My 1995 Small Farm

   Chapter 247 Raising snakes

   "Chirp! Chirp!"

Suddenly there were a few pleasant bird calls in his ears. Chen Ling followed the sound and found that there were a few strange-looking birds flying over from the other side of the mountain stream. Stopping on a tree not far away, he chirped with a high-pitched voice.

  These birds are about the same size as sparrows, but they are much prettier than sparrows.

  White, chestnut red, brown…

   It's surprising that as a bird of the same species, there are so many different colors among them.

   And their tails are very long, like ribbons fluttering in the wind, very beautiful.

   "What kind of bird is this? It's so beautiful. There are three colors in these birds."

  Chen Ling was attracted at once, with a look of amazement on his face.

   These birds are like the golden pheasant, but they are not as bright as the golden pheasant, but have another elegant beauty.

When Wang Cunye heard his son-in-law's exclamation, he took his eyes away from the corpse of the wild boar and took a look, "Oh, this, this bird is called 'Yizhihua', which means it looks like a flower blooming on a mountain. Not beautiful."

   "They also have a name, it's its tail, it flies up and down like a ribbon, and it's also called the Ribbon Bird."

   "This bird is quite interesting, the white one is called 'Liang Shanbo', and the flowery one is called 'Zhu Yingtai', haven't you heard of it when you were a child?"

   "Ah? It turns out that this is Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai!" Chen Ling was suddenly surprised.

  This kind of bird, he has only seen it a few times when he was a child.

   Now that I think about it, maybe I was too young at that time, and in the eyes of Xiaowazi, maybe this bird seemed a little big.

   Now that I see it, I can hardly recognize it.

   In fact, when I saw it at that time, I thought it was beautiful. I felt that when the sun came over from a distance, the sun shone, and the birds all radiated light, which was so beautiful.

   At that time he saw three birds.

  Two big birds, one white and one flower, have long tails and fly side by side, the third one is slightly smaller and has a shorter tail and flies at the back.

   Then he pointed it out to his father, who said that this was the incarnation of Liang Shanbo, Zhu Yingtai, and Ma Wencai, and the little one in the back was Ma Wencai, who was quite impressed.

   So when my father-in-law said about the scorpion, he only had some idea of ​​what it was, but when he mentioned Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, he immediately thought of it.

   "Dad, you know a lot, and birds can speak well."

  Chen Ling looked up at the birds on the tree and said.

   "Haha, this bird is also a medicinal herb, I know more."

   Wang Cunye laughed.

  Shoudai bird, also known as Shoudai bird, is more common in some traditional Chinese paintings and embroidery.

   But at the same time it is also a very good Chinese herbal medicine.

  It is used for bleeding under intestinal wind and to stop worms and toothaches.

   "That's it."

  Chen Ling nodded and whistled at the ribbon bird on the tree: "This guy is really beautiful, especially the white one with black hair and a white skirt with streamers hanging on the skirt, he looks like a fairy."

  The white ribbon bird is really beautiful, with a flexible and elegant tail, standing on the branch and shaking its body, its long tail feathers sway like a soft ribbon.

   perfectly and vividly explains the origin of its name.

   "What a fairy, that's Liang Shanbo, the man's, don't look at it, what a beautiful bird is, this bird is not easy to raise, don't worry about it, our things are still behind."

   "Oh, yes, we haven't got our stuff and herbs yet."

  Chen Ling patted his forehead and hurried back with his father-in-law. The swarm of wild bees attacked just now, and he just ran away. How could he care about those miscellaneous things.

   But just after walking a short distance, the surrounding of the mountain stream suddenly became lively and noisy.

  Weng's son-in-law heard all kinds of bird calls in their ears, crisp, loud, hoarse, and low, and even the gloomy environment of this place seemed to suddenly become full of vitality.

   The two looked back in surprise, and saw a black patch of birds flying over, and they didn't know how many or how many species of birds there were. They fell from the sky into the mountain stream and the nearby trees.

   A rough estimate is that there are hundreds of them.

   flew for a few minutes one after another, some flew into the branches and leaves of the trees and disappeared, and some fell into the mountain stream.

   Soon, the surrounding trees were almost full.

   But that's not the end of it.

   There are still flocks of birds flying over from a distance, the big ones are like geese and the small ones are like sparrows, all those who know each other are gathered here.

   has a tendency to gather more and more.

  In this slightly dim environment, hundreds of birds suddenly poured into the mountain stream, which can be called a spectacle.

   Even Xiaojin and the little weasels were stunned, looking curiously at the spectacle of birds falling into the mountain stream from afar.

   "What's the matter? Why are so many birds flying all of a sudden?" Wang Cunye frowned.

   "This, maybe we have a bird trail here."

  Chen Ling thought for a while and said, "In the past every autumn, there were a lot of birds passing through the mountains here. The movement and the scene were bigger than this."

  Bird Road is a place where birds often pass.

Around the    bird trail, there are generally sufficient food, water sources, safe environment, and special terrain that can help them identify their orientation.

  Bird Road, just like an ancient post station.

  Whether it is a long-distance migration or a regional range activity, while providing them with passageways, they can also provide them with a good source of water and food supplements.

   "But it's not autumn yet, so why are you flying south?" Wang Cunye wondered.

   "It's not autumn, it may be because of the floods in the provinces and cities around us, and they were also affected, so they flew out." Chen Ling guessed.

  There are too many birds and they are not afraid of people. The two stopped to watch for a while, and then returned the same way to the sad sound of Chen Ling forgot to buy a camera and couldn't take pictures.

   After a short while, after returning to the canyon where Uncaria was harvested, the monkeys and the bee colony were gone.

   On the other hand, Xiaojin trotted back from the edge of the mountain forest not far away with a jog, and gently placed it in front of Chen Ling.

   Before Chen Ling said anything, the old man was startled, "Oh, why did you bring this thing back?"

   "I'm not afraid that the swarm of wild bees will come back and sting."

Saying that, he quickly took out a piece of sackcloth from the bamboo basket and rolled the honeycomb, and then poured out some medicinal powder from the gourd and patted it on the sackcloth. Press down with a large bundle of uncaria.

   This operation made Chen Ling a little stunned, and asked: "Do you see any honey in the honeycomb?"

   "Oh, don't look at it, there must be, I can smell it."

  Wang Cunye waved his hand, "You can't trust my nose, so you have to trust Xiaojin. He has more serious business than Heiwa. It's not a dog that just grabs things for fun."

  These words made Xiao Jin so proud that his ears were on his back, he glanced at the old man kindly with his tongue out, and then walked around in front of Chen Ling to ask for credit.

"Okay, okay, it's a hot day, don't rub it, and I'll cook you a good meal when I get home. I'll only let you eat it alone, and don't allow the black baby to eat it. Okay?" Chen Ling squatted down and touched it. Xiaojin's head, and then his old husband and two people packed up all the Uncaria, and continued to walk towards the location of Dendrobium.

  …

   "Look, this is another herbal medicine that needs to be marked. You can come and dig it after autumn."

While walking in the mountains, Wang Cunye taught his son-in-law the knowledge of collecting herbs. At this time, he used a stick to push away the weeds, turned his head and said to Chen Ling: "See, this is Asparagus, and the purchase price is still there. Can."

  Chen Ling hurried over to look.

  Asparagus has branch-like leaves, tiny and soft to the touch.

   And there are light green flowers on some plants, and there are also hanging red berries.

   "This thing is also called a tiger tail root, which means it looks like a tiger's tail root."

   "It's easy to find if you want to. Asparagus usually grows in these relatively wild thorn piles. If there is water nearby, it is easy to find them."

   After listening to the old man's words, Chen Ling silently wrote it down, and then left a mark next to it.

"Look, this is wild hemp. Wild hemp is not the same as the kind of hemp planted. This thing is also called epilepsy grass, which means that after the sheep eat it, it will smirk and jump around. Rolling down a hill and pooping and peeing can't be in charge."

   Wang Cunye pointed to an herbal medicine and said to Chen Ling with a cautious face.

   After the introduction, he warned him about the disadvantages of this thing.

   "I know this, it's similar to that duck slice." Chen Ling nodded.

  Wild hemp, also known as Darma, is not allowed to be grown by individuals.

   And this thing grows in different places, and the harmful components in the plant are different.

   is easier to confuse with ordinary planting hemp.

  Can be used for planting is hemp, also called hemp, which is the kind of hemp used for ordinary hemp ropes and sacks. They are slender and tall, with loose branches and hollow internodes.

The fruit of    can be used as medicine.

   But wild hemp is different, the growth environment has changed, and its appearance will also change.

  Compared with hemp, it has many branches and dense, thick and short, the internodes are solid, and it produces more fat.

  Although it can also be used as a Chinese herbal medicine, if you eat too much wild hemp seed, it will cause hallucinations. Just like eating mushroom poisoning, there are fairies flying around in front of you, which makes you feel like a fairy.

   What's worse than mushrooms is that it's addictive.

   Therefore, we must be careful no matter what herbs are collected or used.

   Wild hemp, Polygonatum, Gastrodia, Shuzhi, all kinds of herbs are everywhere.

   The two walked all the way to identify.

  …

  In the mountains in summer, there are green grass and wild flowers all the way.

Few people come to the deep mountains, and the wild flowers bloom very beautifully. Along the way, all kinds of small flowers of goose yellow, lavender and pink are hidden in the jungle, and there are various wild fruits adorned with branches, green and astringent. The fruity and floral aromas are mixed together for a special taste.

   Soon, these fruits will be ripe, and the mountains will be more lively.

  Weng and husband-in-law just walked along the way looking for herbs, leaving a mark on the valuable ones, and casually taking a look at the worthless ones.

After crossing the mountain forest and turning into a valley, there are big rocks in the valley, and the water is gurgling. Walking in it, you can see the traces of the river channel being diverted several times. The round huge stones are densely covered with thick moss, and the water is open with bright yellow. The small flowers can feel the age, and you can see the green vitality everywhere.

   has both vicissitudes of mottled and fresh beauty.

Going around at the bottom of the valley, turning around and going up the water, I saw a large gray-white stone standing in front of me, a stone and a mountain, the top of the stone was very smooth and smooth, like a jade-like girl, standing gracefully on before.

  Chen Ling was very surprised and amazed when he saw it. He reached out and touched it. The stone was extremely warm. He thought that it would be very comfortable to lie on top of it and bask in the sun in winter. This is a natural stone bed.

   "Look, Dendrobium is right ahead."

   Wang Cunye pointed to the front and said.

   Then he looked up at the sky, it was already noon, "Let's go up to pick first, we'll eat after picking, otherwise we'll keep thinking about it."

"it is good."

Chen Ling nodded. In fact, the rock where Dendrobium was found by my father-in-law is not high or steep, but the environment is relatively damp and there are many mosses. It is very smooth during the climbing process, and accidents are prone to occur. Old man One person can't take it off.

  Chen Ling still found a safe location near the rocks, tied the ropes, and then went to dig Dendrobium, just like before.

There are a lot of dendrobium growing on this mountain rock. The oblong leaves are about 20 cm in height, and some are about 30 cm in height. The main stem of dendrobium is like sugar cane, cylindrical in shape, with branches, and the overall color is emerald green. , very watery, the leaves have a thick fleshy feel, and the age is obviously not short.

   In addition, the current season has just passed its flowering period, which is very suitable for mining.

   "Pick the old ones above, don't move the tender ones."

   After he went up, the old man shouted a reminder from below.

"understood."

  Dendrobium still needs to be old enough to sell for the price. After picking it back, not only will it not be able to sell for much money, but the dendrobium here will also be cut off after digging, so let them continue to grow.

  Dendrobium is rare in the Qinling Mountains, and it is limited to a small part of the southern **** of the Qinling Mountains. They are close to the three provinces. Although there is a humid and hot environment for them to grow, the number of Dendrobium is not much better than that of wild ginseng.

  So when Chen Ling finished mining Dendrobium and came down, he took the opportunity to collect a small piece of root in the cave.

   As long as you enter the cave, this small piece of root is enough to multiply into a large piece.

   When Chen Ling got down, he untied the hemp rope, and handed the dendrobium to his father-in-law to see.

   The old man finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily: "Okay, this time the harvest is quite good."

   "Father, how much can we get these for today?"

"How much is it to sell for? This one should be available for a thousand children or eight hundred." Wang Cunye did the math. Now, five hundred grams of dendrobium is about one thousand yuan. With that many Uncaria, it is definitely not bad. .

   After finishing speaking, he picked up the dendrobium in his hand and looked at each one with a satisfied expression.

  Light lives at his son-in-law's house, so he has to do something.

  Otherwise it would be boring to herd sheep all day.

   It is still comfortable to come to the mountains to collect herbs.

  In different places, pick different herbs, fresh and enjoyable.

   Not to mention that he can sell some money, otherwise, it would be too unreasonable to let the son-in-law take care of the eldest daughter and the younger daughter.

   "Well, I can finally sell some money now. I will raise the worms in two days, and I will also teach my son-in-law how to raise them." Wang Cunye pondered happily, and followed Chen Ling to the riverside to live a simple life of cooking.

   It was noon, and I was hungry. It would take a long time to walk back, so let’s eat in the mountains.

  Easy breakfast and easy lunch.

   Leftover eggs, and baked buns.

  The steamed buns were baked without any seasoning. They threw them into the pyre and smashed them a few times.

   But after peeling off the burnt skin and eating it in your mouth, it is called a fragrant and sweet one.

  After eating, drink some cool mountain spring water.

  In this way, Weng and husband-in-law set off on the return journey with satisfaction.

   On the road, the two were still chatting while walking.

   "It's not too late, on the way back, you and I will catch a few long worms, and go back and get a few snake boxes to raise." The old man said with a smile.

   "Huh? Raising snakes on the farm?"

  Chen Ling was stunned for a moment. He raised so many poultry, and then raised snakes. What if he ran out and harmed the poultry.

   "Well, if you can keep it, don't worry. Raising a snake is sometimes equivalent to preventing snakes. I will teach you a few tricks when the time comes. Otherwise, at the foot of the mountain, chickens and ducks will easily attract thieves and worms to steal eggs when they lay their eggs."

   "Okay, but Dad, isn't it the same when we go out to catch snakes?"

   "It's really different, you don't know, the snakes in this mountain are better."

   (end of this chapter)