My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 144 The Big Kid

The food was all prepared and served, but they wouldn't come to eat even when called.

The little girl was having a great time playing with the wild boar and rabbits and had no appetite. When Wang Susu called her, she shook her head and said she wasn't hungry. She even pitifully begged the beautiful and gentle aunt to let her hold her a little longer.

The chubby boy had even more fun. After discovering the vegetable cellar in the yard, he was so excited that he couldn't stop for a long time. After getting Chen Ling's permission, he moved away the reeds and other debris covering it and then ran around carrying things into the cellar.

Seeing that he was covered in sweat, Wang Zhenzhen simply had the little children build a small ladder for him inside.

Once he climbed down, he didn't want to come up. He held the two piglets and grunted and made pig noises from below. When he got excited, he climbed around with the wild boar, rolling around in the dirt without caring.

Seeing that her son had made a mess, Liu Yinhuan couldn't help but scold him and tell him to come up and eat.

He immediately pouted and angrily shouted, "Bad Mommy, I'm not leaving today, I want to sleep inside with the little pig!"

This left Liu Yinhuan both amused and exasperated, feeling utterly helpless.

She turned to ask Liang Yuemin to find a way to coax her son up, but Liang Yuemin said, "It's rare for children to be happy, isn't this a good thing?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu and her husband burst into laughter, expressing their complete agreement.

Liu Yinhuan was immediately at a loss.

"The countryside is great. Let Xiaoming and Xiaoli stay here for a few more days and get rid of all their bad habits."

Liang Hongyu sighed as she talked about some things happening in her family. She also said that in Beijing and other cities, she felt that human relationships were becoming increasingly distant. She felt that her hometown was still the best place, where the children always had such a good time when they came back.

Indeed, city kids know less and less about the countryside these days. Like these two little ones today, they were full of curiosity about everything, looking around and shouting at the well in the yard, listening to the echoes coming from it repeatedly, finding it extremely interesting.

In fact, it's not just children.

The adults weren't much better off.

It's just because there was an extra dish of crayfish on the table today.

It was only 1995, and the cooking methods for crayfish hadn't become widespread yet. People didn't even know that crayfish were edible.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Liang Yuemin frowned upon seeing this.

Not to mention Liu Yinhuan.

She secretly planned to eat other dishes after the meal was cooked. She grew up in Changle Township and had never heard of such shrimp being edible in her hometown.

Despite her in-laws saying it was delicious, she remained skeptical.

However, once Chen Ling finished making it, the two of them forgot all their worries and kept secretly swallowing their saliva.

The aroma of the crayfish was so strong that the two of them felt the strange fragrance seep into their stomachs through their noses, making them incredibly hungry.

Peel one, put it in your mouth, and your mouth is filled with fresh, fragrant, spicy and refreshing flavors. Once you start eating, you can't stop.

Next came stir-fried garlic sprouts with cured pork, braised crucian carp, and incredibly tender stir-fried duck eggs with scallions. Each dish was a home-style dish, but each had a different flavor, making everyone's appetite soar.

Liang Yuemin and Liu Yinhuan had been to the countryside before.

But this is the first time I've ever had such a delicious farm-style meal.

The two of them completely disregarded their image, stuffing their mouths full, their lips greasy.

He kept praising Chen Ling.

The sight made Liang Hongyu and her husband chuckle, and they even gave their son a smug look.

It's like saying, "Mom brought you here to meet this brother, it wasn't a wasted trip, was it?"
Perhaps they were eating too heartily.

Wang Zhenzhen, Liu Nier, and the others, who had been too shy to approach before, couldn't resist their cravings and gathered around.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu served them a portion of each dish, and even used the crayfish broth to cook their noodles. They ate it all together with great relish.

The chubby boy and his sister, however, were still watching over the piglets and the little rabbit, completely ignoring what was happening here.

After the little girl carried her piglet down into the cellar, the chubby boy still complained.

"Little Chestnut, let the little pig go! It just pooped, and it smells awful! Aren't you the cleanest person around?"

The chubby boy, holding a little rabbit in his arms, reminded him.

The little girl ignored him and gently stroked the wild boar cub, running her fingers from its head down to its rear end. With her other hand, she wiped the little boar's bottom. As a result, the wild boar cub got nervous and anxious, grunted, and suddenly turned around and bit her.

Even so, she neither cried nor got angry. She picked up the little wild boar and gently stroked it, murmuring, "Good little piglet..."

The chubby boy saw this and followed suit, grabbing a piglet by its hind leg, pulling it into his arms, and touching and kissing it.

Wang Susu was worried that they would go hungry, so she gave them two hard-boiled eggs.

Knowing that the two little ones didn't have time to wash their hands, I peeled the eggshells and fed them to them.

Now, not only Liu Yinhuan, but even Liang Hongyu felt embarrassed. She stepped forward and said that they should take care of the children. Wang Susu had been busy all day and was now taking care of the children. She should take a rest.

However, in their hearts, both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law really liked this gentle and virtuous woman.

Liu Yinhuan, in particular, felt much closer to him.

After they finished their meal, Chen Ling brewed tea for everyone. The tea leaves were brought by Zhao Dahai; although they weren't particularly expensive, the aroma was wonderful thanks to the water. Liang Yuemin and his wife exchanged a glance, both thinking that perhaps it was because they were in such good spirits today, otherwise why would even their tea taste better than their own?
Savoring the rich and mellow aroma of tea, Liang Yuemin talked about his visit to his home a few days ago. He said he hadn't had enough of grinding the tea and wanted to try it again.

Chen Ling told him that it wouldn't work today because the millstone hadn't been washed and the grinding material hadn't been prepared.

If Liang Yuemin is free tomorrow, he can come over tomorrow, and I'll help him grind grain.

"Okay, then we'll go to the fields this afternoon to do farm work for you."

Liang Yuemin laughed loudly, then asked Chen Ling to help them find straw hats and farm tools.

Chen Ling knew that they were just having fun.

They took out the straw hats and gave them to the couple.

They were getting ready to take their whole family to the fields.

The little ones weren't interested in this, not even the two little ones.

However, knowing that the adults were going out in a strange way, they couldn't stay still and wanted to go play with Wang Zhenzhen, Liu Nier and her group.

Today, when Liu Yinhuan was helping to wash vegetables, her mother-in-law gave her a scathing lecture.

They also felt that their own child had nothing to be spoiled about.

Let them have fun.

It was only when we went outside that we were surprised to find that the line of little kids was truly spectacular.

Because it wasn't just the children, but also a whole bunch of stray dogs following them.

Now, not only Liu Yinhuan, but Liang Yuemin also became worried: "With so many dogs, they might hurt the children if they play around without restraint?"

"No, it's not that dogs that are kept on a leash don't bite. Besides, they basically follow the kids around every day, so they're used to it."

Chen Ling then explained it to him.

This group of mischievous monkeys has always been quite large.

There's no other reason than that kids in the countryside always have dogs with them when they're playing. The older generation in the family doesn't really mind. Some local dogs are smart and understanding, and they will protect the kids to a certain extent. Also, it's easy to find them when they're not home for meals or when it gets dark. If there's a dog following them, they're sure to be nearby.

After hearing Chen Ling's explanation, they were relieved.

Qin Rongxian then asked, "Fugui, where are your two big dogs? I haven't seen them the last two times you've come to visit?"

"Don't even mention it. They've been acting really wild lately, going out early in the morning and not coming back until dark. I don't know what they're up to outside."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Actually, you don't need to look for Heiwa and Xiaojin. They have extremely keen hearing and sense of smell. Just call them once, and they will run home in no time.

However, these past two days he and Wang Susu have been busy with farm work in the fields and haven't had time to take care of them, so let them play however they want.

Liang Hongyu retorted, "Could it be that you secretly had puppies outside?"

Cats and dogs that give birth to puppies outside the home do indeed not like to go home.

"No, they are too small."

Chen Ling shook his head.

The two dogs at home are only six months old. They look like big dogs, but they are actually just puppies.

The group chatted idly as they walked towards the fields outside the village.

“What a great place.”

Liang Yuemin's eyes lit up when he saw the idyllic scenery.

Then my artsy-nosy tendencies kicked in again.

He recited two lines of modern poetry in a sour tone.

Liu Yinhuan nodded in agreement: "I really didn't expect that such a beautiful place, so far from the county town, would be hidden away."

Although she was from Changle Township, she was raised by her family to be a good student from a young age. After entering middle school, she went to the city and rarely returned home, so she didn't know much about the nearby villages and towns.

And because she married well and has lived a life of luxury for a long time, she is now considered a complete city dweller.

Unlike Liang Hongyu, who had worked in the countryside and actually did farm work.

Although I am a child from the countryside, I know very little about rural areas, and now I find it all quite novel.

The young couple found it amusing, thinking that bringing this family to work in the fields was just a joke.

But when they arrived at their destination, they were somewhat surprised.

The couple actually started working.

The weeds in the field weren't cleared properly, and since they were inexperienced and didn't know how to use a hoe, they actually pulled them out with their bare hands, looking quite pleased with themselves.

"Brother Yuemin, sister-in-law, stop! Otherwise you'll get cut."

"I brought a sickle and a hoe, you can choose one to use."

Chen Ling handed the sickle and hoe to the two men.

A sickle is used to cut large weeds, while a hoe is for children and the elderly, suitable for those who have just started working.

Neither of them wanted to use it, saying they didn't know how, it was too much effort, and it was much easier to pull weeds by hand.

Helpless, Chen Ling had no choice but to tell them not to pull up those thick-leaved, deep-rooted weeds, as it was not only laborious but also easy to cut their hands.

Let them do the weeding.

This time, the two agreed.

The two remaining hoes were fought over by Liang Hongyu and her husband.

This way, they don't work very fast. In just half an afternoon, they managed to clear the weeds from two acres of peanut fields.

Of course, this was also because Chen Ling and the others had hoeed more than half an acre that morning.

After finishing their work, they weren't in a hurry to go home. They drank some water and chatted while gazing at the scenery of the surrounding mountains.

They were discussing going into the mountains tomorrow to pick some wild fruit or something.

When Chen Ling heard that they wanted to eat, he went nearby, picked some wild jujubes, and shared them with them.

Liang Hongyu and her companion didn't stand on ceremony; they grabbed the food and stuffed it into their mouths.

Liu Yinhuan, however, tried to stop them, saying, "Dad, Mom, it hasn't been washed yet, it's not hygienic."

"What's with the hygiene? A little dirt won't hurt you. They're all wild things from the mountains, no pesticides are used, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Liang Hongyu didn't care and grabbed a few more from Chen Ling's hand.

Qin Rongxian, however, offered some to her son and daughter-in-law, saying they should try some too. Unable to refuse, the two picked two of the better-looking ones and popped them into their mouths, taking a perfunctory bite.

Then they didn't care about hygiene anymore, and without stopping, they ate everything Chen Ling had left.

I felt a little embarrassed after I finished eating.

Chen Ling quickly said it was nothing, they were guarding these things, and he could just pick them if he wanted to eat them.

However, you can't eat too much of this, or you'll get an upset stomach.

Then, seeing that they were thinking of going up the mountain, I told them about the recent situation, saying that there were wild boars and wolves in the mountains.

It's not recommended to go as it's getting dark.

They knew what was good for them, and said they would just wait patiently until tomorrow during the day.

"Why don't we grow rice here anymore? I heard we used to grow a lot."

Walking along the ridge, chatting idly, Qin Rong first asked.

"Yes, there have been quite a few, but those are all things of the past."

"I've heard from the older folks that before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was usually a spring on every mountain. The reservoir was a large lake. In the old river bend, the area around the river, both east and west, was mostly rice paddies."

"The water in the mountains is good. They say that in the past, when they were thirsty from gathering herbs and hunting, they could drink it directly. The rice grown from the mountain spring is also very fragrant."

"Later, the old springs on the mountain stopped flowing, and the old river bend was dry for a while until the reservoir was built and things got a little better."

Chen Ling looked around at the surrounding mountains and recounted what he knew.

"Judging from what you're saying, it must have been before the founding of the People's Republic of China."

"Yes, that was before the founding of the People's Republic of China. The mountain here is called Wuyun Mountain. In the summer, it is often covered with dark clouds and there is a lot of rain. The county town used to be called Wuyun County. It was only after the founding of the People's Republic of China that the name was changed. Strangely enough, since then, there have been no more dark clouds on Wuyun Mountain and there has been less rain."

"Perhaps the drying up of the mountain spring is also related to this."

The others found it interesting and asked him to continue.

Chen Ling started rambling on and on.

Whether it's true or not, these kinds of stories from the countryside are always exaggerated when they spread, so just tell them for fun.

...After returning home at dusk and washing his hands, Liang Yuemin prepared to call his two children to head back to the county town.

As a result, Chen Ling helped search half the village before finally finding them near Dayantang.

The two little ones were covered in mud and had a blast, crying and fussing, not wanting to leave.

Even though Liang Yuemin said the county town was nearby and they could play again tomorrow, he wouldn't listen at all and just refused to leave.

Chen Ling thought they couldn't bear to part with the little wild boar and the little rabbit.

It turned out that they were going to catch birds at the old house that night.

Xiao Sen had already scouted the location with his men long ago. They were originally waiting for Wang Zhenzhen and Liu Nier to help them catch the birds. No one went to the few remaining old houses in the village, and there were several bird nests there. They could just trap the birds in the nests at night.

Liang Yuemin hadn't said anything after hearing this.

Chen Ling, however, refused to comply.

Old houses are so dangerous. They've been flooded, and now they're rickety and half-collapsed. You can't see anything at night, and if you go inside to catch birds, it'll be all over if it collapses.

They wouldn't let them go.

He just said he'd call Heiwa and Xiaojin tomorrow and take them rabbit-catching together. Isn't that more fun than bird-catching?

As expected, this drew cheers from the children.

Even Liang Yuemin was tempted after hearing this.

"Come on, go home and take a shower. You've gone crazy. Your mom won't even recognize you when you get back."

Little Fatty Liang Yiming and Little Girl Ren Xiaoli went to catch frogs. It was their first time doing it, and they were very excited. They didn't catch many frogs, but instead got covered in mud.

Goodness, when she first arrived, that little girl even complained that the village children were dirty.

As a result, she herself has now turned into a dirty, muddy monkey.

Hearing her uncle talk about them, she smiled slightly, revealing a set of small white teeth, still a little shy.

However, those eyes were very bright.

Following Wang Zhenzhen, he quietly watched the two adults, slightly out of breath, with sweat constantly dripping from his nose, clearly having a great time.

"Home, home, giddy up!"

At Wang Zhenzhen's call, the group of children turned into little ponies, patting their bottoms and cheering as they ran home.

The two chubby boys followed suit, running until they were panting heavily.

When Liu Yinhuan returned to Chen Ling's home, she was stunned to see the two children in such a state, and then she was both angry and helpless.

After a short rest, thinking about bathing and changing the two children, she asked Liang Yuemin to drive the car and take the family home.

the next day.

They arrived quite early.

Chen Ling's family hadn't had breakfast yet when this family rushed over.

After the meal, they all carried baskets on their backs, put on straw hats, and followed Chen Ling and Wang Susu to the mountain to pick wild fruits.

This time, nobody talked about hygiene anymore.

Not only did the two little ones pick and eat with the village children, but Liang Yuemin and his wife also picked the fruit, wiped it on their clothes, and put it in their mouths. Soon their hands and mouths were sticky. They simply washed it by the stream and continued picking and eating. By noon, Liang Yuemin had eaten too many wild fruits and complained of a stomachache.

I didn't eat lunch, but I drank two cups of tea brewed by Chen Ling before I recovered.

In the afternoon, he went to catch rabbits again with great enthusiasm.

South of the village, at the old river bend, the wasteland left by Chen Erzhu was barren, with nothing planted. Wild rabbits and pheasants frequented the area every day. When they were walking there, they saw a rather large wild rabbit running by the roadside. Upon seeing this, Liang Yuemin was even more excited than the two children, and he shouted and rushed out.

However, being someone who rarely does physical labor, he was physically weak and soon became so tired that he bent over and gasped for breath after running only a short distance.

In the end, it was Xiao Jin who caught the rabbit and brought it back.

Whether you catch a rabbit or not is not important. Fishing is better than catching fish, and the same goes for catching rabbits. The fun is in catching them, not in the rabbit itself.

Eating sweet and sour wild fruits, the magnificent autumn scenery of the mountains and forests unfolds before our eyes. We watch pheasants, rabbits, and hedgehogs darting out from time to time. Snakes and water birds also appear and disappear among the reeds, startling and shouting like big children, letting loose and completely immersed in the fun of the wild.

They had a comfortable stay and a great time these past two days. Not to mention the two kids, even the two adults, Liang Yuemin, didn't want to leave.

Liang Hongyu was eager for them to get close to Chen Ling, and she smiled and said she wanted to come over often.

"Uncle, Aunt, this is a gift for you."

As she was leaving, the little girl approached Chen Ling and Wang Susu, gave them a beautiful and delicate wind chime, and begged them to take good care of the piglets and never eat them.

These past two days, Chen Ling and her uncle have been talking about roast suckling pig, which has really terrified her.

They were afraid that next time they came, Chen Ling would have eaten all the wild boars.

Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh out loud. Wang Susu glared at him, patted the little girl's head, and told her not to worry about eating it.

The chubby boy, however, was quite carefree. Knowing he could come back again, he dug holes and buried things all over the village, saying he had hidden treasures and would dig them out next time he came.

When Liang Hongyu saw this, she laughed at her eldest grandson, who was like a little dog, actually burying things in the ground. The little fat boy laughed along, saying that he was a little dog, and then barked with his tongue out, making a ruckus.

After seeing the family off, the work in the fields was finished.

This family has been here for more than two days. They've not only been having a blast, but they've also been helping out with weeding and watering the fields. What most people would consider arduous and tiring work, they find enjoyment in every little thing.

The villagers were also surprised to see this, as they had previously been discussing how Chen Ling's family had cars coming over every day.

As it turned out, they even helped Chen Ling with farm work, which made them even more amazed. They all marveled and praised Chen Ling for his abilities.

Some villagers knew Liang Hongyu and her husband.

However, Liang Yuemin and his wife were unfamiliar to everyone. They had dressed simply, but their inherent elegance was still undeniable. Liu Yinhuan, in particular, had fair skin, a beautiful face, and big eyes. One glance was enough to sense her noble air.

The villagers wouldn't even dare to dream of having a woman like that go to the fields to pull weeds.

After that, whenever they saw Chen Ling, they would give him a thumbs up, which left Chen Ling completely baffled.

……

The 28th day of the eighth lunar month is the Autumn Equinox the next day.

It started raining early that morning.

A light drizzle fell, its cool, refreshing drops finally washing away the last vestiges of summer heat.

This was the first rain after the flood, and it wasn't heavy.

However, it lasted for quite a while, raining for a whole day and night, drizzling without stopping.

In this kind of weather, people sleep more soundly at night.

As a result, even the night watchmen and patrolmen lowered their guard.

But that night was not peaceful.

No one expected that the wolf, which had been circling outside the village for nearly a month, would choose such a critical moment and sneak into the village in the middle of the night.

...Chen Ling and his wife were woken up by their own dog barking.

Upon noticing that Xiao Jin's barking was unusual, Heiwa also became unusually serious and barked loudly in a deep, muffled voice.

Chen Ling knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, not long after, someone came to his house to call him.

So he turned on the lights in the yard and asked what was going on outside.

Only then did they realize that wolves had entered the village.

The rain had stopped for a while, but the fog was very thick at night.

These wolves really know how to pick their timing.

"Sister, brother-in-law, what's going on outside?"

In the east room, Wang Zhenzhen was woken up and peeked out the window to see what was happening outside.

Then I saw my sister take out a coat and drape it over my brother-in-law's shoulders. There were still quite a few people standing in the yard talking.

"It's nothing, go to sleep. They said wolves have entered the village, and they've sent your brother-in-law to help."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenzhen rubbed her eyes and went back to sleep.

For her, wolves were nothing special; they were a common sight in the village, and there were even wolf-hunting teams there who would light bonfires at night and hunt wolves with pitchforks.

My brother-in-law has a hunting rifle, so there's nothing to worry about.

"You should go back to sleep too."

Chen Ling buttoned up his coat and said something to his wife.

Then he called to the two dogs, whose ears were perked up and who were whining and restless, and strode into the night fog.

-

P.S.: This chapter will only be 6,000 words, there will be more at midnight.

(End of this chapter)