My 1995 Small Farm.

The second month of the lunar calendar is always the fastest month to pass each year.

In the blink of an eye, it was over without me even noticing.

Soon it was March, and the weather warmed up completely.

The cotton-padded coats have long been taken off, and the surrounding rolling green hills have shed their winter's withered yellow and gray, replacing them with a layer of tender new green.

The pines and cypresses grew ever greener, and the buds of the oak and oak trees burst open, sprouting pale yellow and light green leaves.

Mountain peach blossoms and wild apricot blossoms bloom in a rush, their pink and white petals dotting the verdant mountainside, a truly delightful sight.

The reservoir at the village entrance was swollen with water, its surface a clear, turquoise blue. A ripple of light shimmered in the wind, creating a beautiful sight.

The weeping willows on both sides of the reservoir dam have soft, silky branches that have already sprouted tender yellow buds and leaves, swaying gently in the wind, filling the air with the rich scent of spring.

The waterbirds have returned, and wild ducks swim in pairs in the center of the lake, leaving ripples in their wake.

The egrets stood gracefully in the shallow water, their long, slender legs occasionally bowing their heads to peck at the food.

Occasionally, you can see a few kingfishers, like blue lightning, darting across the water, snatching a small fish, and disappearing into the reeds on the opposite bank.

The scene in the farmland was even more lively.

The wheat fields are lush and green, growing vigorously, and when the wind blows, it creates layers of green waves.

The villagers were busy applying fertilizer and weeding; the fields were filled with their bent-over figures working.

The sounds of herding livestock, the familiar local accents greeting each other, mingled with the fragrance of soil and grass, all create a pleasant atmosphere.

In the past few days, Chen Ling has been tidying up the house and taking time to go to the county town.

He had moved most of his belongings back to the small courtyard in the county town, but he still had to make repeated trips to bring back all the poultry and livestock that needed to be brought back.

The first thing we brought back was the little white calf.

This snow-white water buffalo was well cared for by the old lady at Liang Hongyu's house, and its coat became increasingly glossy and smooth, and its body seemed to have grown even more robust.

Upon seeing Chen Ling, it excitedly mooed and nuzzled its big head affectionately into his arms, like a spoiled child.

Chen Ling smiled and patted its broad neck, put a brand-new leash on it, and led it onto the dirt road back to the village.

The little white calf walked steadily along the familiar road, appearing exceptionally docile and obedient.

Next were the poultry that were free-range in the temporary chicken and duck sheds in the forest farm.

Chen Ling selected several of the most productive hens, the strongest roosters, and the fiercest white geese for guarding the house.

They were placed in bamboo cages and pulled by pack animals on a cart, making "clucking," "quacking," and "oh-oh" sounds all the way home, where Chen Ling placed them in the farm they were most familiar with.

What Rui Rui misses most is naturally his "little one".

That audacious little yellow chick that dared to peck at Chen Ling's shoelaces.

Wang Susu specially packed it in a small bamboo basket, lined with soft hay.

Rui Rui stayed by her side the whole way, occasionally standing on tiptoe to look at her little friends in the basket, muttering to herself:

"Little one, be good, hurry home, there are lots of bugs to eat on the hillside!"

It's early spring, there aren't that many insects yet.

But once they got home, the little guy started chirping and chasing after Rui Rui's heels as if he knew the way inside.

Rui Rui was overjoyed, and immediately broke off half of the sponge cake that she had been reluctant to eat and fed it to him.

"Feed me slowly, don't let me choke!"

Wang Susu watched from the side, shaking her head with a smile: "You silly child, you care more about these chicks than your younger siblings."

"Good boy! Rui Rui likes it!"

Rui declared confidently, carefully picking up "Little One" and showing it off like a treasure to Afu, who was dozing next to him: "Big Tiger, look, Little One is back!"

Afu opened his eyelids, his amber eyes glancing at the chattering little one, exhaling a puff of hot air as a greeting, before lazily closing his eyes again.

It had absolutely no interest in this tiny thing that was barely enough to fill a tooth gap.

The two giant tigers, Afu and Ashou, have now become the "guardians" of Chenwangzhuang.

They also seemed to thoroughly enjoy the freedom to return home.

Most of the time, he lazily lay in Chen Ling's yard, basking in the sun and taking naps.

Their presence enveloped the entire village in a strange atmosphere of tranquility.

The villagers' initial awe and caution were gradually replaced by a sense of pride and peace of mind.

The children have become much bolder, daring to shout at the tigers from a distance under the supervision of adults, and even imitating Rui Rui, trying to throw them some food.

Although they are usually scared off by Afu's lazy look or snort, they still enjoy it.

At the same time, Chen Ling began to work on reviving his farm.

Spring is a season of vibrant life, and it's time to release fish into his fishponds and irrigation ditches.

That morning, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze blew.

Chen Ling carried out several large plastic buckets and water tanks from the greenhouse in the east of the village. Inside were various kinds of fish fry that he had specially put in for overwintering.

The juvenile red-lipped fish are entirely crimson, and when they swim in the bucket, they resemble clusters of flowing flames, dazzling and beautiful.

The Qinling fine-scaled salmon fry appear more agile, their silvery-white scales shimmering in the sunlight. They are spirits of cold-water streams and have extremely high requirements for water quality.

But Chen Ling is doing very well.

There were also common grass carp and silver carp fry, densely packed together, a dark mass, full of vibrant life.

The most special ones are the little guys in those pickle jars.

Two palm-sized, turtle-shaped "pig-nosed turtles" with upturned noses like pig snouts, along with some colorful ornamental fish.

This was separated from the aquarium. The temperature dropped quickly in the twelfth lunar month before the New Year, and it would be difficult for it to survive the winter if left outside.

As soon as Rui Rui saw that his father was going to release the fish, he immediately perked up, picked up his little wooden bucket, and followed behind him happily.

They quickly became Chen Ling's most loyal "little supervisor" and "little tail".

Wherever Chen Ling worked, he would wander around.

One moment she was stirring the ditch with a small twig, just like her father, and the next she was trying to help her father get tools, her little face covered in mud.

Afu and Ashou seemed to have taken an interest in the commotion as well, and followed behind at a steady pace, neither too close nor too far.

Chen Ling first arrived at the two irrigation ditches next to the grape trellis on the west side of the farm.

The canal water was crystal clear, with clean pebbles at the bottom, and a few water lilies had just sprouted tender leaves.

He carefully placed the pig-nosed turtles and ornamental fish into the canal first.

Let them get used to it first. After a few days, once the big fish tank has been cleaned, then put them in.

The pig-nosed turtle clumsily paddled its limbs, its pink nose twitching back and forth. It adapted to its new environment shortly after entering the water.

Slowly sinking to the bottom, it began to explore new territory.

It looks very funny and cute.

"Daddy! Turtle! Its nose looks like a pig's!"

Rui Rui squatted by the canal, watching intently and clapping excitedly.

"Yes, it's called a pig-nosed turtle. It will live here from now on. Rui Rui, you have to keep an eye on them and make sure no bad birds take them away."

Chen Ling smiled and gave her instructions.

"Yes! Rui Rui will protect the little pig turtle!"

The little guy straightened his chest, a sense of responsibility welling up within him.

He tried to drop a few sunflower seeds and peanuts from his little pocket into the water, which immediately attracted small fish and turtles to fight over them, splashing water everywhere and making him giggle.

Afu seemed curious about the little creatures swimming in the water. He lowered his huge head, staring intently at the surface with his amber eyes, and made a very soft "gurgling" sound in his throat.

Its enormous figure was reflected in the water, startling the small fish into scattering and hiding instantly.

Afu seemed to find it amusing, yet also somewhat confused, and stretched out its huge front paws to tentatively and very gently touch the surface of the water.

"Wow..."

A large ripple spread across the water's surface.

"Afu! Don't scare the little fish!"

Rui Rui immediately acted like a little manager, hands on hips, and "scolded" in a childish voice. A Fu raised its wet paws, looked innocently at its little master, and then slowly withdrew its head and lay down again.

However, its gaze kept glancing towards the irrigation ditch, and it looked somewhat like a big cat that had been criticized and was feeling a little wronged.

Chen Ling couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two lovable characters interact.

Next, he went to the irrigation canals and ponds deep in the orchard.

The waters here are wider and more natural.

He released the red-lipped barb, lenok, and regular fish fry into different bodies of water.

"Go, grow up well."

Watching the fish fry quickly scatter and merge into the water, or hide in the crevices of rocks or under the tender leaves of grass.

A relieved smile appeared on Chen Ling's face.

Rui Rui imitated him, scooping a ladle of water from the small wooden bucket while chanting, "Little fish, little fish, grow up quickly, grow up and I'll feed you to the big tiger..."

"Rui Rui, stay away, don't fall into the water."

Seeing his son getting so close, Chen Ling quickly reminded him.

Rui Rui obediently scooted back a little, but his eyes remained fixed on the little fish swimming in the wooden tub: "Daddy, the little fish are pretty! They're red!"

"Aren't they beautiful? These are red eels. They'll be even more beautiful when they grow up."

Chen Ling smiled and carefully scooped up the fish fry along with the water using a wooden ladle, then slowly poured them into the pond.

These are the eggs laid by the red eel in its cave, and the fry that hatched from them.

Now that the Lynx have research results, he's not afraid to share them.

As soon as the fry entered the water, they scattered immediately. Some burrowed into the water plants, while others swam quickly to deeper water and soon disappeared from sight.

have to say.

Springtime in the village is always more lively.

The chickens, ducks, and geese are extremely familiar with the farm.

Before anything even happened to Chen Ling, the chickens started wandering all over the mountain, scratching for food on the hillside.

The ducks and geese couldn't wait to rush into the pond, splashing and preening themselves happily in the water, making noisy "quack quack" and "cluck cluck" sounds.

Goodness, this whole mess is really making Chen Ling a little uncomfortable.

However, this vibrant energy is always infectious.

Chen Ling quickly smiled as well, thinking of getting a few geese out as well.

Let's incubate the eggs laid by the geese too.

In winter, Chen Ling raises geese in a greenhouse. The greenhouse is warm, and when the geese are blindfolded, they mistake it for spring and start laying eggs without realizing it.

This is a very amazing thing.

Spring has arrived, and the people in Taoshugou like to hatch chicks and ducklings.

They are the ones who carry the loads and sell them every year.

Chen Ling hatched chicks with a lynx this year and is now planning to incubate goose eggs herself for fun.

……

In short, the livestock and poultry were brought back.

After the fish fry were released, it was as if a new vitality had been injected into the farm.

After several days of sunny weather, the sun warmed the pond water.

The newly released fish fry quickly adapted to their environment and began swimming actively among the aquatic plants.

The bright stripes of the red-lipped fish fry are particularly eye-catching against the backdrop of the clear water. Occasionally, they swim by in groups, resembling a flowing brocade.

The slender-scaled salmon are even more alert, often accelerating suddenly and leaving a fleeting silver streak on the water's surface.

Chen Ling would go to the pond every morning and evening and scatter a handful of bran and soybean residue that had been specially soaked in the spiritual water of the cave.

The fish quickly became familiar with his footsteps, and as soon as he approached, they gathered around, vying for food on the surface of the water, creating ripples.

The two pig-nosed turtles have learned their lesson; they know that when this two-legged creature comes, there will be good food.

He would often clumsily paddle to the shore, crane his neck, and gaze longingly at Chen Ling with his little black bean eyes.

Rui Rui has become a regular visitor to the pond.

The little guy wasn't particularly interested in the fish his dad released, but he was fascinated by the two adorable pig-nosed turtles.

Every day after his afternoon nap, he would drag Wang Susu or Chen Ling to see the "piggy turtle".

He even tried to break his rice noodles into pieces to feed the turtles, but Chen Ling quickly stopped him: "Silly boy, turtles don't eat this. They eat small fish, shrimp, and seaweed."

"oh,"

Rui Rui seemed to understand but not quite, then pointed to the school of fish vying for food in the water: "Do those little fish eat Rui Rui's pancakes?"

“The fish don’t like the pancakes either, they like this that Daddy sprinkles.” Chen Ling grabbed a small handful of bran and placed it in his son’s palm.

"Come on, try it."

Rui Rui excitedly tiptoed and, imitating her father, carefully sprinkled the bran onto the water's surface.

Seeing the little fish swarming over to peck at the food, he clapped his hands with joy: "They ate! They ate! The little fish like Rui Rui!"

Wang Susu stood to the side, holding Lele, watching the interaction between the father and son, her face beaming with a gentle smile.

Kang Kang was sleeping soundly in his stroller, sunlight filtering through the branches of the apricot tree and casting dappled light on his rosy little face.

Afu and Ashou seemed to sense this peace and tranquility as well.

They no longer eye the ducks in the pond covetously; most of the time, they simply find a comfortable corner to lie down and sunbathe, or leisurely patrol the farm.

However, they are tigers after all, and no one dares to mess with them.

Even the usually noisiest white goose only made a token honking twice when the tiger passed by, then waddled away.

They dared not actually go forward to provoke them.

That evening, Chen Ling was pruning the overgrown branches of the fruit trees in the orchard, with Rui Rui, A Fu, and Ashou keeping him company.

Rui Rui held a small twig and drew crooked circles on the ground, muttering to himself as if he were telling a story to the two "big tigers".

The two tigers lay lazily, their huge heads resting on their front paws, occasionally flicking their tails to indicate that they were listening.

Suddenly, Er Tuzi swooped down from the sky and landed steadily on a tree branch near Chen Ling, with a plump pheasant struggling in his mouth.

It dropped the pheasant at Chen Ling's feet, then tilted its head and looked at Chen Ling with sharp eyes, as if it were presenting a treasure.

"Hey! Baldy, you've got quite a haul!" Chen Ling said with a smile.

The pheasant's feathers shimmered with iridescent colors in the setting sun, making them very beautiful.

Rui Rui was immediately attracted and ran over to look curiously: "Daddy, a big bird! It's all colorful!"

Seeing that its little master was interested, Er Tu Zi proudly shook its feathers.

Chen Ling picked up the pheasant, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be quite heavy.

“Perfect timing. I’ll add an extra dish for you and your children tonight. The rooster’s meat is tough and dry, but don’t worry, it’s the best for making soup.”

At this moment, Afu and Ashou also stood up, strolled over, lowered their heads to sniff the pheasant, and made a "whoosh" sound in their throats, seemingly also interested in this colorful prey.

But they didn't fight over it; they just rubbed their big heads against Chen Ling's leg together.

"Greedy cat, there's meat for you tonight, and the soup is all yours after you finish it."

Chen Ling patted their sturdy necks.

This scene was witnessed by Wang Susu, who came to call them for dinner. She couldn't help but laugh:

“You three, along with Er Tuzi, are practically a hunting team.”

"Haha, our farm is now fully staffed and well-equipped..."

Chen Ling proudly picked up the pheasant: "Here, I'll make you chicken soup tonight, with dried mushrooms to go with the pheasant. It's time to give our wife some nourishment too."

Wang Susu glared at him: "Pah, get lost, I always feel like you never have a nice thing to say." (End of this chapter)