My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 607 Female Disciple

After the adults had their fill of riding, it was finally the children's turn.

For the next few days, the entire village of Chenwangzhuang was filled with children riding bicycles everywhere.

These little guys may be young, but most of them can ride bicycles.

Originally, most children in the village were only seven or eight years old or eight or nine years old when they were old enough to ride bicycles to school.

There was no other reason than that the frames of old-fashioned bicycles like the 28-inch model were too big, too tall, and too heavy.

If the little kids are too young, they're too small and weak, and they have to reach under the crossbar to ride, making them wobble and unable to control such a big vehicle.

The reason why these kids in the village dare to ride bikes and pick them up so quickly is because they practiced riding Wang Zhenzhen's little bike.

So, despite their size, these old-fashioned bicycles were ridden quite skillfully by the little kids.

After mastering the ride around the village on the first day, he dared to follow Chen Ling to the forest farm to hunt rabbits on the second day.

This is the busy farming season.

Chenwangzhuang got agricultural machinery this year, so things are progressing quickly, while other places are still busy cutting straw and plowing.

So there are people in the farmland almost every day.

These people, while busy with their farm work, also had their eyes opened.

Good heavens, a bunch of snotty kids who haven't even grown their hair yet, all riding brand new bikes with slingshots around their necks, following Chen Ling and Little Green Horse, forming a 'spectacular' motorcade.

Every now and then, when they spot a wild rabbit, they immediately stop by applying the handbrake, stand by the farmland in their village, grab a slingshot, and shoot—and they're incredibly accurate.

When they encountered a cart carrying grain, these little devils would all ring their bells. If the road was wide, they would speed up and overtake it; if the road was narrow, they would get off and push the carts, or take the opportunity to stop, tie up the carts, and stand in a line by the roadside to urinate.

At times like these, it would be even better if someone asked them how they bought their new car.

They puffed out their little chests, proudly saying that they had saved up money to buy it themselves.

Then, like little ducklings, they chirped and chattered, showing off how they saved up money, enjoying the adults' astonishment and praise.

They were secretly delighted.

It would feel even better to follow Chen Ling back to the village at night with the game they had hunted, returning laden with their spoils.

Because wild rabbits can be sold for money, and Sun Yanhong wanted to buy them.

Then they can save money again.

Yes, every time a freight train returns from the station, someone will take rabbits or something similar to the train into the city along the way.

It was bought by our own people, and the price was very good.

Besides rabbits, there were also pheasants and other animals.

Compared to pheasants, Chen Ling's preparation of wild rabbits gives the game a more unique flavor and makes it more popular.

Of course, wild pheasants aren't bad either, but they're not as juicy and flavorful as domestic chickens.

The free-range chickens have been raised long enough by now.

Simply stewing wild mushrooms creates an incredibly delicious and fragrant dish.

As for pheasants, Chen Ling had a good idea, but for now, Sun Yanhong thought it best to deal with rabbits first.

After all, quite a few people in the area eat rabbits.

"Uncle will be busy for a while in a few days, so I won't be going out to hunt rabbits... And you guys shouldn't be thinking about going out and riding your bikes around all the time, understand?"

"Huh? Uncle, what are you busy with? Are you going to plow the fields again? My grandpa said that after the straw in our village is harvested, we need to plow all the fields together with rotary tillers."

"No, now everyone in the village drives big tractors. Rotary tillers and straw crushers are pretty much the same to use, so there's no need for me to teach them."

Uncle is taking some people to the city…

Chen Ling was speaking, but hadn't finished yet.

Another child's eyes lit up as he eagerly answered, "I know, I know! Uncle Fugui is going to the city to bring the tiger back!"

"Go away, go away, what tiger are you talking about? Uncle is going to do big business this time and make a lot of money."

Chen Ling also imitated them, puffing out his chest and patting it loudly.

It's almost the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and the National Day holiday is just around the corner.

This year's National Day brings a momentous event that will be celebrated nationwide.

Hong Kong Island returned to China. (In reality, it returned on July 1st.)
The commemorative shirts and other items that Chen Ling had his brother-in-law prepare were ready to make their grand appearance.

There are also canned goods from Han Chuang.

When I sent him the fish tank sample a while ago, I started working at full speed to produce it.

Fish cans are out of season.

Given the poor competitiveness of canned fruit.

With nothing else to do, the Han brothers put all their effort into doing what Chen Ling suggested.

"In a while, the adults in the village will probably go up the mountain to pick wild fruits to sell. You can go with them to catch some bamboo rats and sell them for money... Don't ride your bikes around and play wildly after school, or your parents will blame me for leading you astray."

"We understand, Uncle. You're the best to us. We'll listen to whatever you say."

"That's right, that's right, we'll definitely listen to you obediently."

"If all else fails, I'll just lock the car."

"Yes, we won't ride our bikes around anymore. We'll watch over Rui Rui for you and take him to school."

Upon hearing that Chen Ling was going to be scolded by the adults, the group of little monkeys shouted in unison, making a loud promise that was more effective than anything else.

Chen Ling laughed when he saw this; he had no other choice.

Even though he goes to school every day these days, these little ones still follow him on his bike to hunt rabbits at noon and after school; they're really addicted to it.

Their family knew they were with Chen Ling and weren't worried.

But this didn't work out once Chen Ling went on a long trip.

We should give them a heads-up.

……

After the sun set, Chen Ling returned home. After a quick wash, he went upstairs to play with Lele and Kang Kang before going downstairs to talk to his brother-in-law about shipping the commemorative shirts to the city in a couple of days.

Wang Qingzhong immediately became excited.

I didn't know when it would go on sale before, but now that it's almost here, I'm a little nervous.

"They're selling it already? I'm not ready at all."

Wang Qingzhong rubbed his hands together: "The main problem is that Susu is still in her postpartum period, and your second sister-in-law can't leave..."

"Oh dear, why can't you do without your second sister-in-law? Can't we men do business?"

Chen Ling said, "Don't worry, Second Brother. I said I wanted you to get some experience in doing business, so I won't neglect you. Besides, you're selling near Sun Yanhong's place, so she'll be there to look after you. You can sell with confidence."

"That works too. What about you?"

"Me? After I finish dealing with all the clothes at home, I still need to help with that canned food stall in Huangni Town. I'll find Brother Jusheng for you, and you two can go to the city first."

We'll be there shortly.

Chen Ling didn't have any other ideas. He had already mentioned it to Han Chuang. If it sold well, he would take the opportunity to make some canned wild fruits.

Otherwise, all those wild fruits in the mountains would be a complete waste.

"Ah, you can come along. I thought you were thinking of going hunting in the mountains. Zhenzhen has been saying these past few days that you're going to catch a sika deer."

Wang Qingzhong breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that his brother-in-law was going along; at least he had someone to rely on.

"Of course I went with them..."

Chen Ling chuckled, thinking to himself, "Well, it's just for a short while."

If they sell it themselves, they won't need to manage it themselves.

As they were talking, the three members of the Shen family returned. Their life here was very simple; they just found all sorts of ways to have fun.

They tried every possible way to make Shen Jiayi happy and cure her illness completely.

So these days, besides tending to Chen Ling's large aquarium, catching and feeding the fish, I also go to the mountains to pick some wild fruits.

Or they could accompany the two Japanese soldiers to deliver meals to the villagers and watch the lively scene of straw harvesting.

Chopping straw is also a lot of fun.

Aside from the fact that the scene of straw crushing looks very stress-relieving and enjoyable.

It will also drive out many small animals.

Flying creatures and running creatures of all kinds sometimes attract eagles and falcons, which specifically target rabbits and field mice that run out of the dense straw before swooping down.

At night, the cleared straw fields attract wild ducks and other birds, which specifically peck at the exposed grasshoppers and crickets.

Having grown accustomed to eating small fish and shrimp, they also appreciate a change of pace.

Shen Jiayi was a girl who was pampered and spoiled, but later became a star adored by thousands.

I wasn't interested in these things at first, and I couldn't stand them.

But after this upheaval, she has changed a lot. She used to think that the countryside was dirty and messy, with all sorts of unbearable things, and lots of chicken droppings, duck droppings, and insects, making it impossible to even settle down.

Now that I've arrived, things have changed drastically. Especially after settling down to live here for a while, I've even come to appreciate the charm of life in this mountain village.

She's even daring to catch bugs now.

"Brother Ling, Brother Ling, look, this is the corn I roasted."

The girl, as if showing off, held up several golden-brown roasted corns: "My parents both said they're delicious roasted, you should try them."

She took two large ones and gave them to Chen Ling and Wang Qingzhong.

It was indeed baked very well, with very few burnt areas.

Although most of the corn is ripe and hard this season, you can still find a few tender ones here and there.

Grilling them gives them a unique flavor.

"Jiayi's cooking skills are pretty good. Next time you find tender corn, don't roast it yet. I'll teach you how to make corn with pine nuts when I get back."

Chen Ling took a bite and found it very sweet.

Shen Jiayi chuckled and happily agreed.

Seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Shen laughed and said, "Your Brother Chen cooks so well, it's not easy for him to teach you. Others want to learn, but he won't teach them."

"Yeah, Brother Chen just teaches a couple of tricks to other people, and look how much money that crayfish restaurant makes."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayi's eyes lit up: "Then I want to ask Brother Chen to be my master and teach me cooking skills properly."

Wang Qingzhong nodded vigorously while munching on corn, saying, "That's a good idea. Jiayi has learned a lot here. If she learns cooking skills, she can become the kind of all-around superstar that Lingzi always talks about."

Shen Jiayi immediately became even more excited. Like a lively little girl, she ran up to Chen Ling, grabbed his arm, and begged him to take her as his apprentice.

After Chen Ling reluctantly agreed, she was overjoyed.

She is, after all, a simple girl.

Hearing the noise upstairs, Rui Rui peeked down and saw her. Her face lit up with excitement as she stood on tiptoe and waved, "Rui Rui, come down quickly. You have to call me 'sister' from now on, okay?"

Rui Rui didn't understand why, but seeing the commotion below, she led Heiwa and Xiaojin down to join her.

She ran down and rushed into Chen Ling's arms, tilting her head back and saying, "Daddy, Little One, Little One..."

"chick?"

Chen Ling was momentarily stunned, but then quickly realized that they were referring to the quails that Wang Laishun had sent over.

The baby quails that hatched in the fall were very small. Chen Ling was afraid that they would be bullied if he put them in his own quail coop, so he put them under the grape trellis, together with the pigeon coop.

"Oh, it's a little quail, right? Heiwa and Xiaojin, you two bring it over."

Upon hearing this, Heiwa and his companion immediately ran over, each dog grabbing one side and carrying the bamboo cage.

Even though it wasn't the first time the three members of the Shen family had witnessed such a scene, they still couldn't help but praise the two dogs for their intelligence.

The quails are kept in bamboo cages, which contain feeding and water troughs. They eat and drink there, and there are also nests made of wheat straw for warmth at night.

If a dog were eager to take credit for carrying the food itself, it would rummage through everything.

Heiwa and Xiaojin, on the other hand, each stood steadily on one side.

That requires a certain level of intelligence.

With Heiwa and Erhei both around, Erhei has no chance to shine.

Shen's father even laughed at Erhei.

"Haha, Erhei is quick to take action and doesn't need this little bit of work."

Chen Ling knew Erhei well; this dog didn't like being idle and always needed something to do.

Now I take care of things that happen in the village after I see them.

Chen Ling had no choice but to say that dogs, like people, each have their own personality.

"That's right, Erhei is the dog village chief."

Shen's mother joined in the fun, then said to her daughter, "Jiajia, look, this little quail has grown a lot."

"Yes, she has really grown a lot, but she is still very cute."

Shen Jiayi couldn't take her eyes off the furry little creatures: "I don't dare go near the pigeon coop. Zhenzhen and Ruirui are feeding them."

The pair of pigeons at home have started incubating their eggs. They're very fierce and don't let strangers get close.

Shen Jiayi was timid; she was chased several times while picking grapes, let alone feeding the quail.

As they were talking, Rui Rui brought over her box of grasshoppers and poured them into the cage.

The little guy used to have a habit of putting insects in boxes, whether they were cardboard, metal, or wooden, because he used to feed chicks.

He's using a cardboard box he got from the hospital.

While Wang Susu was in labor, he took Heiwa and his son to the hospital and searched around, finding a bunch of syringes and medicine boxes.

Chen Ling was so angry that she scolded him, saying how could he just take a used syringe without knowing what kind of patient it was for.

Later, they had to ask the doctors for some clean ones, and threw away all the ones they had picked up.

The little rascal is more addicted to this than to toys.

"These little quails are doing well. Once they're settled, you can put them in the tank."

Chen Ling looked at them and saw that the little quails were very lively and active. Even at night, they would run out and fight for food as soon as they saw it.

"Keep them in a tank? Wouldn't a cage be better?" Everyone was quite puzzled.

"Hey, just you wait and see."

Chen Ling moved a sample glass jar over, then, along with Rui Rui and his newly accepted female apprentice, they laid some stones in the jar and then covered the stones with sand.

On top of the sand is a layer of fresh soil.

Then they took the baby quails out of the bamboo cage one by one and put them into the jar.

"Where's the nest? Where's the little quail's nest, Master?"

Shen Jiayi changed her address very quickly and started calling him "Master".

Chen Ling brought over a handful of hay. "We'll need to help them weave a little nest. Do you know how?"

"Yes, I know how. I learned from Zhenzhen and the others, and my parents learned too..."

Shen Jiayi's eyes lit up when she heard this: "We also ate sweet rice cakes."

Mr. and Mrs. Shen nodded and said, "But we were helping the villagers peel corn husks back then. We tore the corn husks into small strips and wove them into little trinkets. How do you weave this?"

"This is similar to that one. You can learn from me. It's very simple, like a bird's nest. Weaving two small nests is enough for them to live in."

Chen Ling took out three long pieces of dry grass and tangled them around in a series of twists and turns.

Soon, each of the four people produced a small bird's nest. Rui Rui stared wide-eyed at it; he had naturally seen bird's nests before and knew what they were for.

Before everyone could even finish weaving, he anxiously stamped his little feet and called out urgently, "Little one! Little one!" He wanted to put it in the jar so the little quail could live in it.

"Don't rush, let's put a small nest in first, and then put the others in when they grow up."

Chen Ling coaxed it and put a bird's nest inside.

"Master, what about the others?" Shen Jiayi asked.

"Let's put the others in the cage for now, and leave the cage door open to see if we can attract birds to stay there."

Chen Ling said with a casual laugh.

Unexpectedly, everyone found it interesting and did it.

After finishing, I looked into the earthenware jar and was even more amazed.

Under the dim, warm light, inside the transparent glass tank, fluffy little birds huddled together in their nest.

It's very warm and loving.

"Wow, Master is amazing! They look much prettier in a jar than in a birdcage."

Shen Jiayi and her family of three gathered around to look.

Chen Ling smiled without saying a word. "Is that impressive? We'll get a bigger tank later, plant some flowers and plants, and it'll be even more fun with more things."

(End of this chapter)