My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 218 Qingming Snail

Today's trip to the mule and horse market was very satisfying. He not only rode horses for a while but also broadened his horizons. Before leaving, he thought about it carefully and finally asked Lao Ba to take him to Erwazi's chicken farm to buy a few cages of hens.

We took these hens back and caged them, letting them lay eggs while we helped them recover.

Once the farm is built, we can release the chickens out. With the chickens from our own flock, they will adapt easily, and the quality of the eggs will improve. After a little time and accumulation, we can take them to the market to sell.

……

On the ninth day of the second lunar month, the first rain of spring arrived.

In the early morning, as I opened the door, a slightly chilly breeze greeted me. The courtyard was damp, and fine rain slanted down in the gentle spring breeze, hitting the treetops and the roof tiles, creating a series of crisp, continuous rain sounds.

Stepping out of the house and into the village, the fields and forests appear shrouded in a light mist, a pure and ethereal beauty.

The first spring rain awakens the silence of winter with its warm and smooth raindrops. Along the country paths and on the ridges, you can already see the tender sprouts of spring grass emerging. In the misty drizzle, that faint green bud is faintly visible.

Chen Ling led the ox through the light spring rain, occasionally tilting his head back to let the cool, damp raindrops fall on his face, or bending down to pick a few tender, green grass shoots, putting them in his mouth to chew slightly, savoring the earthy fragrance of spring.

The first rain of early spring washed away his languor.

When the mood struck him, he didn't even have time for breakfast before leading the ox over to plow the field.

Plows, harrows, raincoats, and hoes were already piled up in the straw shed outside the farm, so they could be taken and used at any time.

"Get to work, oxen."

Arriving at the edge of the field, Chen Ling harnessed the white calf to the plow and patted its big head: "When other calves were your age, they were still playing around, but you've been helping with the chores for the family for more than half a year now..."

The little white calf seemed to sense his feelings, lowered its big head and rubbed against his belly, then licked his hand, beaming and bleating softly at him, as if urging him on.

Indeed, the little white calf loves to work on rainy days.

"Let's go to the ground."

In the light morning mist and the gentle spring rain, Chen Ling drove the oxen to plow the field. He held the plow with his right hand and raised the whip with his left, gently cracking it. The little white ox naturally did not need the whip to drive it; he was just giving it some instructions.

At this moment, it leisurely strode along, easily pulling the plow. Wherever it passed, it left deep furrows in the moist earth, while the soil was turned over and softened.

Now, Chen Ling is quite adept at this kind of farm work and hardly feels tired. He plowed for almost an hour before stopping to rest, drink some water, and let the little white ox rest as well.

Just then, Wang Zhenzhen ran over with a group of little children, followed by a pack of stray dogs. Heiwa and Xiaojin excitedly went to greet them. The whole group ran around in the loose soil, getting soaked in the drizzle and covered in mud, but they didn't mind, laughing and joking.

Chen Ling ignored them, rested for a while, and then continued plowing the field.

Until the rain gradually intensified.

The children all ran back home. Chen Ling checked the time; it was time to go home for breakfast. He put the plow and harrow back in the straw shed, put on his raincoat and straw hat, and led the ox home.

This raincoat and straw hat were originally kept in the thatched hut of the cave. Chen Ling wore them twice in an emergency, and they turned out to be very useful. He didn't know what kind of grass they were woven from, so he took them out and kept using them.

Now, donning this raincoat and straw hat, I walk slowly through the rain, breathing in the damp, cool morning air and smelling the fragrance of the earth. I feel a unique freshness of spring lingering in my heart, as if I have become ethereal.

The little white calf was also very happy. It loved rainy days like this, letting the fine rain soak its whole body, feeling so comfortable that it kept mooing softly.

"So, Fugui has gone to the ground?"

"Yes, Auntie, she's feeding the pigs."

"Yes, feed the pigs. Your Uncle Yongsheng just got these piglets on credit. You have to remember to feed them every day. They're eating a lot."

"Eating more is good. This year, pork prices have risen rapidly, and fattened pigs can be sold for money."

"Haha, who knows what price it will be when it's time to sell? It's all about luck. I bet you're not starting construction on your estate today."

"We're not working anymore. We're taking a day off because it's raining."

"That's good, you can stay home and spend time with your wife."

Upon entering the village, I casually greeted the villagers who had finished breakfast and were feeding the pigs and livestock, and then made my way home.

Wang Susu had already prepared breakfast: simple white porridge, steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and salted vegetables, laid out on the table in a light and simple manner. Chen Ling ate slowly, and Wang Susu pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, doing needlework while talking to him.

Although Chen Ling did relatively little farm work compared to other men in the village, he was anything but stingy when it came to clothing.

Those clothes and shoes were quite worn out.

Just after breakfast, Wang Susu pulled him into the house to draw shoe patterns, wanting to make him a few pairs of shoes to wear in the spring.

Because the shoe design Chen Ling had last autumn is no longer usable.

"That's strange. You'll be twenty-four after the New Year, how come your toes are still growing? And you seem to have grown a bit taller too," the young wife muttered curiously.

Chen Ling chuckled: "I'm only a few years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."

"Isn't it normal for someone to jump around once in their twenties?"

The young couple were talking when Wang Zhenzhen rushed in, covered in mud, carrying a strainer and a fish basket.

"Sister, brother-in-law, look! I caught so many fish and shrimp! We can make a mixed fish hot pot for lunch again!"

Seeing that she was soaking wet, Wang Susu immediately frowned: "Look at you, you're all covered in mud again. Did you go play at the big pond?"

"Hehe, we didn't go to Yantang, we went to Laohewan."

Wang Zhenzhen smiled and showed them the fish and shrimp in the fish basket, which also contained many snails.

"These fish and shrimp are too small to eat, but these snails are quite plump. I'll go catch some snails later and cook them for you for lunch..."

Chen Ling peeked into the fish basket, then shook his head.

"Huh? Are snails delicious?"

"Delicious, snails during Qingming Festival are better than fat geese. Snails during Qingming Festival and shrimp during Dragon Boat Festival are the best time to eat them."

The Qingming Festival is just around the corner, and snails are at their most delicious and river clams are at their fattest at this time of year. They are just as good as fish and shrimp.

Snails and clams are best eaten in spring, especially before the Qingming Festival.

This is because leeches and parasites in the river are not yet frequently active before the Qingming Festival.

At this time of year, the river clams are at their cleanest, with the thickest and most tender meat, making them especially crisp and delicious.

"Alright, go wash up, look how dirty you are."

Wang Susu felt uncomfortable seeing her younger sister so dirty, so she pulled her away and walked outside.

"No, sister, I'll wash myself later. You're pregnant, so you should rest and not worry about me."

"Hehe, I'm going to go snail hunting with my brother-in-law, and I'll wash them when I get back."

"What about the new test paper the teacher gave you?"

I'll write it this afternoon.

Wang Susu frowned. It had rained lightly in the morning, and the air was quite fresh, so she agreed to let her younger sister go out to play for a while. She didn't expect her to go crazy playing like this again.

Seeing his wife like this, Chen Ling laughed and said, "It's alright, let her play all day. Who studies all day long?"

Wang Susu sighed softly upon hearing this, "Then go have fun. Listen to your brother-in-law and give your brain a rest today."

Actually, she was the one who was most easily moved to pity. She was afraid that her younger sister would play too wildly, so she forced herself to harden her heart and keep her at home to study.

Now that Chen Ling said that, she realized that her younger sister hadn't gone out to play much lately, and she really shouldn't keep her cooped up at home any longer.

The anger in my heart also dissipated.

There's no way around it; she's just that easily persuaded, especially by Chen Ling, who can make a difference in just a few words.

At the beginning of the year, she let him buy land and even leased mountains. Sometimes she regretted it, but when she thought about it, her husband was indeed a little different from others. When he wanted to make money, it seemed that others could not think of a way. She did nothing and saved nearly 100,000 yuan in just over half a year last year. No one else had this ability, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

"Brother-in-law, since we can't cook these fish and shrimp, let's feed them to the kites."

Stepping outside, Wang Zhenzhen, carrying a fish basket, tilted her head back and peered at the Chinese toon tree outside the courtyard.

"Kite don't eat fish or shrimp. If you feed it fish, you might as well feed it mice."

As Chen Ling spoke, he opened his mouth and whistled. A grayish-brown falcon with yellow claws emerged from the magpie's nest in the Chinese toon tree, flew through the heavy rain, and landed on Chen Ling's shoulder.

It was the same mother hawk from before.

After Chen Ling's winter of food enticement, the hawk finally became friendly with him and would come out whenever he called at mealtimes. The main reason was that during the food-enticement period, Chen Ling not only fed it birds but also gave it spiritual water from the cave. As a result, the hawk's intelligence grew stronger, and it became exceptionally clever, able to distinguish between good and bad people, who was hostile, and who was not.

I'm no longer as afraid of people as I used to be, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.

"Don't you want to eat?"

Wang Zhenzhen picked up a small fish, stood on tiptoe, and stretched it in front of the hawk. Sure enough, the hawk didn't even glance at it, and instead moved closer to Chen Ling's ear along his shoulder.

"I really don't want to eat it."

“It’s alright if the hawks don’t eat. Go feed them to the chickens. The chickens will eat, and we can dump all the fish, shrimp, and snails for them. We’ll go catch some more from the river later,” Chen Ling said, pointing to the cages of old hens they had just bought yesterday.

"okay."

Ignoring the rain, Wang Zhenzhen carried her fish basket and ran over to feed the chickens.

Then he turned around and called out, "Brother-in-law, shall we feed the pigeons?"

"I won't feed it. The pigeons don't eat fish, they eat grain." Chen Ling saw his sister-in-law go to feed the chickens, so he went into the kitchen and fed the hawk two mouthfuls of spiritual water.

After feeding the kite, let it return to its nest. Then, use a ladle to scoop up diluted spiritual water and refill the water supply for the chickens in the coop.

For most of last year, he not only had nothing to do, but also spent his free time at home observing and exploring inside and outside the cave.

He then discovered that as he drank the spiritual water every day, its effects on him and Wang Susu gradually became less noticeable.

The treatment was effective for poultry and livestock because they were not allowed to drink freely, but only given diluted spiritual water, and not every day.

Like Heiwa and Xiaojin, when they were first found, they opened their eyes after drinking two mouthfuls of spiritual water.

But drinking it regularly for most of last year didn't make them any more monstrous.

The same goes for the little white calf.

Ultimately, the effects of this product are most noticeable at the very beginning.

The same applies to plants and crops.

Two liters of spiritual water are effective; two liters of spiritual water can bring crops to a harvest, revive withered trees, and make fruit trees bear abundant fruit, but it cannot make saplings grow into towering trees overnight.

Of course, this is in the outside world, when the spiritual water is taken out of the cave and used in the outside world.

It's better inside the cave.

Cuttings can grow, but they still can't grow into towering trees; they need time to continue growing.

This is what Chen Ling discovered last year on the spiritual water of the cave.

Other aspects still require further exploration.

"Brother-in-law, look! That male pigeon is actually attacking the female pigeon!" Chen Ling added water to the chicken coop, and Wang Zhenzhen pointed to the direction of the pigeon nest for him.

At this time, the rain gradually subsided, and the mother pigeon came out of the nest to breathe fresh air, but the still thin male pigeon cooed and flapped its wings to block the mother pigeon and drive her back into the nest.

It was a wild pigeon whose head had been pecked bald before, and it paired up with the female pigeon at home.

Wang Zhenzhen also knew that this male pigeon was often bullied, and now it seemed like he was teaching the female pigeon a lesson, which was quite strange.

"Ignore them, they're not fighting, they're rushing to lay their eggs." Chen Ling glanced at them and then ignored them.

"Egg chasing" refers to the behavior that male pigeons frequently exhibit within three to four days after mating.

It means the male pigeon drives the female pigeon back to the nest, implying that he is driving his mate to the nest to lay eggs.

Otherwise, it would be too dangerous for the pigeon eggs to fall outside the nest.

After wild pigeons are domesticated, they lay eggs more frequently due to the comfortable environment.

Except for winter, as long as they get enough nutrition, they can mate and lay eggs every month. A male and female pigeon can lay eggs after mating once, and then spend another half a month incubating them. It takes about a month and a half to produce a brood of baby pigeons.

Now there are more than just these two pigeons at home; the other two pairs have also mated. Whether they were successful or not is unknown, but the male pigeons have been frequently chasing away the eggs these past few days, and they keep bringing straw and twigs into the nest. Chen Ling had noticed this a long time ago.

"Let's go, Zhenzhen, grab your tools and let's go snail hunting."

"I'm coming."

Chen Ling picked up the fish basket, put on his straw hat, and the little girl put on her straw hat. The two of them hurried towards the old river bend.

The water in the old river bend hadn't fully risen yet; the river was shallow, and fine raindrops splashed on the surface. The rain was getting lighter and slower, and the ripples weren't dense, but the tinkling sound was quite pleasant.

The two rolled up their trousers, reached their hands into the river, and began to look for snails and collect clams.

After a while, the little kids who were running around wildly in the wheat field also came over, laughing and joking, and went down into the river to explore. Later, even the adults who were strolling around in the fields came.

Chen Ling and his group arrived early and quickly filled two baskets to the brim with fish. They were about to head back when the other adults and children were still digging in the mud at the bottom of the river.

"Uncle Fugui, Auntie, look how big my clam is! It's almost as big as a bowl."

Piglet held up a large river clam and handed it to Chen Ling, saying, "Uncle Fugui, here you go."

"It's too big, Uncle. You can take it back and raise it like a treasure. When it's as big as a washbasin, it can do your laundry, cook for you, and be your wife."

"Is it true, Uncle Fugui? You're not kidding me, are you?"

"I'm not fooling you. When have I ever fooled anyone? If you don't believe me, go back and ask your mother."

Chen Ling smiled and led Wang Zhenzhen home.

Piglet and Six-Nier are relatively good for their age; at least they're sensible.

Yuqiang's son, Xiaosen, those five or six-year-olds were truly lawless.

They were the ones who startled the donkey a couple of days ago. However, Xiao Sen was beaten a few times last year, so he's been much more obedient this year and didn't go with them. Otherwise, Chen Yuqiang would have really put him on a dog leash and locked him in the woodshed.

Ignoring the children's antics, Chen Ling took Wang Zhenzhen home, thoroughly cleaned the snails and clams, and then soaked them in white wine and salt.

After repeating this process several times to clean it thoroughly.

Remove the shells and gills from the clams, and cut off the tails from the snails.

Then heat oil in a wok, first stir-fry the river clams. Cut the clam meat into strips, deep-fry them, then stir-fry with scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. To make this dish delicious, add plenty of chili peppers, oil, and salt.

This posed little challenge for Chen Ling; with minimal effort, the fragrant stir-fried river clams were ready.

Next came the river snails, which were slightly more difficult to prepare than river clams, but the steps were basically the same as stir-frying river clams, and soon a whole pot was cooked.

When lunchtime arrived, the aroma filled the entire courtyard.

This stuff is very cold in nature, so Wang Susu couldn't eat too much of it. She only tasted a small piece and found the river clam meat to be very smooth and tender, plump, and chewy. It was spicy and refreshing, and went very well with rice.

As for the snails, she didn't eat them. She just watched her younger sister pick them out with bamboo skewers and put them in her mouth. She ate two bowls of rice, so it must be something delicious.

Not to mention Wang Zhenzhen, even Chen Ling was sweating profusely as he ate. After finishing the rice in his bowl, he exhaled several deep breaths and said, "Ah, that was really good. It would be even better if we had two more bottles of beer. It's a pity that Cui the Cripple hasn't had time to get his stock this year."

The beer and draft beer sold at Cui Quezi's shop are all sourced from breweries in Huangni Town. Huangni Town is not far away, and the beer is relatively cheap, making it very popular among the locals.

"Aren't you going to Huangni Town next month to visit Han Chuang at the temple fair? If you want some, buy some on your way back."

Wang Susu said.

Chen Ling thought it made sense, so he started planning what to buy when he went to the temple fair in Huangni Town next month.

-

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(End of this chapter)