My 1995 Small Farm.

"What can I do?"

"Build the road!"

Chen Ling said, "One of the biggest lessons we learned from this flood control effort is that the roads are bad! Once there is an emergency, it is difficult for rescue supplies and personnel to get in and out."

"I plan to work with Yuemin again to propose to the county and city governments that we build a decent road connecting all the towns and villages in our county! It doesn't need to be very wide, just wide enough for trucks!"

Zhao Dahai and Shanmao were taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on and their faces showed admiration.

"Wonderful! Wealth and prosperity!"

Zhao Dahai slapped his thigh: "Once this road is built, there will be cars coming and going all day long, and the flow of people will definitely increase greatly. With the roar of machines and dust flying everywhere, all kinds of wild boars and jackals will be scared far away!"

"This is a real 'warning shot'! And it's a huge boon for the development of the countryside!"

Lynx nodded in agreement: "That's right! If you want to get rich, build roads first. This road is not only for flood control and wild animal protection, but it will also become the lifeline for the future development of the county and even the surrounding counties!"

Chen Ling said, "Our flood prevention efforts have become a model this year, and now we're taking this opportunity to promote road repairs. The higher authorities will definitely take it seriously. Once the roads are completed, it will be easier to transport our vegetables, fruits, canned goods, and aquatic products out, and it will be easier to attract foreign capital, technology, and tourists!"

This idea was like a beacon igniting in Chen Ling's heart.

What may have been a vague idea before has become incredibly clear and urgent under the opportunity of dealing with the potential threat of wild chrysanthemums.

Just do it.

Chen Ling returned to the farm and worked through the night to write a detailed report.

In his report, he not only described the transportation shortcomings exposed in Chenwangzhuang and surrounding villages during flood prevention, but also emphasized the importance of road construction for disaster prevention and mitigation and for protecting people's lives and property.

Furthermore, considering the existing scale and development potential of agricultural and sideline products in Chenwangzhuang, it was explained that road construction is of strategic significance for driving regional economic development and promoting rural economic development.

Finally, it was also mentioned in a roundabout way that there have been signs of large wild animals recently, and that road construction could effectively deter wild animals and ensure the safety of the people by maintaining a constant flow of human activity.

After finishing writing, Chen Ling called Liang Yuemin.

Liang Yuemin was very pleased and agreed, saying that Chen Ling could sign on his behalf in the future.

The next day, Chen Ling personally rode his little blue horse to deliver the report to the township.

After reading it, Township Head Liu was so excited that his hands trembled. He repeatedly said that this was a great thing and that the township would give it its full support and immediately report it to the county.

The news spread like wildfire and quickly reached all of Chenwangzhuang.

When the villagers heard that a road was to be built, and that it was for the purpose of protecting against wild animals and promoting development, they were all overjoyed and expressed their willingness to contribute their labor and effort without hesitation, as long as the road construction was needed.

……

Soon, several villages and forest farms around the county town, reminded by the lynx and advised by Chen Ling, also began to "create momentum" at night.

At first, some people didn't take it seriously, thinking it was making a mountain out of a molehill.

But just two days later, in a village near the foot of the mountain, livestock were killed and dragged away by a wild beast. The huge claw marks left at the scene terrified the villagers.

Now there's no need for further mobilization; all the villages are taking this very seriously.

As night falls, bonfires often light up at the foot of the mountains surrounding the county town, and the sounds of gongs, drums, shouts, and firecrackers occasionally break the silence of the night sky.

From a distance, it sounds as lively as the Chinese New Year.

This commotion effectively deterred potential dangers; at least, there were no more incidents of wild animals directly entering the village and injuring livestock.

Meanwhile, in Chenwangzhuang, the application for road repair was approved by the county at an astonishing speed, and even attracted the attention of the city.

After all, Chenwangzhuang is now an advanced model in flood control and disaster relief, and its development model has exemplary significance.

Soon, a small surveying team arrived in Chenwangzhuang and began preliminary route measurements.

The roar of machinery and the presence of surveying team members in the countryside brought an unprecedented modern atmosphere to Chenwangzhuang.

The villagers watched the surveying instruments with curiosity, while the children chased and played, their faces beaming with anticipation for the future.

Chen Ling stood at the village entrance, watching this scene with anticipation in his heart.

He knew that once this road was completed, Chenwangzhuang would truly enter the fast lane of development.

The yellow croaker that was brought to the forefront as a post-disaster gift unexpectedly became the catalyst for this event, something Chen Ling himself had not anticipated.

However, Chen Ling was also aware that the threat posed by Huang was not completely eliminated.

It was only temporarily driven away by the clamor of popularity, and it remains dormant in the nearby deep mountains.

Before the road is built, and before the human activity in this land is sufficiently vibrant, the final battle with this king of the mountains may have only just begun.

He patted the neck of the little blue horse that was following beside him and said in a low voice, "You troublemaker, behave yourself for a while. We'll have to find a chance to go into the mountains and meet that 'old neighbor' sometime."

The little blue horse snorted and nuzzled Chen Ling with its head, seemingly understanding his words. There was no fear in its eyes, only an eager look.

At this time, road construction followed closely behind.

Another notice came from the county, encouraging all townships and villages to seize the opportunity after the rain to rush to plant late autumn crops, such as buckwheat, Chinese cabbage, and radishes, in order to make up for the losses of summer grain as much as possible.

The county will coordinate and provide support for seeds and some agricultural supplies.

As soon as the county's notice came out, the lively atmosphere in Chenwangzhuang, which had just been bustling for a few days due to fishing and shrimp catching, immediately changed into another kind of tense busyness.

"Rapidly planting late autumn crops" has become the top priority.

The continuous rain in summer, while fertilizing mountain and aquatic products, also seriously delayed the farming season and flooded many farmlands.

Fortunately, the weather has finally cooperated, with clear skies for several days. This opportunity to replant is fleeting.

We must get the land to produce another crop of grain before the weather turns completely cold in order to make up for the losses to the greatest extent possible, ensure that every household has a full granary, and have peace of mind.

Before dawn, the village committee's loudspeaker blared, and Wang Laishun's hoarse but energetic voice announced: "Attention all commune members! Attention all villagers! The buckwheat seeds, radish seeds, and cabbage seeds provided by the county have arrived! Each household should collect them from the village committee according to the number of people in their household! All able-bodied men should go to the fields, and women, children, and the elderly who can help should also get to work! We must race against time and make up for what we lost in the summer in the fall!"

As dawn broke, a thin mist enveloped the village like a veil.

The villagers had already gathered at the entrance of the village committee and formed a long queue.

Baskets, sacks, winnowing baskets—all sorts of tools came in handy.

The air was filled with the unique dry aroma of seeds, mixed with the earthy smell and the smell of people's sweat.

"Second Aunt, how many buckwheat seeds did your family receive?"

"Calculated per person, five people, five catties! Also, ask for some radish seeds, scatter them in the small plot of land behind the house, and we won't have to worry about vegetables in winter."

"Fugui was really farsighted. He told us to sell the wheat ahead of time. Now that we have money in hand, we're not worried and we have more energy to farm!"

"That's right! If it weren't for Fugui's organization rushing to harvest the wheat and then contacting others to sell it, we'd still be crying looking at the waterlogged stubble fields right now!"

The group was abuzz with discussion, their words filled with gratitude for Chen Ling and anticipation for the future.

The villagers, beaming with smiles, hurried to their fields after receiving the seeds. Chen Ling's family naturally joined the race to plant.

As dawn broke, Chen Ling, Wang Cunye, and Gao Xiulan set off with their farm tools.

Their land is relatively flat and drains well, so the damage wasn't the most severe, but they still need to hurry up and plow, fertilize, and sow seeds.

Chen Ling was strong and was in charge of wielding the plow.

The Bull Demon King harnessed himself to the plow, and under his spur, the plow moved forward with steady steps.

The plowshare turned over the moist soil, revealing dark brown stubble and releasing the unique fragrance of the earth.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan followed behind, one using a rake to break up clods of soil, and the other evenly scattering seeds mixed with wood ash into the furrows.

Wang Susu, along with Wang Zhenzhen, Rui Rui, and Xiao Ming, were responsible for managing the larger vegetable garden in the backyard of the farm.

Kang Kang and Lele were placed on a straw mat at the edge of the field, watched over by Heiwa and Xiaojin. The two little ones waved their little hands and babbled as they watched the adults busy themselves.

"Zhenzhen, scatter the radish seeds here, make sure they're sparse, otherwise they won't grow properly." Wang Susu demonstrated while instructing her younger sister and the children.

"Sister, can we just scatter this cabbage directly? Do we need to start seedlings first?" Wang Zhenzhen asked earnestly.

"Just scatter it directly. The weather is cooling down quickly now, so raising seedlings would only waste time. After scattering, lightly cover it with a thin layer of soil, tamp it down, and retain moisture."

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming also took small shovels and busied themselves in the divided vegetable plots, just like they were doing.

Xiaoming was in charge of digging shallow holes, while Ruirui followed behind, carefully planting a few seeds and then covering them with soil with her little hands.

Although their movements were clumsy, they were extremely earnest.

"Brother Xiaoming, look at the radishes I planted! They'll definitely grow the biggest in winter!" Rui Rui puffed out her little chest, looking very proud.

"My cabbage is the biggest!" Xiaoming retorted.

The children's innocent words added a lot of fun to their busy work.

Afu and Ashou were not idle either. Their huge bodies paced along the ridges of the fields, watching with curiosity as humans repeated ancient land rituals.

Occasionally, a bird will fly by, and they will look up warily, but they will quickly return to calm.

Chen Ling's family is very efficient at working; they finished sowing several acres of main fields before noon.

Buckwheat seeds were sown into the carefully prepared furrows, and cabbage and radish seeds also settled in the vegetable garden.

"Take a break and have some water." Wang Susu came over carrying a water bottle and a basket. The basket contained freshly made scallion pancakes and pickled vegetables.

The family sat under the shade of a tree at the edge of the field, eating pancakes with cool boiled water.

A gentle breeze carries the scent of earth and grass, while in the distance, other villagers work, their shouts, laughter, and the neighing of livestock intertwining to create a vibrant picture of rural life.

"If this year's autumn harvest can be harvested in time, the spring harvest next year will be much better." Wang Cunye looked at the sown land, his eyes filled with hope.

"We'll definitely make it." Chen Ling took a bite of his pancake, full of confidence. "We got ahead of the season, the seeds are good, and the soil is fertile. As long as the weather doesn't get too out of control later, the harvest will be good."

His words were not blindly optimistic.

After the floods, and after the continuous rainy days, this land always brings a vibrant life.

In the days that followed, Chenwangzhuang was almost deserted during the day.

The men toiled in the fields, sweating profusely, while the women, in addition to helping with farm work, also took care of household chores, such as drying the mushrooms and fish they had harvested earlier.

The children were also mobilized to deliver water and food, or to watch over the drying grain to prevent the chickens and ducks from stealing it.

Besides tending to his own fields, Chen Ling also occasionally visits the forest farm and the breeding farm.

The newly added puppies at the dog farm need care, and the pregnant female animals need extra attention.

Shanmao and Zhao Dahai were kept in a whirl by his orders, but they did it without complaint because they knew that everything Chen Ling did ultimately benefited everyone.

The crew members from the early stages of the Journey to the West production came twice more, mainly to further "cultivate their relationship" with Garlic Head and Baldy.

Assistant Director Xu praised the talent of the two "special actors" highly, and the filming plan became more and more perfect. They were just waiting for the weather to stabilize before the main crew could move in.

This incident became the best topic of conversation among the villagers during their leisure time, and it also added a lot of anticipation to their busy work.

With the meticulous care of the whole family, the clouded leopard mother and her cub recovered very well.

The female leopard had become much plumper, with glossy fur and a gentle yet wildly alert gaze.

The two little clouded leopards are growing up incredibly fast, round and chubby like two fur balls. They're already daring to chase and play in the farmyard, and even occasionally provoke the dozing little Tie Dan, chasing the dog all over the yard and making everyone laugh.

They are closest to Wang Susu, Rui Rui, and Xiao Ming, but they always maintain a certain degree of awe towards Chen Ling and A Fu and Ashou.

Ten days later, the seeds that had been sown did not disappoint people's expectations, and one after another they broke through the moist soil and sprouted tender green shoots.

First came the fast-growing cabbage, its delicate shoots like a velvety green carpet spread across the vegetable patch.

Next up is the radish, with its two thick cotyledons unfurled, full of vitality.

Finally, there was buckwheat, its red stalks topped with heart-shaped leaves, turning the once somewhat barren fields green.

In the early morning, dewdrops clung to the tips of tender green leaves, sparkling in the morning sun.

As the villagers walked along the ridges of the fields, looking at the hopeful new greenery, long-lost, heartfelt smiles appeared on their faces.

Although the harvest is still far away, the success of this first step is enough to dispel the fatigue of days of hard work and make people believe that their sweat will not be in vain.

"They've sprouted! And they've all sprouted in one go!"

"These autumn seedlings look so healthy and vibrant this year!"

"We still have to seize the farming season; if we plant a few days later, the results will be far worse."

Chen Ling and Wang Susu also took the children to check on their own land.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming walked carefully between the ridges of the field, afraid of stepping on the delicate seedlings.

"Daddy, when will the little seedling grow up?" Rui Rui asked, looking up.

"quickly."

Chen Ling squatted down and pointed to a radish seedling.

"When it grows a little bigger, we'll thin it out by removing the overly dense seedlings. The remaining ones will grow stronger. Then, your mom can make a cold salad with sesame oil for the little radish vines that we pull out. It's delicious."

"Really, Uncle? I want to eat!" Xiao Ming's foodie nature was immediately exposed.

Looking at the lush green vegetable garden, Wang Susu felt a great sense of accomplishment. (End of Chapter)