My 1995 Small Farm.

After Zhao Yubao and Professor Zhong, Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu and her family also arrived.

After arriving, there is nothing else to do but to get busy with all the preparations for the New Year.

Make rice cakes in the morning and steam them in the afternoon. At the same time, you also start chopping dumpling fillings and steaming New Year buns.

These women have to do this, but they need the help of men like Chen Ling.

During the Chinese New Year, it used to be the women in the family who took care of all the chores, and men were basically needed, in every family.

For example, steamed New Year’s buns.

A lot of flour is used to steam New Year's buns during the Chinese New Year, and kneading the dough is not a small problem.

The woman is too weak to do it alone.

How to knead the dough?
It's almost like the story of Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian, where they use a big rolling pin to press the dough back and forth.

"The weather is warm this year, so we won't make too many steamed buns. Just enough for three or four days will be enough."

Wang Susu smiled and said, "There's no need for A-Ling and the others to help. Let him chop the meat. He's strong and the meat he chops will taste good."

In the past, people would steam several bags of New Year’s steamed buns every year and eat them throughout the first month of the lunar year.

Because it’s going to be a busy year.

During the first month of the year, farmers rarely have a chance to rest, so they steam a month's supply of steamed buns in advance so they don't have to work much.

Later, it gradually evolved into half a month.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month...

Because everyone is poor, they have to start working early and look for a job to earn money half a month in advance.

Due to the special circumstances and weather conditions this year, each family does not have to work too long and it only takes a small amount of time to steam a large pot of New Year's buns.

There is plenty of meat and vegetables during the Chinese New Year, and people eat as much as they want. The steamed buns are all gone in three or four days.

To prevent it from breaking down when the weather gets warmer.

"Okay, I'll chop the meat."

Chen Ling has fried the tofu and there is nothing else to do.

As for other New Year snacks, such as meatballs, rice crusts, crispy pork, fried fish, etc., you can make them in your free time after dinner.

He has a skillful technique and can do the work quickly, without having to take up any other time.

"But for the dumpling fillings for the New Year, we need to use new meat. Let's go to the village and get a pig out first. Kill the pig in the morning and we'll have the soup in the evening."

After Chen Ling finished speaking, Zhao Dahai raised his hand and said:
"I'll help Fugui, Shanmao, you go and write couplets, blessing characters, etc. with Uncle Zhong."

"Okay, Dahai is strong, come with me to the village to catch pigs."

"What about me? What about me? Make arrangements for me too!"

Zhao Yubao stared, not wanting to fall behind.

In front of the villagers, he jokingly tried to be lazy.

At Chen Ling's house, they are going to celebrate the New Year together, and he doesn't want to sit around doing nothing.

It seemed like he was being left out.

"I forgot to mention this, Uncle Zhao, you should pick some mushrooms later, water the vegetable shed, and feed the dogs. Make sure the dogs at home are well fed these days so they don't go out to look for food."

"Okay, fine. It's the New Year, and people are resting. Let's give the dogs a break, too. They're always watching over the house and staying up late at night. Let them eat more and go out to play more these days."

Zhao Yubao is very able to empathize with all kinds of things. He taught Chen Ling this, saying that it is a basic requirement for becoming a writer.

So the whole family got busy.

Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai drove the tractor to the bottom of the slope on the north side of the village, not far from the primary school, and wanted to catch pigs from the old house of their fourth grandfather.

This was raised by Chen Yongsheng.

When the wild boar was caught for the first time, it was blocked in a corner.

There is a sow and three castrated boars.

Chen Ling knew that their castrated boars were well raised.

I deliberately didn't go to Wang Lishan's house to choose, but chose the pigs here.

"Fugui, Ruirui and Xiaolizi ran out with the dog. I can't control them."

Chen Ling and his friends had just stopped the tractor outside the old house.

When Chen Yongsheng and his wife, as well as Fourth Grandpa rushed over.

Zhao Yubao started shouting on the slope.

Behind him, there was a little kid wearing a blue cartoon cotton-padded jacket and looking as plump as a little bear. He was laughing and stealthily holding the hands of two little girls and hiding behind him.

The little brat is the most slippery, and his two short legs move very fast.

The two young ladies next to him couldn't stop him at all.

"There's a river here, and I'm afraid Heiwa and Xiaojin can't control him."

Zhao Yubao smiled bitterly with helplessness. He was too old to be worse than a dog in taking care of the kids.

I really don't have the energy to deal with naughty kids.

In fact, it is true. Today, Heiwa and Xiaojin are the only ones taking care of the children at home.

But...

If Ruirui was so easy to serve, he wouldn't be Ruirui. And he was always sticking with the two dogs.

Heiwa really dotes on him.

Even Xiao Jin turned a blind eye and followed him in making a fuss.

Xiao Jin used to be very serious.

He is even more old-fashioned and rule-abiding than Erhei. He always stops Heiwa and Ruirui from making mischief.

Now there is a tendency to become more and more spoiled.

"Uncle, don't worry about it. I'll take them over."

Chen Ling found it funny to see the old man's helpless look.

The fourth grandfather and the others found it ridiculous and even friendly, and waved to Ruirui: "Come quickly, come quickly, you are going to kill the pig.

There is meat to eat, and I will leave the pig’s tail for you.”

As for the little kid, it’s okay if you ignore him, but as soon as someone calls him or gives him a smile, he becomes more excited than anyone else.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

So Ruirui didn't hide anymore, and rushed over here with his short legs and a smile on his face.

While rushing, he shouted loudly: "Daddy, chicken, chicken, daddy, catch the chicken."

If it were someone else, they might think this was catching chickens, or playing something like "Eagle Catches Chickens".

But when Chen Ling heard it, he knew that was not the case.

I guess they were playing with the two little muntjacs at home again.

When the young muntjac grows up, it is no bigger than a lamb. It is very small and extremely cute.

There's no kid who doesn't like them.

In winter, the mother and daughter become a little lazy. Except for coming out to bask in the sun at noon, they stay in the doghouse at other times.

The doghouse was the one that Chen Ling had made for the puppies before. It was also the one where Erhei and the others lived when they were young. It was more sheltered from the wind.

Although the weather is warm this year, there are a lot of windy days, so it is very warm to stay inside.

But the little ones are too noisy and energetic, and the mother and daughter can't stand them, so they hide back in their nest.

There was nothing they could do.

"Don't catch the little deer anymore. Come and watch the pig being slaughtered. Dad will take you to slaughter the pig. After that, we will go to the village to pick up Brother Xiaoming."

Chen Ling easily crossed the river, carrying the children across in his arms one by one.

Heiwa and Xiaojin also jumped over the river.

Following beside me, wagging its tail.

"Fourth Grandpa, please help me keep an eye on them first, let's load the pigs onto the cart."

"No problem, Ruirui, come with uncle..."

Fourth Grandpa liked Ruirui very much, and he took him to the side to pick up small sticks made of dry leaf stems.

You can use this to make little animals for them, and kids love it.

Chen Ling had also picked out the pigs. He pointed at the fattest spotted pig in the middle and said, "It has a fat head and big ears. This is it."

"Huh? Aren't you going to attack the black pigs this year?" Zhao Dahai asked doubtfully.

He knew that Chen Ling had some inexplicable obsession with black soil pigs.

"That's it. There's no difference. They're all the same. They're not foreign pigs anyway."

Chen Ling waved his hand nonchalantly.

Seeing that Chen Ling had picked out the pig, Chen Yongsheng jumped into the pigpen without saying a word. He grabbed the pig's ear with one hand and whipped its butt with the other. The spotted pig ran out of the pigpen while screaming.

Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai are also very efficient.

Zhao Dahai didn't have so many problems. He was exposed to the wind and sun all day long and was not afraid of doing dirty work. He took the rope and cooperated with Chen Ling to press the pig to the ground and tied it up tightly.

Then the two of them worked together to lift it up.

With Chen Ling's strength, this pig weighing about 200 pounds would not be a problem at all as long as it did not move randomly, and he could just throw it onto the car.

After hearing the pig's screams, the neighbors came out to see what was happening. When they learned that Chen Ling had taken a pig from Chen Yongsheng's family, they were very envious.

Everyone knows that Chen Ling offers high prices to his fellow villagers.

They also expressed envy, saying that Chen Yongsheng made a lot of money and could earn a hundred yuan more than selling it outside.

After discussing for a few sentences, they all started teasing Ruirui:

"Ruirui, what are you looking at? Your dad has killed a pig for you. Why are you still playing over there? Come on, follow him!"

Because the weather is warm this year, each household does not need to prepare much meat and other New Year's goods.

So many families seem to have more free time.

Especially young people, some of whom have just gotten married, are feeling proud and elated.

They are still wandering outside at this time, and are discussing going to watch Chen Ling's family slaughter a pig.

"Since you have so much free time, why don't you go to the land temple and clean it up, or replace the tiles for the land temple? Instead of wandering around...

We are going to welcome the new God of Land tonight. You are so ignorant. Aren’t you afraid that the God of Land will not bless you next year?"

The elders in the family followed suit and started scolding. (End of this chapter)