My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 68 Thief
Chen Ling looked into the wine box and saw five or six little quails huddled inside. They had black and yellow stripes, shiny black eyes, and pointed beaks. They looked a bit like chicks, but a couple of sizes smaller.

"Hey kid, you've taken over the quail nest, haven't you? Where did you get it from?"

"From the haystacks outside the village!"

Liu Nier answered with a grin, then said to Xizi, "Xizi, take out yours too."

“Uncle Fugui, there’s a whole nest of rabbits in this one. I caught them from the haystack outside the village.”

The little girl also handed the wine box in her hand to Chen Ling.

It turned out to be several chubby little rabbits whose eyes hadn't opened yet.

"Good heavens, there are quails and rabbits here. This haystack is really a treasure trove."

Chen Ling smiled.

The straw stacks in the village were piled up every year after the wheat harvest to feed livestock or as firewood. However, now that winter is long over and there is grass everywhere, the livestock have no shortage of fodder, so the stacks are left outside the village unattended.

Not only do domestic chickens and ducks like to frequent such places, but pheasants, rabbits, quails, and hedgehogs also like to venture in.

Now that we've entered the fourth month of the lunar calendar, it's the peak season for wild animals to breed. If you poke into a haystack with a long bamboo pole at night, all sorts of things will scramble out.

"Didn't you guys say you were going to see a movie tonight? Why are you running around outside again?"

At this moment, Wang Susu finished washing the pots and pans and came out, turning on the light in the yard.

"I arrived too late and couldn't get a good spot. Now the rooftops, walls, and even the trees are all packed with people. Even with my dad standing on a bench carrying me, he can't see me. I can only listen from the very edge..."

Liu Nier sniffled and said sullenly.

Due to its remote location, apart from the county seat, there is no television signal in the towns and villages below.

Showing a movie in the village is considered a big event.

Whenever the village loudspeaker announces that a movie is going to be shown, the whole village is immediately in an uproar, and people will rush over to grab a good seat even if they don't eat.

If you can't get a front seat, stand on a stool; if that doesn't work, climb a roof or a tree.

It makes every time they show a movie, it look like a war.

"So they're showing a movie tonight. No wonder it's so brightly lit over there at school."

When Chen Ling returned from the county town, he noticed a light and some noise, but he didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that Chen Erzhu was just making a fuss at home.

Chen Erzhu's house is located at the northernmost part of the village, behind Chenwangzhuang Primary School, separated from the school by a large pond.

As for Chenwangzhuang Primary School, it had no gate or walls, and it was dilapidated, but it had a large open space.

So whenever the village showed a movie, it was shown inside the school.

"Uncle Fugui, Grandpa went to the movies tonight too. He told me to tell you that the oxcart won't be ready until tomorrow night."

Xizi blushed and said.

"Okay, it's fine to wait a day or two. I'm not in a hurry to use it right now."

Chen Ling patted the little girl's head and said with a smile.

Last time, Chen Sangui promised to make him an oxcart, which was done after he finished working at Erzhu's place. He was supposed to finish it tonight.

As a result, the village is showing a movie today, so it will be a day later.

"Have you two eaten dinner yet? If not, I'll boil two eggs for you."

Wang Susu brought over two small stools for the two little children and asked.

“We’ve already eaten at Aunt Su’s restaurant. Before we came here, we even roasted a snake by the pond.”

Liu Nier raised her head and said proudly.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu were amused by what they saw. This kid couldn't watch the movie, but he knew how to find his own fun.

"Uncle Fugui, please put the quail and rabbit away quickly."

"My dad said the little rabbit has already been touched by someone before it even opened its eyes, so it won't survive. He wants me to take it home and feed it to the dog, but I'm a little reluctant to do that..."

Liu Nier placed the two wine boxes in front of Chen Ling, talking as she and Xizi squatted down beside them, peering at the baby quail and rabbit inside. "You little rascal, you think you can raise rabbits just by bringing them here?"

"Sure, why not? Heiwa and Xiaojin were just barely able to run when you brought them home, and they're so strong and healthy now. The little rabbit can definitely do it too. I believe you..."

Goodness, this is actually quite reasonable and well-founded.

Speechless, Chen Ling had no choice but to take out the bamboo basket that had held the ducklings again, put the quail inside, and then find the doghouse where Heiwa and Xiaojin had been as children to settle the little rabbit.

The two little children were finally relieved.

After playing happily for a while, he picked up his kerosene lamp and left.

……

For the next few days, Chen Ling stayed at home obediently and did not go to the county town again.

Every day, he either reads books on a deck chair in the yard, takes his two dogs to graze cattle in the fields, or goes into the mountains with Wang Susu to collect medicinal herbs.

Life is leisurely and fulfilling.

However, on this day, when Chen Ling was feeding the chickens after breakfast, he discovered a bad situation.

There are fewer eggs in the henhouse.

And more than one is missing.

He used to collect the eggs every two days; the two old hens could lay at least ten eggs each.

Undoubtedly, this is thanks to the peanut vines and spinach in the cave.

But today there were only two or three eggs in the henhouse.

"Even if a thief broke into the house, they wouldn't just steal eggs. This must be the work of something else..."

Chen Ling's face darkened. It was impossible that it was a weasel that stole it.

Those two little creatures, having drunk the water from the cave stream, have become like Heiwa and Xiaojin, possessing sentience and understanding of human nature; they know right from wrong.

Now I basically avoid the chicken coop, and even when I come home, I don't dare to show myself in front of the chickens.

Because Chen Ling had warned them not to scare the old hens in the house.

The last time they came to steal chickens at night, they scared the two old hens quite a bit, and they laid thin-shelled eggs for several days in a row. Chen Ling fed them some water from the Dongtian Stream, and they recovered.

"The two puppies haven't been running around much these past few days, so what could possibly steal the eggs so quietly...?"

Chen Ling wondered to himself that when he was at home, Heiwa and Xiaojin usually stayed close to him, and he only dared to sneak out when Wang Susu was home.

He squatted outside the chicken coop and observed carefully; the two hens didn't seem frightened.

So he got up and wandered around the base of the wall and corners to see if there were any clues.

As it turned out, he actually discovered something.

They found two empty eggshells, not in the yard, but outside the yard wall.

There was a small hole in the eggshell, as if it had been bitten by something.

"What's wrong, Ah Ling?"

At this moment, Wang Susu came from the alley entrance carrying a thick stack of dark blue fabric. She had bought it from Cui the Cripple's shop to make a pair of trousers for Chen Ling.

Seeing him squatting there, looking a bit off, I quickly came over.

"There are quite a few eggs missing from the house. I looked around and found two empty eggshells here. I don't know what dried them..."

Chen Ling picked up the eggshell and showed it to Wang Susu.

When Wang Susu saw the hole in the eggshell, her face changed. "This...this couldn't have been done by a magpie, could it? I've been seeing magpies landing in our yard these past few days."

I won't abandon this project, nor have I ever planned to. With so many examples before me, I certainly won't do anything that would damage my character. After all, I used to be a loyal reader of so-and-so...

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(End of this chapter)