My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 433

"How's it going, Fugui? You've been keeping your net up all day, have you caught any wild pigeons yet?"

Rui Rui and a group of children were messing with an ant nest under a tree when the villagers, who were rushing to the dinner table, stared at Chen Ling's two large bird nets and asked him a question.

"No, I haven't seen many wild pigeons. I haven't had a chance to go up and stake out these past few days, and I haven't caught a single one..."

Chen Ling originally wanted to use his two pigeons as decoys to lure wild pigeons to the vicinity of the bird net, but this would require someone to stake out the area.

He hasn't put much thought into this these past few days, which is also because there are fewer wild pigeons than other birds.

If they were as diverse as turtledoves, and came in large flocks all at once, it would save him a lot of trouble.

Wang Lixian said, "Actually, there are quite a few wild pigeons. It's just that these guys fly far and change places frequently. They rarely stay in one place to find food. They also like to fly in the sky. In the morning and evening, there are flocks of ten or twenty pigeons in the sky..."

"Right now, the wheat is almost ripe, and they come to eat it too. But compared to the clumsy pigeons, they are much smarter; they usually avoid people."

"That's right."

Chen Ling nodded, thinking that it seemed he still had to get up early and squat.

"Haha, Li Xian really knows this... Fu Gui, you have so many birds here, basically all kinds of birds, why do you specifically look for wild pigeons? Are they valuable too?"

"Well, I really can't say whether this is valuable or not. I haven't looked into it. I'm just raising it for fun, hoping to train it into a homing pigeon. If you want to raise them too, just follow my lead online."

"Ah, you raise homing pigeons? We can't raise them."

Upon hearing this, many people lost interest.

Are pigeons difficult to raise? They're not that difficult, but they're not commonly raised in the mountains.

Moreover, if you raise too many pigeons, they like to land on the roof, and their claws are restless and they can flip over the roof tiles, which can cause trouble when it rains heavily.

In this area, raising chickens and ducks is quite common, but I've never heard of anyone raising pigeons. Only someone like Chen Ling, who has the leisure and inclination, would do that.

While the adults were chatting, Ya Ya rushed to Chen Ling's side, tilted her little head up, and loudly complained, "Uncle, Rui Rui is being unhygienic again. He peed in the ant nest and mixed his urine with mud."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling quickly turned his head to look.

Wang Lixian and the others didn't care and laughed along, saying, "Playing with mud. Who didn't play with that when they were kids? Look how anxious you are, Fugui."

When Chen Ling saw that her son was mixing mud with a small stick, she looked away with relief and smiled.

Indeed, little kids only care about playing; they don't care about cleanliness or hygiene.

"Alright, Yaya, you take him to wash his hands later, and I'll take you to play in the village."

Chen Ling patted the little girl on the back of the head and smiled slightly.

The Zhao Dahai and Shanmao families went to the village to find someone to build thatched huts.

He was going to find Chen Sangui to make some beehives later, so he could take the kids to play with them while he was there.

However, before they could even set off, Zhao Dahai and his men arrived with their entourage.

We need to go up the mountain to cut bamboo.

Chen Ling thought, "Let's go to the mountain then," so he picked up his son, called a bunch of little kids, and followed them.

“I’m going too. It’s almost Dragon Boat Festival, so I should make some baskets and get some new bamboo chairs to go to the temple fair in the county town.” Chen Dazhi put down his rice bowl and followed along.

He is a bamboo craftsman, or bamboo weaver, who specializes in making everyday farm tools, including brooms, baskets, tables, chairs and benches.

In the spring, she also helped Yu Qi'an and others weave birdcages, and her craftsmanship was very exquisite.

They would set up stalls to sell their wares at market days and temple fairs.

"Oh, Dazhi, I almost forgot. My bamboo tray is also broken. Last year when I was drying goji berries, a bunch of bastard magpies messed it up and made it fall off the roof. I'll go cut some bamboo and weave a couple."

As soon as Chen Ling and Chen Dazhi set off, the others followed suit to join in the fun.

Along the way, someone asked, "Fugui, you contracted this bamboo forest too, right? With so many of us coming up the mountain, we don't want you to cut down our bamboo and cause trouble."

"Haha, it's alright. Many of you haven't been to that bamboo forest, it's huge. Besides, bamboo is meant to be cut down for use. As long as you don't dig up the roots, what harm can it cause?"

As long as the rhizomes growing underground are still there, even if all the bamboo above ground is cut down, it won't be long before it grows back.

Besides, there are plenty of tall, old bamboo groves in such a large area, they wouldn't need many of them.

If you don't go to the mountain lake, there are many bamboo groves in the Stone Gully on the west side of Beishan Mountain, the place where Chen Ling first encountered the red muntjac.

However, those bamboos are quite thin, about the size of a human finger, and are generally suitable for building trellises for fruits and vegetables, or for planting small fences in vegetable gardens.

If used as a proper building material, it wouldn't be needed for things like bamboo weaving.

There are many kinds of bamboo, but it can grow tall but not thick. It can only grow to the same thickness as a certain variety.

Therefore, the bamboo from the Yamanaka Lake area is still better.

"No wonder our two old men like this place. The scenery here is really nice. It's so hot in the village in the afternoon, but this place is similar to Fugui's farm. It's very cool and there's a lake view."

Upon arriving at the mountain lake, Lynx, carrying a wood-chopping knife in one hand and with his other hand on his hip, said...

Zhao Dahai nodded in agreement: "That's right, I'd be happy to live here in the summer too."

Just as he finished speaking, a splash suddenly appeared on the lakeshore, startling the fat man. "My god, what's that thing in the water? Could there be a lake monster in this lake?"

"What water monster? It's just a big turtle laying eggs by the water," Wang Lixian said calmly, poking at the grass on the lakeshore with a stick.

Then he said to Chen Ling, "This Savage Gully used to be bottomless, but now it's full of water, and you never know what might be inside."

"Yeah yeah."

Chen Ling echoed his agreement.

Actually, this was the old turtle he released, the offspring of Garlic.

I never expected that they would start laying eggs just a few days after they were released.

"That head is pretty big. How about we come over tonight and catch it? We can make turtle soup and take all its eggs too?" Zhao Dahai's eyes lit up and he drooled when he heard it was a big turtle.

He had heard Chen Ling say that it was easier to catch the egg-laying turtle at night because it doesn't lay all its eggs at once.

Moreover, turtles are quite cautious during the egg-laying period and usually come out at night to lay their eggs.

Just wait for it to come to the place where it lays its eggs; that's the best time to catch it.

"All you know is eating. You've been in the mountains for so long and you still don't know the rules?"

The lynx kicked him: "We don't kill female turtles in the summer, nor do we kill turtles with cubs, let alone such a big old turtle, we definitely can't kill it."

"Hehe, I was just kidding."

Zhao Dahai chuckled, then walked behind the bamboo grove and casually remarked, "When cutting bamboo, shouldn't we cut it a little higher up? If we cut too close to the root, won't we easily damage it?"

Everyone laughed, and Chen Ling patted him on the shoulder and said, "You're putting your knowledge to good use, Brother Dahai. But the bamboo is fine. Like I said, if you don't dig up the roots, you don't have to worry."

Then put Rui Rui down and let the group of little kids go play a little further away.

He also carried a wood-chopping knife, picked out a suitable bamboo, and then chopped it off with a sharp crack, cutting down a large bamboo stalk with its thick top of branches and leaves.

Perhaps because there were many people and a lot of noise, the two mountain donkeys never appeared, even after they carried the bamboo down the mountain.

"There are quite a few red-billed jade birds here... Huh? What kind of bird is that? It looks like a big idiot, wandering around here all by itself."

"Qingzhuang, that's where they usually go about their own business."

"Yes, some of them often go to the stream behind my farm to eat fish, and I'm too lazy to bother with them."

Although there were many water birds, the water generally had a strong fishy smell, so Chen Ling was too lazy to catch them and just enjoyed them as scenery.

However, during the breeding season, waterbirds are more annoying than other wild birds because they chirp incessantly, which is quite noisy.

Fortunately, it didn't last long, and once you get used to it, it becomes quite interesting.

Just as they were talking, as they came down from the North Mountain, a commotion broke out in the orchard.

A large, straw-yellow cat darted out of the grass with a gray waterbird in its mouth, followed by a flock of geese fiercely chasing after it with outstretched wings.

"Wow, your goose is fierce! It even dares to chase a civet cat!" Wang Lixian exclaimed.

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed. "This mountain weasel has been stealing chickens and dogs for years. Last winter, after it snowed, it had nothing to eat, so it ate all the cabbages in my cellar and the steamed buns in the kitchen."

"Wow, that's wild."

"Yeah, I'm starving..." "Lingzi, what's that coming over here, making the goose all fuss?"

Wang Cunye, holding a sheep-driving whip, led a pack of large dogs, their tongues lolling out and their faces full of excitement as they sniffed around, hurriedly approaching.

"The mountain cat came to catch the water birds and startled the goose."

Geese are quite fierce. Keeping them at home can help guard the house and keep out rats and weasels, but they generally can't keep out civets.

It's just that Chen Ling's family raises a lot of geese, and if anything goes into their territory, they will chase after it like crazy.

Wang Cunye was taken aback: "It can't be that big thieving cat again, can it?"

"Hmm, it looks like it is." Chen Ling was also helpless. That sneaky fat cat had a special connection with his family. The two litters of civets in the orchard were its offspring.

The little tabby cat that hangs out with the dogs at home is also its offspring.

But no one recognizes it anymore; they chase after it and bite it, and even try to fight it.

They fight fiercely, and it's clear they're going to kill.

And that's how it is; this big thieving cat still comes to loiter around the farm every few days.

Chen Ling had secretly thought more than once, "If this thief hadn't had good genes, with that kind of mischievousness, he would have been bitten to death by a dog long ago."

This creature was entirely yellowish-brown and not particularly pretty, but its offspring, whether kittens or the two male civets, all had beautiful fur.

So Chen Ling spared its life, to see how its next litter would fare.

If it looks good, I'll catch another one to raise.

Since it's going to suffer in the wild anyway, it's better to keep it on a farm.

"Hey, this big thief cat has really set its sights on this place."

Wang Cunye sighed, then turned around and called out twice. Erhei and the others excitedly drove the flock of sheep over.

Heiwa and Xiaojin were circling around Ruirui.

"Rui Rui, come on, let's go herd sheep with Grandpa."

Wang Cunye put on a straw hat, raised his whip, and with a smile from the little baby, followed Chen Ling and the others towards the village.

Chenwangzhuang has two steep slopes, one high on the north side and one low on the south side.

The terrain inside and outside the village is clearly visible.

However, within the village, due to the villagers' house construction and other renovations, it has become less noticeable than outside the village.

In fact, these two steep slopes extend for a long time, with one located behind the school and the large pond.

The slope is planted with many trees, and the grass under the trees is lush and green. There are also small plots of farmland that have been cultivated, mostly for growing crops such as cotton, soybeans, mung beans, and sorghum, or some vegetables.

It's also a great place for villagers to graze their sheep and cattle, and for children to play.

Zhao Yubao and his group chose some flat areas on the slope to build their houses.

However, they now plan to follow Chen Ling's advice and build two thatched huts first.

They also said that these two slopes are no less beautiful than the bamboo forest in the mountain lake. Such large grassy slopes, with lush green grass, would be perfect with just a simple arrangement. If they were all covered with flowers, trees and shrubs, without any crops, they would even have a bit of the atmosphere of Western European countries.

Seeing Chen Ling and the others carrying bamboo over, and knowing that Zhao Yubao and the others were also building their houses on this side of the slope, Wang Cunye drove his cattle and sheep over to join in the fun.

Because Chen Ling wanted to add two more beehives, he released some bees from the cave and put down the bamboo. Then, carrying his son and leading Ya Ya, he went to the village to find Chen Sangui to build a few more beehives.

The flowers and trees growing outside the farm wall are now as dense and lush as a fence. Some flowers bloom in the morning, some in the evening, and some bloom all day long. Bees fly around busily every day, making it quite lively.

Wang Susu didn't have much of a feeling for bees; she mainly liked flowers and plants, and enjoyed the atmosphere of bees and butterflies surrounding them.

The young couple seemed to have come to the same conclusion without prior consultation.

For an old carpenter like Chen Sangui, making beehives was a piece of cake.

Chen Ling held Rui Rui, who was as curious as a baby, and watched for a while before returning to her home in the village.

At this moment, Wang Zhenzhen, along with Xizi and Yaya, took a bottle of grasshoppers and fed them to the birds.

Upon seeing this, Rui Rui quickly struggled to get down from his arms and rushed over to play with him.

Chen Ling ignored them and went inside to help Wang Susu tidy up the pharmacy.

Store the dried medicinal herbs in the medicine cabinet, then pour the herbs that need to be dried into round bamboo trays and place them under the grape trellis.

Many Chinese medicinal herbs need to be dried, but they cannot be exposed to direct sunlight.

"These medicinal herbs are being used up pretty quickly..." Chen Ling noticed that many herbs were only half left.

This means I have to go into the mountains to collect herbs again, but it's a good thing nonetheless.

This proves that although Wang Susu's pharmacy may seem inconspicuous on the surface, it can still sustain itself through steady, long-term growth.

Going back inside, I opened Wang Susu's ledger, which had been filled with accounts from the past six months; it was quite thick.

The outstanding debts weren't much; the main things were the symptoms and medications, which I remembered very carefully.

Chen Ling chuckled upon seeing this, thinking that after the Dragon Boat Festival, he would hurry to the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs after harvesting the wheat.

My wife likes to make this, so we can't be without the medicinal herbs we use every day.

Just as he put the ledger back in the drawer, the curtain by the door was lifted, and a little head popped in, grinning at him: "Uncle Fugui, wanna go catching scorpions tonight? It's cool at night, take Rui Rui with you to play!"

"Huh? Liu Ni'er, when did you get here? I didn't hear you making a racket in the yard."

"Uncle Fugui, you're wronging me. When did I yell?"

Liu Nier cried out loudly in protest.

Suddenly a small figure ran over, trying to enter the room from his side, but was blocked by the curtain.

The little head was pressed against the floral curtain, and the little person was struggling under it, trying to squeeze through. The little head and hands were bulging under the curtain, moving from left to right, but they just couldn't get out.

"Hey? Rui Rui, what are you doing here?"

Liu Nier glanced over and quickly went to help him lift the curtain.

Unexpectedly, the little one, with the curtain hanging over his head, was making loud "ee-ya" noises and trying to step over the threshold with one little foot. With this movement, the little thing lost its footing and fell flat on its bottom inside the threshold.

The little thing didn't know what was going on yet. Sitting on the ground, it looked at Liu Nier with a blank expression, and then at Chen Ling.

After recognizing Chen Ling, she immediately giggled and pointed outside, exclaiming, "Dad~"

"What's wrong? What's going on outside?"

Chen Ling walked over, picked him up, and patted the dirt off his body.

"Aunt~"

"Haha, is it because your aunt doesn't want you to play?"

Liu Ni'er chimed in, "No, it's Uncle Fugui. It's Auntie and two women talking outside the door. Rui Rui called them 'Auntie.' Also, Boss Sun, who buys fish from our village, is here. He seems to be looking for you."

"Then why don't you mention this? You come here and immediately ask me to catch scorpions." Chen Ling flicked him on the forehead.

"Hehe, Uncle Fugui, I originally came to you to catch scorpions. I want to save up money to buy a car like my aunt's."

"Oh? You want to buy a car? Okay, when you get first place in your exams, I'll buy you one without you having to save up or pay for it yourself. What do you say?"

Chen Ling said with a smile.

"Huh? First place? Uncle Fugui, with your request, you might as well let me harvest the wheat for you."

Liu Nier immediately made a bitter face: "Even if I harvest ten acres of wheat for you, it might not be finished in one day or two days, but it will be finished eventually. As for getting first place in the exam, that's something that will never happen."

"Haha, that's great, not bad at all. You'll be able to use it even in the long run. Watching TV wasn't a waste of time."

Chen Ling patted his head, just about to tease the little rascal a bit more, when he heard a woman's voice coming from the courtyard, along with Sun Yanhong's shouts.

"Fugui, Fugui, Boss Chen, I've brought you money..."

"I've been calling you for ages and you still won't come out. I have a big deal to discuss with you this time."

(End of this chapter)