My 1995 Small Farm.

Chen Guoping sensed something was wrong as soon as he plowed the first plow!
The plowshare went into the soil, and the plow handle, which usually required him to press down with all his strength to maintain the depth, now felt incredibly light!
It was as if he wasn't plowing the land, but rather the giant ox in front of him was dragging the plow across the soft sand.

What surprised him even more was the feeling from the plow handle. Under the power of the "Bull Demon King," the soil was easily cut and turned over like tofu, forming deep and straight furrows. The efficiency was more than twice as fast as before!
"Wow! Good heavens!" Chen Guoping couldn't help but exclaim, "They say the Bull Demon King is strong, but this... this bull's strength is just too much!"

He tried shouting to slow the ox down so he could save some energy.

But the "Bull Demon King" seemed to have completely misunderstood, or rather, it didn't think it was hard work at all. Instead, its steps became more steady and powerful, and its speed did not decrease at all.

Chen Guoping could only jog to keep up. What used to be a great deal of effort for him to plow the land had become surprisingly easy.

After working with "Bull Demon King" for half an hour, Chen Guoping not only didn't feel tired, but actually felt warm all over.

"It's so easy to work with this ox. It's a pity that Fugui's little white ox is too precious and has a wild temper. No one but Fugui's family is allowed to touch it. Otherwise, I could just plow my few acres of land in a morning and be done with it."

In less than a morning, the "Bull Demon King" easily plowed the few acres of land that Chen Guoping's family had struggled to finish for two days with the old ox and himself!

Moreover, the plowing depth was uniform, the soil clods were finely broken, and the quality was better than at any time in previous years.

"A divine ox! It really is a divine ox!"

Chen Guoping excitedly stroked the "Bull Demon King's" glossy fur, looking at the flat, soft ground in front of him, he could hardly believe his eyes.

"This cow of the Fu Gui family is truly a genius! Not only is it incredibly strong, but it's also so intelligent and perceptive. It's amazing! No wonder it's the King of Hunters; everything it raises is exceptional!"

At noon, Chen Guoping specially went home to get the best bean cakes and salt water to reward "Bull Demon King".

The ox didn't stand on ceremony, lowering its head to eat and drink heartily, occasionally swishing its tail, appearing quite content.

In the afternoon, Chen Guoping, still not satisfied, harrowed the land again, preparing to sow seeds.

Throughout the afternoon, he still felt energetic and nimble, as if he had returned to his youthful and vigorous days.

The news spread quickly throughout the village.

"Have you heard? Guoping borrowed Fugui's 'Bull Demon King' to plow the fields. That bull is incredibly powerful; it did the work of two or three days in just one morning!"

"Absolutely! Guoping himself said that working with that ox is not tiring at all, and he gets more and more energetic the more he works!"

"Really? Is it that miraculous?"

"Go and see Guoping's land, it's plowed so beautifully! Guoping is sowing seeds right now, full of energy, and doesn't look tired at all!"

The villagers flocked to Chen Guoping's land to see what was so special, marveling at the flat land and the majestic water buffalo.

Some families with insufficient manpower or slow progress were envious and wondered if they could also talk to Chen Ling about borrowing the "Bull Demon King" for help.

When Chen Ling found out, he simply smiled.

He was well aware of the extraordinary qualities of the "Bull Demon King," and he was never stingy with his help whenever he could to alleviate the difficulties of his fellow villagers.

However, he also reminded Chen Guoping and the families who later borrowed the ox that "Bull Demon King" was very strong, so they should control the depth and speed when plowing the land, so as not to damage the land, and also pay attention to safety.

As the sun set, Chen Guoping finished sowing the last seed and looked at the transformed field, his heart filled with gratitude and joy.

He led the "Bull Demon King" back to Chen Ling's farm and thanked Chen Ling profusely: "Fugui, I owe you so much for your divine bull today! Otherwise, my old bones would have been exhausted! This bull... is truly amazing!"

Chen Ling took the reins, looked at the still energetic "Bull Demon King," and smiled, "Brother Guoping, you're too kind. It's good that the land has been planted. This big guy is just a bit strong, but as long as he can help, that's fine."

Watching Chen Guoping's light and quick departure, Chen Ling felt a sense of relief.

With the farming season fast approaching, being able to help the villagers solve some practical difficulties and see the village regain its vitality after the disaster is more gratifying than anything else.

……

The completion of the asphalt road is like putting new wheels on the old horse-drawn carriage of Chenwangzhuang, making it run faster and more steadily.

The days slipped by in a flurry of activity and anticipation, and before we knew it, it was September, a month of crisp autumn air.

The autumn crops in the fields are growing vigorously, the buckwheat is blooming with tiny white flowers, the cabbages are lush and green, and the radish greens are also sprouting high. It looks like another good year is on the horizon.

But what the whole village is most looking forward to is the new school that is about to be completed at the east end of the village.

Early that morning, just as the sun climbed over the eastern ridge and cast its golden rays over the village, the final finishing sounds came from the construction site of the new school.

Wang Laishun specially asked the village's old stonemason to erect two adorable little stone lions at the entrance as a way to "protect the school."

The brand-new red brick walls, bright glass windows, spacious playground, and the five-star red flag about to be raised all indicate that the children of Chenwangzhuang now have a proper place to study.

It was the weekend, and school hadn't officially started yet, but the children couldn't contain their curiosity. Like a flock of chattering sparrows, they gathered around the school gate, peeking and looking around.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming were naturally the leaders of this group of children, followed by a large group of teenagers including Liu Ni'er, Xi Zi, and Xiao Sen.

"See that? That glass, it's so bright you can see your reflection in it!" Liu Nier pointed to the classroom window, her face full of envy.

"The playground is bigger than the threshing ground! From now on, we can play shuttlecock and throw sandbags here without having to worry about falling into the ditch!" Xizi gestured excitedly.

Rui Rui puffed out her little chest, her face beaming with pride: "My dad said this school is the best building in our village! And teachers from the city will come to teach us in the future!"

Just then, a car horn sounded from the village entrance.

Two minibuses, rarely seen on ordinary days, slowly drove in along the brand-new asphalt road and parked in an open space near the school.

The car door opened, and a group of adults and children, dressed in what appeared to be city dwellers, stepped out.

It turned out to be a "rural-urban hand in hand" activity organized by the county education bureau, which brought some students and parents from the county's No. 1 Primary School to visit the newly built "Hope Primary School" in Chenwangzhuang and experience mountain village life.

The city kids got off the bus and curiously looked around at the picturesque but obviously "rustic" village.

They were dressed in nice sportswear and skirts, with clean sneakers, which contrasted sharply with Rui Rui, Liu Ni'er, and the other rural children who were wearing old clothes and some of them were barefoot.

At first, the two groups of children were a little reserved, looking at each other with curiosity and a slight, barely perceptible distance in their eyes.

City kids think country kids are "uncultured," while country kids think city kids are "spoiled."

As the eldest sister in the village, Wang Zhenzhen took the initiative to greet the teacher leading the group.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming, encouraged by Liu Nier, stepped forward to show off their "treasures".

"Look! These are the loaches we just caught by the river!" Liu Nier held up a glass bottle filled with water, inside which several dark loaches were slithering around.

"And this, a dragonfly wing, so translucent!" Xizi proudly presented a dragonfly wing held between leaves.

Rui Rui thought for a moment, then pulled a small slingshot out of his pocket. It was made for him by Chen Ling a while ago, and it was polished smooth and easy to use: "This is really accurate for shooting birds!"

He tried hard to appear "very good." A fair-skinned, bespectacled city boy pointed curiously at the slingshot and asked, "Can this... really hit birds?"

"Of course!" Rui Rui perked up immediately when she saw that someone was interested. "If you don't believe me, I'll call and show you!"

As he spoke, he picked up a small pebble, stretched the rubber band, squinted one eye, and aimed at a sparrow perched on an old locust tree not far away.

The children held their breath. With a soft "snap," the pebble flew out, but unfortunately, it missed its mark, grazing the sparrow's tail as it flew past. The sparrow chirped and flew away in fright.

"Oh no! So close!" Rui Rui stomped her foot in frustration.

The city children exclaimed in amazement: "Wow! That's amazing!" "He almost hit me!"

The little boy with glasses pushed up his glasses and said with admiration, "You're so brave, I don't even dare to play this."

Encouraged, Rui Rui felt a small sense of vanity satisfied and puffed out her chest even more.

Xiao Ming quickly demonstrated his tree-climbing skills, climbing up a short, crooked tree in a few swift movements, which drew another round of exclamations.

Soon, the two groups of children broke down their barriers and started playing together amidst the novelty and the displays.

Liu Nier led them to catch grasshoppers in the grass, Xi Zi taught them to make little rabbits out of foxtail grass, and Rui Rui and Xiao Ming became the "kings of the kids," directing everyone to play the game of "cops and robbers."

The new school's playground became their temporary paradise, and laughter and shouts echoed through the valley.

The city kids found everything in the countryside fascinating: the clear streams, the wildflowers covering the hillsides, the cattle and sheep grazing leisurely, and even the wisps of smoke rising from the farmhouses—all of these became the most beautiful scenery in their eyes.

Rui Rui and his friends also heard many novel things from the city kids that they had never heard of before, such as amusement parks and dinosaur models, and they were all fascinated by what they heard.

Of course, Rui Rui has done many things and seen them in Hong Kong, but at that time she didn't know what they were called and couldn't remember them accurately.

The name doesn't match the actual thing.

All he does is laugh like an idiot.

By noon, the children were starving.

Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan had anticipated this, so they steamed a large pot of fluffy white steamed buns, cooked a pot of fragrant millet porridge, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and mixed cucumbers before inviting the children to the farm for a meal.

At first I hesitated a bit, but seeing how Rui Rui and the others were wolfing it down, I couldn't help but take a bite.

Once you start eating, you can't stop! Dipping the steamed buns in the vegetable soup, you eat them with your mouth full of oil, exclaiming, "Delicious!"

After dinner, an even bigger surprise awaited us.

Wang Zhenzhen led them to the backyard to see the clouded leopard family.

When the city children saw two fluffy clouded leopard cubs frolicking and playing around their mother, while the mighty Afu and Ashou lay lazily not far away, their mouths dropped open in astonishment, a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Old... tiger!"

"And leopards!"

Don't they bite?

Rui Rui waved her hand proudly: "Don't be afraid! Afu and Ashou are very well-behaved. The little leopard is our guest!"

As he spoke, he mustered his courage, took a small piece of meat that Wang Susu had given him, and tossed it to the little clouded leopard from a distance.

The little clouded leopard looked around warily, then cautiously approached, sniffed it, picked it up, and ran behind its mother to eat it.

This magical scene completely captivated the children from the city.

They thought Rui Rui was a hero living in a fairy tale, with even tigers and leopards obeying his family!
Pleasant times always fly by.

In the afternoon, the city kids were going to take the bus back home.

When it was time to leave, the children were reluctant to part and exchanged small gifts they had brought.

The city kids gave away pencil cases and colorful erasers, while Rui Rui and his friends reciprocated with beautiful pheasant feathers and smooth pebbles.

After seeing the guests off, Rui Rui was still immersed in the excitement of being the center of attention. Her little face was flushed, and she walked with a swagger.

He felt he had really made a name for himself today, especially when he was shooting slingshots and introducing Afu and Ashou.

However, a child's temperament is like the weather in June, changing in an instant.

Once vanity takes root, it easily grows into something crooked.

Two days later, Rui Rui and Xiao Ming went with Liu Ni'er and Xi Zi to graze sheep on the meadow outside the village.

During the playful banter, someone mentioned that Uncle Lao Niwai's house had recently been plagued by weasels that had stolen several chickens, which made Auntie so angry that she started cursing.

Liu Ni'er, always full of clever ideas, darted her eyes and said, "Let's go help Uncle catch a weasel! If we catch one, Auntie will definitely buy us milk candy!"

"How do we catch them? Weasels run fast and they fart!" Xizi hesitated.

Rui Rui, who was just worried about not having a chance to show off his "abilities" again, immediately patted his chest and said, "I have a plan! My dad used to set traps, let's find a metal trap and put it at the entrance of the chicken coop, it's sure to catch them!"

"Clips? Didn't Uncle forbid us from using clips? He said it was dangerous!" Xiaoming asked.

Rui Rui got stuck; Chen Ling had indeed said that.

But not wanting to lose face in front of his friends, he blurted out in a moment of impulsiveness, "It's okay, it's just a small trap, specifically for catching weasels. Weasels are small and very bad. Except for my dog, Huanghuang, they're all bad. My dad told me that!"

In fact, Chen Ling had already carefully put away these dangerous tools to prevent the child from getting hurt, and Rui Rui had no idea where they were.

There were no small clips either.

But to save face, he lied.

"Really? Uncle Fugui is willing to lend it to you?" Liu Nier was skeptical.

"Of course! My dad loves me the most!" Rui Rui said, forcing a smile, though she felt a little guilty inside. "You wait here, I'll go back and get it right away!"

After saying that, he turned and ran home.

Halfway there, a cool breeze cleared my head a bit, and I realized that I had no idea where the clip was, and that my dad would definitely not let me touch it.

What to do? The boast has already been made; how embarrassing would it be to go back and say I can't get it? (End of Chapter)