My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 352 Digging for Bamboo Shoots, Dog Fighting

Only three days after the pregnancy was confirmed, Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan rushed over from Fenglei Town.

The two elders were overjoyed.

The son-in-law's family is already small, so he should try harder to have more children.

The house needs to be kept lively and bustling so that the future will be prosperous and the descendants will thrive.

The father-in-law and mother-in-law came again, helping to take care of the child, do some farm work, and handle other miscellaneous matters on the farm.

Chen Ling felt much more relaxed immediately.

I also have time to let the horses roam and walk the dogs, and I also have time to go hiking in the mountains.

He was also thinking that he would take the ornamental fish to the city in a few days to see how the prices were.

Spring rain is as precious as oil.

This year's spring rain has been eagerly awaited, and it finally started raining today.

The spring rain is as fine as cow's hair or as fine as needles, cool and refreshing, crystal clear.

A fine drizzle was falling over the vast fields, turning everything into a white expanse.

Like smoke, like mist, like dust.

The threads, lingering and intertwined, were like endless silver threads, falling down from the sky and covering the earth.

In the puddles of all sizes, fine ripples and faint waves occasionally spread out.

In the lingering spring rain, the farm's poultry and livestock became lively.

Geese and ducks spread their wings, quacking and circling to welcome the baptism of the spring rain.

The chickens kept shaking their feathers, letting the raindrops fall on them.

The sheep in the sheepfold and the mules and horses in the livestock shed had already started bellowing impatiently.

Seeing this, Chen Ling and his wife, after milking the goats, released them all out to frolic and play in the orchard. They didn't care whether the goats were running, jumping, or splashing in the irrigation ditches and streams.

Even the big and small dogs and kites at home were let out to enjoy the baptism of the spring rain.

The two of them held their son in the pavilion in the bamboo grove, whispering intimate words while waiting for Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan to come over for dinner.

"Yeah~"

At this moment, Rui Rui on Chen Ling's lap let out a happy shout, revealing her white little teeth. She waved her two little hands and happily shouted and laughed in the direction of the farm.

But the little kitten saw that everything in the house had run out, so it tentatively ran out as well.

This little thing has never traveled this far before.

Rui Rui found the kitten's furtive and cautious behavior amusing and reached out as if to grab it.

Just then, a series of barking sounds came from the orchard, as the puppies frolicked and chased away the chickens and ducks.

The kitten heard the familiar meow and quickly ran over.

Join the puppies in pouncing and nibbling at the chickens and ducks.

But they angered the leader of the chickens and ducks. Several geese leaped out of the ditch, leading the flock of chickens and ducks, flapping their wings and chasing and pecking at them, making the naughty little guys flee in panic.

Soon, in the light drizzle, they began chasing after the birds that were carrying stones and picking up twigs.

"There are even more birds in this forest this year than last year."

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan walked over in the drizzle and saw that the birds around the orchard were actually foraging for food and building nests in the rain. Looking up at the trees and walking into the woods, a large flock of birds fluttered up from the trees and from the withered and messy grass.

There were hundreds of them, a dark mass.

“There are quite a lot. It’s only just started to warm up today, and look at this forest, there’s already a thick layer of bird droppings,” Gao Xiulan said.

The two men came over, carrying two baskets of sweet potato vines on their backs. They poured them into the stone trough in the livestock shed to feed the animals.

Sweet potato vines and peanut vines are things that mules and horses eat.

Some are dried, crushed, and mixed with other miscellaneous things to be used as animal feed.

Seeing Chen Ling and his companion follow, Wang Cunye laughed and said, "Everyone knows you raise horses. Several families in the village have asked your mother and me to get sweet potato vines. There are so many of these now. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll drive the tractor and bring back two loads."

"Okay, we'll start pressing sweet potatoes soon. There's a lot of this stuff." Chen Ling nodded, holding the baby.

In the past, people in the mountains were poor and relied on sweet potatoes to survive. This stuff is not picky about the soil and has a high yield. It can be planted two or three times in a row. For a long time, it was a staple food.

The sweet potato well that every household has serves as proof.

This was a grain cellar back then.

To grow sweet potatoes, we start cultivating sweet potato seedlings every year after the Lunar New Year.

In the warm spring of March, we begin pressing sweet potato vines.

In the local dialect, it's called pressing down sweet potato vines.

It's actually just "planting sweet potato seedlings".

At this stage, any excess sweet potato vines from the seedlings are used to feed chickens, ducks, or livestock; they are worthless.

“Yes, there are also a lot of rapeseed seedlings. They grow so many in the field that they become too dense, and we have to thin them out and pull out piles of them. Nobody wants them, but the chickens and ducks can’t eat them all,” Wang Susu added.

There's no need to ask others for these; people who have them will just throw them out themselves. There are plenty of them in the fields.

However, it is mostly sheep that come to eat it.

Sheep are not picky eaters.

"Hey, stop talking about livestock. Our family's animals are never short of food. So, Susu, what would you like to eat? It's raining today, so let's all stay home and think about making something delicious?" Gao Xiulan said with a smile.

The old lady has been very happy these past two days. It's wonderful that her daughter's second pregnancy came so quickly.

At this moment, Wang Cunye said in a very unromantic way, "What Susu eats is none of your business, old woman. The two of them can cook whatever they want, why do you have to meddle?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiulan was so angry that she wanted to hit him. She glared at Wang Cunye and said, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."

Seeing that the old couple was about to quarrel, Wang Susu quickly said, "Dad, Mom, A-Ling said that we'll go dig bamboo shoots later. We can just stir-fry some vegetables with fresh bamboo shoots for lunch, or we can cook a fish too."

Wang Cunye naturally doted on his daughter. Knowing that she loved bamboo shoots, he immediately agreed, saying, "Great! I'll go up the mountain with Lingzi to dig bamboo shoots later. The ones in our bamboo forest aren't good; there aren't many bamboo shoots this year."

Chen Ling then said, "I've already eaten here a few times. Dad, your legs aren't feeling well on rainy days, I can go by myself."

Wang Cunye waved his hand and laughed, "It's nothing, it's nothing. My legs are just not good at home. I've been here for two days and they're fine now. It started raining this morning, but they don't hurt at all. My soles are still warm, whereas they're cold at home."

Gao Xiulan snorted upon hearing this, "See? Your dad's even faking illness now."

What do you mean by "it's good to be here"? It's not good at home. If the villagers in the son-in-law's village heard this, they would think that they only want to come to their daughter's place to enjoy a life of luxury.

"Oh dear, what are you saying? Even if I were faking illness, it wouldn't warrant this..."

Wang Cunye impatiently yelled at the old woman, then nimbly swung his ailing leg at Chen Ling and the other man.

Strangely enough, this leg always aches when I'm at home, especially on cloudy, rainy, or snowy days, and sometimes I can't sleep at night.

But once I got here, I felt much better.

Thinking back to last year, I spent more than half a year here, and my leg didn't cause any problems. I also slept well and ate well.

This made the old man very uneasy. On the way here today, he kept thinking to himself, "Could it be that my son-in-law's family really has a treasure to protect their home?"
Otherwise, how could such a strange thing happen?

The old lady wasn't sick or ill, so it wasn't obvious. People thought the old man missed his two daughters and grandson and kept thinking about coming here.

Listening to the two elders bickering, Chen Ling smiled slightly. He knew all too well that this was actually a problem with their own water and food supply.

If Wang Cunye had stayed a few more months last year, his leg would have gradually recovered.

But since the two of them were going home at the end of the year, it was a bit lacking.

However, Chen Ling was not in a hurry.

If you get anxious, drinking the spiritual liquid from the small tree in the cave every day will allow you to recover quickly.

But that would be too shocking. It's better to take it slow.

It takes two or three years for a leg to heal on its own, making it easier for people to adapt.

……

"Let's go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots!"

Upon hearing the news, Wang Zhenzhen jumped three feet high.

Today was the first light rain of early spring, and many villagers were happily digging for wild vegetables outside the village. Wang Zhenzhen and the village children also went.

After a period of wild revelry, having dug up a lot of wild vegetables, they returned still full of energy and insisted on going into the mountains with Chen Ling and the other person.

Here they are, already prepared with a basket and a small hoe.

The sky was overcast, and the rain had stopped.

The three men, carrying hoes, woven bags, and baskets on their backs, put on rain boots and went into the mountains with two dogs and an eagle.

After walking less than half a mile along the mountain path, Wang Zhenzhen felt a chill on her right ear. She held it up to her eyes and quickly said to the two men, "Dad, brother-in-law, it's raining again."

"What's there to be afraid of? It's just a little rain. There's been so little rain this spring, I'm not worried it won't rain at all," Wang Cunye replied with a smile.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I'm happy."

Wang Zhenzhen chuckled, then led Heiwa and Xiaojin past the two of them and quickly ran up the hillside.

A yellow-clawed falcon stood on the basket behind Chen Ling. The man and the falcon walked along, looking around.

This bamboo shoot digging trip started from the West Mountain, where we were going to dig in the large bamboo forest near the mountain lake.

A spring rain washed away the dust from the mountains and forests, leaving the trees and bamboo groves lush and green. Under the fine rain, mountain springs flowed through the ravines, and countless bamboo shoots appeared in the bamboo groves.

Big and small, tender and old, there are few people here, it would be a waste not to dig up the bamboo shoots.

Walking to the lakeside in the mountains, the lake was very shallow in early spring, and fine raindrops rippled across its surface.

The green bamboo on the south bank is tall and straight, with glistening water droplets hanging on its emerald leaves.

It is truly a picturesque scene.

Wang Zhenzhen and her two dogs were running around happily, and they had already turned into three mud monkeys.

Just then, they spotted a large bamboo shoot and couldn't wait to run over. Wang Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and started digging, while the two dogs dug around nearby.

The three guys were having a great time.

Wang Cunye glanced at it and chuckled, "Zhenzhen, you've forgotten everything I taught you last year. You've been too busy playing, haven't you? When digging bamboo shoots in early spring, you should choose the freshest and tenderest ones that have just sprouted. They taste the best. You've only been thinking about getting the biggest ones."

Wang Zhenzhen was least afraid of her father, Wang Cunye. She wiped the rain off her face and retorted stubbornly, "Who was just playing? I know this old thing doesn't taste good. I dug it up to plant bamboo."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling immediately retorted with disdain, "You don't need that to plant bamboo, so stop wasting your time."

As they spoke, the father-in-law and son-in-law each found a small bamboo shoot. They dug up the soil at the base of the shoot, and the base was gradually exposed. They put the hoe under the base of the shoot, lifted it up, and pulled the whole bamboo shoot out.

Seeing that the two ignored her, Wang Zhenzhen also felt bored, so she took the dog and followed behind to start looking for tender bamboo shoots.

However, being so young, digging bamboo shoots was very strenuous for him. Before long, he was covered in sweat and had no strength left. He did manage to peel off quite a few bamboo shoot skins, but he also damaged some of the bamboo shoot tips.

They exclaimed that digging for bamboo shoots wasn't as fun as digging for wild vegetables.

Digging bamboo shoots is too tiring, and you can't even dig up mice.

Chen Ling suggested that there were bamboo rats in the bamboo forest and that she take the dog to catch them.

The little girl then mustered up her strength again and ran out as if she were fully revived.

The dog and the eagle, not wanting to be left out, followed.

With such a luxurious lineup.

Even though bamboo rats are not as easy to find in early spring as they are in summer, we still managed to catch two chubby little ones.

After returning home, the family enjoyed a delicious meal with fresh bamboo shoots and two bamboo rats.

……

With his father-in-law and mother-in-law arriving, and someone looking after the child, Chen Ling finally had time to do his own things.

He plans to go to the city tomorrow or the day after, once the weather improves, to sell his first batch of ornamental fish.

Saying it's the first batch is rather vague.

In fact, based on the pictures in the books he bought, he believed that the quality of this first batch of ornamental fish should be divided into three grades.

The first tier is beautiful.

The second tier is simply pleasing to the eye.

The third tier is the standard.

Even though it's just average, this quality is still better than the adult fish Chen Ling bought last year.

He mainly wanted to see what prices the first two tiers could fetch.

I'll visit a couple more places, one in Jiangnan and one in Jiangbei, to compare them.

So he started thinking that he would go to Tenghe Township in the southeast of the city tomorrow to take a boat and bring the fish there.

If you want to make ornamental fish a legitimate source of income, you should at least bring it into the open.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard a pack of dogs barking wildly outside the farm, followed by the sound of a car horn.

Wang Cunye stood up at the sound, stood on tiptoe and looked around, "Who's here? Could it be Dahai? Didn't he say he'd be coming here this spring to replace the transformer and install the utility poles?"

"It shouldn't be, Heiwa and his friend don't call each other by their names."

Chen Ling shook his head and walked outside. When he went out, he saw that Sun Yanhong's car was parked by the wheat field. The woman and a strange man were holding some meat and trying to feed the dog.

However, Chen Ling's dogs never eat food from strangers, and feeding them only has the opposite effect, attracting the dogs' hostility.

The man and woman are now surrounded by a pack of dogs and are so frightened that they are clinging tightly to the side of the car and dare not move.

"Fugui, your dog is so ungrateful! We're feeding them, and it still tries to attack us?" Sun Yanhong said, her face pale.

"Come on, who knows what you're thinking? I don't even want to talk to you. Can't you just come to my house honestly every time you come? You have so many little schemes."

Chen Ling glanced at the two of them: "Are you here to buy wine or salted eggs?"

Those who come to his place usually have nothing else to do besides these two things.

"Hey hey, come see the dog. I've run into you a few times on the street walking your dog, but you never respond when I talk to you..."

Sun Yanhong deliberately complained, then pointed to the man next to her and said, "I brought you a big boss today. He knows you have a good dog and wants to spend a lot of money to buy it."

Just as she finished speaking, and Chen Ling was about to frown and refuse, the man next to her quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, I've heard a long time ago that your dogs are amazing. I wanted to buy two puppies to raise. If you raise puppies from a puppy to adulthood, you can raise a dog that's truly tamed."

"Since I happened to be in your county today, I asked Sister Sun to bring them over to take a look. I didn't know your litter of puppies had grown into big dogs. Since they've grown into big dogs, then never mind."

It's grown into a big dog; if you take it home, you won't be able to tame it.

Moreover, he had just witnessed how ferocious those dogs were, and he was still shaken by them.

Despite my initial fear, after taking a closer look, I found myself completely enamored with these dogs.

Then he put down the meat and enthusiastically introduced himself to Chen Ling.

This man is from a county near Tiannan City. His name is Yu Bangjin. He is short, with a round head and thick lips. His family owns two fairly large instant noodle factories and beverage factories. Chen Ling can just call him Lao Yu or Lao Jin.

The rain hadn't stopped in the afternoon, and it was still drizzling outside, so Chen Ling invited the two of them to the farm for a cup of hot tea.

After sitting down in the living room, Yu Bangjin continued, "Your dog is really well-raised. It's tall and strong, and its legs are like little pillars. It's a delight to look at."

"But Brother Fugui, you've raised this dog so well, you should take it out for a spin. I know a place that specializes in dog fighting. Are you interested? If you are, I'll take you there, and we can have some fun."

(End of this chapter)