My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 186 Money Matters

"It's alright, don't be afraid. It's just a grass leopard. It runs away when it sees people and is very timid. It won't hurt anyone..."

Seeing his son-in-law staring intently at the tree, Wang Cunye assumed he was afraid of the leopard and smiled to comfort him.

In fact, Chen Ling was only attracted by the golden monkeys at the top of the tree.

Hearing his father-in-law speak, he turned around and said, "Huh? Is that a grass leopard? Why is it so small?"

"That's right, grass leopards only grow to this size. Don't be afraid if you encounter one. In the past, when we encountered them while traveling at night, we could kill several with a single swing of a carrying pole."

"They've become increasingly rare these days, sometimes only once every two or three years. Grass leopards are afraid of people, but they're not as fierce as wild leopards."

Wang Cunye smirked and pointed to the top of the tree, saying, "Now this beast can't escape. It can't beat the Golden Monkey up there. When the Golden Monkey protects its cubs, it dares to fight wolves, not to mention there's such a big group surrounding it."

Chen Ling looked up and saw that the little leopard was about two sizes larger than the mountain fox. It had yellowish-brown fur with black spots. If you ignored the leopard spots and only looked at its square head, it looked more like a little tiger than a leopard.

I thought to myself, "So this is a grass leopard."

"Grass leopard" is also a colloquial term.

In fact, it is the female leopard among the leopards.

Just like with musk deer, male musk deer are called "tooth musk deer" and female musk deer are called "grass musk deer".

The leopard is male, and the grass leopard is female.

Chen Ling had wondered before, why bother distinguishing between the same thing?
There's actually a reason for this.

Simply put, it's because of this leopard; the male and female differ greatly in size.

The males can grow to weigh between 80 and 100 pounds.

The largest females weigh no more than forty pounds, and the smaller ones weigh only about twenty pounds, almost the same as a cat, and some are not even as fierce as wild raccoon dogs.

The males are more likely to hurt people, while the females are not harmful but are quite afraid of people, which is how they gradually became distinguishable.

These are stories I heard from the village elders when I was a child. In recent years, even wild leopards have become increasingly rare, let alone grass leopards.

This was the first time he had ever seen it, and only now, after hearing his father-in-law's account, did he slowly begin to recall it.

However, even though the grass leopard is rare, it can't compare to the golden snub-nosed monkey.

These monkeys are so beautiful, like little golden elves.

No wonder the country has sent several giant pandas abroad, but has refused to give up on golden monkeys, and has never sent a single one abroad.

Seeing the golden monkeys up close now, I understand why they are so rare.

She's pleasing to the eye just by looking at her.

"A true aristocrat among monkeys, indeed!"

Chen Ling looked up, admiring the sight in his heart.

"Shoot the leopard! Shoot it! Shoot it!!"

Now that Wang Zhenzhen knew it was a grass leopard, she was no longer afraid and jumped up and down in the tree, shouting.

Little Tongtong clapped his hands and joined in the shouting.

The two little ones were playing around.

The golden monkeys really did fight with the leopards.

The leopard, still carrying the baby monkey in its mouth, arched its back and bristled its fur like a frightened tabby cat, constantly looking left and right. When it saw the golden monkeys baring their fangs and roaring angrily as they pounced, it was so frightened that it dropped the baby monkey in its mouth and leaped into the air, jumping very high. It was no match for the golden monkeys and wanted to escape.

The grass leopard is small in size but incredibly agile and fast. It leaps over the head of a golden monkey so fast that only a blur can be seen. With a rustling of leaves, it darts away from the dense trees.

Monkeys are known for holding grudges, and golden snub-nosed monkeys are no exception.

The leopard fled, and several golden monkeys shouted and chased after it, clinging to the branches. They leaped and swung nimbly from the treetops, their speed surprisingly fast.

The remaining golden monkeys grabbed onto the branches and swung down when the baby monkey fell straight down from between the branches. One of the smaller golden monkeys was the most eager and quickly caught the blood-soaked baby monkey in its arms.

After landing on the ground, ignoring Xiao Jin watching from nearby, she gently licked the little monkey in her arms, removing the bloodstains and letting it nurse. Unfortunately, the little monkey didn't react much, just lying quietly in her arms, with blood still seeping from the wound on its neck.

"Hiss...click...hiss...click..."

Several of the remaining eight or nine golden monkeys were carrying their babies. After landing on the ground, they surrounded their mothers and bared their teeth at the nearby baby monkeys and Chen Ling and his group in the distance, making a series of hissing warning noises.

Wang Cunye glanced at them and said to Chen Ling, "Let's take a detour. Don't provoke them. That little monkey is doomed. These monkeys are furious."

Chen Ling knew that the wild monkeys in the mountains were not to be trifled with, so he quickly called Xiao Jin back.

At this moment, the mother monkey seemed to know that her child was doomed. She held the little golden monkey tightly in her arms, lowered her head sadly, and whimpered softly, her cries filled with sorrow.

"The little monkey is so pitiful."

Wang Zhenzhen, holding her little nephew's hand, stared blankly at this scene.

Then she looked up at Chen Ling and asked, "Brother-in-law, can we save it?"

Chen Ling was taken aback by her question and paused for a few seconds.

Then he gently shook his head: "They can't be saved. Even if they could, they wouldn't be able to get through. Look at the way these monkeys are acting, do you think anyone could get close?"

Wang Zhenzhen glanced over and saw that the group of golden monkeys had surrounded the mother and child, staring at them with fierce expressions, pacing back and forth anxiously, their expressions and cries were very frightening.

Without a doubt, in this situation, if anyone dares to walk past, they will swarm and attack.

"Alright, let's go. Don't be fooled by the fact that the golden monkeys seem mild-mannered. They're much fiercer than ordinary monkeys when they fight. Why provoke them?"

Wang Cunye grabbed his youngest daughter and left.

In fact, golden monkeys have a much better temperament than other monkeys, and they are not usually afraid of people.

But this group is different. They've been angered by the leopards and are on high alert, so how could they let humans get close?

Wang Zhenzhen was still a little unwilling and kept looking back.

Chen Ling offered a few words of comfort to his sister-in-law.

He didn't want the little monkey to die a tragic death either.

So he made an excuse to go to the toilet, then returned the way he came, throwing a few bunches of wild grapes, peaches and other fruits at the monkey troop from a distance. These were all grown in the cave, and their allure to wild animals was self-evident.

At first, the monkeys were furious and wanted to chase after them, but the smell of the crushed wild grapes quickly attracted them, and they all scrambled to get their hands on them.

Chen Ling stood there for two minutes, wondering if the female monkey had eaten anything, or if she was even in the mood to eat.

But that's all he can do.

Given the intelligence of golden monkeys, hopefully they will discover the benefits of these fruits and be able to save the baby monkeys.

Actually, as long as you can catch your breath, you can get through it.

After glancing at the monkey troop once more, Chen Ling turned and left.

Wild golden monkeys have always been rare.

Take the well-known Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey and Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey, for example. By 2021, there were only a few thousand purely wild individuals, with just over three thousand Qinling golden snub-nosed monkeys.

There are even fewer now; there are only about a thousand golden monkeys left in the Qinling Mountains.

"If we encounter them, we should help them if we can..."

If the monkey troop weren't so wary right now, and he could have gotten close to the baby monkeys and fed them some of the grotto's spiritual water, he would have been able to save them without a doubt. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

Suppress the many thoughts in my mind.

Chen Ling followed his father-in-law on a detour home.

"Lingzi, look, that's the largest village in Bawangzhai in the valley to the west."

Standing on the cliff, Wang Cunye pointed to the wide valley to the west and said, "They have dry land and paddy fields there, and nearly two thousand people."

Chen Ling looked in that direction and saw farmland, irrigation ditches, rivers, and houses scattered along the valley in a north-south strip, which looked much better than Yaowang Village.

"Those are two villages, with only two entrances, one to the north and one to the south. My older sister, my eldest brother, and my second eldest brother all went to school there..."

At this moment, Wang Zhenzhen also pointed there and said.

Chen Ling suddenly realized: "I did hear your sister mention that there are no schools anymore, right?"

"It's gone. It was gone when it was time for me to go to school, and I had to walk a long way to town."

Wang Zhenzhen pouted unhappily.

"There's nothing we can do; we can't keep the teachers."

Wang Cunye sighed.

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. If one can stay in town to teach, who would want to come to these mountains?

What future can one have in this poor place?

“Let’s go down from here. Ahead is the tea plantation of our village. Let’s approach from this side.”

When they first came out, in order to find snakes and to let his son-in-law see some of the places that herbalists often went, Wang Cunye led him on a roundabout tour.

We're in a hurry to get back for dinner, so we're taking the shortcut. This is a tea plantation belonging to Yaowangzhai. There's no suitable place to grow grain near Yaowangzhai, so each household in the village has a plot of tea garden on the mountain where they grow tea, collect herbs, and raise snakes and poultry. This is the main source of their income.

……

Home.

Rice is already steaming on the kitchen stove.

Gao Xiulan pulled Wang Susu into the room and made her sit on the bed.

"What's wrong, mother?"

Seeing her mother's strange behavior, Wang Susu couldn't help but ask.

"Don't speak, or someone will hear you."

Gao Xiulan whispered something, then squatted down, pulled a wooden box from under the bed, unlocked it with a key, and took out a bulging flowered handkerchief from the bottom of her clothes.

Gao Xiulan sat back on the bed and carefully unfolded the flowered handkerchief, revealing a stack of brand-new banknotes. The banknotes ranged from one hundred and fifty to a few cents, including old domestic banknotes and even two foreign banknotes, totaling at least one or two thousand.

"Here, take it."

Gao Xiulan grabbed her daughter's hand and placed the money in it.

"Mother, what are you doing? I don't want to..."

Wang Susu frowned and pushed it back: "It's not easy for you and Dad to save up this money, you can keep it for yourselves."

“Oh dear, it’s not just the money your father and I have, but also the money your grandparents saved for you. Look at these two foreign bills, they were brought back by your grandfather when he was fighting in the war. He saved them especially for you. One of them can be exchanged for several others, they’re very valuable.”

Gao Xiulan put the money back.

"Mother, please don't do this. It won't be good if my eldest and second brothers find out."

Wang Susu said helplessly, wondering why her mother suddenly did this.

"What's the big deal? It doesn't matter if they find out..."

Gao Xiulan smiled and glanced at her: "I'm not a biased person. They're all here with me, but you're not. Here, take it."

"Furthermore, Zhenzhen is with you, attending school with you. We can't expect her to eat and drink for free, and we can't expect you to pay all her tuition and fees, can we?"

"If word gets out, people will think we're benefiting from our daughter and son-in-law's fame, and they'll laugh at us."

"Listen to me, take it quickly."

These were truly Gao Xiulan's thoughts. Tuition and fees were no joke; what's wrong with elementary school students? It still adds up to about a hundred yuan a year. That's not a small amount.

Wang Susu looked at her mother's serious expression and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

“Mom, don’t be so formal with us. A-Ling already said that after we have a baby, we won’t have grandparents to love us anymore, we’ll have to rely on maternal grandparents to love us…”

"Right now, it's no big deal for us to take care of Zhenzhen. But when your grandchildren are born, you'll have plenty of trouble. Are you expecting A-Ling and me to pay for your and Dad's meals then?"

Hearing this, Gao Xiulan's eyes welled up with tears: "Oh, you silly girl, it's only natural for your parents to give you money to spend."

As she spoke, she saw her daughter frown and push the money towards her. The old lady rubbed her eyes and smiled helplessly, "Alright, alright, if you don't want it, I'll save it for my eldest grandson..."

As the mother and daughter were talking, a child's shout came from outside the courtyard.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back."

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiulan immediately stood up and said, "It's Dongdong! Come in quickly."

Then he smiled at Wang Susu and said, "Your second brother and sister-in-law are back. Let's go and greet them."

……

At noon, Chen Ling and his father-in-law, along with his sister-in-law and nephew, returned home, and the courtyard was bustling with activity.

A slightly dark-skinned, plump woman with a single ponytail was chatting and laughing with Wang Susu. Behind her was a man with messy hair, a strong build, a broad forehead, a long face, and a full beard. He was slightly shorter than Wang Qingwen, and his clothes were covered in dirt. He was standing with Gao Xiulan and a thin, dark-skinned boy, feeding water to the horses.

He listened to Wang Susu and the other woman talking with a smile, his eyes disappearing from his laughter.

"Wow, second brother, second sister-in-law, I've missed you so much..."

Upon entering and seeing the two of them, Wang Zhenzhen immediately cheered and ran over.

"Oh my, Zhenzhen, you've gotten fat from eating with your sister."

Wang Qingzhong laughed heartily, then saw his little sister jumping around with her arms outstretched. He knew exactly what she meant, so he quickly waved his hands and said, "No more hugging, no more hugging. Second brother just got home and he's dirty."

The eldest brother, Wang Qingwen, is too serious and strict.

Although Wang Zhenzhen attends school in Fenglei Town and often eats with her older brother, and sometimes stays with her brother and sister-in-law for a couple of days, she doesn't dare to cause trouble in front of her older brother.

At home, she was only not afraid of her second brother, Wang Qingzhong. From childhood to adulthood, Wang Qingzhong would hug her first whenever he came home, and it was the same after they had children. He doted on his little sister very much.

Wang Zhenzhen was used to it.

When her second brother wouldn't hug her, she turned around to find her second sister-in-law, and then went to play with another little nephew.

Like a little wild horse, it runs around and never stays still for a moment.

"father."

After speaking with his younger sister, Wang Qingzhong stepped forward to help Wang Cunye with his things, then smiled and nodded at Chen Ling, asking, "Did you catch the snake?"

"We caught it. The snake bait is really effective. I've never seen this before. It gave me quite a fright."

Chen Ling's words made him laugh loudly: "Haha, stay at home for a few more days this time, I'll take you to the mountains to play every day."

"Okay."

Chen Ling readily agreed.

This second brother-in-law was good-tempered, honest, and kind, almost exactly like his father-in-law, Wang Cunye.

Chen Ling had heard Wang Susu say that his peers, and even the younger generation, bullied his second brother because he was honest and liked to take advantage of him. A few years ago, when they asked his second brother to help them bring some grain, they wouldn't even give him money. These people were either from the same village where they saw each other all the time, or they were childhood friends or classmates. His second brother couldn't bring himself to ask for money.

Over time, he couldn't earn any money at the end of the year, which caused the couple to argue frequently. Later, they gradually learned to be a little more cunning.

"Dongdong, come here and call your uncle."

Wang Qingzhong called the skinny little boy over. The boy was even younger than Xiao Tongtong, with big eyes, a small face, and a skinny body, looking just like a little monkey.

He was well-behaved and bolder than Xiaotongtong. He raised his head, gave Chen Ling a big smile, and called him "Uncle."

At this moment, Guo Xinping, the second sister-in-law, also came over to speak. She was an ordinary peasant woman, thirty years old, with a broad nose and wide mouth, and a slightly dark complexion. She had married Wang Qingzhong a long time ago, but had her child a year later than Wang Qingwen's wife.

After exchanging greetings, Gao Xiulan brought out bamboo chairs and stools for everyone to sit down and talk.

"I was just talking to Susu about how we almost ended up in your Changle Township when we went east this time..."

Second Sister-in-law said.

Chen Ling asked in surprise, "It's so far! Dongdong came along too?"

"No, he was sent to my mother's place and stayed with his maternal grandmother for a while."

Guo Xinping finished speaking.

Wang Qingzhong also said, "Lingzi, I heard from my brother that you planted peanuts and soybeans this year. How was the harvest?"

You can tell what someone is doing by looking at them. My second brother-in-law, this grain dealer, got to the grain topic after only a few words. He couldn't stop talking about his old profession.

"It's alright. We planted a little over five mu of land in total. Soybeans yielded about 290 jin per mu, and peanuts were a bit more plentiful, about 800 jin per mu..."

Chen Ling thought for a moment: "It's roughly this number."

"That's great! Autumn peanuts and soybeans are ready, this harvest is quite good."

Wang Qingzhong and his wife exchanged a glance, gave Chen Ling a thumbs up, and sighed softly, "Your fields are definitely better. Not only is the harvest from our mountain land poor, but the quality of the grain we grow here is also inferior to that from outside."

"What price are you selling it for?"

"I honestly can't remember the price, Susu, do you remember..."

Chen Ling looked at his wife. It wasn't that he had a bad memory; it was that he really hadn't taken the matter to heart.

Wang Susu remembered perfectly, without even stuttering, “Peanuts are two yuan and eighty cents, soybeans are two yuan and ninety-five cents.”

"Second brother, did we overpay at this price?"

Wang Susu was a little worried.

"Loss? Goodness, you must have sold at the highest price during the two weeks, right? Now that the stock below is almost gone, you can't find that price anymore."

Wang Qingzhong slapped his thigh with wide eyes and shouted, "If this is considered a loss, then no one else has the face to say they've made money!"

At this moment, Guo Xinping, the second sister-in-law, had already started to do some calculations by writing and drawing on the ground with her finger. After she finished, she looked up in surprise.

My sister and brother-in-law are amazing! Just these two things alone can bring in at least seven or eight thousand in income. They're lucky to have caught this good year.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan, the elderly couple, came over to take a look at what their second daughter-in-law had calculated, and were even more shocked.

No wonder my daughter always says life is better now; this guy has been quietly making a lot of money.

(End of this chapter)