My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 16 Going Home
After leaving the county town, the donkey cart went up the mountain road.

Seeing that no one was around, Chen Ling carried the old turtle into the Sun and Moon Cave.

Upon entering the cave, the old turtle, which had been listless and motionless in the bucket, immediately became lively.

Turtles prefer warmth and dislike cold, and are very sensitive to changes in the surrounding temperature.

We arrived at Dongtian, a place where spring-like weather prevails all year round and the temperature is just right.

The old turtle noticed it immediately.

It was restless inside the bucket, trying to climb out.

Chen Ling grabbed its two hind legs, pinning the turtle's hind legs with his thumb and forefinger, and examined it carefully.

With its round shell and short tail, this is a female turtle.

"Haha, a female is good, I'll find you a scoundrel to keep you company in a while."

"Give me a couple more babies when the time comes."

Chen Ling made a couple of jokes and then put the turtle back into the bucket.

There are actually quite a few turtles in this river.

As the saying goes, a small temple has a lot of evil spirits, and shallow water has a lot of turtles.

The section of the river that bypasses the county town is called the Nansha River. The water on the riverbank is relatively shallow, making it very suitable for turtles to live in.

So catching another turtle isn't too difficult.

Fishing for turtles in early spring is easier than when it's warmer.

It's not easy to find one that big again.

Especially the male soft-shelled turtle.

In the wild, females are generally larger than males, and it is quite difficult for male turtles to grow to around ten pounds.

It's not that they don't exist, but they are rarer than females.

Of course, you can also use a cage with whiskers.

However, since Nansha River is located in the county seat, the cages placed there are easily taken away by others.

There are very few old turtles in the ditches outside the village these days, so it's more worry-free to go fishing in the Nansha River in the county town.

Thinking this, Chen Ling picked up a hoe and dug a three-foot square pit behind the thatched hut.

After pouring out several buckets of stream water, they threw the turtle in.

This guy clearly sensed that the water was good stuff, and he squinted his eyes in enjoyment, with only his head sticking out, while strings of bubbles rose around him.

"Just stay here."

Seeing this, Chen Ling smiled and withdrew from the cave.

By this time, the donkey cart had already crossed two mountain ridges, and after traveling a short distance, they would reach the reservoir dam.

Chen Ling gazed at the reservoir from afar, a vast expanse of misty water.

I thought to myself, once the weather gets warmer, I'll get some fish fry from the reservoir and release them into the cave.

Let's try to cultivate some high-quality fish species using the stream water, and then select some of the prettiest ones to raise in the lotus pond.

It can also be pleasing to the eye.

As for why not just put the fish fry directly into the lotus pond?
Because it doesn't match at all.

A lotus pond as beautiful as a fairyland, seemingly left behind by immortals, how could ordinary fish fry be worthy of it?
Yeah, even an old turtle isn't worthy.

Although mythology tells of turtles being raised in a pool of merit.

But that's a golden tortoise.

How can ordinary turtles be compared to this?

Unless the old turtle can also turn golden...

Of course, in reality, Chen Ling doesn't plan to raise anything in the lotus pond in the short term.

Because the stream and lotus pond water are temporarily their family's drinking water.

Sometimes he complained that collecting water from the stream was too slow, so he would just take it directly from the lotus pond, which was more convenient.

If you put a turtle in there to poop and pee, you might as well not use it anymore; it's too disgusting.

It's just me disgusting myself.

"Actually, you can also buy a few big fish and put them in the cave to breed. Anyway, the cave is not affected by the external environment, and the temperature and climate are suitable."

"Just like the old turtle, we can dig a bigger pond."

"Okay, let's leave it at that!"

"Next time I go to the county town to sell peanuts, I'll buy a few and put them in."

With his mind making plans, Chen Ling wasn't in a hurry to implement them right now.

He has plenty of time; let's take it one step at a time. "By the way, after we plant a few crops to improve the soil in the wasteland, we can also build a pond over there for fun."

"Plant some lotus flowers and raise some fish, so that Susu can be happy too."

"Otherwise, if it's only in the cave, the young wife won't be able to see it."

……

Chen Ling drove the donkey cart all the way, making plans in his mind the whole time.

When we returned to Chenwangzhuang, only a sliver of the setting sun remained, and wisps of smoke rose from the village chimneys as each household began to cook.

At this time, in addition to farm tools such as plows and harrows, his donkey cart also contained several bundles of green vegetables, two bags of peanuts, and a large piece of raw pork.

Both the green vegetables and peanuts are produced in Dongtian.

It was taken out and presented as if it had been bought from the county town.

I'm going home to cook a nice meal for Wang Susu.

As for the donkey cart, we'll need it tomorrow, so we'll head straight home.

After we've eaten, we'll go to Wang Laishun's house to say hello.

Just bring some things with you.

With that thought in mind, Chen Ling drove the donkey cart through the village.

As I approached home, I saw a few little kids peeking around at my door, looking through the fence.

"Hey you guys, what are you doing!"

Chen Ling cracked his whip and shouted.

"Ah, Uncle Fugui is back..."

"Uncle Fugui, I want to see the puppy!"

"Uncle Fugui, please bring the puppy out quickly, I want to play with the puppy."

These little brats were the same group of kids who were with Liu Ni'er.

Upon seeing Chen Ling driving the donkey cart over, he hurriedly ran over to him.

"If you want to see the puppy, go to my house. Do you think your Aunt Susu will stop you from seeing it?"

Chen Ling asked curiously.

Yesterday, when he had just brought the puppy back, he went to Liu Ni'er's house and took the kites that the children had left at the local temple.

Ask him to pass it on to a few of his friends.

By the way, I mentioned the dead black dog behind the local temple.

Otherwise, these little kids might really think someone died there and be too scared to go back, which would be terrible.

Little did Liu Ni'er know that after learning the truth, she developed a great interest in the two puppies.

He wanted to come see me yesterday, but his dad beat him up because he complained that all he did was run around all day.

Unexpectedly, this kid still brought his group of friends to see it today.

"No, Uncle Fugui, Aunt Susu asked me to come in and keep an eye on things, but the two puppies are afraid of strangers. As soon as they saw me come in, they hid under the bed!"

"Yes, yes, the two puppies are so chubby and cute. I really want to pet them. Uncle Fugui, could you bring them out? Aunt Susu said the puppies are very affectionate towards you!"

The little children chattered excitedly, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you to see it after I park the donkey cart."

Chen Ling smiled and said.

He really likes these kids; they remind him of his own childhood.

At this moment, Wang Susu heard the noise and came out.

"Ah Ling's back? I'll go open the back gate for you!"

Upon seeing Chen Ling driving a donkey cart loaded with goods, Wang Susu quickly grabbed the key to open the back gate.

The backyard used to be where Chen Ling's father lived. Now it's filled with miscellaneous items, including a vegetable cellar, a wine cellar, grain, and a large pile of coal.

The space is quite large, more than enough to park a donkey cart.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the puppies!"

After parking the donkey cart, Chen Ling carried the vegetables and peanuts out of the backyard and waved to the little children, including Liu Ni'er.

This immediately drew cheers.

Wang Susu followed behind, watching this scene with a smile on her face.

She thought: Even if that land can't be cultivated, it's not a big deal. As long as Chen Ling can stay like this, that's enough.

(End of this chapter)