My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 135 Mending the Pot
Wheat straw is a good thing; it's more durable than reed stalks.

Without the straw stacks outside the village, it loses much of its flavor and fun.

For them, straw stacks are the most important element among the four necessities of life: firewood, rice, oil, and salt. For centuries, almost half of the cooking smoke in local villages and towns has come from straw stacks.

It was a common occurrence for the head of the household or the farm woman in charge of cooking to go to the haystacks to gather straw at dawn, dusk, and rainy nights.

The wheat straw, threshed flat, was torn off in handfuls and carried home in baskets. It was used to cook porridge and steam buns, and also to make beds and warm kang beds. It was a matter of great importance to the livelihood of ordinary people.

Not only people love it, but livestock love it too.

It's also a favorite spot for children.

Moreover, the stacked straw is very attractive to wild animals. In the cold winter, especially after nightfall, if you reach in with a flashlight, you can often catch pheasants and rabbits in a row, just like pulling up radishes. If it snows heavily, it is even better, and you can often catch a whole nest.

"Why did you cut so many reeds, Fugui?"

As Chen Ling drove the oxcart along the dirt road in the fields, a peasant woman wearing a blue headscarf saw him, straightened up from her vegetable garden, and greeted him.

"We need to weave some straw mats. Auntie, you're still busy. The sun is about to set, you should go home soon."

Chen Ling stopped the oxcart and returned.

This is Wang Lihui's mother, who is related to Wang Lixian's mother by marriage. She helped a lot when the family was building their house. Now that they've met, they're much closer than before. She often showers Chen Ling with compliments; she's a very eloquent old woman.

"I'll be back soon. I need to pull all the weeds out of the vegetable garden. If I leave them alone for three or four days, they'll just grow into this huge clump. If I don't pull them out, they'll keep competing with the vegetables for fertilizer, and that won't do."

"Why don't you pick a few bok choy to take home? It just so happens that Su Su's sister is here too. Cook some good meals for the little girl. Look how tender these bok choy are. Stir-fry them with lard when you get home, and they'll be so fragrant."

Third Aunt said with a smile.

And she was quick with her hands too; while she was talking, she had already started picking vegetables for Chen Ling.

Chen Ling couldn't stop her even if he wanted to, so he could only ask his third aunt to pull out fewer plants. In the end, she still pulled out five or six, and he stood on tiptoe to throw them onto the pile of reeds that were piled high on the oxcart.

"Niu Niu will have to go to school too, right?"

"Shang, your brother Lihui and his wife are always going to the market, and the corn in the field changes every day. They can't take care of her. It's much easier for her to go to school."

"Then let Niu Niu and Zhu Wa get up early, and I'll take them over together tomorrow."

"Oh, that's great, but thank you for your help."

"It's alright, Third Aunt, there's no trouble at all."

Chen Ling waved his hand, smiled and replied, then continued driving home.

The bok choy in early autumn is really good, crisp and tender. It's just that we planted it late. Chen Ling didn't take special care of it after planting, and he's been too lazy to tend to it lately, so he's just let it grow naturally. So it will be about ten days to half a month before we can eat it.

But it's no big deal. We always have plenty of vegetables at home, so we won't miss out on just one more.

After returning home, he unloaded the reeds from the truck and spread them out in the yard, waiting for them to dry before using them. Lately, the temperature has only dropped slightly at night, and the lingering summer heat hasn't completely subsided; the sun is still quite strong during the day. The reeds he chose were half-yellow, so they dried quickly.

After a brief flurry of activity, at Wang Susu's urging, he got a neat buzz cut. As for his wife's long braid, she absolutely refused to cut it, not only because she cherished it, but also because Chen Ling liked it very much.

Especially when his young wife braided her thick, black hair into a plait and put it up, there was always an indescribable charm that made his heart flutter every time.

……

Silent all night.

The next day, the young couple got up very early because they had to take Wang Zhenzhen to school.

At my sister-in-law's insistence, I only need to cook instant noodles for her for breakfast. There's no way around it; these days, kids crave that kind of food, especially cooked instant noodles. They never get tired of them. If you add two poached eggs, they consider it an absolute delicacy.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, why are your chickens laying eggs so frequently?"

“I counted, and your hen has laid almost ten eggs in just a few days.”

Wang Zhenzhen took a few fresh eggs from the henhouse, skipped and hopped to the kitchen, and handed them to Chen Ling.

"What's so strange about that? It's just like people. The more they eat, the stronger they grow, and the more work they do. My chickens are well-fed, so they lay eggs more frequently than other people's chickens. Isn't that normal?"

Chen Ling answered with a smile.

Wang Susu used to be quite strange, but he managed to fool her with this explanation.

Back then, Liu Nier and the others came every day, catching insects and digging up earthworms, and tadpoles and grasshoppers were also plentiful, so Wang Susu believed them.

But that's not the case.

Free-range chickens typically lay one egg every two days. Even with good feeding practices, it's impossible to guarantee daily egg production. Over a year, each hen will lay no more than 170 eggs.

But Chen Ling's eggs are different. Not only do they lay eggs every day, but they are also larger than ordinary free-range eggs, and their shells are harder. Experienced people can tell they are good eggs just by touching them.

For example, the few free-range chickens that the little girl brought were also raised together with their own chickens and ducks.

However, they were clearly not as prolific as the chickens from their own farm, and the quality of their eggs was also inferior. Moreover, the difference was obvious in their appearance. The chickens from their farm had shiny, glossy feathers, and their legs and claws were extremely thick and powerful. Every time Wang Susu called them from the doorway, they would run home in a hurry, while the chickens brought by the little girl could not outrun them at all, let alone compete with them for food.

This is just a free-range chicken; the eggs laid by ducks are even more different.

However, since Chen Ling only poured two ladles of stream water into the pond in the yard every few days to dilute it before adding water to the stone trough in the chicken coop, the effect was not obvious and not too exaggerated. Besides, he raised a lot of chickens and ducks, and no one would count the number of eggs laid.

Most people were just surprised that the chickens and ducks were fatter and healthier than others', but after their surprise, they mostly praised Wang Susu for being virtuous and good at managing the household, raising chickens and ducks so well, without thinking much about it.

Sure enough, after hearing Chen Ling say that, Wang Zhenzhen just blinked and thought about it for a moment before agreeing with him. Then she said with a smile that she would catch more bugs after school and feed the chickens she brought with her properly.

"Okay, once it's fattened up, I'll make you hot pot chicken in winter."

As Chen Ling spoke, he had already prepared the meal for him and Wang Susu and brought it down from the stove.

Then he added water back to the wok and waited to cook noodles for Wang Zhenzhen.

Instant noodles cook quickly.

After the water boils, put the dough in, sprinkle with the seasoning packet, and then crack in two eggs.

When it's almost done cooking, chop some scallions and sprinkle them on top, then pour in half a spoonful of sesame oil. Your fragrant instant noodles are ready!

Wang Zhenzhen had been craving it for a long time, slurping down her food with her bowl in hand, occasionally picking out a couple of noodles to share with Heiwa and Xiaojin. But for the two big eaters, that wasn't enough. Instant noodles were delicious, and they loved them too, so they ran back to their kennel to fetch their food bowls, wagging their tails and waiting for her to feed them.

"Didn't I leave eggs for you? Why are you still joining in the fun?"

As Chen Ling spoke, he cracked two raw eggs into the two dogs' food bowls. He scolded them, but he was determined not to mistreat his two precious darlings.

His and Wang Susu's breakfast was also very simple. They heated up some leftovers from last night, cooked a pot of millet and pumpkin porridge, and served it with some pickled vegetables. In addition to these, they also had an egg pancake made with bok choy.

Aside from the egg pancakes I ate for breakfast, this was the lunch I packed for Wang Zhenzhen.

"Zhenzhen, stop playing with the dog, finish your food quickly, put on your backpack and let's go."

Before seven o'clock, after having breakfast, Chen Ling caught the oxcart and took his wife and sister-in-law to the village entrance. At this time, Liu Ni'er and a group of children were already waiting. When they saw the oxcart coming, they all ran over and climbed onto it.

Then they sat down with Wang Zhenzhen and started telling each other funny stories.

"Alright, buckle up, let's go."

I called out to the little white calf, and the oxcart started moving steadily forward. This morning the dew was heavy and there was fog in the mountains. It wasn't until we reached the county town that the sun peeked out.

"Slow down, everyone."

These kids jumped off the oxcart before it had even come to a complete stop.

"It's alright, Uncle Fugui, we're leaving now."

"Slow down, and remember to ask the cafeteria to heat up your food at noon." "Got it!"

This primary school is not far from the old Lingzhong Middle School.

It is separated from the old hospital by a wall, but it is a newly built primary school in the last two years. The highest grade is five. Of course, the current primary school only goes up to the fifth grade. It was only around 2002 that it was changed back to a six-year system.

Now primary schools also have canteens. Since there are no boarding students here, it is mostly a place for teachers and staff to eat. Students bring their own food from home, and they can heat it up and eat it there. Generally, it is free.

After seeing Wang Zhenzhen off, the young couple sold the dates and pears they had brought. The price wasn't too high, so they didn't pay much attention. After making the money, they went to the north of the city to buy cotton.

Wang Susu plans to make cotton-padded clothes and two quilts when she has nothing to do at home.

After buying cotton, Chen Ling took his wife to the post office to subscribe to a year's worth of newspapers. A postman would deliver the newspapers to the village every week. When they had nothing to do, Chen Ling would read books and newspapers with his wife, which was a very pleasant thing.

Because Chen Ling readily paid the money, he also gave her the newspapers from the previous two weeks.

The newspaper was a thick stack of pages, each containing not only news but also various short stories. On the way home, Wang Susu leaned against Chen Ling and read it with great interest.

Su Su was a traditional woman. Although she had a high school education, just like Chen Ling, she knew very little about the outside world and had very limited access to information. Even jokes that had been told to death in later generations could make her lean on Chen Ling's shoulder and giggle for a long time.

Then she kept telling Chen Ling the story over and over again, trying to make him laugh.

Chen Ling laughed along with her, occasionally adding spice to the story and saying a few strange things, which made Wang Susu laugh even harder. In the end, she laughed so hard that she was exhausted and collapsed in his arms, panting.

Both of them thoroughly enjoyed this time, living life at a leisurely pace, not too busy, yet not just idle at home. They took care of the daily necessities together, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere that was perfect.

Under the warm sunshine of early autumn, laughter filled the air as the young couple sang a few folk songs in their cheerful mood.

The little white calf also kept flapping its ears, mooing, and its steps became much lighter.

It was very happy too.

……

"The pot mender is here, Uncle Fugui, the pot mender is here, let's go get the pot mended."

It was only shortly after lunch when Chen Ling carried out two bags of wheat to dry for grinding. There was only a little left in the grain jar at home, not enough for two days.

"Come here."

Hearing Chen Yuqiang calling from outside, he responded and picked up the pot, wok, and kettle from the house before heading outside.

When cooking rice or boiling water over a wood fire, the bottom of the pot easily accumulates scale, which slows down the cooking process. You have to scrape it off with a spatula. Over time, the bottom of the pot becomes thinner and thinner, inevitably leading to damage, leaks, breaks, and cracks.

Ordinary people are frugal. They don't often replace their pots and pans with new ones. Most of the time, only the bottom of the pot breaks. They just patch it up, and it doesn't affect the use of the pot. It can last for ten years or so without any problem.

When Chen Ling's father was still alive, the family's steamer was older than him.

I heard that the steamer once had more than a dozen holes. Once, my parents even broke it during an argument, so they combined two old pots into one to patch it up. That's how they survived.

However, the pot mender has come less often in the last two years, only setting up his stall at the market on market days. He used to come to the village every two or three months to hawk his wares, carrying a bellows on one end and charcoal and tools on the other, going from house to house. He was quite popular during that time.

"Uncle Fugui, Wenli told me that she and my sister-in-law are planning to start a noodle business in a while. What do you think, Uncle?"

"Walking towards the village entrance," Chen Yuqiang said.

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this: "That's great. Yingqiang's family can grind flour. It would be convenient and easy for both of you to open a small noodle shop."

"Sigh, I don't even know if it'll be successful. The women just don't want to be idle; they want to make noodles and sell them at the market."

Chen Yuqiang shook his head: "They all learned it from Uncle Lihui's family. They thought that since he could make some money by going to the market, they wanted to follow suit."

Wang Lihui and his wife are skilled with their hands. A couple of years ago, they even ran a tailor shop, but they closed it down because it wasn't profitable. Now, they spend their days selling clothes, backpacks, hats, and the like at the market. Compared to most families, they don't lack any income.

Sometimes he earns more money than Chen Dazhi, which makes the villagers quite envious, but they don't have his skills. So they have no choice but to find other ways to make something that they can do themselves.

The two chatted as they arrived at the village entrance, where Chen Ling was a little dumbfounded.

"Why are there so many people?"

Many families in the village were waiting with their pots and pans, forming a long queue. When Chen Ling and Chen Yuqiang arrived, several young people gathered around them.

"Even the wealthy and powerful are here to mend the pot."

"Yeah, why are there so many people in line?"

"Haha, the pot mender hasn't been coming often these past two years. Who doesn't have a couple of broken pots and old kettles? Look, the pot mender who came this time isn't very old. He'll make some money today."

Chen Ling glanced over the crowd and saw that the pot mender was indeed young. In the past, most of the pot menders were older men, but today it was a young couple. They sat on a small stool, with the wife working the bellows to take away and put away pots, while the man tended the fire, hammering and banging away, busy as bees.

"He's quite young, but I wonder if his skills are up to par?"

"Hey, if they dare to come out and about, they must have some skills."

Chatting with the people around him, Chen Ling waited for about an hour before it was finally his turn.

After he handed over the pot and kettle, the man flipped the pot over onto the triangular iron stand and then started banging it, as if he were taking someone's pulse and trying to find out some potential problems.

That is, find the parts that are about to rot, then knock holes in these weak parts, and fill them with molten iron to increase the lifespan of the pot.

Although this man is young, his skills are not bad.

It took less than twenty minutes to repair Chen Ling's two pots. Then, he pressed them down with an asbestos pad, smoothed them with a file, and polished the inside of the pots with a grinding wheel. That was it.

Such pot repairs are priced according to the number of patches. One patch costs one cent, and if the hole is too big and requires a gasket, an extra one or two cents are charged.

It wouldn't cost more than a dollar in total. In the eyes of ordinary people, repairing a pot is much more cost-effective than buying a new one.

"Your aluminum kettle is beyond repair; you need to replace the bottom."

"Change it."

"Single material? Double material?"

"Give me a double one."

Replacing the bottom is faster than patching the pot, and the whole process only cost less than two yuan.

"Fugui, come here quickly, something good has come for you."

Chen Ling paid the money and was about to pick up the pot and head home when he saw Wang Laishun standing at the village entrance, waving at him with a cheerful smile.

"What's up, Fifth Uncle?"

“Great news, fantastic news! We’ve heard from the county that a TV station is coming down to interview and report on the disaster situation. You can say a few words on behalf of our village.”

"The TV station is coming? No, why are they coming to our village? We're not the hardest-hit area in terms of disaster."

"Silly boy, why do you care why he came? As long as he comes, the disaster relief funds will come down quickly, which is not a bad thing."

"That's true, but Fifth Uncle, could you please choose someone else? How am I supposed to talk to people like this?"

"Don't give me that. You're the only one in the whole village who knows how to deal with outsiders. You're practically on friendly terms with the city leaders. If you don't step up, who will?"

"Don't worry, kid, I won't treat you badly. Uncle has some good things waiting for you in a while."

"..."

Chen Ling was speechless. If everything is this good, you shouldn't come looking for me.

(End of this chapter)