My 1995 Small Farm.

Riding the little blue horse, I sped home.

Zhao Yubao rode his bicycle to the county town, and he had already fallen far behind.

Chen Ling dismounted with excitement and strode into the farm's orchard.

Upon entering the orchard, they saw Wang Qingwen and several others standing next to a livestock pen on the east side of the farm.

Chen Ling hurried over and asked, "How many female dogs have given birth now? Which ones gave birth?"

Upon hearing his voice, all the dogs began to bark excitedly.

"There's only one born now. I think it has a dark face and grayish-yellow fur. It should be Sanmao."

Wang Qingwen said with a smile, then watched as the dogs rushed out of the livestock pen. The mother dog, who had just given birth to puppies, stood up, her front legs on the fence of the livestock pen, squinting at Chen Ling, her ears turned back, and wagging her tail frantically.

“Goodness, Lingzi, you’re really different now that you’re back. This dog is barking so fiercely that we’re afraid to go near it… It’s been raining for two days, so the chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep have been kept in the house for two days. Last night, when we came out to feed the cattle and sheep, we heard a puppy whimpering, so we came to check it out. It almost got bitten.”

The angry barking of the mother dog, especially when protecting her cubs, terrified Wang Qingwen and his wife.

Only Erhei and the other little male dogs were blocking the way; they really didn't dare to come any closer.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright, Sanmao, be good, we're family, we won't hurt you, don't do that again."

Chen Ling walked over, patted Sanmao's head, opened the door to the livestock pen, and went inside.

Sanmao immediately came down from the fence of the livestock pen, wagging its tail and rubbing its body against Chen Ling's legs, leading Chen Ling towards the doghouse.

This place was arranged by Chen Ling for several female dogs to give birth to puppies.

There were sheds in the livestock pen before.

Chen Ling also built several dog kennels under the shed, providing double protection, shelter from wind and rain, warmth and comfort, and a spacious interior.

Otherwise, if they were at home, the smell would be a problem, but I'm also worried that their original doghouses might be too small, and the puppies might be crushed or injured after being born.

This livestock pen is quite large.

The mountain donkey was born in this livestock pen before.

The two tigers, Afu and Ashou, used to live here too.

When Chen Ling discovered several female puppies digging holes in the wild and mountains to make nests because they were about to give birth, he cleared out this place.

I had been thinking of coming back to build haystacks and clean up the skeleton of the wild boar king, but I put that aside and spent the whole day making a few doghouses in this livestock pen.

"Oh my, these three chubby little boys are so cute."

Chen Ling squatted in front of the doghouse, and three black and gray puppies came into view. The little guys had smooth fur, closed their eyes, and were wriggling in the doghouse, making soft, subtle whimpering sounds, like three little mice.

After excitedly cuddling with Chen Ling, the mother dog Sanmao licked each of the three puppies one by one, then slowly walked into the den and lay down, avoiding the puppies' position.

Then he nudged the three little ones under his belly with his mouth.

The three puppies immediately stopped whimpering and soon fell asleep while nursing.

"Hehe, apart from the different color, they look almost exactly the same as when I first picked up Heiwa and Xiaojin."

At that time, Heiwa and his mate were only two or three days old. If it weren't for the spiritual water that saved them, and without their mother dog to care for them, they wouldn't have survived more than a week if they had been taken home.

"Come in and take a look, these puppies are all doing very well."

With Chen Ling present, everyone dared to come in. Wang Qingwen and two others, along with several people from the provincial TV station, came in to watch.

An outsider came in.

Sanmao's eyes changed instantly, becoming sharp, fierce, and wary—the eyes of a wolf.

The other pregnant female dogs, baring their white teeth, poked their heads out of the kennel and growled softly.

Its demeanor was no different from that of a wolf.

This frightened everyone, causing them to hesitate again and not dare to step forward.

"Alright, alright, everyone be quiet."

Chen Ling waved his hand, and the dogs quieted down, their expressions turning gentle as they looked at him, wagged their tails, and retreated back into their dens.

Only then did everyone dare to come forward.

They went to look at the mother dog Sanmao's den.

"Oh my, this little dog is so chubby, it looks quite strong."

"Yes, when we came out to check last night, the dog had just given birth. We didn't dare to go close to look. We could only see by the light of our flashlights that the mother dog's head was under the doghouse, and she was pushing her head and nose against the wall, trying her best to give birth. We even recorded it."

"Huh? Sanmao is busy giving birth, so who was stopping you from getting close?"

“They protect the other female dogs too, like they’re crazy.”

“We kept watch for half the night. After Sanmao gave birth, she almost chased after us and bit us.”

"..."

When a mother dog gives birth to puppies for the first time, it's best to keep an eye on her.

Otherwise, there might be difficulties during childbirth, or the mother dog might not know how to care for her puppies after giving birth, leading to all sorts of problems.

Chen Ling had been thinking about going home lately, just so he could watch over his dogs having puppies.

Otherwise, if he's not home, and neither are Heiwa and Xiaojin, these female dogs that are about to give birth are prone to going crazy.

Besides digging holes everywhere like wolves, they also attack strangers who come to the farm.

No strangers allowed in.

At first, the animals recognized Wang Qingwen and his wife as their own, but later they became increasingly difficult to approach.

If Erhei hadn't stopped them, the villagers who came to the farm might have been attacked as well.

Actually, Erhei and his dogs are independent, intelligent, and understanding, and they have never caused us any worry before.

With Heiwa and Xiaojin leading the way, and Chen Ling often taking them hunting in the wild at night, they all grew up to be intelligent and capable.

However, once you get pregnant, things are indeed different from other times when it comes to childbirth.

"Haha, you got kicked out, huh? You said you were recording this, but can you even record it?"

"Even though the recording didn't go through, Teacher Zhong stayed up all night to watch over it. He said that drawing it down would be as easy for him as eating and drinking."

"Huh? What about Uncle Zhong?"

"He went home to sleep. He's not as healthy as Teacher Zhao; he can't stay up that long."

Speak of the devil, and he appears. Zhao Yubao pushed his bicycle into the orchard and shouted as he entered, "Fugui, Fugui, the kids said they found a few little egrets, but they're dead. See if you can feed them to the dogs."

There weren't many little children following the old man today, just three little girls: Xizi, Niuniu, and Dandan, and Liuni'er leading Datou.

Judging from their little rain boots and muddy clothes, they were probably helping the adults in the fields with drainage work or something.

I came here on short notice.

“Uncle Fugui, look, we found this behind the local temple. There are egret nests there too. This little egret must have been blown out of its nest by the wind during the rain and died.”

It didn't die from medication; it's fit to feed dogs.

Liu Nier ran up to the livestock pen, waving a small, sparsely feathered, dirty bird and calling out to it.

Chen Ling glanced at it and smiled, "Yes, bring it in. I'll go for a walk in the back mountain later; maybe I'll find some birds that have fallen down."

“Yes, Uncle Fugui, we almost forgot. There are so many egrets on the back hill. We used to be able to pick up a hundred or two birds in the orchard when it rained. I wonder how many little egrets we can pick up, hehe, maybe we can even pick up any alive.”

"What? A hundred or two hundred birds?"

"Yes, Uncle Qingwen, isn't your family also from the mountains? Even your aunt knows that, but you don't?"

“I know… but even if it rains in the mountains, not that many birds will land there.”

Two months ago, during the peak breeding season for birds, every time it rained heavily, many baby birds would fall into the orchard outside the farm; all kinds of birds were there.

Sometimes even baby magpies are present.

I always make sure the puppies have a delicious and satisfying meal.

This kind of thing is no longer uncommon.

Only my brother-in-law and Zhao Yubao have stayed here for a longer period of time this year. I wonder how many birds will land here.

The children have all seen them. After the rain, a walk around the entire thirty-acre orchard can sometimes yield hundreds of birds.

Chen Ling listened to them chatting with the children with a smile, then took a few dead egrets and placed them in front of Sanmao: "Here, these are all yours, an extra treat for you."

"Hey? Fugui, aren't you feeding the other female dogs? They're about to give birth too."

"Yes, I stopped breastfeeding because I was close to giving birth."

A pregnant dog should not be fed much, but it can be given plenty of water to drink, as it needs to have sufficient hydration.

Chen Ling didn't explain much to them.

I let the chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, and sheep out and cleaned the chicken coop, duck shed, and livestock pen.

I chased away Erhei and the other male dogs. I'll stay home and watch over them while they go up the mountain to guard the chickens and ducks.

Upon seeing this, the children ran after the dog, shouting that they wanted to find the little egret.

Besides Wang Qingwen and his wife, the adults also went to see the spectacle.

"Sorry..."

At this moment, the little blue horse trotted over from a distance and tore at Chen Ling's clothes with its mouth.

Chen Ling looked back and saw a bamboo basket hanging next to a small tree. He quickly slapped his forehead and said, "I almost forgot, brother and sister-in-law, I made some pancakes in the county this morning. You should try them."

I was so busy looking at the puppy that I forgot I got back early today, and I don't even know if my brother-in-law and his wife have eaten yet.

He quickly went over and picked up the basket.

"Is this a pancake made by Mom? Sure, I didn't eat enough for breakfast, so I'll have another pancake to fill my stomach."

Wang Qingwen lifted the cloth covering the basket and chuckled.

They squatted down by the ditch to wash their hands, then went to the vegetable garden to pick a bunch of scallions, washed them, and ate them with flatbread.

Now that only the three of them were left, they started talking more casually.

The two of them have been helping to manage the household lately and haven't gone out much, except for a short trip to the village.

But Su Ligai was still young and not as well-connected in the village as older women like Gao Xiulan. Apart from a few acquaintances like Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng, she didn't have much to talk about.

So I went out even less.

Of course, there's a lot to do. They also have to manage the provincial TV station at home. They get paid, and they find joy in their busy schedule. The couple is quite happy with what they do.

I just don't have time to go to the county, and I don't know how Wang Susu is doing lately.

When he has nothing to do, he likes to sit down and ask Chen Ling how Su Su is doing lately, and whether she still gets angry with him.

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Hey, I don't know what happened. You know, it's cool and comfortable at home, but the county town is hot and inconvenient in many ways. But when we went to the city, Su Su's temper really improved."

Su Li glared at him and said, "You're making it sound like Su Su loves living in the city. You yourself said that you often take her to stroll around the school and hospital early in the morning and late at night when it's cool."

Being near the hospital, you live so close by, she'll be there in just a few steps if anything happens. She'll definitely feel more at ease than if she were at home.

Don't you know Susu's personality? She can't hold grudges.

She tends to overthink things when she's at home.

When Wang Qingwen heard his wife say that, he glanced at Chen Ling but didn't say anything.

He crunched on the raw scallions, then silently ate his pancake.

Chen Ling chuckled twice more.

How could I not know my own wife? It's true what my sister-in-law said.

……

Perhaps it was because the dogs were born around the same time, or perhaps it was because Chen Ling was back that they felt at ease.

While he was talking to his brother-in-law and his wife, another female dog gave birth.

This is the second pregnancy.

One black and one gray, everything went very smoothly.

After giving birth, this dog suddenly seemed to turn on some kind of switch.

Within the next day.

The remaining female dogs also gave birth one after another.

Upon seeing this, Wang Qingwen said to Chen Ling that they should have given birth two days earlier, but since their owner wasn't home and the house was full of strangers, they didn't dare to give birth.

Chen Ling didn't know if it was true or not, but she gave birth smoothly without any accidents.

And also...

Contrary to Chen Ling's previous prediction that the dog was young, it was its first litter, and it would most likely have only one puppy, the situation was different.

At least two children per pregnancy.

The most common litter size is four puppies.

This guy has several left over after he took money to order them.

Besides.

Because the male dogs used for breeding are quite diverse, the puppies born are not like the first-generation wolfhounds; they are mostly gray.

The puppies were black, yellow, and white.

There are many varieties, but the fur colors are not mixed; they are all quite beautiful.

"one two three four……"

Chen Ling stood in the livestock pen, counting them over and over. A group of children were perched on the wall, staring longingly at the whimpering puppies in their kennels, barely daring to breathe.

As Chen Ling counted, his smile grew wider, and Xiao Sen finally asked in a low voice, "Grandpa Uncle, how many? Are they nineteen puppies?"

"Yes, there are nineteen."

Chen Ling nodded, his heart filled with surprise. This guy was a little fat dog in the livestock pen.

"Wow, nineteen! That's so many! I told you, it's impossible for them all to only have one. My grandma also said that even village dogs rarely have only one child."

"Don't tell me, Uncle, your dog eats so well, how could it only have one puppy?"

The children all nodded in agreement; they seemed even happier than Chen Ling.

"Uncle Fugui, we collected quite a few egrets this morning. You should feed them to the mother dog quickly. They just had puppies and need some good food to help them recover."

"Alright, alright, Uncle will feed them right away."

Chen Ling chuckled in agreement and fed the two mother dogs who had given birth that morning. They had recovered, and the others would have to wait.

Then he turned around and looked at the children: "Sixth Sister, go back and tell your Da and your Uncle Jusheng to come and pick out puppies tomorrow. There are too many in this litter, so let's pick a few good ones from each family to keep."

The children were taken aback at first, then jumped up with joy and burst into cheers.

It was already late, and the group of kids, excited, turned and ran like a bunch of little ponies towards the village, shouting as they ran:
"Haha, let's pick a puppy! Let's pick a puppy! Uncle Fugui is letting us pick a puppy!"

These little kids really love Chen Ling's dog and dream of owning one.

But Chen Ling and Wang Susu treated them very well, and they were also very sensible, knowing that many of Chen Ling's puppies had been sold long ago.

So I haven't had that idea for a long time.

I'm just waiting for them to have a few more litters before I can come and hug the puppies.

Who would have thought that this first litter would fulfill their dream?

With so many puppies born, Chen Ling also had her own selfish desires; she wanted to keep the ones with the most beautiful and unique fur patterns by her side.

Even if I don't stay home to feed them.

It's also good to give it to relatives and friends.

Among the families I'm close to in the village, my brother-in-law and his family, Lynx and his family...

Regular contact with your own dog is beneficial for breeding superior dogs later on. (End of Chapter)