My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 103 Stealing Bird Eggs

In just over half a minute, Chen Ling had already rushed to the reservoir dam.

From afar, you could see two little children crying by the water. Another child ran into the village to call for help, but after calling for a long time, he only managed to get an old woman and a farm woman to come. The two of them were also panicked and anxiously stamped their feet on the dam, but they didn't dare to go into the water.

"Get out of the way, all of you, stay away from the water."

Ignoring them, Chen Ling shouted something to the two children and rushed into the water without even taking off his clothes.

It was just past noon, and the surface water in the reservoir was already warm under the sun, but the water underneath was icy cold.

Chen Ling couldn't help but shiver as soon as he entered the water. Fortunately, his physical condition was superhuman, and he quickly suppressed the discomfort. Otherwise, without some time to adjust, especially in the middle of summer when the surface of the water is scalding hot and the water is icy cold underneath, it would be easy to get cramps and encounter danger if he was careless.

After surfacing and taking a deep breath, Chen Ling plunged into the water, his eyes wide as he looked around.

Many people believe that it's impossible to open your eyes underwater, but that's not true. Those who are truly skilled swimmers know that they can see clearly underwater even without goggles. It's just that in later generations, water quality has deteriorated, with pollution everywhere. Many rivers have gone from clear to murky. At that time, no one would actually go into the water without any protection.

In this era, there's no need to worry about so much. The reservoir is connected to the Jinshui River and the Nansha River, two major rivers, and fresh water is constantly flowing in. The water quality is quite clear, and Chen Ling's eyesight is better than that of ordinary people. He found the little boy who was about to sink to the bottom of the water without much effort.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling kicked off with both legs, grabbed Xiao Sen's ankle, and pulled him into the cave.

Just as Chen Ling went into the water to rescue the person, many more people were called over to the reservoir dam. Knowing the situation was critical, the men jumped into the water without even taking off their clothes. However, before they could dive into the water to search, they heard a splashing sound on the surface of the water, and Chen Ling swam up with the baby in his arms.

Once ashore, the women lifted Xiaosen upside down and worked him up to clear the water from his lungs and intestines. Not long after, Xiaosen began coughing violently.

"Well done, Fugui! Truly well done!"

After Xiaosen was revived, everyone turned their attention to Chen Ling.

Seeing this once-famous lazy bum in the village, soaking wet and looking like a drowned rat, leaning against a big willow tree and panting heavily, the villagers felt an unprecedented sense of recognition and gave him a thumbs up in praise.

"Where are Yuqiang and his wife? Why aren't they here yet? And where is Brother Guoping...?"

Chen Lingchong waved to his fellow villagers, and after catching his breath, asked.

"Yuqiang's wife's maternal uncle passed away, and the couple went to pay their respects early this morning. Brother Guoping is on his turn to visit other villages for medical treatment these days. Today, Xiaosen is either eating at Yingqiang's house or with Sister-in-law Xiufen."

Someone else then answered.

Sister-in-law Xiufen is Chen Guoping's wife and Xiaosen's grandmother. This old lady is a capable person in the village, but she doesn't go out much. She spends all day sitting at the altar burning incense and praying to the gods, much like a rice sorceress. No one has ever heard of whether this is effective or not. All that is known is that this old lady knows how to use many folk remedies to cure diseases, such as hoarseness that has not healed for a year, sores on the top of the head and pus oozing from the soles of the feet, snakes coiling around the waist, venereal diseases, and other strange and difficult diseases.

He is even more capable than Chen Guoping in this regard.

People often come from far away to Chenwangzhuang to visit her, but this old lady never accepts money. She only charges a few kilograms of incense and candles based on the severity of the illness.

It sounds rather mystical, but in reality, he is very kind and compassionate, and Chen Ling has met him twice, so his impression of him is quite good.

Xiao Sen slowly came to his senses, but having done something wrong and being surrounded by such a large group of people, he was immediately terrified, standing there in a panic, not daring to utter a sound or answer any questions. The villagers thought that the child had lost his soul in the water.

A while later, Chen Yingqiang, still wearing his clothes and covered in white powder, ran from the village to the dam.

"Komori, Komori..."

Seeing so many people gathered around, the man thought something had happened to his nephew. In his haste, he tripped and fell. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and squeezed into the crowd, calling out repeatedly.

"Uncle."

Upon seeing his family, Xiaosen burst into tears.

“You still have the nerve to cry, kid? Everyone in the family has told you not to come to the reservoir, not to come to the reservoir, but you just won’t listen, you just won’t listen…”

Seeing that his nephew was alright, Chen Yingqiang grabbed him and gave him a good beating.

As she continued beating him, she started to cry herself, hugging her nephew and repeatedly saying, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. You scared me to death, kid. Your parents aren't home. If something had happened to you, how would we have survived?"

In the countryside, it's common for brothers to be at odds, but Chen Yingqiang and Chen Yuqiang are different. Before they got married, the two brothers never had any disagreements or dirty deeds. After they separated their families, they lived their own lives, but they treated each other's children as their own.

Upon hearing that Xiaosen was in trouble, they truly wished they could grow wings and fly over.

Seeing this, the villagers who were watching turned around and began to warn their children that water and fire are merciless and this is no joke.

Not long after, Sister-in-law Xiufen arrived, and she was practically carried up the dam by Chen Yingqiang's wife and neighbors.

She was at home taking care of the child today, but Xiaosen was a rascal. He tricked her by saying he was going to play at his uncle's mill and would come back at lunchtime. Since it wasn't far from her eldest son's mill, she didn't pay much attention. Little did she know that the child had secretly run off to the reservoir.

When someone came to her door saying her grandson had drowned, the old lady's vision went black, and she almost collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

It was her eldest daughter-in-law and neighbors who helped her over.

After seeing that her grandson was alright on the dam, the old lady breathed a sigh of relief and slowly stood still. Her worry and fear turned into anger. She gritted her teeth and said with tears in her eyes, "Eldest son, hang him on a tree and give him a good beating. I've told him so many times, but he never learns. I think he just needs a good beating."

Seeing his mother's mouth trembling with anger, Chen Yingqiang quickly advised, "Don't be angry, Mom. Let's talk about it after Xiaosen recovers. He was just rescued; don't frighten the child further." "Yes, sister-in-law, don't be angry. Quickly take the child home and change him into clean clothes."

"That's right. When we get back, we'll make some ginger soup for the child. The old lady will also pray to the gods and call back the spirit, so the child can get a good night's sleep. He's so young, we don't want him to have any health problems later."

"..."

The villagers also offered some advice, and the old lady finally lost her temper.

As for Chen Ling, he had already gone home to change clothes when Chen Yingqiang arrived, and no one else noticed when he left.

To Chen Ling's surprise, in the afternoon, Chen Yingqiang and his wife carried five large bags of flour to their home. After putting them at the door, they turned around and wanted to carry more. If it weren't for the two dogs running outside and barking, Chen Ling wouldn't have known.

Seeing the couple's attitude, Chen Ling was unwilling to accept their help. He wasn't saving them for anything in return. Besides, the little kids came to his house to play all the time, and even if he didn't know them, how could he ignore them?

But Chen Yingqiang was adamant and had a good reason: "Uncle Fugui, your family didn't grow any grain this year. You'll have to buy flour from the flour mill when you run out, which is very inconvenient. Just accept it. I think these few bags are not enough."

His wife, Li Caiyun, also chimed in, urging him on. Then she picked up two plucked ducks and handed them over, saying, "These are the ducklings I traded with you. They're plump and healthy now. You and my aunt should try some."

A few days ago, everyone said that Chen Ling had learned his lesson and started to improve. They lived far away and didn't have much contact, so they didn't know if it was true or not. But this time, Chen Ling had saved their nephew, so it would be unreasonable not to do something. It just so happened that Yu Qiang and his wife weren't home today. If they didn't go over, not to mention whether the villagers would gossip behind their backs, Xiao Sen would definitely have a grudge when he found out in a couple of years when he's older.

Seeing that Chen Ling really didn't want to accept them, they called Wang Susu out, and after a lot of pulling and tugging, they finally got the things to be put down.

"Look at the mess this has made, how are we going to grind flour at Yingqiang's place now?"

Chen Ling shook his head and sighed repeatedly. He was thinking of grinding some mixed flour and buckwheat flour to make noodles at home in a while, but now that's impossible. Otherwise, if Chen Yingqiang doesn't charge him, how could he possibly accept the money?

"No problem, I'll grind the flour next time."

Wang Susu knew exactly what her husband was thinking, and said with a smile, "I'm a woman, and sometimes it's easier for me to talk to you men who care about your reputation. If you really feel embarrassed, just bring back the stone mill from the threshing ground and grind the flour ourselves. That millstone is too heavy, and everyone in the village thinks it's not good. It's been exposed to wind and rain for years and no one has used it."

Chen Ling was taken aback when he heard this, then his eyes lit up. He thought to himself that his wife was really quick-witted. He was too embarrassed to ask someone else, so he decided to get a stone mill and grind the flour at home. It would be convenient to make tofu or something in addition to grinding flour.

So in the afternoon, Chen Ling went to ask Wang Laishun and, after confirming that no one in the village wanted the stone mill near the threshing ground, he brought it to his backyard. That stone mill was huge! The two millstones were heavier than each other, incredibly heavy. It took four or five people to lift it. No wonder no one had used it for so many years. For just two or three cents, you could have several bags of flour ground at Chen Yingqiang's place. Who would bother with this kind of effort? If you were grinding a lot of flour, those without livestock would have to borrow animals from others, incurring favors and causing trouble for themselves. It was simply not worth it.

When Chen Ling was a child, he couldn't tell the difference between a stone mill and a stone roller. His father told him that a stone mill has two stone discs, while a stone roller has one stone disc and a stone roller. A stone mill is used to grind flour, while a stone roller is used to husk wheat, sorghum, millet, etc. It can also be used to grind rice into rice crumbs or corn kernels. The things that are ground are fine, while the things that are ground are coarse...

Although his father said many things inappropriately, his little brain understood immediately. From then on, he could distinguish between a stone roller and a stone mill, and his memory of it is still very vivid to this day.

After cleaning the stone mill in the backyard, Chen Ling found a saw and prepared to go up to the roof to trim the Chinese toon tree outside the yard. Otherwise, if it was allowed to grow everywhere, it would damage the roof and eaves of the front yard. Several tiles had already fallen off. Just as he found the saw, Chen Yuqiang and his wife arrived with Xiao Sen. When the couple saw Chen Ling, they knelt down on the ground with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

This startled Chen Ling, who quickly went forward to help the two up, but they refused to get up and, with red eyes, dragged Xiao Sen down to kneel and kowtow with them.

The couple were not good with words. Chen Ling had saved their son, and they didn't know how to thank him properly. After kowtowing, they offered him eggs and pork. Goodness, the gifts were quite generous. Wang Susu had gone to pick mulberry leaves in the afternoon and wasn't home. He tried to persuade them until their throats were dry before they finally got up from the ground, but they refused to take the gifts with them no matter what.

“If it weren’t for the difference in generations, I would have made sure the kid recognized Uncle Fugui as his godfather, so that he would be as filial to you as he was to us when he grows up.”

Chen Yuqiang said, wiping away tears. He was still shaken by the fact that his only son had almost died during that trip. His wife, Wenli, was also constantly crying; her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

Although Chen Ling didn't have children yet, seeing the couple like this made him feel bad. He said to Xiao Sen, "Be good at home from now on and go to the water less often. Look at Liu Ni'er, he told him not to go to the reservoir, and he never goes. You should learn from him."

Xiao Sen, stunned, replied, "Liu Ni'er isn't going because she's been beaten by Uncle Li Xian."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuqiang's temper flared up: "What? Did I not hit you hard enough today?"

Komori was so frightened that he trembled all over and burst into tears.

"It's not my fault, it's just that the little piglets are too stupid. When I said 'three,' I meant there were three bird eggs, not 'let go'..."

The child cried so heartbreakingly, so pitifully.

Afraid of bothering Chen Ling, Chen Yuqiang quickly had his wife take Xiao Sen home and explained to Chen Ling what had happened.

Chen Ling was speechless after hearing this. It turned out that Xiao Sen had set his sights on the nests of sand martins under the reservoir dam a few days earlier. Sand martins are also called cliff swallows. They look very similar to barn swallows, except that the feathers under their bellies are whiter than those of barn swallows. In addition, these creatures do not build nests inside houses or under eaves, but instead carve out caves on the steep earthen cliffs near the water source.

There are many swallow burrows on the steep slope below the reservoir dam here, and they've already started laying their second brood of eggs this year. Xiao Sen and his gang of mischievous kids were eyeing them, wanting to steal the eggs, but they were afraid of falling into the water. So, one kid pulled another kid's hand and they slowly went down the steep slope to steal the eggs. But when Xiao Sen found the eggs, he got so excited that he started counting, "Three, three..." The kids above thought he was going to let go, and as soon as they let go, Xiao Sen fell into the water.

Xiaosen is only five years old and hasn't learned to swim yet. He happened to encounter a river where the surface was scalding hot and the water was icy cold underneath. He was also frightened and couldn't move after entering the water. In this situation, the more he cried and screamed, the more likely he was to choke on water. This kid didn't know any of this. He was choking on water and couldn't move, so he slowly sank to the bottom.

Fortunately, Chen Ling rescued him in time, otherwise he would have almost lost his life.

After Chen Yuqiang finished telling Chen Ling his story with lingering fear, he sat and talked for a while longer. Seeing that it was getting dark, he didn't stay any longer and got up to say goodbye and leave.

"Go back, Uncle Fugui. Don't send any more. I live nearby. I can go straight home after leaving your house."

Chen Yuqiang has left, but the two brothers refused to take the things they brought. Now that their family has just gone through this ordeal, refusing them would only make them feel uneasy.

Looking at the room overflowing with flour, pork, and eggs, Chen Ling felt quite helpless. Look at this mess, this guy probably has enough food for half a year.

Congratulations to Dancha Beixiang for becoming the operations officer of this book!
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(End of this chapter)