My 1995 Small Farm

   Chapter 171 Wild Goose

  In the early morning, Wang Susu was sitting in the yard, sifting wheat in the yard, in preparation for the flour grinding for two days. After a while, the chickens, ducks, and quails heard the movement and thought they were going to be fed, so they all gathered in front of them, all of them stretched their necks and screamed, asking her for something to eat.

  Wang Susu tried to drive the pigeons away twice, but instead attracted the pigeons.

   had no choice but to go back to the house and get two bowls of food and scatter them on the ground. These guys were born, and they scrambled and scrambled to eat on the ground.

  It's cold, so it's hard to find something to eat. Only the ducks go out for two laps when the weather is fine, go to the weir pond for a while, and catch some small fish and shrimp. Pigeons are freer, but food is hard to find.

  Fortunately, there is food dug from the mouse hole to make a base. Otherwise, if you open your mouth so much, you will have to eat a lot in autumn and winter.

  Looking at how happy they were eating, Wang Susu took advantage of this time to pick up the newly laid eggs and duck eggs, and quail eggs were not spared. After the weather cools down, the quails will no longer hatch their eggs. They will not start again until the spring of the next year is warm. It happens that they are picked out and saved every day.

   "Auntie, is Uncle Fugui up? I've come to see him to milk the goat."

   As soon as I put the picked eggs in the kitchen, I heard someone shouting at the gate of the courtyard.

   "It's up. I took your little aunt to the field to pick vegetables. Come in and wait for a while, I'll be back soon."

  Wang Susu smiled and waved at them.

   These little ghosts rushed in, and each of them really brought pecans, which made Wang Susu couldn't help laughing for a while, thinking that these little slicks were sincere to their rich and noble uncles.

   After a few minutes, Chen Ling and Wang Zhenzhen came back, and they immediately gathered around excitedly, chattering like a group of ducklings.

  Chen Ling asked Wang Zhenzhen to take them to wash their hands and get a bucket, while he went to the firewood house to lead the sheep out, washed the goat milk bag with warm water, and then let these little kids who couldn't wait to squeeze it.

In fact, at this time of the day, he and Wang Susu would also milk the sheep. The dairy goat alone produces six kilograms of goat milk every day. The milk is quite abundant, and there is a lot of leftover every time. Can't finish drinking.

   These children came over today, just to help with some solutions.

They were milking, and Chen Ling set it on fire in the kitchen. After these little guys clumsily squeezed half a bucket of milk, the firewood was already on fire, and they poured the goat milk into the pot, and it quickly boiled, clucking. Bubbling, the air exudes a rich milky fragrance.

   I was afraid that some little babies would not be used to drinking it for the first time, so Wang Susu prepared white sugar next to it.

   "Auntie, come and drink milk too."

Among these little children who came to the house, Xizi likes to get close to Wang Susu the most, other boys and girls love to make a fuss around Chen Ling, only she will quietly stand in front of Wang Susu and watch Wang Susu work, Say a few words with her.

   Now seeing that Wang Susu had just finished washing the dishes and came to put sugar for them, he pulled up the stool and let Wang Susu sit down and also came over to drink milk.

   "Good boy, drink it, auntie will serve it by herself later."

  Wang Susu smiled and patted her little head, went to the house to get a new fence, and when she came back, she quietly stuffed a few pieces of toffee in her pocket for the little girl.

  Wang Zhenzhen has sharp eyes. She stuck out her tongue to her sister after seeing it, and then smiled and winked at Xizi. She also likes this well-behaved 'little sister' like a little rabbit, although she is not a sister according to her seniority.

   Then he stood up and ran to Chen Ling's side in a hurry, saying that the more and more goat milk was squeezed at home in the past two days, and he couldn't finish it. Why don't you make some toffee. This girl came to the idea when she saw the big white rabbit toffee that her sister took out.

  Chen Ling immediately blew his beard and stared, good guy, you look down on me too much.

  I also make toffee, so I have to know.

actually…

  I can’t finish the goat’s milk. It’s okay to make some yogurt, but toffee is fine. It’s too troublesome and tiring. Anyway, he doesn’t want to do it.

   "Uncle Fugui, what kind of milk is yogurt? Is it delicious?"

   Hearing what Chen Ling said next to him, the little dolls came to the spirit.

   I didn't forget to stir the bowl with chopsticks.

  The goat milk was just boiled, it was too hot to drink, so I had to let it cool down quickly.

   "It's delicious. I'll make it another day, let your little aunt bring more when she goes to school, and you can drink it together."

   "Hey, Uncle Fugui is so nice. In the future, my aunt will give birth to my younger siblings, and I will protect them."

   "Me too, I will send them to school when the time comes, and I won't need you and my aunt to take care of them."

   Hearing the cries of the dolls, Chen Ling and his daughter-in-law looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

   "Alright, alright, it's still early for my younger brother and sister, hurry up to drink milk, how does it taste, are you used to drinking it?"

   "Sigh..."

   "Wow, it's still hot, my tongue is numb, and it's burning my heart."

   "But this milk is so fragrant, I'll take another sip."

   "You fools, look at me, like me, when it's hot, you just slip and drink."

  Chen Ling held up the bowl and sucked and slipped along the side of the bowl, giving them a demonstration.

   "Hey, uncle, we know how to drink it at home, but forget it when you come to your house."

   Silly boys followed and sucked, and soon they drank the milk in the bowl.

   is a bit full, sitting in the yard, patting his belly noisily and shouting for a drink.

   "Uncle Fugui, today we won't go to the mountains to hunt walnuts..."

   "I heard that the third grandpa said that the crabs by the river are getting old. We want to catch crabs today. I will bring them to you at noon, and you will cook for my aunt."

   "No, you can take it home and eat it yourself, your aunt can't eat crabs."

  Chen Ling shook his head.

   "Ah? Auntie can't eat it. Then I'll bring you some fish back. Auntie loves to eat fish, so you don't have to go fishing."

   "Haha, you guys, why are you being polite?"

   "Okay, go play wherever you want, don't go to the deep water."

   They left in a commotion.

  ... As the saying goes: "When the white dew falls when the frost falls, the wheat is not panicked, and when the frost falls until the beginning of the winter, the wheat is not relaxed."

  After the frost, winter wheat has been planted one after another, and the soybeans and peanuts in the field are about to be harvested at this time.

   After Wang Zhenzhen went out with a group of little boys, Wang Susu told Chen Ling about the situation of peanuts and soybeans in the field. Today, Chen Ling got up early and went to the field just to see what was going on.

   Generally speaking, these two crops can be harvested in 40 to 50 days after they set fruit, and the time is almost here, and it will be fully mature in one week at most.

   "The soybeans are not bad. I pulled out a few peanuts and looked at them. Some of the peanut kernels didn't grow well. When I pinched them with my fingernails, they were still shriveled and full of water. But the number is not too much, so it's not a big problem."

Hearing Chen Ling say this, Wang Susu looked up at him: "The temperature is still 20 degrees in the afternoon, it's a bit cold at night, or we'll collect the peanuts a few days later and let it grow for a few more days. try?"

   "Well, you don't need to be a few days late..."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled at her: "Let's see how it looks after this week, if it doesn't grow well by then, it really won't grow well. After all, it's the solar term, and it won't work no matter how late it is. "

  Wang Susu hummed softly and said no more. She also understands that Qiuhuan is this virtue.

   But the price of grain and oil is expensive this year, and if the production of peanuts is reduced too much, it will be a bit distressing.

   In fact, not to mention this year.

   Peanuts and soybeans are usually quite valuable, they are not considered food, but are cash crops.

  I usually use it to squeeze oil and sell it for money, and I seldom want to eat it myself.

  When they were in school, they would dig mouse holes after the autumn harvest. If they were fortunate enough to dig a peanut warehouse and a soybean warehouse in the mouse hole, it would be no less than digging a small treasure.

   When I got home, my parents knew about it, and they would not hesitate to praise it.

   It can be seen how precious this thing is.

  Looking at this tightness this year, it has a bit of the meaning of the past.

   In fact, when Chen Ling sent Wang Zhenzhen to school, he also went to the market to inquire several times.

   As the autumn harvest has passed, the price of grain has dropped.

   Meat and eggs also declined, but not by much.

  Only peanuts and soybeans are cash crops that can extract oil, and the price is still high, and the supply is in short supply.

   This is mainly due to the shortage of goods, and the autumn harvest is also dominated by grain. There are very few such cash crops. Without large quantities of goods entering the market, the price cannot be lowered at all.

  Chen Ling knew what the little daughter-in-law was thinking, so he changed the subject and said, "How about the gourd and melon that I picked up yesterday, does it taste okay?"

   "Very good, the cooking is delicious."

   "Then let's make some melon dumplings for lunch today?"

   "Okay, then I'll make the noodles earlier when I'm ready, um... We're going to pack vegetarian stuffing or meat stuffing."

   "It's all right, I'll buy the meat and let's talk about it. You and I really want to eat whatever you want."

  Chen Ling looked at the time, pushed the car out to buy pork, and asked about the prices of various building materials.

   Before leaving the village, I met people in twos and threes walking towards the dam at the entrance of the village, talking and laughing as they walked.

   greeted him with a smile when he saw Chen Ling.

   "What are you doing to get rich?"

   "Go to the county seat."

   "If you don't meet the temple, why are you rushing so early? Let's go and fight the geese with us!"

   "Huh? Are geese coming from the reservoir?"

   "Isn't it true, there are more and more birds flying south recently, not only geese, but also cranes."

   "Well, then I have to go and see."

   "Hahaha, let's go, let's go together."

   So Chen Ling also got off the bicycle and pushed them to the dam together.

Before    approached, I heard the faint chirping of various birds.

   There were a lot of people on the dam at this time. They all came to watch the birds just after breakfast. There were men, women and children. There were also many adults with dolls holding slingshots and bows and arrows to shoot birds. The scene was very lively.

  Chen Ling **** the car and walked to the dam to take a look.

   Reservoir is rippling with blue waves, and there are hundreds of geese playing and foraging on the water in the distance, constantly flying up and down…

  They are covered with gray and brown feathers all over their body, and they look a bit like big white geese. They are moving on the water in groups, some bending their long necks to comb their feathers, and some flapping their wings to fight. Densely packed and numerous, Wuyang Wuyang almost fills the entire reservoir.

  Not only geese, but also several egrets competing for food in the reeds on the other side, as if dancing gracefully, with vigorous and agile postures, and their dancing postures are light and beautiful.

  Unfortunately, when I saw people at the dam, they were all far away and dared not approach easily.

  This made the adults and children who wanted to come to hunt birds scratched their ears and scratched their cheeks anxiously, and gathered together to discuss ways to lure these geese over.

   It is also a tradition to hunt wild geese in autumn and winter.

   Regardless of whether it is good or bad, for many years we have relied on this thing to survive.

  If you are lucky, you can eat stewed wild goose for a month.

  If you are unlucky, you can only pick up goose dung to eat.

  In those days, people generally could not have enough to eat, and when the times were bad, there was a famine.

  When the geese come in late autumn, they will form a team to hunt geese and pick up geese manure. There will be undigested grains or nuts in the geese manure. After simple processing, it is a good thing to fill the stomach.

   In the past, there was a local saying, "The north eats eggs, the south eats geese, and the one in the middle should watch."

   This is easy to understand. The geese fly north in spring, lay eggs and breed. People in the north can eat the eggs laid by the geese. The geese fly to the south in autumn and winter, and spend the winter in the warm south, and people in the south can eat their meat.

   And among them, the geese are just passing by, and they won't stay for long, so they can only watch.

  Although there are mountains and rivers in the local area, migratory birds such as geese will stay in the local area for a month every year, and tens of thousands of them can fly past each year, but it is not easy to hunt them.

  It’s good to have a gun, ambush and kill, you can hit some, but if you don’t have a gun, just relying on the cover, the harvest is hard to say, you can only leave it to luck.

The distance is too far, and Chen Ling has no intention of hunting geese. He walks up and down the dam with his hands behind his back, admiring it. At this moment, there are other migratory birds flying in, such as white cranes, black-necked cranes, wild ducks and cormorants. Wait, there are many kinds and many numbers, chattering on the water, and the sounds are connected together, and you can hear them from far away, it is very lively.

   The sun is good today, the weather is fine and the water is warm. Therefore, this large group of migratory birds gathered from the mountains, foraging and playing on this vast water surface, exchanging feelings.

  Chen Ling was enjoying it here, when suddenly a large number of birds flew up on the water.

   Looking around, it turned out to be the west side of the reservoir. Wang Zhenzhen was shouting with a group of little kids in the village. Below, Heiwa Xiaojin, and a group of local dogs had rushed into the reeds and launched an attack on the birds.

  This group of skin monkeys originally went to the river bay to catch crabs, but halfway through, they found that there were so many birds in the reservoir today, and they immediately became interested. I heard the adults say that the geese are delicious, and they are very greedy, so they bring the dogs to chase them away.

  The local dogs in the village can swim. Every summer, they sneak into the river with their little dolls to take a bath, and they have long been familiar with water. So after getting close, I smothered my head and rushed to the water.

  There are many migratory birds such as wild ducks and cormorants hidden in the reeds. Among them, mallards like to perch by the water, and they will stir up a group when they pounce.

  This mallard flew high, but with Heiwa Xiaojin, the group of dogs caught two or three.

  Having gained something, these baby soldiers were very motivated and shouted loudly. The birds in the vicinity were frightened away, and they directed the dogs to chase the geese on the water in the distance.

   But soon he was overjoyed and overjoyed, and was brought home by his parents by the ears.

  The villagers were afraid that their baby would run to the water, but they were better off getting caught.

   In fact, looking at the flocks of big birds on the water, not only the little dolls are greedy, but many adults in the village are also very greedy.

  No, Chen Ze and Yuqiang stopped Chen Ling: "Fugui, why don't we go to the fifth uncle to borrow two guns and go out at night to hunt wild geese?"

   "So many geese fly by every year, so I can't just watch it every year, don't you think so!"

  When you come out at night to hunt geese, you are hunting geese flying in the sky.

  When it is dark, if you hear the call of geese passing by in groups, it is easy to hit with a shotgun.

   Sometimes it's better than the daytime.

  Chen Ling shook his head and smiled: "Uncle Fifth returned the gun a few days ago, and now the brigade only has as many shots as before. It's not a big deal, it's just to fight a wild goose, why are you willing to lend it to you..."

   "If you want to hunt wild geese, you can set up a cover and put down a clip, right? Well, I have to go to the city. Do you use it to carry things?"

   Several people didn't even say no, and went to the side to discuss the matter of hunting geese.

   (end of this chapter)