My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 938 Wing Clipping [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"You can pull him down..."

Chen Ling took the letter in his hand, read it again, and a helpless, bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"Even the honorary principal is here?"

He shook his head and said to Wang Susu and Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui who were standing next to him, "I have no intention of becoming a principal."

"The school was built so that the children in our village could have a better place to study, not to flatter me."

Wang Susu gathered up the clothes she had hung out to dry and said softly, "I know you find it troublesome, but this is also a token of the government's goodwill."

What you did in Hong Kong really made us mainlanders proud.

"Whether it's a matter of saving face or not is another matter."

Chen Ling folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope: "I just happened to run into them; I couldn't just watch wild boars hurt people."

"To become an honorary principal just for this is just too much..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

In his mind, such empty fame was far less important than actually doing something for the village.

Wang Zhenzhen's eyes lit up: "Brother-in-law, if you really become the principal, does that mean I won't have to do my homework anymore?"

"Dream on!"

Chen Ling chuckled and flicked her forehead: "You can't miss a single homework assignment, and you can't skip a single word of the book you're supposed to memorize."

“If being the principal means letting you, this little rascal, run wild like this, then I definitely can’t be the principal.”

Rui Rui, holding Xiao Tie Dan, looked up at her with her little face and asked, "Daddy, what's a school principal? Is he bigger than a village head?"

"The principal is the person who manages all the teachers and students in the school."

Chen Ling squatted down and patted his son's head: "But Dad still prefers to manage our family's cows and horses, and you, my little rascal."

Rui Rui blinked her big eyes and said in her childish voice, "If Daddy is the principal, I want to go to school too."

"Ah Ling, are you really not going to reconsider?" Wang Susu chimed in.

Chen Ling smiled and shook his head: "Honorary principal is just a title. Although it doesn't really mean I have to teach and manage students, I don't have the time for that."

"Now that he's become the honorary principal, I'm afraid he'll come to me with all sorts of questions..."

The difference between "principal" and "honorary principal" confused Rui Rui, who frowned, not understanding the difference.

"Dad, what exactly is a school principal?"

Chen Ling squatted down and explained to Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui, "A real principal has to sit in the office every day approving documents, holding meetings, and managing teachers' attendance and students' discipline..."

"Do you think I could be that kind of person?"

Wang Zhenzhen imagined Chen Ling sitting upright and reviewing documents, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"No way, brother-in-law, you'd definitely run off to check on the cattle and horses after less than ten minutes!"

Rui Rui imitated his aunt, shaking his head and saying, "Daddy wants to feed the dog, watch the cow, and catch fish."

"Yes!"

Chen Ling smiled and patted the two children's heads: "So, I'll push for this title with the city later, but—"

He changed the subject, a shrewd glint in his eyes: "Let them come if they want to do interviews. As long as they send a few more good teachers to our village and provide more teaching equipment, it's all worth it."

Just then, Zhang Lihua came out of the house, holding a camera in her hand: "Ah Ling, I just heard you talking about the principal? What interview?"

Chen Ling handed him the letter and gave him a brief explanation.

After reading the letter, Zhang Lihua's eyes lit up: "This is great news! Ah Ling, I've heard about what happened to you in Hong Kong. Fighting a wild boar with your bare hands, that's impressive! It's only right that it made the newspapers."

"If the city wants to promote it, we'll cooperate."

He paused, then lowered his voice and chuckled, "But being a principal... is really not suitable for you. With your personality, having you guard the school every day would probably be more unbearable than being locked up in solitary confinement."

Chen Ling laughed heartily: "Brother Hua understands me best!"

He turned around, pushed the motorcycle out of the house, and tossed the keys to Zhang Lihua: "Brother Hua, didn't you want to go to the dog farm? Take my bike. Be careful on the road. There's a big pothole on the outskirts of the county town, remember to take a detour."

Zhang Lihua took the keys, a look of eager anticipation on his face: "Okay, I'll go right now! The Lynx brothers said yesterday that they're going to give some new dogs a check-up today, I need to go and learn."

He hopped on his motorcycle, then turned back as if remembering something and said, "By the way, Ah Ling, I might be back a little late tonight. Brother Shanmao said he'd treat me to beef from your place in the county town, so you don't need to wait for me for dinner."

"Okay, be safe."

Chen Ling watched Zhang Lihua ride his motorcycle out of the farm before turning to Wang Susu and saying, "This afternoon I'll take Zhenzhen and Ruirui to the greenhouse to trim the wings of those geese."

"Otherwise, once they regain their wild instincts and fly away with the goslings, we'll have raised them for nothing."

Wang Susu nodded: "It's time to cut them. I saw two geese trying to fly yesterday. Although they didn't fly very high, at this rate, they'll probably really run away in a month or two."

She added, "Be careful, geese can really hurt when they peck you."

"Zhenzhen, Ruirui, you two need to be good and not run around, okay?"

"Okay, sister!"

"Okay, Mom!"

……

After lunch, Chen Ling took Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui, carrying a bamboo basket on his back.

Inside were scissors, thin rope, strips of cloth, and some spare herbs. They headed towards the greenhouse outside the village.

The May sun was already quite scorching, but walking along the tree-lined path with a gentle breeze on your face was quite refreshing.

Rui Rui followed Chen Ling with her short legs, still holding the increasingly round and plump mongoose in her arms.

This little guy has now become Rui Rui's shadow, following him everywhere. Occasionally, he'll even help catch a bug or a field mouse, making him quite popular with the whole family.

"Daddy, will it hurt if the goose has its wings clipped?" Rui Rui asked, looking up.

"It doesn't hurt, it's just like getting a haircut."

Chen Ling explained, "It's about cutting off a bit of the tip of the goose's flight feathers so that it can't fly temporarily."

"After a while, when the new feathers grow out, we'll have to trim them again."

Wang Zhenzhen asked curiously, "Brother-in-law, why don't you keep them in a cage all the time?"

You can't raise good geese in cages.

Chen Ling patiently explained, "Geese need to be allowed to swim in the water and run on the shore, finding their own food. This way, their meat will be firm and delicious."

"What we need to do is to ensure that they retain a certain degree of wildness, but also prevent them from flying away."

As they spoke, the three of them arrived at the greenhouse area.

The greenhouse that was used to grow vegetables last winter had its plastic film removed after spring, leaving only the bamboo frame and the shade net on top.

Surprisingly, this flock of geese knew how to find a place and made it their nest.

A dozen or so goose nests, built with reeds, dry grass and feathers, were neatly arranged in the dry area inside the shed.

Some nests still contained grayish-green goose eggs, while others were surrounded by clumps of fluffy, pale yellow goslings, chirping and chattering.

These goslings were hatched by the goslings themselves.

Those weren't hatched with the help of lynxes.

Most of the adult geese are not inside the shed; only two or three are on guard at the edge of the nesting area.

Upon seeing Chen Ling and his companions approach, the geese immediately stretched their necks and began to honk.

It serves as both a warning and a notification to one's companions.

It's obvious that Chen Ling has been coming less often.

These wild creatures began to feel unfamiliar with him. "They certainly know how to pick their spots."

Chen Ling looked around and smiled, "This place is sheltered from the wind and rain, and it's close to the river. It's indeed a good place to settle down."

He asked Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui to wait outside the shed while he tiptoed inside.

The few alert geese immediately went on high alert.

Its wings were slightly spread, its neck retracted, assuming a posture ready to attack at any moment.

Strangely, they didn't rush up and peck at him like they would a stranger. Instead, after recognizing Chen Ling, their wary attitude relaxed somewhat.

Chen Ling understood...

This is probably because he was imbued with the aura of the cave, and the abundant spiritual energy made them feel comfortable.

Animals are most sensitive to this feeling, and know that he is not an enemy.

"Don't be nervous, it's an old friend."

Chen Ling spoke softly, taking a handful of wheat that had been soaked in the spiritual water of the cave and scattering it on the ground.

The geese hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the food and cautiously came over to peck at it.

After taking a few bites, they completely relaxed and even gently touched Chen Ling's trouser leg with their beaks, as if to say hello.

"Zhenzhen, Ruirui, come in, be quiet." Chen Ling turned around and called out.

The two children then tiptoed into the greenhouse.

When the goslings saw strangers, they nervously shrank back into the nest, but seeing that the adult geese did not seem to be aggressive, they curiously poked their little heads out.

Rui Rui squatted by a nest, looking at the five or six fluffy goslings inside, her eyes lighting up: "Daddy, they're so cute!"

"Don't touch."

Chen Ling warned, "If the gosling smells like humans, its mother might not want it."

Rui Rui quickly withdrew her hand, but her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Yan.

Wang Zhenzhen was more concerned about the technical aspects: "Brother-in-law, how do we cut them? Do we grab them one by one?"

"We have to wait for the geese to return."

Chen Ling glanced at the sky: "At this time, they should all be fishing and eating aquatic plants by the river. Let's go to the river to look for them."

One adult and two children walked out of the greenhouse and along the ridge towards the stream.

Before we even reached the riverbank, we heard a lively "quack quack" sound.

After turning past a grove of trees, the view suddenly opened up before me—

The clear river shimmered in the sunlight, and more than twenty adult geese were playing and foraging in the shallow water.

Some plunged their heads into the water to catch small fish, some preened their feathers with their flat beaks, and some floated leisurely on the surface of the water, drifting gently with the current.

Further away, seven or eight geese were leading a flock of goslings in practicing walking on the riverbank.

The goslings' legs were still unsteady, and they walked unsteadily, occasionally falling down and then clumsily getting up, looking adorably clumsy.

On the riverbank, several geese were using their beaks to preen patches of emerald green water lilies, presumably preparing materials for their return to their nests that evening.

The whole scene was vibrant and full of wild charm.

“They’re so plump. If it weren’t for the goslings, they would have eaten them by now,” Wang Zhenzhen said with a grin.

Chen Ling smiled, took out a snare made of thin hemp rope from the basket, and grabbed a handful of wheat grains: "Watch carefully, I'll teach you how to catch geese without hurting them."

He gestured for the two children to hide behind a tree, while he quietly approached the riverbank and scattered grains of wheat along several paths frequented by geese. Then he gently placed the snares around the wheat grains.

After doing all this, he retreated behind the tree and waited quietly.

About five or six minutes later, a robust male goose with black ring-shaped markings on its neck discovered the grains of wheat.

It looked around cautiously, and only after confirming that it was safe did it carefully walk over to peck at the food.

While it was eating, one of its paws inadvertently stepped into a snare.

Chen Ling seized the opportunity and gently pulled the rope in his hand—

The noose tightened instantly, trapping the goose's ankle. Startled, the goose cried out and flapped its wings, trying to fly away, but with its foot tethered, it could only struggle on the ground.

Hearing the commotion, the other geese raised their heads alertly, some even spreading their wings in preparation for an attack.

Chen Ling walked out calmly, scattering a handful of wheat grains in his hand, and said in a calm tone, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just clipping a wing, it won't hurt you."

Strangely enough, the geese that were initially tense gradually calmed down after seeing Chen Ling and smelling the reassuring scent of the wheat grains.

Only the one that was trapped was still struggling, but its strength had diminished considerably.

Chen Ling quickly stepped forward and gently covered the goose's head with a thick cloth.

This will calm it down.

Then he held the goose's body still with one hand and took out scissors from the basket with the other.

"Zhenzhen, Ruirui, come and see."

The two children then ran out from behind the tree and surrounded Chen Ling.

Chen Ling carefully spread the right wing of the goose, revealing a row of neat and strong flight feathers.

He used scissors to cut off about two centimeters from the end of each flight feather, his movements quick and steady.

"Don't cut it too short, otherwise it will damage the base of the feathers and affect the growth of new feathers later."

As Chen Ling cut, he explained, "You can't cut too little, or they'll still be able to fly."

After clipping the right wing, he did the same to the left. The whole process took only two or three minutes, and the goose barely struggled.

After cutting, Chen Ling untied the noose, grabbed a handful of wheat grains and placed them in front of the goose before removing the cloth covering its head.

The wild geese, now free, fluttered their wings in alarm.

But he soon discovered that he could no longer fly.

It tried several times, but could only get half a meter off the ground before staggering back down.

"Caw caw?" The wild goose cried out in confusion, looked down at its wings, and then looked up at Chen Ling.

Chen Ling smiled and patted its neck: "Don't look anymore, it can't fly for the time being. But that's good, it's safe. You don't have to worry about being shot by hunters or not finding food."

The goose seemed to understand his words, or perhaps it was simply soothed by the stroking. It stopped trying to take off and instead began to peck at the wheat grains on the ground.

Seeing this, the other geese also gathered around, some eating wheat grains, others curiously watching their companion's clipped wings.

"Brother-in-law...you clipped their wings, aren't they afraid?" Wang Zhenzhen asked in surprise.

"They are very intelligent."

Chen Ling set up another trap: "They know I mean no harm, and the food I gave them is their favorite, you see..."

He pointed to the goose whose wings had been clipped. It was leisurely preening its feathers by the river, occasionally calling its companions to come and eat the wheat grains Chen Ling had scattered, showing no sign of holding a grudge.

"Daddy, the wild goose is good, much better than the little yellow goose."

Rui Rui's eyes were sparkling.

Over the next hour, Chen Ling repeated the same method, capturing eight more adult geese and clipping their flight feathers one by one.

The reactions of each one were almost the same...

After the initial panic, they quickly accepted reality and were then soothed by the delicious food.

A few particularly clever ones even came over proactively when Chen Ling was setting up the snares, acting as if they wanted to "hurry up and finish cutting so I can eat the wheat grains," which made Chen Ling laugh.

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