My 1995 Small Farm.

We returned to the county town in the evening.

Wang Susu was also very surprised to learn that so many rabbits had been caught with a net.

She knew that wild rabbits reproduce quickly.

The summer before last, Liu Nier and Xizi found a litter of six baby rabbits in a haystack.

By early winter, they had grown to over forty.

There's nothing that can be done about it; in the wild, about half of the rabbits that give birth die.

None of the pets kept at home, especially those kept by Chen Ling, have died.

She only had two or three litters, and the family was almost unable to raise them all.

At the time, we felt the yard smelled too strong, so we sold everything except what we kept for food.

She was surprised because she thought that in just two hours, they had caught more than 600 animals, and there must be many more hiding and not yet caught.

Chen Ling laughed and said, "Even if they were hidden, there aren't many left. It's mainly because our dog is clever; he chased them all down from the internet."

The net was so long that it caught almost everything in one go.

Moreover, the family's female dog hasn't had much exercise in over two months because she gave birth to puppies, so she's really craving it.

They seem tireless.

Then there's the role of the environment.

Speaking of which, wild rabbits are even more particular about their environment than pheasants.

Pheasants can survive in environments with pesticides and fertilizers.

A little bit more durable.

Wild rabbits wouldn't work.

If the environment is even slightly worse, their population will decrease significantly.

Chen Ling had seen rabbits die by the roadside after pesticides had been sprayed on farmland.

Some of them died like they were having an epileptic seizure, jumping around wildly and banging their heads on the ground, before finally collapsing and convulsing, dying in agony.

Pesticides have actually been used all these years.

The number of wild rabbits in the farmland has skyrocketed this year.

This proves that, due to the influence of the farm, pesticide residues are now negligible.

It won't have much of an impact on the small animals anymore.

But we still can't ignore it.

Just think about it, with predators like hawks, takins, and foxes catching them, there are so many rabbits this year too.

If we leave them alone and let them reproduce, these unassuming twin uteruses, which are prone to overpopulation, will really cause a rabbit plague.

"Has the net still not been taken back?"

Wang Susu, half-lying on the headboard, asked.

"Confiscate it. Wild animals have been coming down the mountain every night lately. Whoever runs into one is unlucky."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Such a long net is troublesome to set up and take down. Let's leave it there for now."

The main problem is that this net isn't worth much.

It was obtained for free.

There are still many large nets at home.

Lynx and Zhao Gang were also quite excited, saying that they hadn't seen the spectacular scene of the rabbits crashing into the net from beginning to end today, and they were discussing taking the net to other places for net hunting later.

The Lynx have played this before.

Zhao Gang had never played it before, and he kept begging Lynx to take him.

"That sounds pretty fun, but I can't go anywhere... We caught so many rabbits, how much will our family get?"

Wang Susu asked again.

After moving to the county town, the young couple would have a long chat every night before bed.

Otherwise, Wang Susu wouldn't be able to travel far, nor could she return to her village, which would be too boring.

"The village distributed more than two hundred of them. Together with the lynx, I have more than three hundred. It's just that Afu and Ashou were sent back. Otherwise, they would have been in for a treat."

We gutted the rabbit today, and there were so many intestines and entrails that even our dog was stuffed.

Even the lynx says he regrets not bringing over the dogs from his kennel.

Chen Ling said with a smile.

"Oh right, I haven't told you about the dog fighting in the city yet. Let me tell you, this time when we went to the city, Lynx and I got a lot of foreign dogs for free..."

He spoke slowly, and Wang Susu listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with a few words and a smile.

Just as he was about to finish speaking, a series of soft, childish, but forceful sounds came from outside the door.

"Listen to Grandma, and stop making a fuss, okay? Grandma has put dry hay in the rabbit's cage, so it won't freeze to death in the yard."

Gao Xiulan tried to persuade her.

A little head pushed open the curtain, and with a "heave-ho," "heave-ho," it struggled to hug a small bamboo cage and squeezed into the room.

Judging from this behavior, it's clear that she won't listen to her grandmother.

"Daddy, little tummy."

As soon as he entered the room, the brat couldn't hold onto the cage anymore. He put it down by the door and shouted anxiously to Chen Ling.

"Oh, the little rabbits are sleeping. Why did you bring them inside?"

Chen Ling walked over.

The nest of baby rabbits that Erhei and his friends dug out were extremely small, about the size of tiny mice.

She must have been born recently.

That is, wild rabbits, which are born with fur and can run.

Otherwise, if the baby rabbits are born hairless, raising them will be even more troublesome.

"Juejue, little belly paper Juejue."

Rui Rui pointed to his little bed.

Upon hearing this, Wang Susu frowned and said, "Put it at the doorway, don't bring it inside, and definitely not on the bed."

That brat stuffs turtles and grasshoppers into his pockets and under his pillow all day long; he has no sense of cleanliness whatsoever.

The little rabbit is even less suitable.

It was caught in the wild, and it's covered in fur; who knows what it might be hiding?

They won't even let me put it by the bed.

Upon hearing his mother speak, Rui Rui froze, staring blankly with his clear black and white eyes at his mother on the bed, then looking up at his father beside him.

"Well, that's it. I told you not to bring it inside, now Mom's angry, isn't she?" Gao Xiulan said with a smile.

We had to help him carry the cage outside.

Seeing this, the little guy reached out to stop her, but Wang Susu was looking this way, so he didn't dare to move. He pouted in grievance and burst into tears.

These little rabbits are his new favorites. He played with them for half a day and still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to keep them by his side at night so he could see them as soon as he looked up.

"Don't cry, or you'll have to sleep with your aunt."

Wang Susu scolded him with a stern face.

After having a mischievous son, the once gentle and mild-mannered wife, who rarely had a temper, also learned to change her expression and scold people.

no way.

This is the most effective method.

"Waaah, Mommy..."

The little rascal ran to the bedside crying, tugging at Wang Susu's clothes and calling for his mother.

Wang Susu remained unmoved, frowning as she said, "Don't cry. Try crying again."

Rui Rui immediately stopped crying, and only sobbed, "Mommy, little tummy."

Wang Susu ignored her and said, "Go wash your face and hands, then go to sleep."

He had no choice but to run to Chen Ling's side again, looking up at Chen Ling, jumping up and down anxiously: "Daddy, tummy time, tummy time."

Seeing this, Gao Xiulan asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Why is he being so disobedient today?" In the past, as long as Wang Susu pretended to be angry, Rui Rui would obediently listen to her.

Of course, I don't get angry like this very often.

Otherwise, if you use one trick, it won't work anymore.

"It wasn't just Ah Ling. Back in the village, they would hang little fish and fireflies by his little bed, and he would bring everything to his bed and stuff everything into his pockets..."

Now you want him to change? See how difficult it is?

Wang Susu snorted and glared at Chen Ling with her wrinkled nose.

"This isn't my fault. You still don't understand what your son is thinking. He saw that the badgers dug holes and ran away before, and he's afraid that these little rabbits will run away too."

Chen Ling can now understand most of his son's thoughts.

Just now, while we were eating dinner, he was fiddling around with a small shovel near the hole he had dug in the wall.

He used to be reluctant to seal up the hole, and would crawl into it all day long, hiding all sorts of little trinkets inside.

Chen Ling went over and told him to wash his hands and eat.

He was busy working there, muttering to himself about his little belly, and when he saw Chen Ling coming over, he just chuckled to himself.

"Oh, Rui Rui actually has this on his mind?"

Gao Xiulan and her son were surprised.

Chen Ling comforted him, "It's okay, if you're afraid it will run away, we can put it in Auntie's room or Grandma's room, then it won't be able to run away. Okay?"

The little guy thought for a moment, wiped away his tears, pouted, and nodded.

Then he hurriedly ran outside, brought in the cage that Gao Xiulan had just taken out, placed it at Gao Xiulan's feet, and looked up, saying, "Grandma."

The old lady immediately laughed: "Ha, look how clever he is, but he can't bear to put it in Zhenzhen's room."

Wang Susu laughed too: "Are you afraid your aunt will snatch it from you? If your aunt knew how stingy you were, she definitely wouldn't let you play with her anymore."

The little boy is precocious and very perceptive. As soon as he saw Wang Susu smile, he grinned too, ran to her side, stood on tiptoe by the bed, snuggled into her arms, rolled his little head around, and called for his mother.

"You're being noisy again. Let Daddy help you wash your hands and face. All you do is play all day. You're getting as dirty as a little kitten."

He wanted to hide as soon as he heard that.

Chen Ling walked over, grabbed him with one hand and lifted him up, ignoring his struggles and cries, and took him out to wash him.

This little kid only knows how to play and really doesn't like washing his hands or face.

But after the bath, he behaved himself, crawling around naked on the big bed, wanting to sleep with his parents and not wanting to go back to his crib.

Chen Ling ignored him and let him make a fuss until he was tired and fell asleep, then put him back.

……

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching on the 13th day of the eighth lunar month.

The aroma of mooncakes began to fill the streets of the county town.

In shops and small workshops, all kinds of beautiful mooncakes are on display.

The students of Lingyun Middle School across from Chen Ling's house, as well as the pedestrians on the street, suddenly became lively, creating a much richer festive atmosphere than in later generations.

In the morning, a dusty seafood truck was parked on one side of the school.

A woman carrying bags of gifts walked into Chen Ling's house.

It was Sun Yanhong who came over.

When they were in the city, Chen Ling said that the density of two kinds of expensive fish at home was a bit too high, so she asked me to come and transport the fish twice.

She rushed back before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Such fish only sell for a high price during festivals.

In addition, Wang Susu is about to give birth, and it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, so she has to come and visit her.

It just so happens that Han Chuang also came today to share the money with Chen Ling.

Chen Ling was saying he would take him back to get a few rabbits.

Since Sun Yanhong is here, let's all come together.

When Sun Yanhong saw so many rabbits, she was immediately tempted and said that her shop was waiting for wild game, and these wild rabbits could fill the gap.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when people admire the moon, there's a jade rabbit on it, so it's a perfect time to sell some smoked rabbit meat – very fitting for the occasion.

Chen Ling ignored her and only said that the village had also received quite a few, totaling two hundred.

This morning it seems there were quite a few wild animals caught in the net. If she wants them, she can go to the brigade and announce it with the loudspeaker, and they can take them all.

"Sure, I happen to need to buy some wild mushrooms and stuff. You can tell me my price is slightly higher than the county price, but lower than the city price, so they won't go there. Is that okay?"

"It should be possible. The disaster period is over, so the prices aren't that outrageous. Xiao Fang and his team aren't sending these things to the city anymore. You can call around for them. There are quite a few people going to the mountains to pick mushrooms lately, so we should be able to get some."

"Okay, okay, I'll go visit a few more villages nearby. I reckon I can raise quite a bit."

So Chen Ling, Han Chuang, and the others removed the wire mesh covering the red-lipped barracuda and the fine-scaled salmon and began catching and loading the fish into the truck. In the once-bustling fishpond, only about two hundred of each type of fish remained before they stopped.

Two hundred fish sounds like a lot.

Actually, it would be completely inconspicuous if placed in a ditch.

"Tsk, Fugui is going to make a fortune again."

"Of course! In my opinion, he's already harvested several batches of fish. We're lucky if we can only sell two batches this year. I don't know how he raises these fish."

"Are we going to have to raise fish in these flowing ditches too? Can't we raise fish in ponds?"

"Why are you thinking about all this? You're just taking advantage of others by raising fish. It's good enough that you can get a share of the profits. I heard from Professor Zhao and the others that Fugui is going to publish an article in some national magazine. Don't let his quiet demeanor fool you. He doesn't make a fuss about it. He's actually quite shrewd."

"Yes, I know. Not to mention the fish, the chicks hatched from the eggs at Fugui's house are much stronger than our old chicks. They've been here for so many days and are very robust. After these few autumn rains, not a single one has died."

Think about it, we're actually taking advantage of them; they sell it for much higher prices.

"..."

In the past, many people in the village envied Chen Ling, and many even harbored wicked intentions, but in the past year, such people have decreased.

Besides the fact that Chen Ling's family has a powerful dog, he also has a wide network of connections.

They gradually discovered that Chen Ling's abilities were such that even outsiders and knowledgeable professors were left speechless and unable to explain himself.

The jealousy and sour feelings in their hearts somehow disappeared, and they felt proud instead, even talking about it with unsuspecting outsiders.

"Jusheng, what's that sack you're carrying? Are you taking it to Fugui?"

"Freshly dug potatoes."

"Oh my, you caught wild goat this morning and are already sending potatoes. Looks like we're having wild goat stew with potatoes today."

"You're wrong about that. Stewed potatoes are never as delicious as stewed white radishes."

"You're really going to eat it? Wow, that's really generous."

Yesterday, the nets were confiscated, and many wild animals, large and small, that came down from the mountains at night were caught off guard and ran into the nets.

Wang Jusheng found a wild sheep and a little fox on his land.

The fox was released, but the wild sheep were kept to eat.

Other villagers also collected quite a lot of wild animals.

For example, there are many wild rabbits and pheasants that run into the nets, especially pheasants, which are most likely to run into the nets when they come out to forage in the early morning and late evening. However, some are torn off and have half of their bodies hanging in the net.

It was probably eaten by wild animals that came down from the mountain.

Early this morning, the villagers, young and old, gathered together to see who had found something online and started comparing their finds.

The net is so long, and the wild grass along the edge of the farmland at the foot of the mountain is so tall and dense, it's really hard to see which prey has been caught in the net.

So each household took over the land within their own farmland area, and basically none of them missed out.

Although the villagers take the prey they find on their own farmland, they only keep a portion for themselves and send the rest to Old Zhong's yard.

After all, the net is still officially owned by the Lynx.

However, many of these prey were released. There were quite a few pregnant rabbits, muntjacs, and other animals during this season, and those with large pregnancies were released.

"Jusheng, Jusheng, wait for me! I caught two little leopards online and I'm sending them to Fugui."

As soon as Wang Jusheng stepped out of the village, someone called out to him.

Turning around, I saw Chen Yongsheng running up behind me, carrying a basket on his back, panting heavily.

"A little leopard? It's a cheetah, isn't it?"

“How could I tell the difference? Let Fugui take a look. He’s the only one in the village who likes to tinker with these strange and unusual things.”