My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 455 The Cow Gets Stung

At night, the adults and children played a lot of mischief and had a great time.

It's a pity that the weather is not beautiful.

Around 9 p.m., raindrops began to fall from the night sky.

Summer rain can come down suddenly.

Everyone's used to it.

Moreover, with the wheat harvested and the weather so hot, everyone was actually happier when it rained.

Adults and children playing outside at night, some carrying chairs and benches, others clutching cicada nymphs they had caught, ran home in the rain, shouting and yelling.

It's a welcome thing when it rains on a hot night.

At least I can get a good night's sleep now.

Even if it rains a little harder, it's fine. This year, a writer with a lot of money and a bit of foolishness funded the digging of a small river in the village. That river is so long that it winds around the village, so there's no need to worry about drainage when it rains heavily.

Moreover, with the Turtle King guarding the village for the past two years, the weather has been favorable, and there will definitely be no more floods.

That's what everyone thinks.

It rained heavily all night, but stopped in the morning.

After the sun came out, the dampness from the rain had not yet dissipated, and the air inside and outside the farm was filled with a fresh scent.

"It rained at night but stopped in the morning, and it's still sunny during the day. It's so hot; it's much more comfortable staying here..."

Zhao Yubao came over this morning to deliver some eggs.

They said it was the first time the hens they bought had laid eggs, and they felt it was a meaningful gift, so they sent it over for the other families to try.

"That's how it is here in the summer, but it's not so bad. A little rain at night is nice, it keeps us cool... When the rain stops and the sun comes out during the day, it's good for the corn seedlings in the fields."

Chen Ling put the eggs down and came out with two small purses sewn from floral fabric in her hand. She handed them to Zhao Yubao, saying that they were to put them in the house to repel insects.

"That's true... Speaking of which, after this rain, the little river in front of our house has also risen. When I came over, I took a look and there were quite a lot of fish, but the water was murky and I couldn't see them very clearly."

Zhao Yubao said with great joy.

Chen Ling laughed upon hearing this: "That's a good thing. We can go fishing as soon as we go out."

"Yes, all that's missing is a small bridge, a picturesque scene of a small bridge over a flowing stream, haha..."

After exchanging a few jokes, he got up to leave and go home for breakfast.

At this moment, Wang Cunye walked in from outside wearing a straw hat: "Teacher Zhao is here. I heard your voice as soon as I entered the house... Where is Brother Zhong? Aren't you two always inseparable?"

"Haha, Old Zhong, he ate breakfast early and went to school. It rained heavily last night and the roads were difficult to travel, so the teachers couldn't make it over. He went to help teach the students."

Zhao Yubao found it very funny when he talked about it.

Chen Ling and his son-in-law were somewhat surprised.

"Wow, Brother Zhong can teach people too?"

Chen Ling suddenly remembered that the old man was also a painter, and Du Juan used to be his student, and later became his daughter-in-law.

"Yeah, we were both teachers before, but Lao Zhong and I are different. He worked until retirement, while I quit a long time ago. Being a teacher is so tiring."

Old Zhong can't stay idle; he loves teaching and nurturing students. He hadn't been enjoying his time with you all for long before he couldn't resist heading to the classroom to teach students to draw.

"Oh, Brother Zhong teaches art to kids."

When Wang Cunye heard that he was going to teach painting, he immediately became interested.

"Art class looks fun. I'll take Rui Rui to listen to it later."

These words were spoken to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling was frying cicada nymphs in a large pot on the stove in the kitchen. The family didn't like to eat anything too greasy in the morning, but these cicada nymphs had been sitting overnight, and in this hot weather, they would easily go bad if left out. So he fried them until they were half-cooked, and then deep-fried them until they were fully cooked when they were eaten at noon.

Hearing his father-in-law's words, he said, "Okay, this art class isn't a serious class, it's just like playing around."

Zhao Yubao said, "It's not just art class. Your Aunt Zhong knows opera, so we'll add a music class for the kids in a couple of days."

At this time of year, village primary schools don't have any proper music or art classes; in some places, it's all taught by a single teacher.

The same goes for physical education classes; most of the time, students are left to play on their own.

It's a good thing that there are a few elderly people like this now.

"Wow, now the kids in the village will have something to brag about when they grow up—their elementary school teachers were all experts!" Chen Ling laughed.

Had breakfast.

Wang Cunye took Rui Rui to school to join in the fun and listen to an art class.

Since the teachers at Chenwangzhuang Primary School are all from other villages, classes are easily disrupted when it rains or snows.

There used to be teachers in this village, but unfortunately, some are too old and others have left, so there are none left.

In addition, most rural areas don't value education much now, since it's not yet time for compulsory education and tuition fees, which is a significant expense for families.

Therefore, not many promising young people emerged from this group.

Those who are capable, like Wu Ni'er, will not return to the village to become teachers even if they get into university.

They were good-for-nothings; their families didn't expect them to succeed or fail in their studies, so they dropped out of school early to work and earn money, and they never had the chance to become teachers...

And that's how it turned out.

Chen Ling was weaving a large, sturdy fishing net in a pavilion in the bamboo forest, thinking about this matter and feeling that the problem was still due to mindset.

People living in the mountains are especially conservative and closed-minded.

Of course, this is not self-deprecation.

Actually, if you think about Rui Rui's generation, as they grew up, the educational conditions improved, but there were also too many college students, so many things weren't as good as they imagined.

"Moo~"

The little white calf slowly walked up to him, nudged his arm, and interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, why are you picking things up like Heiwa and the others?"

Chen Ling turned his head and saw the little white calf carrying something dark in its mouth, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't. "Hmm? It's not in its mouth. What happened to your chin? Did something sting you?"

"Moo~"

The little white calf was immediately heartbroken, its big black eyes welling up with tears from the pain.

It nestled close to Chen Ling, tilting its head back to show him the large lump on its chin.

This big bag was covered in blackish-red bruises, and when Chen Ling first glanced at it, he thought the little white calf had brought something over with its mouth.

I didn't expect that my chin and lower lip would swell up.

"Ouch, let me see, let me see, don't move..."

Chen Ling hugged its big head and looked at the injury on its chin.

"Tsk, it's pretty serious. Go back and put on some medicine first. After you've put on the medicine to stop the pain, we'll see what stung you and I'll get revenge for you."

Seeing its pitiful look, Chen Ling patted its head tenderly and took it home to apply medicine.

Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan were weaving a mat under the eaves when they heard that the little white calf had been stung, so they quickly came over to see what was wrong.

The little white calf, like a bullied child, trotted over from behind Chen Ling, tilting its head back to show them the injury on its chin, while mooing softly, looking even more aggrieved than before.

"Oh dear, what kind of poisonous insect stung Xiaobai? How did it get so badly injured? Look how swollen it is..."

“That’s right, it’s never been like this before.”

"Moo~"

Seeing the injury on the calf's chin, the mother and daughter felt both distressed and puzzled.

This is something Chen Ling can't understand either.

The little white calf has always been gentle and obedient.

If you treat it like a child in the family, it is the most sensible and the one that requires the least worry.

Although it is summer and the weather is hot, the little white calf usually likes to play in the water and often stays by the water.

Chen Ling's family didn't pay much attention to it and let it play however it wanted.

"Let's apply the medicine first. After you've applied the medicine, I'll take it outside to have a look."

Chen Ling thought to himself, "This has never happened before. Could it be that the environment around my house is too good, and it has bred some highly venomous insects?"

(End of this chapter)