My 1995 Small Farm.

Chen Ling was talking to Xiao Ming when a commotion came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Heihei and Jinjin are back!"

Rui Rui patted Er Hei's head with a grin: "Er Hei, your dad is back."

Sure enough, Heiwa's tall and imposing figure appeared at the farm's gate.

Its fur is glossy black all over, with broad shoulders and back, a square head and large ears, and a calm look. Just look at its size and its muscular build.

It exudes an aura of royalty.

Walking in alongside it was Xiao Jin.

Compared to Heiwa's domineering presence, Xiaojin appears much more "delicate".

Of course, this "delicate" quality is relative.

Its fur is a beautiful golden yellow, and it is slightly smaller than the black one, but its lines are smoother and more graceful.

It walks very lightly, almost silently, and its eyes are always indifferent.

But everyone in the village knows that when it comes to ferocity, Xiao Jin is no less fierce than Heiwa.

This dog is usually quiet and reserved, but when it gets going, it can be incredibly ruthless and decisive.

It is a typical example of a "ruthless dog who doesn't talk much".

As many of the village's elderly people say, Xiao Jin's dog eyes are creepy.

"Wang Wang!"

When Erhei saw Heiwa and his companion, he immediately lost his composure.

He threw away all his composure and dignity as a "dog secretary," wagged his tail like a propeller, and pounced while howling.

It pounced on Heiwa first, rubbing its big head against Heiwa's neck and making a "woo-woo-woo" sound in its throat, just like a village boy seeing his long-lost father.

Heiwa lowered its head, touched Erhei's head with its nose, and then stuck out its tongue to lick its ear.

Although he didn't jump around excitedly like Erhei, there was a noticeable gentleness in his calm eyes.

Then Erhei turned to Xiaojin.

It showed more "respect" to Xiao Jin.

Instead of running and rolling around so much, it squatted down, looked up at Xiao Jin, and wagged its tail quickly and slightly.

Xiao Jin stepped forward, gently nudged Er Hei's forehead with its own, and then sniffed its scent.

Once he confirmed that it was the child he had raised since he was a cub, Xiao Jin's eyes softened, and he stuck out his tongue to lick Er Hei's face.

The three dogs sniffed and rubbed against each other, their intimate and natural interaction bringing smiles to the faces of everyone in the yard.

"Tsk, look at this family."

Lynx sighed, "No matter how powerful Erhei is outside, when he comes home and sees Heiwa and the other two, he's still just a kid."

Zhang Lihua watched with envy: "This relationship is so good. My dogs are affectionate with me too, but it's not the same as the bond we developed from growing up together and spending every day together."

Chen Ling laughed and said, "When Heiwa and Xiaojin were taking care of Erhei, they put in a lot of effort. Erhei was very naughty when he was little. He would fall into the ditch while chasing rabbits on the mountain, and he would get bitten on the tail by a turtle while playing in the river. It was always Heiwa and Xiaojin who would save him."

As they were talking, the three dogs that had finished interacting had already separated.

Erhei began to curiously examine its "home" that it had left several months ago.

It first walked to the edge of the cowshed and looked inside through the fence.

When Erhei saw the several round calves, he was clearly stunned for a moment, his ears perking up.

Tilting his head, his eyes were full of questions like, "When did these little guys appear?"

"Moo..." Fu Bao was brave. When he saw a big black dog staring at him from outside the fence, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he walked over on his short legs, stuck his head out of the fence, and wanted to sniff Er Hei's nose.

Erhei took a half step back, sniffed cautiously, and only relaxed after confirming that it was the scent of a calf.

It stuck out its tongue and licked Fu Bao's nose.

Fu Bao felt ticklish from being licked, shook its head, and then mooed as if to say hello.

Zhenbao also came over, and the two calves squeezed their heads into the gap in the fence on either side, staring longingly at Erhei.

As the two of them started commotion, the other calves came over and mooed as well.

These calves truly don't know what fear is.

They only treat the dogs as playmates.

Erhei licked each of them one by one, thus getting to know the new members.

Then it turned around and its gaze fell on the crab-eating mongoose in the corner of the yard.

The little creature was squatting by the wall, intently munching on a crab with its front paws, when it suddenly sensed someone staring at it and they all looked up.

Its small, dark eyes met a pair of dog eyes.

Crab-eating mongoose: "???"

Erhei: "!!!"

What is this thing?
With its yellow fur, pointed snout, and long tail, it looks like a weasel, but its demeanor is not.

What kind of weasel squats there, hugging a crab and gnawing on it so enthusiastically?
Erhei took two steps closer and bent down to sniff.

The crab-eating mongoose wasn't afraid at all. Instead, it raised the crab in its hand and squeaked twice at Erhei, as if asking: Do you want to eat it?
Erhei was stunned by this reaction and turned to look at Chen Ling, somewhat at a loss.

Chen Ling chuckled and walked over to pat Erhei's head: "This is a crab-eating mongoose, and now it's considered a member of our family. It doesn't cause trouble and can even scare away poisonous snakes, so don't scare it."

Erhei barked once to indicate that it understood, glanced at the little guy again, and then walked away.

Its gaze was quickly drawn to the lightning and thunder chasing and playing in the yard.

Two clouded leopard cubs are fighting fiercely over a "mouse" sewn from a rag.

You pounce, I dodge; you press, I roll; we roll around covered in dirt, making babyish "woof" sounds.

Erhei walked over, squatted down, and watched the show with great interest.

Lightning pounced and pinned Thunderbolt to the ground, then smugly snatched the cloth mouse in its mouth.

Turning my head, I saw a big black dog squatting next to me, and I was so scared that I let out a howl, and the cloth mouse fell to the ground.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Pili snatched the cloth mouse and ran away.

Lightning didn't bother arguing with the dog anymore and turned to give chase.

The two little ones chased each other around the jujube tree, moving so fast that they were just two shadows.

After watching for a while, Erhei suddenly stood up and jogged over to join the game.

Instead of trying to snatch the cloth mouse, it ran alongside the two clouded leopard cubs, occasionally touching one with its nose and pawing at the other, as if cheering them on or adjusting the pace.

If you run too fast, it will block you; if you run too slow, it will bark twice to urge you on.

Then a magical scene unfolded in the yard: two little clouded leopards were chasing a cloth mouse, while a big black dog followed happily, stopping one and urging the other along, having a great time.

"Is Erhei acting like a referee?" Mountain Cat burst out laughing.

"It loved to meddle in other people's business even when it was a puppy."

Chen Ling laughed, "Back then, when the kids in the village got into fights, it would go and try to break them up. It would grab one kid's trouser leg and pry open another's arm, determined to separate them."

As they were talking, something even more surprising happened.

Under the eaves, Wang Susu had finished feeding Kang Kang and Lele.

The two little ones, having eaten and drunk their fill, struggled to get down on the ground.

Wang Susu lifted them down, and the two of them immediately began to wobble and walk towards the yard on their short legs. Lele walked more steadily, while Kang Kang walked a little slower, but both of them were walking quite well.

Seeing this, Rui Rui ran over and took one of their hands in each hand, saying, "Kang Kang, Le Le, come and play with your brother!"

Xiao Ming also went over and took out two rattles from his pocket, giving one to each of them.

Kang Kang took the rattle drum, clumsily shook it, and upon hearing the "dong dong" sound, he grinned, revealing his newly grown baby teeth: "Dong... dong dong..."

Lele followed suit and shook it vigorously, but she used too much force and fell to the ground with a thud.

She didn't cry, but sat on the ground and continued to shake, laughing so hard her eyes disappeared.

Erhei stopped chasing the little clouded leopard, turned around, and stared wide-eyed at the two little children.

The last time it returned to the farm was before the Lunar New Year.

Back then, Kang Kang and Lele had just learned to crawl. They would gurgle on the kang (a heated brick bed) all day long, unable to speak, only making "ah ah" sounds.

Now... these two little ones can actually walk? And they can even talk?
Erhei slowly walked over, stopped two or three steps away from the children, squatted down, and tilted his head to examine them carefully.

Kang Kang discovered it first.

The little guy blinked his big eyes, stared at Erhei for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned, pointed at Erhei with his chubby little finger, and mumbled, "Hei... Heihei..."

Lele also shouted, "Heihei! Erheihei!"

Rui Rui instructed from the side: "That's right, it's Er Hei Hei! Er, Hei, Hei!"

Kang Kang tried his best to imitate: "Er... Heihei!"

Lele was even more straightforward: "Erheihei!"

Erhei's ears perked up immediately, and his eyes widened even more.

It looked at Kang Kang, then at Le Le, and its tail began to wag slightly uncontrollably.

Chen Ling walked over, squatted down next to Erhei, and patted its head: "Don't you recognize them? These are Kang Kang and Lele. Last time you came back, they could only crawl."

Erhei turned to look at Chen Ling, then back at the two babies, making a "woo-woo" sound in his throat, as if confirming something.

Seeing that the big dog didn't move, Kang Kang became bolder, took two unsteady steps forward, and stretched out his chubby little hand, trying to touch Erhei's head.

Erhei immediately lowered his head and voluntarily brought his head close to Kang Kang's hand.

Kang Kang placed his little hand on Er Hei's fluffy head, patted it, and scratched it, giggling, "Warm...warm..."

Lele also came over and touched Erhei's neck with her little hand: "Mao Mao... soft..."

Erhei remained motionless, letting the two little children touch it all over, its tail wagging more and more happily, its eyes squinting.

The last time it returned to the farm, Kang Kang and Le Le were just babies in its arms.

And now, it can already call its name.

When they saw Lele, they tiptoed and reached out to touch it.

It lowered its head and gently rubbed its head against Lele's little hand, the movement was incredibly gentle.

This is completely different from the imposing dog leader he usually is at the dog farm.

Watching from the side, Wang Susu laughed and said, "Erhei likes them. It has always been very patient with children. Whenever a child in the village falls and cries, it would go and circle around them."

At this moment, the puppies that had followed Erhei back also came over.

They didn't dare get too close, so they squatted behind Erhei, watching the two human cubs curiously.

The little green dog was the most timid, only daring to stick half its head out.

The little black dog was bolder; it took two steps forward and looked up at Kang Kang.

Kang Kang looked down and saw a fluffy little black dog at his feet. His eyes lit up and he squatted down.

He wasn't quite steady on his squat and fell to the ground with a thud, but he didn't mind and reached out to touch Xiao Hei's head.

Xiao Hei didn't dodge; instead, it went up and licked Kang Kang's hand.

Seeing this, Lele also went to pet the little puppy next to her.

In no time, the two babies and several puppies were playing together, their giggles and woofing sounds filling the air.

Erhei squatted down beside them, watching like a patriarch. If any puppy got too close, it would gently nudge it away with its nose.

If any doll is about to fall, it will immediately use its body to block it.

His earnest and responsible attitude made everyone laugh.

"Well, Erhei's job as the 'dog secretary' has extended from outside to inside the house," Wang Cunye joked.

"If it wants to manage, then let it manage," Chen Ling said with a smile. "With it watching over things, Heiwa and Xiaojin have it much easier and can finally take a break."

Just as things were getting lively, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate again.

Wang Zhenzhen, carrying her schoolbag, rushed in like a gust of wind: "I'm back! I'm starving! Huh? Erhei?"

She spotted the big black dog squatting in the middle of the yard at a glance, threw down her schoolbag and rushed over: "Erhei! You're finally back! I missed you so much!"

When Erhei saw its little master, it stood up excitedly, put its front paws on Wang Zhenzhen's shoulders, nuzzled its big head into her arms, and wagged its tail vigorously.

"Okay, okay, I know you miss me."

Wang Zhenzhen hugged Erhei's neck and rubbed it for a long time before letting go.

Then he spotted the puppies. "Wow! So many puppies! Brother-in-law, are these the puppies born at the dog farm this year?"

"Yes, Erhei was brought back from the dog farm. He's in good condition. We'll keep him at the farm for a while," Chen Ling said.

Wang Zhenzhen's eyes lit up as she squatted down and stroked each puppy's head: "This black one is sturdy, this yellow one is delicate, this spotted one... hey, its eyes are so steady, like a little adult."

She was referring to the calm black and yellow spotted dog.

Chen Ling noticed it too.

Since entering the yard, the little dog has been quiet and unassuming, squatting quietly behind Erhei, observing everything in the yard.

The other puppies went to play with the doll, but it didn't.

Other puppies came up to Ah Fu and Ah Shou to sniff, but it wouldn't go near them.

It just squatted there, its eyes calm and its posture steady, not at all like a half-grown puppy.

"This one is quite interesting."

Chen Ling walked over and squatted down in front of it.

The puppy looked up at him, its eyes unwavering, its ears slightly tilted forward, and sniffed his hand.

Chen Ling reached out and touched its head.

The puppy excitedly licked his hand, rubbed against his palm, and then continued to sit in a squatting position.

"It's rare to see someone with such a stable personality."

Zhang Lihua also came over to take a look: "Usually, puppies this age are at their most mischievous, climbing on roofs, tearing off tiles, and catching fish in the river; they're never still. This one... is like a little cadre."

Lynx laughed and said, "That's why I said Erhei picked him out. Our dog-like Party Secretary likes this kind of steady and reliable talent."

"Haha, let's observe them a bit more and let Afu and Ashou practice their courage. If they can develop it, then we'll focus on training them."

Chen Ling patted the puppy's head: "Maybe it can take over Erhei's job and become a 'puppy village secretary' in the future."

Wang Zhenzhen has already started playing with the other puppies.

She grew up playing wildly in the village and was very good at teasing dogs. She would teach them to sit down and shake hands, having a great time.

Those puppies were also clever and learned quickly; it didn't take long for them to understand simple commands. (End of Chapter)