My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 95 Watermelon
"Lingzi, your yard is so cool."

Han Chuang sat on the stone bench, munching on sunflower seeds and sighing contentedly.

He was so hot on the way here that he couldn't even wait for the tea Wang Susu had brewed to cool down before running to the hand pump. He bent over, pumped water out, and gulped it down until he felt a little better.

"There are many trees in the mountains, and we also have a large reservoir here, so it feels a bit cooler."

Chen Ling smiled and then gently kicked the little rabbit at his feet away.

These little creatures are like that; they're not afraid of strangers and still stick to Chen Ling's side, lying around him, their little bodies all warm and cozy, making him feel like he's wearing cotton shoes. After a while, his feet start sweating.

Han Chuang then noticed the rabbit at Chen Ling's feet and immediately let out a strange cry.

"It's a rabbit, Xiaoqing, look, a little rabbit."

Jiang Xiaoqing had noticed it long ago, but her family was also from the countryside. Although her mother was a teacher at a middle school in the county town, she had grown up in the countryside and was used to it.

Seeing how attached the little rabbits were to Chen Ling, it was clear that Chen Ling must have raised these rabbits from a young age.

Han Chuang was surprised. He got up and squatted on the ground, staring at the little rabbits with his big, round eyes. After a while, he cautiously reached out to touch them, and the little rabbits didn't flinch.

This guy really admired Han Chuang, this tall and strong young man.

He picked up the two little rabbits and grinned foolishly at Jiang Xiaoqing.

Jiang Xiaoqing felt her face burning with embarrassment at his posture and couldn't help but kick him hard under the stone table.

Han Chuang then gave an embarrassed smile, put the rabbit down, and said to Chen Ling, "When I saw that you had two such big dogs, I thought they were a litter of puppies. I didn't expect them to be little rabbits."

"You like rabbits, Chuangzi? If you like them, I'll catch a few for you when the cubs come along."

Chen Ling recalled how he had been holding onto the rabbit tightly earlier and said...

"That's great, that's wonderful!"

Upon hearing this, Han Chuang immediately nodded excitedly.

However, after nodding, he realized something was wrong and quickly turned to look at Jiang Xiaoqing's expression.

Chen Ling couldn't help but chuckle. He really hadn't expected that Han Chuang, this tall and strong guy, would be so afraid of this bear once he had a wife.

Seeing this, Wang Susu smiled slightly, thinking to herself that her husband's friend seemed a bit silly.

But that's good too, so I don't have to worry about Chen Ling being taken advantage of when we get along.

She wouldn't feel comfortable associating with someone like Chen Erzhu.

"What would you like to eat for lunch? We have lamb, pork, fish, and shrimp..."

Chen Ling realized it was almost ten o'clock and he needed to prepare lunch early, since the guests had come from afar and he had to invite them to stay for lunch.

"Oh right, there are still some rice dumplings in the well. I'll go pull them out."

Han Chuang and Jiang Xiaoqing repeatedly told Chen Ling to stop busying himself and just talk and chat, since they weren't outsiders.

That being said, that's not how things are.

Chen Ling went to the well and pulled up the zongzi, then asked Wang Susu to steam the remaining ten or so zongzi in the basket.

Actually, he and Wang Susu had been eating them for the past few days, but Liang Hongyu gave them too many, filling a whole basket. After eating for three or four days, there were still about ten left.

"Chuangzi, come on, I'll take you shrimp catching."

After steaming the zongzi, Chen Ling called out to Han Chuang and then walked out with a bamboo basket and net bag.

Han Chuang first asked Jiang Xiaoqing if she was going, and when she said no, he happily followed Chen Ling out the door.

"Susu, stay home and keep Xiaoqing company."

"I know, don't worry."

On the way to the reservoir, I saw many families in the village whose daughters were returning home for the holidays. Some of them were probably from far away and had only just arrived home at almost 10 a.m.

They wore headscarves and carried babies. When they saw people from the same village, they would stop to greet them and chat for a few minutes.

To Chen Ling's surprise, someone actually approached him and pulled on a doll, asking him to call her "uncle." However, after looking at her for a long time, Chen Ling couldn't recognize her as the girl who had married out of the family, which made Han Chuang laugh at him.

Chen Ling took Han Chuang to the reservoir and filled a bamboo basket with crayfish. On the way back, they ran into Chen Ze and forced him to eat a few eels. Only then did Chen Ling realize that the person he had just spoken to was Chen Ze's sister, Chen Fang.

The siblings' enthusiasm made Chen Ling feel rather embarrassed.

Especially Chen Ze, when he went out to work after graduating from high school, I spoke to the boss on his behalf a few times. It's a pity that Chen Ling was too disappointing. He didn't work hard and even caused the boss to lose his job.

Chen Ze had always held a grudge against him, and would never speak to him or even glance at him when they bumped into each other. But after Chen Ze started to improve, this young man of the same generation took the initiative to resolve their past grievances. Chen Ling originally thought that even if the grudges were over, they would just be nodding acquaintances from now on.

Unexpectedly, after just a brief encounter, knowing that Chen Ling's family was entertaining guests, this kid insisted on giving them a few eels.

This left Chen Ling with many emotions.

After returning home and cleaning the fish and shrimp, Chen Ling thought about going to Cui the Cripple's place to buy two more pounds of pork. However, before he could even set off, someone else came.

"Uncle Fugui, I heard you were entertaining guests, so I asked me to bring you some melons."

Liu Nier led a group of little children, each carrying a large, spotted watermelon, into the courtyard.

"Oh, come in quickly, come in quickly."

Seeing this, Chen Ling hurriedly led Wang Susu and Han Chuang to pick them up.

"This guy, really! Why did you have to deliver it all the way from so far away? If I wanted to eat it, I could have just picked it myself from the melon patch."

"It's alright, Uncle Fugui, we can move it."

Liu Ni wiped the sweat from her forehead, sniffling and chuckling.

Children in the countryside run around outside all day, and they usually start helping with farm work when they are six or seven years old. They are quite strong.

But Chen Ling couldn't help feeling a little sorry for them. The watermelons had grown to a certain size, each weighing about seven or eight pounds. It would be too much for the little kids to carry those seven or eight-pound watermelons back from the field and then walk halfway through the village.

Chen Ling was genuinely worried about tiring them out.

He quickly went to the well and filled a whole basin with water.

"Come on, everyone, wash your hands and faces."

"Sixth Sister, stop hiding in the back. Come over and wash yourself properly. Look at your snotty nose, you can't wipe it clean no matter what."

All the other little ones had finished washing obediently before Liu Nier reluctantly came over.

"I don't want to wash my face, I think washing my face hurts too much."

"Stop talking nonsense. Your face is covered in sweat and snot. Come here and wash it."

Chen Ling reached out and pulled him over, pressing him against the edge of the basin and giving him a thorough wash.

After they finished washing, Wang Susu brought towels and had them wipe their hands and faces clean. She then brought stools for them to sit down and rest.

Then, seeing that Xizi had cut her finger on a melon vine and was still bleeding after washing it with water, he went outside the wall, picked two red silk grasses, chewed them, and applied them to the wound. He then brought a strip of cloth from inside the house to wrap it up.

Red silk grass, also known as ground privet grass or blood-stopping grass, is a common hemostatic herb in rural areas. It looks a bit like purslane and is very effective in stopping bleeding from bumps and cuts.

"Thank you, Aunt Susu."

Xizi squeezed her bandaged fingers, her face flushed, and whispered.

Wang Susu patted Xizi's little head and smiled, "We eat lunch here. Your Uncle Fugui made something delicious today."

"No, I can't. My dad said Uncle Fugui has to entertain guests and doesn't want me to bother you guys here."

When Liu Nier heard that Chen Ling was going to cook a meal, she couldn't help but swallow. They knew better than anyone that Chen Ling was a good cook.

But Wang Lixian had warned him that he didn't have the guts to stay here.

After saying that, he turned around and led a group of little kids out.

"Hey, don't go, why are you running so fast?"

Seeing that he couldn't stop them, Chen Ling had no choice but to hurry after them, giving each of them a handful of candy.

"Sixth Sister, the watermelons are ripe, aren't you going to pick them home?"

"We'll pick them the day after tomorrow. My father is worried that the rain will soak the melons, so we're preparing to pick them early."

The weather is unpredictable around the time the wheat ripens, and heavy rains are frequent. If the watermelons are soaked in the ground, they will not be sweet and will be difficult to sell, forcing the seller to lower the price.

Chen Ling nodded upon hearing this and kept it in mind.

Wang Lixian sent the children to deliver watermelons, so he certainly couldn't give them money. The two families were close, and he couldn't always measure things with money. He would just remember this favor and help Wang Lixian's family when they harvested their watermelons.

Back in the courtyard, Chen Ling soaked two large watermelons in a bucket, tied them with a rope, and lowered them into the well.

It's hot now, and the melons have gotten too hot from the sun. It's better to put them in a well to chill them before eating.

I have no drafts saved, so I'll keep writing.


(End of this chapter)