My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 99 Frog Sounds
When Chen Ling arrived, Wang Lixian's family had already started harvesting. They had driven their son-in-law's oxcart home four or five times. They had actually picked some yesterday evening as well. Even so, there were still more than five acres of watermelons left to harvest in the melon field.

When Chen Ling arrived with his oxcart to help, Wang Lixian nodded without saying much. But Liu Yuzhi and Dani'er were very happy, their eyes filled with gratitude. It was about to rain heavily, and if no one helped, the watermelons would definitely be soaked in the ground.

Compared to wheat, there's no need to rush to harvest watermelons, but the real concern is the rain that falls incessantly before the wheat harvest.

If there is too much moisture, the watermelons will easily grow and crack. If there is heavy rain for several days in a row, they will rot on the ground. Wang Lixian's place is located at the bottom of a slope, in a low-lying area, which makes drainage difficult. The watermelons will not be sweet, the taste will be poor, the price will not be high, and he will definitely lose money.

Watermelons thrive on seven days of sunshine and three days of rain. Too much rain is detrimental. Normally, the temperature difference in the mountains is quite large, which makes the watermelons very sweet and fetch a good price. However, if they are soaked by heavy rain before the wheat harvest, the watermelons absorb too much water and their sweetness immediately decreases.

The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and there was a faint rumble of thunder.

No one dared to delay, so Chen Ling and Wang Lixian's five adults, plus Liu Nier, a little girl, the seven of them started to get busy. Wang Lixian had a bad back, but he worked very fast. Together with Chen Ling and Er Nier's son-in-law, they filled the oxcart in no time.

It was too late to transport them home at this point, so they were taken directly to the threshing ground outside the village. They could just cover them with plastic sheeting later. Anyway, the wheat in the village hadn't been harvested yet, and there was plenty of space to put several acres of watermelons.

After finishing one truckload, Liu Yuzhi, along with her two daughters, Da Ni'er and Er Ni'er, had already filled the second truck.

They worked very hard.

In rural areas, women are an indispensable source of labor; when it comes to physical exertion, they are no less capable than men.

After a while, Wang Jusheng somehow got wind of it and came over in his father's donkey cart to help.

Rural people are sometimes very honest and kind. They know which family you are kind to. When you are in trouble, you don't need to go to their door to ask for help. People will come to help you spontaneously. Especially during weddings and funerals, almost every family will lend a helping hand. One family will contribute a few plates and bowls, and another family will contribute a few tables and chairs. That's all the food needed to entertain guests.

With two oxcarts and a donkey cart, they hurried along and finally finished harvesting the five acres of watermelons before the heavy rain came.

Just as the last two truckloads of watermelons arrived at the threshing ground and hadn't even had time to be covered with plastic sheeting, the rain started to fall, accompanied by bursts of lightning and thunder. The torrential rain before the wheat ripened arrived as expected.

The group covered the watermelon, then weighed it down with bricks and stones, and went to Wang Lixian's house together. Originally, Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng were reluctant to go because of the heavy rain, but Wang Lixian dragged them there.

They had done a great deal of work today, and Wang Lixian would feel bad if he didn't treat them well. So, unable to refuse any longer, the two of them, wearing raincoats they had prepared in advance or carrying umbrellas, came to Wang Lixian's house.

The rain poured down harder and harder.

Standing under the eaves of Wang Lixian's house and looking out, all you can see is a vast expanse of white, with strings of water bubbles splashing on the ground.

Wang Jusheng picked up a large bowl of tea and gulped it down. He wiped the rain off his face and saw Chen Ling standing outside watching the rain. He couldn't help but laugh and tease him, "I really didn't realize you were so strong, Fugui. You're the fastest at picking watermelons. You picked watermelons from at least two out of the five acres today, and you're still not even out of breath. You're just like Yang Gangdan back in the day."

"Yeah, Fugui is really strong. The other day, he easily overpowered my ram with one hand, clamped its head between his legs, and it couldn't move at all. I reckon Yang Gangdan was about the same strength when he was young."

Wang Lixian also chimed in.

Chen Ling was completely bewildered upon hearing this. So what if he was strong? Why was he comparing himself to this Yang Gangdan? Besides, who was this guy? He'd never even heard of him.

Wang Lixian smiled and said, "Speaking of Yang Gangdan, he is a legendary figure. You haven't heard of him because your father didn't tell you his story, for fear of corrupting you."

Who is Yang Gangdan?
Twenty years ago, he was a famous and powerful man in Changle Township, and even in the entire Lingyun County. He was tall, strong, and incredibly strong.

This man was from Yangtougou. Back then, Yangtougou lacked large livestock such as cattle and horses. There were widows with several children, all alone and destitute, without a pillar of support. The men in the village were afraid of gossip and no one dared to help. When the wheat harvest or sowing season came, they were always worried about plowing the fields. At this time, they would ask Yang Gangdan to come and help.

In those days when food was scarce, no extra payment was needed. All it took was steaming a large pot of mixed flour buns, about thirty in total, which Yang Gangdan could eat in one meal.

Then, with one person holding a sickle, six or seven acres of wheat can be harvested in just one day.

When it came to plowing, it was even faster. This guy personally harnessed the plow and harrow, and had the widow follow along to hold the plow. In half a day, he could plow four acres of land. He was truly more efficient than livestock.

However, what made him famous wasn't his physical prowess, but rather his impressive physique and abundant resources. This story, though the source is unknown, spread far and wide that any young woman from the surrounding villages who couldn't conceive would seek out Yang Gangdan. As long as the woman wasn't in poor health, she could become pregnant within two attempts. From then on, Yang Gangdan no longer needed to work the fields; he could live a life of luxury simply by being a stud. This is how Yang Gangdan earned his nickname. However, his good fortune didn't last long. Within two years, someone, out of envy, reported him, and he was executed in the city on charges of illicit sexual activity. Although Yang Gangdan is dead, his story has spread far and wide. However, younger generations today don't know about it; their elders forbid telling it, fearing it might corrupt their children and lead them astray.

After listening to Wang Lixian's explanation, Chen Ling was both amused and exasperated. Good heavens, he was being compared to a stud! How could he dare to compare himself to such a man? He might be strong, but he was a law-abiding citizen.

"Will Liu Tiedan from our class be able to pull a plow when he grows up, just like Yang Gangdan?"

At this moment, Liu Ni'er peeked out from the side and asked curiously.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Originally, it was the men talking outside, but Liu Yuzhi took her two daughters to the kitchen to prepare food, so they didn't pay much attention to their conversation and forgot that Liu Ni'er was listening nearby.

Goodness, Wang Lixian probably felt embarrassed by his sudden question.

Sure enough, she had already started taking off her shoes with a stern face. When Erni'er's husband saw this, he quickly stopped his father-in-law and turned to Liuni'er, saying, "You can't listen to what the adults are saying. Go back to your room and do your homework."

“I’m on holiday. The teacher told me to do chores at home and didn’t assign any homework.”

Liu Ni'er had long been experienced in being beaten, and seeing that her father's expression was not right, she quickly hid behind Chen Ling and answered in a muffled voice.

Upon hearing this, Wang Lixian's face darkened even more, but with Chen Ling protecting Liu Nier, he couldn't make a move, so he secretly made a mental note of it.

After that, the group became noticeably more reserved in their conversation. However, the rain was so heavy that before they could exchange more than a few words, a southeast wind accompanied the rain as it poured down onto the eaves.

They had no choice but to retreat back inside, sit around the table, drink tea, chat, and wait for dinner to be served.

Wang Lixian's house is over twenty years old. The walls are covered with yellowed newspapers and faded New Year pictures. There is not much furniture in the house except for an eight-immortal table, a heavy black lacquered wooden cabinet and a five-drawer chest. As for the bed, it is in the inner room on the east side, separated from this side by a floral curtain.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the four corners of the large black lacquered wooden cabinet are reinforced with iron plates, and rows of round nails are nailed to the surface. Each of the two cabinet doors is inlaid with a porcelain ink painting, depicting the longevity of pine trees and cranes, with red-crowned cranes, a red sun, mountains and rivers, and evergreen pines.

A calendar was displayed on the chest of drawers, and a huge portrait of a great man hung on the wall behind it. The old man waved with a kind smile, and the people were forging ahead against the backdrop of the red sun and auspicious clouds.

Chen Ling looked up and glanced at the furnishings in the room. He felt that it had much more character than his own home. His house was a new house. Although he had been married for two years, everything still looked too new. The furniture was all made by Chen Sangui, and they were all of similar quality. Perhaps it was just because these two paintings were missing.

The group chatted and drank tea.

Before long, Liu Yuzhi and her two daughters brought out the food: two large, wide-mouthed, coarse porcelain bowls containing stir-fried pickled rabbit meat and stewed pheasant soup; several porcelain basins containing stir-fried chives with free-range eggs, pheasant blood stewed with tofu, stir-fried April melon, and a basin of pickled cabbage.

Originally, Liu Yuzhi planned to make a few more dishes, but the rain was too heavy to go out and buy more. Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng were also eager to go home after eating, so she could only make these for now.

After they started eating and drinking, although the dishes tasted very good, Chen Ling, who usually didn't skimp on food and drink, clearly felt that there wasn't enough oil in the dishes. However, this was just his first reaction. Once he started eating, he was no slower than anyone else.

The liquor they drank was a small bottle of sorghum liquor brought by Wang Lixian's second son-in-law. It had quite a strong aftereffect, and Wang Jusheng's face turned red after just two cups. But since it was his first time visiting Wang Lixian's house, he stubbornly refused to back down. In the end, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Ling had to take him home.

However, after a hearty meal and drinks, he slept soundly that night. When he woke up in the morning, the rain had subsided, and there were puddles everywhere in the yard. Chen Ling held up an umbrella and went to check on the fish in the lotus pond. They hadn't been washed away by the heavy rain. Perhaps it was the first time they had seen rain, because the little rabbits were very excited and followed Chen Ling around, splashing and playing in the puddles in the yard, getting themselves all wet. Then, when they returned to the house, they rubbed against Chen Ling again, and he couldn't get rid of them no matter how many times he tried to shoo them away.

Their shoes and trousers were covered in mud and water, which angered Chen Ling so much that he grabbed them by the ears and put them into an empty water vat under the eaves, making it impossible for them to climb out.

After breakfast, the rain finally stopped, but the sky was still overcast. All that could be heard outside was the croaking of frogs. In the distance, the village was shrouded in a thin mist, blending with the morning smoke from the chimneys, creating a hazy and beautiful scene that gradually calmed the heart.

Chen Ling looked up at the misty sky and listened to the clear birdsong in the mountains after the rain.

I thought to myself, "Summer is almost here."

(End of this chapter)