My 1995 Small Farm.

The father-in-law said, "Let him dig. You can teach him to use a stick or a small stone. Jerusalem artichokes aren't worth much, so it's no big deal if he gets hurt. Just make sure he doesn't hurt his hands."

I tried to teach him, but he wouldn't let me touch him. When I went over, he whined and pushed me away… There are so many kids playing with him; I can't make them all cry.”

Chen Ling immediately squatted down and glared at the brat: "You little ungrateful brat, Grandpa watches over you all day, feeds you and dresses you, and even carries you to poop and pee at night, how can you still make Grandpa angry?"

Rui Rui had already picked up the Jerusalem artichokes they had dug up to show him. Hearing her father say this, she looked at him with a wronged expression and said, "Dad, Grandpa, give them to Yang Yangqi."

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cried at the same time, "You, you are so petty. There are so many things in the house that can be used to feed sheep, why would Grandpa take your things to feed the sheep?"
When I came here, your mother was feeding our little muntjac with cornmeal. We have plenty of food at home.

Okay, come on, Dad will teach you how to dig for Jerusalem artichokes with a stick.

As he spoke, he found two stones with less sharp edges and taught him how to dig.

Digging with stones is much less strenuous than the brat digging with his tender little hands.

He discovered this himself, especially as he dug up more and more Jerusalem artichokes from beneath the soil, and he kept screaming with excitement.

This prompted Da Xu and his bunch of toddlers, all wearing open-crotch pants, to eagerly whine and run over to Chen Ling for stones.

I don't want Rui Rui to be outdone.

After finding suitable stones from Uncle Chen Ling, they all bent over and dug and dug with great enthusiasm.

“This is such a great place! You can just dig up ginger so easily. It feels like you can find whatever you want to eat. My mother-in-law told me that scallions, ginger, and garlic are all very expensive this year.”

"That's what the boss's wife said."

Her words immediately revealed her true nature; she really was a city woman who hadn't spent much time in the countryside.

Chen Ling said, "This Jerusalem artichoke isn't the same ginger as scallions, ginger, and garlic."

Jerusalem artichokes are similar to ginger in that they both have the shape of ginger.

Also known as Japanese ginger.

However, this Jerusalem artichoke is not the same as regular ginger.

But it's edible.

It's just that locals eat less.

Hearing that the name contains both "foreign" and "Japanese," you know this thing is definitely not a domestic product.

Chen Ling really didn't know when they had it.

But ever since he can remember, he has often seen them in front of and behind houses, in fields and ditches.

It grows into a large area.

They are very easy to survive.

Even if you cut it open this year, it will grow back next year.

An old saying goes: "It would take ten years to dig up Jerusalem artichokes, and you still wouldn't be able to finish."

In places like the south and north slopes, Jerusalem artichokes grow year-round in these wastelands, but generally no one comes to dig them up.

It's the same as the gourds, pumpkins, and loofahs that grow down the ditch every year.

I saw them, picked up two, and we'll have a meal when we get home.

I couldn't see it, I couldn't remember it, so I didn't come here specifically.

"Huh? I think they're pretty much the same."

Two female colleagues from the film crew also raised ignorant questions.

"Goodness, I thought only my wife didn't know. When we first came to your village a couple of days ago, she couldn't even tell the difference between wheat seedlings and chives."

Some people couldn't help but complain.

They were all out playing with their dogs.

At this point, they all chuckled and said, "Although we don't know what Jerusalem artichokes are for either."

"This is what you eat as a vegetable, just like sweet potatoes. You can eat it raw or stir-fry it. It has a very mild flavor, unlike ginger which is very spicy. Take some home with you later. Whoever you're staying at, just have them cook you a pot of vegetables to try."

Chen Ling said with a smile.

Chen Xiaoer, who was some distance away, added, "Yes, once you wash this thing, cut it into shreds, and stir-fry it, it tastes even better than stir-fried potato shreds the first time you eat it."

He and Wu Fei were experienced; when they came here to build houses, they dug up a lot of Jerusalem artichokes.

After asking the villagers, I learned that it's delicious when stir-fried with meat.

But this is only good for novelty.

No matter what it is, it won't taste so good if you eat it every meal.

"In my hometown, we usually just pickle it; we've never stir-fried it before."

After Chen Xiaoer finished speaking, he added something else.

"Xiao Er, what are you saying? Didn't you say you only knew how to prepare it after asking the village? Why are you saying you pickle it in your hometown?"

Zhou Weijun interjected at this point, saying that his focus was always quite peculiar.

"Hey, I just couldn't tell the difference. I only know what pickled Jerusalem artichokes look like. How am I supposed to know what they look like growing in the ground? Even if I dug them up, I wouldn't recognize them. Wu Fei and I really thought we'd found some ginger..."

Chen Xiaoer said, wiping his sweat as he leaned on his shovel.

In the past few days, he and Lao Zhou have become quite familiar with each other.

They were all pen pals of Chen Ling, and Lao Zhou was a literary youth.

Once they hit it off, there's no need for further words; they'll soon be working together in the same boat.

These past few days, Zhou Weijun has been staying at the homes of Chen Xiaoer and Wu Fei in rotation.

Chen Xiaoer started to say something, but then his eyes widened and he couldn't continue.

Then I saw Zhou Weijun pick up two pieces of Jerusalem artichoke from under the children's feet and start eating them with the knife on his keychain.

With his Iron Man-like appearance, a small mustache, and a large bite of Jerusalem artichoke, he was eating it.

Chen Xiaoer was stunned by this sight.

"Old Zhou, you're an animal! You said you'd eat it raw, and you just ate it like that, without even washing it!"

Chen Xiao'er had never seen anyone like this before. He thought he was quite capable, eating anything and everything in the countryside, but he never expected that someone would be even more daring than him.

"Holy crap, this Jerusalem artichoke is delicious! It doesn't have any weird taste, and it's even a little sweet."

Zhou Weijun didn't care about that. He held up the Jerusalem artichoke in his hand, munching on it while widening his eyes and telling everyone around him to try it too.

"Try it, it's crisp and sweet, I'm not kidding."

"You're pretty generous, damn it..."

"No wonder Fugui said you ate so many persimmons that your stomach hurt as soon as you came to the village. You'll put anything in your mouth... Fugui, can you eat Jerusalem artichokes like that?"

"Yes, just like sweet potatoes, you can eat them raw after digging them up. They're non-toxic and harmless, so you can eat them without worry."

Chen Ling was leading Rui Rui and a group of toddlers wearing open-crotch pants to dig for Jerusalem artichokes. He looked up at them and said with a smile.

"Since Brother Chen has said so, then we must give it a try."

So a group of people followed along and searched for Jerusalem artichokes on the hillside.

Jerusalem artichokes are similar in appearance to sunflowers.

However, Jerusalem artichokes don't have such a large flower head; they only have a small yellow flower that looks like a chrysanthemum.

By this time, Jerusalem artichokes are ripe and have turned yellow and withered on the ground, similar to sunflowers after they have dried up.

They were all in large clumps.

Seeing that these people were all looking for Jerusalem artichokes, and that they could easily find a large pile of them, they soon had a very large harvest.

Rui Rui and his group of toddlers in open-crotch pants wouldn't have it.

Kids always think that what others have is the best.

The treasures I dug up were outdone by others.

They were so anxious they were screaming.

"Alright, alright, Dad will help you dig."

Chen Ling was driven crazy by their antics.

Jerusalem artichokes are very easy to dig up.

The soil layer for growth is very shallow.

It's much simpler than digging sweet potatoes.

After all, they managed to dig out even these little kids who can't speak properly.

For adults, it's even simpler.

When they don't want to dig, it's one thing, but once they get serious, how can these little kids in open-crotch pants compare?

“Lingzi, I have a patch of Jerusalem artichokes here, let me dig them up for them.”

"Look, your second uncle is calling you. Go, take Daxu and the others to your uncle's place."

Chen Lingyi said that the group of young kids were initially very happy, but when asked to dig on the other side, they were reluctant to part with the Jerusalem artichokes they had just dug up.

"Daddy, Daddy, Rui Rui's."

"Uncle, let's take it."

After Rui Rui finished speaking, Da Xu also sniffled and shouted loudly.

"Okay, okay, take it."

Helpless, Chen Ling could only pick up a handful. But these little kids, though small, had dug up quite a lot. If Wang Cunye hadn't always carried a basket when he went out to herd sheep, he would have had to make two or three trips to collect them.

The Jerusalem artichoke bushes next to Wang Qingzhong and his wife were quite large. This large clump of dried Jerusalem artichoke plants, with withered leaves and stems, was enough for the children to play with if they dug it up easily.

Chen Ling and Wang Qingzhong held a Jerusalem artichoke stalk. At this time, the Jerusalem artichoke stalk was very brittle and could be broken with a gentle touch. If too much force was used when pulling it upwards, it would break.

Just apply force very carefully.

With a 'plop' sound, the part of the stem buried in the soil at the bottom was pulled out.

A cluster of rhizomes shaped like ginger, and a large clump of intertwined, muddy roots.

Chen Ling and the other man held the stems and shook them a couple of times to shake off the dirt.

In an instant, the Jerusalem artichoke's tuberous stem was exposed more clearly and became even more distinct.

"Dad, Dad, there's more."

Rui Rui was overjoyed and pounced on him, starting to pull.

Da Xu, that simple-minded boy, ran up to Wang Qingzhong and jumped around shouting, "Second Uncle, pull up this one too, this one is big."

However, he followed Rui Rui's lead and called Wang Qingzhong "Uncle".

Wang Qingzhong laughed it off, not minding at all.

They followed Chen Ling and helped them harvest Jerusalem artichokes.

While pulling, he talked about building heated brick beds in the village courtyard.

The people digging up Jerusalem artichokes on the other side were even more excited. After tasting the Jerusalem artichokes they dug up, they felt that Zhou Weijun hadn't lied to them; they were indeed very good.

This is good, it's just something new to try.

So they ate and dug at the same time, and as a result, they not only dug up a lot of Jerusalem artichokes, but also some sweet potatoes at the bottom of the slope.

I remembered Chen Ling saying that sweet potatoes can also be eaten raw.

They tried peeling the skin with the tip of a sickle and tasted it.

Upon taking a bite, their eyes lit up even more.

Everyone agrees that they prefer sweet potatoes to Jerusalem artichokes.

Sweet potatoes are sweeter and tastier.

"Sweet potatoes can be stir-fried too, you should try both when you get back."

Chen Ling, carrying the little baby covered in mud, shouted and ran down the slope.

Seeing that it was getting dark, we had to hurry and take Rui Rui back home.

Toddlers this young are at the age where they love to play, especially when they have playmates, they play without a care in the world.

If we don't go back soon, we'll have to stay at Chen Xiaoer's house and have dinner with Da Xu today.

As for those Jerusalem artichokes, none of these green-bottomed kids would be willing to leave them here.

What Rui Rui dug up was put into a basket and carried by Wang Qingzhong.

Along the way, the brat was still very worried about the treasure he had dug up, and would often lean on Chen Ling's shoulder to look back.

They were afraid that their second uncle wouldn't be able to protect the 'treasure' and wouldn't be able to bring it home.

……

Since Rui Rui brought back so many Jerusalem artichokes, they certainly couldn't be wasted.

For dinner, we had stir-fried pork with Jerusalem artichokes.

I have to say, this is something I don't eat often, so eating it like this really makes it taste fresh and delicious.

Jerusalem artichokes, in particular, have a mild flavor, but they add a lot of flavor when stir-fried.

One bite and it feels like Jerusalem artichokes are even tastier than meat.

The whole family finished the big pot of food, and Chen Ling and Wang Qingzhong even ate two extra steamed buns.

Of course, it's okay to eat this once or twice occasionally.

Even the most delicious food shouldn't be eaten at every meal.

So, Chen Ling decided to pickle the rest into salted vegetables.

The next morning, Chen Ling planned to go to the mountains, but Little Sheep got up even earlier and drove to the village early in the morning.

They came to collect the game and wild animals from the village.

There are three main types: pheasant, rabbit, and venison.

These three are the most popular in Sun Yanhong's shop.

Another type is bamboo rat, but to be honest, it tastes pretty good, but it's still a bit pricey. It's marketed as some kind of wild goat meat or venison.

It's like how some people use cheap beaver or fox meat to make lamb skewers.

Demand is still not high.

"Never mind that, let's sell the game we've been saving up first."

Chen Ling took the key to open the door of the small water tower, harnessed the little white calf to the truck, and piled strings of frozen venison and wild boar meat onto the truck.

Only some wild goat meat and muntjac meat were left.

To be honest, wild sheep are really hard to catch.

If it weren't for the large pond nearby, these creatures that run along the cliff and are impossible to touch would be impossible to hit.

Therefore, Chen Ling was reluctant to sell it.

They even kept two live ones in the cave.

Unfortunately, they were all females; we haven't caught a male yet.

This is what happens when there are fewer of these creatures, just like with leopards; they're either missing males or females.

They drove the oxcart to the brigade.

The little lamb immediately came over to him and said, "Uncle Fugui, why did you bring it over yourself? Can't I go over there later?"

“Sigh, it’s just on my way, why would I make you go all the way there… Your Uncle Qingzhong needs to haul some bricks to the village yard, I’ll hitch up the oxcart for him and park it here, it’ll be convenient for him too.”

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Business must be good lately, you're back to pick up goods so soon."

"Yes, yes, Sister Hong's business is booming. With the weather getting cooler, all the more upscale dinner parties are going there."

The little lamb nodded and chuckled again: "And Uncle Fugui, a lot of people asked me to pass on messages to you, asking me to thank you."

"Huh? Who asked you to pass on a message to thank me?" Chen Ling was taken aback and blinked.

Do you remember the people who bought your eggs to hatch chicks?

"I remember, oh, you mean them?"

"Yes, it's them. They say the chicks hatched from those eggs are very strong. Also, many people are reluctant to raise them as laying hens and instead raise them as pure broiler chickens."

As a result, they grew to be bigger than commercial chickens and broiler chickens in the market within two months, and they tried killing two of them to taste.

It tastes incredibly delicious when stewed with just a little salt.

"They're not even fully grown yet, and people are already coming to order them."

As the little lamb spoke, his face lit up: "I told them that you have a secret to raising chickens. The National Animal Husbandry Magazine even asked you to write an article about your chickens."

They asked me to tell you to thank them, and they'd like you to keep another batch of eggs.

"Should we keep another batch of eggs? ... It's probably not possible right now. Tell them to wait until after the New Year. There are many solar terms coming up, and it's almost the end of the year again. Liu Jiancheng and the others are also stocking up on salted eggs."

Besides, as the weather gets colder, the hens are laying fewer eggs.

Chen Ling said, half-jokingly.

The main problem is that this is inconvenient and troublesome, and it doesn't make as much money as selling salted eggs. For someone like him who has no shortage of ways to make money and is inherently lazy, it's better to avoid trouble.

"Alright then, I'll pass on the message later."

The little lamb grinned foolishly and helped Chen Ling lift the prey onto the large scale to weigh and calculate the money.

He and Sun Yanhong are partners, and even brothers keep clear accounts.

One yard owned by a yard.

Selling fish is like this, and so is selling wild game.

While weighing and recording the items, Little Sheep remembered something else and asked curiously, "By the way, Uncle Fugui, I saw those two Japanese devils from the village in the provincial capital this time. They came out of the university in the provincial capital, but I was sitting in the car, so they didn't see me."

Do you think they're leaving?

"Leaving? Well, I don't know either!"

Chen Ling frowned and shook his head.

Just a few days ago, those two Japanese devils were coming to my house every day to buy fish.

Later, Chen Ling went to the mountains and was no longer at home, so they dared not go to his house.

Some things don't need to be said; they themselves know which people they don't like.

“With Erhei around in the village all day, it’s hard to figure out what he’s thinking. It’s normal for him to want to leave.”

Chen Ling didn't think much of it and didn't pay attention to these things.

Some villagers, seeing that the two Japanese soldiers were behaving well, were starting to soften their stance.

But Chen Ling's dogs don't.

Moreover, Erhei's meddling wasn't just pointless.

They keep a close eye on strangers, and if anyone smells off, they'll follow them and quietly check them out.