My 1995 Small Farm.

He lingered around his front door for a while, and just then he saw an old sickle hanging under the eaves, with a piece of discarded bicycle chain next to it.

A brilliant idea popped into my head.

He secretly hid the sickle and chain behind the haystack, then ran back to the meadow, panting, and said to his friends, "No...no, my dad said the clip is broken and can't be used."

Seeing the disappointment in his friends' eyes, Rui Rui quickly came up with a "new plan": "But it's okay! I have a better idea! Let's dig a hole with a sickle, line it with grass, and once the weasel falls in, it won't be able to escape! Then we can use this chain to make a snare... My dad taught me that!"

He combined the bits and pieces of knowledge he had heard from adults with his own imagination and described them in a fantastical way.

The key point is that when Liu Nier and the others heard the word "terrestrial trap," they thought of the time Chen Ling took them to catch birds and pheasants, and they immediately became happy.

Everyone thought Rui Rui would definitely know how to do it too.

The older children, including Liu Ni'er, all agreed.

The other dolls were all intimidated by Rui Rui, thinking that he knew a lot, and so they enthusiastically began to act according to his "plan".

The result can be imagined.

The pit was dug too shallow, and the trap was poorly made; it couldn't even catch a grasshopper, let alone a weasel.

After a busy afternoon, not only did they fail to catch the weasel, but Rui Rui also accidentally cut her finger with the sickle, fortunately the wound wasn't deep.

To make matters worse, the place they dug the pit was close to the edge of the field, and they almost destroyed the drainage ditch that Chen Guoping's family had just laid.

When Chen Guoping passed by on his way home from work, he was both annoyed and amused. He scolded the children, who were covered in dirt, and told them to fill in the hole quickly. Then he took Rui Rui home to bandage his wound.

Because of Chen Ling, the villagers all liked Rui Rui.

Seeing that he had injured his hand, Chen Guoping carefully cleaned the wound and applied medicine.

When Rui Rui got home.

When Wang Susu saw her son's injured finger, she felt extremely distressed. While cleaning and applying medicine to it again, she asked, "What happened? Did you get into a fight?"

Rui Rui lowered his head, stammering and not daring to tell the truth, so he had to use the same lie as before: "No...no fight, it was...it was an accidental scratch while playing with a tree branch."

Wang Susu noticed his shifty eyes and became suspicious.

I know my own son well. Although Rui Rui is usually naughty, he rarely lies.

She didn't ask any further questions, but secretly made a mental note of it.

When Chen Ling returned from the forest farm that evening, Wang Susu told him about what had happened during the day and her suspicions.

Chen Ling frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He went to visit his son first. When Rui Rui saw his father, he instinctively hid his injured hand behind his back.

"What's wrong with your hand? Show it to Daddy," Chen Ling asked.

Rui Rui timidly reached out her hand.

Chen Ling looked at the bandaged wound and gently touched his head: "Does it still hurt?"

"No...it doesn't hurt anymore," Rui Rui whispered.

"Yeah, be more careful when you play next time." Chen Ling didn't immediately point it out, but just gave a word of advice.

He plans to observe first.

……

Soon, in the following days, news spread that 'mysterious dragon bones' and 'ancient tombs' had been unearthed during road construction near Chenwangzhuang.

With the arrival of the expert exploration team, some city dwellers who had heard of Chenwangzhuang's reputation also began to take advantage of the clear autumn weather and bring their families for "rural tourism".

Among them were the grandson of the head of the city's agricultural machinery station, and several children brought by young parents who worked in government offices.

They drive rare jeeps or sidecar motorcycles, park at the village entrance, and immediately become the focus of the village children's attention.

These city kids, dressed in trendy bell-bottoms and floral shirts, with snow-white Warrior sneakers on their feet, held plastic toy guns and blinking dolls that the village kids had never seen before.

He speaks with a kind of "official" accent, everything seems new and exciting to him, and he also carries a hint of the superiority complex of a city dweller.

Having had the experience of interacting with the city kids last time.

As Chen Ling's child, Rui Rui was naturally the "leader" of the village children.

Liu Nier, Xizi, and a group of other teenagers surrounded him, looking at these "outsiders" with curiosity and a little timidity.

"Your road is so wide and smooth!"

A city boy named Xiaobin, wearing glasses, pushed up his glasses and said to Rui Rui, "My grandpa said this road is even better than some roads in the county!"

Upon hearing this, Rui Rui puffed out her little chest and a proud look appeared on her face: "Of course! My dad led the repairs!"

He was Chen Ling's son, and was more popular and respected among the village children than Liu Ni'er.

Or rather, the older children, including Liu Ni'er, were willing to believe him.

"Your dad is amazing!" Another girl with pigtails, named Xiaoyu, blinked her big eyes. "What else is fun in your village? I heard your family raises tigers?"

"Yes! Uncle's family also has leopards! And big horses that can carry people!" Xiaoming answered eagerly, his face full of pride.

"Really? You're kidding, aren't you?" Xiao Bin was skeptical. City kids are more knowledgeable and not so easily fooled.

"Who's bragging!" Rui Rui couldn't stand being questioned, especially about his family. "Come on! I'll show you!"

A group of children ran off towards the farm.

Liu Nier and Xizi followed excitedly behind, chiming in with their own opinions: "Uncle Fugui's house really has a tiger!" "It's huge!" "And a little leopard, it just arrived!"

In the farm, Afu and Ashou were dozing off against the wall, their massive bodies resembling two fuzzy hills in the autumn sunlight.

Two clouded leopard cubs were chasing and playing in the yard, while their mother stood guard vigilantly at the door of the woodshed.

The children from the city, seeing this scene from afar, immediately gasped in surprise. Their earlier doubts vanished instantly, replaced by a mixture of shock, fear, and excited curiosity.

"My God... there really is a tiger!"

"That leopard is so small, like a kitten!"

Don't they bite?

Seeing that she had intimidated them, Rui Rui became even more smug, imitating the adults' usual tone: "They don't bite, they're very obedient. Afu and Ashou are my dad's good friends, and the little leopard was rescued by my mom."

He even dared to walk up to Afu and reach out to touch Afu's thick, soft fur.

Afu lazily opened one eye, glanced at the little guy, made a comfortable gurgling sound in his throat, and gently rubbed his big head against Rui Rui.

This scene left the city children speechless with envy.

Xiaoyu asked timidly, "Rui Rui, can...can we touch it?"

Seeing their longing eyes, Rui Rui felt her vanity greatly satisfied.

His eyes darted around, and he remembered overhearing adults chatting a few days ago, saying that city people were rich and spent money lavishly. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

He pretended to be troubled, frowning slightly: "This... won't do. Afu and Shou have bad tempers. They'll get angry if strangers touch them. Last time, a stranger tried to touch them and almost got bitten. If they get angry, they'll turn into terrifying monsters at night."

He took what he heard about the yellow cat and mistakenly attributed it to a tiger.

"Huh? What should we do then?" Xiao Bin believed it and became somewhat fearful.

Rui Rui lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "But... I have a way. My dad has a special 'good boy powder.' If you sprinkle a little on your hand and then touch them, they'll let you touch them."

"Really? What's this 'good boy/girl powder'?" The children's curiosity was piqued.

"It was made by my dad using precious herbs from the mountains; it's incredibly valuable!"

Rui Rui gestured seriously, "Just a little bit costs...it costs five yuan!"

Five yuan was a huge sum of money in the eyes of rural children at that time.

Xiao Ming, who was listening from the side, was stunned. He tugged at Rui Rui's clothes and whispered, "Rui Rui, Uncle didn't mean it..." Rui Rui quickly pinched Xiao Ming secretly, glared at him, and signaled him to be quiet.

Xiao Ming pouted and didn't say anything more.

The city kids looked at each other.

Xiao Bin's family was well-off, and he had plenty of pocket money. After thinking for a moment, he took out a crumpled five-yuan bill and handed it to Rui Rui: "Here! I'll buy one!"

With one child taking the lead, the other children also pulled out their money, some contributing five yuan and others pooling together several ten-yuan notes.

Rui Rui grabbed the money and stuffed it into his pocket. His heart was pounding with a mix of fear and inexplicable excitement.

"Wait here, I'll go get it!"

After Rui Rui finished speaking, she turned around and ran into the yard, pondering what to use to replace "good girl powder".

He saw a pile of freshly sifted fine yellow soil in the corner, and on a whim, he grabbed a handful, ran to the kitchen, and secretly poured a little bit of MSG from the paper packet into the soil, mixing it in with his hands.

He ran out with the packet of "special good boy powder" and solemnly poured a little bit into the palm of each child who had paid: "Okay, spread it evenly, go ahead, touch it gently, don't be afraid!"

The children believed it and carefully extended their hands, which were covered in yellow soil and MSG, to the dozing Afu.

When Afu smelled the unfamiliar odor, especially the smell of MSG, he wrinkled his nose, sneezed, and startled the children.

But it simply raised its head, looked at the few trembling little creatures with a puzzled expression, and then lay down again, letting them gently touch its fur.

"I touched it! I touched it! It really doesn't bite!"

"This 'good boy' pink powder is amazing!"

"Rui Rui, you're amazing!"

The joy of success and the praise from their peers made the city children blush with excitement, and they admired Rui Rui to the point of prostration.

Rui Rui felt a surge of joy as he clutched the warm money in his pocket, thinking he had accomplished something truly remarkable.

For the next half day, Rui Rui became the leader of the kids, leading them on an adventure inside and outside the farm, to see the Bull Demon King, the little green horse, and the chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs.

Using the same method, he wrapped some salt powder in leaves and tricked them into believing it was "bird attractant powder," which he said would attract beautiful birds when sprinkled on the ground, and he "earned" some money again.

He even directed Liu Nier and the others to pick a few ripe persimmons from the orchard and sell them to the city kids as "special products." Of course, the money went into his pocket again.

Xiao Ming was sullen and tried to say something several times, but Rui Rui glared at him and shut him down.

Liu Ni'er was older and sensed something was off, but seeing Rui Rui's smug look and the city kids' happy expressions, she didn't say anything.

As evening fell, the adults in the city were saying goodbye, and the children were reluctant to leave.

Xiao Bin held Rui Rui's hand: "Rui Rui, let's come again next week! Remember to save some fun things for us!"

"No problem!" Rui Rui patted his chest, feeling like he was running a big business.

After seeing the guests off, Rui Rui, clutching the "huge sum of money," was calculating how many marbles and fruit candies he could buy at the convenience store, and also how to buy his older brother Xiao Ming a robot toy that he had always wanted.

He was feeling quite pleased with himself when he looked up and saw Chen Ling standing at the gate of the courtyard, looking at him expressionlessly.

Chen Ling has been paying close attention to the changes in her son these past few days.

He knew that Rui Rui was intelligent and precocious.

Children in this age group are prone to being clever and may learn bad habits from older children.

Today, he happened to witness the scene before the children left and also vaguely heard some words.

He hadn't paid much attention at first, but seeing Rui Rui's eyes, which were clearly filled with a mix of guilt and excitement, and his bulging pockets, he guessed pretty much what was going on.

"Rui Rui, come here." Chen Ling's voice was stern, clearly different from usual.

Rui Rui's heart skipped a beat, her smile froze, and she hesitantly walked over: "Daddy..."

"What's in your pocket?" Chen Ling asked.

"N-nothing..." Rui Rui instinctively covered his pocket.

"Take it out." Chen Ling's tone became more forceful.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Susu came out of the house: "What's going on?"

Seeing her parents' serious expressions, Rui Rui knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she slowly took the money out of her pocket.

The crumpled banknotes and coins added up to about fifty yuan, which was a real fortune for a child at the time.

Wang Susu immediately understood, and her face darkened: "Rui Rui! Where did this money come from? Did you take money from home without permission?"

She thought her son had stolen money from the house.

"No! It was me... I earned it myself!" Rui Rui stubbornly argued, but her voice grew softer and softer.

"Earned it? How did you earn it?" Chen Ling stared into his son's eyes. "Did you lie to those city kids, saying you had to buy 'good boy powder' to touch a tiger? Or that you had to pay to pick persimmons?"

Rui Rui was shocked to find out that her father knew everything. Her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak.

Xiao Ming couldn't hold back any longer and ran over, his voice trembling with tears, saying, "Uncle, Rui Rui lied today! He used dirt and MSG as baby food powder, and he even sold persimmons to people..."

"You're talking nonsense!" Rui Rui said angrily, shoving Xiao Ming.

"Chen Jingrui!" Chen Ling roared, his anger now genuine.

It startled everyone in the yard.

Even Ah Fu and Ah Shou, who were lying down, raised their heads alertly.

Chen Ling is usually very patient with the children, always cheerful, and plays the role of a loving father. He rarely speaks so sternly.

This roar, born of genuine anger, instantly shattered Rui Rui's mental defenses.

Rui Rui burst into tears, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls, a mixture of fear and grievance.

He felt that he had just used a little cleverness to make some money, and everyone was happy, so why was his father being so fierce?

Wang Susu originally wanted to scold him, but seeing her son crying so sadly and Chen Ling really angry, she didn't know what to say. She just silently pulled Xiaoming behind her.

Chen Ling did not soften because of her son's crying. She glared at him angrily and sternly: "Crying? You feel wronged? Let me tell you, the mistake you made today is more serious than stealing money!"

"Putting everything else aside, your lying and deceiving people is unforgivable!"

"Taking advantage of people's trust and curiosity to swindle money with fake products is fraud! It's immoral! We, the Chen family, can be poor, but we can never be without integrity!"

"Furthermore, you took advantage of Afu and Ashou's trust in our family! They treated you like family, which is why they let you get close to them. But you used that trust as a tool to swindle money! How can you face them?"

"You're proud of leading Brother Xiaoming, a bunch of younger siblings, and Liu Nier and the others in scamming people! People praise you all the time, and you're supposed to be a role model, not lead them astray! If they think it's easy to scam money today, they might scam even bigger amounts next time! Can you afford to set such a bad example?"

With each sentence Chen Ling said, Rui Rui's crying subsided a little, and she shrank her shoulders slightly.

He never thought that much about it; he just thought it was fun, impressive, and he could make money.

Now that his father has pointed out his mistakes one by one, he has realized how terrible his actions were.

Chen Ling squatted down, frowning as she looked at Rui Rui: "Besides, does our family lack these few dollars? If you want to buy marbles, candy, or toys for Xiao Ming, just tell your parents. When have we ever not bought them for you? Do you need to resort to such crooked means to get money?"

"I...I..." Rui Rui sobbed, unable to speak a complete sentence, her heart filled with regret and fear.

"Put your hand out," Chen Ling commanded.

Rui Rui shuddered in fright, thinking his father was going to hit him, and tremblingly stretched out his little hand.

Chen Ling didn't hit him, but instead took the sweat-soaked money from his hand, one bill at a time.

“This money doesn’t belong to you. Tomorrow, I will go to the county, find the parents of those children, return the money in full, and apologize to them.”

"From now on, for a month, you are not allowed to eat snacks or buy new toys. Every day, besides playing and learning to read with Brother Xiaoming, you are also responsible for cleaning the yard and helping Mom feed the chickens and ducks. Use labor to remember this lesson! Do you understand?"

Rui Rui cried so hard she could barely breathe, nodding vigorously, "I...I understand...Daddy...I was wrong...Waaah..." (End of Chapter)