My 1995 Small Farm.

That evening, Chen Ling's pressed pork belly became the main dish on the dinner table.

Horse meat is delicious, but we can't get it now.

Because it takes time to make horse meat taste good, and the cooking methods are quite similar to those for donkey meat.

Basically, the same method is used to make spiced donkey meat and spiced horse meat.

Donkeys and horses are from the same family.

That's how it is here these days; any food with a bit of flavor is associated with five-spice.

As for pressed pork belly, in modern terms, it's incredibly fragrant.

They even managed to make the pork taste like beef.

It tastes delicious.

With many happy events happening in the village this year, including weddings and baby showers, Chen Ling and Shanmao also welcomed new babies.

So everyone was very happy and in high spirits, drinking and chatting until late at night before finally breaking up.

……

As dawn breaks, it will be Lunar New Year's Eve, and many people will get up early to clean and sweep.

"Fugui, Fugui, the animal is harnessed. Is this donkey behaving?"

"Don't worry, Li Hui's donkey is the most obedient. It's honest and docile, and it knows the way. It doesn't need a whip to drive it. It goes smoothly."

Early in the morning, Lynx didn't drive his car; instead, he took a donkey cart to the county hospital to deliver food to Dujuan.

Inside was goat milk squeezed in the morning, mixed with eggs and cooked, plus porridge that Chen Ling specially made for the children.

It's called eight-treasure porridge, but it actually contains far more ingredients than regular eight-treasure porridge.

It is also suitable for pregnant women to supplement their nutrition.

As for driving a donkey cart, it's not that he can't drive a car or a tractor.

Liang Yuemin was going to drive the car; he had just returned and wanted to make an appearance at his father-in-law's house first.

The tractor was for Wang Lixian's family to go to Yangtougou to get two sheep, and also to help Chen Yingqiang's family to pick up a batch of flour from the township.

We'll start making dried noodles next year.

"Fugui, where are we going again?"

Chen Sangui came over carrying a basket and asked.

"I'm not going out, but my brother is going to the county to deliver food to his wife..."

"Oh, I've come to ask you to pick some mushrooms and scallions. It's almost Chinese New Year, so I want to make something nice for the kids at home."

Chen Sangui doted on Xizi, who reportedly came in first place in his class this year.

Chen Baoshuan was also very happy and had already started talking about it in the village.

I drank too much last night, and I haven't gotten up yet at this hour.

His wife doesn't do any work.

On this Lunar New Year's Eve, Chen Sangui had to tidy up and prepare the family's New Year's Eve dinner.

"Uncle Sangui, you can go directly to the greenhouse to pick them. I'll have the dog follow you; the dog over there won't dare to stop you."

Chen Ling smiled and waved, and Erhei, who couldn't stay still, rushed down the slope in the distance.

As for mushrooms and green vegetables, apart from close relatives, no one in the village dared to ask him for them.

However, ordinary families only have cabbage, sweet potatoes, and potatoes in winter, and they get tired of eating them after a while.

Chen Ling would usually take out his own money and give a little to this family and a little to that family.

Some of it was distributed.

"Okay, then you go ahead and do your work. I'll go pick them myself. If you need any help, just go to Baoshuan's house and call him. My son and I are both here."

Knowing that Chen Ling's family had a large number of people this year, Chen Sangui didn't say anything more and turned to walk along the path on the slope.

Chen Ling is indeed very busy.

First, you need to go to the courtyard in the village to put up couplets, the character "福" (fortune), and hang lanterns.

This year, Qin Yueru and her daughter, along with Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu, are temporarily staying in this courtyard.

"Uncle Fugui, Little Chestnut won't play with me!"

As soon as we arrived, a snotty-nosed kid came up and started yelling.

This snotty kid isn't sick, but he always has two strands of yellow snot hanging from his nose, like rice noodles, which Chen Ling has tried to wipe off but can't get rid of.

I might as well give up.

"I brought her some food, and she snorted at me and ignored me!"

The snotty-nosed child looked heartbroken.

"Uncle can't help you with this... Besides, why don't you send some to Xizi? Xizi has been so good to you."

Chen Ling flicked him on the forehead and laughed.

Little Chestnut is pretty and pampered, a city girl who acts like a little princess.

Once he arrives in the countryside, he will surely be well-liked by the local boys.

Everyone was eager to play with her.

This is human nature.

“Xizi’s aunt is too fierce, I don’t want to go.”

The snotty-nosed kid scratched his head in frustration and said unwillingly, "Little Chestnut plays with Liu Ni'er and the others, why don't they play with me? Is it because I have snot?"
Sixth Sister is still peeing in the mud.

"Oh dear, don't say that, kid. It's the New Year, let's wait until it gets warmer next year, then Uncle will find a way to get rid of your snotty nose. You're always wagging those two little snotty things, let alone little chestnuts."

Rui Rui doesn't want to play with you, his older brother.

Chen Ling took out a tissue and wiped his nose, but it started flowing again after a short while.

Moreover, after wiping, there were still large areas of scabs on my lips and under my nose from long-term runny nose.

That rascal……

Chen Ling thought to himself, "It's no wonder Xiao Lizi doesn't want to play with you."

She has tried her best not to be a germaphobe.

“My mother said that my runny nose is because I tore up the pictures of the gods and Buddhas in the house to wipe my nose when I had a runny nose that year, which is why my nose keeps running.”

The snotty-nosed child tilted his head back and hummed, "I was only three years old then, and I didn't do it on purpose. Gods and Buddhas are so stingy. I pray to them and burn incense for them every day, and they still make me snotty."

“It’s not the fault of the gods and Buddhas. The gods and Buddhas won’t blame the little one. As for your problem, I’ll ask around and find a good doctor to take a look at it for you.”

Chen Ling reassured him and then said no more.

Because Little Chestnut came out, opened the window, peeked out a crack, and waved at him with a grin.

Seeing the little chestnut's snow-white and adorable appearance, the snotty-nosed boy stomped his feet, turned around unwillingly, and walked away.

He came to deliver food, and then called Little Chestnut to go out and set off firecrackers.

As a result, Little Chestnut ignored him, and only the adults allowed him to play inside the house.

But even a child his age gets shy; if Little Chestnut ignores him, he can't stay still.

……

"What's wrong? Why are you so happy!"

Chen Ling walked over and opened the window from the outside.

"Uncle, let me tell you, I found a small tree growing in the house, with tiny buds, on the side where I sleep."

Little Chestnut was pleasantly surprised, her eyes brimming with joy.

"Huh? A small tree has grown inside? It's not even spring yet!"

Chen Ling was also a little surprised.

Qin Yueru came over at this moment and spoke to him through the window: "The grape vines that you and Susu buried in the fall have sprouted underground and grown out from this side of the house."

Qin Yueru couldn't identify the grapes; it was Liang Hongyu and the other woman who could.

The room was warm because of the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

It's also too dry; I need to sprinkle water on the ground frequently before bed and after waking up. Otherwise, I'll easily get a sore throat.

With this warm temperature and the added watering, it's not impossible for a seedling to sprout and emerge indoors.

"A good omen. Everything was fine before, but after you moved here, grapevines have grown. It seems like good luck is coming. Next year, the little chestnuts will also grow tall."

Chen Ling patted the little girl's head.

The little girl had just gotten up and hadn't even combed her hair yet. When she heard Chen Ling's words, she happily rubbed her head against his big hand.

"Uncle, I'm really going to grow taller. Could you comb my hair for me in a bit?"

"Why are you so attached to your uncle? Hurry up and eat breakfast, your uncle still has work to do."

Liang Hongyu came over and picked her up. Chen Ling also wanted to put up couplets and the character "福" (fortune), and hang lanterns.

I don't know about other places, but here, hanging lanterns isn't something ordinary families can afford; only wealthy people are willing to do it.

This year, almost every household in the village has hung lanterns.

They didn't buy any; they all had Chen Baoshuan make the red lanterns.

Of course, most of the gifts Chen Ling's family received were gifts from others, or brought back by Zhao Dahai's family.

After quickly finishing her breakfast, Qin Rong came out to help Chen Ling put up the posters.

When they came out, they were surprised to find that Chen Yuqiang from the front yard had already come to help.

The young people are quick to put them up; they've already brought out ladders to hang the lanterns.

After finishing here, we'll also put up two "Fu" characters (福, meaning good fortune) over at the vegetable greenhouse and mushroom shed, to add to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

After finishing all that work, I need to go home to chop meat and make dumplings.

When we got back, Little Chestnut was crying loudly.

"What's wrong? You were so happy just now. Who made our little Chestnut angry?"

"Uncle, I, I'm not angry. My tooth is about to fall out, and it hurts a lot."

The little girl sobbed in a childish voice, her face streaked with tears of pain.

Qin Yueru said helplessly, "We have to be strong. Look at other people when they lose a tooth, who cries so hard?"

Little Chestnut has been in the countryside for quite some time and has visited here many times.

I overcame my germaphobia and some quirks about not wanting to share, and now I can play very well with the dolls.

But she is still a delicate young girl.

It's no wonder they cried, being so pampered.

Chen Ling knew it was one thing, but still comforted her, saying, "You can't say that. Some people don't feel anything when they lose a tooth; they basically don't feel any pain."

But some people will experience a lot of pain…

These were meant to be comforting words, but they inadvertently hit the nail on the head.

Little Chestnut's gums were bleeding, and you could see a twitching pain in her fair and delicate cheeks when she opened her mouth.

"Oh dear, it's Chinese New Year, they must be eating lots of sweets!"

The old lady insisted that she had eaten too much candy yesterday.

Candied hawthorn berries, sugar figurines, sesame candy...

That thing is all sugar, how can its teeth possibly be healthy?

"Don't eat any sweets for the next couple of days, and we need to get this tooth pulled as soon as possible."

Chen Ling held the little girl's face in his hands and felt heartbroken to see her face covered in tears.

"Don't pull it out, Uncle, don't pull it out, it hurts."

Upon hearing this, the little girl began to shrink her head back.

"..."

Chen Ling was momentarily at a loss, but soon he came up with an idea: "How about this, instead of me pulling your tooth, let Er Tu Zi pull it for you?"
Tie a rope to your little tooth, and when Baldy pulls it from the sky, the bad tooth will fall out.

Chen Ling is very good at making things up.

Furthermore, they misrepresented the concept, describing a tooth that was about to fall out as a bad tooth.

"...Huh? Baldy?"

Little Chestnut stopped crying, her face full of confusion, clearly not expecting that Baldy and teeth could be connected.

"Yes, haven't you heard the story of the animal doctor in the forest?"

"I know that the forest doctor is a woodpecker!"

"That's right, Er Tu Zi is even more powerful than a woodpecker. A woodpecker can only eat the insects inside the tree, but Er Tu Zi can pull the insects out of your teeth and even pull out bad teeth."

It was very quick, and it didn't hurt at all.

Chen Ling continued to deceive.

"Really? Uncle?"

Little Chestnut was skeptical, so she started recalling the cartoon in her mind.

But she watched Tom and Jerry the most, as well as the adapted story of Heiwa and Xiaojin hunting wild boars.

I can't recall any scenes where an eagle is a veterinarian.

"Really, would your uncle lie to you?"

When dealing with children, if they hesitate, help them make a decision quickly, otherwise they will change their minds and regret it soon.

So when Chen Ling whistled, he summoned Er Tu Zi over several times in a row.

Ignore the two eagles following behind it.

Chen Ling waved his hand, and it gently landed in the yard.

"Also, we need to use little red strings."

Chen Ling gave Qin Yueru a look, signaling them to go inside and find a red rope.

In short, it was full of ritual.

Little Chestnut's teeth were still hurting, but as she covered her cheek, her eyes were already full of anticipation.

Dental problems come on suddenly and can be excruciatingly painful.

Chen Ling never expected that her child would have a dental problem just from eating a meal.

Fortunately, they were calmed down.

Qin Yueru and her son found a red rope, and Chen Ling made a small noose. He had Xiao Lizi open his mouth and quickly put the noose over the loose, bleeding tooth.

"Quick, Baldy, fly!"

Chen Ling tore the red thread apart and tied the other end to Er Tuzi's paw.

Er Tuzi, like a large parrot, tilted his head and swayed his body, looking curiously at the red rope and the other end of Xiao Lizi's beak with a wise look.

They seemed very interested and thought it was fun.

When Chen Ling gave the order, it immediately flapped its wings and took off.

The moment the red rope tightened, Little Chestnut's tooth was pulled out almost effortlessly.

Little Chestnut lost a tooth, but he was still so cute and oblivious that he didn't even notice.

Actually, he was in so much pain that he was stunned.

But when Chen Ling came over and told her, "Okay, Little Chestnut, Er Tu Zi pulled out the bad teeth in our mouths for us."

She then realized what had happened and instinctively reached out to touch it; it was really gone.

The little girl was overjoyed: "Wow, Er Tu Zi really is an animal doctor, he's so amazing!"

"Of course! Uncle said he wouldn't lie to you!"

Chen Ling chuckled as he used a cotton ball to stop the little girl's bleeding, secretly thinking to himself, "I'll definitely incorporate this scene into my new animated film."

Let Er Tuzi become a real animal doctor for once.

Thinking to himself, he continued to comfort the little girl, "It's alright, you lost a lower tooth. When other people lose their lower teeth, they throw them on the roof. But this time, Baldy Er has taken them to heaven for you. From now on, your teeth will grow better than theirs."

Children love hearing this kind of talk, and Chen Ling's words made her incredibly happy; she jumped and skipped around in the yard for quite a while. (End of Chapter)