My 1995 Small Farm.

At noon, Chen Ling's family was having lunch in the courtyard when footsteps came from outside the gate.

Wang Laishun, accompanied by village accountant Li Yongfu and several village officials including Chen Yuqiang, walked in with smiles on his face.

“Fugui, are you eating?” Wang Laishun’s voice boomed.

"Fifth Uncle, Uncle Li, Yuqiang, come in and sit down!" Chen Ling quickly stood up to greet them, "Have you eaten? Want to eat something together?"

"Eat, eat, don't bother."

Wang Laishun waved his hand, sat down on the stone bench, his face flushed: "Did you hear what they said over the loudspeaker just now?"

"I heard it, it was quite a commotion," Chen Ling said with a smile.

"It's rare for the county to actually pay wages this time!"

Wang Laishun remarked with emotion, "Wealth and prosperity, you and Boss Liang deserve some credit for that, don't you?"

Chen Ling didn't take credit: "It's mainly because the city leaders also attached importance to it; I just made a suggestion."

"Humble! You're too humble!"

Li Yongfu laughed and said, "But this is indeed a good thing. Many young people in the village are idle at home and are worried about not having a place to make money."

"That's great! They can do practical work for the village and earn wages at the same time, their enthusiasm will definitely be high!"

Chen Yuqiang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Uncle Fugui, we just took a walk around the village, and everyone was talking about it. They all said it's a great thing and they're willing to do it."

Wang Laishun rubbed his hands together and looked at Chen Ling: "Fugui, there's something else I need to trouble you with. Tonight, for the communal meal at our village's new school, I've had Lixian and Jusheng prepare all the ingredients. What do you think..."

Chen Ling understood immediately and readily agreed, "Okay, leave it to me. I'll go there early this afternoon and set up the stove at the construction site."

"Great!"

Wang Laishun slapped his thigh: "With you in charge of cooking, everyone is even more motivated!"
The ingredients were all stored at the brigade headquarters, including pork, winter melon, vermicelli, tofu, as well as some potatoes and radishes.

"Is there anything else you need? I'll have someone go and buy it."

Chen Ling thought for a moment and said, "That's about right. The point of communal meals is to be affordable. I'll bring some seasonings from home, and I guarantee everyone will have a good meal."

"Alright! Then let's get busy. We still need to arrange the division of labor and prepare the tools."

Wang Laishun stood up: "Fugui, it's all up to you tonight!"

After seeing Wang Laishun and his group off, Chen Ling returned to the table and continued eating breakfast.

Wang Susu served him a bowl of porridge and asked softly, "Busy again?"

"It's just a meal, no trouble at all."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Repairing the school is a serious matter, and I will do my part if I can."

Wang Susu nodded gently: "Then you can arrange it as you see fit."

After lunch, Chen Ling went to the brigade headquarters to check on the prepared ingredients:

Half a pig, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.

Two baskets of large, fresh, and tender winter melons.

There were also bundles of vermicelli, large chunks of tofu, as well as potatoes, radishes, and other vegetables.

It was indeed quite a feast.

He went home to get his homemade spice packet, along with some dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices, and put them in a cloth bag.

Around 3 p.m., the village was already bustling with activity.

The men gathered at the threshing ground, listened to Wang Laishun's instructions on how to divide the work, and received tools such as shovels, picks, carrying poles, and baskets.

The women were busy preparing tea and towels, and some even volunteered to help in the kitchen.

The children darted and played among the crowd, creating a lively atmosphere.

Chen Ling also arrived at the open space next to the school construction site at the east end of the village.

Three large iron pots have been set up here, and a simple stove has been built.

Wang Jusheng and Chen Yuqiang were leading several men in chopping wood and carrying water, working up a sweat.

"Uncle Fugui is here!" Chen Yuqiang, with his sharp eyes, quickly went to greet him.

"Everything is almost ready." Wang Jusheng wiped his sweat. "There's enough firewood, and the water is full. We're just waiting for you, the chef, to get started."

Chen Ling rolled up his sleeves: "Okay, let's get started."

He first directed people to process the pork.

Cut the fatty meat into thin slices for rendering oil, and cut the lean meat into large chunks for later use.

Wash and cut the winter melon into chunks, cut the tofu into thick slices, peel and cut the potatoes and radishes into chunks, and soak the glass noodles in warm water until soft.

Heat the first large pot, add slices of fatty pork, and slowly render the lard over low heat.

Once the fatty meat turns golden brown and crispy, remove the cracklings.

This stuff smells delicious when sprinkled with salt; it's a great snack for working people.

A clear layer of lard remained in the pot.

Sauté scallion segments, ginger slices, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise until fragrant, then add lean pork chunks and stir-fry until they change color.

Add cooking wine, soy sauce, and salt, stir-fry evenly, and then pour in enough boiling water.

Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to medium heat and simmer.

When the meat is about 70-80% cooked, add the winter melon, potatoes, and radishes, and continue to simmer.

Boil water in another pot, and once boiling, blanch the tofu slices to remove the beany taste, then remove and set aside.

Once the vegetables are tender and the broth is rich, add the tofu and soaked glass noodles, and simmer for a while longer to allow the glass noodles to absorb the savory flavor of the broth.

Finally, sprinkle with chopped garlic sprouts, drizzle with a little sesame oil, and turn off the heat.

In the third pot, Chen Ling cooked a large pot of millet porridge, which was thick and had even released rice oil.

When the lid was lifted, a rich aroma instantly filled the air.

The aroma of stewed pork mingled with the fragrance of rice porridge, wafting far and wide.

The sight drew frequent glances from the people busy at the construction site, their stomachs rumbling.

Cooking takes about an hour.

It was completely finished by 5 p.m.

"Dinner's ready!"

At Wang Laishun's shout, people put down their tools, washed their hands, and lined up for food.

A large bowl of pork stew and thick millet porridge, all you can eat.

The men, some squatting, some sitting, ate with sweat pouring down their faces, chatting and laughing as they ate.

“Smells good! It smells really good!”

"Fu Gui's skills are unparalleled!"

"After this meal, I'll have even more energy to work this afternoon!"

Chen Ling also held a bowl and squatted down to eat.

Looking at this bustling scene before me, I felt a real sense of satisfaction.

The evening heat gradually dissipated as the sun set in the west.

After Chen Ling finished cleaning up the large stove and washed his hands, he was about to go home when Wang Zhenzhen led Rui Rui and Xiao Ming over, followed by Liu Nier, Xi Zi, and a few others.

"Brother-in-law, let's go fishing tonight!" Wang Zhenzhen's eyes sparkled. "Yesterday, Liu Ni'er said she saw a lot of fish swimming on the other side of the river, and they were huge!"

Rui Rui hugged Chen Ling's leg and looked up at him with her little face: "Daddy, let's go catch fish. I want to eat fried small fish."

Xiao Ming jumped up and down excitedly: "Uncle, I want to go too! I can use a net!"

Chen Ling looked at the sky; dusk was just beginning to fall, and a touch of crimson sunset lingered on the horizon.

Early summer is a great time to visit the riverbank, especially since this is when fish and shrimp are most active.

“Okay, let’s go for a walk then.” He agreed with a smile, “But you have to follow my instructions and not wander off. It’s still dangerous by the river at night, there are snakes around this time of year.”

"Yay!" the children cheered.

Chen Ling went home and got several flashlights, fishing nets, buckets, and a bamboo fish basket.

"Come back early, and don't go too deep in the water," Wang Susu instructed. "Okay, I'll just wander around in the shallows."

The group left the farm and walked along the ridges of the fields towards the lower reaches of the Jinshui River.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou, who were dozing in the backyard, perked up and followed Chen Ling when they saw him about to leave.

Two tigers strode lazily yet majestically in the twilight, their amber eyes gleaming faintly in the dimming light.

"Afu and Ashou are going too!" Rui Rui exclaimed happily.

With two tigers "escorting" them, the sense of security on this night fishing trip was immediately maximized.

The old river bend connects to a tributary of the Jinshui River. The water flows gently, and the banks are covered with reeds, making it a good place for fish and shrimp to gather.

Two years ago, when there was a major flood, a lot of silt accumulated here, forming a shallow beach and several puddles of varying sizes.

By the time we reached the riverbank, it was completely dark.

A crescent moon hangs in the eastern sky, casting a pale silver glow.

The first stars appeared in the sky, twinkling against the deep blue backdrop.

The river surface shimmered with tiny ripples, and the evening breeze, carrying moisture, was cool and pleasant.

"Shh, keep your voice down." Chen Ling lowered his voice. "Fish are easily startled, so we have to go over quietly."

The children immediately fell silent and tiptoed after Chen Ling down to the riverbank.

The beam of the flashlight swept across the river, revealing many small fish swimming in the shallows, with the occasional larger dark shadow flashing by.

Chen Ling chose a river bend with deep water and dense reeds, and had the children stand apart and shine flashlights on the water.

"Fish are attracted to light; if you shine a flashlight on them at night, they will gather together."

As Chen Ling explained, he gently lowered the fishing net, "When there are enough fish, slowly lift the net..."

The beam of the flashlight focused on the water's surface, forming a bright circle.

Sure enough, before long, many small fish swam over from all directions, gathering and swimming under the light, their scales reflecting a silvery-white light.

"So many fish!" Xiaoming couldn't help but exclaim softly.

"Don't rush, wait a little longer," Chen Ling gestured for everyone to be patient.

A few minutes later, more and more fish gathered, and even a few crucian carp and carp that were about half a foot long swam over.

Chen Ling seized the opportunity, flicked his wrist, and swiftly lifted the fishing net—

With a splash, the net shimmered with silver light, and at least twenty or thirty fish were scooped up, some as long as a palm, others only as thick as a finger.

"We caught it! We caught it!" The children excitedly gathered around.

Chen Ling poured the fish into the bucket and then cast a net.

After repeating this process several times, the bucket was half full of lively fish.

"That's about enough. This is enough for several meals."

Chen Ling put away the fishing net. "Let's go check out the reeds. There are lots of puddles there; maybe we'll find some eels and loaches."

The group walked along the riverbank into the depths of the reeds.

Afu and Ashou weren't interested in fishing, but they enjoyed these nighttime walks, sniffing the ground from time to time or gazing up at the stars.

The reed marshes have a complex terrain, dotted with numerous puddles of varying sizes.

Chen Ling shone his flashlight into a large puddle, and as the beam swept across it, something seemed to move at the bottom of the puddle.

"What's that?" Wang Zhenzhen asked, her eyes sharp.

Chen Ling moved closer and focused the flashlight beam.

Several dark brown, disc-shaped objects, varying in size, were seen lying on the bottom of the water; the largest one was at least a foot in diameter.

"They're turtles!" Liu Ni'er exclaimed. "So many turtles!"

Indeed, there were seven or eight turtles in the puddle, some lurking at the bottom and others lying on the muddy banks above the water.

When the flashlight shone on them, they all shrank their heads, but they didn't rush to run away. They just stood there warily, motionless.

“Strange, turtles usually don’t congregate at night; they only gather during the day when they’re basking in the sun.” Chen Ling frowned. “Unless…”

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled "plop" sound suddenly came from the depths of the river bend in the distance, like something heavy falling into the water.

Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound came from the reeds, growing louder as it approached.

Afu and Ashou immediately became alert, their ears perked up, their bodies slightly lowered, and they emitted a low "woo-woo" sound.

"Something's coming." Chen Ling gestured for the children to step back, then gripped the bamboo pole in his hand tightly.

The beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness of the reeds, shining in the direction from which the sound came.

The reeds swayed violently, and a huge dark shadow slowly emerged from the water—

That was a giant turtle!

Its carapace is dark brown, covered with moss and algae, and its foot is the size of a millstone.

Its head is bigger than an adult's fist, and looks like a small tree stump.

It had a thick neck and its eyes gleamed with an eerie green light under the lamp.

Its crawling movements were slow and steady, each step carrying a certain ancient majesty.

What's even more surprising is that with the appearance of this giant turtle, the old turtles in the surrounding puddles all started to move and gathered in the direction of the giant turtle, as if they were paying homage to a king.

"My God... It's the Turtle King! We've run into the Turtle King."

Liu Nier gasped, her voice trembling.

"Is this the Turtle King? It's huge..." Xiao Ming's eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Brother-in-law, it’s the Turtle King! Feed the fish! He can protect our family…” Wang Zhenzhen was very happy.

Quickly snatch the bucket from Chen Ling's hand and feed the turtle king together with Rui Rui.

"Dad, feed the fish, feed the turtle."

Chen Ling was stunned. He hadn't expected to run into 'Garlic' here.

It's been a long time since I've seen this big guy; the patterns on its body have become increasingly mysterious and ancient.

But when I saw him, the intelligence and gentleness in his eyes were still the same as before.

So he smiled and nodded at Garlic Head as a greeting.

They then fed several large fish to them.

"Wow, Daddy, it's eating your fish! The turtle king is eating your fish..."

Rui Rui squeaked and squealed with delight.

Wang Zhenzhen and the others were also shouting and yelling, extremely excited.

Afu and Ashou stared at the giant turtle for a few seconds, and surprisingly relaxed their guard. Afu even curiously moved forward and sniffed the air.

The giant turtle wasn't afraid; it just watched quietly.

However, Garlic knew that it was not appropriate to approach Chen Ling when he had other people around him, so he slowly led the group of turtles away.

Just then, a series of rapid and frequent "cooing" sounds suddenly came from the other side of the reeds.

“They’re wild quails!” Chen Ling’s ears perked up. “Judging from the sound, there are quite a few of them.”

He gestured for everyone to be quiet, gently parted the reeds, and shone a flashlight on them.

Under the beam of light, more than twenty wild quails were seen gathered on a relatively dry riverbed.

They were slightly larger than domestic quails, with grayish-brown plumage, and were huddled together, seemingly resting.

What's even more surprising is that several simple bird nests can be seen in the grass along the edge of the riverbank.

There were also unhatched eggs and newly hatched, fluffy baby quails inside.

"Nests upon nests, this is a quail breeding ground!" Chen Ling's eyes lit up.

Wild quail meat is tender and delicious, making it a rare delicacy.

Chen Ling didn't raise them at home this year, but he still craved these wild quails. (End of Chapter)