Chapter 33

After about half an hour, the clearing in the woods was cultivated, and the soil looked quite fertile. It seemed suitable for growing vegetables.

"Xiao Han, how’s the soil turning?" Brother-in-law Zhou Bin jumped off the tractor and asked.

"Not bad, Brother-in-law. How does it feel to drive this big guy?" Li Han said with a smile.

"It’s okay, this big guy is quite handy." Brother-in-law patted the tractor wheel and said, "Xiao Han, are you going to plant all this area with vegetables?"

"No need for that. We just need to fence off a section to grow enough vegetables for our consumption." Li Han drove the tractor back to the garage, attached the trailer, and took Brother-in-law Zhou Bin to the storage room to load some wooden boards, a saw, a hammer, nails, and a spade. When he returned to the woods, he met Dudu and Bao Bao chasing Xiao Milly. The two little ones ran over excitedly when they saw the tractor. "Uncle, Bao Bao wants to ride." "Okay, Dad, Dudu also wants to ride." Li Han stopped the tractor and picked up each of them.

"Sit tight, let’s go." The tractor, loaded with two adults and two children, and full of tools, arrived at the field in the woods. They unloaded the tools, wooden boards, and stakes. However, the two little ones were a bit of a problem. Bao Bao didn’t want to get off and still wanted to drive. Dudu followed suit, which gave Li Han a headache.

"Bao Bao, be a good boy and get down to help Dad with the wooden boards." Brother-in-law had a way with kids. Bao Bao, hearing he could help Dad, obediently jumped off the tractor. Dudu raised his little hand and said, "Dudu will also help Dad with the wooden boards."

The two little ones pulled the wooden boards with all their might. They were more of a hindrance than help. Dudu pulled the longest board, and Brother-in-law Zhou Bin remarked that American kids were different, with a lot of strength. This made Bao Bao envious, and he pouted, pulling a board as big as Dudu’s, his little face turning red from the effort. "This kid is quite competitive," Brother-in-law Zhou Bin said with a smile as he took the board from his daughter.

"Dudu, Dad has enough here. You and Sister can catch earthworms to feed the chicks." Li Han and Brother-in-law marked out a plot of about one mu, hammered stakes into the corners, and started sawing the wooden boards to make a fence.

The two adults were busy sawing the boards, while the two little ones played in the field, looking for snails and earthworms to feed the chicks. Dudu asked Li Han for two small bottles. The two little ones squatted in the field, their little bottoms sticking out, finding earthworms and snails and putting them in the bottles. They were very excited, and every time Dudu found an earthworm, he laughed happily. Bao Bao, at first, was scared by the wriggling earthworms and didn’t dare to touch them, but soon joined in the competition, ignoring the sticky, dirty hands, and pinched the earthworms to put them in the bottles.

"Dad, look, look, look, Bao Bao caught a big earthworm." Bao Bao proudly showed the thick earthworm to his father, who was busy sawing the boards. "That’s quite a big one. No wonder the soil is so loose; there are a lot of earthworms."

"Maybe this place was used for drying cow dung before. Americans consider it a delicacy." Li Han put the sawn boards together, stood up, and walked over to Dudu and Bao Bao. The two little ones had dirty faces and hands, and their boots were covered in mud, looking like little kittens, shaking the bottles in their hands. "There are really a lot of earthworms here." The bottles were almost full, with fat, wriggling earthworms oozing mucus.

"Don’t just talk about Americans; many people in China also rave about the high protein in earthworms, grinding them into powder to eat, and it’s not cheap." Brother-in-law put the boards in place, set the saw aside, and held the stakes while Li Han hammered them into the ground.

"People always like to come up with strange ideas when they have a good life." Li Han swung the hammer, driving a stake into the ground with three strikes. Brother-in-law took over, one after another. Dudu and Bao Bao, having filled a bottle with earthworms, started catching snails. There were more snails in the grass, and the two little ones ran into the grass to catch them. "Dudu, don’t go too far. Grandma will call us for lunch soon." Li Han put down the hammer to rest for a moment.

"Xiao Han, is there any danger in the grass?" Brother-in-law was a bit worried, holding the stake and asking. "No problem. This farm has been here for a long time, and it’s quite a distance from the mountains. Usually, you can see some white deer, rabbits, and turkeys on the grassland, but large wild animals rarely appear around the farmhouses."

Brother-in-law was reassured. The two of them worked together and soon drove in over ten stakes. It was getting late, and Li Han planned to tidy up and go back for lunch, then come back in the afternoon to finish the vegetable garden. "These two little ones, they forget the time when they play."

Li Han and Brother-in-law walked through the woods for about five minutes and saw Dudu and Bao Bao squatting in the grass, muttering about feeding the chicks. "Dudu, Bao Bao, stop playing and let’s go back for lunch." "Dad, look, the chicks are so pitiful."

Dudu and Bao Bao were surrounding a bird’s nest with two chicks, their mouths wide open. Brother-in-law Zhou Bin frowned; the chicks were quite ugly.

"These are turkey chicks. They might have been disturbed by our land cultivation."

"Uncle, can Bao Bao keep the chicks?" Bao Bao and Dudu still held the bottles of earthworms. "Of course, but you have to take good care of them, like a mother. Can you do that?" Li Han asked.

"Sure, Dudu will catch a lot of earthworms to feed the chicks." Dudu immediately stood up straight, and Bao Bao also promised to catch a lot of earthworms to feed the chicks and take good care of them, playing with them. "Alright, we’ll take the chicks home. Dudu, Bao Bao, you take care of them on the way."

"Xiao Han, I think it’s better not to." Brother-in-law looked at Bao Bao and Dudu; the two little ones couldn’t even take care of themselves.

"It’s fine, Brother-in-law. The kids like it, and besides, Dudu and Bao Bao are not that young. They can learn how to take care of small animals."

Li Han and Zhou Bin, along with Dudu and Bao Bao, walked back. Dudu and Bao Bao each held a turkey chick, being very careful not to disturb the little ones. Back at the house, Mom had already prepared lunch and was waiting. Li Han introduced Daina and Hutton to them. "Hutton, my parents don’t understand English very well."

"That’s okay, Han. We really appreciate the invitation to the family dinner."

"Ha ha, it’s just a simple home-cooked meal, nothing special. Try it and see if you like it." Li Han acted as the translator. The lunch made Li Han’s stomach round. Hutton and Daina praised the food, which was passed down from his grandfather, including sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour ribs, fried lamb chops, stewed beef, and various small dishes. The taste was excellent. They also had a pot of medicinal soup, which Hutton and Daina said was good for health and disease prevention, and they were quite surprised, drinking more than one bowl.

"Speaking of this soup, it’s quite troublesome. Just bringing the herbs was a hassle, almost not allowed." Li Heping said while serving the soup.

"Dad, you need to slice them and package them properly, with receipts. Americans have many rules at customs." Li Han didn’t mention that Americans consider traditional Chinese medicine pseudoscience and that plants are generally prohibited from being brought in privately. He had a plan to grow herbs in the space, and next time he would bring back some seeds, storing them in the space. The medicinal soup recipes passed down from his grandfather were good for health.

After lunch, Hutton and Daina thanked Li Han for the invitation and said a few words before leaving. Li Han walked a few steps to see them off and then returned to the house. Dudu and Bao Bao were helping Grandma clear the table, and the two little ones were competing with each other.

"Xiao Han, I see Americans aren’t that open after all?" Mom Zhang Xiuying said.

"Ha ha, Mom, many Americans are quite quiet, especially in Montana, which is more conservative." Li Han saw his sister looking for a cardboard box to put the turkey chicks in and walked over.

"Sis, I’ll nail a wooden box and put some hay in it. These two little turkey chicks are quite pitiful." Li Han said, seeing the two little ones chirping non-stop.