My 1995 Small Farm.

Chen Ling looked closely and realized that the group of golden monkeys were indeed familiar faces.

The lead female monkey was holding a tiny baby monkey, no bigger than a palm, in her arms. The little thing was covered in light golden fur, with a bright blue face. It was suckling at its mother's fur, its little mouth sucking and its eyes squinting, looking completely blissful.

Several female monkeys nearby also had their babies. Some of the baby monkeys were clinging to their mothers' backs, their little paws gripping their fur tightly, peeking out with half their heads curiously looking this way.

There were also a few half-grown ones, jumping and chasing each other among the branches. As they chased each other, they huddled together and fell from the tree, swinging on the vines in mid-air, squeaking and chirping.

"Rui Rui, Xiao Ming, look at these little monkeys! Aren't they adorable!"

Wang Zhenzhen's eyes widened. "Look at that one! It's sleeping on its mother's back, its little bottom sticking up, looking like a little fluffy ball!"

Liang Hongyu's camera shutter clicked rapidly: "If only I could take one home and raise it..."

“Auntie, you can’t keep them.” Chen Ling shook her head with a smile. “Golden monkeys are nationally protected animals, not much less so than giant pandas.”

"I know, I know, I was just saying." Liang Hongyu laughed too. "Take a picture and look at it later."

The golden monkeys didn't panic when they saw people; they continued eating and playing as usual.

The lead female monkey, holding her baby, glanced this way and suddenly squeaked twice.

As soon as the call ended, several young golden monkeys jumped down from the tree and swaggered toward Chen Ling.

"Hey, hey, they're coming!" Xiaoming took two steps back, then stopped. "Uncle, they don't bite, do they?"

"I won't bite." Chen Ling squatted down and waved to the golden monkeys.

Several golden monkeys approached, showing no fear of people.

A male monkey squatted down, lifted the baby monkey it was holding forward, squeaked, and looked at Chen Ling with bright eyes.

The little cub was only two or three months old, a fluffy little ball of fur, held up by the male monkey. Its four little paws were dangling in the air, kicking wildly, its little face scrunched up, and it was making babyish squeaking noises, as if it was protesting.

"Is it... showing you its baby?" Wang Susu was stunned.

Chen Ling reached out and gently stroked the little cub's head. The little thing immediately stopped kicking, blinked its big eyes at him, and then stuck out its pink little tongue to lick his fingers.

The male monkey got even more excited and shoved the baby into Chen Ling's arms.

"Oh, is this for you to hug?" Gao Xiulan laughed.

Chen Ling carefully took the little monkey and held it in his palm.

The little guy was only a size bigger than his palm, and his whole body was soft and warm.

Two little paws grabbed his thumb and stuffed it into his mouth, sucking it loudly.

“Brother-in-law, it’s mistaking your hand for a nipple!” Wang Zhenzhen burst out laughing.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming came closer, looking at each other expectantly: "Daddy, can I touch it?"

"Touch it gently, don't scare it."

The two children reached out and carefully touched the little monkey's back.

The little monkey glanced back at them, then turned back to continue sucking Chen Ling's thumb, sucking with such concentration.

The golden monkeys nearby didn't leave either. Some squatted down to watch, some scratched at the weeds at their feet, and one bold one even went to the basket and peeked inside at the akebia fruit.

"Hey, this monkey is quite polite; it didn't just snatch it," Qin Rong said with a smile.

Chen Ling returned the baby monkey to the male monkey, clapped his hands, and stood up: "Alright, they've gotten to know each other, let them go back."

The male monkey took the baby, squeaked twice more, and then turned and walked up the tree.

He would take a few steps and then look back, his eyes looking as if he were saying goodbye after visiting someone.

Just then, the group of wild monkeys on the other side of the stream erupted in chaos.

The large male monkey perched on the highest branch, baring its teeth and making a sharp "cawing" sound as it jumped and hopped, shaking the branches loudly.

The dozens of wild monkeys behind it joined in the commotion, some slapping tree trunks, some throwing branches, and others baring their teeth and screaming at the golden monkeys, acting incredibly arrogant.

"What are they doing?" Wang Zhenzhen frowned.

"To claim territory."

Chen Ling looked at the opposite bank: "These wild monkeys probably just arrived. Look, the golden monkeys have taken over the persimmons on this hill, and they want to steal them."

The golden monkey troop was not to be outdone.

Several adult male monkeys jumped down from the tree, stood on the lower branches, bared their teeth at the opposite bank, and made low "whooshing" sounds.

The mother monkeys protected their cubs and retreated to higher ground. Their movements were swift but not chaotic, clearly indicating that this was not the first time they had encountered such a situation.

The lead female monkey, holding her cub, squatted on the highest branch of the tree, looking down at the opposite bank with a calm expression.

He even took a leisurely bite of the persimmon, his posture clearly saying: Come and get me if you dare.

"These golden monkeys are something else, I'm not afraid of them at all," Zhao Dahai chuckled.

Before he finished speaking, the big male monkey on the other side of the river got even more excited.

It jumped down from the tree, ran to the stream, picked up a stone, and threw it this way.

The stone fell into the stream with a "plop," still more than ten meters away from the golden monkey, but it was full of provocation.

"Hey, this little rascal's pretty cocky!" Wang Cunye raised an eyebrow.

The golden monkey troop didn't move, but just kept a wary eye on the opposite bank.

But several half-grown monkeys were frightened by the stones and squeaked, burrowing into their mother's arms.

Chen Ling frowned.

Wild monkeys bully the weak and fear the strong; they've taken advantage of the fact that there are baby golden monkeys in the troop.

Seeing that there was no reaction, the large male monkey became even more arrogant.

It picked up another stone and this time aimed it at a male golden snub-nosed monkey crouching low.

The stone flew over and hit the tree trunk with a loud "bang".

The male golden snub-nosed monkey darted to the side and let out an angry scream at the opposite bank.

The male monkey was very pleased with himself and jumped around by the stream. The wild monkeys behind him joined in the commotion, and for a while, monkey cries filled the air on the other side of the stream, and stones and branches flew everywhere.

"These wild monkeys are asking for it." Chen Ling stood up, his face darkening.

He turned to look at Afu and Ashou, who were lying in the shade, and whistled.

Afu's ears perked up, and he slowly stood up.

Ah Shou got up, yawned, and revealed two small dagger-like fangs.

"Go, scare them a little."

Chen Ling pointed to the opposite bank of the stream.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou started walking slowly towards the stream.

Its massive body cast two moving shadows in the sunlight, and each step it took on the ground made a heavy, muffled thud.

The two tigers walked to the stream, stopped, and looked at the group of wild monkeys on the opposite bank across the ten-meter-wide stream.

Afu opened his mouth and let out a deep tiger roar—

"Awooo—"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was deep and muffled like thunder, rolling through the valley and making the leaves on the trees tremble three times.

The group of wild monkeys on the opposite bank immediately erupted into chaos.

The arrogant male monkey, who had been jumping around so much, froze upon hearing the roar, then darted back up the tree from the stream, moving as fast as if it had springs under its buttocks.

The group of wild monkeys behind it were in complete chaos, squealing and running into the depths of the forest. Some climbed trees, some crawled through bushes, and some simply tumbled and scrambled up the mountain.

The branches rattled and clattered as they were struck, and the sounds of monkeys shouting, running away, and trampling mingled together, creating a cacophony as noisy as sparrows scattering from their nest.

Seeing this, Ah Shou also shouted out.

This shout was even deeper than Afu's, startling a wild monkey so much that it snapped a dry branch with a "crack" and it fell to the ground.

The group of wild monkeys ran even faster.

The big male monkey ran in front, not daring to look back, and disappeared in a few swift movements.

"You run pretty fast!" Rui Rui clapped her hands and jumped up. "Ah Fu and Ah Shou are amazing!"

Xiao Ming had already taken out his slingshot, loaded it with a small pebble, and aimed it at the fleeing wild monkeys: "Don't run! Take this shot!"

He pulled the rubber band hard, and with a "whoosh," the pebble flew out.

Whether it was pure luck or Xiaoming's exceptional accuracy, the pebble struck the rear end of a wild monkey.

The wild monkey let out a miserable "squeak," clutched its rear end, jumped three feet high, and ran even faster.

"I hit it! I hit it!" Xiaoming jumped up and down excitedly.

Rui Rui also took out his slingshot and started shooting.

The two children flicked stones at each other, sending them whizzing towards the opposite bank. Although most of them missed, their excitement was even greater than if they had hit anything. Wang Zhenzhen also picked up a few stones and threw them across the river, shouting as she did so, "You bullied the golden monkey! You threw stones! Run! Why aren't you being so arrogant anymore!"

The wild monkeys had no time to retaliate; each one ran faster than the last, disappearing into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye, leaving only echoes of their squeaking.

"Alright, alright, stop chasing them." Chen Ling smiled and stopped the children. "It's enough to scare them away. If you keep chasing them, they'll get really angry and start throwing stones, which isn't fun."

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming put away their slingshots, but their little faces were still full of excitement as they chattered about their heroic feat of shooting just now.

The golden monkey troop on the opposite bank quieted down.

The lead female monkey looked down from her vantage point and then chirped a few times at Chen Ling. Her voice was gentle and soft, a stark contrast to her earlier warning to the wild monkeys.

"This is to thank us," Qin Rongxian said with a smile.

Chen Lingchong waved his hand and said, "Alright, you guys eat."

The mother monkey cried out twice more, then picked up her baby and climbed to the top of the tree.

The remaining golden monkeys returned to their places, some eating persimmons, others basking in the sun.

Several half-grown monkeys started chasing each other and playing again, as if the confrontation had never happened.

“These golden monkeys are really steady,” Liang Hongyu remarked. “They have much more poise than those wild monkeys.”

“It’s a nationally protected animal. In Fugui’s words, it’s the aristocracy of monkeys. How can you compare them?” Qin Rongxian chimed in.

As everyone was laughing, a series of "crackling" sounds suddenly came from deep within the woods on the opposite bank of the stream, as if something large was breaking tree branches.

"What's that noise?" Wang Cunye became alert.

Afu and Ashou's ears perked up simultaneously, turning towards the direction from which the sound came, and a low "whoosh" sound came from their throats.

Chen Ling squinted and looked in that direction.

The woods were too dense to see clearly, but the "crack" sound grew closer and closer, accompanied by heavy breathing.

"Could it be a wild boar?" Zhao Dahai asked nervously.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a huge head emerged from the bushes.

It was dark and round, with two little eyes that darted around, and its mouth was still smeared with the juice of the wild persimmons it hadn't finished eating.

Black bear.

Moreover, it was a rather large black bear; when it stood up, it was probably more than a person's height.

The head popped out, glanced this way, then glanced again, and then its whole body squeezed out of the bushes.

It awkwardly backed away, trying to climb the tree.

But it panicked and tried to climb up but failed. Its paw slipped and it fell down with a "plop" onto the ground, letting out a mournful "woof woof".

"It...it's trying to run away?" Wang Zhenzhen was stunned.

The black bear obviously wanted to run away.

Just now, Ah Fu and Ah Shou's shouts shook the entire valley.

It was happily eating persimmons in the tree when it heard the noise and almost fell off the tree.

After finally managing to steady myself, I peeked out.

Good heavens, there are two giant tigers standing on this side of the stream, each two or three times larger than it!

What are we waiting for? Run!

But this bear must have eaten too much, because it was incredibly clumsy.

Unable to climb trees, and unable to run fast into the woods, it scratched at the ground with its four paws, managing to dig a hole in the spot.

"Hahaha, look at it!" Rui Rui laughed so hard she slapped her thigh.

Xiao Ming laughed heartily: "It's so stupid! Even stupider than Tie Dan!"

If Little Iron Egg were here, he'd probably be miserable.

It's just a bit silly; when has it ever been this dumb?
Afu and Ashou simply watched the clumsy bear quietly, showing no intention of chasing it.

They were already used to the various animals in the mountains, and as long as they didn't cause trouble, they didn't bother with them.

Chen Ling chuckled and waved at the bear, "Alright, alright, I won't bite you. Go do what you were doing."

The bear seemed to understand, or perhaps it didn't. In any case, it just lay there motionless, its two little eyes looking pitifully in this direction, making "woof woof" sounds incessantly.

"Is it scared out of its wits?" Wang Susu asked worriedly.

“It’s not that they’re stupid, it’s that they’re scared,” Chen Ling laughed. “That’s how bears are. They look fierce, but they’re actually not very brave. If they really encounter a wild beast, they’ll run faster than a rabbit.”

Wang Cunye picked up a stone and threw it towards the bear: "Go! If you don't leave, the tiger will be released!"

The stone landed beside the bear with a dull thud.

The bear shuddered, finally realizing what was happening, and scrambled to its feet, dashing into the forest.

This time it ran quite fast, swinging its four paws in a wide arc, wiggling its rear end, and disappeared into the bushes in no time, leaving only the sound of "crackling" branches breaking in the distance.

"This silly bear, it's so funny when it runs." Wang Zhenzhen laughed so hard she rubbed her stomach.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming held Chen Ling's hands: "Daddy, Daddy, let's go over there and see what that bear was eating just now?"

"Let's go take a look," Chen Ling urged everyone to head upstream.

The stream is not deep; you can cross it by stepping on the exposed stones.

Afu and Ashou were the first to jump over, their massive bodies landing steadily.

Erhei led several puppies behind him. Some of the puppies couldn't jump over the bank and fell into the water with a splash. They then struggled to climb back onto the bank, shaking off the water droplets.

After crossing the stream, we walked a short distance and saw several large wild persimmon trees.

The tree trunk was as thick as two people could hug, and its canopy spread out over a large area, covered with golden persimmons, some of which were so ripe they were soft and glistening with a honey-like luster in the sunlight.

Scattered on the ground under the tree were gnawed persimmons, some only half left, some bitten to pieces, juice spilled all over the ground.

On the trunk of the thickest tree, there were several deep claw marks, clearly left by the bear from earlier.

"Wow, this persimmon tree is really thick." Qin Rong looked up and said, "It must be over a hundred years old, right?"

"more than."

Chen Ling also looked up and said, "This tree is at least two hundred years old. There are many old trees in this mountain area. They all grew on their own before no one took care of them."

Wang Zhenzhen has already climbed up.

She was mischievous from a young age, and she could climb trees more nimbly than a monkey. In no time, she would dart up to a branch, pick a soft persimmon, and start eating it.

"Mmm! Sweet! So sweet!"

She sat on a tree branch, her face covered in persimmons, and said, "Sister, brother-in-law, I'll pick some persimmons for you! These are all ripe!"

Wang Susu called out from under the tree, "Be careful, don't fall!"

"You won't fall!"

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming also tried to climb up, but they weren't as agile as Wang Zhenzhen. They would slip and fall every two steps, making them anxious and crying out.

Chen Ling supported the two children's bottoms from below and sent them up one by one.

"Dad, come up here too!" Rui Rui called from upstairs.

"What would I do up there? Pick fruit for you?"

Chen Ling smiled and shook his head, then turned to pick the lower ones.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan also got involved, picking only ripe, soft persimmons and handling them gently when putting them into their baskets, as they would easily break the skin.

Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu were also picking persimmons. Liang Hongyu took pictures as she picked them, saying, "If these were made into dried persimmons, they would definitely taste delicious in winter."

“That would take many days to dry,” Gao Xiulan said with a smile. “But our yard is big, so it can dry out.”

Erhei led several puppies around under the tree, sniffing the rotten persimmons on the ground, and then looking up at the movement in the tree.

The little blue dog was timid and kept its distance.

The little black dog was bold; it went up to the tree and licked the persimmon juice on the ground, making a smacking sound as it licked.

The most docile black and yellow spotted dog squatted to one side, watching quietly without joining in the fun or running far away.

It was the first time the puppies had been to the mountains, and everything was new and exciting to them.

The little dog with bluish fur was chasing a grasshopper. The grasshopper would hop, and the dog would pounce, but it couldn't catch it after a long time, so it barked anxiously.

The little black dog wanted to help, so the two dogs chased after it together, but they ended up colliding and rolling around covered in grass clippings.

Erhei watched from the side, not paying any attention, occasionally calling out as if to say: "Play is fine, but don't go too far."

As they were picking kiwis, Rui Rui called out from the tree, "Daddy! There are kiwis over there!" (End of Chapter)