couldn't move its body. It was too weak to even turn around.

So it opened its mouth wide, and its whole body convulsed and writhed, making strange noises.

This continued for a few seconds, and then something amazing happened.

The grass-headed snake, which had swallowed an egg, was slowly spat out.

"Wow, this snake is amazing. It can even spit out the eggs it swallowed."

Liang Yuemin was dumbfounded.

Qin Rongxian was also surprised: "I know snakes steal eggs, but I've never seen one so desperate that it spits out eggs like this."

Chen Ling had never seen it before either, and waved for Wang Zhenzhen and the others to stop: "Stop fighting for now, let the worms spit out their eggs before you start fighting."

These mischievous monkeys get all excited when they see wild things.

"Ka-ka-"

Accompanied by a series of strange and subtle sounds, the thick-bodied grass-headed snake vomited out eggs one by one, as if it were vomiting.

"This worm is amazing; it can actually eat six eggs."

Qin Rong first counted the number of eggs that the grass snake had spat out, then squatted down, used a leaf as a cushion, picked up one of the eggs, and examined it. It seemed to be undamaged.

"Yes, that's why they say snakes are treacherous. Looks like we'll have to spread some snake repellent in the woods these next couple of days."

Wang Cunye said.

Meanwhile, the little children nearby had already used sticks to push the grass snake aside, waving the sticks and shouting "Beat the snake, beat the snake!" They tortured the grass snake to the point of ecstasy, beating it from the grass into the ditch, where it rolled over belly up, unable to escape. The snake was truly miserable.

Liang Yuemin glanced at it and said, "That's a good opportunity to see Uncle Wang's snake repellent medicine. I've only ever heard Fugui brag about it before, but I've never actually seen it."

"Haha, alright, I'll show you tomorrow. I'll prepare the medicine powder today."

Wang Cunye scratched his cheek and laughed.

……

For the next two days, the group scattered pesticide powder throughout the orchard's undergrowth and also used hoes to remove thorns and pull up vines.

In fact, where grass-headed snakes are found, other snake species are relatively rare.

However, raising chickens and ducks in the wild often results in them laying eggs everywhere, which inevitably attracts wild creatures.

Birds, snakes, weasels, and even hedgehogs may come to steal eggs, so we must not be careless.

Sprinkle some snake repellent, dig up some thorny vines, and a few days will pass in a flash.

The weather has been unpredictable lately, sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy. Liang Yuemin and his son helped out for two days before taking their ox away. Chen Ling, on the other hand, called over a few weasels from near the reservoir and nailed together a nice nest for them with wooden planks.

Little Yellow and Little Fatty really like this cozy little house.

But the three little weasels didn't like staying inside. They were looking for tree holes and rabbit holes around the orchard to crawl into, and Chen Ling didn't bother with them.

The reason we moved them here was so they could help Heiwa and the other dog keep an eye on the chickens and ducks. Otherwise, some wild creatures have strange abilities that even two dogs would have a hard time handling.

Weasels can go into the water and climb trees, making them more agile than dogs.

"Once the kite returns, we'll have everything: land, sea, and air."

Chen Ling looked up at the sky, "It's a pity, I wonder where that guy went to find his lover."

However, he was not worried about the kite running away. The kite was now exceptionally intelligent and strong, had few natural enemies, and had developed loyalty and dependence. It wouldn't run away for no reason.

"What if they've started incubating their eggs outside?" he muttered to himself.

Just as he had this guess, the next evening, the hawk, which hadn't appeared for many days, miraculously reappeared, landing under the eaves of the bamboo house like a dirty rag, giving Chen Ling a big fright.

I didn't recognize it as a kite at first glance; I had to look at it several times before I could tell.

The hawk's feathers were disheveled, its body was soaking wet, its beak was slightly open, and its eyes looked at him wearily, as if it had no energy.

I called to it a few times, but it stopped flying onto my shoulder.

After approaching and picking it up, Chen Ling was a little surprised by its condition. "Good heavens, how did you get injured again?"

He reached out and touched it, finding that the hawk's wing was injured, and there were many peck marks on its back, with the wounds showing slight signs of suppuration and worsening.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." The kite seemed to have been hurt by his touch, and it chirped weakly a few times, its eyelids drooping.

"What happened to you? Why are you like this again?"

Chen Ling let go, frowned, picked it up and put it in the bamboo basket, then carried it to the backyard of the farm.

"Chirp, chirp..."

The hawk nestled in the bamboo basket, calling out softly and hoarsely, its eyes seemingly filled with a mixture of anger and helplessness.

Chen Ling didn't know what had happened to it, but he could tell that it hadn't been injured by anyone.

If it's not human, it's more likely to be a bird.

This guy has become intelligent, and his combat power has increased significantly, so how could he still suffer such serious injuries?
"What's wrong, Lingzi?"

"Dad, Hawk is back. It's just that this guy got into some trouble outside and got hurt like this."

Seeing his father-in-law following over, Chen Ling carried a bamboo basket and used one hand to brush the feathers off the hawk to check its injuries.

"Good heavens, it's almost festering, the injury is quite serious," Wang Cunye said in alarm.

"Yes, I wonder if they fought when they were pairing up with the male hawk."

Chen Ling sighed softly, "Sigh, this guy has a fierce temper and a stubborn streak. Even finding a lover can cause trouble."

"Well, it's your pet, so whose fault is it? Go and apply the medicine quickly," Wang Cunye said with a smile.

He then added, "I've heard that eagles are usually solitary before they mate, and if they don't get along, they're more likely to fight. Maybe hawks are the same way."

"However, it might not have been the male hawk. There has been a lot of rain lately. If it had encountered a heavy downpour while it was on its way back, it might have flown off somewhere. It would have been injured and gotten wet in the rain, so it's normal for the wound to have become infected."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling thought it made sense. He glanced at Yao, whose condition was deteriorating, and quickly went to fetch the medicine box.

First, I fed it some spiritual water disguised as "medicine," and then I cleaned its wounds and applied anti-inflammatory medicine.

The hawk was quite obedient in its hands. When its wound was being cleaned, it trembled in pain the whole time, but it endured it without flinching, which greatly impressed Wang Cunye. He also admired his son-in-law's skill in training the hawk.

"Let it rest. Once the injury heals, we'll take it to the mountains to gather herbs in a couple of days. You can train it properly; it would be amazing if it could learn to find herbs."

"Good idea, I'll try it once it's healed."

Chen Ling's eyes lit up.

Hunting, finding herbs—one falcon can serve multiple purposes; it really is quite good.

As they talked, the two deftly applied medicine to the kite.

Chen Ling put it back into the bamboo basket, looked at the kite's disheveled feathers and drowsy appearance, smacked his lips, and then picked it up and placed it under the eaves of the front yard.

We can keep an eye on it from here. If we put it in the woodshed in the backyard, given its current state, something might crawl in and eat it.

……

However, this worry will soon be resolved.

With the help of the magical water and various medicines, the hawk's wounds all scabbed over in two or three days, and its spirits improved day by day.

Its feathers were a bit bald after the injury, and the wing injury hadn't healed properly, so it wouldn't be able to fly for a while. But when it saw strangers coming to the farm, even if it was nestled in the bamboo basket, it would stretch its neck, let out a few high-pitched cries, and its eyes would be sharp as knives. It was extremely fierce in both appearance and demeanor.

This pleased Chen Ling greatly, and he patted its head approvingly, saying, "You've gone bald twice now, so I'll call you Baldy from now on."

After saying that, without waiting for Yaozi's agreement, she picked up her son and hummed a little tune as she strolled out of the farm.

……

Today, the kites were flying high. The Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng families came over for a while. The peaches on the hillside near the orchard ripened late, but they were very sweet and delicious. Chen Ling invited them over, and they spent the whole morning eating peaches and having a lively time.

The two families also brought over a large basket of tender soybeans, which are edamame.

Knowing that Chen Ling is a foodie, in addition to edamame, they also sent him a lot of broad beans.

After lunch, Gao Xiulan began to sort through the pile of edamame.

“Li Xian’s family gave us quite a lot of edamame, how about we make some fermented soybeans?” Gao Xiulan suggested.

“Sure, making some fermented soybeans wouldn’t be bad, otherwise they’ll get old if we can’t finish them,” Wang Susu replied as she walked slowly with her son in her arms.

Fermented soybeans are not a local dish; they were a recipe that Wang Qingzhong and Guo Xinping learned from elsewhere when they were selling grain.

Fenglei Town is located at the junction of three provinces, and many merchants come and go, but no one knows where this vegetable comes from.

However, after learning how to cook it, the whole family really enjoyed eating it.

Chen Ling tried it when he took Wang Susu back last year and thought it was quite good.

Actually, this stuff tastes similar to fermented bean curd, and the processing methods are also quite similar.

After shelling the plump and tender soybeans, cook them and place them in a bamboo basket to let them grow mold naturally.

In weather like this, the beans will ferment and soften in about two days.

Put it back into the pot, add water and seasonings, cook until done, then put it into a pickling jar and seal it for storage.

Normally, it can be eaten continuously for one or two months without spoiling.

Whether you're eating rice or steamed buns, you can add some fermented soybeans for seasoning. It has a unique aroma that is very appetizing and makes the meal more enjoyable.

You can also use fermented soybeans as the main ingredient, put them in a large bowl with water, and then put in small pieces of pork belly, fried tofu, etc., and steam them all at once when steaming buns. It's similar to the way the three major local steamed dishes are made.

It tastes good and goes very well with rice.

"Mom, you can make fermented soybeans, but don't make them all. First, boil some salted edamame and broad beans to satisfy your cravings. Dad and I will have some wine with them tonight," Chen Ling quickly reminded her.

Fermented soybeans are quite delicious, but Chen Ling still prefers to eat them fresh in their shells—what a great snack to have with drinks!

"I know, I know you too well," Gao Xiulan glanced at her son-in-law and smiled.

Then I poured the edamame beans in their shells out of the basket, put them in a basin of water, and took out scissors to cut off the ends.

My son-in-law has a sweet tooth, so I prepare it for him in advance to prevent him from nagging.

"Since we've made the fermented soybeans, why don't we make some fermented soybean paste too? I've noticed Lingzi uses it a lot when she cooks," Gao Xiulan said.

"No need, Mother, don't bother. I've already bought plenty of fermented soybean paste."

Chen Ling waved his hand, feeling bad about always ordering his mother-in-law around.

"Buy, buy, buy! All you ever do is buy! You have Rui Rui now, why don't you save more money? Why spend money on things we can make ourselves?" Gao Xiulan couldn't stand the word "buy." People who have been poor and suffered hardship are like this; they would rather work harder than spend money on random purchases.

“Your mother is right. Rui Rui can’t run around in the fields yet, so he has plenty of free time. He can do whatever he wants.” Wang Cunye, who was sharpening his nails with a sickle, chimed in.

Seeing this, Wang Susu smiled and glanced at Chen Ling, then said to her parents, "Alright, I'll get busy too. I was just thinking of pickling some salted eggs."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling thought to himself: Pickled salted eggs are good. I can cook a few whenever I want to eat them. They're the most convenient to have with porridge in the morning.

"I'll go pick out some duck eggs."

Chen Ling got up, took the basket, and left. Salted eggs are better than duck eggs.

Duck eggs are indeed suitable for pickling into salted eggs, but not for steaming or boiling.

"Here you go, this is your and your son-in-law's snack with your drinks. The broad beans are in the kitchen, they've been prepared for a while now, go and cook them together."

After the edamame were cut and washed, Gao Xiulan pushed them in front of Wang Cunye.

Wang Cunye looked up in surprise: "Why are you ordering me around like this?"

"Where's Zhenzhen? Zhenzhen, where did you go? Come back and cook edamame."

He wanted to call his youngest daughter for help, but the little rascal had already disappeared.

"Dad, don't worry about it. I'll go cook with A-Ling later," Wang Susu said upon seeing this.

"No need, no need, I can do this. Don't you know your dad? It wouldn't be right if he didn't have something to go with his drinks." Wang Cunye smiled and picked up the cut edamame beans, heading to the kitchen in the backyard of the farm.

“Your dad has become lazy lately. He’s like an animal; he can’t be left alone without being used.”

After the old man left, Gao Xiulan couldn't help but laugh.

"mother."

Wang Susu playfully scolded, "Look at what you're saying, my dad is such a good person."

"Haha, your dad is a good man, but in the last two years since you all got married and life has become better, he's been wanting to be lazy all the time."

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed.

Not long after, Rui Rui's cries rang out in the yard. Without asking, it was clear that it was time for her to be fed again.

After feeding Rui Rui, Wang Susu rolled up her sleeves and went to the backyard.

She took out one of the pickling jars, wiped off the dust, and placed it in the sun to dry.

This helps to sterilize the pickling jar.

At this moment, Chen Ling also picked out most of a basket of duck eggs, all of them large, and he had specially chosen double-yolk duck eggs.

Wang Susu carefully washed each duck egg clean, placed them in a ventilated place to dry, and then applied some wine to the surface.

Then, Wang Susu found an old earthenware pot, took some wood ash from the kitchen, poured in some water, sprinkled in a handful of salt, and stirred it.

Chen Ling was watching his father-in-law cook edamame in the kitchen when he saw his wife busy at work, so he went over to her.

"This is dirty, I'll do it." He had seen other families make duck eggs before.

It's not a difficult thing; he'll learn it after watching it for a while.

"You go ahead with your work, I'll take care of it," Wang Susu said with a chuckle, waving at him.

Chen Ling, however, wanted to join in the fun, "Then I'll help you out. I really don't know how to pickle salted eggs. You sit down and give me instructions, and we'll do it together."

As he spoke, he squatted down.

Wang Susu laughed and said, "Okay, okay, let's do it together."

You're strong, so you get to call the shots.

Pickling duck eggs is very simple. Without Wang Susu's instructions, Chen Ling quickly wrapped a duck egg.

Most of the basket of duck eggs was collected in about an hour.

Wang Susu carried the dried jars to Chen Ling and said, "Just put them in there, one by one, gently."

"Okay." Chen Ling carefully picked up the duck eggs one by one, gently placed them into the jar, and put the lid on.

After finishing, I carried the jar from the kitchen to the storeroom and put it together with the sauerkraut jar and the wine jar.

At this point, the father-in-law also cooked the edamame and broad beans. After taking them out of the pot and letting them cool, they were ready to eat.

……

In the evening, with a cool night breeze blowing, the father-in-law and son-in-law sat in the courtyard of the farm, enjoying some salty edamame and broad beans and drinking a little wine. They were extremely content.

"I'm going to the mountains to collect herbs tomorrow. I left a mark last time. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure, I'll go. I don't have anything to do tomorrow."

Sipping sweet and refreshing fruit wine and chatting, the father-in-law and son-in-law discussed going up the mountain to collect herbs together the next day.

(End of this chapter)