My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 199 Xiu Ti
In fact, it is very normal and common for them to choose to build houses and factories in winter.

Especially after the Beginning of Winter, the weather is mostly sunny with little rain, and it is rare to see heavy snow before the end of the twelfth lunar month.

Moreover, the busy farming season has passed, so most people are basically idle at home.

They have the time, energy, and focus to dedicate to the construction.

Not only are farmers busy, but sand miners and gold panners also find this to be the busiest time of the year.

The water level is low in winter, which is suitable for carrying out related operations.

This is also why Chen Ling went to the county town to hang out with Chen Erzhu multiple times last winter in order to get into the sand mining site.

There's no other reason than that sand quarries make money quickly during this season.

Everyone who sees it is envious.

Those who have connections, who wouldn't want to get in?

……

Yesterday happened to be the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month. Wang Susu and her son offered incense and prayers to the gods and Buddhas enshrined in their home. As it was the first time they had returned to her parents' home after the wedding, her husband's family was quite particular about this.

Gao Xiulan explained to her daughter clearly which deity to worship for good fortune and which deity to worship for prosperous offspring.

Chen Ling wasn't interested in any of that; he ate most of the offering fruit but didn't eat much for dinner.

As a result, I woke up very early because of hunger.

I got up before six in the morning, found something to eat, and then went out to pack my things.

The journey is quite long, so we need to prepare in advance.

Actually, I left most of the things I brought with me to my father-in-law and mother-in-law. I just need to take a change of clothes with me when I leave.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang Cunye also get up relatively early.

After cleaning the yard, I helped him feed the cows.

After a flurry of activity, the mother-in-law went into the kitchen to cook, while the father-in-law played with the dog in the yard.

The little yellow dog is excessively lively.

In just half a day, he learned how to dig a hole from Heiwa.

Now it looks like a big yellow rat, sticking out its little tongue and panting as it runs around the yard. Wang Cunye did as Chen Ling told him, taking Wang Zhenzhen's old sandbag and tossing it around for it to pick up.

As the saying goes, "With a dog to guide you, you learn faster."

Heiwa demonstrated twice, and the little yellow dog learned it.

They were having a great time.

"Zhenzhen, get up quickly, wash your face and pack your little bag. After you eat, we should go back."

After Wang Susu got up and washed up, she went to wake her younger sister up.

"Sister, please let me sleep a little longer. This is my last day at home."

Wang Zhenzhen twisted her body and mumbled softly with her eyes closed.

After staying at home for a few days, the little girl was a little reluctant to leave suddenly.

Actually, Wang Susu was also a little reluctant, and sighed softly, "Okay, then you go to sleep, and get up when you've had enough sleep."

After coming out of the house, Wang Susu saw her second brother, Wang Qingzhong, hurriedly leading Chen Ling out.

Wang Cunye was still playing with the dog.

He asked, "Father, is something wrong with Second Brother?"

"Hey, your second brother's packhorse injured its hoof. It's been three or four days and it's still limping. They can't put a shoe on it. Let Lingzi take a look at what's wrong."

Wang Qingzhong's packhorse had actually injured its leg a few days earlier.

There's no other reason. These days, reselling grain is a quick way to make money. The couple hasn't had much rest, and the livestock haven't had much rest either. They're exhausted from walking the mountain roads.

Originally, when I returned from the market day, I would trim the hooves of the packhorse and apply some medicine.

This isn't a big problem.

After raising livestock for a long time, these minor illnesses and injuries are no longer a big deal.

After that, he and Chen Ling went into the mountains with Han Ninggui and the others.

Now that three days have passed, things should be getting better.

To my surprise, when I checked on him this morning, he was lying in the stable and wouldn't move.

"Second brother, let me make this clear first, I'm just a dabbler. I've only been in this business for a couple of months, and I haven't even finished reading the books yet..."

"If it's any kind of complicated or difficult disease, I can't treat it."

To be honest, Chen Ling hadn't even seen half of the books and notes that Station Chief Li had given him.

Livestock are not machines.

If the tractor breaks down, he'll definitely dare to try it a few more times.

But this is a living, breathing human being; we can't just kill it carelessly.

"It's okay, I'll figure something out if I can't see it."

Wang Qingzhong said, "The key is that I don't know what's wrong with it now. It can't stand up anymore. I don't know if its hooves are broken or if it's injured somewhere else."

"Alright, let's go take a look first."

Chen Ling went to his brother-in-law's house together.

Wang Qingzhong's courtyard is not large, but it is not small either. It has a chicken coop and a horse shed, surrounded by a low wall. Standing in the courtyard, you can see the entrance to the village.

At this moment, Guo Xinping was sweeping the yard. When she saw Chen Ling come in, she smiled and spoke to him.

Xiao Dongdong also got up, called out "Uncle" to Chen Ling, and then ran over to bring him a stool.

"Dongdong is so sensible. Uncle, take a look at the horse first, and then you can ride it later."

Chen Ling rubbed his little head and then followed Wang Qingzhong to the stable.

The packhorse looked quite robust, with brownish-yellow hair, a black mane, and a black tail. Even now, lying listlessly on the haystack, it only twitched its ears slightly when it saw Wang Qingzhong.

I tried to stand up, but I couldn't.

"You couldn't stand up this morning?"

Chen Ling asked.

"Yes, he seemed fine last night, except for a slight limp."

Wang Qingzhong pointed to the packhorse's hind legs and said, "The left hind leg has had medicine applied to its hoof. Logically, if it can't stand up, it should be because that leg isn't working properly, or maybe the right hind leg isn't working properly..."

"But I just checked, and my right back leg is perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Now I'm worried that it might have a stomach ailment."

Livestock are similar to humans.

As long as there's nothing wrong with your stomach, it's not a big problem.

If the internal organs inside the stomach malfunction, then that thing will be difficult to treat.

It would be better to kill them early and sell their meat.

"Are both front legs alright?"

"If its front legs are fine, but it is injured, it can still stand up with its rear end sticking out."

"You don't have diarrhea, do you?"

"No diarrhea."

"Um……"

Chen Ling nodded, then leaned closer to take a look. "Second Brother, how did this horse injure its left hind hoof?"

"I guess it was worn out by the horseshoes, probably from being hurt on the gravel road. After I removed the old horseshoes the other day, I pried off a sharp stone, which was still soaked with blood."

"Did you move its two hind legs this morning?"

"Yes, I touched all four legs. I patted them a few times, but it wouldn't move no matter which leg I touched. That's why I couldn't tell where it was injured."

Wang Qingzhong said with distress.

Chen Ling found it increasingly strange as he listened.

He squatted down and examined the packhorse for a while before turning around and asking, "Do you have any small hammers at home?"

"Yes, can we weld steel bars?"

"Row."

Wang Qingzhong brought over the small hammer.

Chen Ling pointed to the packhorse's hind legs and said, "Go and tap the right hoof twice."

Wang Qingzhong walked over with a puzzled look and gently tapped his right hoof twice with a small hammer.

The horse reacted immediately to the tap, its right hind leg snapping back.

Wang Qingzhong was also taken aback: "It really hurt that hoof?"

"But I've tried it before."

"You patted it with your hands, but you can't pat the wound in the hoof with your hands."

Chen Ling shook his head: "If the injury is deep inside the hoof, you won't feel any pain if you pat it with your hand; you'll have to use a hammer." If there's an injury inside, it will react immediately when you shake it with a hammer.

People are the same way.

Sometimes, when a bone is injured, doctors have to use a hammer to find the problem.

“Your second brother doesn’t know how to care for livestock. He uses them like they’re dead. Both of this packhorse’s hind hooves are injured, and I didn’t even notice before…”

Guo Xinping complained softly.

"I don't know how to feel sorry for someone, only you do, okay?"

Wang Qingzhong stood up. "Anyone can offer hindsight advice."

After saying that, he went to the woodshed to find a rope.

"Look, he's getting impatient."

Guo Xinping pursed her lips, then said to Chen Ling, "Come back more often in the future. If Susu can't come back easily, you can bring Zhenzhen back with you. Otherwise, our parents will miss you at home."

"Yes, I'll send Zhenzhen back when she's on winter break."

Chen Ling nodded with a smile.

Then Wang Qingzhong found two ropes and went over to tie the packhorse's front and hind legs together.

Otherwise, if Chen Ling, a stranger, were to approach, it might kick him.

After Wang Qingzhong had completely and securely tied the horse's legs.

Chen Ling picked up the small hammer from the ground and tapped it in a circle on the horse's right hind hoof.

I originally wanted to see where to tap the horse to get the biggest reaction.

When I tapped the left side, the sound was different.

It's like knocking on a wall and hitting the hollow part.

The horse's reaction also indicated that the situation was serious.

"Second brother, over here."

Chen Ling pointed out the specific location.

At this moment, Guo Xinping handed over the hoof trimming knife.

They raise packhorses year-round, and usually do small things like hoof trimming and shoeing themselves.

Wang Qingzhong took the hoof trimming knife and said to Chen Ling, "Hold it tight, don't let it move."

"Yes, I've got it."

Chen Ling gripped the horse's two hind legs firmly.

Wang Qingzhong then scraped downwards from the horse's hoof.

This hoof trimming knife is shaped like a small sickle, and its blade is very sharp when held in the hand.

"Click", "click"...

One stroke after another, and soon the dirty, black hooves were scraped off layer by layer of debris, revealing clean, light gray keratin.

Just like trimming your nails.

On the left side of the hoof, the digging went deeper and deeper, eventually creating a small pit.

Just as they were about to dig down to the hoof meat after a couple more digs, they noticed a small cut on the hoof.

The small cut was no bigger than a pinhole, and the surrounding skin was very clean, showing no signs of injury whatsoever.

"Has the wound healed again?"

Chen Ling, being relatively inexperienced, guessed.

"Yes, it must have had a minor injury before. It should have rested for a couple of days and recovered. But it's been overworked lately, constantly traveling, so the internal injuries haven't healed."

Wang Qingzhong nodded.

He looked up at Guo Xinping and said, "Bring out our family's liquor."

Then he had Chen Ling hold the horse's leg firmly, picked up an awl, drilled into the small opening of the hoof, and then stuck it in.

With a soft "plop," like opening a bottle of red wine, deep red pus and blood gushed from the horse's hoof.

The horse snorted and struggled in pain.

An indescribable stench then rushed to my nose.

Since Wang Qingzhong didn't have any alcohol at home, he used baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor) to disinfect the hooves.

Chen Ling felt it was a bit wasteful, so he asked Guo Xinping to add some salt water and rinse the wound on the hoof until no more pus and blood flowed out, revealing the rotten and hollow hoof inside, before stopping.

All that's left is to apply the medicine and bandage it.

Wang Qingzhong was very familiar with the process.

Soon, everything was ready. The two were washing their hands under the eaves when Wang Cunye came over. "The food at home is ready. After you eat, your brother-in-law still has to get going. If the packhorse is not up to par, go to town and find someone to take a look."

"It's alright, Dad. Your son-in-law is very observant and found the problem."

Wang Qingzhong wiped his hands and smiled.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?"

"It's still the hind hoof. Both hooves are injured. It's been going on for a long time today, and the inside of the hoof is festering."

"..."

Wang Cunye clicked his tongue and glanced at his second son: "From now on, even if you're tired from work, don't just collapse onto the bed and sleep when you get home. You also need to take good care of the livestock. They're always traveling long distances, so you have to keep an eye on them."

"Look at your brother-in-law, he takes such good care of the cattle. You should learn from him."

Wang Qingzhong just scratched his head and chuckled when he heard that.

He is indeed a bit careless; his wife says he doesn't like to listen to her, and he only listens to his parents.

……

After having breakfast around 7 a.m., Chen Ling, along with his wife and sister-in-law, led the cow and the dog out of his father-in-law's house.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang Cunye, along with Wang Qingzhong's family, accompanied them to the outskirts of the village and onto the plank road before stopping.

Even after they could no longer see them, Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan were still standing on tiptoe, watching.

Before returning, I missed my eldest daughter, but when I left, I couldn't bear to part with my youngest daughter.

That lively, mischievous little girl is a handful at home, but if they really send her away to study in the county town for two or three months, they feel terrible.

"Zhenzhen, what's all that stuff in your bundle? It's so heavy."

Chen Ling looked at the little girl's bundle and pretended to be curious.

"It's delicious. I brought it for the teachers in our town."

Wang Zhenzhen led the way with two dogs, hopping and skipping along.

"The teacher in town? The teacher who taught you before?"

Chen Ling was now genuinely puzzled.

"Yes, my former teacher was so kind to me. She taught me how to write letters and would even buy me food."

Wang Zhenzhen raised her head with a grin and said with considerable pride.

At this moment, Wang Susu, who was on Chen Ling's back, laughed and said, "Last time she went to the market, she went to show off to her former teachers and classmates. She's still studying in the county town, and she's already getting cocky. What will she be like if she's sent to the city?"

As she spoke, she leaned close to Chen Ling's ear and whispered something that startled Chen Ling greatly. "So that's why my brother got married so late?"

Wang Zhenzhen's teacher almost became Wang Qingwen's girlfriend.

Later, the woman's family disagreed with her marrying this poor young man.

Wang Qingwen was never quite satisfied and wanted to prove himself, but this dragged on for many years.

He later married Su Ligai, who was almost ten years younger than him.

The female teacher felt quite guilty towards Wang Qingwen. After learning about the relationship between Wang Zhenzhen and Wang Qingwen, she treated her very well and regarded her as a younger sister.

"This shows she still misses her older brother."

Chen Ling clicked his tongue in amazement, never expecting that his brother-in-law, with his thick eyebrows, big eyes, and upright demeanor, would have such a past.

"Don't talk nonsense, she's already married."

Wang Susu gently tugged at his ear.

Wang Zhenzhen was also eavesdropping and laughing nearby. She was precocious and already knew about her older brother's affairs.

The three chatted and laughed as they continued their journey.

We arrived at Fenglei Town around 8 o'clock.

The three of them first went to the town's middle school to pull out the oxcart, and then after saying goodbye to Wang Qingwen and the other two, they went to the town's primary school to accompany Wang Zhenzhen as she delivered some food to her teachers and classmates.

Only then did they continue their journey.

It was slow coming, but the return trip was much faster.

We arrived in Changle Township at noon and had a quick meal.

Around two or three in the afternoon, we passed Kinmen Village and were almost home.

(End of this chapter)