My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 56 Addiction
"Isn't this your child? No wonder. I was wondering why you would buy this child when he said his mother had hatched chicks?"

The old man grinned, not feeling embarrassed at all.

Instead, he turned to Chen Ling and said, "Hurry up and have the baby, otherwise, the family planning policy is getting stricter every year. This year they're even saying they'll demolish houses and take away cattle. What will happen in the future?"

"I don't know which bastard in the village came up with such a wicked idea; it's scared people so much that they're afraid to have children..."

Chen Ling's expression stiffened slightly, then he gave an awkward but polite smile. "Look at what you're saying, those slogans are just empty words. People still have to have children. These things look intimidating, but in our poor mountain village, it's not that serious..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Susu pursed her lips and couldn't stop giggling.

The old man nodded, "That's true. If the punishment is too severe, they can just go live in the deep mountains and forests. Who can stop them then..."

As she spoke, she picked out twenty chicks for Chen Ling.

"Come and see, young man, see if these chicks will turn out alright?"

Chen Ling glanced at them and nodded: "Okay, they all seem to be in pretty good spirits..."

"Sixth Sister, the three of you help your Aunt Susu herd the chicks home."

"okay."

Chen Ling then took out some money and handed it to the old man.

"Hey chick seller, how much are your chicks?"

Just as the old man received the money, Old Mrs. Wang stood at the door, holding a bucket of water, and called out.

Seeing this, Chen Ling clicked his tongue and said, "You've come to the right place today. We've been plagued by weasels lately, and several families' chickens have been damaged. Your business is sure to be good today."

"Oh dear, what's this weasel doing here? I was thinking of visiting several villages, but it seems I won't need to today."

The old man was both surprised and delighted, and he couldn't stop smiling.

He thought to himself that coming to Chenwangzhuang was the right decision; the village was infested with weasels, which meant he was going to get rich.

He hurriedly carried his basket towards Old Mrs. Wang: "I'm here, I'm here! One hen for thirteen chicks, two cents each if you want to buy..."

……

Chen Ling walked into the yard, where a group of chicks were chirping and running around, looking for food and getting used to the unfamiliar environment.

After a while, the chicks went to the edge of the chicken coop and scrambled around the stone trough.

This feed was specially prepared by Chen Ling for the mother hen, and the chicks ate it with great relish.

Even when Liu Nier tried to feed the beetle, it ignored her.

"Uncle Fugui, the chicks aren't eating right now, so I'll leave the beetle here for now."

Liu Nier placed a bottle of beetles next to the chicken coop, and Xiao Sen followed suit.

Then the three little children prepared to run out of the yard.

"Hey, you're leaving already? It's almost noon. Why don't the three of you eat here? I'll cook something delicious for you at noon!"

Chen Ling quickly called them to a stop.

At this time, Wang Susu hung the bedding on the wire rope in the yard to dry, and also told the little children to stay.

"No, my second sister and brother-in-law came today. My mother told me to go back at eleven o'clock because I have to help them with the work in the fields this afternoon."

Liu Ni wiped her nose with her sleeve as she spoke, "Uncle Fugui, I'll come to play with you again next Sunday."

As soon as they finished speaking, they ran out of the yard like three little ponies.

"Hey, this kid..."

Chen Ling smiled and, seeing that the chicks had eaten and drunk their fill in the yard, put them all into the bamboo baskets inside the house.

The weasel can come at any time; we can't let these chicks get hurt again.

However, after lunch, they did not see any weasels until three or four in the afternoon.

Chen Ling guessed that perhaps the chickens at home had overfed them, or perhaps there were people at home, including the dog, so they didn't dare to come over.

Before the weasel appeared, Chen Ling cleaned up the backyard and tidied up the useless things in the cellar. The backyard was actually bigger and more spacious than the front yard, but the house was too old, and the wall was a mud-brick wall built in the 1950s or 60s, covered with various thorns and broken glass.

After Chen Ling's father passed away, no one lived in the backyard; it was used to store various odds and ends and grains.

"After the flood, we'll renovate it, preferably opening it up to the front yard to rebuild a large yard. That way, we'll have enough space to raise whatever we want."

Chen Ling made some plans, fed the cows, and then went to the front yard.

……

The moonlight was bright and clear at night.

After taking a hot shower, Chen Ling and her husband were about to go to bed.

Suddenly, all the dogs in the area started barking wildly, making a huge commotion in the night.

Heiwa and Xiaojin were also barking wildly in the yard.

"The weasel is coming!"

Chen Ling hurriedly dressed and said to Wang Susu, "Susu, stay inside and don't come out or turn on the lights, or you'll scare them away."

Wang Susu responded softly, "Do you need a flashlight?"

"No need to take it, I can see things."

Chen Ling pushed open the door and went out. Nourished by the stream water and vegetables of the cave every day, his night vision is now almost the same as during the day, and he doesn't need a flashlight at all.

"You two, be quiet and stop shouting."

Chen Ling gave a low reprimand, and the two puppies immediately stopped barking, obediently running over and lying down beside him.

Chen Ling patted the two puppies' heads and whispered, "You two, don't run around or bark. Just stay here and wait with me. This time, if any weasels dare to come in, we'll make sure they don't leave alive."

Time passed second by second, and the barking of the dogs in the village gradually subsided.

Chen Ling crouched under the eaves, watching the movements in the yard, waiting for the weasel to arrive.

However, after waiting for more than half an hour, Chen Ling was already dozing off, but there was still no sign of him.

"Chi chi chi..."

A few bats occasionally flew across the night sky.

Just then, a slight, strange noise came from somewhere. The two puppies suddenly perked up their ears, stared intently in one direction, and made low growling sounds.

This is a warning.

"come yet?"

Chen Ling immediately perked up, holding down the two puppies to prevent them from making any rash moves.

Then he looked around, but still found nothing.

No?

Chen Ling turned to look at the two puppies, Heiwa and Xiaojin, only to find that they were staring in two different directions.

One stared at the top of the wall to the east, the other at the main gate, their ears perked up, their eyes unblinking, while they growled softly.

Chen Ling looked over and saw a yellow figure slowly appear in his line of sight on the wall, looking around cautiously.

At the same time, another weasel appeared at the gate, nimbly leaping over the fence and swiftly approaching the chicken coop along the wall.

"Damn it, they even know how to launch a two-pronged attack, fighting on two fronts..."

Chen Ling cursed under his breath, his eyes fixed on the two weasels.

These two little creatures have grown a bit bigger than before. They must have realized how good it is to eat our chickens, which is why they're thinking about stealing them again.

Chen Ling had no idea how delicious the chickens he fed with the vegetables from the cave were in the eyes of the weasel.

They come during the day and come at night; they're clearly addicted to it.

(End of this chapter)