My 1995 Small Farm

  Spring thunder calls for rain.

In the middle of the night, Chen Ling's family of three was woken up by several thunderstorms. Ruirui didn't even care about how she fell asleep and ran to the small bed again. Then she saw her parents put on their clothes and put on their shoes. Go downstairs in a hurry.

  At this time, the mountain wind was blowing. Hearing how strong the wind was, one knew that the rain must be heavy.

  Drought this spring, rain is a good thing.

   But the rain came suddenly, and many things in the yard have not been cleaned up.

   Poultry and livestock also have to use a flashlight to see the situation.

  Wang Susu came out because he was worried that the ornamental fish in the fruit forest pond would be washed out by the heavy rain.

   Now this can also be sold for money.

  As soon as the two came out, a cat and a group of dogs followed, running and jumping.

After a lot of work, after checking the pond and poultry and livestock, within a few minutes, I heard another spring thunder, rumbling, more urgent than the last, followed by "pattaptaptap" raindrops falling on the tiles. sound.

"This rain is definitely not small. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, and it's time for a good rain. After this rain, our wheat seedlings don't need to be watered." Back under the eaves, Wang Susu looked up and watched the bright lights continue to flicker said the dark sky.

  As for the twenty acres of wheat, it will take a lot of effort to water it.

   "Yeah, it's really a timely rain, and it will save us trouble."

  Chen Ling nodded, and the two of them washed their hands under the eaves before returning to the upstairs bedroom.

  Just this tossing, the young couple lost all sleepiness, lying on the bed, teasing the children, and reading some books and newspapers.

  Rui Rui's child is full of energy. After waking up, he doesn't want to sleep in the small bed. He insists on sleeping in the big bed with his parents.

   Reluctantly had to hug him up again.

  In fact, the small bed is very low, and the protection is also in place. The railings are high, like a wooden cage, and it is very comfortable to sleep in it.

   Don't worry about him running out.

   That is, Rui Rui is still too young to be separated from adults.

   I want to change to Wang Zhenzhen, give her such a bed, she can happily jump three feet high.

   "The thunder is too loud, it's better to turn off the lights, don't break the lights later."

  Wang Susu said worriedly as he heard the spring thunder rolling outside the window, constantly exploding.

   "Okay, I'll turn off the switch again."

  Chen Ling stood up again, put on his clothes, lit candles in the bedroom, and went downstairs to close the gate.

   After pulling the switch, the rain became more and more urgent.

  Standing upstairs and looking around, the mountains and fields under the night were shrouded in a layer of mist.

  Chen Ling didn't have much ink in his chest. He didn't know how to describe this scene. He just faced the wet night wind, felt the water vapor blowing against his face, and let it hit his face. He felt cool and refreshing.

   Stretching his arms, he admired it for a while, and when he heard Wang Susu calling him, he realized that it was time to go back to the house and sleep. At this time, the dog at home started barking.

  The little cat is also meowing in a long tune, and the sound can be heard far away.

  Chen Ling thought that something broke into the house, so he hurried to look.

  As soon as he walked to the backyard, the puppies heard his voice and ran over in the rain, shaking their heads and trying to rub against him.

  Heiwa Xiaojin walked out from under the eaves stretchingly.

  Looking at the reactions of the two of them, there is nothing unusual, just a bunch of puppies and little cats barking.

  Chen Ling shook the lantern around, and everything was normal, but he could vaguely hear the howling of wolves and beasts in the mountains from far away. In such a rainy night, the sound could not be clearly heard in the farm.

  Chen Ling listened intently for a while, and immediately understood what was going on, so he patted Heiwa's two big heads: "Look at them, don't bark at night when you have nothing to do."

   Then go back to the house and continue to sleep.

  In the early morning, the breeze is blowing, the drizzle is slender, and the green willows and yellow willows are full of spring rain, dyeing a stream of new green.

  After a thunderstorm in spring, the air became extremely fresh. After Zhou Weijun and Yu Qi'an got up in the morning, they didn't even open an umbrella, and went to the farm to eat in the drizzle.

  They lived at Wang Jusheng's house for the past two days, and they had nothing to do all day long, so Wang Jusheng took them out to wander and buy some local specialties.

  Don’t talk about anything else, let’s just talk about yellow beef. I’ve definitely eaten enough in the past two days.

  When I arrived at the farm today, I saw the leftover beef and shepherd’s purse dumplings, so I didn’t even touch them. I only grabbed vegetarian dumplings with shepherd’s purse and eggs to eat.

  These are leftover dumplings. After a long time, the dumpling skins are a bit rotten, and they don't dislike them.

   On the contrary, I think the leftover dumplings are especially delicious after being steamed in a pot.

  Chen Ling's family always had a light breakfast, and Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan usually didn't come to eat breakfast, so it was even more troublesome for them.

  In addition to steaming two or three eggs for Rui Rui.

  I am just a pickle, served with stir-fried local vegetables.

  After it is out of the pot, add two drops of sesame oil, it tastes oily and tender, and the mouth is full of fragrance. It really tastes like spring.

  Yu Qi'an and the others felt that Chen Ling and the young couple ate too much vegetarian food at first.

   As a result, after eating the dumplings, they tasted it, and they immediately made a big steamed bun with this dish.

  After the meal, Chen Ling hugged his son at the kitchen door and taught him to call him daddy.

  Wang Susu brushes the pot and washes the dishes.

The three of Yu Qi'an stood around Chen Ling, watching the swallows shuttle back and forth in the breeze and drizzle, flying in and out of the kitchen and living room of the farm, building their nests with mud in their mouths, and from time to time they would see each other. Let's talk a few words.

  There is nothing to do on rainy days, so it is also pleasant to enjoy the rain scene with three or two friends.

   "Don't keep thinking about playing with the dog, you brat, come, look at Daddy's mouth."

  Chen Ling straightened his son's head. This brat was laughing and out of shape. He was eating and feeding the dog just now. Now that he was full, he wanted to play with Hei Wa again.

  Hei Wa's body is so thick and strong, and she knows how to protect the Lord. Every time she plays with Rui Rui, her body can completely surround Rui Rui.

  After Ruirui got used to playing, he now regards Heiwa as his queen's cradle.

  Sit on the ground when there is nothing to do, let Hei Wa circle him up, and he sits in the small circle surrounded by Hei Wa's body, playing with his various small toys.

   "Watch out, watch out for Dad's mouth."

  Chen Ling straightened the brat's head, pointed to his mouth, and the chubby boy Ruirui looked over subconsciously.

   "Bo, ah, dad, dad~ Come on, follow me, Bo, ah, dad, dad!"

  Chen Ling paused word by word, opened his mouth, and demonstrated his pronunciation and mouth shape.

  He and Wang Susu have formally taught Ruirui to call him mom and dad since the year of the new year, and they used to let him call him mom and dad often, but that was not a particularly formal teaching, it was mostly for fun.

   Now I will teach for a while when I have free time, but this child has been playful since he was a child, and his attention is not on dogs, cats, birds, weasels, and foxes. He doesn't study hard at all.

   Otherwise, with the cleverness and quickness of this stinky boy, he would have learned to call people a long time ago.

Chen Ling demonstrated it several times in a row. Maybe Hei Wa and the puppies ran away, and there was nothing to attract Rui Rui's attention. His **** eyes were lying on Chen Ling's neck with a smile on his face. Nibbling and biting, Chen Ling's neck was full of saliva, and then, taking advantage of this playful energy, he opened his small mouth next to Chen Ling's ear, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Learn to speak.

   Without learning twice, a long and crystal-clear hala ran down the back of Chen Ling's neck and dripped into his back.

  Chen Ling, who was a little surprised and happy just now, couldn't help but shudder under the sticky coolness, and slapped his son's little **** a few times: "You brat, brat."

   Unexpectedly, after a few slaps, the little guy felt his father's panic, squinted his eyes and giggled, dripping more and more on the back of Chen Ling's neck.

   This scene made Zhou Weijun and Yu Qi'an laugh out loud.

Wang Susu couldn't help but smile, how can she not know what kind of virtue her son is, teaching him something good is extremely difficult, learning something bad or weird is a little bit clear, no teacher can teach him. Pass.

   After a while, Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan came to the farm wearing rain boots and held umbrellas. They were very happy to hear what happened just now, and they picked up their grandson and rushed to tease them.

   "Brat, when you grow up, you will definitely be skinnier than your father or your aunt."

  The family was teasing the children, but Yu Qi'an and the three took aim at a few gourds in Wang Cunye's basket.

   "Uncle Wang, your gourd is very beautiful, do you have any at home?"

   "Huh? I don't have these gourds at home. I got some from the carpenter's house in the village."

  Wang Cunye hugged his eldest grandson and glanced at it: "You can take two to play with if you want, and leave two for me to put in the kitchen and main room."

   "Hey, I really like this thing."

  Yu Qi'an picked up and put down those big and small gourds, and smiled embarrassedly.

   Then he said: "Uncle Wang, why put this gourd in the kitchen? It's not as easy to use as the gourd when it's broken into two halves to scoop water."

  Gourds are also part of the Cucurbitaceae family, but they don’t have a thin waist in the middle like gourds, so the gourds are split in two, and they are very useful as water scoops. Many people in the countryside use this thing to scoop water.

   "It's not as easy to use as a gourd, but my gourd is not broken open to use as a ladle, it's placed for the little swallows at home to look at."

  Wang Cunye handed the eldest grandson to his wife, pointed to the two little swallows flying in and out of the kitchen and said.

   "What? It's for Little Swallow to see?" The three of them were confused.

   "Yes, put it for the little swallows to see. Before the little swallows' nests are built, put a gourd in front of them. The nests they built are in the shape of gourds, which are very beautiful."

  Seeing the expressions of the three, the old man chuckled: "You don't know this, do you?"

  The three of them looked at each other, then at Chen Ling, and shook their heads: "I really don't know. What is the reason for this, do you know about being rich?"

  Chen Ling glanced at them speechlessly: "I'm a native-born local, I must know."

  Yu Qi'an heard the words and hurriedly urged: "Then hurry up and talk about it, let us increase our knowledge, and the little swallow will also build a gourd nest, which sounds rare."

   "Hey, what's so rare about this. Let's put it this way, you must know that there are two types of little swallows, right?"

   "I know, one kind has a red neck and the other has a white neck."

"Yes, but we don't distinguish them by the color of their necks, but by the nests they build. We call the so-called white-necked swallows mud swallows, and the red-necked swallows call them grass swallows, of course. I'm usually called Little Swallow, but only when I live at home, people will say, this year I'm a grass swallow, or this year I'm a mud swallow, so what."

   "Oh, then does this have anything to do with the shape of a gourd?" Ma Wei was still a little confused after hearing this.

   "Don't worry, old horse, listen to me first."

Chen Ling smiled helplessly, and continued: "This mud swallow is very close to people, and the location of the nest is very demanding. Usually, the bird's nest is built in the middle of the main room of people's homes, because the main room is a place for entertaining guests, and it is often cleaned at home. clean area.

  In the past, some rich and noble families liked to place vases in the main room. Mud swallows have strong imitation ability and good nest-building skills, so they will build their own bird’s nests to look like vases.

People who have no conditions sometimes hang gourds on the wall of the main room to hold wine and tea leaves. The mud swallows build their nests in the shape of gourds. The exit of the bird’s nest is a small mouth, and then There are two stomachs, big and small, and they look very beautiful. "

   "I'll be good, it turns out that's the case."

  Yu Qi'an's mouth opened exaggeratedly, and then he went to Chen Ling's kitchen to look at the bird's nest with his mouth wide open and staring. He saw that the bird's nest was purely made of mud bit by bit, and now there was only a big belly, which hadn't been sealed yet.

  Zhou Weijun and Ma Wei also hurriedly squinted their waists and stared at it, and asked while looking, "Fugui, can this bird's nest be built into a gourd?"

   "That's not sure, let's talk about it after putting the gourd on."

  Chen Ling smiled. In fact, there were two pairs of little swallows in the kitchen at first, a total of four. Later, one pair took over, and the other pair ran to the main room in the front yard to build their nests.

  Anyway, the farm is clean everywhere, not only the main room is clean, it's the same everywhere.

   This kind of mud swallow just likes places frequented by people, and likes to be close to people.

   "By the way, what about grass swallows, Fugui, you said mud swallows, but you haven't said grass swallows yet." Yu Qi'an had a strong thirst for knowledge and asked after him.

  Chen Ling shook his head: "The grass swallow is the red-necked swallow. Compared with the mud swallow, this swallow is a bit careless."

"Although they are all small swallows, people like mud swallows most in our place. Mud swallows are very clean, they are particular about the site selection of their nests, and they are also very particular about hygiene. They never defecate in people's houses, even if they are When brooding, the young bird’s feces are also taken out of the nest. The bottom of the bird’s nest is always clean.”

"Grass swallows can't do it. Compared with mud swallows, they are like a stupid and sloppy slob. The site of their nests is always under the eaves, at the corner of the wall, or on the barn. The site selection is not particular, and the nests are also sloppy. Grass swallows The bird's nest is a mixture of weeds and mud, and the structure is simple and crude, like half a black bowl buckled on the wall.

  The mud swallow’s nest is exquisite and beautiful. Once it is set up, it can live continuously for several years. It can be directly moved in after flying back every spring.

  Grass swallows sometimes do not finish their nest for a year, and the nest itself collapses, and young swallows often fall to their deaths.

   Moreover, this grass swallow not only builds a poor nest, but also is extremely unsanitary. It eats nest lila in the nest, and there are droppings everywhere under the bird’s nest and on the walls.

  Compared with the mud swallow, it is really a world. "

   What Chen Ling said was true.

After hearing this, Yu Qi'an and the three of them suddenly realized that they were not ignorant. After living for so many years, these two kinds of little swallows could be distinguished and they had seen both of them, but they didn't expect that there were so many things hidden here. .

"We only know that the little white-necked swallow has a simple call, and the little red-necked swallow has a fancy call, but we don't know that these two kinds of swallows have so much knowledge in them, Fugui, you are like an ornithologist. "

   "Haha, what kind of ornithologist is it? It's just that farmers don't have much entertainment, and their ancestors have lived with these birds for generations, so they naturally know more. If you go to our villages and towns to inquire, most of them know."

  Chen Ling smiled and looked at the father-in-law: "Is that right, Dad?"

   "It must be. The old saying goes that you can know the nature of fish near the water, and you can understand the sound of birds near the mountains. Isn't it the same reason?"

  The old man just hung up a gourd in the kitchen and walked out.

   Seeing this scene, the three of Yu Qi'an immediately became excited, and rushed to go to the living room in front of the farm to put gourds by themselves.

  Because the bird’s nests in the living room have just started to be erected, and there are much fewer bird’s nests than the ones in the kitchen.

"Yes, yes, Fugui, you are blessed. The two nests of swallows in your family are all mud swallows. I have to say that this thing is really clean. The nest is made of mud. The floor of the living room does not look dirty, there is no dirt at all." .”

   "That's right, it's very clean."

  Several people were busy placing two gourds, one large and one small, in the living room, when suddenly someone shouted from outside the farm.

   "Fugui, Fugui, I brought you a kite, call your dog back quickly."