My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 224 Visiting a Farm and Enjoying the Wilderness

After reading the words above, the group didn't rush into the farm. Instead, they stopped and chatted with Chen Ling, enjoying the surrounding scenery.

One's gaze shifts from the bamboo grove and pavilion to the babbling brook flowing through the irrigation ditch.

The two irrigation canals are only about 50 or 60 centimeters wide, with shallow streams that encircle the farm, winding through the bamboo forest, then past the pavilion, and flowing deep into the orchard.

It really does have a bit of the feel of a winding stream with wine cups floating on the water.

"You've arranged this beautifully, it's even more luxurious than I imagined."

Before even entering the farm, Liang Yuemin was already attracted by the bamboo forest and irrigation ditch outside. The more he looked, the more he liked it. When he got excited, he left his wife and son and ran to the irrigation ditch alone, squatted down and scooped up two handfuls of water.

The stream was crystal clear. Liang Yuemin scooped up some water to wash his face and felt instantly refreshed. He then scooped up a handful of water to drink, but was startled as soon as he brought it to his lips. "So many small fish! Did you release fish fry?"

He turned around and asked Chen Ling in surprise.

"They haven't been released yet; these are fish that have flowed down from the mountain along the stream."

The water in the irrigation canals comes from streams that Chen Ling diverted from the mountains. There is one stream each from the west and north mountains, and the two streams split into four branches. Two of these branches flow into the lotus pond in the farm, while the other two flow around the farm, forming the two irrigation canals that everyone sees.

"Uncle, Uncle, let's not wait for Dad. Let him play in the water by himself. We still have so many places to visit." Little Liang Yiming, like Liu Nier, was a sturdy little boy who was friendly with everyone. He had been to Chen Ling's house so many times that he was already very familiar with Chen Ling. Every time he came, he would stick to Chen Ling and want to play this or that. Now, he didn't even care about his father anymore. He dragged Chen Ling's clothes and wanted to walk into the farm.

"Alright, alright, we won't wait for him." Chen Ling let him drag her into the farm, and the others followed behind with smiles.

Upon entering the farm and seeing the huge lotus pond, the wooden bridge over the pond, and the corridor along the pondside, everyone was full of praise.

Today's guests included Zhao Dahai and his family of three, Liang Yuemin and his family of three, as well as Shanmao and Dujuan. These people were all worldly and experienced, but they still couldn't help but be amazed when they saw Chen Ling's farm.

Chen Ling was also quite satisfied, doing whatever made him comfortable, but he didn't think he deserved such praise.

I just laughed and said their reaction was too exaggerated.

"I'm not exaggerating, it really is beautiful. The scenery here is great, and you've arranged it so well. It will definitely be even more beautiful when the flowers, trees, and lotus flowers grow in the pond," Du Juan said earnestly.

Upon hearing her words, Zhao Dahai chuckled and said, "Du Juan is a great painter. If she says it's beautiful, then it's beautiful. Would she lie to you?"

"You are such a humble person."

Lynx completely agreed, nodding and saying, "That's right, he does have that problem."

He discovered it last time he hunted wolves.

This kid doesn't show off, but he's actually incredibly capable.

"Alright, since you like it, come over and visit often when you have time." Chen Ling smiled helplessly.

This is because he didn't realize how different his advanced thinking was in this era, so he was a bit self-deprecating.

He said no more and continued forward.

Stepping onto the wooden bridge and passing through the corridor, you will find yourself in a spacious bamboo courtyard with a ground paved with bluestone slabs.

The two-story bamboo houses are shaped like a concave character and face the lotus pond. There are three buildings facing south, and the three buildings surround a courtyard. There are no green plants or flowers planted yet.

Behind the bamboo house is a wooden house, which is one floor higher than the bamboo house. The staggered arrangement of the two houses complements each other perfectly.

Liang Yuemin caught up at this time, and the group wandered back and forth between the bamboo building and the wooden building, not in a hurry to go up.

Only the chubby boy couldn't wait. He grabbed Zhao Dahai's little girl and went into the bamboo house, refusing to come out. The two little children ran up and down the stairs, shouting and yelling incessantly.

"Xiaoming, stop fooling around and come down quickly, or you'll drop your sister." Liu Yinhuan called out twice from below, but it didn't work, so she went in to watch over them as they played. Xiang Wenxia and Du Juan followed her in.

The men were still outside. Lynx was looking at the pillars outside the bamboo house and said, "This construction team is quite capable. They even laid bluestones under the pillars. That must have taken a lot of work."

"Of course, how could the construction team I found for Fugui be wrong?"

Zhao Dahai immediately became smug.

"Haha, that's true. The construction team that Brother Dahai found for us is really excellent."

Chen Ling patted his fleshy chest and laughed, "If I were to find someone to build it myself, piecing things together, it would be troublesome and cost more than this."

The final payment to the construction team was nearly 40,000 yuan.

It was far below his budget.

The cost of building materials and the cigarettes, alcohol, and food for the construction team was less than three thousand yuan.

Just take building materials as an example. A single blue brick costs only three cents, and a bluestone slab costs six or eight cents. A tractor can haul in four square meters of blue bricks, which is about two thousand bricks. Spending sixty yuan is considered a lot.

This is even though building materials sold in Wangbacheng are generally more expensive than in the surrounding counties.

Needless to say, the timber and bamboo were all sourced from Dongtian, so they basically didn't cost any money.

All things considered, the farm only cost less than 50,000 yuan to build.

"Since that's the case, how are you going to thank me?" Zhao Dahai winked at him, "Luckily, Lynx is here too..."

"My goodness, Brother Dahai, you really can't stop talking about this."

Chen Ling gave him a disdainful look, "I'll take you for a walk up the mountain later, okay?"

"Hehe, okay, I've been waiting for you to say that."

"I'd love to see how Heiwa and the other two chase each other up the mountain. I heard you and Shanmao hunted wolves and chased leopards together at Lutou Mountain. I'm really itching to try it."

Zhao Dahai rubbed his hands together; this was the intention behind his visit.

What are you guys talking about?

Liang Yuemin didn't understand why Zhao Dahai was so agitated and was completely confused.

"Going hiking and hunting, do you want to try it?"

Lynx chuckled and pulled a keychain from his pocket, with a string of wolf teeth hanging from it: "Here, I got this from hunting wolves with Fugui at his father-in-law's place, Deer Head Mountain."

Liang Yuemin took it and stroked it a couple of times, quite fond of it: "It's really good. Take me with you next time you go hiking in the mountains. I missed the wolf hunt in Fugui's village last year, and I regretted it for a long time."

He had handled many guns, but he had never actually hunted.

"Row."

Lynx took the keychain, removed the wolf tooth hanging on it, and gave it to him. "I have plenty of wolf teeth, pig teeth, and tiger teeth at home. If you like them, I'll give them to you."

Liang Yuemin quickly declined, but finally gave in and accepted it. However, judging from the way he immediately put it on his wrist with great joy, he clearly liked it very much.

Then several men also entered the bamboo building, looked around, and went up the stairs to the second floor, exploring all three bamboo buildings.

After that, we went to the wooden building and opened the window on the third floor to enjoy the view.

A gentle mountain breeze blew, rustling the leaves.

In the distance are vast wheat fields, and amidst them, several undulating hillsides are covered with rapeseed flowers. A gentle breeze blows, and the flowers ripple in layers, like golden waves, standing out vividly against the backdrop of the green wheat fields.

Looking out, you can see wheat fields, villages, green mountains, and dogs running across the fields.

Looking closer, the lotus pond, wooden bridge, and corridor inside the farm, the chicken coop, duck pen, and livestock shed on both sides of the farm, as well as the bamboo forest, pavilion, and irrigation canal outside, are all clearly visible.

It was April in the lunar calendar, and all the fruit trees in the orchard were in full bloom. Outside the orchard, the mountains and fields were also covered with lush flowers and grasses, blooming in a riot of color. Butterflies and bees flew back and forth in swarms, busily collecting nectar.

A cool breeze from the mountains blows gently, refreshing your face and carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass, making you feel relaxed and happy.

“What a great place! I’m not going hiking anymore. I’m going to stay here all day until the sun goes down.”

Liang Yuemin stretched out his hand, letting the gentle breeze caress him, and said with a contented expression.

"me too."

Zhao Dahai exclaimed, "Fugui, why don't we have lunch here? We can drink some wine, enjoy the breeze, and admire the scenery. How comfortable would that be?"

“Sure, that’s easy. The kitchen is right behind the farm, with bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs. I’ll kill a chicken and slaughter two fish later, and we’ll eat here,” Chen Ling said.

Several grown men stood by the window, completely absorbed in the moment.

Meanwhile, the women and dolls were chattering nearby, peering out the window.

Since everyone liked it here, at noon, Chen Ling went back to pick up Wang Susu and her sister, and also invited the two elders in his family to come over. They had a lively meal at the farm.

It gave the newly built farm a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Let's not even mention the comfort it brought.

……

After the meal, tea was brewed, and with the mountain breeze blowing, everyone sat upstairs and leisurely played cards.

After playing cards for a while, the effects of the midday alcohol wore off, and Zhao Dahai couldn't sit still any longer. He still wanted to go up the mountain to have some fun.

Sure, go ahead. There are mountains right behind the farm. If you want to go up the mountain, it's just a matter of saying a few words.

Chen Ling called the family dog ​​and led them up the mountain. However, the mountain to the north was quite steep, and before long, Zhao Dahai was panting heavily, covered in sweat, and leaning against a large tree, unable to catch his breath.

The lynx laughed at him, saying, "With that kind of behavior, you dare to run in the mountains? You'll probably lose your life after running a lap."

"I've never run in the mountains before, but I'll get used to it after a couple more runs. Then you can find me two good dogs, and we can go patrolling the forest with knives in hand."

Zhao Dahai was panting heavily, his mouth agape, breathing like a bellows.

The lynx shook its head expressionlessly: "You don't know how to raise a dog. You've ruined it."

"Nonsense, I just didn't have time to bring the dog up the mountain," Zhao Dahai quickly denied.

"Hehe, Fatty, I've seen the dog you raise. It's so skinny you can see its ribs. Lynx is right, you just don't know how to raise a dog. You must eat all the food yourself and get so fat that you don't feed the dog. The dog is almost starving to death."

At this moment, Wang Zhenzhen suddenly interjected.

After a moment of silence, everyone burst into laughter.

Xiang Hongxia couldn't help but laugh so hard she almost fell over.

“Zhenzhen, that’s a greyhound. Greyhounds are just that thin. They won’t be as strong if they get fat,” Zhao Dahai explained, his face flushed.

“You’re lying. Heiwa is very fat, with lots of meat on his body, and he’s quite muscular. Every time Heiwa misbehaves, my brother-in-law hits him until his hand hurts. But he can beat a wolf. Can your dog beat a wolf?” Wang Zhenzhen asked him, tilting her head up.

"This isn't about whether we can beat the wolves."

Zhao Dahai explained again, "Skigami are naturally very thin. When they're thin, they run fast and chasing rabbits is like child's play."

“Little Jin chases rabbits like it’s nothing, can your dog outrun Little Jin?” Wang Zhenzhen asked again, tilting her head up.

"It's not about how fast it runs, anyway, the greyhound is just different..."

Zhao Dahai's words were suddenly cut off, and he was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat, stammering and not knowing what to say.

Seeing his embarrassment, Lynx chuckled beside him, "Zhenzhen is right, your fat brother wouldn't know how to raise a dog."

The others were amused and kept laughing.

Even the chubby boy and Zhao Dahai's daughter kept giggling.

After everyone finished laughing, Chen Ling said, "A greyhound can't chase animals in the mountains. It can't run fast enough in the mountains. It can only chase rabbits and pheasants in the fields. Brother Dahai, if you want to run in the mountains, you should pick up two hunting dogs in the future."

Greyhounds are fast, but they can easily lose control when running too fast. If chased in the mountains, they are likely to crash into trees or rocks and die.

They are not suitable for mountain runs, but are better suited for hunting on grasslands and plains.

In contrast, Xiao Jin's speed is agile. Its toes, like Heiwa's, are specially bred tiger-head yellow, which are the toes of mountain dogs. It can move through the mountains and forests as if walking on flat ground, running and leaping like a leopard in the forest, and crossing mountains and ridges without any problem.

“I know that greyhounds are not suitable for mountain running, but I just didn’t have the opportunity to find a good dog. I had to beg him for more than half a year to get this greyhound for me,” Zhao Dahai said with a bitter face.

The lynx said disdainfully, "You haven't even caught two rabbits, yet you want to run around the mountains. You should train your dog first and teach it how to chase rabbits before talking about anything else."

The greyhound he found for Zhao Dahai was so that he could practice chasing rabbits.

As a result, Zhao Dahai never managed to train the dog, which is not his fault.

"Sigh..." Zhao Dahai was hit hard by a series of setbacks, and his body had become increasingly obese this year. He could not walk on the mountain for long before he was exhausted. While sighing, he made up his mind to train the dog more when he got back, so that he would not be laughed at next time he came back.

After resting for a while, Zhao Dahai and his group continued their journey.

This is the liveliest time of year on the mountain. Wildflowers of all colors bloom along the roadside, wild bees flutter about, and all sorts of birds and small animals hop about in the grass and bushes.

This delighted the chubby Liang Yiming. He followed the little yellow dog around, chasing after this and that. When the little yellow dog finally caught a lizard, he even tried to snatch it from the dog, making the little yellow dog bark loudly. Liang Yiming was not to be outdone and barked back at the little yellow dog.

It made everyone laugh nonstop.

Even Liu Yinhuan couldn't do anything about this lovable son.

A mountain breeze blew, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass, the children were playing noisily, and the women were picking wildflowers of various colors to weave into flower crowns to wear on their heads. They were also enthusiastically pulling Dujuan to take pictures of them with a camera.

After walking a while longer, they came across a patch of wild strawberries by the roadside. The strawberries were bright red and slightly smaller than regular strawberries, with many small bumps on them. Wang Zhenzhen cheered when she saw them and ran over to pick them.

"Auntie, what have you discovered?"

The chubby boy quickly pulled Ya Ya along to follow.

"These are prickly pears, they're delicious."

"Prickly Bubble? What a strange name."

The name seemed strange to the little kids, and even the adults found it very strange.

"Actually, it's just a raspberry, or wild raspberry, or ruby. You all know the name 'ruby'," Chen Ling explained.

The wild fruit, also known as prickly raspberry or wild strawberry, is commonly found on mountain roadsides in March and April of the lunar calendar. This wild fruit has many names, such as raspberry, wild strawberry, and raspberry.

But the most famous one is raspberry, because Mr. Lu Xun mentioned it in "From the Hundred-Herb Garden to the Three-Flavor Study".

"If you're not afraid of thorns, you can also pick raspberries, which look like little coral beads clustered together. They're both sour and sweet, and their color and taste are far better than mulberries."

Lu Xun's description is extremely simple and direct: although these raspberries are small, they taste very good, much better than mulberries, needless to say.

The fruit is too soft and cannot withstand bumps or be easily preserved, so many city dwellers cannot get their hands on it.

"So this is what raspberries are! Why didn't we see any when we came to the mountains last time?"

"That was autumn, it's long gone."

Seeing the little ones squatting on the ground picking and eating, several adults couldn't resist picking a couple to try as well. Sure enough, they were sweet and sour, and tasted delicious.

So they picked and ate as they went, and soon all the wild prickly pears by the roadside were gone. Still not satisfied, they asked Chen Ling if there were any more on the mountain.

"Of course there are plenty on the mountain. Besides wild berries, you can also eat wild mulberries and goat's milk fruit. Today, you can eat to your heart's content."

He had barely finished speaking when he saw several wild mulberry trees ahead. Looking up, he saw that the branches were laden with purplish-red mulberries. Upon seeing this, the chubby boy jumped and shouted, wanting to climb the tree and pick them.

For him, eating mulberries was secondary; his main goal was to climb trees so he could pick the fruit and play with it.

"Uncle, uncle, can I climb this tree?"

"You can climb it, and mulberry trees don't bite."

"But I'm afraid there might be bugs in the tree that bite me."

He wasn't stupid; he knew to ask Chen Ling first.

After asking, he hugged the tree trunk and started climbing. He had been to the village a few times and had already learned to climb trees. Unfortunately, these trees were not easy to climb because they were bare. The little fat boy was not as strong as the other children in the village and tried to climb them several times but could not.

In the end, Liang Yuemin carried him and picked some mulberries from the lower branches.

But the higher ones were out of reach, which made the chubby boy scream in frustration, and Liang Yuemin was also covered in sweat from exhaustion.

He wanted to put his son down, but he also wanted to show his fatherly masculinity, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Seeing that they were having a hard time picking the fruit, Wang Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'll help you pick them." Like a little monkey, she hugged the tree trunk and nimbly scrambled up the branches, looking incredibly agile.

"My aunt is really amazing."

The chubby boy clapped his hands and watched with envy.

The little girl next to Xiang Wenxia also shouted indistinctly, "Little Dudu, you're really amazing."

Wang Zhenzhen pursed her lips, not taking it seriously. Climbing trees and scaling walls is a basic skill for country kids, and most boys and girls can do it. "Fat brother, move aside a little, I'm going to step down. I've lowered the branch so everyone can come and pick it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dahai hurriedly stepped back.

Then Wang Zhenzhen gently stepped down a branch laden with mulberries, bringing it to a height that the adults could just reach. Everyone then quickly picked the mulberries.

They picked branch after branch, without even bringing any bags, and ate as they picked. As for Wang Zhenzhen, no one needed to worry about her; she could eat whatever she wanted on the tree and even pick from higher branches.

Actually, the higher up the mountain the mulberries are, the later they ripen, but they taste sweeter.

The mulberries from these trees taste great, especially the dark purple ones that are fully ripe. They are soft, sweet, and have a delicate fragrance.

The purplish-red, still-firm mulberries are sweet with a hint of sourness, and are also quite delicious.

After picking them, everyone popped them into their mouths one by one, finding it even more enjoyable than eating wild raspberries.

In reality, apart from birds and monkeys, there's not much else to eat mulberries, so the mulberry tree was laden with fruit, and the group of them couldn't possibly eat them all.

Finally, after they had their fill, everyone's mouths and hands were covered in purple-red food, and they even fed the three dogs until their faces and mouths were covered in it.

Zhao Dahai was the funniest. He was standing very close to Wang Zhenzhen when she stepped on the branches, and many ripe mulberries fell down and hit him, staining his collar purple-red in patches, like he had been bruised.

But at this moment, he no longer cared about running in the mountains. Instead, he was completely immersed in the fun of the mountains and fields that he rarely experienced. He didn't care about the spots on his body at all. Everyone laughed, and he laughed too. He, along with his wife and children, played and laughed with everyone.

(End of this chapter)