My 1995 Small Farm.

The happiest people when the wolf cubs were brought back to the village were the children.

They all rushed to Wang Lixian's house to see.

Liu Nier was overjoyed.

He thought his father had finally come to his senses.

She started fantasizing about raising lots of fun animals like Chen Ling's family in the future.

I have lots of playmates every day.

Chen Ling, upon returning to the village, first went to the brigade headquarters with everyone and had Wang Laishun announce it over the loudspeaker.

This indicates that the entire wolf pack has been wiped out.

This will put everyone's minds at ease a little.

However, someone still needs to be assigned to keep watch at the threshing ground that night.

What I fear is that there might be other wolves.

Although this possibility is not high.

But just to be on the safe side, let's wait another two or three days until things completely calm down before making any decisions.

Anyway, they definitely won't stop going into the mountains to pick wild fruits during the day.

If wolves wanted to cause trouble, their daily visits into the mountains would naturally be seen as a provocation.

"Fugui, come over for a drink tonight. I caught a wild goose, let's stew it!"

"Wow, I haven't eaten goose this year yet. How did you catch it?"

"It was made using that rabbit-catching net."

Chen Ling had just skinned the wolf he had killed when someone came to his house to call him. It was Wang Xuecheng, the son of Wang Jukun.

This kid is one generation younger than Chen Ling in terms of seniority.

His father, Wang Jukun, and Wang Jusheng were cousins.

However, he and Chen Ling often played together when they were young, so he didn't hold it too strictly.

"You're something else, you can even catch geese with a net meant to catch rabbits."

"Hehe, I'm lucky, it's right over Uncle Lixian's greenhouse in the east of the village..."

"Oh, over by the ditch east of the village?"

"Yes, this year Professor Zhao and Professor Zhong dug a river outside the village, and the wild ducks and geese no longer go to the old river bend, but instead go to hide in the grass by the small ditch."

As Wang Xuecheng spoke, he saw Rui Rui chasing after the muntjac deer and his eyes narrowed with laughter. "Rui Rui, come eat goose meat with your dad later."

The little boy looked up when he heard someone calling him.

Chen Ling told him with a smile, "Brother Xuecheng is calling you to eat meat, goose meat."

Sure enough, as soon as he heard about eating meat, the brat stopped chasing the muntjac and ran to Chen Ling's side. He glanced at Wang Xuecheng, then turned to Chen Ling with a grin and said, "Daddy, Daddy, Rui Rui is a wolf, woof, woof."

He was saying that he had just pretended to be a wolf and chased a muntjac cub.

These past few days, there have been wolves in the mountains, and the little one has started to understand wolves. He heard from the adults that wolves would catch pigs and sheep to eat, and Chen Ling would bring back the wolves he caught every day to skin and butcher them. After seeing so many wolves, he started to learn from them.

Of course, he didn't actually have any concept of being good or bad.

He was still excited when the elders in his family teased him, saying that he was chasing a muntjac deer like a wolf.

The more I learn, the more fun it becomes.

"Why is he acting like a wolf again? Wasn't he supposed to be a big tiger?"

Chen Ling picked him up and sat him on her lap.

The little creature's eyes immediately lit up again, and it stretched out its two little hands as if to roar: "Tiger, woof!"

"Haha, Rui Rui is so much more capable than other kids. He's speaking more and more fluently, and he can even imitate wolves and tigers now," Wang Xuecheng said with a surprised laugh.

Chen Ling shook his head: "Actually, he doesn't know anything. He just heard the adults say it and started learning."

“Hey, what are you saying? This kid is so young. If he knew everything, wouldn’t he be a prodigy?” Wang Xuecheng said.

After saying that, I looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late. I need to go back and prepare the dishes. I've also called Uncle Lixian and Xiao Chao. Hurry up and come over."

"Hey, don't go yet. I'll get you two handfuls of dried green beans. We'll cook them in the pot later. They're delicious."

Chen Ling called out to him, put Rui Rui down, and went to the storeroom in the backyard to get dried green beans.

These dried green beans were sun-dried in the summer.

Otherwise, if they produce too many fruit and grow too fast, the family won't be able to finish them all, and they'll become too old in just three days.

So they dried the green beans to preserve them.

Just like dried wood ear mushrooms, you soak them in water before cooking, and they taste especially good when stewed with meat.

He took two handfuls of dried green beans and saw Wang Xuecheng off.

Chen Ling then took Rui Rui to the living room to sit with the old ladies from the Zhong and Zhao families for a while.

Du Juan came back at noon today, and Wang Susu was very happy, so she said she wanted to make dumplings.

The two elderly ladies naturally joined in, helping out as well.

A group of women were in the living room with the TV on, making dumplings while surrounding Wang Susu and the two little kids, Kang Kang and Lele. It was quite lively.

Rui Rui clearly couldn't stay in this situation.

He took his little white elephant and played with it in front of his younger siblings, making noises until they were tired and went back to sleep.

He felt bored and wanted to go outside and play.

These past few days, the wolves have been making a lot of noise, and the leopard cubs haven't come to the house anymore, so the mother and cub of the muntjac have become increasingly bold.

Especially the little muntjac cubs, who are just growing up and are curious about everything, are even more lively and active than lambs. They often suddenly rush from one end of the yard to the other, running around happily.

After seeing them, Rui Rui spent all day chasing after them and playing with them.

However, it's getting dark now, and they usually find a place to rest near the calf; they don't want to go back to the livestock pen.

Once outside, the little muntjac was indeed nowhere to be found.

Wang Xuecheng was calling out, and Chen Ling hadn't originally planned to let Rui Rui stay home to play.

Wang Susu and the others ate dumplings as usual.

I haven't had a drink and meal with my friends in the village for a long time, so it would be better to take Rui Rui out for some fun.

He didn't bring anything fancy; he only carried two red snapper and a jar of corn liquor with a fairly high alcohol content.

To be honest, there are plenty of game in the mountains this year, and most families in the village often eat pheasant, rabbit, or even wild boar and deer meat.

This certainly doesn't mean that anyone can catch these things.

It still benefits from the old principle that people in the mountains believe in: chasing the water down the mountain, everyone who sees it gets a share.

So generally, people from all around the neighborhood can get some.

That means everyone who went out into the mountains this year ate quite a lot.

Those that fly in the sky don't eat much.

Today we're stewing wild goose in an iron pot, since it's from the sky!

Chen Ling then brought along a swimmer.

He was confident in the fish he raised.

When you get to the village entrance near the dam, not far from Lao Niwai's house, is Wang Xuecheng's house.

This kid lives with his parents.

Moreover, even though it's been two years since the flood, the house still doesn't have a wall or a gate.

When Chen Ling brought Rui Rui over, Wang Wenchao from Er Mao Lv's family was already in the yard.

The kid didn't help much; he just pulled Liu Ni'er and Wang Xuecheng's daughter Ya Ya to play chess on the ground with pebbles.

When Rui Rui saw it, she was immediately filled with curiosity.

Struggling to get down from Chen Ling's arms, she ran over with her short legs.

The two children, engrossed in their game, only then realized that it was Chen Ling and his son. "Goodness, hurry up and come out after you've finished learning. Look, Uncle Fugui even brought wine and fish."

When Wang Wenchao saw what Chen Ling was carrying, his eyes lit up and he let out an excited shout.

Upon hearing the noise, Wang Xuecheng quickly crawled out of the kitchen.

His wife was also inside, and she leaned out as well.

"Haha, the rich and powerful are so particular. We usually can't afford to eat this kind of fish."

"Right? It was worth it for you to treat me to this goose meal after I learned it. From now on, whenever I have something good, I'll definitely ask Uncle Fugui to come over first. With his particular taste, it's definitely worth it."

Hearing them tease him, Chen Ling replied, "I'll know next time, I'll go to your house empty-handed."

The courtyard erupted in laughter and chatter once again.

Wang Xuecheng's wife waved from the kitchen doorway: "Fugui, come and see how our braised goose is doing. We won't be sure of the result if we don't let you see it."

"Hey, wild geese aren't like pheasants or wild ducks. We usually stew wild geese the same way we stew chicken or pork at home, so it's bound to be just as good."

As Chen Ling spoke, he went into the kitchen to take a look.

By this time, the goose had already developed a delicious flavor from the stew.

Chen Ling lifted the pot lid, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and tasted it. The taste was indeed quite good.

That's the right heat; the meat clearly hasn't absorbed the flavors yet.

"That's good. Let's simmer it over low heat. Wild game meat is hard to cook."

Chen Ling nodded and smiled at Wang Xuecheng and his wife, "The taste is really good. Xuecheng has really mastered it from working with Brother Jukun. He can take over the business in the future."

Wang Jukun is the cook who prepares the dishes for weddings and funerals in the village.

Having been exposed to the craft from a young age, Wang Xuecheng's skills are also quite good.

"If you, Fugui, can praise us, it means we didn't use inferior ingredients. Now we just need to wait and enjoy the feast."

Wang Xuecheng rubbed his hands together, then thought of the fish Chen Ling had brought: "By the way, how should we cook that fish? I'll free up another pot for you."

"No need to rush the fish, it cooks quickly and we can make it faster later."

Chen Ling shook his head. "Besides, I learned a trick from those two Japanese devils the other day. My fish are also great to eat raw."

"Oh? Then I'll have to try it later. What kind of dipping sauce should I use?"

"It tastes good whether you dip it or not. I made it at home last time to try it out."

These people weren't particularly surprised when Chen Ling said that fish should be eaten raw.

Children from the countryside tend to be more unruly from a young age.

Having come from an era of scarcity, we ate whatever wild fruits we could find in the mountains. When we couldn't eat meat for a long time, we would sometimes eat fish, shrimp, and crabs raw whenever we caught them.

Especially small shrimp and crabs.

In unpolluted waters, the small river shrimp are clean and fresh; if you catch them in the summer, you can eat them right away.

Crabs can be eaten raw when they have roe.

They took it for granted when they were young.

Of course, people will still be more particular about these things when they get older.

Generally, shrimp and crab are served as appetizers with alcohol, and they are marinated in alcohol to make them slightly intoxicated.

It also falls into the category of eating raw.

So neither Wang Wenchao nor Wang Xuecheng were surprised by this.

He was quite curious about the fact that the two Japanese soldiers often asked Chen Ling to buy fish.

"I heard that Fugui, the fish you sold to the Japanese were more expensive than the fish you sold to Boss Tian. You must have made tens of thousands of yuan from selling fish a few times."

"No, there aren't that many."

Chen Ling shook his head; he and Wang Susu had already calculated the money from selling the fish.

The total amount involved is close to 100,000 yuan.

Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have been so fed up that they went to the provincial capital to borrow money.

Chen Ling, of course, had no idea about their loan.

I just kept wondering what they were going to do with the fish.

After all, I was determined to rip them off, yet they're still so diligent in buying fish.

"Not that much? I don't believe it. We're not like some people in the village who are jealous of you."

Wang Xuecheng looked incredulous. "Right, Wenchao?"

"Yes, I don't believe it either."

"But Uncle Fugui, you have to be careful. Fourth Uncle said that the Japanese have never been kind. They even stole our dumpling recipe before. Your fish are raised so well. I bet they're just like your chickens. They've got their eyes on them."

"Yes, yes, I heard that the Japanese live by the sea. Maybe they saw how good your fish are and stole them to raise back there."

"...Sneak it back to raise fish? Is that really necessary?"

Chen Ling was completely confused, but he didn't want to say anything more about it.

Just then, seeing Liu Nier prickling up her ears to listen to their conversation, she flicked him on the forehead.

"Sixth Sister, why hasn't your father arrived yet?"

"No, my dad uses wolf meat to train the puppy at home. I wanted to see the wolf cubs we brought back, but he wouldn't let me see them for long, saying he was afraid I'd scare them, and he kicked me out."

"Oh? You've been raising those wolfhound puppies in a greenhouse?"

"No, it's locked up in my grandma's old house. That mother stray dog ​​is really fierce, it's scary to look at. My grandma said she'll chase it away once it's nursed the wolf cubs until they're grown up."

Just then, Wang Jukun returned leading a cow, with Wang Lixian beside him, and the two were talking.

Behind Wang Lixian was a lively little dog with scorched yellow fur, wagging its tail and playing with Wang Xuecheng's yellow tabby dog.

Upon seeing Chen Ling, the two dogs immediately stopped fighting and excitedly ran over to him, frolicking around.

"Haha, see? These dogs are still closer to Fugui."

"Hey, his dog is the king of dogs."

When Rui Rui saw the little yellow dog, after all, it was a puppy that had been by his side since it was a puppy, so he felt a sense of familiarity and excitedly opened his arms to hug it.

As it turned out, the little yellow dog was terrified of this kid. It was happily rolling over and acting cute at Chen Ling's feet, but when it saw him coming, it jumped up and ran away.

Rui Rui immediately chased after him in a fit of rage, shouting angrily in her childish voice, "Dog, I'll hit you!"

It chased him all over the yard.

Liu Ni'er looked at her father and Chen Ling with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why is this dog so afraid of Rui Rui? He's not afraid of me at all, and he barks at me so fiercely."

Wang Lixian smiled at Chen Ling and said, "This dog recognizes people. Now it only recognizes me and your sister-in-law in my house. Look how fast it's growing, it's so round and plump. We've been feeding it wild boar and wolf meat all day long."

Chen Ling nodded with a smile, then called Rui Rui over. The brat was full of energy, always running around with Heiwa and the other two. Chasing a small dog would never tire him, but it wasn't good for him to be so loud and boisterous at someone else's house.

"Fugui is here, why didn't you invite a couple more people? At least call your Uncle Jusheng over, right?"

Wang Jukun scolded his son.

Wang Xuecheng said, "I called them all, but no one came. Uncle Jusheng went to the county town and isn't home... Yubin and the others also went to call them, but they were being beaten at home when they arrived, so I didn't go in. I'll go check on them later."

"Don't wait any longer, go now. It's getting dark, and everyone will be eating soon. It wouldn't be good for you to go then."

"Row."

Wang Xuecheng wiped his hands and went to the village to call for help.

Suddenly there were many more people. Wang Jusheng, who had just returned from the county town, was also called over.

He rushed over to Chen Ling as soon as he arrived: "Oh dear, I just got back from delivering goods to the county town. I was just saying I was going to your house to find you... Fugui, has something happened to your aunt in the county town lately? I ran into the two of them on the phone, and I don't know what happened, but they were really anxious. They were shouting and cursing on the phone, and your aunt even seemed to be crying..."

"Oh? Something happened to my aunt? They stayed at my house last night and just went back this morning!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling frowned, wondering if something had happened to Liang Yuemin's family, or perhaps Qin Yueru and Xiao Lizi.

The thought of this made him restless and he lost all interest in eating and drinking.

So he left Rui Rui there to play with the other children, called over the little blue horse, and hurried off towards the county town. (End of Chapter)