My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 163 Nagging
After Chen Ling and his group sold their game and celebrated their success, the other teams from Chenwangzhuang who had gone into the mountains also returned one after another. Their harvests were not bad, and most of them had received money from the trip. Their families no longer had to tighten their belts and live a frugal life like before.

During this time, Chen Ling rode his bicycle to the countryside and brought back two sheep.

Unfortunately, this time, Station Chief Li and Old Ba dragged me along to work as a helper for half a day. There was nothing we could do about it. The feed mill had a problem with the feed, and most of the livestock farmers in the village were affected. When Chen Ling arrived, he saw that the feed mill in Majia'ao was in complete chaos. The gate of the mill was blocked by people early in the morning, shouting and cursing, and even throwing manure into the mill. It was a huge commotion.

Despite the commotion, the poultry and livestock couldn't be ignored. The livestock station rarely had such a busy time, and Chen Ling arrived just in time for it. He was busy giving injections to the livestock and preparing medicine and disinfection for the chickens and ducks, handling both treatment and disease prevention.

This time, I also met two other veteran veterinarians.

Seeing that he was quick to learn and had a serious attitude, these people were very enthusiastic and became familiar with him in just half a day.

After finishing his work, when he returned, Station Chief Li rummaged through his drawers and pulled out several books about animal husbandry. He told him to take them home and read them, and then carefully explained to him what to pay attention to when a ewe is giving birth. He also gave him some medicine to help the sheep recover. He told him to walk slowly on the road, remember to let the sheep rest more, and take it easy. He also told him to come to the township office to find him if he had any problems.

After this incident, Station Chief Li truly considered him one of his own.

When he got home, he told Wang Susu about it, and Susu was very happy. Although the livestock station was deserted, it was still a proper unit, and no one managed it on weekdays, so it was very free. This suited Chen Ling's personality and also pleased her.

“From now on, I’ll treat the livestock, and you’ll treat the people. We’ll both be doctors, and we’ll be known as the ‘Male and Female Killers’ of Chenwangzhuang…”

At night, Chen Ling lay in bed with his wife in his arms, happily dreaming.

We got back from the countryside very late today. After settling the sheep and having dinner, the two of us quickly washed up and went to bed on the kang (heated brick bed).

"You're just talking nonsense. How can a doctor be called the 'Male and Female Duo'? It sounds awful."

Wang Susu gently bit his shoulder. "Besides, I'm not cut out to be a doctor."

She's shy and not very good at seeing patients in person.

She's good at managing her own household affairs, handling everything inside and out very well. But when it comes to treating patients, she always feels too young and doesn't dare to take action, let alone prescribe medicine or treat patients.

"Double Killers doesn't sound good, so let's call them Double Heroes instead."

Chen Ling bent down and kissed his wife, grinning from ear to ear.

"No, no, I won't call you anything. You're not allowed to give me any nicknames anymore."

Wang Susu hummed in annoyance.

She knew that her husband had read too many martial arts stories and was always thinking of nicknames. She was glad that Chen Ling's poisoning hadn't been too severe before, otherwise the family's dog and cow would probably have been called martial arts characters.

Recently, Chen Ling has been trying to seduce the nearby hawks, calling them "Brother Eagle" repeatedly, which made Wang Susu pinch him several times.

Fortunately, the hawk was afraid of people, and seeing Chen Ling like this, it assumed that he had some ulterior motive. In the past, it would secretly follow him and circle around him, but now when it saw him go out, it kept its distance from him, which made Chen Ling quite depressed.

"Alright, alright, we won't give you a nickname, but we still need to study medicine properly."

Chen Ling stroked his wife's smooth back and comforted her, "Think about it, when our own children grow up, they won't be without a skill, right? They can learn some skills to pass on to the family."

"Right."

"However, this is the only thing I know how to do."

Wang Susu thought about it and realized that made sense, so she nodded her head slightly.

Then, she suddenly looked up and said, "If the children don't want to study medicine, they can learn to cook from you. When they grow up, they can become chefs and never go hungry."

"cook?"

"What's so great about being a cook? All you do is work in smoke and fire all day, constantly around the stove. It's so hard and tiring. Can you bear to do that for me...?"

Chen Ling shook his head, thinking it would be better to be a doctor, since doctors are in high demand these days.

"I can't bear to do it, what if the child really likes being a chef?"

"What's this about liking or disliking? What future can a cook have? If he dares to disobey, I'll beat him up!"

"When you get anxious, all you do is hit people. If we have kids in the future, I won't let you teach them, I'll teach them myself."

Wang Susu was furious. She pinched him hard, turned her back to him, and ignored him.

Chen Ling was immediately dumbfounded.

I was just saying, is it really that serious?

Helpless, he could only pull his wife back into his arms and comfort her with great affection.

……

Early in the morning, before the fog had dissipated, Chen Ling got up.

Seeing that the dew was heavy, he changed into an old set of clothes and old rubber shoes, pushed the cart out, carried the shovel and hoe on it, and then slung the sprayer over his shoulder before pedaling the cart down to the fields.

More than half a month has passed since the last time the peanut vines were harvested.

Peanuts have mostly finished pegging, and soybeans have finished flowering and entered the pod-setting stage. At this time, it is important to take good care of water and fertilizer, mainly by watering frequently and controlling the amount of water steadily so that peanuts and soybeans can grow more plump.

Otherwise, overwatering can cause root rot, so be careful about that.

These days, he and Wang Susu have to work in the fields almost every day. One of them is watering the plants, and the other is spraying pesticides on the peanuts and soybeans. During the fruit setting and pod formation period, pests and diseases are hard to prevent. If they don't go to the fields for a few days, the leaves will be badly bitten.

Yesterday, when he went to the township, Wang Susu carried the medicine bucket and went to make a diaphragm.

He was home today, so naturally he couldn't let his wife go. He knew his wife perfectly well. Even though she was pregnant, she was always restless; she couldn't stand being idle and always loved to be busy. She would do anything she saw to get things done.

Chen Ling had tucked her into bed this morning so she could sleep a little longer, while he had come out early and told her to cook for Wang Zhenzhen at home. It was better to be busy at home than to work in the fields.

"Going to the fields so early, Fugui?"

"Yeah, just taking a stroll, Uncle."

"Let's take a stroll and pick a couple of bunches of vegetables from the field."

"Hey, what did you grow that you need to spray pesticides on?"

"The peanuts and soybeans have been infested with worms."

"Oh dear, that needs to be addressed." With the morning dew still wet, Chen Ling waded through the dew as he walked back and forth in the peanut and soybean fields. These were better since Wang Susu had sprayed pesticides, but the cabbage field also showed signs of insect infestation.

This couldn't be ignored, so he carried the medicine bucket to the ditch, prepared the medicine, poured it in, added water to dissolve it, then carried the medicine bucket on his back and started spraying the pesticide from the cabbage field, gripping the handle and making a "crunching" sound.

With one hand pressing down on the handle and the other holding the pole, spray the water mist evenly onto the cabbage.

One bucket after another was filled.

Spraying pesticides in the early morning and at dusk is more effective because the sunlight is weaker, giving the pesticides enough time to take effect. A couple more applications should be enough to stop the pests and diseases. In a couple of days, dilute some of the pesticide solution and spray it again with a sprayer to secure the harvest. After that, you won't need to worry about it much this year.

……

"Susu, here's the money for the eggs. Can you calculate if it's correct?"

"Also, I'd like to ask if you could sell us two free-range chickens, roosters are fine too. We don't need them for laying eggs, just for stewing. You can name your price, is that okay?"

"No need to ask, Auntie. Our husband said that we won't sell chickens or ducks, no matter the price."

When the sun was high in the sky, Chen Ling rode his bicycle home. Wang Susu was counting money in the yard, surrounded by two elderly women who were dressed neatly and looked quite well-off.

Chen Ling recognized one of them; she was Qin Qiumei's mother-in-law. The other was a complete stranger; he had never seen her before.

Seeing Chen Ling return, he asked him the same question again.

"Xiao Chen, your wife says she's not selling the chickens and ducks. Are you going to sell them or not?"

"We won't sell it; we'll keep it for our own consumption."

"No way! Look, I've introduced you to someone else who's buying eggs. They'll be a regular customer from now on, so can't you sell us a few?"

"That's right, just tell me what price you want, we're all negotiable."

Chen Ling put down the medicine bucket, went to the well to wash his hands, and shook his head, saying he wouldn't sell.

These past few days, Qin Qiumei's parents-in-law have been coming over frequently to buy eggs for their daughter. Sometimes they even bring other people with them, all of whom are well-off. They know the eggs are good, so they don't need to say anything else; they just pay whatever price they want without hesitation.

Chen Ling had no objection when people came to buy, which saved him the trouble of going to the county town.

They absolutely refuse to sell their chickens and ducks, preferring to eat their own good food all day long. Even if they stop laying eggs, they'd rather be killed and eaten than sold. The same goes for quails and pigeons.

The two old women lingered in the yard for a while, but having no other choice, they said they would go to other villagers' homes to look for two good ones to take back.

After wandering around the neighborhood, I finally found that Yuqiang's family's children were better looking, but I wasn't entirely satisfied.

As he left, he kept saying that Chen Ling's chickens and ducks were not only plump and shiny, but also had thick claws. He said they would be delicious when stewed and would be a good tonic, but they just wouldn't sell them.

Wang Susu just smiled when she heard this, and then she and Yuqiang's wife saw them off.

……

"The food is keeping warm in the kitchen. Change your clothes and go eat quickly."

"You went out to work in the fields early in the morning and have been busy all day. Don't you know you're hungry? It's almost noon and you're not back yet."

"The porridge was heated up, then cooled down, then heated up again, then cooled down again, it was almost cooked into a thick porridge."

After Chen Ling finished washing up, he returned to the room. Wang Susu changed him into clean clothes and muttered something under her breath.

"Hehe, you guys eat your food, don't wait for me, I can hold my hunger."

"But Susu, I've noticed that you've changed quite a bit recently."

Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh as he listened to her rambling in his ear.

"Huh? What change?"

Wang Susu looked at him with a puzzled expression, then touched her own belly, which wasn't swollen yet.

Chen Ling chuckled and pinched her nose: "You've become so nagging, just like an old woman."

Wang Susu was stunned when she heard this. After realizing what he meant, she wrinkled her little nose and tried to bite his hand.

"You're making fun of me again!"

"No, she's still my wife, and I love her very much..."

Chen Ling nuzzled her nose against hers. It wasn't really nagging, but rather that she'd been thinking a lot lately, and compared to before, she was even less inclined to let Chen Ling wander off; she felt more at ease having him at home.

Perhaps this is just a minor change in temperament after becoming pregnant.

"Susu, is Susu home?"

The two were playfully bickering in the room, and in the end, Chen Ling pulled them into his arms and gave them a passionate kiss.

Unexpectedly, more people came to the house.

The dog blocked me from entering the yard.

When the couple went outside, they saw that Qin Qiumei had brought a woman wearing glasses. Both of them were dressed very nicely, pushing bicycles and wearing small scarves, looking like two college students on a trip to the countryside.

Chen Ling observed carefully and recognized the woman as the teacher from Lingyun Middle School he had met before.

This person is nearsighted. He wasn't wearing his glasses last time, and I didn't recognize him when we met.

As Chen Ling ushered the people into his home, he said to Qin Qiumei, "What's going on at your house today? Your mother-in-law just left, and you're here right away."

"What? Can't I come? I came to see Susu, not you."

"Susu, I've come to see you and also to ask you for a small favor."

Then, pointing to the female teacher named Zhong Xiaoyun, they introduced her, and the three of them went into the room, whispering among themselves.

Knowing that his wife's family was having private conversations, Chen Ling didn't go that way. He quickly ate his fill in the kitchen and then went out to find someone to play chess with in front of Cui the Cripple's door.

(End of this chapter)