My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 407 I'll still shower you with affection

"Boom-boom--"

In the afternoon, Chen Ling had just stepped out of the farm when he heard a strange bird call.

Besides the bird calls, the faint sounds of children laughing and talking, and the soft barking of dogs could also be heard.

Chen Ling walked past the stone pavilion and bamboo grove, then looked into the orchard.

It turned out that Wang Zhenzhen and Liu Ni'er, along with their group of dogs (except for Erhei), and a large pack of local dogs from the village, were chasing moorhens in the grass near the stream with sticks and slingshots.

Unlike domestic chickens, which run around here and scratch there, or white cranes, which fly in the sky and stand by the water, rails are not like domestic chickens.

The moorhen rarely appears during the day, usually hiding in the lush grass and tall reeds by the water. Sometimes it will come out to forage for food, looking for things like toads, tadpoles, water crickets, leeches, loaches, and small eels swimming by the water. But it is very timid and will run away quickly if there is any noise.

"Da Mao, Er Mao, hurry and chase them, hurry and chase them..."

Seeing that the moorhen was startled, it darted out from the grass and quickly disappeared.

It's too fast; the slingshot can't hit it.

She quickly called the puppies to chase after it.

Liu Nier and her gang even used sticks to swing and knock them, trying to kill the moorhens that ran out of the grass like they were rats.

But this moorhen is also very clever and slippery.

Seeing how fierce the little kids were, they couldn't run away and just took flight with a flapping sound.

However, it couldn't fly very high; it just flew close to the tips of the grass, flying a few feet away before landing and swiftly escaping again.

However, while this allowed them to evade the attacks of the little kids, it made it difficult to completely escape the encirclement and interception of the pack of dogs.

Chen Ling's puppies, along with the village dogs, formed a large pack that barked and chased after them.

The orchard was disturbed, causing flocks of birds to take flight and moorhens to squawk and scatter in all directions, hiding and running wildly.

However, the puppies keenly noticed that Chen Ling was approaching.

After catching the rails, he excitedly carried them over, one by one, and they circled around him excitedly, tucking their ears behind their backs, wagging their tails, and humming.

"Brother-in-law, have Da Mao and the others bring the moorhens over. We want to see how many we caught in total."

Wang Zhenzhen waved from afar and shouted.

Beside her was Xizi, her ever-present follower, carrying a small bamboo basket filled with the harvest of their group.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling waved his hand, pointed forward to the puppies, and said, "Go, carry it over."

Then, following behind the pack of dogs that had run away, I walked up to the group of children.

"Zhenzhen, you always run around and are never home after Sunday. Who did you eat lunch at today?"

"It's Xizi's house. Baoshuan's stewed moorhen is quite delicious. He said he got the seasonings from our house and stewed it with wild mushrooms. It's not fishy at all."

Wang Zhenzhen chuckled, then squatted down and reached out to snatch the moorhens one by one from Da Mao and the others' mouths.

Liu Ni'er and her gang were excitedly calling out to Uncle Fugui, already holding the moorhens caught by the dogs that had been following them, grinning as they surrounded him to show them.

These rails are called chickens, but they are not actually chickens; they are just a type of waterbird that looks like a chick.

Its body is about the size of a young rooster when it has just molted and grown a small comb. It has a short tail, long and thin legs, and its whole body is mottled brown with obvious, thick black horizontal stripes on its wings.

Simply put, it looks a bit like a quail.

But a rail weighs about a pound, much more than a quail, which weighs only two or three ounces.

"Not bad, not bad, we've caught almost ten in such a short time."

Chen Ling nodded approvingly. The moorhens are incredibly clever this season; they run and fly fast, and ordinary dogs can't catch them.

Even his own puppies didn't all get anything.

It's quite impressive that we managed to catch so many despite the encirclement and pursuit.

"These many water crickets are enough for you to play with, and enough for you to share..."

After praising them, Chen Ling reminded them, "However, the moorhens have just paired up at this time, and they will start laying eggs in ten days to half a month. You should try to avoid harming them."

"When they lay eggs in a while, we can go to the riverbank to collect some tadpoles and take them home to hatch chicks. Wouldn't that be more fun than this?"

The rail is very timid. When people in the village talk about cowardly people, they often say that the person is as cowardly as a rail.

But despite its timid nature, this thing doesn't really damage crops.

So people usually just collect a few moorhen eggs and catch a couple of moorhens in autumn and winter to satisfy their cravings.

They don't damage crops, and people don't over-treat them.

"Huh? Is the moorhen about to lay its egg?"

"Then I understand, Uncle Fugui..."

"No wonder I used to see little moorhens running around everywhere when I went swimming in the river during summer vacation. It turns out they lay eggs so late."

"..."

The little children chattered away.

However, they still listen to what Chen Ling says, and sometimes it's even more effective than what their parents say.

Wang Zhenzhen was the same way.

Many people in the village say that Chen Ling is the king of the kids.

"Fugui, are you taking the children hunting again?"

At this moment, Zhao Dahai led a group of people down the mountain. The power lines in the village had been completed recently, and only the ones on the mountain remained. They had been busy with this work on various mountain peaks for the past few days, and were practically invisible to the naked eye.

Chen Ling chuckled: "This is hardly hunting, just catching a few water pheasants. How's the power line setup coming along? Almost done?"

"Alright, damn it, after more than a month of work, it's finally over."

Zhao Dahai wiped his sweat, his dark red face full of fatigue: "Look at me, I've lost a lot of weight again. Zhenzhen, do you think Fatty Brother has lost weight?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhenzhen tilted her head and carefully examined him, then nodded and chuckled, "You've lost weight. Before, Fatty, your belly was so wide it was twice the size of my brother-in-law's. Now it's less than one and a half. Hehe, my brother-in-law even said that if you ever got a cut on your stomach before, the knife would be buried in fat and no blood would come out for ages..."

She laughed and gestured, making Zhao Dahai's face turn red with embarrassment: "You little rascal, you've been corrupted by your brother-in-law."

The workers behind Zhao Dahai burst into laughter upon seeing this.

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Stop slandering me. Have you eaten yet? If not, come to my house for something to eat."

"No, I won't go home. We agreed this morning that after I finish up on the mountain, your brigade will provide meals."

Zhao Dahai waved his hand and led his men into the village.

Chen Ling was also going to Er Mao Donkey's house, so he went with them. Behind him followed a group of little kids carrying waterhens, jumping and running around, never still for a moment.

Zhao Dahai and Chen Ling were talking when Zhao Dahai became very interested after learning what Chen Ling was going to do in the village.

"Oh, so you're going to help someone put nose rings on a cow? The one where the cow ran away last night, right? Okay, I'll grab a bite and head over. I've never seen anyone put nose rings on a cow before."

"Then you'd better hurry up and come over."

"Don't worry, have you forgotten how fast I eat?" Wang Zhenzhen and Liu Ni'er's group found the idea of ​​putting nose rings on cows even more intriguing.

For many years, the village hasn't pierced the noses of its cattle; nowadays, most people raise donkeys.

Because donkeys are versatile and can pull carts, plow fields, and grind grain, the village's cattle and horses were gradually sold off.

After the paddy fields were gone, water buffaloes were rarely seen for several years.

Now that they've suddenly heard they're going to put nose rings on cows, aren't they incredibly excited?

They hurried home to retrieve their assigned moorhens, then rushed to Er Mao Donkey's house without stopping.

Chen Ling himself came out after lunch.

They left early and arrived at Er Mao Lu's house, but Chen Yuqiang and his brother hadn't arrived yet.

However, a group of children had already gathered under the big tree and on the wall outside Er Mao Donkey's door, running over to watch the excitement like little monkeys.

A while later, Chen Yuqiang and his brother arrived together.

They have a godparent relationship with Er Maolu's family. Chen Yuqiang recognizes Er Maolu as his godfather, so when Er Maolu's family had two sons working away from home and only their youngest son was at home, they called the two brothers over to help.

"Er Mao Lv, couldn't you just call Ying Qiang and Yu Qiang over? Why did you have to call Fu Gui over too? Can't the four of you control one calf?"

"Exactly, just tie the cow's head to a pillar and its hooves, and you'll have no trouble holding it down."

Besides those who came to help, there were also villagers who came out with bowls of food, eating while watching the commotion, making sarcastic remarks as they ate.

When Ermaolv heard such words, he glared at them and said, "You make it sound so easy. If you're so capable, then try it."

To be frank, his cow is really not easy to handle.

Generally, calves that have grown to this size are at a lively and mischievous stage.

Anyone who has raised livestock knows that farm calves and lambs are often mischievous when they are young.

Let's not talk about the little lambs; although they're lively and energetic, they're not very harmful.

This calf is no good. They say a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. At this age, it is too young to understand anything and doesn't know what's good or bad.

If you're not careful, they can run into the fields and become a huge menace, eating and wasting everything in their path, inevitably ruining a large area of ​​crops.

But Er Mao's little yellow ox wasn't just mischievous; it was also stubborn and particularly unruly.

Sure enough, after Zhao Dahai finished eating and rushed over, Er Maolu saw another fat man arrive, so he didn't linger any longer and prepared to go home to put a nose ring on the little yellow cow.

The group had barely closed the gate and hadn't even gone over when the little yellow calf lying in the south shed sensed danger. It jumped up, bellowing, and ran wildly around the yard, getting faster and faster as it tried to rush out.

The villagers watching from outside the gate were completely dumbfounded; even two or three people couldn't hold down such a cow.

That makes sense. With so many people coming and making such a commotion, it must have been on guard long ago.

After all, he had been arrested once before, so it's normal for him to react strongly.

Fortunately, Chen Ling and the others had pitchforks and straw pitchforks in front of them. With these sharp objects blocking their way, the little yellow calf dared not charge in front of them.

Before long, he was cornered against the wall by the group of people.

Then you held the cow's head, I grabbed its legs, and the six of us worked together to finally bring the stubborn little yellow cow to the ground.

After laying it down, Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai used their strength and weight to press down on the calf, preventing it from getting up. Meanwhile, Er Mao and his son took the opportunity to tie up the calf's head and four hooves...

Even so, the stubborn little ox was still struggling desperately, mooing incessantly, and its four bound hooves were still trying to kick.

"Brother Donkey, why isn't this ox tied up again?"

Chen Ling remembered that the last time he caught the cow, it was tied up with a rope, and it was tied very tightly.

Ermao Donkey sighed, "Oh, don't even mention it. This ox is stubborn. Once it's tied up, it won't eat or drink. Beating it doesn't work, and it brays day and night. It's annoying enough that it won't eat or drink, but I was worried it would starve and cause trouble. In the end, I had no choice but to untie it."

Zhao Dahai was also dumbfounded: "Goodness, he's gotten this stubborn."

"That's right. It worried me to death the other day. Now I'm afraid that after I put a nose ring on it, it won't eat or drink."

Wang Wenchao also sighed and said, "Uncle Fugui, if the cow really stops eating and drinking, do you have any ideas? You raise your livestock so well, and you know how to treat them."

Chen Ling thought for a moment and said, "There is a way, and it's simple. Don't keep this kind of cow cooped up at home; take it out and let it graze with other cows..."

"There are so many cattle farmers in our village now, and a large herd of them grazes on the riverbank every day. Just take your cow there and let it spend some time with those other cattle."

This method surprised not only Er Maolu and his son, but also the Chen brothers and Zhao Dahai: "It's that simple? Will it really work?"

“Okay, this half-grown calf is just like a little kid who hasn’t grown up at home. If you don’t let him go out and run around with other kids, and he’s cooped up at home all day, how can he not cause trouble? So it’s better to let him out. Once he’s out there, they’ll all be together happily, eating and drinking well, and nothing will happen.”

Chen Ling made a simple analogy.

To put it simply, this can be called "socialization".

This applies to most poultry, livestock, and wild birds and beasts.

"Hey, now that you mention it, you really are right. I'm relieved."

Er Maolu's eyes lit up immediately, and he relaxed. He quickly had Chen Yuqiang and his brother press the cow's head firmly to the ground, then he took out a bamboo skewer that he had already sharpened, pried open the cow's nose, and stabbed it hard.

This thrust pierced right through the soft flesh of the cow's nose.

While the calf was trembling with pain and bellowing loudly, he pulled out the bamboo skewer, took the nose ring handed to him by Wang Wenchao, inserted the prepared nose ring into the hole, fastened the nose ring, and tied the reins. That did the trick.

Ermaolv has been raising livestock for many years and is very nimble. All his movements are done in one go and very quickly.

The adults and children who had gathered around the wall and outside the courtyard to watch the spectacle began to shout and cheer.

They either jumped off the wall or pushed open the door, rushing into the courtyard to see how effective the nose ring was.

The little yellow calf with the nose ring, after the pain subsided, kept sticking out its tongue to lick the ring on its nose.

"Wow, you really went all out, making such a sturdy nose ring. Was it made by Zhang the blacksmith in the county town?"

"Yes, Old Zhang's craftsmanship is excellent. This nose ring can last for several years. My cow is hard to manage, so a good nose ring will save us the trouble of taking it off later."

Ermao Donkey responded and untied the rope binding the little yellow calf's head.

Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai also went to untie the ropes from the cow's hooves.

"Huh, this is a female calf. Female calves are so stubborn. I've heard that bulls are usually the ones with bad tempers."

When Zhao Dahai went to untie the rope on the hind hoof, he glanced between the legs of the little yellow ox and immediately clicked his tongue in amazement.

No sooner had he said that than, the little yellow calf, relieved of its pain and fright, suddenly stretched out its hind legs and excreted its feces and urine.

The cow dung was fine; it all landed on the ground. But the urine that gushed out instantly soaked Zhao Dahai's trouser leg, catching him completely off guard.

Zhao Dahai was immediately terrified and hurriedly dodged: "Damn it, this little thief is so wicked, is he bullying an honest person?"

As he spoke, he angrily kicked the little yellow ox, then looked down and saw that his right trouser leg was completely wet.

This scene immediately drew laughter from the adults and children all over the yard.

Chen Ling couldn't help but laugh, joining the others in joking, "Serves you right for being so frivolous! So what if you're a little cow? Does that mean you can't pee on a little cow? It'll still pee all over you."

Hearing this, everyone laughed even harder, saying that Zhao Dahai was the one who told him to go and stare at that cow's butt.

(End of this chapter)