My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 12 Black Boy and Little Gold
Although Wang Susu's family didn't have much farmland, they did grow a small amount of grain. Furthermore, after marrying into the family, she did a lot of farm work and could still distinguish between good and bad soil.

After seeing the two small mounds of dirt that Chen Ling emptied from his pocket, I was a little surprised.

"Is this really soil from the wasteland that used to belong to Erzhu's family?"

Chen Ling nodded with a smile, "Of course, how could it be fake?"

"After lunch, I'll take you to see it, and then you'll understand."

After hearing this, Wang Susu clearly believed a lot more.

However, he then frowned slightly, seemingly still somewhat worried.

Chen Ling knew what his wife was worried about, so he continued to comfort her: "Don't worry, Su Su, as long as the soil isn't completely ruined, I have a way to make it grow."

"What did I tell you before? You have to believe me!"

Then he winked at her and gave her a mysterious smile.

Wang Susu was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing at his funny wink.

Chen Ling laughed along with him.

Then I went to bring out the pots and pans and prepared to eat.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Seeing Chen Ling leave, the two puppies couldn't stay still any longer and struggled out of Wang Susu's arms.

Wagging its little tail, it followed Chen Ling shakily.

But they were still too small and couldn't catch up with Chen Ling at all. Their short legs were too fast, and the two little guys bumped into each other and rolled around on the ground several times.

Looking up, it realized Chen Ling was gone and immediately started barking anxiously.

Wang Susu couldn't help but smile. When Chen Ling came out of the house with pots and pans, she couldn't help but say with a smile, "Ah Ling, these two puppies are so attached to you. They bark anxiously when they can't see you for a while."

Indeed, when the two little guys saw Chen Ling appear in front of them again, they hurriedly wagged their little tails and ran to him, then tried to climb up his legs.

Seeing Wang Susu so happy was a rare treat for Chen Ling, so he put down the pots and pans, picked up a puppy with one hand, and held it in his arms.

The two little ones nuzzled and fussed in his arms. "See, Susu? They want to nurse from me."

Wang Susu chuckled.

Then her face flushed slightly, and she gave him a reproachful look: "Don't talk nonsense."

However, she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes and said, "Why don't we give them names?"

"Name it? Great!"

Chen Ling thought for a moment and said, "The black one is male, so we'll call him Heiwa. The yellow one is female, and we'll call her Xiaojin so the name will be more elegant."

"Heiwa and Xiaojin, Susu, what do you think?"

Chen Ling chuckled, quite satisfied with the name he had chosen.

There are so many dogs with names like "Little Black" and "Little Yellow." When you call them, even the dogs themselves get confused and can't tell who you're calling.

"Hmm? Heiwa, Xiaojin..."

Wang Susu listened and repeated it a few times, finding it quite catchy.

She couldn't help but smile and nodded: "They sound nice, let's call them Heiwa and Xiaojin!"

And so, the names of the two puppies were decided.

Wang Susu has prepared lunch.

I made some freshly steamed buns and simply stir-fried some scallions and eggs.

Seeing this, Chen Ling went and cooked another pot of dumpling soup. The water was from the stream inside the cave, and he added some spinach to it.

When I came back from the field, I dug up a few spinach seedlings from someone else's vegetable garden, transplanted them into the cave, and they grew quickly.

So the dumpling soup I made tasted better than I expected.

Wang Susu couldn't control herself and ate too much again.

Originally, Chen Ling planned to cook two of his signature dishes for his wife at noon.

But it's only early February, and the weather in the mountains is very cold. There aren't many vegetables growing in the fields, so he can't easily take them out of the cave.

I can only make it for my wife after I go to the county town to sell peanuts tomorrow. That way, I'll have a suitable excuse.

……

Not long after lunch, the village loudspeaker blared again.

They said that no one should go out this afternoon, as the township family planning office would be going door-to-door to check and register residents. So, Chen Ling and Wang Susu stayed home that afternoon and didn't go anywhere.

However, the scene before him stirred up many memories.

I remember in that parallel universe, my aunt's family had to come all the way to their hometown to stay when they had their second child, and they stayed there for two years.

There was no other way back then; an ordinary family couldn't afford to be confronted if the authorities came knocking.

This is just because they're having a second child, and it's already like this.

What's even more remarkable is that in the short span of twenty years that followed, everything was reversed.

It became encouragement and support.

But at that time, few young people were willing to have children.

This inverted difference between different eras is truly lamentable.

After letting his mind wander for a while, Chen Ling took the opportunity to tidy up the peanuts in the cave, planning to plant another one or two acres tomorrow and then sell them in the county town the day after.

He had already tried it before.

Under the influence of his subconscious thoughts.

Peanuts dried in the Sun and Moon Cave can be dried much faster, and they will be completely dry overnight.

There's no need to go through the trouble of getting it out to dry.

The remaining peanut leaves and vines weren't thrown away after being picked; that would be too wasteful of such good stuff. It was better to keep them to feed the chickens.

Chen Ling continued tinkering on his own, while Wang Susu made two pairs of shoes for spring.

It wasn't until dusk that Qin Qiumei arrived with people from the township's family planning office.

After a quick registration, leaving behind two boxes of family planning supplies, which are what we now call "raincoats," they hurriedly left.

However, the look in Qin Qiumei's eyes before she left made Chen Ling feel somewhat annoyed.

Upon seeing Wang Susu, the little vixen's eyes clearly conveyed a certain meaning.

A flower was placed on the cow dung.

Wanting to argue but having nowhere to do so, Chen Ling couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Wang Susu didn't notice anything unusual. After finishing the new shoes, she enthusiastically started making doghouses for the two little guys, Heiwa and Xiaojin.

These two little ones devoured a small bowl of dumpling soup together at noon, filling their bellies to a round, full shape. They then curled up by the stove and slept soundly all afternoon.

"Eat and sleep, sleep and eat, don't get so fat that you'll have trouble chasing a rabbit..."

Chen Ling muttered something to himself, then got up and went out to make dinner.

It's generally quite cold here in winter, so people cook indoors.

However, Chen Ling still felt that the food cooked with firewood was more fragrant, so he continued to cook in the yard using the simple stove he had built with stones that morning.

After eating two meals cooked by Chen Ling, Wang Susu let him do as he pleased.

It's so delicious that once you've had it, it's unforgettable.

Besides, there wasn't much good food in the mountain village back then.

The best meals we had were a few meat dishes or dumplings at the end of the year.

Therefore, since Chen Ling can make everyday meals taste so good, she has no reason to rush to cook.

However, when it came to washing the pots and dishes after the meal, she couldn't bear to let Chen Ling do it all by himself.

Chen Ling tried to persuade him twice without success, so he stopped refusing, mainly because he realized that this could effectively improve the relationship between husband and wife.

For example, after two visits, one at noon and one in the evening, Wang Susu became noticeably more talkative and smiled more often in his presence.

For Chen Ling, this is what makes him feel most satisfied and happy.

……

Two days passed quietly.

On the third day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Ling got up to cook breakfast. After breakfast, he borrowed a donkey cart from Wang Laishun's house and headed towards the county town under the glow of the rising sun.

Today he's mainly going to sell peanuts; he's going to the county town's farmers' market to catch the early morning market.

But how could they let outsiders know about this? So they used the excuse of buying plows, harrows and other farm tools to borrow Wang Laishun's donkey cart as a cover.

Otherwise, so many peanuts would appear out of thin air, but without vehicles to transport them, it wouldn't work.

(End of this chapter)