Era: Started from raising livestock in the mountains

As if to give the farmers who had worked hard all spring a break, a light rain fell quietly, and the whole mountain village was shrouded in misty drizzle.

In the fields, there were green seedlings and plump corn seedlings. The main crops they planted in spring were rice and corn, in addition to sweet potatoes and potatoes, and later on crops such as soybeans and peanuts.

Looking down from the sky, the river valley where Hongfeng Mountain is located is full of beautiful terraces, and the crops planted in them are also neat and lush.

All of this was dug out by farmers with hoes. It is these hardworking farmers who provide the most basic and important food guarantee for the development of the country in this era.

On the side of Hongfeng Mountain, in the breeding base surrounded by beautiful roses, the ryegrass and alfalfa that grew up swayed in the wind, and after more than a month of growth, they have become very lush.

A little higher up, the round-leaved astragalus seedlings are also growing well, with neat seedlings and lush growth.

Several dogs were tied to different positions, guarding everything on Hongfeng Mountain.

In the hatchery above the shrimp pond, Lin Heng and his father were checking the hatching of green shrimps. The hatching of green shrimps has been going on. Now the shrimp fry have begun to be born one after another, and the transparent shrimps are swimming quickly in the water.

Father Lin looked at the shrimp fry and commented: "It seems that there is no difference from last year. I think you have wasted nearly a hundred yuan."

The female shrimps here come from their own shrimp ponds. They are the female shrimps raised last year, and the male shrimps are purchased by Lin Heng from Huangtan Town. They come from the Huangtan River in the town.

Lin Heng said that he did this to prevent inbreeding. Choosing broodstock from different regions will make the offspring more resistant to diseases.

While observing the shrimp fry, Lin Heng responded: "You can't tell by just looking at the appearance. What has changed is the genes. It's the same reason that the children of ancient close relatives are prone to deformities."

There is also a lot of knowledge in breeding. Many details determine success or failure. This money cannot be saved.

"Do we have to do the same with cattle and sheep?" Lin's father asked again.

Lin Heng nodded: "Yes, the same goes for other livestock. After this batch of black goats are born this year, I will buy a few more breeding bulls next year for breeding."

Only by constantly injecting new foreign genes can the health of the sheep and cattle herds be guaranteed.

Lin's father wondered: "Then I see that there are several families in the village who raise dozens of sheep. It seems that there is no problem without doing it this way."

Lin Heng patted his father's shoulder and smiled: "Dad, you have to understand that it seems that there is no problem. Once there is a problem in the breeding industry, the loss will be very large. It will be useless to regret it at that time. Just do it according to what I say, and it will be guaranteed that you will not go wrong."

He understood that his father still had a farmer's thinking and always unconsciously wanted to save money.

But these are all summed up from experience, just like the breeding of cattle and sheep, inbreeding often seems to have no problem, but once encountering a disease, it will be found that the resistance of both sides is completely different.

Many experiments have also verified that the offspring of such close-related genes are far inferior to the offspring of distant-related genes.

"I'll do whatever you say. I don't understand anyway." Although Father Lin still didn't understand, he was willing to do what Lin Heng said.

"So I'm very worried about the reproduction of musk deer. It will all be inbreeding later." Lin Heng shook his head helplessly.

But he had no choice. The number of musk deer on the mountain was getting smaller and smaller. He didn't encounter any last year, let alone catching them alive.

He could only see if he could introduce some musk deer from other places later. He was not the only one who was raising musk deer.

After looking at the shrimp fry, Father Lin came to the plum fry pond and looked at the thermometer and said, "I'm afraid these plum fry need to be put back on the mountain. The water temperature here is 18 degrees."

The plum fry here are divided into four areas according to their size for breeding. The largest is five centimeters long, and the smallest is only two centimeters in size. The total number is about 15,000.

Carnivorous fish have the habit of cannibalism, so they should be raised separately.

Lin Heng fed these fry very well, all with high-protein feed, but the growth rate is not fast, and it can't be compared with perch and mandarin fish.

It has been almost two months since they were hatched. They are fed every day in the breeding environment, and the largest ones are only as long as a finger. At this rate, it would be good if they can grow to two kilograms in a year in the breeding environment.

Lin Heng nodded and said, "Let's set up a few cages in the reservoir on the top of the mountain to raise them in the next two days. They can't be raised here."

When the weather gets hot, the temperature in the hatching pool rises very quickly, and it is no longer suitable for raising such cold-water fish.

"The task is very heavy recently, and we have to disinfect the shrimp pond." Lin's father said with emotion with a smile.

"Just find helpers when the time comes. There is no need for several people to work alone." Lin Heng nodded and said that he was often immersed in work.

After checking the situation of the fish and shrimp, the two of them started to make the cages. They mainly used very fine gauze and bamboo strips, and the top was made of foam strips as buoyancy devices, which can generally be used for one year.

It was already twelve o'clock in the afternoon when it was done. Lin Heng walked out of the hatchery and looked at the drizzle outside, and took a deep breath.

"I'm going back, mom and dad, I won't come this afternoon." Lin Heng looked at his parents and said.

"You go ahead." Father Lin handed him the umbrella.

Walking down, you can hear the loud sound of water rushing in the mountain stream next to you. This is not caused by the rising water, but they are releasing water from the shrimp pond.

The water can only be drained and disinfected before it can be drained and cultivated. The silver carp and bighead carp mixed in the shrimp pond have already been caught and placed in another pond.

A large net was used at the water outlet to catch some of the groupers and shrimps that were washed out. Lin Heng walked over and took a look and found that there were already four or five pounds of fish and shrimps, most of which were shrimps, with only a few groupers.

He shouted loudly for his father to bring two bags and divide the shrimps into two halves, one for his parents and one for him to take back.

When he returned home, his daughter and Xiongba opened the door to greet him. Xiaoxia looked at Lin Heng holding so many shrimps in his hand and cheered: "Dad, did you catch these? You are so awesome."

"Yes, come on, Dad, hold them up high!"

Lin Heng held her up high and walked back along the corridor.

"Woo! Woo!"

Being lifted up by Lin Heng, Xiaoxia cheered and kept giggling, as if everything could make her happy.

Lin Heng walked into the house and looked at Xiulan who was still cooking. He smiled and shouted, "Wife, do you want to fry another shrimp? They are all shrimps with eggs, which are the best time to eat."

"Sure, bring them to me and I'll process them." Xiulan nodded.

"Let me do it, you cook first."

Lin Heng said and sat down to process the shrimp. He didn't like to slowly remove the shrimp thread when he was eating, so he chose to process it now.

The main thing is to remove the shrimp thread. The fresh shrimp can be taken out by breaking and squeezing it from the back of the neck and then gently pulling it. The shrimps he raised are all big and easy to process.

Xiulan fried the pumpkin tips in the pot and came over to help Lin Heng process them. After finishing, she fried all two kilograms of shrimp at once.

Shrimp is fragrant, and the aroma of shrimp roe is even stronger when it is fried with eggs. A plate of garlic shrimp, a plate of pumpkin tips fried with meat, and an egg yolk soup is lunch.

Needless to say, the taste of shrimp is delicious no matter how you stir-fry it. With a little skill, you can make a delicious meal.

Xiaoxia is now like her parents, she can just eat it without peeling the shells. After she has grown all her teeth, her teeth are also very good.

After eating the green shrimp, she mixed the oil containing a lot of shrimp roe with rice for Xiaoxia. That bowl of rice did not need Lin Heng and his wife to feed her, and it was finished in a short while.

While they were eating, the two sons in the stroller next to them were also groaning and groaning, twisting their arms and legs, as if they wanted to eat.

"They are also four months old and can eat complementary food. Do you want to make some for them to try?" Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and asked.

In the past four months, the two little guys were still healthy. They only got sick twice, both of which were minor colds. Except for vaccinations, they never went to the hospital.

Xiulan nodded and agreed: "Then I will cook some rice noodles and you can try to feed it later."

"Okay." Lin Heng nodded.

After finishing her meal, Xiulan stood up and said, "Have you solved the remaining yellow flower soup?"

"No problem." Lin Heng smiled and picked up the basin and drank all the remaining ones.

After drinking, he put the dishes and chopsticks in the kitchen. Xiulan used an electric stove to make complementary food for the two sons.

The electric stove of this era is a ceramic base with coils of spring-like heating resistors installed on it, which is the same as the later electric oven for heating.

This thing is not expensive, but it consumes a lot of electricity. Now the electricity cost is 20 cents per kilowatt-hour, and his family does not use much.

Xiulan boiled the water, added the powder mixed with rice flour and lotus root powder and cooked it into a paste. After cooking, don't add anything, just put it aside to cool.

Adding sugar and other things in the early stage will affect the formation of the child's taste.

Lin Heng took the two sons out and put them on the sofa, watching them twist and turn over, crawling for a while before a few centimeters.

"Come, try feeding it!"

Xiulan felt that the temperature of the complementary food was about right, and brought it over and said.

"It's time to eat, two little cuties!"

Lin Heng picked up both sons, one in each arm.

"I'll watch my brother eat too!"

Xiaoxia threw away her shoes and climbed onto the sofa, lying on Lin Heng's shoulder and watching.

Xiu Lan blew on the food, tasted it herself, and then tried to feed it to Lin Luming first.

"Ahhh!" Lin Luming twisted his head, babbling, and didn't want to eat.

"Then try Du Heng." Lin Heng said with a smile.

Xiu Lan nodded and tried to feed the younger son again. Lin Du Heng licked it, blinked his eyes, ate it, and laughed silly.

"Eat it, eat it, little brother eat it!" Xiaoxia was the first to cheer, happier than Lin Heng and Xiu Lan.

The two younger brothers seemed to have gotten used to this big sister's actions. In contrast, they just waved their hands and didn't react.

"Eat it, then have some more!"

Xiu Lan blew it and fed some more to Du Heng.

The little guy seemed to like the taste very much and ate several mouthfuls in a row.

"Wow wow wow!"

It seemed that Lu Ming was envious of his brother eating, and he cried loudly.

"Come on, come on, eat a little."

Xiu Lan fed Lu Ming some more, and this time he ate it without vomiting.

The two ate a little complementary food and didn't want it anymore. Xiu Lan didn't feed more, and ate the rest herself.

Complementary food is something that is introduced step by step. If the child doesn't want it, he won't eat it.

Watching the two children grow up little by little, they also felt a sense of accomplishment.

After eating, they let them play on the sofa for a while and then put them back in the stroller.

"If that doesn't work, let's get a crib in the main room. It's a big place so they can play by themselves." Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and suggested.

"I can get one." Xiulan nodded and agreed.

"Then I'll ask Carpenter Liang to make one in two days." Lin Heng nodded. His father has been very busy recently and has no time to do it.

After resting for a while, Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and said, "Didn't you say that you have to harvest honey recently? Today is quite suitable."

"It's really suitable."

Lin Heng nodded, went to get the road, set up the ladder and went up to cut honey.

Although he was very experienced himself, he still wore a bee-proof gauze hat.

When I opened the box, there were densely packed bees inside. The two boxes of bees in the backyard are now a strong swarm, and the honey production is also very impressive.

The only pity is that this year a brood came out, but he didn't receive it and he doesn't know where it went.

Holding a dagger, he slowly cut off the honey. When you are no longer afraid, the bees will not attack you.

"This spring honey harvest is also a bumper harvest. I'm afraid the weight of this hair is more than ten kilograms, right?"

Xiulan looked at the pot of honey and said happily. She really likes to eat honey. With bees at home, she can eat more lavishly.

"Absolutely. Honey is very good this spring." Lin Heng nodded with a smile.

After returning to the house, the two squeezed out the honey, filtered it through gauze, and weighed it. They found seven kilograms of pure honey, which was a very good yield.

The residue left after the honey is filtered is not wasted. Once it is boiled in a pot, filter it twice with gauze, then pour in cold water, and the natural beeswax will condense on the water surface.

Repeat twice to obtain natural beeswax with high purity and edible quality.

"The previous one was only eight jins, and we have a total of fifteen jins of honey."

Xiulan said happily, this is the amount after eating nearly five or six kilograms last year.

"There are still two or three kilograms of harvest from Hongfeng Mountain, which is enough to eat." Lin Heng said with a smile.

There are two barrels on the Red Maple Mountain side to be precise. When the bees were sorted, a beehive was placed there in advance, and the bees lived directly in it.

It’s just that the newly separated box probably doesn’t contain much honey.

"Then make some honey milk tea tomorrow morning." Xiulan said with a wink.

"You can make it now. I'll burn charcoal and make some honey-glazed grilled spots for us to eat at night."

Lin Heng said with a smile that he shot two turtle doves a few days ago and kept them in the refrigerator without eating them, so he happened to roast them this time.

"That's okay." Xiulan agreed with a smile.

The two made a small charcoal fire, first cooked a pot of honey and strawberry milk tea, and then roasted two turtle doves. The smell of roasted turtle doves was even more fragrant than honey-glazed squab.

The meal in the evening consisted of two honey doves, milk tea, five baked potatoes, and a plate of freshly picked strawberries.

Those who eat such a dinner will have wonderful dreams.

The rain continued to fall the next day, with moderate rain but no intention of stopping, and it continued to rain for three days.

It rained all of a sudden on June 5th. The rain finally stopped that morning. After breakfast, Xiulan was about to go up the mountain to collect fungi, but Mother Lin brought some bad news.