My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 389 No rush

Vegetable gardens are not only infested with pests like aphids, but also with larger snails, noodle worms, mole crickets, grubs, grasshoppers, and so on.

However, these pests are easy to deal with and do not require pesticides to kill them. On the contrary, aphids are too small and need to be treated with wood ash.

Because the larger ones are all eaten by birds in the evening or early morning when pests are less active.

Besides, with so many birds near the farm, these pests simply can't get rampant.

So the larger insects don't need to be taken care of.

After watering the eggplants, it's time to get busy turning over the sweet potato vines.

At this point, talking about turning over the rice seedlings isn't quite appropriate.

The sweet potato vines have grown quite large by now; we should say "turn over the sweet potato vines."

Turning over sweet potato vines after rain is simply to prevent them from coming into contact with the moist ground and growing secondary roots.

Once it takes root and grows.

These secondary roots will grow into small sweet potato whips, which are not only inedible, but will also steal nutrients from the main rootstock, thus reducing yield.

We cannot let this go unchecked.

Eggplants need to be watered after rain, sweet potatoes need their vines turned over, scallions need their ditches sealed, and tomatoes need their tips and branches removed.

Now, it's time to put trellises on the cucumbers, green beans, and tomatoes.

The thin bamboo sticks used for the frame were made from locally available materials.

Select bamboo of suitable thickness and length, cut it down, remove the side branches, sharpen the root tip, and insert it into the soil.

Each seedling is tied with a thin stick, and four sticks in two rows are crossed to form a bunch. They are then tied together with rope, and a stick is placed horizontally across the top of each bunch to the adjacent bunch.

So, rows of frames were set up.

All of these tasks require bending over and bending over, and all of them must be done by hand.

Besides the mental and physical effort, one also needs enough patience to slowly enjoy the fun and savor the taste of farming.

The family was busy until noon when Xiao Mianyang arrived in his aquatic product truck, bringing a truckload of fish fry and the money from the sale of the ornamental fish.

After releasing the fish fry into the pond, Chen Ling invited him to have a meal with him.

I also inquired about some matters.

I'm mainly concerned about the road conditions in the vicinity.

Since they'll be going to the city in seven or eight days, it's better to ask beforehand to be on the safe side.

"Uncle Fugui, the fish in this village are almost ready to grow. I need to transport them soon. Don't let the salted eggs be delayed. How about we add another trip this month?"

The little lamb was worried that if she got too busy, she wouldn't have time to deliver salted eggs to the city anymore.

"It's alright, there's no delay involved. Just focus on delivering the fish, one thing at a time."

Chen Ling smiled. This kid was quite honest and reliable, with no ulterior motives, so he didn't want to rush him or treat him like an animal.

"But isn't the Dragon Boat Festival next month? The salted egg business will definitely be booming during that time..."

I didn't expect the little lamb to have its own considerations.

Chen Ling was taken aback by what he heard, thinking that the kid was right, but there was no need to be in such a hurry.

"How about this, we won't load the salted eggs onto the truck anymore. You can transport them by the basket. When you're transporting the fish, you can bring a basket along as well. It'll just mean we'll have to come a few more times, and it'll save you the trouble of making a special trip. What do you say?"

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, Uncle Fugui." Little Sheep grinned foolishly. He had been earning a lot of money from shipping lately and was very grateful to Chen Ling, so he was genuinely thinking about Chen Ling's side.

"Oh, right, Uncle Fugui, I brought you a cat, it's still locked up in the car."

While continuing to eat and drink, the boy suddenly slapped his forehead, got up and ran outside. A little while later he came back with an iron cage containing a large orange cat, which warily surveyed everything on the farm.

"Is it a female cat?"

"Yes, it was caught from a fish shop. It just happened to be in heat. I heard that you, Uncle Fugui, were looking for female cats everywhere in the spring, so I had someone catch it and bring it back."

"Haha, that's great! It's rare that you still remember something I did for you."

Chen Ling chuckled and squatted down to take a look. The orange cat did indeed show signs of being in heat. He was too lazy to touch the strange cat, so he simply took the cage to the backyard, put it together with another male civet cat, and locked them up together.

As for the previous couple, they've already mated, and after several nights of squeaking and chattering, she should be pregnant by now.

Cats are number three and dogs are number four. In about another month, they should have kittens.

After settling the cat and sending the lamb away, Chen Ling planned to take a stroll around Laohewan in the afternoon to look for wild duck eggs. If he didn't find any, he would take the dog into the mountains to look for them the next day and also visit the wolf cubs.

"Mom, mom~"

Before I even left the house, Rui Rui's loud, sweet voice reached my ears.

Chen Ling looked over and saw Gao Xiulan squatting beside the sand pile, pointing to the photos and teaching him to recognize people.

A straw mat was laid on the sand pile, and Rui Rui sat there with Heiwa in her arms, surrounded by various small toys.

He was holding a small leather hammer that made a "squeak" sound when it was hit, and he was hitting Heiwa back and forth while tilting his little head to look at the people in the photo.

When Gao Xiulan pointed to Wang Susu, he grinned, stretched out his little hand, and called out "Mommy" with shining eyes.

When Gao Xiulan pointed to Chen Ling, his performance was much better than before. He could make a few indistinct sounds, but they were far less clear than when he called for his mother.

Chen Ling was very anxious, so he went over and personally guided him to call out.

He was referring to both the photograph and himself, and he patiently guided her: "Come on, Rui Rui, learn from me, Bo, ah, Dad, Daddy."

Unfortunately, this brat was too playful. Instead of learning to speak properly, he found Chen Ling's tone of voice when teaching him to speak very interesting and couldn't help but laugh.

The little creature tilted its head back to look at Chen Ling, letting out a long, clear laugh while shaking a small, rattling mallet in its hand, as if it were dancing with joy.

There's no way around it; Chen Ling, his father, likes to play with him and tease him, and he's gotten used to it. Once he starts teaching him seriously, he doesn't feel comfortable and still thinks he's just being played with.

That's how it is now.

Although the little thing is unreliable, its adorable, baby-like appearance makes it impossible to get angry with it.

Especially when he smiles, his pink gums and clean, white teeth are revealed in his little mouth, which are incredibly endearing against his fair and smooth face.

Chen Ling was even somewhat defeated by this brat. He not only couldn't muster a single thought of resentment, but also couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, truly unable to do anything about him.

"Don't worry, he'll learn when he's a little older. Didn't your father say that Zhenzhen will be a late bloomer when he starts calling people?" Gao Xiulan comforted him when she saw his helpless expression.

"I know mother."

Chen Ling nodded and smiled: "Come on, Rui Rui, Daddy will take you out to find duck eggs."

He reached out to hug her, but Rui Rui got tired of playing with the little rubber hammer, stuffed it under Heiwa's belly, and then leaned forward, supporting herself with her two chubby little hands on the straw mat. She crawled forward quickly, her knees shuffling along.

He quickly climbed to the pile of toys and started rummaging through them again.

Alright, he's never still for a moment, I'm not taking him with me anymore.

(End of this chapter)