My 1995 Small Farm.

The fog had not yet dissipated in the early morning.

A dilapidated hand-held tractor with a wooden guardrail attached chugged around the front village and screeched to a halt in the passageway outside the threshing ground in the back village. Inside the tractor was a tall white pig that was foaming at the mouth from time to time.

When they came to Chenwangzhuang to breed pigs, without asking any questions, they first bred pigs for Wang Lishan's family.

Wang Lishan's pigs weren't just for selling meat; in years when pork prices were good, he also raised sows specifically to breed piglets.

Each litter contains about ten piglets.

Sometimes a litter of pigs can sell for two thousand yuan.

This year's pork prices aren't great, but many people are still coming to the countryside to buy pigs at bargain prices.

So the pig breeders got cocky, and many people wanted to breed them with pigs.

Wang Lishan was called out; he had a large bald head and walked around the tractor with his hands behind his back.

The boar on the truck was pacing impatiently, occasionally nudging the railing with its snout. Two large, conspicuous sacs hung between its hind legs, and occasionally, bright red fleshy protrusions would stick out from under its belly, stretching and contracting.

Wang Lishan nodded and chuckled repeatedly.

Then he pointed at the piglet and said, "Little one, go call your Uncle Fugui."

With Chen Ling here to keep things under control, even if the pig breeders are highly sought after, they won't dare to cheat them anymore.

But when Chen Ling brought Heiwa and the other man over, a large crowd had already gathered at the threshing ground.

The man who was breeding pigs was demanding money from Wang Lishan: "Pay first, then breed the pigs; no money, no breeding."

"Are you being unreasonable? You want money upfront? Who mates pigs like that? There's no such rule! What if you don't come back if you're not a good match?"

“It’s not my problem if I’m not good enough for you. You came all the way to our Kuliu County to find me, so I can’t have made this trip for nothing. Even a tractor needs fuel.”

Although the man was from another county, he showed no fear whatsoever.

This caused an uproar among the crowd.

Mating a pig makes them strutting around like they're strutting around a human!
Even Yang Gangdan wasn't this arrogant back then.

Wang Lishan's face also turned ugly. He was the one who found this person. He had inquired with his relatives in Kuliu County beforehand and had also visited the place. This person's boar was indeed excellent. After mating, the sow could give birth to thirteen or fourteen piglets in each litter.

The more children you have, the more money you can make selling them; the more you have, the more you can sell.

"You're just a pig breeder, and you're acting all high and mighty? What are you so arrogant about? What do you have to be so arrogant about?" Wang Lishan was furious.

He looked ready to fight.

People are like this back then; how could they let people from other counties bully them right at their own doorstep?
"Who's being arrogant? This is the rule in our county. Didn't your relative explain it to you clearly? I drove this long way up the mountain road early this morning with my tractor... Fine, if you agree, pay the money for the pig. If you don't agree, I'm leaving... Don't come to our county again next time..."

Even the men who tend pigs are afraid of being beaten if they can't explain themselves.

Besides, with Chen Ling watching over him with two intimidating dogs, he simply didn't want to play the part anymore.

It’s a wasted trip, so let it be.

Now, Wang Lishan was losing face.

Don't let his carefree and playful nature fool you.

But sometimes, the more someone is like this, the more concerned they are with saving face, and they even brag about it to other pig farmers in the village.

“You can’t leave. It’s just fifty yuan. I’ll give it to you first. I’ll get the money for you.”

Wang Lishan glared at the man, then turned and strode home, muttering to himself, "It used to cost only five yuan to breed a pig, and we thought that was expensive. Damn it, a couple of years ago it went up to fifteen or twenty yuan, and this year it's fifty yuan..."

I'm not raising pigs anymore; I'll just take my big boar to mate with other pigs.

Chen Ling watched silently from the side.

There's nothing we can do; he really doesn't understand the ins and outs of breeding pigs.

I haven't had a chance to ask Guo Baolai in the village yet.

At this moment, Wang Lishan, his usual carefree smile gone, took a few bills and handed them to the pig farmer: "Here, fifty, take it!"

"Fine, let the sow out now!"

The man serving the pig was no slouch either; he just pointed at it and stuffed it into his pocket.

Wang Lishan raises quite a few pigs. If he only had one old sow, he could simply drive the boar into the pigpen.

However, having too many pigs in the pigpen is not good, as it can easily affect breeding and ultimately prevent successful mating.

Wang Lishan turned around, opened the pigpen door, and dragged a sow out by the ear.

"Come on, my pig has been restless in the pen for several days now, it's the perfect time to mate."

As the old saying goes, older sows should be bred early, while younger sows should be bred late.

Wang Lishan's family replaces their pigs every two years, and these are undoubtedly young sows.

That's the advantage of raising sows in the countryside: you don't have to worry about them mating too late after they come into heat.

"Your pig isn't bad, but it still can't compare to foreign pigs... Just you wait and see, once you've raised foreign pigs, you'll know their advantages... These things fatten up incredibly fast, and they can be ready for market in just six months if you raise them properly."

The man who supplied the pigs received the money and a smile appeared on his face.

Of course, pig feed is not yet well-developed, various hormones are not widely available, and white pigs have not undergone several generations of breeding. His claim that they can be slaughtered early is mostly an exaggeration.

Wang Lishan and the others were skeptical, and all turned their attention to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling nodded slightly. It's undeniable that imported pigs fatten up quickly and produce more meat.

He simply said, "I've eaten a lot of pork from foreign pigs, and it's not as fragrant as our local pork, but raising pigs to sell is just like raising foreign chickens and selling foreign eggs. There's nothing wrong with foreign pigs."

His words are now considered meaningless in later generations.

But when the villagers heard this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

In their view, being able to sell for money early and make more money is good, just like foreign chickens lay eggs quickly and frequently, which is common knowledge.

They know that free-range eggs are more nutritious and good for your health.

They had long known that no one had the ability to raise free-range chickens so well and make them lay eggs so frequently.

Just find one that can make money.

However, when it came to mating with pigs, things didn't go as well as everyone had imagined.

At first, as soon as the wooden fence of the tractor was opened, the big boar with white foam in its mouth jumped down and rushed towards the sow.

In the past, they would lick and smell the sow's rear end...

"Look at how impatient you are! You haven't even eaten yet, how do you think you can get up there? And even if you could get up there, how would you be able to penetrate?"

He's a frequent pig breeder; this pig breeder has a vulgar way of speaking and talks a lot of crudely.

This caused a burst of laughter from the crowd, with all sorts of comments. Amid the laughter, he took a foot-long whip, lashed it a few times, and drove the boar aside.

Let Wang Lishan prepare some food for his pigs.

We traveled a long way before coming here, and the pigs didn't eat anything.

Breeding pigs is very physically demanding.

Not only should they be fed, but they should be fed good food so as not to harm the pigs.

Only then can I work for a few more years and earn a few more years of money.

Otherwise, it will be out of service in less than a year.

Those who specialize in raising breeding pigs even mix a few raw eggs into the pigs' troughs every day to supplement their nutrition.

Wang Lishan had already spent fifty yuan, so he couldn't bear to feed the pig anything better. He was already grateful if it could be fed enough. He took the usual pig feed bucket and gave it to the pig handler to feed the pig.

Once they've eaten their fill, the boar is released to mate with the sow.

The results of it……

The boar lay down several times in a row, and the sow ran away with her rear end sticking up.

The boar lay panting heavily.

The man tending the pigs was also exhausted and covered in sweat.

"Dude, your sow won't mate!"

Wang Lishan had been watching from the side, and he frowned, thinking that this shouldn't be the case. The sow was making a ruckus in the pen. Shouldn't she be allowed to mate with any boar that comes along?
"You won't mate? Is it because your foreign pig is too big and scared my pig... Um, you'd better think of another way..."

"Brother, your sow won't mate, but my boar won't mount her! What can I do about this?"

The pig handler wiped his hands on his shirt. "After my pig rests, I'll go find another pig and try it out for free. How about that?"

"That's okay too."

Wang Lishan thought for a moment, then went home and poured the man a glass of water so he could rest too.

While they rested, Chen Ling, seeing the sun rising higher, led the two dogs back to the village courtyard to tidy them up.

Take the two bags of dates we picked earlier out of the east room and put them out to dry.

Even though the weather has turned cold, there are still plenty of flies.

Things like red dates, and medicinal herbs like goji berries and licorice root, emit a sweet smell after being dried in the sun, which attracts flies.

The flies this season are incredibly stupid.

Like a grasshopper in autumn.

Its movements were slow and dazed, as if it had lost its soul; it couldn't be driven away no matter how hard you tried.

The insect repellent packets that come with the house aren't working.

Chen Ling used to dry goji berries and medicinal herbs at the farm like this, so she had to cover them with window screens.

After covering it, I checked the house for any mouse holes.

Hearing the commotion outside and the shouts coming from outside, he got up and went out.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Wang Lishan and the men who were tending the pigs driving a large boar towards the primary school on the north slope.

Chen Ling went over to see, and found that they were going to the old courtyard of his fourth grandfather's house.

Chen Yongsheng's family raises pigs over there.

In his pigsty, there was only one sow; the other three were castrated eunuchs.

By this time, most of the villagers had already eaten breakfast, and more and more people came to watch the excitement.

Even the elderly couple from across the street from Chen Ling's family, Wang Chunyuan's parents, who were even less popular than the Guang family, came along.

In short, there were quite a few people watching the spectacle.

But what's puzzling is...

It still didn't work this time.

The boar would mount, and the sow would stick her rear end out to avoid mating.

This is strange.

Chen Yongsheng frowned and said, "Is it that our native pigs don't recognize you foreign pigs?!"

"Impossible! There are so many families in our county that have already done this. There are plenty of local pigs. Ask Lishan from your village; he has relatives over there..." the pig handler retorted loudly.

"Tch, who doesn't have relatives in Kuliu County? Let me tell you, don't try to fool me."

The villagers issued a warning.

"My God, this really isn't my fault! So many people in your village saw it. My boar has been lying down so many times, and its thing is sticking out. The sows in your village won't let it in!"
How could I be the one fooling people!
You have to be reasonable!

The man who was bred pigs was extremely anxious. He had seen it with his own eyes, so how could anyone say that his breeding pigs were no good?

"Alright, alright, don't worry, I'll think of a way for you."

Chen Ling rubbed his chin, recalling what Lao Ba had told him about breeding large livestock when he was getting vaccinated.

Sometimes you need someone to lend a hand.

This phrase, "to lend a hand" or "to give someone a helping hand," truly means exactly what it says.

For example, some males are uncooperative and lack worldly desires, requiring someone to help stimulate them with their hands.

It's a bit cringeworthy.

However, this was a common practice in the early days of animal husbandry, and it was also an effective traditional method.

"Alright, stop shouting, Fugui has given us some advice, listen to what Fugui has to say!"

Upon hearing that Chen Ling was about to make his move, everyone fell silent.

Chen Ling then called over Chen Yongsheng and the pig-slave man, telling them how to proceed.

Upon hearing his idea, before Chen Yongsheng could react, the man tending the pigs turned around in astonishment to look at Chen Ling, unable to understand how this refined young man, who looked like a college student, could come up with such a crude method.

Good heavens, they actually made us hold down the sow and help the boar insert it.

Damn it, I've been breeding pigs for so long, how come I never thought of this method?

I've learned something! I really have. (End of Chapter)