My 1995 Small Farm.

"Holy crap, this is the little thing you two were talking about?"

"This is a den of cobras!"

Outside Wang Lixian's greenhouse, inside a pile of utility poles, was a nest of baby cobras.

There are about ten baby snakes in this nest, and they've already grown to the thickness of a finger.

It's clearly a small snake that just grew this year.

"Huh? Cobra? Over-the-Mountain?"

Chen Xiaoer and his companion were startled and quickly retreated.

"What nonsense! A king cobra is a giant cobra, much bigger than a regular cobra. We don't have any of those around here!"

"We were so scared! We were so ignorant... But wait a minute, Wu Fei, aren't you an animal teacher? It's normal that I don't recognize a cobra, but how come you don't?"

Chen Xiaoer patted his chest, his face ashen.

"I study insects, not snakes. Besides, the big snakes aren't even in their nests, and the little snakes haven't grown up yet. How could I recognize them as cobras? I thought they were the 'cloth bag snakes' that people in the village talk about."

The two men came here to tidy up the telephone poles and noticed that the big snake was not there. Remembering that Chen Ling's father-in-law kept several boxes of snakes at the farm, they decided to ask Chen Ling to come and catch it.

It wasn't really because they wanted to eat bear paws.

Who would have thought it was a nest of cobras?

Chen Ling was also puzzled. Last year, his father-in-law released so many king cobras in the wild fields outside the village, just in case Zhenzhen and the others ran around playing all day and got bitten by venomous snakes.

Because king cobras eat snakes.

Generally, venomous snakes will not dare to approach it from three to five miles away when they smell its scent.

Indeed!
The effects have been particularly noticeable since the king cobra was released.

The earthen cloth bags that used to be commonly seen in the nooks and crannies of the village have become less common over the past year.

Unexpectedly, a whole nest of cobras came to Wang Lixian's side.

"Wow, there's so much to learn about this snake!"

"So, according to you, venomous snakes don't usually come here, and this one came out of the mountains?"

"Who knows? Maybe those giant snakes ran away and went to the mountains to find food."

The mountains are full of poisonous snakes, and the deeper you go, the more venomous snakes roam in the sinkholes that Chen Ling found.

Moreover, there is more food available in the mountains.

Those king cobras don't live in one place. They not only have to hunt for food everywhere, but also find mates to reproduce... especially during the mating season, it's even more unpredictable.

"What do we do now? This is a nest of poisonous snakes. Should we kill them?"

Chen Xiaoer scratched his bald head.

"Why kill them? It's such a waste to kill these little snakes. We can raise them to a bigger size and make them into medicinal wine."

Chen Ling thought to himself, "I'm just worried about not having enough ingredients for the Five Poisons Wine from the Cave Heaven that I'm working on."

"However, snakes are very vengeful. If the big snake comes back and finds its child gone, it will probably follow the scent to your house..."

"Fuck, don't!"

Chen Xiao'er jumped up in fright: "Where is that big snake? Kill it quickly!"

"Who knows where they went to find food?"

Chen Ling stroked his stubble: "I'd better go back and catch a giant king cobra. When it comes back, it'll just walk right into my trap."

Wu Fei felt sorry for the little snake and thought about how the big snake couldn't find its children when it returned, so he softened and said, "Why don't we move them to a different place, away from people, so they won't hurt anyone?"

Separating a mother and child, and then murdering the entire family—it's just too cruel.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling broke out in a cold sweat: "Teacher Wu, don't be silly... Snakes are cold-blooded animals. This thing won't remember your kindness. It can kill someone if you're not careful. Think about all the kids in your class who run around and play in the fields after school. If they accidentally get bitten by this thing, someone could die at any time."

Upon hearing this, Wu Fei gave an embarrassed smile and quickly said that he hadn't thought it through.

Sometimes people are like that; they can't help but empathize with animals and project human emotions onto them.

Actually...

Animals are animals, and the difference between them and humans is enormous.

Even domesticated cats and dogs can sometimes reveal their wild nature and hurt people.

Not to mention these wild animals.

So the three of them took the whole nest of baby cobras away, and when they returned to the farm, they caught two more large, thick king cobras to deal with the mother cobra that had gone out to hunt for food.

But to their surprise, when the three rushed back to the greenhouse, Wang Lixian was leading a group of people, shouting and yelling as they chased away snakes with shovels.

Indeed, it must have taken Chen Ling and his group almost half an hour to make their round trip.

The giant cobra had already returned to its den, and Wang Lixian and his group ran right into it.

Although cobras are venomous, they are still afraid of humans.

Being chased by so many people, it got scared and squeezed into the gaps between the telephone poles.

This is going to be troublesome.

The people living in the village have very simple ideas.

Poisonous insects and creatures must be eliminated on sight. Even spiders and centipedes crawling out of the corners of the room should be stomped on.

Not to mention the cobra, which can be deadly.

So a group of people rolled up their sleeves and moved the telephone poles one by one.

It took more than an hour to scare the snake out, and then we killed it with a shovel.

After all that fuss over the utility poles, they ended up carrying the two poles they needed up the slope, which saved Chen Xiao'er and his companion a lot of trouble.

Since no one wanted the dead cobra, it ended up with Chen Ling.

The small snakes need to be raised a bit longer, but the big snakes can be used directly to make medicinal wine.

His Five Poisons Wine is made from various combinations.

If it weren't for scorpions, toads, centipedes, spiders, and snakes.

Alternatively, it could be replaced with poisonous bees or other venomous insects.

However, the slightly awkward thing is that he's still a little hesitant to drink those drinks.

"Hey, are you sure you're not coming to eat bear paws? They're a rare treat. Bring your wife and kids along!"

"No, no, I'm not going. Cleaning up these telephone poles is tiring enough, and I'm too lazy to change out of these dirty clothes."

"Then let Daxu and his sister-in-law come over."

"Don't worry about them. Daxu is always looking for Ruirui to play with. He can go whenever he wants... You should go and bring Zhenzhen back."

The two waved their hands, urging Chen Ling to hurry up and pick up the child from school as it was getting late.

Besides, this isn't just politeness.

They only have two bear paws; how can we send a whole group of us over? That would look really bad.

Didn't you see that Wang Lixian and the others aren't going?

If you don't even have this much self-awareness, you'll be a nuisance for others in the future.

Seeing that none of them were coming, Chen Ling stopped talking.

Back home, a unique aroma was already wafting through the yard. Shen Jiayi and her daughter followed Gao Xiulan, checking on the pot from time to time.

I was afraid there would be too many ingredients in the pot, such as chicken, duck, big bones, and pork hock. These things are heavy and would easily burn if they stuck to the bottom of the pot.

That would truly ruin a good soup.

There were a lot of trivial matters going on today, otherwise Chen Ling wouldn't have acted like a hands-off manager at a time like this.

He went to the kitchen stove and took a look, smelled the rich aroma, and couldn't help but swallow.

My anticipation was almost unbearable.

"Putting everything else aside, the stew I make is definitely better than those Russian stuff."

Chen Ling was secretly pleased with himself. He then pushed his motorcycle out and went to the county town to pick up Wang Zhenzhen and her second brother and sister-in-law.

These three were quite busy today. They set up a stall outside the gate of a small courtyard in the south of the city, selling spicy strips.

The students across the street from Xinling Middle School are all older students, and they have a lot of pocket money.

Every day after school, the spicy snack stall is surrounded by people.

Fortunately, there were many people, so the spicy strips sold out quickly.

Chen Ling didn't have to wait long before they sold out today's supply.

Wang Zhenzhen really wants to count her money.

This is her greatest joy every day.

As it grew darker, Chen Ling pulled her onto his motorcycle.

She then calmed down.

Once they reached the mountain road outside the city, she became cheerful again.

She tugged at Chen Ling's clothes from behind, saying every now and then, "Why did Little Green Horse run off to the mountains? Sigh, I haven't been home for a few days, and it's become so disobedient..."

It's as if she's saying that when she's at home, Xiao Qingma listens to her.

A moment later, she said, "Little lamb is so timid, even riding a motorcycle it's afraid of being chased by dogs... But I'm not afraid of those stray dogs. If they chase me, I'll climb onto the wall and shoot them with a slingshot!"

He acted like a tomboy the whole way, constantly bragging.

However, she hasn't been home for almost two weeks, and she does miss home a bit.

So all this chattering is because they're going home and are happy.

"Brother-in-law, now that you've brought Afu and Ashou back, can we still go hunting bears in the mountains?"

"Of course there's no problem. No matter how fierce the bears in the mountains are, they can't beat tigers, let alone our Afu and Ashou."

"Then catch me a little bear cub, I want to keep it as a pet."

"Give me a break. Next year, those sika deer will have a bunch of fawns. That'll be more than enough for you to raise. You're always at school. Your parents and I feed your two birds, but you don't care about them at all."

“I took care of it. I caught so many bugs for them on Saturday and Sunday. It’s enough for them to eat for several days.”

"..."

They quickly arrived outside the orchard, and before Chen Ling's motorcycle had even come to a complete stop, she jumped off.

He ran into the farm in a flurry of activity, shouting as he went.

"Wow, the little muntjac has grown up!"

"Rui Rui, don't run away, you brat! All you do is play with turtles, your hands are stinky!"

Chen Ling shook his head with a helpless smile: "This crazy girl..."

"Huh? Dad, Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhong aren't here?"

"After fishing, I went home, saying I was going to change my clothes. I just called them again, but they said they had already eaten at home and weren't coming."

Chen Ling was taken aback when he heard this, but then he understood and said with a wry smile, "Look at the mess this has made. Bear paws are just for the taste, not for filling your stomach. There are so many, there's no way we're worried about not having enough to eat."

Bear paws aren't eaten like pig's trotters; they're eaten with a small spoon.

Two bear paws and a big pot of side dishes—how could that not be enough?
Even if you let it sit open, you won't be able to eat it.

"Never mind, I'll go call them over later." Chen Ling shook his head, washed his hands, and went into the kitchen to get busy.

The Zhao Yubao family and the Chen Xiaoer family are not quite the same.

Even if the two elderly people hadn't revealed the crucial recipe for cooking bear paws today, they would still have treated Chen Ling as a junior.

They really took good care of her.

These are not outsiders.

Don't forget.

"Ah Ling, how much longer? I'll send some over when it's done cooking. Sister Du Juan is pregnant, so let her have some to nourish herself."

"No, pregnant women shouldn't eat this stuff. It's not very tasty. We'd be better off making soup with our own chicken and duck another day."

Chen Ling had just taken the bear paw wrapped in gauze out when he heard his wife's words and quickly reminded her, "Anyway, our old hens and ducks are laying fewer eggs, so we can stew them all and eat them."

Wang Susu nodded and chuckled, "Alright then, Zhenzhen and I will go and call Uncle Zhao and the other two families over later. You can focus on your work in the kitchen and don't worry about anything outside."

"Your parents were just saying they were worried you'd busy yourself all day and end up ruining the food, which would be a laughing stock."

"Haha, don't worry, as long as it doesn't burn, the taste is bound to be good with just these ingredients."

Just then, Wang Qingzhong and his wife pushed their cart in.

As soon as I entered the yard, I exclaimed how delicious it smelled. After securing my bicycle, I headed straight for the kitchen in the backyard.

At this moment, Chen Ling had just put the foreleg into the pot to make braised bear paw.

"It smells amazing! The last time it smelled this good was during a hot summer day when we were eating hot pot around the fire pit after a heavy rain."

"Haha, how does it compare to this fragrance?"

"This one is definitely thicker. Goodness, he actually cooked a whole pot of stuff. Xinping, come and see. Look how much your brother-in-law has gone to for a bear paw."

"Goodness, they have chicken and duck, and even pork knuckle. I'll have to eat two more bowls of rice later."

"Sister-in-law, there's so much meat we can't finish it all, so don't worry about rice."

Chen Ling smiled helplessly.

Then they started slicing the hindquarters, arranging them on a plate, and steaming them.

The two ways of eating left Wang Qingzhong and his companion dumbfounded.

"If you do this again when you hold a banquet for Kang Kang and Le Le, it will be so grand and impressive, no matter who comes, it will be impressive enough."

"Hehe, you know what, that's exactly what I'm planning to do."

The aroma made Wang Qingzhong and his companion's stomachs rumble; they had been busy making spicy strips all afternoon and hadn't had a break, so they were already starving.

How could anyone resist such a fragrance?

He quickly went outside to set up the dining table and helped Chen Ling scoop out the chicken, duck, pork hock, and other broth from the large pot and plate them.

This is more than half of the food on the table.

Soon the bear paw was ready, and the remaining two steps were simple. Chen Ling worked quickly and efficiently, and it looked like it was about to be taken out of the pot.

Wang Susu quickly took Zhenzhen and Ruirui to invite the Zhao and Zhong families to come and eat.

Once everyone had arrived, Chen Ling laid out the finest fruit wine.

Before the wine was even poured and the feast could begin, Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui were already starving and couldn't wait any longer, so Chen Ling tore off two chicken legs for them and told them to eat them at a small table next to them.

After taking good care of the children, the adults then went to taste the bear paw.

Accompanied by the rich aroma, we carefully put the food into our mouths. For a moment, the table was quiet, and no one made a sound.

Tasty?
It's delicious?
It has a rich and fragrant flavor that melts in your mouth, and the aroma even fills your nasal cavity.

But... the taste is hard to describe, it's just a bit strange.

It was unlike anything I had ever eaten before.

Let's leave Chen Ling and the others aside for now.

The Zhao Yubao family had indeed eaten dinner.

As a result, after eating that, I felt hungry again.

Du Juan didn't eat the bear paw, but the aroma whetted her appetite, and she ate two bowls of rice with the fragrant braised pork knuckle.

The men, regardless of age, ate with increasing enthusiasm, toasting and drinking with great relish.

Bear paw paired with fruit wine is a delicious combination of mountain delicacies.

Zhao Yubao was thoroughly enjoying the food and drink, feeling completely invigorated, taking a bite of bear paw and a sip of wine.

With his eyes closed, he was completely absorbed in the moment: "Ah, life is like this, what more could one ask for?"

His appearance struck the children as odd, prompting Rui Rui to clumsily imitate him, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Zhao Yubao scooped him up in his arms: "You brat, your dad won't be my apprentice, so when you grow up you'll be his apprentice, and we'll outshine your dad!" (End of Chapter)