My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 285 The Cow's Moo in the Deep Forest
After walking downhill for a while, the woods became denser, and the roadside was full of all kinds of messy shrubs and vines, with bees flying around and various crickets and insects chirping among them.

Pheasants and rabbits would occasionally dart out along the way, causing Qin Yueru and her daughter to scream incessantly.

Suddenly, a flock of wild geese appeared in the sky ahead, calling out as they flew diagonally northwest.

"Wow, look! Geese are flying in!"

As one flock of geese flew by, another flock flew in, and in a short period of time, five or six flocks of geese flew by.

The sight of geese flying across the clear sky is quite spectacular.

After Qin Yueru and her daughter laughed and joked around watching the geese, Qin Yueru suddenly frowned: "Fugui, look, isn't it said that geese fly south? Why are these geese flying north?"

Chen Ling looked up and said, "They might be looking for food. Or they might be looking for water."

In previous years, the places where migratory birds such as geese gathered were only Yaba Lake in the north of the city and Chenwangzhuang Reservoir in the west of the city, which is nothing unusual.

"So, the geese have probably flown over to your area."

Qin Yueru was delighted to hear this, "We'll go see the wild geese with you after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Little Chestnut looked up at the sky and nodded repeatedly: "Uncle, I'll go with my mom. Can you catch me two geese, please?"

"Okay, I'll catch a flock of geese for you and raise them. Next spring, we'll eat the eggs they lay."

Chen Ling smiled and waved the whip to urge the cattle on.

At this moment, they arrived at Gedatai Forest Farm, and he slowly brought the oxcart to a stop.

On an autumn morning, the sun was still scorching, but thankfully there was a breeze that made the lush trees in the forest rustle.

In the cool autumn breeze, the sunlight no longer seemed so scorching, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Before entering the forest farm, there is a winding road paved with gravel.

At the end of the gravel road was a square earthen platform, on which a temple had been built, but this temple looked more desolate and dilapidated than the temples in other parts of the city.

Beside the temple platform stands a tall soapberry tree, covered with red ribbons, and traces of incense and candles remain beneath it.

Although the local people believe that this altar is no longer as efficacious as in legends, they still come here to burn incense on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month.

We stopped here and waited for Liang Hongyu and the other woman to catch up with the ox.

Chen Ling untied the oxcart and let the little white calf lead the two yellow oxen to graze in the woods.

The group of them then walked along the path in the forest towards Tubao Ridge, south of Geda Terrace.

There is a bridge over there, and under the bridge is a stone-paved river. On both sides of the river are two large ponds built of bluestone, which were used by the forest farm to store water.

The forestry workers have long since left. Not far from the large pond, the open space that used to be filled with timber is now overgrown with weeds and wildflowers, appearing desolate and empty.

Little Chestnut saw some flowers over there and wanted Qin Yueru to take her to pick them.

Chen Ling stopped the mother and daughter, picked up two yellow thorn sticks from the side, and gave them to them, telling them to clear the grass to get across, otherwise there might be snakes or insects in the grass.

"Uncle is so kind."

Little Chestnut happily took the stick and ran over hand in hand with Qin Yueru.

Wang Susu then followed, carrying her son.

"They've all gone to play. Come on, Uncle, let's start fishing."

Chen Ling smiled and handed Qin Rong a fishing rod first.

Liang Hongyu laughed when she saw this: "Don't think that just because we live in the county town now, we don't come to the forest farm often. We only come here to cool off in the summer. On weekdays, we herd cattle on the riverbank. Your uncle has a chess friend at the south bridge. He herds cattle and plays chess. It's very comfortable."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rong couldn't help but smile, looking quite proud and self-satisfied.

Isn't it?

Although life in the capital was luxurious, having to be subservient and constantly watch one's step was really demoralizing and frustrating.

He was an ambitious young man back then, not thinking about asking for anything, much less becoming someone's son-in-law.

Besides, back then, there wasn't much difference in wealth or poverty; everyone's standard of living was roughly the same.

He was after Liang Hongyu.

As a result, he ended up living such a life that his son couldn't even take his surname.

Looking back now, I think it would have been better to go back to my hometown.

They eat well, sleep well, and enjoy life to the fullest. The elderly couple is more harmonious together than they have been in the past few decades. With their improved mindset, they seem to be getting younger and younger.

Chen Ling deserves credit for this; if she hadn't recognized him, Liang Hongyu definitely wouldn't have made the decision to stay here.

"Fishing, when you talk about fishing, you need bait."

Qin Rong glanced at Chen Ling with a smile, patted his bottom and got up: "Alright, I'll go get the bait from the oxcart, I forgot to bring it earlier."

"What kind of bait are you looking for, Uncle?"

Chen Ling shouted, "I'll just catch a couple of grasshoppers right here."

Qin Rong waved his hand at him without turning his head: "How can I catch grasshoppers? I came here specifically to fish for big carp. I heard the carp in this river are huge. The mandarin fish you caught last time was so big, I want to try fishing for carp here too."

When fishing, the first thing to do is prepare the bait.

Use the right bait for the type of fish you want to catch.

For example, crucian carp like to eat meat, so when fishing for crucian carp, you can use grasshoppers, earthworms, or similar bait.

Carp prefer to eat vegetables, so when fishing for carp, you usually use soybean meal, wheat bran, or something similar mixed with a little white wine and sesame oil as bait.

Using insects as bait is obviously inappropriate.

"A big carp? This river only has so little water, how big could the carp be? It's probably not even as big as the carp raised in the pond."

Chen Ling glanced at the small canal in front of him, which was only a little over two meters wide. The banks on both sides were paved with bluestone, and the water inside was fairly clear.

There are plenty of small fish and shrimp in these canals. As for big fish, you can't say there aren't any, but there are relatively few, and they're definitely not in this shallow area.

"I don't know either. Your uncle said he has a secret recipe."

As Liang Hongyu spoke, she smiled and nudged him, "You go ahead and fish, I'm just waiting to watch you fish."

"it is good."

Chen Ling smiled at the old lady, walked to the grass next to him, kicked it a couple of times, caught two grasshoppers, and started fishing.

Seeing this, the old lady also went to catch grasshoppers. After catching seven or eight, she strung them together with grass, sat down next to him, and prepared bait for him.

Soon, a fish took the bait; it wasn't too small.

"Wow, they took the bait so quickly."

The old woman exclaimed in surprise, then frowned, "Why is this a grass carp? Don't grass carp eat grass? Why is it eating grasshoppers?"

"Eat it! It even eats earthworms!" Chen Ling untied the grass carp and threw it into the bucket.

At this moment, Qin Rongxian also brought over his bait.

Chen Ling glanced at it; it wasn't exactly a secret recipe, just some fermented rice.

"What are you saying? Why are you making such a fuss over fishing?"

"Fugui just caught a grass carp with grasshoppers. Look, grass carp actually eat grasshoppers. Fugui said they also eat earthworms. I've heard people say before that grass carp eat grass and can eat several pounds a day."

"Huh? They eat grasshoppers and earthworms? Is that so? I've never heard of that before."

Qin Rongxian was quite surprised. He had never paid attention to it before. He only knew that grass carp were herbivores and ate grass, otherwise why would they be called grass carp?

"Eat, eat! Uncle, if you don't believe me, let's have a competition. I'll use grasshoppers, and you can use your own bait. Let's see who catches more grass carp later."

"Okay, let's compare."

Qin Rong was full of confidence, saying that she had a secret recipe and wasn't afraid.

Liang Hongyu also moved her small stool over and sat down: "Okay, I'll be your referee."

Then the two sat on opposite sides, far apart, so as not to disturb each other.

At first, Qin Rongxian was indeed very skilled. There was no other reason than that the bait mixed with fermented grains was too fragrant. Not many people came to catch fish in the small streams of the forest farm. With his method, carp, grass carp, and crucian carp all took the bait. In no time, he had half a bucket full of fish of all sizes.

These days, there are so many fish in the wild rivers and ditches that you don't need any special skills. As soon as Qin Rongxian's bait hit the water, a layer of fish surged to the surface.

If it weren't a competition between the two, he would have just used a net to catch it.

Chen Ling's side kept things quiet.

But if you look closely, you'll see that every time he casts his line, a fish bites—a crucian carp, a grass carp.

Soon, Liang Hongyu ran out of grasshoppers. The old lady then caught two more strings for him.

Before long, the grasshoppers were all used up again. After several rounds, Chen Ling's bucket was more than half full of fish.

“Rongxian, come and see! Fugui has caught so many grass carp, more and bigger than yours.”

"Oh my, it's true! Do grass carp really eat grasshoppers this fiercely?"

Qin Rong walked over first, bent down to take a look, and immediately widened her eyes.

In his previous understanding, grass carp only ate grass, and they were very aggressive when they ate grass.

Especially in summer, grass carp can eat half of their own body weight in grass every day. As long as there is enough grass, they can grow into a large fish weighing about ten pounds in three years, which is very domineering.

But the old man was surprised to find that this thing ate grasshoppers.

Chen Ling then said to the two of them, "This grass carp is omnivorous. In winter, when there's no grass to eat, it will eat small fish and shrimp too. There's nothing strange about it."

"Uncle, do you want to use grasshoppers to fish? Look how big this grasshopper is, my aunt caught it for me."

Just then, Little Chestnut ran over, grabbed a large, dark green praying mantis, and handed it to him.

This praying mantis is really big! It's longer than a little girl's hand, and its abdomen is swollen, like a small hand grenade.

Because it was being held in someone's hand, its wings were making a hissing sound like farting.

However, Wang Susu had already broken off its two large pincers, leaving only two small tufts. Otherwise, if the large pincers had been left, they would have definitely hurt the little girl.

Even so, the triangular head had a fierce look in its eyes, and its mouth still seemed to want to bite the little girl's hand.

"Wow, this isn't a grasshopper, it's a giant praying mantis!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling took the mantis, touched its abdomen, and then put down his fishing rod, saying, "This is a female mantis. Here, Uncle will roast it for you and let you eat it."

"Is this really edible? It looks so fierce."

When the little girl heard that this thing was edible, she tilted her head and looked at the praying mantis in her hand, feeling very puzzled.

"Yes, you can eat it. Feel its big belly; it's full of mantis eggs. Roast it over a fire, and it'll smell delicious."

Upon hearing this, the little girl cautiously touched the praying mantis's large abdomen. The abdomen was indeed very big, soft to the touch, and constantly moving back and forth.

Little Chestnut's eyes widened as soon as she touched it: "Uncle, look, its big belly is still moving."

Chen Ling nodded, "Yes, these mantises taste best when roasted. Let's go roast some."

It's clearly close to laying eggs; the inside is full of mantis eggs, which are a real treat.

Wang Susu was holding her child on the bridge, chatting and laughing with Qin Yueru.

Seeing Chen Ling lighting a fire with Xiao Lizi, he said, "Ah Ling, what are you going to do again? Don't let Xiao Lizi eat random things."

"I didn't do anything, just roasted a mantis."

"Roasting a mantis is not as good as roasting two skewers of grasshoppers. You forgot that last time you were at home saying that mantises have worms in their stomachs, that they are not clean, and that they look like hairs."

"Yes, that's a horsehair worm. Don't worry, I've checked, it definitely doesn't exist there."

So close to the water, if there were horsehair worms here, this mantis wouldn't survive long enough to lay its eggs.

So he took Little Chestnut and found a large pile of dry leaves and branches in the woods, and lit a fire on a clearing by the water.

At this moment, Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu heard them talking about roasted mantises, so they caught two more mantises.

Chen Ling shook his head immediately: "These two are males, they're empty-handed. We might as well grab a few old men."

Male praying mantises aren't reliable either, as you can't tell if there are insects inside.

The female praying mantis is a bit easier to spot. If it looks like it's about to lay eggs but is still alive and well, it definitely doesn't have any worms in its belly.

“We haven’t seen any grasshoppers that big here at Old Carrying Pole’s place. How about we listen to Susu and catch some grasshoppers?” Liang Hongyu said.

"No need, Auntie. The grasshoppers aren't that big yet. Grasshoppers these days can be deep-fried, but not roasted. They don't taste good roasted."

The grasshoppers at this age haven't hatched their eggs yet. If you roast them, their bellies will be charred, leaving only ash, and they'll be inedible.

After the grasshoppers have grown for another ten days or so, their bellies will swell up. They will be roasted until their bellies are charred, revealing yellow eggs inside. The eggs will be fragrant, chewy, and taste like egg yolks.

"Alright then, we'll wait a few more days."

Qin Rongxian smiled helplessly, "When it comes to eating, we dare not compare with you."

Then they watched as Chen Ling and Xiao Lizi squatted on the ground, using matches to start a fire with dry branches and leaves. After the flames burned out, they placed the female praying mantis on top.

"Little Chestnut, get ready. It's time to count. Use the stick to stir it ten times, and then you can eat it."

Upon hearing Chen Ling's words, the little girl immediately became serious, gently stirring the charcoal fire with her yellow wicker stick while counting, "One, two, three..."

When the count reached ten, Chen Ling took the charred mantis off the charcoal fire, tapped it lightly on a stone, and pried open the mantis's charred abdomen to reveal the yellow, fragrant mantis eggs inside.

Chen Ling blew the ash off a piece about the size of a thumb and handed it to the little girl, saying, "Here, it's done baking. Try it and see if it's good."

Little Chestnut carefully put the meat in her mouth, her eyes immediately lighting up: "Delicious, very fragrant, Uncle, let's catch a few more mantises!"

"That's right, if Fugui catches a few more, we'll want to eat them too."

Seeing her daughter enjoying her meal, Qin Yueru also stepped down from the bridge, waving and calling out.

That's just how she is. She's tall, but speaks in a soft, delicate voice. When she smiles, her eyes crinkle, and she looks like a silly, goofy girl.

Moreover, she never treated Chen Ling as an outsider from the beginning, and she wasn't very polite in her speech.

But strangely enough, it doesn't make people feel disgusted.

Although Chen Ling didn't know the reason, he had gotten used to it after spending so much time together, so he turned around and said to her, "If you want to eat, grab it yourself, and I'll grill it for you."

"I'm afraid of praying mantises, I dare not catch them."

Qin Yueru shook her head, then looked at Wang Susu with a grin: "Susu, you help me catch it, and I'll watch the baby for you."

"Hey, Mom is such a coward, she doesn't even dare to catch a praying mantis. What's so scary about a praying mantis? I'd even dare to catch one and play with it."

When Xiao Lizi saw her like this, she started to laugh. She was becoming bolder and bolder, just like Wang Zhenzhen.

She dares to hold a praying mantis in her hand; isn't that a hundred times better than her mother?

"See? Your daughter made fun of you."

Liang Hongyu glanced at her daughter, then said to Wang Susu, "Susu, don't worry about her. If she wants to eat, let her get it herself. I have to teach her a lesson."

Wang Susu just smiled and pursed her lips when she heard this.

She knew the old lady was soft-hearted; she was just sharp-tongued, otherwise she wouldn't have raised such a spoiled daughter.

Sure enough, not long after she finished speaking, the old lady took the lead and went into the woods to catch praying mantises for her daughter and granddaughter.

Qin Yueru and Wang Susu followed behind with their child, using thorny sticks to beat the grass and search for the praying mantis.

It's just for fun anyway.

There were quite a few praying mantises in the woods. In no time, they caught several large female praying mantises and strung them around the necks with foxtail grass.

These praying mantises are all incredibly fierce. Even when strung up by grass, they don't stay still, either rubbing their wings, struggling incessantly, or even fighting.

The little one in Wang Susu's arms was overjoyed, his eyes glued to the view.

They were having a great time when suddenly two cows grazing nearby let out a loud moo, which sounded quite alarming.

"What's wrong? What happened to the cow?"

Chen Ling and Qin Rongxian had gone back to the shore to fish, but upon hearing the cow's bellow, they quickly dropped their fishing rods and ran over.

Faced with this situation, Wang Susu and the others, along with their children, dared not go over to check, and naturally did not know what was going on.

He said with concern, "What if there's something in the woods? It might scare the cow and cause trouble."

Chen Ling looked over there and saw the little white calf calmly looking back at them. He immediately felt relieved. "It's okay. Look, the little white calf is looking back at us. It must be alright."

Then I went over there to see what was going on.

Upon seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed with delight, "Good heavens, it's like finding a needle in a haystack! I couldn't find anything good in the mountains, but I never expected to find such a large one hidden in this forest farm."

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(End of this chapter)