My 1995 Small Farm.

"Damn it, Jusheng won't come out no matter how many times I call him, but his dog comes out very often!"

"Haha, his dog is the same as Li Xian's dog. It came over and immediately went to gravitate towards Fu Gui!"

As soon as they started drinking at Wang Lishan's house, Wang Jusheng's little dog ran over.

This is the little black dog. It was originally meant for Han Chuang, but Han Chuang didn't want it, so it was given to Wang Jusheng.

"Jusheng has been busy day and night, but he didn't expect that the dog he fed would be so strong, just as good as Lixian's dog."

"Of course, Fugui gave it to him. Fugui could sell this puppies for two or three thousand yuan. Would he dare not feed them properly?"

"You guys, stop making fun of Jusheng. Next time we meet, I won't let you smoke any good cigarettes."

Wang Jusheng has been extremely busy lately. The chili sauce is fine, but the pickled vegetables are very popular.

Actually, pickled vegetables don't sell as well as chili sauce.

However, when you first start, you can't expect too much; just making a profit is enough.

So the couple, along with Zhang Qiaoling's family, started working day and night.

It's fine on weekdays.

Wang Jusheng still has to work the night shift at the township police station these next two days. This guy is really going to break down.

Chen Ling hadn't visited his house in a long time, so she was unusually affectionate when she saw the puppy. "Come on, don't run around. You two sit here and wait. I'll give you all the bones later."

The two little guys, one black and one yellow, immediately sat down obediently.

The man who tended the pigs now knew who Chen Ling was, but he was greatly surprised to see that such a small dog obeyed him so well.

He walked up to Chen Ling and asked him all sorts of questions.

Old Buffett would sometimes chime in, and other people would sometimes chime in a word or two as well.

"If your dog could be bred, it would definitely be very expensive."

As expected, they asked the right questions based on who they were talking to.

The man who was tending the pigs hadn't been talking for long when he said this.

Everyone started making a fuss as soon as this was mentioned.

They say Chen Ling's dog breeding skills are far superior to his pig breeding skills, and each mating costs one or two thousand yuan.

Even so, Heiwa still had to choose the dog.

In short, it was all hype.

A joyful meal and drinks can't be said to be useless.

After eating and drinking, Lao Ba went to check on the heifers at several cattle farms to see if they were pregnant.

Those who haven't conceived can continue breeding.

That's fine with the pregnancy; just keep feeding her well.

Chen Ling had no idea that Lao Ba had this ability, that he could tell whether a livestock was pregnant or not.

It doesn't matter what happens when they arrive; we'll know whether the pigs and cows are pregnant or not.

Old Ba didn't take it seriously, telling him that nothing can withstand careful consideration. The more you see and think about things, the more you'll know without being taught.

……

After Lao Ba finished looking at the cows, Chen Ling took him back on his motorcycle.

Despite his age, the old man can hold his liquor; he can drink half a jin (250ml) without any problem.

When he arrived at the village, Old Ma Shua from Majia'ao happened to be looking for him to treat the foal, so he went with him without hesitation.

Chen Ling then went to the local oil mill to inquire about pressing sesame oil, and then went back to catch the puppy and deliver it to Han Chuang and Liang Hongyu.

On the way back, I picked up Wang Zhenzhen. It was almost dusk when we arrived in the village.

Chen Ling quickly returned to the courtyard in the village to collect the red dates that were drying.

This year, we didn't make jujube wine at home, nor did we use wine to pickle persimmons. The persimmon buns were only made for guests like Zhenzhen, Ruirui, or Shen Jiayi.

Seeing that the sun had not yet set, Chen Ling locked the door and prepared to go to the back mountain to plant a few saplings.

When Rui Rui saw this, he was incredibly enthusiastic and quickly found a small shovel to follow along.

Afu and Ashou were naturally not to be outdone.

But they were still afraid of Rui Rui playing with them, so a strange scene unfolded.

Chen Ling was in front, followed by Rui Rui and Heiwa Xiao Jin, while the two fiercest tigers were at the very back.

I dared not walk fast at all.

There was nothing Rui Rui could do; he felt that everything about the two big cats was big—their heads were big, their mouths were big, their tails were long, and even their whiskers were so thick, long, and stiff that he would pluck out two of them whenever he felt like it.

They even put their hands into their mouths and poked at their barbed tongues.

He's definitely a little rascal.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou didn't dare show the slightest displeasure; they would avoid it if they could.

Since chickens were raised on the back hill, the wild grass and vines have decreased significantly because people come to collect the eggs every day.

There are now many more open spaces.

It's perfect for planting some fruit tree seedlings.

Chen Ling was also thinking of cutting some of the grapevines at home, burying them, and then digging them up and replanting them after winter.

We'll plant fruit trees on steep slopes and grapes on gentle slopes.

The back mountain doesn't feel empty when you go down from the mountainside.

However, the villagers definitely can't enter the mountains from this side.

It's alright, he's already leased out the surrounding area anyway.

Moreover, since they moved here in the last two years, hardly anyone has come into the mountains from here.

"Lingzi, what's going on with the pigs in the village? I was driving the cattle home around noon and passed by there when I heard a lot of noise coming from Lishan's house."

His father-in-law knew he was planting trees here, so he came to help with a shovel.

Chen Ling then told him about the old wild boar.

The old man laughed after hearing this: "No wonder, that pig has found a companion, so it won't mate with other pigs." In the pig world, there is no such thing as a chaste and virtuous woman.

However, the old wild boar couldn't resist visiting them every day and spending a lot of time with them. Over time, they were able to mate during the sow's estrus period.

After that, the sows naturally became unwilling to let unfamiliar boars mate with them.

First, she doesn't recognize unfamiliar male pigs; second, she's pregnant, her estrus period is over, and she no longer has worldly desires.

"Dad, I forgot to ask Mom and the others when I was home. Are there still people collecting goose droppings in the wheat field today?"

"Yes, there are a lot of people, and a lot of goose droppings too. It's strange, isn't it? We went to look for them last night, but there weren't any geese eating the wheat seedlings..."

I didn't see any geese landing when I got up early this morning. When did they eat?
Did they eat there in the middle of the night?

"I don't think so. Wild geese flying in the sky at night wouldn't land in the middle of the night. Even if they did land, it would be close to dawn."

As Chen Ling spoke, he thought about it carefully and said, "I think it might be because of the fog in the morning, so they wouldn't notice when they went to eat people."

"Oh, right, it's been foggy these past few mornings. Geese are pretty cunning, but let's go take a look around after we've eaten, so they don't play guerrilla warfare with us."

Chen Ling wholeheartedly agreed with his father-in-law's words.

No matter what, after dinner I'll still go out for a walk with the dog and the tiger.

Catching geese was just a side thing.

There was still nothing that night, but they did catch two pheasants and a rabbit.

Pheasants are alright; at night during this season, pheasants often gather in groups and lie in the tall, dense grass along the ditches.

The dogs are gone; you can catch them every time.

Since we caught six or seven hundred rabbits in one go last time, the number has decreased significantly.

This time, he came here on his own and was caught red-handed by Xiao Jin.

It was a wild goose, and the more he thought about it, the less likely he was to hit it. Chen Ling thought to himself, "If this doesn't work, I'll learn from the gunmen and sail around looking for wild geese. Wherever I see a wild goose landing, I'll just shoot it."

But before he could even do anything, his apprentice was leaving the next day, and he had to go see him off.

My wife hasn't been out for a while, so we can take a drive around while the two babies are feeding and sleeping.

So Chen Ling drove Liang Yuemin's Beijing-registered car from the county, loaded it with bags and packages, and took them to Tenghe Township.

I originally wanted Little Sheep and the others to deliver it, and then we could just transfer to a train halfway there.

But then I thought I'd better take a boat; it'll be more peaceful.

Before leaving, Shen's mother kept trying to give Gao Xiulan money, saying that she couldn't stay there for nothing while recuperating and staying. She added that the mother and daughter had been treated to good food and drink, and that if Chen Ling were to entertain outsiders, it would cost a fortune.

Gao Xiulan refused, and Wang Susu also refused, saying that a poor family should be frugal on the road, and why should they leave money behind when they are leaving? Besides, they have already recognized Chen Ling as their master, so why talk about money?

It would have been better if the master hadn't been mentioned. Once the master was mentioned, Shen's mother was even more eager to give him money, and in the end, she insisted on stuffing a thousand yuan into his hand.

People should treat each other with sincerity.

Shen's mother was no ordinary housewife; she could distinguish right from wrong better than anyone else.

That's why she cherishes the relationship even more.

……

Today happened to be market day in the county, so Chen Ling wasn't in a hurry to return the car. He took his family for a drive around the county, had Wang Susu buy some things, and looked at the stalls set up by his second brother and sister-in-law.

Chen Ling then happily drove home.

Back home, Zhao Yubao led a group of people who claimed to be there to photograph red-crowned cranes. After they showed their work badges, Chen Ling led them toward the mountain lake.

These red-crowned cranes have been appearing less frequently lately, mainly because the young cranes have grown up, can fly, and have expanded their range of activity.

They won't stay in their nest as often anymore.

As expected, they didn't see anything at the mountain lake. Chen Ling simply gave the group the key to the bamboo hut, told them to clean it up, and then go take pictures on their own.

As more and more outsiders came, Chen Ling got used to it and stopped greeting them too much.

Now that the apprentice and his mother have left, there are two fewer people at home to help.

Chen Ling was also unwilling to let his father-in-law do everything.

So he took Rui Rui with him, and called on Afu and Ashou to go collect goose droppings.

We also let the little water buffalo out of the pen. It's been back for two days and it's settled in, so it's time to take it out for a walk.

The little white calf already knew that this was Chen Ling's new companion, and when it saw the little water buffalo come out, it hurriedly followed.

Chen Ling laughed and stroked its big head, saying, "I knew you'd like it. Next summer, you'll have someone to play in the water with."

The little white calf raised its big head, nudged Chen Ling's warm hand, and mooed happily.

The little buffalo next to it looked at this big, white, beautiful creature with curiosity in its eyes. It cautiously came closer and tentatively stretched its neck to smell the little white calf.

The little white calf lowered its head, looked at the little guy very gently, and bleated softly twice.

I don't know what they exchanged.

The little water buffalo happily hopped along behind the little white calf, and together they followed Chen Ling towards the old river bend.

"Lingzi, are you herding cattle today? I was hoping you could collect the eggs to mark the chickens that aren't laying as many as possible, but your mother and I can't tell the difference, so we don't know how to do it."

"It's okay, Dad. That's easy. We can do it when I get back. There's no rush. Just make a few marks every day, and you'll be able to tell them apart slowly."

Chen Ling waved his hand, placed Rui Rui on the white calf's head, and then stepped into the lush wheat field to carefully search for goose droppings.

After autumn this year, the egg production of the hens we raised earliest dropped rapidly.

Chen Ling thought about slaughtering a batch of chickens for a banquet for the children, and another batch for the New Year, to make some preserved chicken and duck, or perhaps he could also research the local specialty roasted chicken.

As for laying eggs, the family had already discussed it. After winter came and they had a lot of free time, the family would use the earthen bed to hatch a batch of chicks, which would then be raised in Wang Lixian's greenhouse.

Why not do it earlier?

It's not cold here yet, but you have to watch over the earthen bed to incubate the chicks because it gets unbearably hot.

In addition, once the chicks grow up, keeping them in a greenhouse during the winter will take up a lot of space.

It's better to hatch them in winter; the chicks can easily take up a little space, and you don't have to worry about feeding them every day.

When they are released in the spring, food is everywhere. (End of Chapter)