My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 513 Recreation
"What? Magpies have built a bridge?"

Zhao Yubao was stunned when he heard this.

If someone else had said it, he definitely wouldn't have believed it.

But he believed it to some extent when he saw it at Chen Ling's house.

"What kind of auspicious place is this? Why do all these strange things keep happening here?"

The old man tilted his head back, still searching for the magpie.

But now that it's raining, those magpies are nowhere to be seen.

Seeing that the old man actually believed it, Chen Ling and his family suppressed their laughter.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhao Yubao who believed it; Yu Qi'an and the other two were also convinced.

They believe this is like building a bridge between magpies.

Otherwise, why would so many magpies suddenly fly up into the sky on Qixi Festival?

There's no such thing as a coincidence in the world.

They must have known that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl would meet on Qixi Festival, so they rushed over to build a magpie bridge.

he believe.

Bai Huining, that girl, also believed it.

The two looked at this spectacle and took hands.

In his excitement, Yu Qi'an even proposed to her.

Speaking of that old rascal Yu Qi'an.

Actually, he and Bai Huining had developed feelings for each other, but they hadn't officially started dating yet.

At this time, Yu Qi'an had not yet officially started performing crosstalk, and his eloquence was not as sharp as it would later become, especially when it came to girls.

He appears immature in every aspect.

Despite his eloquent and knowledgeable talk about hawking and dog walking, he becomes completely speechless in front of the girl he likes.

The girl said that he kept talking to her about Chen Ling's family, and she wasn't just being polite to Chen Ling; it was the truth.

Because of what Yu Qi'an knew, only Chen Ling's things were interesting and had more to talk about.

Also.

He's good at these things too; he knows a lot about them, and when he talks about them, he sounds very professional and isn't afraid of awkward silences.

Otherwise, if he doesn't mention Chen Ling and just talks about his crickets, pigeons, and hawks, the girl will think he's a good-for-nothing and unreliable.

If you say that Chen Ling's family doesn't know how, it will pique the girl's curiosity and interest.

His decision was correct.

He recounted the stories of the turtles, water monsters, and various strange tales, wolves, tigers, and leopards, as well as the local delicacies in Chen Ling's area.

The girl actually became interested and started asking him questions in detail.

Good guy.

Seeing this, Yu Qi'an quickly seized the opportunity and encouraged the little girl to come and play. Even if she didn't see the old turtle or anything, she could relax after filming and enjoy the beautiful scenery and delicious mountain food.

Perhaps Yu Qi'an seemed reliable enough, because after considering it for a while, the girl actually came with him.

As a result, their relationship progressed rapidly, far exceeding Yu Qi'an's expectations.

He became increasingly convinced that Chen Ling's place was a feng shui treasure land that could bring good luck.

That's fine.

Who would have thought that we would witness this magical Magpie Bridge spectacle in the afternoon?

Besides being shocked, Yu Qi'an was so moved that he wanted to cry.

It's really like... even the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were helping him to bring about this marriage.

Afterwards, Yu Qi'an took several photos to capture the spectacular sight of the Magpie Bridge.

He was muttering incantations, his expression quite devout.

When it first started raining, Chen Ling teased him, saying it was like magpies and egrets fighting over territory.

Unexpectedly, the old man immediately retorted, saying that this was indeed building a bridge between the magpies, and that even the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were crying.

After saying that, he took Bai Huining's hand, and the two of them recited a few words of reproach to Chen Ling for his sins.

Chen Ling hadn't expected this old guy to have this side to him, and was immediately at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

However, after hearing Wang Susu say that she had just seen the two of them outside the farm from upstairs, being all lovey-dovey and proposing, she immediately understood.

Think differently.

If I encountered this situation while dating, I'd probably believe it without a doubt too.

Especially after a successful marriage proposal.

"Oh dear, such great material, how am I supposed to write it? There are so many unusual things here. If I write too much, will people say I'm getting old and eccentric, and that I'm going against materialism?"

Zhao Yubao was quite excited at first, but gradually, he began to worry.

Wang Cunye laughed at him, "Brother Zhao, what brings you here in the rain? It's so late at night, did your wife kick you out again?"

Last time it rained, his yard was flooded, and the grape trellis was washed away. Zhao Yubao was busy playing cards with people at the farm, which made his old lady so angry that she wouldn't let him in at night, and he had to stay outside feeding mosquitoes for half the night.

It became a topic of conversation in the village afterwards.

Even though he's a great writer and professor, he's no different from an ordinary person; he's even afraid of his wife.

"Nonsense, she dared to kick me out? I was just being accommodating."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yubao's eyes widened in surprise. "I came to ask Fugui about the lamb."

My father-in-law is an honest man after all. Once he started talking about serious matters, he stopped teasing him.

After all, in the eyes of country folk, these lambs are worth a lot of money, and if they can't be raised, it would be a huge loss.

He hurriedly urged Chen Ling to go to the village to have Teacher Zhao take a look.

It was getting late and raining.

Chen Ling checked on the lamb and found that it was fine.

After that, just give them some medicine every day.

……

On the way back, I encountered several villagers wearing raincoats and carrying shovels, slowly walking back from outside the village.

Upon seeing Chen Ling, they stopped him to speak.

Ask him about his trip to the city recently.

Although Wang Lixian and the others were keeping it a secret, Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng had been away for so many days without returning, so something must have happened.

Recently, some people in the village have started to speculate that Chen Ling has taken Jusheng and the others out to make a lot of money.

Some people say that Chen Ling is still standing up for Wang Jusheng. Everyone in the village knows that Chen Ling owns an apartment in the city. Chen Ling was the matchmaker for Wang Lixian's third son-in-law, who is from the city. Maybe Wang Jusheng will also have Chen Ling take him to live in the city in the future.

Wang Laishun and Liang Guizhen still looked down on their eldest son. They thought that once he made a lot of money and went to the city, who would care who they were?

These words naturally made Wang Laishun and his wife feel very uncomfortable, especially Liang Guizhen, who lost all interest in being sarcastic and kept a gloomy face all day.

The behavior of her second son, Wang Juxiang, and his family also made the old woman feel very uncomfortable.

Perhaps feeling emboldened by the fact that Wang Jusheng had severed ties with his parents and was now their only son, Wang Juxiang and his wife became even more brazen, believing that everything belonging to the elderly Wang Laishun and his wife rightfully belonged to their family.

Liang Guizhen secretly delivered a basket of eggs to the second son's family, and now Wang Juxiang's wife won't even let her come in to sit down or have a drink of water.

With Wang Laishun barely paying attention to her lately, it's no wonder this old woman is in a bad mood.

These people chatted idly, gloating as they talked about Wang Laishun's family affairs, but in reality, they just wanted to ask Chen Ling a couple of questions about whether he had any good jobs.

Chen Ling chatted with them for a while, not hiding anything and telling them to sell their pigs as soon as possible, instead of waiting until the end of the year, as pig prices were quite high lately.

Those who raise a lot of pigs should raise fewer next year.

Or simply don't keep them.

Several families can raise one together.

In short, enough meat for myself to slaughter and eat at the end of the year is fine.

Then we chatted for a bit more about the temple fair tomorrow, and then I went home.

The floods of 1998 will be more severe than those of the past few years.

However, the price of pork is far lower than in recent years.

In the past two years, pork prices have been around six yuan, or rather, they have never fallen below six yuan.

When floods occur, prices are soaring.

But next year, even at four or five yuan a pound, it still won't sell well in the city, let alone in the countryside.

This is related to another large-scale wave of layoffs next year. Chen Ling recalled this incident while chatting with Liang Yuemin in the city.

However, in the village, apart from these large-scale pig and chicken farmers, ordinary families are not affected, and special cases like Chen Ling are even less affected.

Chen Ling said this to the villagers because he knew that if they made more money selling pigs, they would definitely raise more.

So I'll mention it together.

……

The eighth day of the seventh lunar month.

Today marks the first temple fair in Chenwangzhuang.

The morning was beautifully sunny.

The village was bustling with activity early in the morning. Wang Laishun and his men cleaned up the land temple spotlessly, and the reservoir dam at the village entrance was swept clean as if it were New Year's Day, with not a single piece of trash in sight.

It was so clean and tidy.

In most places, the first year of a temple fair doesn't attract many people.

Because in the first year, many people had never heard of those vendors or those who went to the temple fair; their reputation hadn't spread yet.

However, Chenwangzhuang is naturally different from other places.

In the past two years, Chenwangzhuang has produced quite a few strange, interesting, and big news stories.

Many people used to come here to visit; it was more like a temple fair than a temple fair.

Therefore, the first temple fair in Chenwangzhuang on the eighth day of the seventh lunar month was not deserted compared to other places.

However, nothing new has happened in the village lately.

So there weren't many people, about the same number as people who come to a normal market in the countryside.

Moreover, most of them came to offer incense to the Turtle King, not specifically to attend the temple fair.

Because everyone says that the Turtle King is very powerful, he has blessed the villagers of Chenwangzhuang with good weather and abundant harvests for the past two years.

There were many people offering incense.

How should one offer incense?

That is, at the entrance of the village, incense is burned in the large bronze incense burner placed in front of the stone statue.

Then, by paying at least 50 cents into the donation box, you can receive a red cloth.

Once they got back, they hung the red cloth next to the well in their own homes.

If there is no well, hang it next to the water tank.

This is a prayer to receive the blessing of the Turtle King.

Wang Laishun had mentioned this method to Chen Ling in the spring, during a casual chat in the fields, saying it was an idea suggested by the county.

Of course, the money in the donation box will not be touched. Whenever the Turtle King appears on his tour, we will buy offerings to show our respect to him.

Chen Ling was too lazy to get involved in their affairs.

I only discussed with my father-in-law during breakfast at home about selling some of the extra mats and curtains we had woven.

He also wanted to take the opportunity to put out wheat seeds and see how many people would buy them.

This is purely for entertainment.

It's not for making money, but to inspire the little jade tree in the grotto.

Chen Ling waited for the next leaf to grow quickly so he could give it to Wang Susu.

Despite both of them being eager to have more children, he still felt a pang of heartache for his wife after two consecutive pregnancies.

The once lively and playful young wife has changed a lot in terms of mindset.

Sometimes she would lie in bed and tell Chen Ling that having Rui Rui made her feel like she had aged several years without even realizing it.

Also.

Women are amazing in this respect.

Chen Ling, the father, didn't seem to have any particular feelings yet.

She has automatically switched into the role of a mother.

The dinner table.

"Little packet, I'll hit you."

Rui Rui, clutching the peeled eggshell, threw it fiercely at the little clouded leopard that was tilting its head back and forth and sniffing around beside the table.

The little clouded leopard truly lives up to its reputation as a feline leader; its reaction time is incredibly fast. Before the eggshell even landed on it, it 'whoosh'ed away.

Moreover, he moved so quietly, jumping so high with his back arched, without making a sound.

Like a big rat with a long tail, it sneakily slipped under Wang Susu's bamboo chair.

Then it peeked out, its two fluffy little triangular ears perked up, and stared with its round eyes, barking and calling out to the baby, "Aww, aww!"

When the little leopard showed its fierce side to Rui Rui, Heiwa and Xiao Jin immediately objected.

Originally resting on the threshold of the living room, it suddenly stood up and barked loudly at the little leopard.

The little leopard was so frightened that it huddled completely under the bamboo chair beneath Wang Susu, not daring to move an inch.

Seeing this, Wang Susu was helpless. She reached out and skillfully turned the brat's head around: "You, you make the whole family uneasy just by eating. Eat quickly, and then come with your father to the temple fair."

The adults have all finished eating and gone off to do their things, but this brat dawdles over his meal, playing while he eats. If you don't scold him, he can take two hours to finish a meal.

Wang Susu now finally understands how Chen Ling's mother and grandmother felt back then.

No wonder he held it in his mouth and fed it to Chen Ling.

With such a playful nature, running all over the village while eating, how could the food not get cold?

After feeding her son, Wang Susu mixed the remaining porridge with some fish and broth, stirred it together, and fed it to the little leopard.

Only then did the little leopard dare to crawl out from under the bamboo chair.

Like a big tabby cat, it first affectionately rubbed against Wang Susu's legs, then glanced warily at the baby who was lying on Heiwa's body, chattering away and fiddling with the little white elephant, before finally feeling at ease and starting to eat while dragging its long tail.

In this home.

Aside from Wang Susu, the little leopard wasn't very friendly to anyone.

Sometimes, if Chen Ling wanted to pet it, he would have to catch it off guard, grab it in his hand, press it onto his lap, and forcefully pet it for a while.

You can't usually touch it at all.

So sometimes Chen Ling would tell his wife that being pregnant wasn't all bad; at least it made her more attractive to these little creatures and babies.

Wang Susu also thinks so.

Later, the young couple gradually discovered that even the family dog ​​and cow, or the weasels, the bald man, and even the extremely restless little blue horse, would become gentle and quiet when they saw Wang Susu.

After Chen Ling tamed the little blue horse, he wouldn't let outsiders touch or ride it.

But as Wang Susu's belly grew bigger, this guy became more sensible, not only letting her touch him but also taking the initiative to please her.

Sometimes they would relax in the orchard.

The little blue horse would sneak over, grinning and showing its big white teeth, to snatch Wang Susu's braids or tug at her clothes.

Try to make her happy.

Wang Susu felt quite gratified and satisfied, feeling that she hadn't raised them in vain and hadn't treated them well for nothing.

"Oh my, what kind of cat is this? Its tail is so thick and long?"

Yu Qi'an helped Chen Ling carry two bags of wheat out, and when he saw the little leopard eating at Wang Susu's feet, he asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Rui Rui grabbed the little white elephant, turned around, and said to Yu Qi'an with a serious face, "Little package, fierce, don't touch it."

Yu Qi'an was taken aback. He was getting used to Rui Rui's words. "What...what...what is this? Is it a baby leopard?"

He slammed a whole bag of wheat on the ground and looked at Chen Ling in shock: "No way, Fugui, it's only been a short time since I last came here, and you've already raised a leopard. Next time I come here, you won't have even raised a tiger, will you?"

"It's not a leopard, it's a wild leopard that came from the mountains, a little clouded leopard."

Chen Ling waved his hand and asked his wife, "When did this guy sneak in again? It's rare that he's still clean this time."

"Yeah, it sneaked over from behind as soon as you left. Looks like it's molting. It's grown quite fast in just over a week, almost bigger than my cat at home now."

Wang Susu quickly tidied up the dishes and gently stroked the little clouded leopard. The little guy loved Wang Susu's touch. After finishing a small bowl of food, he licked his lips with his pink little tongue, then lightly jumped onto Wang Susu's lap, nuzzling and rubbing against her.

When Yu Qi'an saw that it really was a leopard cub, he was even more shocked. They were raising a wild leopard like a cat! The Fu Gui family was really something. He quickly ran outside and called to Bai Huining: "Huining, Huining, stop feeding those moorhens! There's a leopard here! Come and see the little leopard!"

Seeing his exaggerated manner, Rui Rui tilted her little head and looked at Yu Qi'an, this strange uncle, with great confusion.

They couldn't understand what was so interesting about this wicked and fierce little leopard.

Perhaps thinking of how annoying the little leopard was, the brat suddenly put on a fierce expression, waved his little white elephant toy, and made a face at the little clouded leopard.

(End of this chapter)