My 1995 Small Farm.

Xu Ming and the other two watched intently, while the cameraman, Xiao Zhang, quietly turned on the camera.

Time passed slowly, and apart from the ripples caused by the breeze, there was no change in the water's surface.

Master Liu frowned slightly, seemingly feeling that the chances were slim.

A barely perceptible hint of disappointment appeared on Xu Ming's face.

Just then, about thirty meters from the shore, a huge dark shadow slowly emerged from the water and swam toward the shore.

Its movements are steady and powerful, creating undercurrents underwater.

"They're here!" Chen Ling whispered.

The three of them perked up and stared intently at the approaching dark figure.

As the shadowy figure approached the water's surface, the outline of its massive carapace became clearly visible, its dark blue shell gleaming with a deep, eerie luster in the sunlight filtering through the water.

With a soft "splash," Garlic Head's head, as large as a small round table, emerged from the water. Its small, black bean-like eyes first glanced warily at Xu Ming and the other strangers, before finally settling on Chen Ling. Only then did the wariness in its eyes fade slightly, replaced by a gentle sense of familiarity.

It gently moved its limbs, its massive body hovering almost silently in the shallow water near the shore.

"My God..." Xu Ming gasped, his eyes widening behind his glasses. "This...this is huge! It's even bigger than I imagined!"

Master Liu watched intently. As a professional, he knew how rare it was to find a wild giant turtle of such size, and judging from its docile demeanor when facing Chen Ling, it was clearly very intelligent.

He whispered, "Director Xu, there's potential! This turtle is definitely intelligent; look at its eyes!"

The cameraman, Xiao Zhang, was so excited that his hands trembled slightly as he kept the lens firmly focused on the garlic cloves in the water, capturing every subtle movement.

Chen Ling, mimicking the villagers, said 'respectfully' to Garlic Head, "Your Highness, these are our friends from Chenwang Village. They would like to ask you for a favor, to help them film a movie and play a role."

As he spoke, he took out some special fish food, which he usually used to feed the fish and mixed with the spiritual water of the cave, from his pocket and sprinkled it into the water.

Garlic seemed to understand Chen Ling's words, or perhaps it smelled the tempting aroma of the fish food. It slowly approached the shore and began to eat the fish food on the surface of the water with elegant and composed movements, completely ignoring the several dumbfounded humans on the shore.

Xu Ming, his face flushed with excitement, rubbed his hands together and said to Chen Ling, "Mr. Chen, it's amazing! Absolutely amazing! You call it 'Lord Turtle,' and it really recognizes you! Its camera presence, its physique, its intelligence... it's practically tailor-made for the role of 'Tongtian River Turtle'! It's wonderful! It's wonderful!"

The initial contact went exceptionally smoothly, far exceeding Xu Ming and the others' expectations. They had originally thought it would take a great deal of effort to even catch a glimpse of the giant turtle from afar, but they never expected that the giant turtle would not only appear so easily but also be so close and trusting to Chen Ling.

According to villagers who passed by, the Turtle King had eaten the raw meat offerings that Chen Ling had thrown down many times.

Chen Ling is a person of great fortune and high status.

For the next half day, Chen Ling took them to see Er Tu Zi circling in the sky.

When Xu Ming saw Er Tu Zi's huge wingspan, sharp eyes, and lightning-fast swooping down to hunt, he was so excited that he became incoherent, repeatedly saying that this was the Golden-Winged Roc in his mind, full of domineering power!

The crew left Chenwangzhuang filled with awe and joy. Before leaving, Xu Ming held Chen Ling's hand tightly, saying that he would go back immediately to report and arrange for the main crew to move in for filming as soon as possible. He also repeatedly assured that he would absolutely respect and protect these special "actors".

After inquiring with the villagers, he even muttered to himself that he would definitely visit the Turtle King Temple and the Dragon King Temple to offer incense next time he came.

After seeing the crew off, Chen Ling went to check on Garlic Head and the group of big turtles.

This time he discovered that after the flood, it wasn't just that there were more fish in the water.

Shrimp, crabs, and even freshwater clams, snails, turtles, tadpoles, are all multiplying like crazy.

The peak breeding season in May has already passed.

They still seem to be rushing to erupt.

"Fugui, what are you looking at?" Wang Laishun walked up to the dam with a smile on his face, carrying his pipe.

"Fifth Uncle, look at this water." Chen Ling pointed to the reservoir. "The water is much clearer than it is at this time of year, and there are more things in it."

"Indeed!" Wang Laishun puffed on his cigarette and exclaimed, "The old folks say that after a great disaster comes a great harvest. There's some truth to that. This year's flood was truly bizarre, but look at what's happened after the water receded—the mushrooms and wood ear fungus on the mountains, the water celery and wild rice on the riverbanks, and the fish and shrimp in the reservoir—tsk tsk, there are so many! In previous years at this time, there were never fish this fat!"

Chen Ling nodded. He knew this wasn't entirely due to the old saying coming true; it was probably also related to his long-term use of diluted spiritual water from the cave to nourish this land. The spiritual water improved the soil and water quality, enhancing the ecosystem's resilience. This heavy rain acted as a catalyst, unleashing all the accumulated potential at once. However, he naturally wouldn't say this aloud.

"Fifth Uncle, I'm thinking this is a great opportunity." Chen Ling turned around and looked intently at Wang Laishun. "Our reservoir and the lower reaches of the Jinshui River are definitely overflowing with fish, shrimp, clams, and crabs now. We could eat them all by the New Year. Instead of letting them die out naturally, we should organize a large-scale fishing operation."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Wang Laishun became interested.

“Two approaches.” Chen Ling held up two fingers. “First, local processing. Our local food factories and canneries need a lot of raw materials. Fresh fish can be made into canned fish, smoked fish, and dried fish; crayfish can be delivered directly to the shops in our city; those river clams and snails, once cleaned, are also good dishes and can be supplied to restaurants in the city. Sun Yanhong can even contact other clients.”

"Secondly, sell live seafood. Other places have suffered from disasters this year, so aquatic production will definitely be reduced. But we have a bumper harvest here, which is an advantage. We can organize manpower and use oxygenated trucks to transport live fish and shrimp to the provincial capital or even more distant big cities to sell. The price will definitely be higher than in previous years."

Wang Laishun's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he slapped his thigh: "Good heavens! Fugui, what's wrong with your brain? This is a great idea! Excellent! The villagers have put in a lot of effort in flood prevention, they're almost as tired as old quails, now it's time for us to reap the rewards! I'll go and announce it over the loudspeaker right now, organize the manpower, and start working tomorrow!"

"There's no rush."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Let's first inform the villagers and let those who want to participate sign up. We need to prepare the tools: fishing nets, traps, shrimp baskets. Repair what needs repairing and add what needs adding. Safety is especially important. We must emphasize this repeatedly. The water is still high and the depth is unpredictable. You must go into the water in groups and bring a safety rope."

"Don't worry! I'll handle this personally!" Wang Laishun said with great enthusiasm. "We have many experienced fishermen in our village, and we'll let them take the lead!"

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Chenwangzhuang that very night.

The villagers had just experienced the tension of fighting the flood and needed a happy event that could bring tangible benefits to ease their fatigue. When they heard that a large-scale fishing operation was going to be organized, everyone was eager to get started and very excited.

Every household was searching for and repairing fishing gear, and the air was filled with the smell of tung oil and hemp thread, mixed with the excited noise of children.

When Chen Ling returned home, the farm was a warm and welcoming place after a busy day.

Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan were washing the fresh water celery they had picked in the evening, preparing to make dumplings for dinner.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming were in the yard, carefully feeding the two increasingly lively clouded leopard cubs with minced meat.

The mother clouded leopard lay at the door of the woodshed, her eyes gentle, seemingly having completely accepted this temporary home.

Afu and Ashou remained dutifully guarding the courtyard, their massive bodies resembling two steadfast mountains in the twilight.

"Dad! Have the uncles and aunts from Journey to the West left? When will they come again?" Rui Rui ran over as soon as she saw Chen Ling.

"They'll be here in a while." Chen Ling patted his son's head. "How about we have them film you and Xiaoming on TV?"

"Really? That's great!" the two children cheered. Wang Susu smiled and shook her head: "You spoil them. Come on, lend a hand, knead the dough and roll out the wrappers. We've been waiting for you to come back."

The family was making dumplings together in a lively atmosphere, with pork and water celery filling, the aroma filling the air.

At the dinner table, Chen Ling shared his idea of ​​organizing a fishing operation, and Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan both expressed their support.

"This is a good thing." Wang Cunye sipped his wine. "People who live near mountains live off the mountains, and people who live near water live off the water. Our water is good, so our produce is good. But we have to make it clear to the villagers that we can't drain the pond to catch all the fish. We can't use big nets and not catch any small fish or shrimp. We have to make sure the water flows slowly and steadily."

"Dad, don't worry, the rules have all been set." Chen Ling nodded. "We're just cleaning up the excess, not causing destruction. Once this wave is over, the ecosystem in the reservoir and river will be healthier."

Wang Cunye's words also served as a reminder to Chen Ling.

But soon, over the next two days, Chen Ling noticed another unusual "liveliness" beneath the surface of the water.

Then, he frequently visited the reservoir, not only to cooperate with the investigation, but also to confirm one thing.

After this continuous heavy rain, the aquatic life in the reservoir and even the entire Jinshui River basin has multiplied too rapidly.

Initially, it was thought that the spiritual water from the cave that he had occasionally spilled had inadvertently affected the external waters through underground water veins or rainwater, causing this strange phenomenon.

However, after several days of careful observation, especially comparing the river sections far from the farm and visiting villagers in other villages, Chen Ling dismissed this guess.

Downstream villages and towns also reported a surge in the number of fish, shrimp, snails, and clams. Some riverbanks were even covered with densely packed crabs and tadpoles, a rather alarming sight.

“It seems it’s not because of my family’s spiritual water…” Chen Ling squatted down, scooped up a handful of clear reservoir water, and let it slip through his fingers. “It’s a stress reaction after the drastic change in the celestial phenomena.”

He recalled that Lynx and Professor Han had mentioned some phenological knowledge during a casual chat.

Just like that year when red-crowned cranes came to the mountain lake, they only bred chicks in the autumn.

Prolonged abnormal weather, such as long rainy seasons, unusually low or high temperatures, can severely disrupt the biological clocks of plants and animals.

Some organisms misjudge the season and reproduce earlier or later than usual.

Some species, due to drastic changes in their living environment, experience a "doomsday panic"-like urge to reproduce, desperately trying to leave offspring to ensure the continuation of their species.

This year's prolonged and persistent rains must have made aquatic creatures "mistakenly believe" that they had encountered some major survival opportunity or crisis, thus initiating a frenzied reproduction mode.

"In short, every cloud has a silver lining. This can be considered a little compensation from God after the great disaster." Chen Ling stood up and patted the water droplets off his hands.

Since it wasn't his own spiritual water that had leaked, he felt much more at ease. He was actually a little worried and expectant that the giant strange fish would reappear.

With the plan finalized, the entire Chenwangzhuang village sped up again.

The men repaired boats and mended fishing nets.

The women prepared mats for drying and jars for pickling.

At the food factory, Han Chuang received a call and rushed over immediately. Seeing buckets of lively fish and shrimp by the reservoir, he was overjoyed and immediately decided to increase the production line.

The riverbank and reservoir were bustling with activity all day long, filled with the sounds of people working and shouting.

Nets of shimmering fish were hauled ashore, baskets of menacing crabs were lifted from the water, and the laughter of children filled the air, creating an atmosphere of joyful harvest.

The air was filled with the smells of fish and the aroma of boiled shrimp and crab, which was undoubtedly the most uplifting sight after the disaster.

However, behind this busy and joyful scene, Chen Ling did not forget the potential threats.

He had been keeping in mind the news Zhao Dahai had mentioned a few days ago about the possibility of "Guoshanhuang" appearing near the forest farm.

While fishing with the villagers, he would also take the tiger to stroll around the county town once or twice a day.

It was partly to tidy up the small courtyard in the south of the city and the breeding farm in the forest, and partly to let Afu and Ashou find the scent of the wild chrysanthemum.

Then, Lynx said he had also noticed that the livestock near the woods had been a bit restless these past two days, and were not quiet at night.

I reckon that Huang from the mountains was probably forced by the continuous rain and Chen Ling's mass line to move out of the mountains and towards the densely populated areas of the county town.

This is certainly not good news.

If a ferocious beast like the Yellow-faced Mountain Goat is forced to approach a human settlement, it is capable of anything when starving, and there is a high possibility that it will harm people or livestock.

“In the countryside, because of the large population, many livestock, and the intimidating presence of Afu and Ashou, it might not dare to get too close. But the scattered villages and forest farm staff dormitories around the county town are less secure, so it could be dangerous,” Chen Ling said in a deep voice.

"Yes, we're worried about that too," Lynx sighed. "But we can't reach that far; we can't patrol the entire county every day, can we?"

Chen Ling pondered for a moment: "Open patrols won't work, but we can use the old method to create some 'fuss' and scare it away!"

The Yellow River is too flexible; encircling it in the mountains is a last resort.

This enhanced version of the lynx is incredibly fast and can even climb trees to hide, making it elusive and unpredictable.

Unless we send Baldy to lead the attack from the air.

However, Chen Ling's air strike team has not yet been formed, so it is impossible to catch it in the short term.

It's not that Afu and Ashou are incapable, it's just that they are too large, unless the Yellow-skinned Giant Gorgon dares to confront them head-on.

But judging from its current performance, it is clearly impossible.

"Then let's inform the county about the possibility that Huang Guoshanhuang might have moved there."

"Tell them to be more vigilant, especially at night, and to try to travel in groups and keep an eye on their livestock and children."

"Most importantly, I suggested that they light bonfires around the village at night, send people to beat drums and gongs, or set off firecrackers every now and then to make a big commotion!"

"Wild animals are afraid of fire, loud noises, and crowds. If there are enough people and a lot of noise, they will naturally feel that this is not a safe place and will not dare to approach it easily."

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll take care of it. I've already gotten to know the police in the county and the surrounding counties!" Lynx immediately agreed.

Chen Ling nodded, knowing that Lynx had been selling dogs like hotcakes lately, and had already placed several orders.

"Furthermore, I've thought of a more long-term solution that might permanently increase the 'popularity' of this area, deterring those powerful creatures in the deep mountains from easily coveting it." (End of Chapter)