My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 260 A Delicious Treat, Tang Monk's Flesh

"Zhenzhen, stop leading Xiaoming on these silly plans. Those wild eggs are rotten, why bother roasting them? If Xiaoming eats them, he'll get a stomachache, and your sister-in-law Yinhuan will beat you up."

Upon arriving at the farm, Wang Susu frowned and scolded her sister for leading the chubby boy around making fires and tinkering.

Although the village children had all gone home for lunch, these two were still up to no good. They took the wild eggs left in the pheasant coop at the school and said they were going to roast them and eat them.

"Sister, you don't understand, these are balut eggs. They didn't hatch into chicks, so they're rotten." The little girl tilted her head, chuckled, and she and the chubby boy each took one and ran to the back of the farm to fiddle with them again.

"Ah Ling, go and take a look. How can we let them mess around like this?"

Wang Susu, holding her son and unable to manage her younger sister, said anxiously to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling was still talking to Liang Yuemin's family, leaning on a shovel and watching the fish by the ditch. When he heard his wife call him, he turned around and smiled, "Never mind them. If they get an upset stomach, don't let Dad get them medicine. Take them to the county hospital to have their intestines cleaned."

The two little ones, who were having so much fun, were stunned when they heard this and stood there dumbfounded. Wang Zhenzhen was so angry that she stomped her feet and pouted.

"You stinky brother-in-law, I'll fight you to the death!"

She shouted angrily, put down what she was holding, and ran over, clearly ready to fight Chen Ling.

Chen Ling laughed and reached out to press down on her little head, so that no matter how much she flailed her arms, she couldn't reach him.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. It's hot, you can roast those baluts for fun, but don't eat them yourself, or you'll get a stomachache. I'll take you to get your intestines cleaned up."

"Father, mother..."

The little girl had no other choice but to ask Wang Cunye and another person for help.

“Don’t call us. Just do as your brother-in-law said. If you’re so disobedient, your dad won’t care if you get sick from eating something bad. He’ll just take you to get your intestines cleaned.”

Gao Xiulan glanced at her sideways with a tense expression.

Wang Zhenzhen immediately deflated, turned around angrily and left: "You guys are so annoying."

Then he led the chubby boy to continue roasting the two balut eggs.

The wild eggs weren't big, and the unhatched baluts were even smaller. The two of them kept roasting them, turning them over and over. The smell was really pungent, with a burnt smell. Even they didn't want to eat them just from the smell, so no one else needed to persuade them.

Finally, they tried to feed it to the dog, but even the little yellow dog wouldn't eat it. Instead, they went to feed it to the kite. The kite proudly puffed out its chest and turned around, leaving only its rear end on the perch, which made the adults laugh out loud.

However, after the two little guys threw the burnt balut into the flock of chickens, the chickens pecked at it fiercely.

"Goodness, the big chicken eats the little chicken."

The Qin Rongxian couple were startled when they saw this scene.

This was the first time they had ever seen a chicken eat its own kind.

"That's normal. Some roosters, if provoked, can peck out the intestines of their own kind and eat them all."

Chen Ling said.

"Yeah, our chickens are too wild. Lately, I have to search all over the mountains to collect their eggs. These guys always lay their eggs in the most remote and hidden places. If it weren't for the dog, it would be a real pain to find them."

Wang Cunye then looked at his son-in-law and said, "Take these two days to tidy up. If that doesn't work, build a few chicken coops everywhere and let the chickens lay eggs in them. It's not good for the chickens to lay eggs all over the mountains all day long."

“Okay, I’ll tidy it up in the next couple of days. There are plenty of stones outside, it’ll be easy to build a chicken coop.”

Since his father-in-law had spoken, Chen Ling naturally wouldn't refuse, and besides, there was no need to elaborate on how wild his chickens were.

Back when we lived in the village, these chickens were the local tyrants that no other family's chickens dared to mess with.

Now I spend all my time running around in the mountains, completely letting my nature run wild; I'm even wilder than a pheasant.

Led by several roosters, they ran further and further away.

With dogs protecting them, they aren't worried about encountering danger.

Some of the bolder ones even took a detour from the North Mountain to the West Mountain to find food in the maple forest there.

When it wants to lay an egg, it just finds a patch of grass and lays it there.

This makes collecting eggs quite troublesome. Even though there are dogs to help with the search and nothing is missed, these chickens are very picky about where they lay their eggs. It's just a matter of collecting eggs, but it takes a lot of effort and is too exhausting.

In such a situation, it would be better to build a few chicken coops.

In this way, the chickens have a fixed place to lay their eggs, and all that's needed is to collect the eggs from the coop every day.

Building a chicken coop is also very simple.

They would build a small nest under a big tree with stones, lay some straw on it, and that would be it.

If all else fails, just put a stone slab over the chickens to shelter them from the wind and rain; that's not much trouble.

With two dogs and a kite around, there's no need to worry about any wild creatures coming down the mountain to steal the eggs.

When it's windy and rainy, the chickens don't need to run back to the coop; they have a place to take temporary shelter from the rain.

Good.

As for getting the hens to lay eggs in the newly set up nest, that's not difficult either.

It's nothing more than putting a few "nesting eggs" in the henhouse.

There's nothing particularly clever about this; anyone who's ever raised chickens in the countryside knows how to do it.

Otherwise, if a hen sees no eggs in the nest before laying one, she will know that her eggs have been taken and will not lay them in that nest again, but will choose a more secluded place.

But if you leave one or two eggs, or even just two white ping-pong balls, they will think their eggs haven't been lost and will continue to lay eggs in the nest.

This is the same principle as with pheasants and wild ducks.

They don't know numbers.

Only when the nest is empty will you realize something is wrong.

Therefore, when pheasant or duck nests are found by the water, in the reeds, or in the fields or mountains, people will not remove all the eggs inside; they will leave two or three "nesting eggs" behind.

They can go and collect it several times in a row.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and build a house for the chickens! Uncle, I'm the best at building houses. I built the stone houses where the little pigs live at Brother Liu Ni'er's house..."

After hearing what Chen Ling said, the chubby boy raised his hand and shouted that he was volunteering.

Liang Yuemin glanced at his son, who was eager to show off, and said, "If you want to build a house for the chickens, then go ahead. We're all hungry and need to eat."

"Oh? Then I'll eat first and then go."

The chubby boy was very clever; upon hearing that it was time to eat, he immediately changed his tune.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling laughed and said, "It's only early autumn, and the weather is still quite hot. After we build the chicken coop, we can't use chicken eggs to lay the eggs, otherwise they'll spoil in a week. We'll have to make some fake eggs out of eggshells after we finish eating to keep them for later."

"Wow, a fake egg! I'm the best at making fake eggs! Uncle, give it to me, and I'll make sure it's beautiful..."

The chubby boy didn't even know what a fake egg was, but after hearing this, he immediately raised his hand and shouted.

"Pah, Xiaoming, who taught you to talk big?"

As Liang Hongyu spoke, she flicked him on the forehead.

"That's right, he just spouts nonsense, he deserves a beating." Qin Rongxian also gave his grandson a flick on the forehead.

The chubby boy covered his head and chuckled.

He wasn't just boasting; he was clearly just having fun and wanted to take all the credit for himself.

We had lunch.

Then everyone started preparing to build the chicken coop. The coop didn't need to be too high, about 30 centimeters would be fine, and that was when choosing a location.

On the mountain, it's best to choose a location with a gentle slope so that the chicken coop won't be flooded when it rains.

We found a good spot on the mountain and built a row of chicken coops under the trees.

A few scattered pieces, crooked and uneven, are the handiwork of Wang Zhenzhen and the little fat boy.

With many hands making light work, the chicken coop was built by around four o'clock in the afternoon. It was lined with wheat straw, and fake eggs were placed inside.

"Xiaoming, you're always doing chores at your uncle's house. Don't be afraid to come again."

Chen Ling watched as the chubby boy knelt on the ground, covered in mud, his snot almost dripping into his mouth but he didn't bother to wipe it away, and he was still crawling around with mud in his hands.

"No, I love helping you with chores, Uncle. Please feel free to ask me to do anything, don't be shy."

The chubby boy shook his head, holding up the mud in his hand, and said, "Uncle, look, this is a toy gun I made. When Rui Rui grows up, you can give it to him to play with."

Liu Yinhuan was both amused and exasperated. She went over and wiped his snot, saying, "You call this a pistol? It's so ugly. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was some little dog's poop."

Qin Rongxian and the other two also joined in laughing at him.

Every time the family visits Chen Ling, they are always very happy. Even doing chores is like playing a game, full of fun.

Even when it was time to leave in the evening, we were still reluctant to part.

Chen Ling suggested they stay the night, but Liang Yuemin said they were going to the countryside, and since they were going home, they should stay at Liu Yinhuan's house for a couple of days.

Let's wait until Zhao Dahai and the others arrive before they come.

……

However, before Zhao Dahai and his team could arrive, reporters from the provincial and municipal TV stations all arrived the next day.

This guy arrived pretty quickly.

They arrived before Chen Ling even had a chance to explore the reservoir at night.

Let them come if they want. Anyway, even if they didn't come, the story and photos of Old Turtle would have already spread.

After all, among all the people who have come recently, there are bound to be some who bring cameras.

It's just that it's been on TV.

Chen Ling said he didn't care and didn't mind.

If this is reported along with the unidentified creature in the reservoir, it will simply become another unsolved mystery and legendary story about a lake monster.

When Wang Laishun came to call him, he was quick and efficient. He changed into clean clothes and went to lead the two groups of reporters around the reservoir for a short walk, and that was it.

The main focus is on how the turtle was discovered, including the date, location, and who saw it.

After that, Chen Ling had nothing else to do, so he chatted with some idle people on the dam and the vendors who came to sell things. He asked about the situation, bought some melon seeds, and watched the excitement while cracking the seeds.

The remaining reporters waited from morning until noon, trying to capture images of the garlic and its entourage when they finally showed up.

Apart from the few carrying cameras, most of these reporters were young women.

While filming the turtle, he made a lot of noise. After filming the turtle, he saw eels giving birth in the ditch, with a bunch of eel fry floating around. He made a lot of noise again and even went to Chen Ling to ask him all sorts of questions.

Why are these eel fry black? Why are so many of them clustered together? Why are they hiding under the rocks by the ditch?

These young girls were chattering away, asking questions non-stop. Little Chestnut didn't have as many questions as they did, making Chen Ling's forehead veins throb and his head ache.

This isn't the time for an interview, and we don't need him to be on camera.

Chen Ling was too lazy to answer all their questions, so he grabbed two or three teenagers who were watching the commotion from the roadside and told them to come and play with the girls.

These teenagers, around sixteen or seventeen years old, hadn't married yet, but they knew a bit about matters between men and women. They had been following behind them, staring intently at the young and beautiful reporters, finding them attractive and stylish, and reluctant to leave.

Now, after being grabbed by Chen Ling, they immediately became nervous, their faces turning red and their tongues seemingly tied in knots. They didn't even dare to look up at anyone, let alone speak to them.

This amused the female reporters, who laughed and joked. The male cameramen kindly comforted them, telling them not to be nervous. After a while, Chen Ling grabbed a few more teenagers. With more people around, they became bolder and started pushing and shoving each other a little more freely.

They appeared nervous, but were secretly excited and happy, and very grateful to Chen Ling for giving them the opportunity, praising him as a great person.

Next, they took over Chen Ling's job, leading people around.

They were all boys who grew up in the village. Although they couldn't explain the reasons behind many things under the young reporters' endless questions, they had seen and played with most of these things. They all eagerly showed off, creating quite a lively scene.

After walking around the village, people inevitably brought the conversation back to Chen Ling.

Several female reporters from provincial TV stations were particularly interested in him and kept asking him questions.

“Brother Fugui got married a long time ago, and he even had a son this year. Hmm, let me think, his baby was born around the beginning of June, so he should be almost two months old now.”

A boy, barely out of school, counted on his fingers and said...

They admired Chen Ling quite a bit. They never saw him do anything special, yet he made money so quickly. The elders privately said that he made money by playing around.

I heard that even the dogs they raise are being offered exorbitant prices to buy.

In the past, you could easily get two thousand yuan for catching just two eels.

Anyway, it's great.

Unfortunately, none of them had the ability; they couldn't understand it, nor could they learn it.

"Oh? Brother Chen is married? He still looks so young to me..."

As the female reporter spoke, her face became filled with disappointment.

When the female reporters from the city's TV station saw this, they all chuckled to themselves. They had visited Chenwangzhuang last year, knew Chen Ling, and had even bought wolf meat from his family.

At this point, everyone started teasing the female reporter from the provincial TV station.

I wonder if she's taken a liking to someone else.

"So what if you like her? Even if you do, it's no use, she already has a son."

The woman readily admitted it, but expressed great disappointment and regret, saying, "Really, why get married so early?"

Chen Ling was not bad-looking. Although he dressed simply, he was fair-skinned and much cleaner than a farmer. In addition, with the Sun and Moon Cave Heaven, although his temperament was not outstanding, he had a calm and natural feeling. After spending time with him, you would find that it was a very comfortable thing to be with him.

It's normal for young girls to be interested in him.

“Huanhuan, look, another one just like you.”

"When you first came here last year, were you also acting crazy?"

The reporter from the city TV station made a joke about one of the girls.

The other person was so frightened that they quickly waved their hands: "No, I didn't. I'm getting married at the end of the year. You can't just say things like that."

The group laughed heartily. A reporter from the provincial TV station overheard their conversation and pressed them for details about last year's events. They were intrigued to hear that wolves had been hunted here and that Chen Ling's family owned two very fierce wolf-hunting dogs.

Even several male comrades found it very interesting.

They all suggested that the village boys take them to Chen Ling's farm. After all, it's just for fun, so why not pick a place that sounds interesting?

At this moment, Chen Ling was taking advantage of the slightly cooler afternoon weather to thin out the cabbage seedlings with his father-in-law in the vegetable garden.

When he saw this large group of reporters coming, he was completely dumbfounded. He had already had someone take them around, so why did they come here again?

Little did he know that if he weren't married yet, he would definitely be a hot commodity in the eyes of these girls, a tempting target.

(End of this chapter)