My 1995 Small Farm.

While everyone else was laughing, Xiaoming took it seriously.

Holding Chen Ling's hand, she asked, "Uncle, am I right? Burying Tie Dan will let people know we have such a big dog when they dig it up later!"

Chen Ling nodded, suppressing a laugh: "Yes, yes, yes. When archaeologists dig up Tie Dan's skeleton in the future, they'll definitely think it's some kind of giant ancient dog. They could write several papers about it."

“Then it should be written: Giant canine skeletons unearthed at the Chenwangzhuang site, speculated to be ancient guard dogs, with a size comparable to a calf…” Zhao Dahai chimed in.

Little Iron Egg didn't know what everyone was laughing at, but seeing the children happy, it wagged its tail and rubbed against Xiao Ming.

With a grinning face, he really looks like a big-headed golden retriever.

Over at the archaeological team's location, Professor Zhou was putting the jade pieces into a sealed bag.

Seeing the commotion, I joined in to listen for a bit, then shook my head with a smile: "Your idea is quite ahead of its time. But burying pets as 'artifacts' is not uncommon in ancient times. Dog skeletons have been unearthed from Han tombs, still wearing collars."

"Really?" Chen Guoping asked curiously.

"Of course it's true."

Professor Zhou laughed and said, "The Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha has unearthed dog bones, which were buried with their owners. So if you really bury Tiedan, maybe someone will study it thousands of years later."

Little Iron Egg seemed to understand the word "bury," and with two whimpers, it hid behind Xiao Ming.

He poked half his head out and looked at Professor Zhou warily.

Everyone laughed again.

"Alright, alright, stop scaring Tiedan."

Chen Ling stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

"There are more and more people here, let's go back first."

He looked up and around, and sure enough, the Donggang area was already packed with people.

Besides villagers from the village and surrounding villages, there were also many people from the city, some carrying cameras and others with children, all craning their necks to look at the excavation site.

There are more food stalls along the roadside now, selling boiled corn, tea eggs, roasted sweet potatoes, candied hawthorns, and some people have even set up pancake stalls, the aroma wafting far and wide.

"Goodness, this scene is even more lively than a bustling market."

Wang Laishun clicked his tongue: "At this rate, our village will really need to open a few proper restaurants."

"Absolutely."

Chen Guoping chimed in, "I just saw several city people asking around about accommodations in the village. They said they wanted to stay, and they'll keep looking tomorrow."

"Someone just asked if I could rent out my two spare rooms."

Another villager said excitedly, "I'll clean it up for you, five yuan a day, not expensive, right?"

"Five yuan? That's too cheap! A night in a hotel in the city costs twenty or thirty yuan!" someone exclaimed.

Everyone started talking at once, figuring out how to make some extra money by riding this wave of popularity.

Chen Ling listened without interrupting.

These are all good things. Villagers can increase their income and the village can become more lively. Why not?
He called to Rui Rui and Xiao Ming, "Come on, let's go home. We should be eating soon."

The two children lingered for a few more glances at the excavation site before following Chen Ling.

As they passed by the stalls, Rui Rui, with her sharp eyes, spotted a sugar figurine seller and grabbed Chen Ling's hand, refusing to let go: "Daddy, Daddy, I want a little tiger!"

Chen Ling looked and saw an old man in his fifties sitting on a small stool, holding a sugar figurine in his hand, surrounded by a group of children.

"Master, give me a little tiger." Chen Ling took out five cents.

The old man was skillful; in just a few moments, he sculpted an adorable little tiger and handed it to Rui Rui.

Rui Rui took it, reluctant to eat it, and held it up for Xiao Ming to see: "Brother Xiao Ming, look, doesn't it look like Afu when he was little?"

Xiao Ming looked at it carefully: "No, Afu wasn't this fat when he was little."

Who does it resemble?

"Like an iron egg." Xiao Ming pointed to the little iron egg following behind.

Everyone laughed again, and Little Iron Egg blinked innocently.

Chen Ling asked Xiao Ming if he wanted a sugar figurine, but Xiao Ming shook his head. He had made a Sun Wukong figurine before at the market in Chang Le Township.

Later, it got all over my body, sticky and sticky, and I became traumatized by it.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the farm.

Back at the farm, the courtyard was bustling with activity.

Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan were sitting on the porch picking vegetables, while Kang Kang and Lele sat on the ground, each holding a rag doll and babbling incoherently.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou quietly watched over the two children, while Er Tu Zi stood on the roof, occasionally looking down at the movements in the yard.

The most eye-catching were the two little clouded leopards at the entrance of the woodshed.

They are almost two months old now, and their downy fur is gradually falling off, making their markings clearer.

Its tail is especially thick and long, and its eyes are round and bright, giving it a clever look.

Right now, the two little guys are fighting at the door of the woodshed.

One animal held down the head of the other, and the one being held down kicked wildly with its four legs, making "woof woof" sounds. It didn't seem like they were really fighting; it seemed more like they were just playing around.

"Hey, the little leopards are fighting!" Rui Rui ran over excitedly.

Hearing the noise, the two little clouded leopards turned their heads in unison. When they saw it was Rui Rui, they immediately stopped fighting and ran over one after the other, rubbing against his feet and making "purring" sounds.

Wang Susu laughed and said, "They're so affectionate now. When I was breastfeeding them this morning, they even rubbed against my hands, getting milk all over themselves."

Xiao Ming also went over and squatted down to touch one of the heads. The little guy squinted its eyes and snuggled comfortably into his hand.

The mother leopard slowly walked out of the woodshed, glanced at the children, and without any sign of nervousness, lay down beside them, leisurely licking her paws.

It has completely trusted Chen Ling and his family.

Unlike before, he no longer only trusted Wang Susu.

Just as I was touching him, I heard a movement from Afu's side.

Ah Fu slowly stood up, yawned, and walked towards the woodshed.

The two clouded leopard cubs became excited as soon as they saw Afu.

He abandoned Rui Rui and Xiao Ming and ran towards A Fu.

Afu stopped and looked down at the two little ones running up to him. One was climbing up his front legs, while the other was circling his tail, trying to grab the tip of the swaying tail.

Chen Ling laughed from the side, "These two little rascals don't even know how to be careful! Don't let Afu flatten them with one paw."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the little clouded leopard that had been climbing his leg had already reached Afu's knees.

Afu simply lowered its head and sniffed, then let it hang there, even gently shaking its leg as if teasing it.

The other one was even more mischievous; it actually grabbed the tip of Afu's tail, held it with its two front paws, and pushed off the ground with its hind legs, pulling backward like in a tug-of-war.

Afu glanced back, flicked its tail, and sent the little thing tumbling half a meter away.

But it wouldn't give up, got up and rushed forward again, grabbing its tail once more.

"This little thing is incredibly bold!" the lynx exclaimed in amazement.

"A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, but these two are 'newborn leopards are not afraid of tigers'," Zhang Lihua laughed.

Afu, unable to resist the entanglement, simply lay down and let the two little clouded leopards climb all over him.

One climbed onto my back, perched on my shoulder blade, and looked around with its head held high, like a little sentry.

The other one burrowed under the belly, with only its head sticking out, curiously peeking out.

Ah Shou, who was watching from the side, also stood up and walked over.

The two clouded leopard cubs became even more excited when they saw another large tiger arrive.

He jumped off Ah Fu and ran towards Ah Shou.

Ah Shou was even more indulgent than Ah Fu, and simply lay down on his side, exposing his soft belly. The two clouded leopard cubs immediately pounced on him, rolling and nibbling on his belly, having a great time.

"This is too much pampering." Chen Ling shook his head and chuckled.

"Daddy, Daddy, let's name the little leopard too!" Rui Rui asked.

Chen Ling was taken aback: "Okay, you guys come up with one?"

"Let's call them Big Flower and Second Flower!" Xiao Ming answered quickly.

"That's the mother cat's name!" Rui Rui objected. "Let's call her Da Bao and Er Bao!"

"There are too many to tell them apart!"

The two children started arguing again.

Finally, Wang Zhenzhen returned with her schoolbag and exclaimed, "I've started reading a book called Lightning and Thunder!"

"Why?" the crowd asked, puzzled.

Zhenzhen pointed at the two little clouded leopards: "Look, they run so fast! They disappear in a flash. What else could it be but lightning? Thunder is lightning, and lightning and thunder are from the same family!"

Everyone was amused by this logic.

Chen Ling nodded: "Okay, Lightning and Thunder, that's a catchy name."

Just then, a commotion came from the cowshed.

"Moo-"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the two newborn water buffaloes, "Fu Bao" and "Zhen Bao," waddling towards the yard on their four thin legs.

Behind them, the cow stood at the entrance of the barn, glanced over a few times, then lowered her head to continue grazing, looking completely at ease.

The two calves walked to the center of the yard and saw two clouded leopard cubs thrashing about on Afu's paws.

Fu Bao stopped and tilted her head to examine the furry little creatures, her eyes full of curiosity.

Zhenbao was bolder; he walked over directly and bent down to smell Pili.

Pili was engrossed in nibbling on Afu's paw when suddenly a large, dark creature approached. Startled, Pili darted two meters away.

Zhenbao was amused by its reaction and chased after it.

Seeing this, Fu Bao also joined in the fun.

And so a strange scene unfolded in the courtyard...

Two calves chased two clouded leopard cubs all over the yard. The clouded leopard cubs were fast, and the calves couldn't catch up, so they mooed anxiously.

The little clouded leopard ran a short distance, then turned back and saw that the calf hadn't caught up, so it stopped and waited until the calf got closer before running again.

After a while, they started playing hide-and-seek.

"My goodness!" Gao Xiulan laughed so hard she slapped her thigh. "This cow is playing with a leopard!"

Qin Rongxian clicked his tongue in amazement: "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, and it's not even afraid of a leopard. The descendant of the Bull Demon King is indeed bold."

Liang Hongyu snapped photos with her camera, exclaiming, "This scene is too precious! A cow and a leopard playing together—who would believe it?"

The little clouded leopard got tired of playing, swiftly climbed up the jujube tree, and squatted on a branch to catch its breath.

The calf couldn't climb trees, so it could only crane its neck and moo under the tree, pacing around anxiously.

Afu and Ashou watched the whole thing, occasionally raising their eyelids with an expression that said, "Kids are so boring."

Er Tuzi stood on the rooftop, looking down at the farce, occasionally letting out a "ga" sound, whether it was mockery or commentary was unclear.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming laughed so hard they rolled on the ground.

Kang Kang and Lele laughed along, clapping their little hands and jumping up and down.

The whole courtyard was incredibly lively.

Soon, the cubs were no longer tired and started making a ruckus again.

The children chased after the little clouded leopard, the little clouded leopard chased after the calf, the calf circled the yard, and Afu and Ashou lay there as spectators, occasionally swishing their tails.

Little Iron Egg joined in, chasing its own tail in circles instead of chasing anyone else.

He spun around until he was dizzy and disoriented, then fell headfirst into a pile of grass and couldn't climb out for a long time.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around."

Wang Susu called out with a smile, "It's time to eat!"

As soon as they heard it was time to eat, the children immediately abandoned their little clouded leopard and ran to the kitchen.

The little clouded leopards stood there dumbfounded, not understanding why their playmates, who had just been playing together, had suddenly run away.

The two calves followed, knowing that there was good food in the kitchen and that they were given extra meals every day.

Only Afu and Ashou didn't move; they had already eaten and now just wanted to take a nap.

At lunchtime, the whole family sat around the large table in the courtyard.

Wang Cunye picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and smacked his lips: "There are so many people in Donggang today. It looks even more lively than the last two years."

“That’s right.” Gao Xiulan sighed softly. “When I came back, I saw several cars parked on the side of the road, all with out-of-town license plates. It’s bustling again, just like it was a couple of years ago.”

Qin Rong picked up a piece of braised pork and said, "This is a good thing. More people will bring life to the village. Look at those tourist attractions, aren't they all sustained by people?"

"That's true, but the village hasn't really started developing tourism yet."

Zhao Dahai was well aware of the village's situation a couple of years ago: "But with this momentum, it's only a matter of time. Wealth and prosperity, don't you think?"

Chen Ling swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded: "Let nature take its course. What's meant to happen will happen. We just need to get the infrastructure in order."

"Yes! Once this period is over, your Party Secretary should apply to the township for some funds to repair the village roads and build more public toilets. When tourists come, they need to have a place to go, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As they were eating, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, and Lynx and Zhang Lihua arrived.

"Just in time for lunch!"

Lynx pulled over a chair without ceremony and sat down: "Brother Hua, sit down, sit down. You know what the food at Fugui's house tastes like. Once you eat it, you won't want to leave."

Zhang Lihua sat down with a smile, glancing at the dishes on the table: "Wow, such a lavish spread?"

"It's just a regular meal..."

Gao Xiulan said modestly, then called to Wang Susu, "Susu, bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks."

Wang Susu got up and went to the kitchen.

Lynx sat down and began to speak: "Those two Bengal tigers are very fierce. They are said to be from a breeding base, but their ferocity has not been completely eroded. They scared the pregnant ewes in the flock so much that they dared not give birth."

"Huh? So fierce? Could they be even more powerful than Afu and Ashou?" Zhao Dahai asked incredulously.

"That's definitely not the case."

Lynx shook his head: "However, Bengal tigers are indeed extremely fierce, and their fighting ability is much stronger than that of Siberian tigers."

Chen Ling nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Bengal tigers are definitely smaller than Siberian tigers.

However, in terms of combat power, they are not inferior, and even far superior.

Many tiger kings are from Bengal tigers, not Siberian tigers.

However, Afu and Ashou are different.

They are descendants of South China tigers, and under Chen Ling's care, they reached this size.

It cannot be judged by common sense.

Zhao Dahai hissed and looked at Chen Ling: "Since they're so powerful, it seems their offspring, along with Afu and Ashou's, will become even more extraordinary!" (End of Chapter)