My 1995 Small Farm.

Zhao Yubao wanted to say something more.

Wang Cunye brought over several snakes, saying he was making snake soup for his old friend.

People stopped talking about it.

Instead, they laughed at Wang Cunye: "Before, when no one was watching over the village, you didn't even dare to move your butt. How come you dare to come out today?"

The father-in-law chuckled and said, "Of course I dare! There are two big tigers watching over us, what do I have to worry about?"

Besides tigers, there are also packs of dogs and eagles in charge.

Leaving for a short while at noon is fine.

As he spoke, the father-in-law looked at Chen Ling and said, "These two tigers are really sensible. I cut some meat this morning and went to the back to feed them. They didn't eat it, but they still crawled out of their den and licked my hand."

Before Chen Ling could speak, the lynx poked its head out from the kitchen and interjected, "When Uncle Han and I were in Shennongjia, an old hunter said that a well-raised tiger is more sensible than a cat."

"This is what it means to be well-nurtured and raised."

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this: "Tiger cubs raised in zoos are very easy to raise if people use the right methods."

Of course, Lynx is right too.

If you raise a tiger properly, it will be even more docile than a cat.

Indeed.

Although domesticated tigers retain their wild nature, they enjoy playing with people and are very affectionate.

Tigers can be described as near-perfect beasts.

It can be fierce or cute.

This is mainly reflected in the word "receive".

Its claws can be retracted, its barbs on its tongue can be retracted, and its wild nature can be controlled.

Once a tiger gains intelligence, it is no different from a human.

They recognize 'familiar' things, not 'kind' things.

This is much better than other felines.

"Come on, you think it's easy to raise? That's only true for those who know how, but not for others."

"When it comes to raising tigers, you are unique in the whole country, Fugui."

"By the way, did Lao Han tell you? It seems like you'll get an award for the red-crowned crane thing. With that award and some newspaper coverage, no one will question whether you're carrying a gun and hunting anymore."

"Huh? They're giving out prizes? Uncle Han didn't mention that."

Chen Ling was completely bewildered. She had just spoken to Han Ninggui on the phone yesterday and hadn't mentioned this at all.

"Uncle Zhong, I've come to celebrate your birthday."

Just then, a cheerful voice from outside the courtyard interrupted Chen Ling's thoughts.

Wang Cunye turned his head and asked in surprise, "Zhenzhen, didn't you just start school today? Why are you back?"

Wang Zhenzhen ran up the path carved out among the tall grass and trees on the slope. "Sister Du Juan brought me back on her bike. We're going to celebrate Uncle Zhong's birthday."

Du Juan is, after all, Wang Susu's daughter-in-law. Even if she helps Wang Susu with her work in the county town, she still has to come back home during her lunch break.

"You just run around aimlessly, and you don't even know to help your sister Du Juan push the car from behind."

Wang Cunye glared at his youngest daughter.

Wang Zhenzhen didn't slow down at all. As she ran, she snorted at her old father and ran into the fenced courtyard.

"You stinky Rui Rui, all you do is play with turtles, and you even dare to hide them? Let me play with them for a bit... Hey, Dad, did you catch the little snake on the grape trellis? And there's a bamboo viper too, all green and so pretty."

Wang Zhenzhen originally headed towards Rui Rui and the others.

Before they even got there, they saw a rope hanging on the grape trellis by the south fence, with several snakes tied to it, intertwined and struggling, their vitality tenacious.

Most of the children living in the mountains surrounding Fenglei Town are not afraid of snakes or insects.

Groups of mischievous kids would often catch non-venomous snakes, hang them around their necks as necklaces, and compare who caught the biggest snake or the one with the prettiest patterns...

When you're done playing with it, take it home and let your parents kill it and make soup.

Like her sister, Wang Zhenzhen is not afraid of snakes. On the contrary, she feels a sense of familiarity when she sees snakes. When she sees a snake hanging on the grape trellis, her eyes light up. Even though she knows that bamboo vipers are poisonous, she is not afraid.

I reached out and grabbed its tail, pulled it out, and swung it around in my hand to tease it.

As for the grass snake, also known as the king cobra, she knew it was a pet kept at home. It had a strange smell, and Wang Zhenzhen had disliked them since childhood and never touched them.

"Yes, I caught it a couple of days ago in Laohewan. That grass snake was raised by our family."

"The bamboo viper is much prettier than the grass-headed snake. It must taste delicious too."

As Wang Zhenzhen spoke, her mouth was practically watering.

The elders from the Zhao and Zhong families went out to pick up Dujuan. When they came back and saw her looking so greedy, they immediately came over and patted her head with smiles: "Zhenzhen, your dad said he was making snake soup for Uncle Zhong. If Uncle Zhong doesn't eat any later, you can have it all, okay?"

Wang Zhenzhen wiped her mouth, her face tense, and said firmly, "No, I'm here to celebrate Uncle Zhong's birthday, I can't take Uncle Zhong's food."

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Hmm? You really aren't going to eat?"

The little girl immediately rolled her eyes: "Uh, I'll wait until Uncle Zhong finishes eating before I eat a little bit. I'm determined not to steal food from others like Rui Rui did."

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter at her adorable appearance.

Rui Rui, however, was standing in the corner of the yard with her friend, looking over in confusion. Somehow, the conversation turned to herself again.

At this moment, Wang Cunye snatched the snake from his youngest daughter's hand: "This crazy girl, we shouldn't have brought her back. It's only the first day of school, and she still has classes in the afternoon."

"Hehe, I'll go back, I'll go back."

Wang Zhenzhen was least afraid of her father, Wang Cunye, and would run around the old man making faces with a grin.

"Zhenzhen, don't upset your dad. Come here and tell Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhong how you did on your exams last semester?"

The two families' elders really liked the little girl's lively personality, and whenever they saw her, they would want to call her over and tease her a bit.

When she encounters elderly people who treat her so well, Wang Zhenzhen becomes much more obedient, sitting quietly in front of them like a kitten, chatting and talking with them.

After washing their hands, Chen Ling and his son-in-law took out scissors and began to kill the snake.

Grab the snake by the neck, cut off its head with scissors, drain the blood, and then tear off the entire snakeskin from the neck.

Snakes are incredibly resilient; even with their heads cut off, they can still bite, so you have to be very careful.

They often use a shovel to dig a small hole in their own vegetable garden or under a tree and bury it on the spot, which is the safest way.

Chen Ling and his son-in-law performed the two movements skillfully.

After removing the internal organs, they were rinsed with water, and the snakes of various sizes were quickly cleaned.

The bamboo leaf green is too thin and frail; it doesn't have much meat on it.

Grass snakes are larger and more substantial; they can be used to make snake soup, and the leftovers can be braised.

This will be left to my father-in-law to do.

Let him show off his skills.

Chen Ling then continued processing the river clams, which was rather tedious.

But once Chen Ling started making these, everyone found the river clams novel and interesting, and people of all ages came to help, so they were processed very quickly.

It cooks dishes very quickly.

Because making snake soup takes time, Chen Ling's river clam dish was put on hold. Only after the stir-fried river clams with chili peppers were ready would Wang Cunye begin making the snake soup.

To make snake soup, you need to first cook the snake in a pot, shred the meat, remove the bones, stir-fry the snake with pork, then add the seasonings and pour in the snake broth.

Then, put it in a bowl, place it in a steamer, and steam it over medium heat for about an hour. This way, the parasites will be gone, and the snake soup will be more delicious.

Everyone cooked with great care and dedication today.

Although Old Zhong outwardly acted as if he were celebrating his birthday and wouldn't do any work, he was actually sitting there with his legs trembling uncontrollably, deeply moved and unable to sit still any longer.

It's finally time to eat.

During the meal, the old man was incredibly enthusiastic about toasting people, barely eating any longevity noodles and just drinking alcohol.

Before the birthday banquet was over, he got drunk, slurred his words, rubbed the wrinkles on his face, and shouted that this was the best birthday he had in recent years, that the village was so nice, and that he would never leave again, and so on.

He even took the opportunity to make extensive plans for Chen Ling's farm, which showed him some of his true abilities.

Seeing that Old Zhong was getting drunk, it was fortunate that he was drinking fruit wine from Chen Ling's family.

If you get drunk, a good night's sleep will do the trick; you won't feel any effects at all.

So everyone just went along with him, whatever he said went.

After the meal, it looked like it was going to rain again, so Du Juan hurriedly drove Wang Zhenzhen back to the county town.

Wang Cunye also drank quite a bit, so he went back to the farm to rest.

Only Chen Ling and Rui Rui remained. After brewing tea, the father and son, along with Shanmao, took a net and a small bucket and went down the slope to catch fish in the stream.

This little river has been dredged for about three months now, and there are quite a few fish and shrimp in it.

Especially those connected to reservoirs and large ponds, where fish that prefer both still and flowing water can be found.

"Huh? What's that noise? It's all loud and boisterous. Who's hitting their child on a rainy day?"

Heading east along the stream, not far past the school, the lynx suddenly stopped and said in a puzzled tone.

"It's not about hitting the child, it's definitely Uncle Yongsheng and his wife fighting."

Chen Ling smiled helplessly: "They are a very good couple. The woman is virtuous and the man is ambitious, but they argue and fight over trivial matters every now and then."

We already fought a battle some time ago.

Uncle Yongsheng complained that Aunt Xiuhua had picked too many corn cobs, and they got old and didn't taste good after one meal.

They kept nagging at the dinner table.

There are so many in the field, it's so convenient to just pick them as you go, whatever.

In his haste, he even threw all the corn from the steamer into the pigsty.

As a result, Aunt Xiuhua lost her temper and overturned the table, refusing to eat anything else.

That guy, he even knocked down the grape trellis in the end.

"Wow, wow, their fighting power is so strong!"

Lynx was dumbfounded. "It's a good thing Azalea doesn't do that, or I couldn't stand it."

After saying that, he listened carefully again and said, "Something's not right, Fugui. This doesn't look like a fight. There's a woman crying loudly. Could something have happened?"

Chen Ling was taken aback and quickly listened: "Huh? It really is Aunt Xiuhua crying. Did they beat her badly this time?"

He picked up Rui Rui and quickly went around the bridge with the lynx.

In the alley near Chen Yongsheng's house, Wang Xiuhua was sitting on the ground, crying loudly.

Behind the woman, a pile of bricks and stones collapsed.

Meanwhile, Chen Yongsheng and his fourth grandfather Chen Gannian were also in a panic, pulling a tabby dog, whose owner they didn't know, towards their home.

This situation confused Chen Ling. "What's going on, Fourth Grandfather? Uncle Yongsheng? What happened at home?"

"Oh my, Fugui, you've come at the right time. The pigsty over here collapsed because of the rain, and all the pigs have run away."

As soon as Chen Gannian saw Chen Ling, he rushed over and said anxiously, "Could you ask your dog to look for them? We've searched everywhere, but we have no idea where these pigs have gone."

If Chen Ling hadn't moved outside the village yet, they would definitely have gone to find him immediately.

But Chen Ling was sometimes outside the village, and sometimes back in the county town.

The dog left at home could not be easily commanded by anyone other than Chen Ling.

So when they saw Chen Ling come looking for them, it was like seeing a savior.

"Sure, I'll go get the dog right now. But Grandpa, Uncle Yongsheng, when you were looking for the pig, didn't you follow the hoof prints it left behind?"

Chen Ling looked around and asked in confusion.

After Fourth Grandmother died, Chen Gannian moved out of the old house and lived in the courtyard of his eldest son, Chen Yongsheng.

When the old house became vacant, a pigsty was built to raise pigs.

I reckon this pigsty isn't very sturdy; it collapsed as soon as it rained, and the pigs ran away.

"Oh dear, it's precisely because there were no hoof prints that it's so hard to find."

Chen Yongsheng pulled the black tabby dog ​​by its leash and brought it closer. The dog was quite friendly to Chen Ling.

But judging from its appearance, it would be difficult for it to find a pig in the rain.

"No way, how come there are no hoof prints?"

Chen Ling frowned and looked at the lynx: "Could it have run away before it rained, when the ground was dry?"

Chen Yongsheng sighed: "No, it's not that. It's mainly your aunt's fault. She was angry with me yesterday and didn't come to feed the pigs last night. The pigs went hungry for two days, and now that the pigpen has collapsed, they're running around everywhere."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuhua immediately stopped crying. She wiped away her tears and glared, trying to stand up. However, seeing that Chen Ling and Shanmao, who were outsiders, were present, she immediately shut up, snorted, and turned her head away without saying a word.

But even when the couple was angry, they would think of those pigs. If they had raised them, they could have sold them for more than two thousand yuan. The thought of them all running away made them feel terrible.

So, after just humming once, Wang Xiuhua couldn't help but cover her face and burst into tears again.

Chen Gannian couldn't control his son and daughter-in-law, but he said worriedly, "I'm afraid that the pig will run up the mountain, then we'll be in trouble."

There are many wild animals on the mountain this year.

If a pig runs up the mountain, it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it's gone forever.

"I'll call the dog over right away. It's starting to drizzle again. Sigh."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling handed Rui Rui to the lynx, whistled to call the little green horse over from the slope, and hurriedly went back outside the village to call Er Hei and the others.

However, once he got home, not only Erhei, but also Afu and Ashou, who had been sleeping well, came out with him.

Besides Afu and Ashou, there were also hopping little weasels that came running up the horse's legs and ran to Chen Ling.

"Alright, you're back too, at least we can see your bodies now."

Chen Ling opened the side pocket on the horse, and the little ones obediently jumped inside one by one.

Then he turned his horse around and led Erhei, Afu, and Ashou back to fight.

It was raining, and there was no one outside. Few people could witness the spectacular sight of a black dog and two tigers running into the village behind a horse.

At this time, the fourth grandfather's family was also worried about the pigs and were completely at a loss, so they had no mind to watch the tiger.

After Erhei, Afu, and Ashou all found Sao, they put on raincoats and rain boots, picked up shovels and pitchforks, and headed out of the village.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village and seeing the direction the dog and tiger had led, they realized, well, the pig really had run up the mountain. (End of Chapter)