My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 222 Experiences in Pregnancy Care
But since we've come across a beehive, we definitely can't miss it.

Chen Ling quietly approached and parted the wild rose bushes by the riverbank.

Hidden among the flowers are several large rocks. Near the rocks, spots of bee droppings are very conspicuous. Following the bee droppings, you will find a gap about ten centimeters long under the rocks, where bees are flying in and out.

This is the nest of a bumblebee; they build their nest very discreetly.

Native bees, also known as Chinese honeybees or Chinese honeybees, are a unique species native to China.

These bees are wild and build their nests very casually.

Nests like these are commonly found in rock crevices, burrows, and rat holes. They also nest in tree branches, wall cracks, and even in farmers' cellars.

It's not the same kind of bee that's widely known; it's a foreign bee introduced from abroad.

However, the honey produced by native bees is of excellent quality.

Especially wild native bees produce honey with a deep color and rich aroma.

If the honeycomb is built on a cliff in a high mountain, then it is even more amazing. The honey inside is made from wildflowers and tastes absolutely delicious. It has an enticing and unique aroma that is unforgettable after just one sip.

Such local honey is naturally of high quality, and it's not cheap either, that's true.

However, Chinese honeybees are not easy to raise.

They produce little honey, are prone to scattering and breaking up colonies, and are also known to sting people.

Compared to imported honeybees, they are wild and unable to maintain large colonies.

Moreover, they are particularly susceptible to the temptations of the glamorous world.

Where there are many flowers and abundant nectar sources, the entire bee colony will fly away with its bees.

This applies even to artificially raised native bees.

There is simply no way to raise them on a large scale.

This is a real headache.

As a result, by the early 2000s, the Chinese native honeybee was squeezed out of its living space by the introduction of foreign honeybees and almost became an endangered species.

"I've found their hideout, so get in there, all of you."

Harvesting bees is a skilled job, especially harvesting wild bees. Chen Ling had never raised bees before and knew absolutely nothing about it. But luckily, he had a hidden treasure trove of knowledge, so he simply carried the stones inside the entire beehive and that was it.

Moreover, after collecting the beehive, he waited for a while, and when the bees flying around nearby came to attack him, he collected them all the moment they made contact.

Then, a special area was set aside in the garden behind the stone bridge so that they could quietly reproduce there first.

We must keep birds and pheasants away from disturbing the peace.

Once the scale is large enough, they can be released and allowed to collect honey throughout the cave.

In fact, last spring, he had collected many bees and butterflies into the cave.

However, at that time, he did not have strong control over the Sun and Moon Grotto and was unable to divide the area.

After the bees and butterflies were taken in, they flew around everywhere and failed to reproduce in large numbers. When they went to collect nectar from the lotus flowers, they were all eaten by the fish in the small pond that leaped out of the water.

He ultimately didn't bother looking for beehives anymore.

"Let's raise them first, and then cultivate a few more native Chinese bees that are unique to China. I don't believe they can still be endangered."

Chen Ling clapped his hands, secretly making up his mind.

Then he carried a bamboo basket on his back, picked up a fish basket, and led the cow home.

It is said that flies in Australia, having no feces to eat, eventually had to take on the work of bees, spreading pollen and feeding on honey.

This demonstrates the enormous impact of the environment.

Moreover, he has such an excellent place as the Cave Heaven. If he raises bees in the Cave Heaven and is nourished by spiritual water, he can always cultivate a better bee breed.

……

"Oh oh oh-"

The rooster crows at dawn, and the sun rises in the east.

The golden sunlight shone warmly down, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, and the sounds of people and dogs gradually brought the mountain village to life in the early morning.

Spring plowing season has passed, and now it's time for wildflowers to bloom, making the mountains and forests even more lively.

People no longer need to be so busy, but farmers still have few idle months. Even when they are not busy, they still need to go to the fields often to take care of things, weed, chase away birds, and pull out withered ears of grain.

Only through meticulous cultivation can a good harvest be achieved.

After breakfast that day, Chen Ling and his father-in-law carried shovels, put on rubber boots, and went to the fields. The wheat seedlings had grown, and it was time to irrigate their wheat fields. There had been a few light rains recently, but they hadn't paid much attention to it. However, as the third month of the lunar calendar approached, the rains actually decreased.

There's no other way but to manually water the wheat with the first water of the year.

"Let's dig the ditch deeper so we can hold more water."

The father-in-law gave instructions.

Digging ditches for irrigation is tiring work, but Chen Ling is strong and healthy and not afraid of this kind of physical work. He finished digging the ditches a couple of days ago. Now he will dig the ditches near the wheat field deeper so that he can also water the vegetable garden at the end of the irrigation.

"understood."

Chen Ling picked up a shovel and dug the ditch a little more. Then he went to divert water from the stream at the foot of the mountain. As soon as he opened the ditch with the shovel, the water rushed into the ditch with a gurgling sound. The water was muddy and flowed slowly.

The father-in-law and son-in-law, leaning on their shovels, watched the turbid river water flow through the ditches and into the wheat field from the ridge. Then, wearing rubber boots, they walked into the wheat field to irrigate it.

Because the water level in the stream was low in spring, the water flowed slowly. By noon, the two of them had only finished irrigating a little over two acres of land.

“Brother Cunye, you’re so dedicated to helping your son-in-law with chores. It’s time to eat.”

At noon, several experienced workers from the construction team finished their work and went to eat. Seeing the two of them still busy, they called out from a distance on the ridge of the field.

Knowing it was a joke, Wang Cunye stopped, leaning on his shovel and laughing as he replied, "Of course! A son-in-law is like half a son. If I don't care, who will?"

He is a mild-mannered and honest person, and he has been getting along very well with the older members of the construction team lately.

"Is there enough food?"

"That's enough, or we'll let you know if it's not enough."

Recently, after Chen Ling took his father-in-law to the county town a few times, the two of them started taking turns picking up and dropping off Wang Zhenzhen, and would also buy back whatever the construction team needed.

As they were talking, the construction team members returned to the village in small groups for their meals.

After the village primary school reopened, they stopped cooking at the school during the day and moved to the courtyard where Chen Erzhu used to live.

Right next to the school, the yard was quite large. It had been abandoned after the flood, but after a simple cleanup, it became their dining area.

"father."

"Brother-in-law."

The father-in-law and son-in-law were still watering the field when a distant shout came. A small figure came running over, swinging two braids, followed by a little yellow dog running wildly beside him.

Crossing the slowly flowing ditch, Wang Zhenzhen carried a basket and a kettle, found a flat spot on the edge of the field, squatted down, and took out bowls, chopsticks, steamed buns, and stir-fried vegetables from the basket, arranging them neatly.

"Dad, brother-in-law, come and eat!"

"coming."

Chen Ling and his father-in-law walked around the wheat field that the river hadn't irrigated and came to the edge of the field to eat.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhenzhen skipped and hopped along with the little yellow dog and the black dog Xiao Jin who ran over, to the thatched shed outside the orchard to start a fire and cook for the dogs.

Despite her young age, she is already adept at starting a fire and cooking, which is normal for a country child. Children from poor families learn to be independent early, and many children can cook at the age of six or seven.

Of course, once it's cooked, you have to call an adult to help carry the pot, otherwise, the pot of corn porridge is too hot and heavy to carry, and you might get burned.

The father-in-law and son-in-law ate a quick lunch, poured two bowls of tea, rested for a while, and then got up and went into the wheat field to continue irrigating.

It took two days of this process to irrigate the wheat fields and vegetable gardens. The rapeseed fields, however, didn't need any attention; they grew quickly and were entirely dependent on rainfall.

I did water the watermelon seedlings with a bucket during my free time.

……

As time went by, Wang Susu's body became increasingly cumbersome. Pregnancy for rural women is not as delicate as one might imagine, especially since she didn't experience any adverse reactions. So she couldn't stay idle. When she couldn't cook at home, she helped pick vegetables; when she couldn't do farm work, she did needlework.

This left Chen Ling and the elderly couple, Wang Cunye, feeling quite helpless.

Now, she's eight months pregnant. Any pregnant woman with the means, regardless of wealth or poverty, who wouldn't want to rest more? But she's not one of them.

No matter how many times I tell him, he won't listen.

It was the first time Chen Ling had ever realized that his wife was also quite stubborn at heart.

There was nothing he could do. Although he knew there was nothing wrong with her body, and he had seen many pregnant women going to work with their bellies in later generations, it felt different when it happened to his own family. So he borrowed a car from Liang Hongyu and took Wang Susu to the county hospital for a check-up every two weeks.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan naturally went along as well.

After visiting so many times, the obstetricians and gynecologists became familiar with the young couple.

But people can't help but marvel at Wang Susu's physical condition, always saying that her children will definitely be strong and healthy, with tall boys and beautiful girls just like her.

Wang Susu was used to hearing this, but she was still happy to hear it.

As for Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan's joy, that goes without saying.

The doctors at the county hospital all praised her, saying that the daughter must be very healthy.

However, the OB-GYN doctors were praising them, and as a result, the young couple were surrounded by other pregnant women who were also there for checkups when they came out.

"What do you usually eat at home? Even the doctor is praising you."

"Yeah, how do you maintain such good health, girl?"

"Hmm, look at them, their faces are all rosy, while our faces look like rags."

These pregnant women came from both the county town and the countryside, but no matter where they were, after hearing the doctor's praise, they were all eager to know how Wang Susu maintained her health, as her complexion was much better than theirs.

Wang Susu was momentarily speechless, opening her mouth but not knowing what to say.

She usually eats simple home-cooked meals, whatever is available at home. She doesn't look at Chen Ling's menu, she just notes down what she can't eat, and she doesn't care about anything else.

But now everyone is asking her, and they're all pregnant women, so she thought about it and decided to tell the truth.

Before she could even speak, Chen Ling gently tugged at her arm. The young woman instinctively looked up and saw Chen Ling continue the conversation, saying, "My wife was actually quite careful from the moment she got pregnant. Last year, when she was only two months pregnant, I brought home two female goats and milked them every day to make her drink..."

"You know goat milk, right? It's a good thing, very nourishing. Drink more goat milk to strengthen your body, and the baby in your belly will also grow strong."

"Well, besides goat milk, you should also eat more eggs. If you don't have an appetite, steam egg custard with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil, whatever suits your taste."

"Besides eggs, stewed old hen and stewed pigeon soup are fine to eat once every one or two months, you don't need to eat them often."

As he said this, the two pregnant women in the countryside turned pale. This guy, how could an ordinary family afford to accept this?
Pregnant women from poor families relied on eggs and duck eggs, as well as various chicken, duck, and mountain products given to them by others during their postpartum period to nourish their bodies.

They even buy ewes to milk, eat eggs every day, and stew old hen and pigeon soup. Just hearing about it makes my heart tighten. It's not like you're carrying a gold nugget. Why spend money like this?
This is too scary.

No wonder his wife is so healthy; we can't afford the food she eats.

Not to mention the pregnant women from the countryside, even several people from the city had a slight change in expression, revealing their embarrassment.

Then Chen Ling said, "If it's inconvenient to eat these, you can eat more fish. There are plenty of fish here. Any river or ditch is teeming with fish and shrimp."

"What? Fish takes too much oil? It's tasteless? Then steam the fish! Steamed fish comes with a dipping sauce. Put in whatever sauce you like, just make sure not to put in anything that pregnant women can't eat."

Huh? This is a good method. Fish are free. You can easily catch half a basketful from any river or ditch.

The key is that it has many benefits for pregnant women.

The group of pregnant women perked up, some even borrowing paper and pens from the doctor's office to write down Chen Ling's methods, and asking about several more ways to cook fish.

Wang Susu felt extremely embarrassed upon seeing this scene.

That's true. When people asked her earlier, she didn't think much of it. It was all food that was always on hand at home, and she ate whatever was available. But after Chen Ling brought it up and she saw other people's reactions, she realized what was going on.

My lifestyle is really too extravagant.

Although she knew it was her husband's way of showing her affection, and her heart was filled with sweetness, she was still too shy to stand there any longer. After Chen Ling bluntly told her that, she felt a little uncomfortable and kept trying to hide behind Chen Ling.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan, on the other hand, listened with great interest and smiles on their faces.

My daughter is living a more comfortable life than the county magistrate's wife.

"So how do you sleep? My wife can't sleep at night, and she doesn't want to move when she sleeps during the day. When she wakes up, she feels weak and is always in a bad mood," a man from the county town asked.

Chen Ling smiled at him: "Just take your wife out for walks more often. Walk around during the day so she can sleep better at night. Don't walk too fast, just take it slow and make sure she sweats a little."

"You've heard the saying that your legs are the first to show signs of aging. Walking around every day is a good thing. After you walk, give her a foot bath so she can fall asleep at night. If that doesn't work, give her a leg massage. Hey, don't laugh, leg massage is really effective. After a massage, my wife will have plenty of energy during the day, and her spirits will be high."

The man frowned upon hearing this and muttered under his breath, "Washing feet and massaging legs, am I being used as a nanny just because I'm pregnant?"

He can accept being cooked in different ways, but he finds it very difficult to wash his wife's feet.

He is clearly a traditional male chauvinist.

The men and women around them weren't surprised at all; in this situation, most people would consider this the normal male mentality.

The man is the pillar of the family. He earns money to support the family and works in the fields. How can he bend down to wash his wife's feet?
Wouldn't that be... you know?

Seeing this, Chen Ling didn't say anything more and left with his family.

Many doctors and nurses were quite curious, and several nurses even secretly wrote down the methods he mentioned.

"Why do you say that? We can just eat it ourselves. It's not good to say it out loud, it sounds weird." Wang Susu glanced at her parents and scolded Chen Ling. She was just a shy person.

"What's so strange about that? No one would believe you if you told them the way you do it." Chen Ling smiled and glanced at his wife, then reached out and gently touched her soft belly. He grinned twice and helped her into the car.

"What do you mean by 'say it my way'? Do you know what I'm going to say?" Wang Susu smiled and leaned back in her seat.

"Of course I know. I know you too well. You just want to eat whatever's at home, the usual home-cooked meals."

"you……"

"See? I was right, wasn't I?"

"Ah."

Wang Susu felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

……

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan sat in the back of the car watching the young couple bicker. They exchanged a glance, chuckled softly, and then tacitly looked out the window at the scenery.

"This county town is great, the villas are so impressive."

The new urban area of ​​the county town is indeed quite nice.

Taking this opportunity, Chen Ling drove his family around the county town.

Afterwards, I went to check out the new house and had a meal at Liang Hongyu's house.

The main reason is that I borrowed someone's car to come to the county town, so it would be really inappropriate not to go and pay them a visit.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan had met this family a few times before. For some reasons that couldn't be explained, Liang Hongyu's family was very hospitable and no one put on airs, so they got along very well.

Most interpersonal relationships are like this: in the beginning, one party has to be enthusiastic and proactive for the relationship to gradually deepen. If neither party takes the initiative to interact, for fear of bothering the other, the relationship will become more and more distant and cold over time.

This is how Chen Ling interacted with Liang Hongyu's family.

When they first met, they were very proactive and enthusiastic. Of course, they also got along well. They would visit him several times, bringing gifts. At first, he just thought they were two retired old people who liked to travel around and didn't pay much attention.

Unexpectedly, as time went on, their relationship actually got better and better.

(End of this chapter)