My 1995 Small Farm.

Just then, Lynx came galloping over on his mountain bike, shouting from afar, "Fugui! Fugui! Good news! More good news!"

Chen Ling stood up: "What's the rush? Wasn't the road permit approved?"

Lynx approached, his face beaming with excitement, and said, "Yes, but Uncle Han and the others added fuel to the fire, allowing the road construction project here to start as soon as possible. This time, the higher-ups are paying even more attention to it!"

"They even allocated a special fund! They said they'd build a main road connecting the townships to the county, to be a 'post-disaster reconstruction and rural revitalization demonstration road'! It'll be completed by this time next year at the latest! We won't have to worry about muddy roads on rainy days anymore!"

"That's definitely a good thing." Chen Ling was also taken aback.

These days, road construction is actually very slow, especially in mountainous areas.

In the eyes of future infrastructure enthusiasts, a year is probably a laughing stock.

But in this era, that's a very fast speed.

This proves that it has indeed received attention.

Chen Ling originally thought he would be satisfied if he could finish the repairs within three years, but he didn't expect that he would be guaranteed to finish them in one year.

This is an incredibly high standard that people in the countryside wouldn't even dare to dream of these days.

"Yes! I heard that a large construction team from the province is in charge of the construction! The equipment and materials are top-notch! The county has asked us to fully cooperate and complete the preliminary work of land acquisition and road clearing as soon as possible!"

The news spread like wildfire, instantly reaching every corner of the riverbank.

The villagers gathered around, asking questions all at once, their faces beaming with unbelievable joy.

"Build a wide road? My goodness, wouldn't that be just like living in the city?"

"From now on, it'll only take half an hour to get to the county town to sell vegetables? I won't have to worry about the eggs getting rotten anymore!"

"We really owe this to Fugui! If it weren't for him taking the lead in flood prevention and writing reports to apply, how could such a good thing have come to our village!"

Wang Laishun was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He grabbed Chen Ling's hand and said, "Fugui, our Chenwangzhuang is really going to take off this time!"

A surge of warmth welled up in Chen Ling's heart as well.

The significance of this road goes far beyond simply protecting against wild animals and facilitating travel.

It is also a road to prosperity and a road of hope that connects it to the outside world.

The transportation of raw materials for the cannery, the potential development of tourism in the future, and the sale of agricultural products from the villagers...

They will all benefit immensely from this.

"Fifth Uncle, Dahai, this is great news! We must hurry up and finish the autumn planting, and then fully cooperate with the road construction!"

“We have plenty of sand and gravel here, and we don’t lack pebbles or anything like that. If we follow the standards for the Liaojiang stone road, we can definitely increase the speed…”

Chen Ling said in a deep voice, "This is the foundation of our village for the next few decades, and we must do it well!"

"Yes! We'll cooperate fully!" The crowd responded enthusiastically, their morale soaring even higher.

In the following days, Chenwangzhuang seemed to be wound up tightly.

During the day, men, women, and children all pitch in to rush to plant autumn grains and vegetables.

In the evening, the village held a meeting to discuss matters such as land acquisition for road construction, compensation for crops, and labor arrangements.

As the backbone of the village, Chen Ling was extremely busy, taking care of farm work at home, livestock in the forest, and participating in various village decisions.

Afu and Ashou also seemed to sense an unusual restlessness.

They no longer lazily lay on the farm, but often followed Chen Ling on their own initiative, or patrolled the edge of the forest near the planned road construction line, making low, warning growls in their throats.

That evening, Chen Ling had just returned from a road repair coordination meeting in the village when Lynx rushed to his door with a serious expression.

"Fugui, something's not right."

Lynx lowered his voice, "The woods west of the forest farm, near the Dragon King Temple, have been quite noisy these past two nights. It's not those big, solitary creatures like the Yellow-bellied Weasel; it seems like... a swarm of things, with sharp cries, and quite a few of them."

Last night they even tried to raid our sheepfold near the mountain, but luckily Erhei and his pack of dogs guarded it closely and prevented them from succeeding. However, they killed an old man's sheep in the county town, eating it clean, leaving only the skeleton.

"A pack of things? Wolves? Or jackals?" Chen Ling frowned.

A lone predator is relatively easy to deal with, but a pack of predators is much more troublesome. They are cunning, work together seamlessly, and are impossible to defend against.

"Judging from the footprints and the way it ate, it's most likely a jackal. These things are more ferocious than wolves; they prey on anuses and are not to be trifled with."

"I'm worried they came here following the trails left by the wildebeest," said Lynx. "Or perhaps they were forced out of the deep mountains by this heavy rain."

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Whatever it is, we can't let it get near the forest farm and the village. Tonight I'll take Afu and Ashou over there to give them a warning!"

“I’ll go with you!” Lynx said immediately.

"No need, too many people will only make more noise. With Afu and Ashou around, there won't be any safety issues. Have the forestry station light more torches at night and increase vigilance, especially around the dog farm and sheepfold."

As night fell, a cool mountain breeze blew.

Chen Ling did not ride a horse, but instead took Afu and Ashou with him, and they quietly slipped into the night.

The two giant tigers seemed to know they were on a mission; their steps were light yet alert, and their amber eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.

Instead of taking the main road, they followed the rugged ridgeline towards the Dragon King Temple, also known as Geda Terrace.

Chen Ling's five senses are far more acute than those of ordinary people. Combined with the long-term nourishment of his body by the spiritual water of the cave, he can move through the mountains and forests as if walking on flat ground.

Afu and Ashou are natural-born kings of the forest; their massive bodies move through the dense woods without making much noise.

The closer you get to Geda Terrace, the stronger the fishy smell in the air becomes.

Faintly, one could hear a kind of howling, similar to a dog's bark but sharper, echoing from one place to another.

Chen Ling made a hand gesture, and Afu and Ashou immediately lowered their bodies. The two men and the tiger used the bushes and rocks for cover and quietly approached a clearing in the forest.

Under the moonlight, a dozen or so jackals, resembling dogs but more wiry, with brownish-red fur, short, thick tails, and drool dripping from their mouths, were tearing apart a wild boar they had just hunted.

They fought over it, emitting fierce howls.

Not far away, several jackals were keeping watch vigilantly.

These are indeed the menaces!
Chen Ling's eyes turned cold.

These creatures reproduce quickly and are vengeful; once they establish themselves nearby, the consequences can be dire.

He gently patted Afu and Ashou on the head and pointed in the direction of the pack of jackals.

A deep, threatening growl escaped Afu's throat.

Ah Shou then bared his teeth slightly, revealing dagger-like fangs.

The pack of jackals, who were eating, froze instantly, raising their heads in unison to look in the direction where Chen Ling and his group were hiding.

Their eyes showed terror.

Tigers are their natural enemies, let alone giants like Afu and Ashou, which are far superior to ordinary tigers!
"Awooo—!" The jackal leader let out a shrill scream, abandoning his food and turning to flee.

The other jackals were terrified and scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in panic into the depths of the dense forest, leaving behind only the mangled carcass of the little wild boar. Afu and Ashou made a move to give chase, but Chen Ling stopped them.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy. It's not safe in the deep mountains and forests at night. Just scare them away."

He walked to the center of the open space, looked in the direction the jackals had fled, and then looked at the wild boar carcass on the ground.

"It seems that the ecosystem of this mountain forest has been disrupted by this rain and the unusual activity of the yellow chrysanthemum. All sorts of strange things have come out."

He had Afu and Ashou leave strong scent markers around the open space, especially on several large trees and conspicuous rocks.

This is a declaration of sovereignty, a warning to other predators that this is the territory of the "Tiger King," and that no other creatures should approach!
After doing all this, Chen Ling returned with the two tigers.

That night, the area around the forest was indeed much quieter, with only the sound of the wind and insects chirping.

In the following days, Chen Ling led Afu and Ashou on several patrols around the village and along the planned roadbed.

Wherever the tiger's might extends, not only jackals and dogs, but even wild boars and badgers that are usually common disappear.

The preliminary clearing work for the road construction proceeded smoothly without being disturbed by wild animals.

The villagers have great respect and love for Afu and Ashou, and people often bring fresh meat to "reward" the two guardian deities.

The two tigers also became increasingly intelligent, seemingly understanding their duties, and were extra diligent when patrolling.

Road construction is on track, autumn planting is basically complete, and tiny green shoots are emerging in the fields.

In these relatively peaceful days, Chenwangzhuang ushered in another wave of excitement.

The large crew of the sequel to CCTV's "Journey to the West" has finally arrived in a grand procession!
Several buses with Taiwan logos, trucks loaded with equipment, and many cars lined up and drove into Chenwangzhuang.

The villagers and children gathered at the village entrance to watch the commotion, as if it were a festival.

Assistant Director Xu got out of the car first and warmly shook hands with Chen Ling, Wang Laishun and others who came to greet him.

"Mr. Chen! Secretary Wang! We're here again! This time it's a large group, and we'll be keeping you all occupied for a while!"

The director, producer, actors, cinematographers, art directors, costume and prop masters... a large group of over a hundred people, instantly brought the quiet mountain village to life.

The film crew rented several vacant courtyards and some empty rooms in the village and farmhouses as their accommodations, and the cooking team also set up a large pot, making it look like a small community.

The actors' appearance caused a sensation.

The actor who played Sun Wukong, in particular, was not wearing a costume, but his lively eyes and gestures still made the children scream with excitement, and they all surrounded him for autographs and photos.

After settling in, the crew immediately got to work.

The focus of the filming was naturally on the scenes of "encountering the giant turtle at the Tongtian River" and "the battle of magic between the roc and the giant turtle".

The scenes filming the "Turtle King" Garlic scene were quite magical.

Under Chen Ling's persuasion and the lure of a small amount of spiritual water "fee", Garlic Head cooperated extremely well.

When it needs to surface, it emerges gracefully.

When it was required to make a "lifting" gesture, it could actually float slightly, making the actor playing Tang Sanzang stand on its broad back armor with trepidation.

When it needed to make eye contact, its small, black bean-like eyes could actually convey a sense of spiritual intelligence, which amazed the director, who said it was practically a spirit!
Many people in the Journey to the West crew quickly said that this was the same as the role played by the Bodhisattva and the role played by the Wuzhuang Temple actor.

It's likely that they all had divine assistance in secret.

They discussed setting up an offering table with incense and treating the garlic as a real turtle king, a descendant of a dragon.

Er Tuzi's performance was even more amazing.

As it swooped down from the sky following Chen Ling's command, its sharp claws attempting to seize "Sun Wukong," its fierce aura, enormous wingspan, and piercing eyes perfectly embodied the ferocity and majesty of the "Golden-Winged Roc."

After one shot was filmed, the entire audience erupted in applause.

Even the actor who played Sun Wukong said with lingering fear and excitement, "Fighting with a real giant eagle was so thrilling! That look in his eyes was amazing!"

The beautiful scenery, amazing animals, and simple folk customs of Chenwangzhuang left a deep impression on the film crew.

During breaks in filming, the actors like to take walks in the village, chat with the villagers, and buy some local mountain products.

The children became the crew's "shadows," and the set was filled with laughter.

The crew successfully completed filming in Chenwangzhuang and left reluctantly, leaving behind many wonderful scenes and beautiful memories. The name of Chenwangzhuang also spread throughout the country with the broadcast of "Journey to the West," but that's another story.

After seeing off the film crew, Chenwangzhuang focused entirely on road construction.

The roar of large construction machinery has replaced the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, becoming the main melody of the village.

Bulldozers, road rollers, asphalt pavers... these "steel behemoths" that were previously only seen on television are now actually operating in front of the villagers, which is both shocking and exciting.

As the village's technical advisor and coordinator, Chen Ling spends almost every day at the construction site.

He has a strong learning ability and can quickly understand blueprints. He can also make suggestions on optimizing some local routes, which can save costs and better connect fields and forests, which makes the experienced workers on the engineering team look at him with new eyes.

At first, Afu and Ashou were wary of the mechanical noise, but under Chen Ling's reassurance, they gradually got used to it. They even often lay on the hillside not far from the construction site, lazily basking in the sun, watching the busy scene below like supervisors.

Their presence adds an extra layer of security to the construction site, ensuring that no wild animals dare to disturb it.

Time flies by in a flurry of activity.

The roadbed was compacted and widened day by day, and the subbase and water-stabilized layer were laid in sequence...

When the first truckload of scalding hot asphalt, still emitting blue smoke, was laid on the smooth roadbed and firmly compacted by a road roller, almost the entire village, young and old, came out to watch.

The black, smooth, mirror-like road surface shimmered in the sunlight, exuding a unique scent, symbolizing a new and modern way of life.

"This road is great! It's so smooth! At least we don't have to walk in the mud on rainy days!"

"It will be so much more convenient for children to go to school and for the elderly to see a doctor in the future!"

"Our fruits, vegetables, fish, and shrimp can now be shipped out faster and fresher!"

People were talking, their faces beaming with anticipation for the future.

Wang Laishun even secretly stepped lightly on the still-warm roadside and chuckled to himself for a long time.

Finally, on a clear autumn day, a brand-new, wide asphalt road, like a black ribbon, tightly connected Chenwangzhuang with the outside world.

On the day the road opened, the village held a simple celebration, with leaders from the county and township coming to cut the ribbon, making it a lively and festive occasion.

When roads are open, wealth flows in.

The effect is immediate.

Transportation costs for canneries and food factories have decreased significantly, while efficiency has improved.

There has been a significant increase in the number of vehicles carrying goods from out-of-town merchants.

Even travel agencies from the provincial capital approached him, wanting to develop rural tourism projects such as "Journey to the West filming location," "ecological farm," and "bird watching and fishing." Although these were still just intentions, they had already shown Chen Ling more possibilities. (End of this chapter)