My 1995 Small Farm.

After lunch, the rain stopped completely.

The sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees washed by the rain.

Looking at the plump crucian carp that Chen Ling and the children had caught, and then glancing at the fresh water celery hanging under the eaves, Wang Susu had an idea.

"Ah Ling, it's cool today, shall we make dumplings this afternoon? Pork and water celery filling, and we'll also make a soup with this crucian carp to warm us up."

As Wang Susu deftly tied on her apron, she spoke to Chen Ling, who was tidying up the fishing gear.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I haven't had pork and water celery dumplings in ages, just thinking about them makes my mouth water."

Rui Rui, Xiao Ming, go to the vegetable garden and pick some scallions..."

"Okay!" The two children responded and ran off like two happy little deer.

The kitchen quickly became lively.

Wang Susu learned a few martial arts skills from Chen Ling.

Today I was thinking of having Chen Ling take care of the baby while she makes the dumplings herself.

I get tired of always taking care of the kids.

I want to do something else.

So, kneading the dough, chopping the filling, and seasoning were all done in one go.

Chen Ling leaned over to take a look and saw that the minced meat already contained minced ginger, chopped green onions, salt, and homemade ground Sichuan peppercorns.

Now add water celery, stir it in one direction with chopsticks until it becomes sticky.

It was oily and shiny, and the fragrance wafted straight into my nose.

"Let Mom take care of the baby, I'll knead the dough."

Chen Ling washed his hands, grabbed a handful of flour and sprinkled it on the cutting board, then kneaded the rested dough again.

He had a strong hand, and the dough was very obedient in his hands, becoming smooth and pliable after a few kneads.

Then, after kneading, rolling into long strips, cutting into small pieces, and rolling into round wrappers, the movements are skillful and fluid.

"Rui Rui, Xiao Ming, come help!" Wang Susu called out into the yard.

I was afraid that after the two little ones finished picking the scallions, they would run off and play around on their own.

The two little ones were watching the fish by the ditch when they heard this and ran in, their hands still wet.

"Xiaoming, take your younger brother to wash his hands, and come back to learn how to roll out dough from your uncle."

"I want to learn too!" Rui Rui said, standing on tiptoe.

"Then go wash your hands quickly."

Wait until they both finish washing their hands and come over.

Chen Ling smiled, pinched off a piece of dough, rolled it into a ball, flattened it, and picked up a rolling pin to demonstrate: "Look, like this, the middle is thick and the edges are thin."

He moved with practiced skill, the rolling pin spinning rapidly in his hands, and in the blink of an eye, a round, evenly thin dumpling wrapper was ready.

Xiao Ming was dumbfounded: "Uncle, how did you get here so fast?"

"Practice makes perfect, you know."

Chen Ling handed the rolling pin to Xiao Ming, saying, "Take your time, no rush."

The two children then clumsily began to learn.

Rui Rui rolled out a dough that was crooked and uneven, thick on one side and thin on the other.

Xiao Ming was even funnier. He used too much force and rolled the dough so hard that it stuck to the cutting board. He couldn't pull it off and his face turned red with anxiety.

Wang Susu smiled, not saying anything, letting them do as they pleased.

She took a wrapper, scooped a spoonful of filling into the center, and with a deft pinch and squeeze of her fingers, a round, plump dumpling stood upright on the lid, its pleats even, like a crescent moon.

Chen Ling rolled out the dough, and Wang Susu filled it; they worked together seamlessly.

Before long, the bamboo steamer was filled with white dumplings, neatly arranged and very pleasing to the eye.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming leaned over the cutting board, watching curiously as Wang Susu magically produced one small, exquisite dumpling wrapper after another.

"Mom, I want to learn how to make dumplings too!" Rui Rui said eagerly.

"Auntie, I want to learn too!" Xiaoming shouted.

Wang Susu smiled and taught them step by step: "Watch carefully, like this, put the filling in the middle of the dough, not too much, otherwise it won't be able to be wrapped... Yes, gently pinch it closed with your fingers, and make pleats on the edges, like little lace..."

The kitchen was filled with laughter and the aroma of wheat flour, pork fat, and the unique fragrance of water celery.

Kang Kang and Lele were led by Gao Xiulan and sat in the stroller, watching the adults busy themselves.

Hearing her two older brothers' laughter, she excitedly waved her little hands and babbled "ee-ee-ya-ya".

After rolling out the dough, Chen Ling stood up and said, "I'll boil the water. We'll put the dumplings in the pot as soon as they're wrapped!"

However, not long after the dumplings were cooked, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Accompanied by the familiar, slightly anxious voice of village party secretary Wang Laishun: "Fugui! Is Fugui at home?"

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Ling put down his tools and went out to greet him. He saw Wang Laishun with sweat on his forehead, walking briskly into the yard.

"Fifth Uncle, what's wrong? You look so anxious," Chen Ling called out.

When Wang Laishun saw Chen Ling, it was as if he had found his pillar of support; he grabbed Chen Ling's arm immediately.
"Hey Fugui, are you home yet? Come with me quickly! The Li family and the Wang family at the east end of the village are fighting over a pig! It looks like they're about to come to blows, and I'm about to lose face!"

"For a pig?" Chen Ling was taken aback.

"you do not say!"

Wang Laishun slapped his thigh: "That little boar from Li Laosi's house ran out of its pen on a rainy day because the gate wasn't closed properly. It bulldozed the newly built gate of Wang Limin's yard and wreaked havoc on the vegetable garden too!"

"Wang Limin's wife sat on the ground crying and wailing. Li Laosi felt wronged and said that the smell of swill from the Wang family's stew had tempted his pig... The two families argued so fiercely that they were almost about to swing hoes at each other!"

They don't really listen to me; they always have to ask you to be the judge! Right now, your word carries the most weight in the village!

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling realized that this neighborhood dispute could be a big or small matter. If a fight broke out, it would not only damage the harmony but could also lead to serious trouble.

He immediately said, "Fifth Uncle, don't worry, I'll go with you right now, Susu..."

He turned and called out to the kitchen, "I'm going to the east end of the village with my fifth uncle to take care of some things. You guys eat the dumplings first."

"Hey, hurry back and be careful when you try to persuade them!" Wang Susu replied from the kitchen.

Chen Ling followed Wang Laishun and hurried towards the east end of the village.

On the way, Wang Laishun briefly explained the situation in more detail.

As we approached the destination, we could hear loud arguing and a woman's wailing from afar, surrounded by layers upon layers of villagers.

Wang Limin's face turned red with anger, and he pointed at Li Laosi's nose and cursed:

"Li Laosi! Are you doing this on purpose? Why did your pigs run away right when we finished setting up our garden? Did you deliberately let these pigs out to cause trouble?"

Li Laosi was a thin, frail old man, his face flushed red, but more so with embarrassment and anxiety. He stamped his feet.
"You're talking nonsense! The door to my pigsty broke by itself, that's how the pig escaped. How was I supposed to know it could run into your house?"

"How do you know? You did it on purpose!"

Wang Limin's wife jumped up and down, cursing, "These vegetable seedlings of mine just sprouted, and I'm waiting to sell them for money in a while! I think you're doing this on purpose, just jealous of my family!"

"Who's jealous of your family? Don't accuse me like that!" Old Li's wife also objected and rushed out to join the fray.

The two families argued back and forth, their words flying everywhere, and it looked like they were about to escalate from verbal to physical.

Some villagers tried to break up the fight, while others watched the spectacle with amusement and pointed fingers.

"Hey, say less, we're all from the same village..."

"That's right, it's just a pig, don't let it ruin the harmony."

"That pig at Li Laosi's house is a bit strange, why does it keep going up to Old Wang's door?"

“The older generation says ‘pigs bring poverty,’ which is not a good omen…” Most of these comments were in support of Wang Limin.

Wang Limin and Wang Lihui are brothers.

However, he is also a cousin of Wang Lixian and Wang Lishan.

Everyone in the village knows that Li Xian and Chen Ling are close.

Naturally, the majority of people sided with Wang Limin.

Furthermore.

Chenwangzhuang is home to two major surnames, Chen and Wang, while families like the Li and Guang families belong to other surnames.

They were ostracized both openly and secretly.

"Make way, make way, wealth is coming!"

Wang Laishun shouted as he pushed through the crowd.

When the villagers saw that it was Chen Ling, they automatically made way for him and greeted him warmly.

"Once wealth and fortune arrive, things will be much easier!"

"Let Fugui settle this case!"

"Quiet down, everyone, and listen to Fugui!"

Chen Ling walked into the center of the crowd and saw that the scene was a mess.

The new wooden gate of Wang Limin's house was arched and broken, the vegetable plots in the yard were trampled into a mess, and the muddy ground was covered with pig hoof prints.

The little boar that caused the accident was lying peacefully in the muddy puddle.

Li Laosi and Wang Limin, their faces red and necks thick, pointed at each other and cursed, with their wives joining in from the sidelines, and it looked like they were about to tear each other apart.

"Fourth Brother! Brother Limin!"

Chen Ling's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Calm down, everyone! We're all neighbors, can't we talk things out? Do we have to resort to violence and make a fool of ourselves in front of outsiders?"

Upon seeing Chen Ling, Li Laosi and Wang Limin immediately toned down their arrogance.

Li Laosi spoke first: "Fugui, you be the judge! Can you blame my family entirely for the livestock running out on a rainy day?"

After cooking a big pot of stew on a rainy day, his family would use the swill from washing the pots and dishes to water their vegetable garden. I was truly amazed. Watering vegetables after it rained, and using swill at that! Did the pigs think I was jealous?

Wang Limin immediately retorted, "Fugui, look! The door is broken, the vegetables are gone, who's going to compensate for the losses? He's clearly trying to renege on his debt!"

Chen Ling didn't rush to express his opinion. He first walked to the damaged doorway, carefully examined the broken edges and hoof prints, and then squatted down to look at the traces in the vegetable garden.

Then he stood up and glanced at both sides:

"Fourth Brother, Brother Limin, the truth will become clear through debate. Let's go through it one by one."

"First of all, Fourth Brother, the pigs belong to your family. The gate wasn't closed properly, and the pigs ran out and caused trouble for other families. That's the truth, isn't it?"
Managing your own livestock is the most basic principle for us farmers.

Do you agree with this?

Li Laosi opened his mouth, but under Chen Ling's calm gaze, his momentum weakened, and he muttered:
"I...I didn't mean to...it just happened to rain, and the pigsty hasn't been repaired in years..."

"I was thinking of reinforcing the roof of the pigsty, so I took down a few panels, but before I could put them back in, this animal smelled the delicious aroma and pushed open the remaining door panels..."

Chen Ling was speechless.

"Fourth Brother, so to be honest, it's still because you didn't watch the pigs properly. You can't blame other people's houses for smelling bad. It's just the smell of leftover food and swill, not the stench of manure. We can't make a fuss about that."

Ultimately, Li Laosi and Wang Limin's families were neighbors, but also old enemies.

That's why Li Laosi seems a bit unreasonable to outsiders, grabbing onto something and refusing to let go.

Li Laosi was mainly quiet and a bit stubborn, while Wang Limin had a fiery temper and would ignite at the slightest provocation.

The two families had a lot of disagreements over things like homesteads, drainage ditches, and trivial matters.

Today, the pig's rooting out of the ground is like adding fuel to the fire.

So under normal circumstances, he doesn't get involved in these kinds of village affairs.

On the surface, things are just going well, as long as everyone avoids conflict.

Chen Ling said calmly, then turned to Wang Limin.

"Brother Limin, everyone has seen the losses your family has suffered, and it's understandable that we feel bad for you."

But if you use swill to water your vegetables, the smell will ferment on rainy days, which will indeed be very attractive to livestock.

Furthermore, this courtyard gate…

He shook the broken door frame with his hand: "It's really not very sturdy. If the door were sturdier, the pig wouldn't be able to get in for a while, and the damage might be less."

After hearing this, Wang Limin calmed down a bit, but it was clearly to save face for Chen Ling: "Then... then according to you, Fugui, we'll just let it go like this?"

He still hoped Chen Ling would side with him, feeling that they were related by marriage.

"We definitely can't let it go like this."

Chen Ling looked at both sides and said, "Brothers, our village is currently undergoing construction. We're aiming for a better life, not creating enemies everywhere and adding fuel to the fire."

According to old customs and common sense: the fourth brother's family didn't take good care of the pigs, which led to this mess.

Fourth brother, I know you're not convinced.

So, I think I'll castrate your pig. If it's fat and strong enough, I'll slaughter it at the end of the year and give one of its hind legs to Brother Limin as compensation.

how about it? "

Upon hearing this, Li Laosi's expression softened somewhat.

Although a pig's hind leg is valuable, it's still better than losing cash, and the payment isn't due until the end of the year, giving us time to adjust.

Wang Limin also breathed a sigh of relief.

"A hind leg means a hind leg. Since you've said that, Fugui, I won't say anything more. It's just my family's bad luck..."

The villagers watching nodded in agreement:
"Wealth and status are judged fairly!"

That's exactly the point!

"Li Laosi failed to control the livestock, so he should compensate for it."

"Limin, your family should say less!"

Seeing this, Wang Laishun quickly pressed his advantage: "Fourth brother, Limin, Fugui is right! Is it worth ruining decades of neighborly relations for a pig? Let's do as Fugui says! Hurry up and take the pig home. I'll give you a pig's hind leg for the New Year. You can fix the door these next few days!"

In front of Chen Ling, Li Laosi and Wang Limin looked at each other, and their anger subsided considerably.

A neighborhood dispute that was on the verge of escalating was finally resolved with Chen Ling's mediation.

With the help of Chen Ling, Li Laosi found a rope and successfully led the troublesome sow back to the pen.

Seeing that the matter had been resolved satisfactorily, the villagers who had been watching the commotion dispersed, muttering, "Fugui's words still carry weight."

"Yes, let's follow the old rules. No one should suffer a loss, and no one should try to gain an advantage."

When Chen Ling returned to the farm, Wang Susu and the others were already eating dumplings.

He urged Chen Ling to wash his hands and sit down to eat with him.

So while he ate dumplings, he told Wang Susu about the incident that had just happened.

"We're all neighbors, so we just want to stay harmonious."

"Yes, mainly because you're really the backbone of the village now. We can't do anything without you. I'm thinking of going back to the village in a while and starting to see patients again."

You take Kang Kang and Le Le out for fun every day, riding horses and driving carriages, so that we won't have to call you for every little thing..."

"Haha, my wife understands me." (End of Chapter)