My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 92 Wheat Yellow
Dujuan was still a little confused after listening to the villagers' words. She stood outside the sheepfold and stared at the ram, but the ram had just been castrated and was quite frightened. It lay in the grass and dared not come out. She looked at it again and again, but she still couldn't figure it out.

Seeing her frowning and deep in thought, Chen Ling came out of the sheepfold and explained with a smile:
"An old saying goes that pigs are cowards, sheep are heroes, and cows have tears welling up in their eyes. This means that when these livestock in the countryside are slaughtered or castrated, sheep are the most courageous and have the most backbone. Many sheep never bleat until they die. It's not that they don't want to bleat, but that they are too timid to do so."

"Also, sheep are not very loud to begin with. You'll see this if you observe them more. Among all poultry and livestock, sheep are actually the quietest."

"Even if some sheep bleat when they are startled, their calls don't travel as far as those of pigs, dogs, or cows. No matter how loudly they bleat, only a few neighboring houses can hear them..."

Upon hearing this, Dujuan understood.

He smiled at Chen Ling, said thank you, and then hurriedly took out a small notebook from his shirt pocket to write down what he had just said. Even his slanted, fox-like eyes were sparkling.

This display amused the surrounding villagers.

He thought to himself, "These outsiders are so ignorant. What's so special about castrating a sheep?"

Asking all sorts of questions and taking notes—what kind of knowledge could possibly come from that?

They all lost interest in the strange woman and left Wang Lixian's courtyard one by one.

Chen Ling took off her apron to wash her hands and declined the Wang Lixian family's offer to stay.

At this time of year, everyone is busy with their own affairs, so he decided not to stay here and cause trouble for others.

So he said a few words to Zhang Qiaoling, teased Datou for a while, and then turned around and went home.

Zhang Qiaoling, holding the baby, accompanied Du Juan as they continued to stroll around the village, chatting with the elderly, carefully learning about and recording the local culture, customs, and traditions, and seeking inspiration for their work.

At first, the villagers thought this woman was quite strange, but after Dujuan took photos of them with a camera, a rare item, the old men and women all happily started chatting with her.

……

When Chen Ling returned home, Wang Susu was standing in the yard, letting out the chickens, ducks, and quails to go outside and find food.

In spring and summer, there are plenty of insects in the weeds, firewood piles, and straw stacks in the village, so at this time, the chickens and ducks raised at home generally do not need to be fed too much grain; they can just find insects to eat on their own.

But rabbits can't do that; they have to eat grass.

The six rabbits at home, who are a little over half a month old, are of normal size. Besides being clingy, they are timid and dare not go out. Also, there are many dogs in the village, so we can't let them out.

Previously, when Wang Susu went out to herd cattle, she would bring back a basket of grass for them.

These past few days, the red eels have laid eel fry, so Wang Susu has been staying here and refusing to go out. There's also not much grass at home to feed the rabbits.

Chen Ling had no choice but to go out and cut grass for them.

It was just before May, and the sun was getting increasingly scorching. He could no longer lie in the yard reading, so he carried a basket on his back, led the little white calf out of the backyard, and took the two dogs with him.

As soon as he left the village, Chen Ling could smell the faint aroma of wheat in the wind.

The wheat has begun to turn yellow at this time. During the wheat ripening season, the wheat changes shape every day. After another ten days or so, and a few southeast winds, it can be harvested.

Every household in the village has made preparations for the wheat harvest, and busy figures can be seen in the wheat fields and threshing grounds.

Before the wheat harvest, the threshing ground needs to be prepared in advance. If it's not flat and compact, it can't be threshed. And with the weather being so changeable this season, it's better to prepare it early. Chen Ling rode his ox, greeted some acquaintances, and leisurely made his way to the fields at the foot of the mountain.

In just over a month, the fruit tree seedlings have grown lush and green, and the vegetables in the vegetable patches that have been cleared between the seedlings are also growing well.

With nothing to care for, he untied the white calf's reins, letting it frolic in the field with the two dogs, and quietly slipped into the grotto.

Summer is approaching outside, but inside the cave, it remains warm as spring, with lush flowers and ancient trees, presenting a thriving scene.

Chen Ling looked up at the sky and saw an inverted dome in front of him. Although it was called the Sun and Moon Grotto, there was no sun or moon inside. The bright light from the sky came from nowhere, making the entire grotto always daytime.

In fact, Chen Ling had explored the cave several times.

From the ancient stele with the four large characters "Sun and Moon Grotto Heaven" to the strange and wonderful ancient trees and dense forests, and following the stream that runs through the dense forest deeper into the land, after several explorations, he also discovered that this blessed land also has boundaries.

The area he could reach in the entire Sun and Moon Cave Heaven was about one hundred acres in size.

Ninety percent of it is covered by dense forest.

Beyond the dense forest, the area he couldn't reach was shrouded in a thick, milky-white mist, probably the same mist that had once enveloped his soul. However, he couldn't touch it now, nor could he cross the mist to go deeper.

However, Chen Ling was not in a hurry.

He hasn't made full use of the Sun and Moon Grotto. Since the day he got it, he hasn't done anything serious. He just raises fish, grows vegetables, cooks, and fetches water. He hasn't done anything else. Seeing everyone in the village busy in the fields, he feels like he's really turning into a lazy bum.

"Sigh, I can't just sit around doing nothing all day. I have to find something to do in my spare time."

Chen Ling sighed softly, wandered around the cave for a while, then went into the thatched hut and tidied up the remaining half of the fresh peanuts.

I don't know when I'll be able to go to the county town again, so it's better to save up all the food together, otherwise it will take up too much space.

After tidying up the peanuts, Chen Ling walked to the corner of the thatched hut.

There was a thick layer of dry grass in the corner, on which were six bird eggs the size of a thumb and more than twenty red-bellied pheasant eggs.

However, there has been no movement yet.

Chen Ling glanced at it twice, then got up and went outside.

Behind the thatched hut are pear trees, peach trees, and jujube trees, three or four of each, which were planted when we first discovered the grotto.

Aside from taking pears out a few times to boil and drink, Chen Ling hasn't eaten many peaches or dates.

Although the trees are still the same, the fruits hanging on them seem to be getting more and more vibrant and delicious. Chen Ling could smell the rich fragrance even before he got close.

Just as he was about to pick a couple of peaches to try, he heard a rustling sound coming from the pond. Chen Ling hurried over to check.

In the earthen pit by the pond, cracks appeared on the small turtle eggs, each slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. Seeing this, Chen Ling immediately smiled with delight: "Goodness, after waiting for two months without any movement, they're finally going to hatch!"

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(End of this chapter)