My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 363 Expanding the Scale, The Science of Vegetables
Spring arrives with a warm breeze, and shepherd's purse is plump and fresh.

The shepherd's purse that Sister-in-law Xiuying gave them, Chen Ling and Wang Susu boiled half a pot of eggs when they got home, and cooked a pot of shepherd's purse, tofu and spicy soup with the rest, and made some vegetable pancakes. The whole family, adults and children alike, ate together to prevent illness in the spring.

As the saying goes, early spring shepherd's purse is as good as ginseng.

Now is the perfect time to eat shepherd's purse.

If left for a while, the shepherd's purse will grow thick and large, like spinach, becoming plump and robust. This is the elder's shepherd's purse, and it won't taste as good.

"The shepherd's purse is very tender right now. I'll go out and dig some up. We'll make shepherd's purse dumplings today."

Chen Ling still felt he hadn't had enough of the shepherd's purse that his sister-in-law Xiuying gave him yesterday.

He went out early in the morning with a bamboo basket on his back, along with his dog and horse.

Wild vegetables are worthless.

They can be found in wheat fields, on field ridges, in woods, along ditches and canals, and on riverbanks.

Digging for wild vegetables is less about digging and more about searching for them.

Spring comes and all things come back to life. The wild vegetables are hidden among the weeds, and it takes a long time to dig up a basketful by bending over and staring.

Wandering around in the fields, I saw that the lush green wheat seedlings had grown taller and were no longer growing close to the ground as before; they seemed to have straightened up all at once.

A bunch of puppies ran in and frolicked, making the thriving wheat seedlings rustle.

Seeing this, the little blue horse also wanted to run wildly into the wheat field.

After being slapped twice by Chen Ling, it obediently wagged its tail and followed behind him to eat grass. However, its two big eyes still mischievously followed the group of playful puppies, and it chewed on the grass while looking around restlessly.

Once they reached the riverbank, where there were few people around, Chen Ling released the horse, but dared not let it run into the wheat field.

A short while later, Wang Cunye and Chen Sangui strolled over, carrying small bamboo baskets on their backs.

Upon arriving, Chen Sangui laughed and said, "From afar, your father-in-law and I saw you coming to graze the horses. Fugui, are you digging for wild vegetables or preparing fodder for the livestock?"

Chen Ling was bending over and digging when he heard this. He looked up and smiled, "Digging for wild vegetables. It's March now, let's dig some wild vegetables to eat."

Then, turning to Wang Cunye, who was surrounded by a bunch of puppies, he asked, "Dad, aren't you taking Zhenzhen home today?"

For breakfast, the elderly couple didn't go to the farm to eat; instead, they made their own breakfast in the village, a simple meal before sending Wang Zhenzhen to school, which was more convenient.

"It was sent over a long time ago."

At this moment, Wang Cunye chased away the puppy and, together with Chen Sangui, helped Chen Ling dig up shepherd's purse.

As he dug, he said, "After delivering them, I even went to the reservoir with your Uncle Sangui to sell some eggs."

"Huh? You sell eggs? Where are the eggs?"

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment. His father-in-law had gone to set up a stall to sell eggs with the old men in the village yesterday afternoon. These were the eggs that hadn't been pickled yet. There were also some wild chicken eggs and wild duck eggs in the middle. There weren't many in total, just two baskets.

It just doesn't sell very well. Wang Cunye mainly goes there with the old men from the village to join in the fun.

"They're all sold out. Yesterday, people didn't know these were our eggs, but today someone said I'm your father-in-law, and they were all snatched up in no time."

Wang Cunye chuckled proudly, "Your Uncle Sangui set up a stall right next to mine, and he sold out too."

"Yes, Fugui, you're quite the celebrity in our village now. People even ask you why you're no longer selling eggs."

Chen Sangui laughed and said with emotion, "You really are something else, finding ways to make money everywhere you go. No wonder so many people in the village are jealous of you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cunye grinned so wide his mouth almost reached the back of his head, but he kept saying that he didn't have any ability to make money; he just liked to fool around.

……

Even so, when Wang Cunye returned after digging two baskets of wild vegetables, he discussed with Chen Ling whether they should raise more chickens and ducks this year.

Anyway, he and Gao Xiulan are going to stay with Wang Susu until she gives birth this year, so they can't leave for a while. It's okay if they raise more chickens and ducks; they can help take care of them.

The number of chickens and ducks in our family is more than that of an average villager, but it's still relatively small.

Otherwise, people who want to make salted eggs will want eggs, and people who want to buy fresh eggs will also want to buy eggs. They might even come to our door to buy more in a while. The eggs we have at home will not be enough after we finish making salted eggs.

It's such a waste to leave such a lucrative business opportunity untapped.

Then he added that he felt there were too many chickens and ducks slaughtered during the Lunar New Year, some for making preserved chicken and duck, and others for eating at other times.

I want to raise more than I currently do.

Actually, most of the chickens eaten during the Lunar New Year are roosters, with only two roosters kept as guard roosters, and the rest are hens.

The hens mentioned are mainly half-grown hens and domesticated wild chickens.

The laying hen only ate three or four eggs.

"Don't worry about that, Dad. Our old hen is about to brood, so we'll hatch some chicken eggs and some duck eggs too."

Chen Ling had never paid much attention to raising chickens and ducks. After raising them for a year or two and gaining some experience, he said, "If you really feel that the chicks and ducklings are growing too slowly, you can buy some from the chicken farm in the countryside. That way, they can start laying eggs as soon as you buy them."

"Huh? Is that alright? They're after our eggs. If we buy chickens and ducks from outside to lay eggs, wouldn't that be cheating them?"

My father-in-law is a very upright man and felt that doing this was not quite right.

Chen Ling naturally wouldn't reveal the secret, but just smiled helplessly and explained, "Dad, I'm not trying to fool you. I have my own way of raising chickens and ducks to be strong and healthy, and they lay eggs frequently and well. You forgot I'm a veterinarian? Even the professor recognizes me and gave me a certificate."

"Oh, right, right, I forgot about that. You also know how to prepare veterinary medicine."

The son-in-law would use medicine to treat his fish, so raising chickens and ducks would be no problem either. Then he thought about it and it made sense. Some of the chickens and ducks in the house were bought halfway through the year, but Chen Ling still raised them to be strong and healthy. Apart from needing to give them some medicine and two vaccinations on rainy days, they had hardly ever gotten sick.

"Then when you buy livestock again, you might as well buy some back while you're at it."

Speaking of this, remembering that her son-in-law had sold two livestock for another 20,000 yuan, she happily hummed a tune, playing with a bunch of puppies as she swayed and walked behind Chen Ling.

The old man really liked dogs. After bringing the little yellow dog back to the village last year, he left it at Wang Qingzhong's house to guard the house and never brought it back.

Fortunately, my son-in-law's family has quite a few puppies this year, and they are all lively, active, and very fun, so he doesn't need to go to someone else's house to get one anymore.

Back home, we washed the shepherd's purse and the family prepared to make dumplings.

The dug-up wild vegetables should be cleaned thoroughly, removing old, yellow, and withered leaves; the roots are the most fragrant part.

Then wash it with water.

The freshly dug shepherd's purse looked dry and withered, but as soon as you rinsed it with water, it immediately perked up, each plant looking exceptionally fresh, green, and vibrant.

The shepherd's purse was washed, and its fresh, tender green leaves were extremely pleasing to the eye.

Chop it up and use it to season the dumpling filling.

After discussing it with my parents, we decided that apart from planting some vegetables in the afternoon, we didn't have much else to do today, so we would make two kinds of dumpling fillings.

Both vegetarian and meat fillings are used.

For vegetarian filling, simply chop up some shepherd's purse and add it to cooked egg flowers.

You can add fresh pork or beef to the minced meat. Today I added beef. After chopping the meat this time, there's no need to add broth to stir it. Just enjoy the fresh flavor of the shepherd's purse. Don't let the broth overpower the delicious taste of this spring wild vegetable.

After most of the day had passed, the dumplings with both kinds of fillings were finished, and it was just past noon.

After cooking, Chen Ling tasted the dumplings and found that the wild vegetable and egg filling was more fragrant.

When the family tried it, the two elders and Wang Susu both said that the vegetarian dumplings tasted fresher and more refreshing.

Even that rascal Rui Rui only ate the vegetarian dumplings, and he ate three before he was done. Chen Ling chuckled and said that these wild vegetables tasted even better than regular vegetables, and that he had to try all the wild vegetables in the countryside sometime.

Wild vegetables are different from regular vegetables, which you only eat for a few days each year.

Once that time has passed, it cannot be eaten.

For example, Chinese toon and elm seeds, as well as locust flowers and osmanthus flowers.

It doesn't last as long as regular vegetables.

Chinese toon and elm seeds are eaten after winter and when wheat turns green again, but this year Chen Ling only ate Chinese toon and didn't get to eat elm seeds.

He was so busy taking the dog out to play that he missed the best time to eat elm seed rice.

"This brat is just like his father. He's so fond of dogs. He might as well sleep with the dog tonight."

At this moment, Gao Xiulan put her eldest grandson on her lap and gave him a good spanking while Rui Rui was feeding the dog dumplings. In no time, he had almost finished the bowl of beef dumplings.

Unlike the little dog, Heiwa didn't hide from Rui Rui. Rui Rui always liked Heiwa the most, and most of the dumplings ended up in the big, silly dog's belly.

Every time it ate one, Rui Rui would clap its hands and giggle for a while.

At this moment, it stuck out its tongue and smiled憨厚ly, just waiting for Rui Rui to feed it again.

Unfortunately, Rui Rui was restrained by her grandmother and was lying on her grandmother's lap, waving her arms and legs in resistance.

Look at that carefree, giggling face, and the long trail of drool.

It's less of a rebellion and more of a game.

The old lady couldn't bear to hit her grandson hard; the slaps landed on his bottom, but they didn't hurt or itch.

Even after hitting the old lady until her hands were tired, he was still laughing and joking, beckoning Heiwa to come to him.

The old lady was left both amused and exasperated.

Wang Cunye, however, grinned broadly and smiled happily.

I think my eldest grandson is very smart; he's not even ten months old yet and he can already feed the dog.

"Mother, don't mind him, he'll behave himself in a bit."

Wang Susu ladled out a bowl of dumpling soup and, seeing this, said, "If he doesn't behave, I'll make him sleep in the small bed tonight."

Upon hearing this, Rui Rui was stunned, and then burst into tears while lying on her grandmother's lap.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu always talked about the crib, but now he knows that the crib is not a good place. Sleeping alone is not as comfortable as sleeping with his parents.

Seeing this, Wang Cunye laughed even more heartily and said to Chen Ling, "Look, he can understand what Susu is saying about the crib. This child will definitely be smart when he grows up."

Gao Xiulan gave the father-in-law and son-in-law a disapproving look: "You two are still in the mood to joke around, hurry up and come and comfort them. You just ate and you're already crying. What if your stomach gets upset later?"

Chen Ling wasn't worried at all; he had already figured out some clever ways to soothe the child.

So he gestured to Heiwa: "Heiwa, come on, start playing the music."

Heiwa immediately understood, raised his neck and let out a long wolf howl.

As soon as Heiwa barked, the puppies immediately joined in, barking in unison.

The cries of the baby and the shouts of the baby mingled together. Soon, Rui Rui's crying gradually subsided. She turned her head and forgot about her unhappiness. With tears still on her face, she giggled and scratched her little hands as she went to play with Heiwa.

"Alright, no wonder you're so affectionate with the dog. You've turned this dog into something like a toy for your child." Gao Xiulan was amused by the scene.

Wang Susu was used to it; her own dog was very useful, and she would never hesitate to feed it good food.

Then she and Chen Ling busied themselves feeding the dog, and later they would be busy planting vegetables in the garden.

……

Spring fatigue, spring fatigue. I keep saying I have work to do in the afternoon, but after finishing my meal, cleaning up the dishes, making some tea, and sitting in the yard, I just don't want to move.

The spring sunshine was warm and gentle, and since I had just eaten, I felt a little lazy.

Only Rui Rui was full of energy, still playing under the eaves against Heiwa's strong body without showing any signs of fatigue.

The other puppies, including Xiao Jin, were all lying around Chen Ling and the others, squinting their eyes and stretching out lazily on the bluestone slabs to bask in the sun. The little kitten was also nestled under Xiao Jin's belly, stretching out in the same way.

Even Rui Rui's giggles seemed inaudible, her belly rising and falling as she rested in the warm sun with her owner.

After resting until a little after 2 p.m., Rui Rui got tired of playing and fell asleep on Heiwa's big belly.

The adults then got up to prepare to go to work in the fields.

After harvesting the Chinese cabbage and potatoes last winter, the vegetable garden was left to fall into disuse.

Right now, all that's growing is spinach.

We've been tired of eating the same food at home for a long time.

We should hurry up and plant the spring vegetables.

Gao Xiulan and Wang Susu soaked all kinds of vegetable seeds at home. The vegetable seedlings and sweet potato seedlings given by the villagers had been sitting for three or four days. If they didn't plant them soon, they would miss the best time.

Many of the vegetable seedlings in the village were planted in the sweet potato ponds that were dug out when the sweet potato seedlings were being cultivated.

Once the weather gets warmer, just like with sweet potatoes, transplant the seedlings and saplings into the vegetable garden, and they will grow very quickly.

That way, we can eat vegetables sooner.

Otherwise, if you sow the seeds directly, you have to "harden the seedlings." "Hardening the seedlings" means that you should not water the seedlings for a certain period of time after sowing the vegetable seeds. This will allow the roots of the seedlings to grow deep and promote root development, and prevent the stems and leaves from growing too fast. Vegetables grown this way will grow well and have a high yield.

Some vegetables are prone to disease during the seedling stage. If this is detected during seedling cultivation, the affected vegetables can be picked out in time when transplanting them to the vegetable garden.

For example, this applies to eggplants and tomatoes. Transplanting seedlings is even better.

There's no need for chives or chili peppers; you can sow the seeds directly after soaking them.

Before planting vegetables, you need to press down the sweet potato vines first.

Sweet potatoes don't need to be planted in large quantities; like winter potatoes, half an acre is enough, and they grow very quickly.

When Chen Ling took out the sweet potato vines, Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan were very surprised: "These sweet potato vines have been sitting for three or four days. We were worried that the leaves would turn yellow. Look at them, they are so green and healthy. They are not wilted at all, but they are quite vigorous with many upright leaves."

"Yes, I put them behind the kitchen, covered them with a layer of soil, and watered them a little, just in case they wilted." Chen Ling nodded. With their own environment, even if they didn't water them or do anything else, these seedlings wouldn't wilt.

Transporting fertilizer, turning the soil, loosening the soil, and transplanting rice seedlings.

After working for about three hours, all the sweet potato seedlings on half an acre of land were planted.

The remaining 1.5 acres of land were planted with seedlings of several kinds of vegetables, such as eggplant and tomatoes.

Seeds for chives, loofah, and cucumbers were also scattered.

The two-acre vegetable garden was planted in less than four hours, thanks to Zhou Weijun, Yu Qi'an, and two others who came back from their outings and had nothing to do, so they came to help. Otherwise, they wouldn't have finished until dark.

The two-acre vegetable garden was enough to feed several families. But Chen Ling wasn't satisfied. He also planted some climbing melons and vegetables at the farm and his home in the village, scattering all kinds of seeds before stopping.

If we can't finish eating, we pickle vegetables; if we don't want to pickle vegetables, we sell them. We always feel like something's missing if we don't grow some vegetables and flowers at home.

He even decided to put grape trellises on the farm's corridors.

(End of this chapter)