My 1995 Small Farm.

……

After breakfast, the farm became even more lively.

Wang Zhenzhen didn't have to go to school today, so she joined the group of children.

Liu Nier, Xizi, Xiaosen, and a group of mischievous villagers, having heard that there were so many birds at the reservoir that they could bump into people, and that there were also many bird nests near the school construction site, couldn't wait any longer and all came to the farm to meet up.

Almost every child had a homemade slingshot in their hand.

The Y-shaped tree branch was smoothed and tied with a rubber band cut from a bicycle inner tube. In the middle of the rubber band was a small tumbler made of tanned cowhide.

This is the most classic and common toy for boys in the countryside.

"Uncle Fugui, wanna go bird hunting?"

Liu Nier shook the slingshot in her hand; her pockets were bulging, clearly filled with a lot of "ammunition."

Some were small pebbles, while others were wet mud balls kneaded into clumps.

"Go ahead, but be careful. Don't hit people, and don't hit the birds that are incubating their eggs."

Chen Ling cautioned, "Also, the reservoir dam has just been reinforced, and the edges are slippery, so don't get too close."

"Got it!" the children responded in unison, and a whole bunch of them ran outside.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming quickly picked up their slingshots as well.

This was made by Chen Ling for them; the rubber bands aren't too tight, so it's safer.

Then they rushed out with the main force.

Little Iron Egg barked excitedly, chasing after Rui Rui at his feet.

Chen Ling watched the children's departing figures, then smiled and shook his head.

He grew up like that too: hunting birds in the summer, ice skating in the winter, catching fish in the river, and taking eggs from trees...

Although I now feel the need to protect birds, I also understand the nature of children.

As long as it's not excessive, it's fine to let them have some fun.

He turned back to the orchard and carefully examined the damage to the fruit trees.

Upon seeing this, his brows furrowed.

Peach and apricot trees suffered the most damage.

On many drooping branches, the earliest ripening and best-colored fruits have been pecked and pitted.

Some had even had most of their fruit pecked off, leaving only the pits hanging on the branches, with juice flowing out and attracting many ants.

The pear and apple trees escaped the disaster for the time being because their fruits were still green and hard, but some tender leaves and new shoots were also eaten.

"This is causing quite a bit of trouble."

Chen Ling walked around the orchard, mentally estimating the losses.

Doves, magpies, light-vented bulbuls, red-billed finches, and some bold sparrows are the main force.

They are very clever, only eating sweet things, and often several birds work together, one keeping watch while the others peck furiously, making them extremely efficient.

Simply scare them won't work.

Although there are Afu and Ashou on the farm, they mainly live in the front and back yards and cannot guard the orchard all the time.

Heiwa and Xiaojin do know how to scare them away, but as soon as they leave, the birds come back.

Er Tuzi is on patrol outside and is not often at home.

"We need to come up with a long-term solution," Chen Ling said, stroking his chin in thought.

It's impossible to exterminate them all, nor does it align with his principles.

But if left to wreak havoc, this year's fruit harvest will be greatly reduced, especially the portion he intends to supply to the cannery and for his own consumption.

He thought of the bird nets he had set up a couple of years ago.

This method is relatively gentle, protecting the fruit without harming the birds.

The mesh size is just right; small birds won't get tangled and die if they bump into it, and they can easily break free by flapping their wings for a while, but it's enough to deter them from easily venturing into the core fruit area again.

Just do it.

Chen Ling rummaged through the storage room and found two large rolls of green nylon bird netting, which he had bought the year before last.

He then found some bamboo poles, thin ropes, wires, and other materials.

"Susu, come and lend a hand. Let's protect these rows of trees on the outer edge of the orchard," Chen Ling called to Wang Susu.

"Are you really going to pull up a net?"

Wang Susu walked over and looked at the damaged fruit, feeling a pang of heartache: "There are so many birds this year."

"With beautiful mountains and clear waters, there are many birds. This is a good thing, just like outsiders say, it means that our place is a blessed land."

As Chen Ling tidied the net, he said, "We can't let them continue to eat freely. If we put them in the net, they'll go find food elsewhere. There are plenty of wild berries and grass seeds."

The two worked together to set up a defensive line around the orchard.

Chen Ling sharpened one end of a long bamboo pole and forcefully inserted it into the soil as a support pillar.

Then, crossbars are tied between the pillars to form a simple frame.

Finally, unfold the green bird netting, cover the frame, and secure it in sections with thin rope or wire.

The mesh of this net is about two fingers wide, which can prevent medium-sized birds such as doves from getting in, but will not trap very small birds.

The color is dark green, which is not conspicuous among the green leaves of the fruit trees and does not affect their appearance.

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing?"

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming ran back like the wind, their little faces flushed and their foreheads covered in sweat.

"Use nets to protect the fruit from birds."

Chen Ling wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "Did you guys shoot any birds?"

"No!" Rui Rui pouted. "Birds are so clever! They fly away before we even get close. Brother Liu Ni can hit them, and Auntie can hit them too. We can't hit them!"

Xiao Ming excitedly gestured: "But we saw so many bird nests! There's a huge nest in the willow tree by the reservoir, it must have eggs inside! And there are several nests in a row of poplar trees behind the school construction site!"

"Don't steal bird eggs."

Chen Ling said sternly, "If you take the bird eggs, the baby birds won't be able to hatch, do you hear me?"

"I heard."

The two little ones nodded obediently, but their eyes remained fixed on the gradually forming bird netting: "Will this net catch birds?"

"Even if we can catch them, we won't catch them all."

Chen Ling explained, "When birds fly over and crash into the net, the ones with sharp beaks that eat insects are released, while the ones with wide beaks that eat grains are caught."

He carefully explained to the two children what a good bird is.

As they were talking, Gao Xiulan came out to help.

Wang Cunye ran over and called Chen Yuqiang and another young man who was resting on the slope.

With many hands making light work, by noon, the most vulnerable area around the orchard was surrounded by green bird netting, like a transparent veil covering the fruit trees.

"Let's try it out first."

Chen Ling clapped his hands: "If it works, surround the inner rows as well."

Around lunchtime, the children returned one after another, all excited and sharing their "achievements" from the morning.

Although they didn't shoot down many birds, the number of bird nests they discovered and the number of rare birds they saw were enough to keep them talking for a long time.

In the afternoon, Chen Ling was resting inside when he heard a series of fluttering sounds coming from the orchard outside, mixed with the panicked cries of birds.

He got up, went to the window, looked out, and laughed.

Several greedy doves, perhaps attracted by the brighter red peaches inside the net, tried to swoop down as usual.

As a result, with several "thump-thump" sounds, they crashed one after another into the almost invisible bird netting.

The net was elastic, so they didn't hit it hard, but they were clearly terrified, flapping their wings and squawking as they tried to break free.

"Wow, we caught it!" Rui Rui and Xiao Ming, who were playing nearby, were the first to spot it and ran over excitedly to see.

Chen Ling also went outside. He untied the doves from the net, put them in a cage, and planned to roast them for dinner.

Pigeons, especially wild pigeons, are very nutritious.

As the saying goes, one pigeon is worth nine chickens.

Drinking too much pigeon soup can easily cause internal heat and sores.

If you roast it over a fire, it won't generate as much heat.

The world is full of wonders.

“It really works! It’s online now…” Wang Susu said with a smile.

"Silly doves, they're kind of simple-minded. I reckon there will be more of these and sparrows in the future."

Chen Ling looked at the slightly swaying net and laughed.

……

Sure enough, it was evening.

Then, excited screams came from the yard: "Dad! Uncle! Come quick! We've caught it in the net! We've caught a big bird!"

Chen Ling came out and saw several birds hanging on the bird net by the orchard.

The most conspicuous creature was a plump grey dove, its wing and leg tangled in the netting, frantically flapping its wings and making terrified cooing noises.

There were also a few sparrows nearby, trapped in the web, chirping incessantly.

The children were all there, gathered around the net, both excited and nervous, wanting to go forward but too afraid to.

"Uncle Fugui, what should we do? Should we take them down?" Liu Nier rubbed her hands together, eager to get started.

"Okay, be careful not to hurt them," Chen Ling instructed, then demonstrated himself.

He walked up to the grey dove, and the dove struggled even more fiercely.

Chen Ling moved gently and quickly, stabilizing the dove's body with one hand while carefully untangling the tangled netting with the other.

His fingers were nimble, as if they possessed some kind of magic, and the turtledove gradually calmed down in his hands.

After taking it off, Chen Ling checked it and found that the dove was not injured, but only frightened.

"The pigeon meat is quite fragrant. We'll have enough for our whole family to have when we have a barbecue tonight."

Then, he took off a few more sparrows.

The sparrows were small and struggled fiercely, but Chen Ling's skillful technique prevented them from getting hurt.

He kept them all, intending to bake them for the children to try.

Over the next few days, checking and cleaning bird nets became a regular part of the children's morning routine.

The bird nets certainly lived up to expectations, yielding "harvests" almost every day.

The trapped birds are of various kinds, including common species such as doves and sparrows, as well as grey-brown birds and blackbirds.

On one occasion, they even caught a brightly colored hoopoe in their net. When the crest on its head was spread out, the children were stunned.

"This one is not edible, it looks nice, let it go!"

Rui Rui imitated his father, clumsily but earnestly untying the hoopoe from the net with his little hands, and then forcefully tossing it into the air.

The hoopoe flew away with a "whoosh," leaving behind a string of clear calls.

Of course, there were also unexpected surprises.

Once, a squirrel that was stealing fruit got caught up in the internet.

This little guy is very cunning; he's usually impossible to hit with a slingshot, but this time he walked right into the trap.

The children laughed uproar as they watched it squeaking and fuming online.

Finally, with Chen Ling's help, the squirrel was successfully rescued. It darted up to the treetop and looked back at the "trap" with lingering fear, probably never daring to come back again.

The process of catching birds was full of fun and also led to many jokes.

Once, Little Iron Egg was chasing a butterfly when he accidentally ran into a bird net and got himself all tangled up. He cried out for help, which made everyone laugh.

In the end, Chen Ling suppressed a laugh and rescued the furry "trophy".

On another occasion, a particularly clever dove narrowly avoided the bird net every time, even standing on the net line to preen its feathers, as if provoking Liu Ni'er, which made her so angry that she jumped up and down.

After eating Chen Ling's roasted pigeons and sparrows, they were thinking every day about how to catch more.

Of course.

While netting and scaring away birds, Chen Ling also guided the children to observe the hardships birds face in raising their young, instilling in them a greater sense of awe for life.

He led the children quietly toward the crow's nest in the big poplar tree at the village entrance.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, you can see several bare baby birds with their mouths wide open.

The crow parents were extremely busy, constantly flying back and forth, bringing insects and carefully feeding them to their chicks.

"Look how hard the little crow's parents work."

Chen Ling said in a low voice, "They have to fly hundreds of times a day to feed their babies. Although they are sometimes accidentally injured by us, they are trying their best to survive for the sake of their babies."

The children watched quietly, their eyes less playful than usual and more focused.

Chen Ling then pointed to a wheat field and said, "And those pheasants and quails that live in the wheat field, it's wrong for them to eat wheat, but do you know that?"
A nest of young swallows can eat a lot of pests every day.

Without them, there would probably be even more insects in the ground.

Rui Rui looked up and asked, "Dad, are we good people or bad people? We're watching them."

Chen Ling patted his head: "We are neither good people nor bad people. We are trying to find a way to live with them."

Like neighbors, we sometimes argue, but most of the time we get along peacefully.

We set up the nets to tell them not to steal our most important fruit, the wheat in the field. Even if they eat a little, we won't lose much; consider it a treat.

This vivid metaphor makes it easier for children to understand.

They realized that protecting one's own possessions and respecting other lives are not always contradictory; the key is to find that balance.

As the days went by, the school's foundation was solidified, and the walls began to be built.

The reservoir's dam was also continuously raised and reinforced through hard work, shovel by shovel and pick by pick.

As the weather gets hotter, the wheat fields gradually turn yellow, and the air begins to fill with the aroma of ripening wheat.

The apricots in the orchard have turned completely yellow and are emitting an enticing sweet fragrance.

Bird nets have done a great job; although there are still a few sporadic "sneakers," large-scale damage has been effectively contained.

Chen Ling's family welcomed their first fruit harvest.

Chen Ling picked a full basket of golden apricots and shared them with the villagers working on the construction site to quench their thirst, and also gave some to the villagers in the village to try.

The apricots have thick flesh and small pits, and are sweet, sour, and juicy, which everyone raves about.

"Fugui's apricot tree is so well grown! It's much sweeter than ours!"

"Thank goodness, we put up bird nets again this year, so the birds didn't ruin them!"

Hearing the villagers' praise, Chen Ling felt very happy.

The sense of accomplishment that comes from labor is far more reassuring than any monetary gain.

In the evening, Chen Ling's family sat under the grape trellis to enjoy the cool air, eating freshly picked apricots and watching the magnificent sunset.

Kang Kang and Le Le toddled along the ground, chasing after the crab-eating mongooses.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming were arguing about which bird was the most beautiful.

Afu and Ashou lay not far away, their tails flicking intermittently to shoo away mosquitoes.

Heiwa and Xiaojin lay quietly at Chen Ling's feet.

Little Iron Egg and the increasingly lively little deer became playmates, chasing and frolicking in the yard.

Wang Susu handed him a bowl of cooled mung bean soup and said, "I heard from Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao that they've sent another letter urging you to write. They're not too busy outside anymore. Why don't you write something for them?"

Chen Ling paused for a moment upon hearing this, then took a bite of an apricot with a hint of helplessness: "Alright, I'll write tonight..." (End of Chapter)