My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 279 First Appearance of a Leopard
Chen Ling took Heiwa and searched around. It just so happened that Wang Jusheng's eldest cousin, Wang Jukun, had a female dog that was ready to be mated.

It's just that it's a bit old; we've raised it for seven or eight years. When Heiwa saw it, he actually looked down on it.

The female dog was quite experienced; she wagged her tail at Heiwa and whined and whined, turning her rear end towards Heiwa to make way for him.

Heiwa remained unmoved, obediently following Chen Ling, never glancing to the side, excessively polite.

He was completely devoid of the clingy affection he had shown in front of Xiao Jin, and that impulsive, excited energy he used to have.

This reaction left Chen Ling speechless. "I kindly brought you out to solve the problem, and you're still being picky."

However, after being led around the village by him and seeing the other female dogs, Heiwa, that silly guy, gradually calmed down.

This idiot is really something, with such high standards.

No wonder he's been enlightened.

This dog is no ordinary dog.

Chen Ling muttered to himself, while the old man Wang Jukun next to him frowned and said, "Huh? Didn't you say your dog was being difficult? My dog's butt is already on the trough, why isn't it going to get on it?"

In the local dialect, the mating season for cats and dogs is described as: "The cat walks to the pond, the dog carries the trough."

If you say you're in heat, no one will understand.

To say that one is in heat is perhaps acceptable, but in the countryside, where people are conservative, saying such a thing is considered too explicit and cannot be said openly.

"Yeah, it's so mischievous at home, who knew it would turn out like this on the battlefield? This dog has a lot of problems, let's just leave it alone."

Chen Ling shook his head and said to the old man, "Brother Jukun, when you finish your studies and come back from the fields, you can send him to Brother Xian's house. Let's have a drink together today. Shuiwa and Yuqiang are here. If you don't have anything to do before the Mid-Autumn Festival, let's get together."

When he took Heiwa out to look for the mother dog, he also took the opportunity to inform the group of young people along the way.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to him when he gets back."

Wang Jukun nodded, and seeing that he was about to leave, he urged him to stay, "Fugui, have some more tea and sit for a while. You've grown up now, and you don't come to my house to play with Xuecheng as often as you did when you were little..."

Chen Ling used to play with Chen Ze, Wang Xuecheng, and a few others since childhood, and they also had a good relationship with some of the older ones.

The older child takes care of the younger child.

But right.

Later, these people almost didn't even finish primary school before dropping out.

Chen Ling went to high school. If he had studied hard, he might have been able to graduate from high school and get a slightly higher degree.

He's practically a college student by now.

So those who study and those who drop out of school early gradually stop playing together.

As they grew up, their personalities changed, and they weren't as close as they were when they were children.

In addition, Chen Ling had a conflict with these young people in the village while working outside, so they stopped seeing each other even more.

It has only been in the last two years that things have slowly started to get better again.

"I'm not sitting here anymore, Jukun. I have to clean up the food today. I'll come back another day."

After Chen Ling said that, Wang Jukun did not try to keep him any longer and saw him out.

They even said that if the dog causes trouble again, they'll send it over to be bred. They're all home all day.

Chen Ling readily agreed.

This old man was a generation younger than Wang Laishun, but only a few years younger. However, the two looked like brothers, both dark-skinned and thin with a mouthful of yellow teeth.

The old man saw Chen Ling to the door, and coincidentally, his wife returned with a basket of peanuts on her back. She had gone to the peanut field to dig up peanuts while it was still cool in the morning.

"Oh, Fugui is here! You don't come to visit often. Please sit a little longer."

The old lady was Cui the Cripple's sister. She looked younger than Wang Jukun. Although she had less white hair, her face was full of wrinkles and she didn't look much better. However, she was quite strong and didn't hunch over, which made her look younger than Wang Jukun.

He stopped Chen Ling and continued talking.

"You little rascal, you used to come to my house every day to play with Xuecheng when you were little. You even took advantage of the busy work in the team to sneak over and ride my big white horse with Shuiwazi, almost scaring it away. Do you remember?"

Chen Ling immediately felt ashamed: "I remember, I remember."

Back then, the livestock in the brigade were much more precious than people. During busy farming seasons or when the collective was organized to do some work, they were the ones who did all the work.

If a child gets hurt by a large animal because of being naughty, they can only blame themselves.

Seeking compensation? No way.

After chatting for a while, the old lady said, "You've grown up and started your own family, so you don't come to visit much anymore."

Chen Ling told him that he would come to visit Xuecheng often and come to his house to sit for a while, and then let him leave.

He took Heiwa and left to return to Wang Lixian's home.

Wang Jukun's mother dog was still reluctant to leave. The dog was usually kept on a leash at home and had never come out to play with Heiwa.

Suddenly seeing the mighty and strong Heiwa, I was instantly captivated.

Unfortunately, Heiwa looked down on this resentful old woman confined to her chambers.

……

They arrived at Wang Lixian's house.

Chen Ze and Chen Yuqiang were already in the yard.

Upon hearing what had happened, Chen Ze said, "Your dog is very intelligent and smarter than other dogs. Fugui, think about it. Such a great young man, he's still so powerful even after going into the mountains. Hunting wolves and other animals is like child's play for him. Such a powerful dog is the king and general of dogs. How could the king of dogs find an old woman?"

"Let alone Heiwa, even if it were me, I wouldn't do it."

"You can pull him down."

Chen Yuqiang noticed that he became increasingly proud as he spoke.

He immediately said with disdain, "If it were you, you'd be lucky if you didn't find a female dog to mate with when it's time to pick up the dung beetle."

Chen Ze was furious: "You, Yu Qiang, I was just using an analogy, and you're calling me a dog, huh?"

The two of them made a ruckus in Wang Lixian's yard, which amused everyone.

Aunt Wang pointed at the two of them and laughed, "You young people always have so many strange things to say."

Si Ni'er added, "That's right, every time Uncle Fugui and you guys come over, we can laugh for half a day."

Aunt Wang and Si Ni'er said this.

The two of them kept talking nonsense and telling funny stories about working in the factory.

Meanwhile, Chen Ling and Wang Lixian were slaughtering and removing the hair from a pig while listening to their rambling nonsense.

Soon Wang Jusheng, Wang Xuecheng and the others arrived one after another, and the courtyard became more and more lively.

Chen Ling and Wang Lixian slaughtered the wild boar, added water, and stewed it in a pot.

Liu Yuzhi, along with Da Nier and Si Nier, kneaded dough and made pancakes, and soon the aroma filled the courtyard.

Once half of the white flour pancakes are cooked, the rest will not be cooked on the griddle.

Instead, they put the meat into a pot of stewed wild boar, placed several white flour flatbreads on top of the meat, and then covered the pot to simmer.

It's similar to cornbread; once cooked, it absorbs all the broth and tastes incredibly delicious.

Those who came to drink didn't come empty-handed; some brought mooncakes, some brought eggs, and others brought peanuts, sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, and green beans.

These are a few more vegetarian dishes, which can also be sliced ​​and added to the pork hot pot as side dishes.

Before noon, all the dishes were on the table, and Chen Ling then brought out his own corn liquor and set it out.

Enjoying the fragrant, tender pork and the hot flatbread, everyone ate and chatted, constantly toasting and exchanging drinks, their spirits rising higher and higher, as lively as if they were celebrating a happy occasion.

Although no one drank much, the atmosphere was intoxicating, and the whole group was tipsy. Even Heiwa ate his fill, finishing off the wild boar bones and offal that couldn't be cooked.

During this time, Wang Lixian and Chen Ling mentioned their speculation that there might be another leopard on the mountain. As soon as everyone heard about the leopard, there was another heated discussion. The young people had never seen a live leopard before, and they were all eager to go up the mountain to look for it.

Then, when Chen Ze told him that Wang Lixian had lost a big wild boar and even tore off the trap, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He waved his arms excitedly and shouted that he would go into the mountains to find it.

However, being in such a drunk state, one naturally cannot go up the mountain.

Wang Lixian advised everyone not to rush, to sober up first before talking about anything else.

So they set up tables, drank tea and played cards in the courtyard, while others went home to sleep.

It wasn't until 3 p.m., when everyone sobered up, that they started carrying their traps, pitchforks, and other tools from their homes up the mountain.

Chen Ling led Heiwa at the back. He hadn't brought any traps when he left the farm in the morning, but he went back in the afternoon to get the traps and the hunting rifle.

However, this time I brought Heiwa with me. There were two female guests at home, and I couldn't let it cause trouble.

The group walked along the dirt road in the fields. Wild grass grew lushly along the road, and on both sides were large cornfields. The corn stalks, which were taller than a person, rustled in the wind, and the huge corn cobs on them swayed.

The corn silk on my head was almost dry, and the stalks were starting to turn slightly yellow.

This means that harvest time is approaching, and the corn cobs are too old to eat.

The further west you go, the closer you get to the foot of the mountain, the more abundant peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and cotton become.

There were also mung beans, black beans, and peas planted along the roadside, but not many; they were just planted in a thin row on the earthen mounds.

As they walked up the mountain, Chen Ling, finding Heiwa too energetic, deliberately tried to wear it down.

When they saw rabbits, civets, or other small animals darting and jumping around in the fields, they would send Heiwa to chase after them.

Even when it sees the nests of lizards and ground squirrels, it lets them go up and mess around.

As a result, before they even reached the mountain, Chen Ling's side couldn't keep up with the prey they had hunted.

They had no choice but to distribute it among everyone.

Some of the cheap ones are used as bait for traps, while rabbits and the like can be taken home for meat.

Upon arriving at the mountain, Wang Lixian asked everyone to stop.

They discussed with Chen Ling about first finding the animal trails where wild boars frequently appear and setting traps in the vicinity of the trails.

Chen Ling didn't say anything, just took out a wild boar tail and told Heiwa to find a prostitute. Heiwa quickly found a prostitute, and after receiving a signal from Chen Ling, he went ahead to lead the way.

In less than half an hour, they found seven or eight wild boar trails in the mountains and forests.

Upon seeing this, Wang Lixian praised Heiwa, saying he was remarkable and his skills were much better than when he went into the mountains last year.

Then, glancing at Chen Ling, he smiled and said, "No wonder everyone says they want to ask you for a puppy. How can anyone not be envious of a dog like that?"

The others also joined in with praise.

In the end, Wang Jusheng said regretfully, "It's just that this dog is too smart. It doesn't even look at ordinary female dogs. Otherwise, if it mates with a few more female dogs, it could have more litters of puppies."

Chen Ling nodded: "Yes, this dog is just like a child you raise at home. The more capable it is, the harder it is to manage."

Then he kicked Heiwa: "Everyone's praising you, keep up the good work."

Heiwa squatted down beside him, sticking out his tongue, tilting his big head up to look at him, then squinted his eyes happily and wagged his tail wildly.

They clearly enjoy being praised.

Wang Lixian said, "Now that we've found the place, let's start setting the traps."

"Okay, Fugui and Xiange, take a look and tell us which places are safest to land in?"

Seeing everyone looking at the two of them, Chen Ling said, "Then you two split into two groups, one group will follow Brother Xian to set the traps, and the other group will follow me to set the traps."

"That works, that's good."

Once the plan was agreed upon, everyone got to work.

Chen Ze, Chen Yuqiang, and Wang Jusheng naturally followed Chen Ling's side, searching for suitable locations to set traps near the animal trails they had just discovered.

It's no wonder they couldn't make up their minds.

The key point is that there's a story behind the wild boar's hunting trails.

Most people, without a keen eye and experience, wouldn't be able to find it.

Actually, it doesn't matter if it's a wild boar or any other wild creature.

They don't take mountain paths.

They don't use the mountain trails that people usually make when they go into the mountains.

They each have their own designated animal trails.

For example, wild boars.

Its animal trails have two types: primary and secondary.

One type is the main animal trail, which local hunters call the dung trail.

This means that in the beginning, wild boar droppings were everywhere on the main animal trails that wild boars frequently traveled.

This is the main trail that wild boars frequently use.

These manure paths are usually located on mountain passes, gentle valleys, or halfway up the mountain.

Another type is the secondary animal trail, which is the trail that wild boars make while searching for food.

These animal trails are chaotic because once they finish eating in one place, they run out of food and have to go to a new place to find food.

They had to change directions frequently, and the animal trails they took were not fixed.

The hunters called it "miscellaneous road".

As the name suggests, it is rather messy and hard to find, with fewer fecal footprints than fecal paths.

On the manure path, the smell of wild boar is the strongest, and the traces are the most obvious.

Therefore, experienced people usually set traps or snares on the dung road, which makes it easier to catch something.

As for the side paths, since wild boars often change direction, it's uncertain whether they'll use them in the next few days.

There's no set time.

Therefore, setting traps on miscellaneous paths yields the least reward.

But many people lack experience.

Seeing traces of wild boars and their droppings on the path, they mistakenly thought they had found the right place and excitedly came over to set traps.

In the end, there is often no gain.

Without good hunting dogs and experienced hunters to lead the way.

Winter is a little better.

But randomly setting traps during this season is purely a matter of luck.

That's why Heiwa was praised for quickly finding seven or eight animal trails.

This is because these animal trails are clearly distinguishable based on the terrain and the old and new tracks left by wild boars.

The main animal path, also known as the dung path, is easy to find.

The two groups of people set up the traps in a lively atmosphere and then met up again.

At this moment, someone said, "Uncle Lixian, didn't you lose your pig yesterday? Uncle Fugui's dog is so fierce, why don't you ask Uncle Fugui to look for it again? If it's nearby, we'll catch it. This time we have more people, and we've brought knives and guns, so we're not afraid."

That makes sense. With more people and weapons, we are not only not afraid of wild animals, but we can also subdue and capture the wild boar to carry it down the mountain.

If all else fails, just slaughter the pig on the spot, butcher it, and each person can carry a piece of meat down the mountain; it won't take much trouble.

After discussing it, Wang Lixian and Chen Ling agreed.

So Chen Ling called Er Tu Zi over again. It had searched for the scent yesterday and remembered it. He asked Er Tu Zi to guide Hei Wa in the sky. Everyone could just follow Hei Wa. It was that simple and convenient.

At the cry of an eagle, everyone followed Heiwa and sprang into action once more.

After walking for a while, Chen Ling suddenly chuckled: "Good heavens, this direction leads to Nanshan. This pig is clever enough to have slipped away to Nanshan overnight."

"Goed to Nanshan? That pig is really something, finding such a good place to hide. It must be a real lone pig."

Wang Lixian said.

Among the three mountains surrounding Wuyun Mountain, the northern mountain has the most wild animals because it leads directly to the Qinling Mountains, and all kinds of wild animals come directly from there.

Xishan used to be separated from Yerengou by a mountain lake, so there are relatively fewer wild animals there.

Only Nanshan, separated by an old river bend, is usually rarely visited even by wild boars; the mountains are inhabited mainly by small wild animals.

Perhaps at night, wolves or other animals might sometimes pass by Nanshan, but during the day, Nanshan is the safest place.

The lone boar, which often roams the mountains, knows best where the safe zone is. When it encounters danger, it will immediately hide in a place it considers safe.

"Hmm, with a clamp on it, it still dared to run this far. This pig must have at least one leg crippled."

"The blood left by such pigs is very strong. Not to mention Heiwa, even ordinary hunting dogs can find them very easily, but they are not as fast as Heiwa."

Chen Ling concluded.

After he finished speaking, the group continued walking up the mountain for about ten minutes.

Heiwa, who was leading the way, stopped and started barking at the distant sky.

"Wow, that was fast! Did they find the pig?"

Everyone immediately perked up and felt invigorated.

"Found it, but it's still far away. If it were closer, Heiwa wouldn't make a sound."

Chen Ling glanced in that direction and said.

He understood that Er Tuzi had arrived at the destination.

“Let’s go, Nanshan is right in front of us. Quietly go around it, don’t make a sound, just watch my and Brother Xian’s hand gestures.”

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent and stopped speaking loudly.

However, the thought of hunting a big boar soon made him feel both nervous and excited.

But just as they climbed Nanshan with nervous excitement...

Something unexpected happened to them.

Before we had gone far, a flock of birds took flight with a start, and a group of monkeys squawked and squeaked in the trees as they fled in panic to the northwest.

Then came the squirrels in the trees, and the wildcats in the grass darted past them.

Looking at Heiwa again, it was already twitching its nose, its sharp eyes looking around, and its originally soft black fur was now fluffy and bristling like a lion's.

It made a low, threatening growl.

Seeing Heiwa's warning, Chen Ling quickly picked up his hunting rifle, gave a hand signal, and the group slowly retreated with some confusion.

"What's wrong, Fugui?"

"Something's not right here. There's something on the mountain. Brother Xian, can you figure it out?"

Wang Lixian was frowning and looking around, trying to find some clues.

Hearing Chen Ling's question, he wanted to say something.

But at that moment, Chen Ling suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, as if pricked by thorns, and instinctively raised his hunting rifle and fired diagonally upwards.

With a loud "bang," the branches and leaves of trees more than ten meters away shook violently.

In an instant, Heiwa, who had been poised to pounce, barked loudly and charged forward.

Everyone stared intently...

A ferocious, tailless leopard landed steadily in front of a large tree, turning to face them.

"leopard!"

Gunshots and screams rang out from the mountains and forests.

(End of this chapter)