My 1995 Small Farm.

As Lynx followed Chen Ling home, his steps were unsteady.

I was holding my baby and rocking him around until the wee hours of the morning, and I still had dark circles under my eyes, looking like I'd been punched.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Wang Susu sitting on a small stool under the eaves, holding Lele in her arms and feeding her egg custard. Kang Kang was lying in a bamboo rocking chair next to her, clutching a cloth tiger in his little hand and humming "ee-ee-ya-ya".

"Susu, can you take a look? My parents have been suffering terribly these past few days, coughing and having a low-grade fever."

When the lynx opened its mouth, its voice was hoarse, lacking its usual strong tone.

Hearing the noise, Wang Susu gently lifted Lele from her arms into the little rocking chair, covered her with a blanket, and then touched Kang Kang's forehead before getting up to greet her.

She first took the lynx's pulse and said, "You're fine, just a little worried. You're preoccupied with something, thinking too much, and it's a sign of liver stagnation."

He then asked, "Do your uncle and aunt often get up at night? Do they feel heavy in their hands and feet, and have a poor appetite?"

"Yes, yes, that's right!"

The lynx nodded vigorously.

“My mom said her head also hurts, just like her old problem, but this time she also has a low-grade fever, and my dad’s voice is hoarse from coughing.”

Wang Susu nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke:
"It's from staying up late, which depletes your yang energy and weakens your vital energy."

"My uncle and aunt can't drink goat milk, nor can they drink bitter medicine."

“There’s an old recipe in our village: stew fresh cow’s blood, chicken’s blood, and dog’s blood with ginger and red dates into porridge. Drink it for three days straight, and it’s the fastest way to replenish your Yang energy.”

"Huh? You can use dog blood?"

Lynx was stunned. He had only ever heard of chicken blood warding off evil spirits, but he had never heard of dog blood being good for one's health.

"It has to be a domesticated mongrel, one that hasn't eaten anything dirty, and has a strong temper."

Wang Susu explained in detail: "Beef blood replenishes qi and blood, and my uncle and aunt are suffering from qi and blood deficiency from cooking it. Chicken blood invigorates the meridians, and headaches are caused by blocked meridians."

"Of course, this refers to rooster blood."

"Didn't Ah Ling tell you guys before that rooster blood can even bring someone who's hanged back to life? It's incredibly effective."

"The dog's blood is warm and the night is cold. As they grow old, the cold seeps into their bodies."

“Take half a bowl of each of the three types of blood, mix them into millet porridge, add three pieces of ginger and two red dates, simmer over low heat until thoroughly cooked, and drink a bowl each morning and evening. It is more effective than taking medicine.”

Chen Ling chimed in from the side:
"Chicken blood is easy to get, just kill a chicken in the coop. As for dog blood, have Heiwa donate some. He's very strong, so taking half a bowl won't hurt."

"It's cow's blood; we need to go fetch the little white calf."

"A white calf? A white calf or a water buffalo, is that alright?"

The lynx paused, taken aback.

"Row."

Wang Susu nodded: "Xiaobai is clean, and her blood is clean too. We can use it after drawing one syringe."

The little white calf wasn't that delicate, but everyone in the family doted on it.

Last winter, fearing he would get cold, I sent him to live with Grandma Liang Hongyu.

The old lady's house had many empty rooms, and it was also to keep an eye on the house for her.

The little white calf is fine except for not letting others ride it.

Without further ado, Chen Ling led the little blue horse, with the lynx following behind, and they went to Liang Hongyu's house.

It's nice and warm today, and the weather is sunny.

The spring sun is warm and pleasant, and it feels very comfortable to bask in it.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees a large, snow-white water buffalo lying on a haystack under the eaves, its fur so shiny it looks as if it has been sprinkled with fine salt.

Even the hooves were clean, and next to them was a ceramic basin filled with fresh grass. The old lady was afraid it would get dirty, so she washed and dried the grass thoroughly.

"Wealth and fortune are coming!"

Hearing the commotion, Liang Hongyu came out of the house, holding a piece of cloth in her hand.

"It's warm today. I just wiped Xiaobai's fur with a damp towel, and it's so comfortable that it's squinting its eyes."

"Now you're closer to me and your uncle too."

Upon seeing Chen Ling, the little white ox immediately raised its head, let out a long moo, and slowly stood up.

It moved so lightly that it was afraid of getting the ground dirty, and it came close to Chen Ling, rubbing its big head against his arm, as docile as a big cat.

"Auntie, we came today to get some of its blood to nourish the lynx parents."

Chen Ling stroked the little white calf's neck and comforted it, "Little White, it's just one syringe, it won't hurt, and it won't cause any harm."

"We'll pick you up and take you home soon. The weather's warmer now, and the house is more comfortable. We'll give you some good food to make up for it."

As he said this, Liang Hongyu felt a little reluctant. Her nephew's cow was so well-raised, gentle, intelligent, and obedient; the thought of having to draw blood made her a little uncomfortable.

I'm really reluctant to part with it.

"It's okay, Auntie. It's just like how donating a small amount of blood is beneficial; it promotes blood circulation."

"It's spring, everything is growing, it's okay to have a little blood drawn."

"I know, I know."

Liang Hongyu was helpless.

Chen Ling then took out the syringe.

It's also for animals, the larger kind.

Whether you're a veterinarian or a livestock owner, you can't do without this thing.

With a gentle prick in the calf's hind leg, bright red blood was drawn out.

When the syringe was full, it was just enough for a small half bowl, so he quickly pressed a clean cloth against the wound.

The little white calf didn't make a fuss at all, only occasionally swishing its tail, with a hint of curiosity in its eyes.

On the way back, the lynx looked at the cow's blood in the bowl and couldn't help but sigh:
"Little White Cow is so well-behaved, he's more obedient than my kids."

Chen Ling smiled: "It understands human nature and knows not to hurt it."

As soon as I arrived at my doorstep, I heard a commotion coming from the yard.

Pushing open the door, I saw two little children peeking out from the door frame. One of them was Wang Lixian's sixth daughter, with a cloth satchel slung across her shoulder and a handful of roasted broad beans in her hand.

The other one was Xiao Sen from Chen Yuqiang's family, his trousers were covered in mud, and he was also holding a cloth bag in his arms.

"Uncle Fugui! You eat!"

Upon seeing Chen Ling enter, Liu Ni'er immediately jumped out and stuffed the broad beans into Chen Ling's hand.

"My mom cooked it, it smells delicious."

Komori followed her in, opened the cloth bag, and inside were several small comic books with curled edges:
"Uncle Fugui, we'd like to borrow your book, 'Small Animals in the Mountains.' All my classmates say it's great, and we'd also like to read two new ones."

Chen Ling took the broad beans, popped two into his mouth, and said, "Okay, the books are on the bookshelf inside. Go get them yourselves. There are also a few newly written ones about Er Tuzi catching pheasants. Take them back and read them together."

Liu Nier and Xiao Sen cheered and rushed into the house. A moment later, they came out carrying several books and two rice noodles, which Wang Susu had given them.

"Thank you, Aunt Susu!"

The two boys grinned, saluted, and ran off in a flash, shouting, "More books to read!"

They started school on the 18th day of the first lunar month.

Last year, people from Hong Kong and Taiwan came and said they wanted to build a primary school in Chenwangzhuang.

The children of Chenwangzhuang were also given special treatment.

Now I can study in the county town for free.

They also transferred many teachers to primary schools in the county town.

Once the new primary school in Chenwangzhuang is completed, they will all be assigned there.

Zhong Xiaoyun was transferred to teach at a primary school in the county town at the beginning of the year.

After school that day, she made a special detour to Chen Ling's house. As soon as she entered, she laughed and said, "Fu Gui, the book you wrote has really ruined me!"

Chen Ling was packing up to go back to the village these past two days when he heard this and was stunned: "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Liu Ni'er hid your book in the textbook during class and read it. When I called on him to answer a question, he blurted out, 'Wolves are fiercer than tigers,' and the whole class burst out laughing!"

Zhong Xiaoyun covered her mouth and laughed.

"To be honest, there's also Xiaosen. He doesn't do math problems. Instead, he draws Er Tuzi in his notebook and says he wants to train an eagle like Er Tuzi to hunt in the future. He doesn't want to learn math problems."

Chen Ling chuckled, pondered for a moment, then turned and went inside. He took out a few sheets of paper and wrote a short story about how Er Tu Zi had to count the number of pheasant footprints to find the burrow in order to catch pheasants.

If a wolf wants to become the wolf king, it needs to calculate exactly how much food it needs to find each day.

The next day, he gave the story to Zhong Xiaoyun and asked her to tell it to her students.

Two days later, Zhong Xiaoyun came to report the good news again: "Your story worked! Now Liu Ni'er is very serious about math problems, saying she wants to help Er Tu Zi count footprints. Xiao Sen has stopped drawing birds, saying he wants to learn arithmetic to help the Purple Qilin find food."

The lynx then came over carrying a basket, smiling as it said:
“That blood porridge is very good. My parents have been drinking it for three days and they can sleep soundly at night now. My mom said her headache has stopped and she even asked me to bring you some freshly steamed meat buns.”

"Goodness, he's being so polite with me now."

Chen Ling was amused by this, took the basket and looked at it, feeling that the steamed buns looked somewhat familiar.

The lynx chuckled, "Hehe, I learned it from you. The filling is made with meat broth, it smells amazing." (End of Chapter)