Chapter 169
“My mother, this little thing can actually be so naughty.”
“It’s so naughty.”
Han Chuang came closer. After taking a closer look, I was amazed at the neatly stored and carefully classified food in the mouse hole.
Afterwards, he immediately geared up and prepared for a big fight.
Seeing this, the others followed closely and soon had their own gains. Of course, there were also a lot of mice dug up. There were two dogs nearby, so they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.
Whenever a mouse ran out, Wang Zhenzhen took Xiaolizi and two dogs to chase and intercept it. After running for most of the day, I didn’t feel tired at all, I just shouted with joy, and the fields were filled with clear and childish laughter.
“Oh, there is a snake...”
Not far away, Qin Yueru suddenly threw the shovel away and screamed, her face turned pale with fear.
I stood up and was about to run away, but my feet stumbled and I almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Liang Hongyu supported her.
Then the old lady looked at the earth hole next to her and was shocked.
“What a snake, it’s so big.”
“Xiaoru, you must have dug the wrong hole. You wanted to dig a mouse hole, but you ended up digging a snake hole…”< br>
“I don’t know, Fugui, come and see, it’s running out, oh, it’s really running out, it’s so scary.”
"Let me see, let me see, what kind of snake is it?" Chen Ling walked over with a shovel in his hand.
In the dug cave, I saw a big guy coiled up in a ball, with yellow rings all over his body. At this time, he was raising his head and spitting out the letter in protest.
"That's it, don't be afraid, it's just a grass-headed snake, it's not poisonous."
Chen Ling was relieved when he saw the snake. There are not many venomous snakes in the local area. This kind of grass-headed snake often catches frogs and mice in farmland and is not a threat to humans.
So Chen Ling picked up a branch and dangled it in front of the snake's head.
The guy kept swaying his head back and forth along the branches while hesitating.
Snakes have poor eyesight and usually cannot see clearly what is in front of them. When the branches move, the snakes will move with them.
After it was attracted...
The branch in Chen Ling's hand suddenly pressed down, pressing its head on the stone.
Then he picked it up with a branch, and before anyone could react, the snake flew out.
"This grass-headed snake is not poisonous, but it is dirty and smelly. If you scratch it with your hands, it will be stained with the smell and it will be difficult to wash it off."
The grass-headed snake is also called the smelly king snake and the king's golden snake. , is a relatively large snake among non-venomous snakes, with a ferocious temperament and a rather unpleasant smell.
In some places, it is also called cauliflower snake.
But it is not the same type as their local cauliflower snake.
The local cauliflower snake has a pattern that looks like rapeseed flowers. Its scientific name is actually the Black-browed Golden Viper. It likes to live in other people’s homes, making its home in the eaves and wall cracks. It likes to eat sparrows and small swallows, so it is popular in some places. Call it a snake.
"In that case, why not beat it to death?" Qin Yueru asked, stroking her chest, her face still a little pale.
“Yes, we usually don’t kill grass-headed snakes when we encounter them. This grass-headed snake has a bad smell, but it also has an advantage. They are good at eating venomous snakes. Wherever the grass-headed snake is, there are several square meters in it. There are basically no venomous snakes in the area..."
"Ah? So, if I dig its hole, will it die?"
Hearing that the grass-headed snake had such a great effect, Qin Yueru suddenly became a little worried again.
"It's okay, this is not its own hole, this is just a mouse hole. It got in to eat mice..."
"Have you ever heard of a nest of snakes and rats? Snakes often burrow into mouse holes when they are hungry. Some lazy insects will occupy the mouse holes after eating the mice. They will eat and live wherever they go, and finally lay eggs. When I was there, I would just find a mouse hole and lay my eggs.”
“So that’s it.”
In the end, no one knew what to say. Simply digging a mouse hole is an eye-opener for them.
Such a novel and interesting thing cannot be imagined by anyone who has not experienced it personally.
Except Chen Ling’s family, it was the first time for everyone else to dig mouse holes. Listening to Chen Ling telling them interesting stories about digging mouse holes in the past, their enthusiasm increased. They finished digging in the morning and dug again in the afternoon. , and didn’t stop until it was almost dark.
They dug rat holes just for fun, and the food they dug out was of little use. In the end, it was all left to Chen Ling to feed the chickens and ducks.
I have to say that this day's results were quite fruitful. When I got home, I had already piled up two large snakeskin bags, mainly corn, with a small amount of millet and sorghum remaining.
Dozens of mice were not wasted. He carried them home, big and small, and fed them to the yellow skins. A few little ones that had not opened their eyes were also raised by Liang Hongyu and his wife. Tried to eat.
They came here this time and picked up all five mountain civets. They were four months old and had the size of adult wild cats, but they were too timid. When they got home, they hid in bamboo baskets and beat them. Sleepy. Although it is not good for domesticated mountain civets to be too wild, they are not wild at all, which inevitably makes people feel helpless.
Liang Hongyu and Liang Hongyu also wanted to make them livelier, catching mice and so on at home, but unfortunately they couldn't do it at all.
No, Chen Ling used the fish at home to hook up, and prepared milk powder for them. Several things were combined to get rid of a nest of little mice.
Dinner was very early today. After dinner, before the group left, Chen Ling did not forget to ask them to catch two little rabbits respectively. This is the second litter this year, and they can already be fed with grass. It's furry, plump, and small, and it's the most lovable time.
That guy, no matter male or female, old or young, would not let go when he hugged him.
Especially the boy Han Chuang gave him two little rabbits. He was so happy that he immediately forgot to take the house keys. Chen Ling chased after them and gave them to them.
……
Soon, time enters the ninth month of the lunar calendar.
After entering the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the water level of the river continued to drop, and there was frost in the mountains.
Get up early and go out for a walk. You can see a thin layer of gray on trees, vegetable gardens, and fields.
But when the sun rose, it disappeared quickly.
After the frost, it got cold very quickly.
This year's late autumn is much colder than usual. The north wind blows loudly at night. Every morning when I open the door, the yard is full of dead branches and leaves. The wind was so strong last night that it lifted up the thatch pile outside the yard and blew it everywhere. yes.
This is for cattle and sheep. Two carts of each are pulled back together with corn stalks, and they are all pitched in the alley.
But the corn stalks were tied into bundles, and the thatch pile was just covered with a plastic sheet and weighed down with stones. When the wind was strong, it would blow all over the sky.
There was no other way. Seeing this situation, Chen Ling had no choice but to take out a bamboo rake and start digging it on the ground. After a while, Wang Susu also got up and went to Yu Qiang's house to borrow a bamboo rake and help him with it. , the yard at home is relatively flat, but it is easy to sweep the thatch, dead branches and leaves into piles.
The two of them piled them up again in the corner of the alley outside the courtyard. They looked inconspicuous at first, but soon they became a pile of firewood, enough to burn them until winter.
However, the thatch can no longer be used, so we have to go outside the village to install two cars again.
After cleaning, I went into the house and looked at the clock. It was still very early.
Chen Ling hitched the bullock cart, took a fork and went to the wheat field outside the village to reload the thatch twice, and then tied it firmly when he came back.
If you have livestock at home, these things are indispensable in autumn and winter.
Eating is second, and the main thing is to build a nest for them. In order to keep warm, the thatch must be replaced frequently to keep them dry and warm.
Moreover, since the sheep is about to give birth, the thatch of the sleeping mat must be changed frequently to keep it dry and clean. Otherwise, if the sheep is not comfortable during pregnancy, it will become angry and keep barking.
In addition, some thatch must be made to serve as a roof for the sheepfold.
Thatch draping is to weave thatch into the shape of a coir raincoat, piece by piece.
In the past, thatched houses were built in rural areas, which were made of this. One layer is laid one on top of another, forming a slope shape, and the rainproof effect is very good.
Compared with braiding straw mats, this one is much simpler and rougher, and it is quite fast to weave.
But there is no need to rush this, just do it after dinner and when you have nothing to do.
After piling up the thatch, Chen Ling washed up and went to cook. After working all morning, she was feeling hungry.
It just so happened that Wang Susu went to the field to pull two cabbages and came back. The porridge and steamed buns in the pot were almost ready, so Chen Ling started to set up the pot and cook.
In the past few days, cabbage after frost has become the most popular dish on the village table.
The cabbage grown by this farmer is grown in autumn, but it still tastes a bit dry and astringent.
But if it's frosty and stir-fried in a farmhouse's wood-fired stove, there's no need for too many complicated steps. You just need to make some lard and stir-fry chili peppers in a pot, and it will become completely delicious.
Sure enough, when the pot of cabbage was cooked and the aroma wafted out, everyone's appetite was whetted. Not to mention Chen Ling and the other two, even the little girl Wang Zhenzhen ate two whole steamed buns.
"It smells so good, Xiao Chen. Do you eat meat so early in the morning?"
As soon as we finished eating, the idle women in the county pushed their bicycles in early. courtyard.
The two dogs knew that they often came to the house to buy things. After barking twice as usual, they stopped paying attention.
"No, I fried some vegetables with lard."
Chen Ling poked his head out of the kitchen and saw that there were quite a few people there, four or five of them, so he said, "Aunts, we haven't saved up the eggs or duck eggs yet." That’s enough, give it another half month, I’ll try to leave as much as possible.”
When he was sending the children in the village to school two days ago, he gave a lot to Liang Hongyu, and the whole family came to play. It was rare that he was empty-handed, so he naturally wouldn't be short of these things on weekdays, so he gave some away when he had time. It’s not too much to say it’s too much, it’s just a little bit of appreciation.
“Ah, okay, we don’t want to buy anything this time. We are here to see your wife for a checkup. She has been suffering from this problem for many years and cannot be cured. I have nothing to do today. I have heard from Qiu Mei that Su Su knows folk remedies, so we came to see her and give it a try..."
"That's it. Come on, you guys sit down first."
Chen Ling moved the mat and chairs over, said a few words to Wang Susu who came out, and sent her sister-in-law to school.
... As the weather gets colder, Wang Lixian starts construction of the mushroom shed, and Chen Ling helps for most of the day. The work is also simple. It mainly involves building a shelf that covers less than half of the ground. It is not an inverted arched shed, but has three earth walls, with triangular gables on both sides and a long back wall behind it. , a slope-style earth shed with bamboo as its frame.
This kind of construction cost is low, it does not require much manpower to build, and it is very easy.
Wang Lixian was in charge of the meal at noon that day, but Chen Ling left before the meal was served. It was Wang Susu who came to tell him that the sheep at home was about to give birth and asked him to go back quickly.
"Ah? Is the sheep about to give birth? Do you need our help..."
Wang Lixian had just lit the fire in the stove. When he heard this, he hurriedly came out and asked.
Liu Yuzhi also came out and looked here.
"No, no, brother Xian, sister-in-law, hurry up and prepare the meal. We will go back first."
Chen Ling waved his hand and asked them to go back.
In fact, the young couple had already made preparations.
Because the weather is getting colder and the temperature is especially low at night, I cleared out the woodshed a few days ago and spread it with thick dry thatch for the two sheep to live in.
I thought I would have to wait a few more days, but I didn’t expect that the baby would be born soon.
The two hurried home.
When I walked outside my house and before I entered the yard, I heard the sound of sheep braying from the house, which sounded very urgent and uneasy.
I went to the woodshed and took a look. There was no movement from the black goat. The white dairy goat had put its head against the corner, bleated, and kept pawing the ground with its hooves, starting to exert force.
When the two saw this, they immediately prepared to deliver the baby.
Actually, these two sheep were brought back by Chen Ling using the Cave Heaven. Drinking the spiritual water from the Cave Heaven can guarantee that both the ewes and the lambs will be very healthy.
But since the two ewes are lambing for the first time...
They have no experience in raising lambs.
Someone still needs to take care of it.
For example, even if some sheep are healthy, they are not close to the lamb. After giving birth to the lamb, they will not lick the mucus on the lamb at all. Some will not recognize it, and some even He also stepped on the little lamb.
These will affect the survival of the lamb.
So, for the first production, you still need to take good care of it.
Today’s dairy goat is a little more worry-free.
In about an hour, two white lambs were successfully born.
Generally, sheep tend to lose their strength when giving birth to their second lamb. This is because they exhausted all their strength to give birth to the first lamb, causing difficulty in giving birth to the second lamb.
Fortunately, the two sheep at home are healthy and strong, so there is no need to worry about this problem.
After the two lambs landed, the ewe lay quietly on the hay in the corner and licked the mucus clean from the two lambs.
Soon after, the two little lambs stood up unsteadily.
Kneel under the ewe and keep pressing your head against the ewe's milk bag.
I am hungry and looking for milk.
"As long as you can find milk by yourself."
The young couple Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief. It would be best if they didn't need to intervene, so that the lambs would grow quickly and be strong.
Then I happily watched the two lambs fighting for milk.
So that night, their family also drank goat milk.
The colostrum of dairy goats is quite good.
It is very thick and the milk skin is also very thick. Although it is a bit fishy, it feels good to drink.
It’s a pity that I couldn’t be happy for long.
Dairy goats make people worry-free, but black goats are not so good.
The black goat was born at dusk the next day. There were also two black goats. However, this black goat was a cruel mother who did not recognize her children. She was stupid and stupid. After the first lamb was born, she did not even bite the umbilical cord. Forget about licking the mucus off the lamb.
Chen Ling tried to clean the mucus from the key parts of the lamb's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears to prevent the lamb from having difficulty breathing and suffocating. He then put the mucus in front of the black goat's nose and wiped it to let it Get familiar with your child's scent.
Bite the umbilical cord, lick the mucus.
Unfortunately, it still didn’t work. I shrank my head and retreated to the wall, showing quite resistance.
There was no other way, so Chen Ling and Wang Susu had no choice but to go to bed by themselves. After cutting the umbilical cord, drying the mucus and disinfecting it, they found that there was still another unborn child.
Another busy job.
But what is strange is that it resists taking care of the lamb, but the lamb goes to the milk bag behind it to find milk, but there is no response. It is lazy and doesn't care at all, and just lets it drink.
From this point of view, this guy is probably a careless mother.
But no matter what, the four lambs were born healthy. Apart from what they drank, I could still squeeze three to four pounds of milk every day. It can be said that the milk was abundant.
Goat milk is highly nutritious and very filling.
Wang Susu couldn't drink three or four pounds of goat's milk every day, so she asked her sister and Chen Ling to drink too.
Wang Zhenzhen is fine. The little girl, like her elder sister, likes to drink milk and enjoys it.
Chen Ling can't do it.
After drinking it for several days, my burps tasted like milk and I couldn’t drink it anymore.
If nothing else, it is indeed not good for young men to drink too much, as they can easily get angry.
…These days, I tend sheep every now and then in the morning, and after dinner I go to Wang Lixian’s house to help build the shed. This earthen greenhouse is simple and it didn't take long to build. After finishing the work, I had a drink and just picked out the remaining mycelium.
After having some free time, Wang Lixian ran out of the village for two days. He found people he knew from the construction team and went to the village to show Chen Ling the place. He also calculated how long it would take to build his farm. How much does it cost.
So Chen Ling took out a few pages of drawings he had prepared and led the people around the field.
It was quite different from what he expected.
At this time, labor costs are actually not expensive. What you spend money on is what materials you want to use to build it. It can be an earth wall, a brick wall, or a wire barrier. It all depends on your own taste. If you want to make it Western-style , just spend more money, if you want something rough and simple, just save some money.
Chen Ling's requirements are not high, and they can complete it. The only thing is that this year it is a bit difficult to recruit people. The rural construction team that Wang Lixian used to follow is about to disperse. The older ones are getting older, and the younger ones are going out to work again.
The people who came today are from Chengdong Village, and it’s the same here. There are only five or six people there at the moment.
Chen Ling is not building a house or a building for a small family. The place is huge and there are few people to do it.
I just want to ask him as much as possible. If Chen Ling can wait until next spring, there will definitely be no problem.
Chen Ling didn't say anything after hearing this. He sat at Wang Lixian's house for a while, drank tea and chatted, and then sent him away.
When I came back, I passed by Cui Laizi's door. Many people were chatting there. Today, Wang Laishun was also there, sitting in the crowd with a smile, hugging his knees and shaking his legs, very leisurely.
To say that this old man has been very proud of himself recently. Since the last interview with the city, post-disaster relief funds have been distributed quickly. Other villages do not have this treatment.
When it was broadcast a few days ago, he even went to the county town to bring a TV set back and played it in front of the brigade. Although the big guys didn’t know what this thing was used for, it was always missed when it was on TV. So embarrassed.
And the relief money has been returned.
Wang Laishun, the village party secretary, has obviously increased his prestige among the villagers.
In the past, he found the village's bullshit troublesome and always got along with him, so many people didn't treat him well. But now it's better, everyone greets him when he sees him, and he's very enthusiastic.
Today I just came to Cui Laizi's house to get some soy sauce, but a few men from the village forced me to play chess here.
They were chatting and laughing. When they saw Chen Ling approaching, they hurriedly called him to them.
Knowing that he had just led people to the outside of the village to build a farm in the field, I asked him how he wanted to build it and how much it would cost. Finally, I couldn't help but ask him how much money he earned this year.
As time goes by, people gradually understand that Chen Ling will definitely make a lot of money selling vegetables after the flood this year, but no one knows how much.
Seeing how interested they all were, Chen Ling remained silent and didn't reveal anything. It's not that he didn't say it on purpose, it's just that he always felt that it was unnecessary to have more money and less money. It was originally a confusing account.
But after returning home, Wang Susu settled an account for him.
This is not unknown, but I was shocked when I calculated it. Since the last time the young couple went to the county town to sell vegetables, in the past few months, the family has received miscellaneous income from chickens, ducks, eggs, rabbits, and hunting animals in the mountains. , which added up to more than two thousand yuan.
(End of this chapter)