My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 362 The Year's Plan Starts in Spring
The reappearance of the giant softshell turtle in the reservoir has once again sparked considerable discussion.

The leaders of the township and county were particularly excited, as the local "Turtle King" had appeared multiple times in the past two years, proving that Chenwangzhuang was a treasure land.

I hope that garlic and other similar products will make more appearances in the future, and become famous locally. It would also bring honor to the officials.

In addition, on the afternoon of the day the giant softshell turtle appeared in the reservoir, Tian Hongli made a loudspeaker announcement about buying ornamental fish.

The ornamental fish in each household in the village were adopted by villagers who saw that Chen Ling was making money from raising fish, so they followed suit and started raising them.

As for whether they can sell the animals they raise, or whether they can make a profit, they really have no idea.

Now Tian Hongli says he's willing to accept it and will even pay a deposit in advance.

How could the villagers not be happy to hear that?
Everyone was overjoyed, praising the Turtle King for his efficacy, saying that their families would soon become rich after the worship.

It's not just one family or household that's getting rich; it's bringing wealth to the entire village.

That must be incredibly powerful.

So everyone rushed to the brigade and gathered together for a lively meeting that lasted from afternoon until evening.

At the meeting, Tian Hongli readily signed the document, saying that she would bring the deposit over next week and give it to the villagers.

The villagers know about the deposit; Sun Yanhong did it last year when she came to the village to buy pigs.

Moreover, the person driving the fish delivery was Wang Lixian's prospective son-in-law.

Previously, when Chen Ling delivered fish to the city, it was he who drove the delivery. It was an acquaintance who was in charge of transportation, and Chen Ling had sold the fish once before, so the villagers had complete confidence in the company.

That evening, they warmly entertained Tian Hongli.

They even called Chen Ling over, and Chen Ling obliged by going over for a drink and saying a few words. But he didn't stay long before taking Zhou Weijun and the other two to let their dogs roam freely under the cover of night.

Yu Qi'an had heard about hunting with dogs from Zhou Weijun before he even arrived here, so he had been thinking about it for a long time.

There's nothing else to it. Just imagine riding a motorcycle late at night, headlights on, speeding through wheat fields, chasing prey. It feels so carefree and exhilarating.

So he'd mention it every now and then—during meals, while chatting over tea—not saying much, just a simple, "Let's go hunting tonight."

He repeated it over and over, afraid that Chen Ling would forget.

Chen Ling originally planned to go to the reservoir that night to investigate the water monster, but seeing that Old Yu was still concerned about it, he decided to take him there first and they could go to the reservoir later that night.

Maybe we can even trap that thing in its lair.

They got on the tractor, put Zhou Weijun, Yu Qi'an, and a bunch of rascals in the back, and drove towards the county town.

First go to the forest farm, then head north along the Dumb River to the wilderness of Dumb Lake.

Once spring arrives in March, the wheat begins to sprout and stalk, so it's no longer appropriate to just wander around the wheat fields aimlessly.

It's better to go out and roam freely in the wild where no one cares, and besides, there's plenty of prey there.

Around seven or eight o'clock at night, as soon as they arrived at the forest farm, Chen Ling stopped the tractor, and the group lowered all the side panels of the truck bed and began to release the dogs to hunt.

The tractor slowly moved forward on the dirt road outside the forest farm. As soon as it detected any movement, the puppies in the back of the tractor, led by Erhei, would leap off and rush into the forest to hunt their prey.

After completing the hunt, it returns, jumps onto the vehicle, places the prey safely, and then sits steadily in the back of the truck, waiting for its chance to strike.

From the forest farm to the riverbank and lakeside, they played until late at night, and Yu Qi'an and Ma Wei certainly had their eyes opened.

The two of them had a great time with Zhou Weijun.

When they get excited, they will follow behind the dog, shouting and yelling as they chase and intercept their prey.

Sometimes they encounter cunning prey, such as wildcats, which leap high into the air, causing a chaotic chase between people and dogs. Once, a wildcat had nowhere to escape and almost jumped onto Chen Ling's face while he was driving a tractor.

This fun and exciting night hunt delighted several playful men.

They came with high spirits and left with great enjoyment, having a wonderful time.

The prey was piled up quite a bit in the back of the truck.

Unfortunately, after returning home, Chen Ling's search for the lake monster at the reservoir yielded no useful results.

Around the burrow, only some feces and claw marks could be seen, and it was still impossible to identify what kind of creature it was.

Even when we called out the garlic to look for it, it had already disappeared without a trace.

Chen Ling cursed inwardly at how slippery the thing was, thinking it might actually be a small wild animal like a badger.

……

In the warm spring, Chenwangzhuang became lively again.

Even though the giant softshell turtle in the reservoir has not reappeared, it hasn't dampened people's enthusiasm.

People from all around came to pay their respects upon hearing the news, which also attracted a large number of vendors to set up stalls and sell their wares.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Qi'an and his companions set off early in the morning, eager to join in the excitement on the dam.

Unfortunately, the stalls didn't sell the local specialties they wanted most. After wandering around for a while without finding anything, they reluctantly asked Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng to take them to the villagers' homes.

Yu Qi'an, like Zhou Weijun, loves to eat.

Zhou Weijun claims he can eat two large pork knuckles in one sitting.

Yu Qi'an said that he could eat three catties of donkey meat and a flatbread in one go, and he could eat twenty or thirty of those door nail meat pies in one go.

Hearing that Zhou Weijun was happily collecting cured meat, fish, dried fruit, and pickled vegetables in Chenwangzhuang, Yu Qi'an couldn't sit still.

The film crew hadn't arrived yet, and they didn't have much money on them, so the two, who were craving food, decided to rob the villagers.

Unfortunately, Chen Ling had to stay home to help his wife gather herbs and grow vegetables, so he didn't have time to goof around with them.

So they let Wang Jusheng take them there.

In March, wildflowers bloom all over the mountains, and spring is in full bloom, making it the perfect time for a spring outing.

The young couple, Chen Ling and his wife, were completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle on the other side of the reservoir. They leisurely gathered medicinal herbs in the wild, carrying sickles, hoes, and small bamboo baskets.

After having a son, the young couple rarely went out like this.

Now, Wang Susu's pharmacy is able to support its staff.

Although he didn't earn much, far less than Chen Ling's earning speed, it was more than enough to support two people in the countryside.

Therefore, one must diligently collect and dry medicinal herbs, otherwise these common herbs for treating headaches and fevers will not be enough.

"Uncle Fugui, Aunt Susu..."

Two little girls, Xizi and Niuniu, held hands and carried a basket of bamboo strips on their backs. They waved to the two of them from afar when they saw them.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu immediately stopped and asked them with smiles where they were going.

Xizi said, "Uncle sets up a stall selling paper kites over by the reservoir, and we'll go there to deliver bamboo strips."

Thanks to Chen Baoshuan's change of heart, the poor little girl and Chen Sangui's lives improved. The little girl was still a bit thin, but she was much more cheerful, and her rosy face was adorned with more smiles.

"Oh, your uncle is quite skillful; he can even do this."

Chen Ling smiled and patted the little girl's head.

Niu Niu, who was standing next to him, quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Uncle Baoshuan can make paper kites and umbrellas. He's even better than Uncle Dazhi!"

"Wow, that's really impressive. I'll ask your Uncle Baoshuan to make a couple of umbrellas for me to play with sometime."

Oiled paper umbrellas, how fun!

At this moment, Wang Lishan, who came up from behind, laughed and said, "Fugui, you're just teasing the kids. If you want an umbrella, Baoshuan would bring it to you." In the eyes of the villagers, Chen Baoshuan had benefited a lot from Chen Ling this year. Chen Ling vaccinated the chickens, ducks, and livestock, and the fish fry were also caught from Chen Ling's house.

Everyone assumed that Chen Ling was being so generous out of respect for Chen Sangui.

In reality, it was Chen Baoshuan who tipped Chen Ling off, saving Chen Ling a lot of effort.

However, outsiders didn't know this, and Chen Ling didn't say anything more about it, but just smiled and asked, "Brother Lishan, where are you going? Did you carry a basket of eggs?"

Wang Lishan patted the basket and chuckled, "What eggs? These are tobacco leaves, dried before the New Year. I'm going to sell them at the reservoir."

After saying that, he hummed a little tune, slung his basket over his shoulder, and swayed away with the two little girls.

Chen Ling chuckled at this and said to Wang Susu, "Goodness, this turtle king is actually generating income for our village in a roundabout way."

Indeed, not only was Tian Hongli influenced by the turtle to buy ornamental fish, but the villagers also enjoyed the convenience of setting up stalls to sell their goods.

Wang Susu smiled gently: "Yes, such a big turtle, even if it's not some kind of turtle king, it's still like the auspicious creature described in the books, protecting our village."

That's not a problem either.

When outsiders like Tian Hongli first saw the size of the giant turtle, they were truly shocked by its enormous size, which led to their subsequent business dealings.

Yesterday, I asked people everywhere to take photos, and I didn't hide it from the villagers. I said I wanted to take a lot of photos to take back and publish in the newspaper.

This is obviously a gimmick used to sell fish.

But for the villagers, as long as they can make money, this is nothing.

"Hey, Fugui, we've taken Jusheng out to play."

When they reached the edge of the village in the southwest corner and were walking towards the riverbank, Yu Qi'an drove his car out of the village and honked the horn.

"Where are you going? Have you finished harvesting the things in the village?" Chen Ling asked.

Living right next to the mountains, dried sweet potatoes and persimmons are worthless in the countryside. Every household produces a lot of these things every year, which should be enough to cause them a lot of trouble.

"We haven't finished harvesting yet. I'm craving some dried fish. You're young, let's go out for a walk first."

Yu Qi'an chuckled, wearing sunglasses, "I'm off."

As he spoke, he waved to Chen Ling, and the three people in the car, including Zhou Weijun, also waved back with chuckles.

"let's go."

Chen Ling waved his hand in agreement, both amused and exasperated. These guys were really something.

Afterwards, he and his wife wandered around the fields, riverbanks, and Nanshan Mountain, digging for medicinal herbs and collecting wild animal droppings that could be used in medicine.

For example, bat droppings found in the crevices of rocky cliffs are called "night-shining sand."

There are also geckos, lizards, and other animals whose entire bodies are used in medicine, as well as the shed skin of scorpions and toads.

These things are very common in the mountains, but people don't pay attention to them, and little kids just play with them and then throw them away.

It's not that people don't know these things are medicinal herbs.

The key issue is that there are too few of these things; there's no need to collect them.

"The fruit trees in our orchard have started to bloom this year. I'll sow some more flower and grass seeds in the next couple of days. Even after the fruit tree blossoms fall, there will still be flowers blooming on the ground, making our farm beautiful all year round."

After wandering around in the mountains for a while, on the way back, Wang Susu looked at the wildflowers covering the hillsides, took a couple of deep breaths, and showed a look of rapture on her face.

Women all love flowers and plants, and at this moment, Wang Susu was already imagining the scene of flowers blooming all over the farm.

"Then you'll have to plant some plum blossoms. It's not easy to have flowers blooming all year round. Autumn is fine, but in winter only plum blossoms will bloom."

Chen Ling smiled. He had long wanted to collect plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, but he was still missing plum blossoms.

"Yes, we definitely need to plant plum blossoms. I've decided that when we go to Du Juan's wedding in a while, we'll buy some plum blossoms in the city."

Wang Susu nodded seriously. Looking at her little expression as she looked around at the flowers, if their bamboo baskets hadn't been filled with medicinal herbs, they probably would have dug up a few wildflowers before they were satisfied.

"Okay, if you're not showing by then, I'll definitely take you and Rui Rui to stay in the city for a few more days. I've already prepared the house."

Chen Ling squeezed his wife's soft, white hand and gently stroked her flat stomach twice with the other hand.

Wang Susu quickly slapped his hand away and said disapprovingly, "We're outside, you're not allowed to touch me."

Then she chuckled and said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Last year you guys wouldn't let me do this or that, but I can do any kind of work and I can travel far away. You didn't see how easily I gave birth to Rui Rui? I'm very strong, even the doctor praised me."

Seeing her proud little face, Chen Ling couldn't help but feel a little smug. His wife's good health was all thanks to his hard work in taking care of her.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked down the mountain.

It was almost noon, but the number of people at the reservoir showed no signs of decreasing.

There were stalls set up by people from other villages, as well as by villagers themselves.

But it's not as lively or crowded as before, and you have to wait for half a day to drive out.

Smoke is already rising from the chimneys of many houses, as people are preparing lunch.

"Fugui, Susu, don't go yet..."

As they passed by the threshing ground, Sister-in-law Xiuying called them to stop from afar.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law?"

The two thought something was wrong, and when they saw that Sister-in-law Xiuying had rushed back home without even responding to them, they followed her to her front door.

Before we even arrived, Sister-in-law Xiuying came out carrying a bundle of greens and said with a smile, "I just got up early this morning and went with your brother Dazhi to dig up some wild vegetables. They're very fresh. You can take them back and eat them."

Every year on the third day of the third lunar month, we eat shepherd's purse boiled with eggs; it's good for you.

Didi Cai is actually shepherd's purse.

In their local dialect, it's called "didi cai" (地地菜).

Boiling eggs with this stuff has a similar effect to making Three-Root Soup; it can boost immunity and reduce the probability of getting sick during seasonal changes.

Legend has it that the locals, having lived in the mountains for a long time, often suffered from headaches due to the wind and rain.

On the third day of the third lunar month of a certain year, Shennong passed through this area and saw that the mountain people were suffering from unbearable headaches. So he found eggs and wild vegetables and cooked them together for them to eat. Suddenly, everyone's headaches disappeared.

Since then, the custom of "boiling eggs with wild vegetables on the third day of the third lunar month will prevent headaches for a year" has gradually spread in the local area.

"Hey, sister-in-law, you and Dazhi eat. If we want some, we'll just go dig some out of the field ourselves."

"Haha, there's so much, the two of us can't finish it all. If we dig too much, it'll wilt and won't taste good. Shepherd's purse tastes best when it's fresh. You two boil some eggs for Rui Rui and Zhen Zhen, and we can make dumplings with the rest."

Xiuying's sister-in-law was very warm and welcoming.

Chen Ling and his companion had no choice but to accept it.

Before they had gone two steps, Wang Lishan's mother, Wang's third aunt, heard them talking and came out, giving Chen Ling and Wang Cunye a large bag of tobacco leaves for them to smoke when they had nothing else to do.

Now Chen Ling and Wang Susu understood that the other party was only thinking of their fish fry.

If it weren't for Chen Ling, they wouldn't have made any money this time. After all, Tian Hongli came specifically for Chen Ling. Chen Ling sent this person aside and had Little Sheep take people to their house to see the fish.

A little while later, Chen Baoliang's wife came out and brought out two large pieces of tofu, saying that Chen Ling was famously fond of tofu...

This guy was something else; in no time at all, he had the young couple so much stuff they could barely carry it all.

(End of this chapter)