Chapter 26: Wang Jusheng

Chen Ling quickly carried the large, overflowing bucket of fish into the grotto. Upon entering, the fish in the bucket paused for a moment, but as if they had suddenly sensed something or been given a shot of adrenaline, they began to thrash their tails wildly.

"Pia, pia, pia!"

Several large, energetic grass carp actually leaped out of the bucket, flopping onto the soil of the grotto. It seemed even they had sensed the extraordinary nature of this place!

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Just as Chen Ling was about to pick up the grass carp flopping on the ground, the old turtle in the pond suddenly surfaced. It stretched its head out onto the bank, snapped up a large grass carp in one bite, and dragged it back into the pond to swallow it down in large gulps. A wisp of blood began to drift through the pond water.

"You rascal, you certainly don't stand on ceremony!"

Chen Ling shook his head with a smile. After a moment's thought, he picked up the grass carp from the ground and simply tossed them into the small pond where the old turtle lived. The grass carp, unaware of their fate, began to swim about happily once they hit the water, and a few of the more lively ones even went to provoke the old turtle.

The old turtle had just finished its first fish and was still wanting more; how could it turn away such an offering? It opened its mouth and clamped onto the most energetic one, enjoying its meal with satisfaction as a trail of bloody bubbles rose to the surface of the pond. The other fish were so frightened that they scattered instantly.

Finding the scene amusing, Chen Ling tossed a few more fish into the old turtle's pond. He then picked up a hoe, intending to dig a new, separate pond specifically for keeping fish. He was a man of action; finding a suitable spot, he began to swing his hoe. In just over half an hour, a small pond was carved out. Chen Ling filled it with water from the grotto's stream and poured the remaining fish from his bucket inside. These included crucian carp, common carp, and grass carp, along with a few loaches and eels—about 150 in total, big and small.

After a long morning of work, Chen Ling even planted some lotus flowers in the new fish pond. Once everything was set, he leaned on his hoe to admire his work for a while. With a satisfied and relaxed sigh, he exited the grotto.

Back outside, seeing that the day was getting late, Chen Ling reeled in his fishing rod and headed up the embankment with a basket full of duck eggs. He walked over to the donkey cart, fed the donkey some grain and water, and drove around the area for a bit. He made careful inquiries, but he couldn't figure out exactly who the ducks belonged to. The flock didn't belong to a single household; some families owned a few, others owned more, and every day they swam together in the river.

Unless they returned to their respective coops at dusk, there was no way to distinguish whose ducks were whose. Some ducks even wandered very far; ducks raised by families in the east of town would swim all the way to the west side, making it impossible to trace their owners.

Resigned, Chen Ling put the basket of duck eggs into the grotto and drove the donkey cart toward home. On the way back, he didn't forget to stop by the flour mill to buy several large bags of flour. He also loaded some fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few fish onto the cart so he would have something to bring home.

...

By dusk, Chen Ling pulled the donkey cart to a stop in the backyard. Wang Susu helped carry the fish while he carried the vegetables. After locking the gate, the two walked toward the front yard. With fresh fish and vegetables, Chen Ling planned to show off his cooking skills that evening. However, no sooner had they entered the house—before they had even cleaned the fish or vegetables—than someone arrived.

"Fugui? Is Fugui home?"

Hearing someone call from outside the yard gate, the young couple stepped out of the house. To their surprise, it was Wang Jusheng, the eldest son of the village secretary, Wang Laishun. This was quite rare. As the secretary's son and a police officer at the township station, he wasn't necessarily of a high status, but he was a college graduate—the most educated person in Chenwang Village. Few people in the village could really socialize with him, and he rarely visited anyone's home. Aside from a polite greeting when they crossed paths, he was quite the loner. Seeing him standing by the gate, clutching a basket and peering inside, was truly unexpected.

"Brother Jusheng, I just got home."

The young couple hurried over and invited Wang Jusheng into the yard. Chen Ling caught a glimpse of the basket in Wang Jusheng’s hand, which was covered with a blue cloth, hiding its contents.

Once the three of them were inside, Wang Jusheng set the basket down and smiled at the couple. "Fugui, I've come to ask you for a favor."

Chen Ling smiled, waving his hand. "What kind of favor? Just tell me, Brother Jusheng."

"It's about my wife, your sister-in-law Qiaoling." As Wang Jusheng spoke, he lifted the cloth from the basket, revealing a basket of farm-fresh eggs, all quite large. "Qiaoling didn't have much milk with our first child, and it's even worse with the second. She had a little during her postpartum confinement, but once that was over, the milk basically dried up."

"There was no help for it, so our second child has to drink formula. But formula isn't as good as mother's milk; the baby is thin and weak, looking listless and lacking spirit."

"Yesterday, didn't you bring some greens and peanuts to my dad? We stir-fried the greens and the whole family thought they were delicious; I didn't pay much attention to the peanuts at first. But at noon today, I stir-fried some, and the taste was just as good as the greens. My wife ate quite a lot of them too."

"Guess what happened after she ate?"

Wang Jusheng slapped his thigh, his voice rising with excitement. "She actually started producing milk! She was holding the baby and napping after lunch when it happened—it soaked her chest and stomach! The bedding was wet through, and I was so happy..."

Chen Ling was slightly taken aback. He realized that these peanuts had been grown in the outside world using the grotto's stream water, yet they still possessed such miraculous properties. Could they really stimulate lactation?

"At first, I didn't know why it happened," Wang Jusheng continued. "But just now, I made some peanut porridge, and after she drank half a bowl, her chest was soaked again. That's when I realized what was going on; otherwise, our whole family would still be clueless."

"So, I thought I'd come to you, Fugui, to trade for some more peanuts so Qiaoling can keep eating them. And if you’re going to the county seat next time, could you bring back some more for me? Honestly, my family really can't do without them now, heh heh."

Smiling with a bit of embarrassment, Wang Jusheng pushed the basket of eggs toward Chen Ling.

"No, no, no!" Chen Ling frowned and pushed the eggs back. "Brother Jusheng, what are you doing? It's just a few peanuts, they aren't worth much. Why bring all these eggs? You're slapping me in the face!"

"Keep them, Brother Jusheng. I'll go get the peanuts for you." Chen Ling stood up, grabbed a urea sack, and filled it with a heavy, generous portion of peanuts. He carried it over to Wang Jusheng and said, "If they work for sister-in-law, let her eat as much as she needs. We can't let the child go without."

"This..." Wang Jusheng didn't know what to say. He looked at Chen Ling, then at Wang Susu, who was standing nearby.

"Susu, take the eggs," Wang Jusheng urged. "The peanuts Fugui buys are fresh from the greenhouse; how could they compare to ordinary ones?"

"No, no, Brother Jusheng, please take them back," Wang Susu said, waving her small hands. "We're all neighbors, there's no need to be so formal."

She was delighted that someone had come to Chen Ling for help. Hearing that the peanuts Chen Ling bought could have such a profound effect made her feel proud. She thought to herself, *Ah-Ling really has changed.*