My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 281 Selecting Concubines for the Imperial Harem
Encountering a leopard, hunting a pig—the thrill and excitement are accompanied by the joy of the harvest.

So much so that on the way down the mountain, everyone's faces were beaming with smiles.

Back in the village, when the villagers met him and asked him what was going on, they returned to Wang Lixian's home amidst looks of surprise and envy.

After returning, Chen Ling naturally took the lion's share, as he contributed the most effort.

But he didn't care about that; he just busied himself with dividing the pig, stewing the meat, and having another feast that night.

The joy and excitement were indescribable.

When other villagers learned that they had hunted a boar weighing over 400 jin and divided it among themselves, they said they were envious. There must have been some envious people.

But soon, not many people were envious anymore.

For the next two nights, wild boars started appearing again.

Although the corn was not damaged much because it was discovered early, there were too many wild boars coming down the mountain. There were two or three groups of them every night, and they were playing guerrilla warfare with the people.

It was dark at night, and even with torches lit, it was difficult to see clearly.

As people chased after them south, they slipped north under the cover of night and the green gauze curtains.

People go east, and they go west.

Whenever they had a spare moment, they would run to the fields and start eating and rooting around like crazy.

Later, when things got really out of hand, Wang Laishun told several teams in the village to come out, collect guns from the brigade's armory, and take their dogs to hunt pigs.

Women and children also joined in, getting up in the middle of the night to light firecrackers and beat drums to drive away the wild boars.

The entire village launched a campaign to hunt down and intercept the wild boar.

And so, they fought the wild boars for two consecutive nights.

The village has seven teams, and they've hunted about ten large wild boars, not to mention many more piglets.

During the day, everyone happily shared a portion of pork, which was a small consolation for the villagers after two tiring nights.

And after that, the wild boars became much quieter.

Seemingly frightened, no wild boars dared to come down the mountain again.

……

These past two days, Chen Ling hasn't been idle either. Heiwa is in heat and won't behave at home, so he takes Heiwa and Er Tuzi on patrols of the mountains every day.

We searched for the tailless leopard on the West Mountain and South Mountain, hoping to capture it and bring it into the cave. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if it injured someone or someone killed it outside.

Unfortunately, even with Heiwa and Ertuzi working together, they still couldn't find it.

As for hunting wild boars at night, he did not participate again.

After they finished hunting the wild boar, Wang Lixian, Chen Dazhi, and others came to find him again.

Ask him to help drive the tractor to the market to sell the pigs.

This is such a small matter, of course I can't refuse.

It just so happened that Chen Ling was going to the market to sell eggs, so it was just something he did on his way.

It was when I went to the brigade to drive the tractor.

He played a joke on Wang Laishun, which made the old man depressed for a long time.

Two days ago, while drinking at Wang Lixian's house, Chen Ling heard that many people in the village were praising him and saying they wanted to elect him as the village secretary, which made Wang Laishun lose his appetite and sleep for several days.

Wang Laishun now holds both the positions of village chief and Party secretary. Although it can be very time-consuming and thankless at times, he is reluctant to give up his post.

After Chen Ling found out, she kept joking with him whenever they met these past two days, saying she wanted to compete with him.

The old man was initially a little unhappy, thinking to himself, "I've never treated you badly, I always think about you when there are good things. How can you make things difficult for your uncle?"

After it happened many times, he eventually realized that Chen Ling was just joking and teasing him.

Thinking back to how flustered he was at the beginning, it made him feel a little embarrassed.

He even tried to avoid Chen Ling when he saw him.

As a result, not two days later, he had to take the initiative to go to the farm to find Chen Ling again.

He had relatives in the east of the city. When they heard that Chen Ling's dog had run into trouble, they brought the female dog over to mate with him.

Speaking of which, Chen Ling's two dogs were already quite famous.

Many people may not have seen them, but anyone with relatives in Chenwangzhuang has surely heard of these two formidable dogs.

They boasted about how big and powerful these two tiger-headed yellow eagles were, how they could hunt wolves and catch wild boars, and so on.

Especially in the last few days, someone has been spreading rumors that Chen Ling's two dogs can fight off a leopard, and they've made it sound very convincing.

This is also because the farmland outside the village is no longer disturbed by wild boars.

The villagers had some free time again. Although some people still went to the threshing ground outside the village to watch over the crops every night, they no longer had to chase wild boars around in the middle of the night with torches and flashlights. They finally had the leisure to sit down and chat.

This gave them the opportunity to chat with each other.

For example, there's a leopard on the mountain. The leopard follows behind the wild boar and eats the wild boar. It's cunning and fierce.

Chen Ling and his group told Wang Laishun about this when they came back from hunting pigs, and they had already announced it over the loudspeaker. Now everyone in the village knows, and fewer people are going up the mountain lately.

After talking about the leopard, he went on to describe how Chen Ling's dog fought it. He said that the dog could fight both wolves and leopards, and given how powerful it was, if it could climb trees, the leopard definitely wouldn't have escaped. In short, he exaggerated the story.

It was almost Mid-Autumn Festival, and many people were going to the market and visiting relatives. They talked about it among themselves, and that's how the news spread.

……

"Wow, you're really something, getting rich! How many more fox cubs have you been raising at home?"

Around nine o'clock that morning, Wang Laishun's astonished voice came from the entrance of the farm.

The couple, Chen Ling and his wife, were sitting by the irrigation ditch with their child in their arms. Three small red foxes, about the size of a puppy that had just turned one month old, were running around them.

To be precise, they were playing around a large dog with golden fur, whimpering and whining.

The large dog with golden fur gazed gently at the three fox cubs, occasionally sticking out its tongue to lick each of them a few times, as if they were its own children.

This gentle gesture delighted the little fox, who rubbed against it gently, squinting its little eyes and twitching its fluffy little ears, becoming increasingly affectionate.

Behind Chen Ling was a large, imposing black dog with extremely thick legs. It was chained up and lay on the ground looking rather pitiful, its eyes fixed on the large yellow dog and the little fox playing.

This was originally a very harmonious scene.

But as soon as Wang Laishun entered the farm gate and shouted that loudly, he frightened the little foxes.

One by one, they panicked and ran quickly towards the east side of the farm. Wang Laishun and his companion subconsciously followed their gaze and saw a large, fiery red fox lying near the entrance of its den outside the farm's irrigation ditch.

Upon seeing strangers approaching, it quickly got up, led its three little foxes out of the cave, and ran towards the outside of the farm.

"Fifth Uncle, why are you shouting so loudly? You scared the fox away as soon as you arrived. This is a fox cub that I managed to snatch from the big fox."

In fact, it was Xiao Jin who brought the little foxes back in the morning. The three little foxes had just recovered from their injuries, and it would be good for them to run around and bask in the sun in the morning.

Besides, my son also likes watching the little foxes play, so I let them stay here and play for a while.

Unfortunately, this harmonious scene was unexpectedly disrupted by Wang Laishun.

"You little rascal, all you do is laugh at your uncle. If you don't want your uncle to send your family over, I'm leaving now."

Wang Laishun had been feeling incredibly embarrassed these past few days, and was too ashamed to face Chen Ling. After being told off like that, he immediately turned around, cursing, and made as if to leave.

"No, no, no, Uncle Wu, can't you even take a joke? Please sit down. Susu, go get the kettle and make us some tea." Chen Ling quickly stopped him, then took his son and asked his wife to get the kettle and make tea.

"No need to bother, Susu, we're not thirsty. I'm here to talk to Fugui." Wang Laishun waved his hand and pointed to the person next to Chen Ling.

Next to him was a tall, hunchbacked old man with a long face, about fifty years old, wearing a liberation cap. He was leading a burly black-spotted dog and grinned as he watched Wang Laishun and Chen Ling bickering.

"What's wrong, Uncle Wu? Let's sit down and talk." Chen Ling held his son in one arm and handed them two chairs to sit on.

Although Wang Laishun said he didn't want tea, Wang Susu still went to fetch hot water to make tea and set out two packs of cigarettes.

Then she took her son and left, letting them talk.

Actually, Wang Laishun didn't care about tea at all. He was a tobacco addict, with an extremely strong addiction. He could go without food or water, but he just couldn't be without his tobacco.

When Chen Ling's family held their full-moon celebration, he finally managed to snag some free cigarettes. With one hand writing down the gift list, he lit one cigarette and started smoking it non-stop. Even at noon when they sat down at the table and were about to start drinking, he still couldn't bear to let go of the cigarette, which was still tucked between his fingers.

Knowing the old man liked this, Chen Ling offered cigarettes to the two of them without saying a word.

"Hey, that's why everyone says you're living a good life, kid. You've never been short of good cigarettes at home..."

Wang Laishun grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. He held a cigarette in one hand and pulled a cigarette pack from his shirt pocket with the other: "Look, this is the cigarette pack from when your family built your house last year. I've saved up several at home and I still can't bear to replace them. It's very prestigious to take them out."

This is a good cigarette brought by Zhao Dahai. It was given as a gift when Chen Ling built his house, so it is naturally not comparable to ordinary cigarettes. The cigarette box alone is very beautiful, no wonder Wang Laishun loves it so much.

Didn't you see the envious look on the old man's face as he walked his dog? Well, he can't help it; that cigarette pack alone is enough to show off.

"Fifth Uncle, you really have to go to such lengths. What's the point of keeping such a broken cigarette box? Here, take these cigarettes. Nobody in my family smokes them, so you can keep them."

Chen Ling was speechless at the old man's behavior and immediately threw the whole pack of cigarettes at him.

"Hehe, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Wang Laishun was naturally pleased to see cigarettes. He stuffed one into his pocket, then took a satisfying drag of the cigarette he was holding.

"This expensive cigarette is really strong. I think you've got the makings of a village secretary."

"Haha, stop it already, I'm not saying anything more, Fifth Uncle, you're starting again, aren't you?"

Chen Ling rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and tell me what you want from me. Don't tell me you want me to go hunting wild boars again."

"No, no, the wild boars have been quiet these past few days. We're here to find your Blackie to mate with your dog."

Wang Laishun pointed to the old man and the dog next to him: "This is my uncle's cousin. He's had his female dog for over two years, and it's time for her to mate this year..."

"Here to mate with your dog?"

Chen Ling was taken aback. When he saw this person bring a dog, he wondered what they were here for. He really didn't expect them to be looking for Heiwa to breed with the dog.

“Yes, yes, come and breed with your dog. I’ve heard for a long time that there’s a family in my brother’s village whose dog can fight wolves, it’s really fierce. And these past few days I’ve heard that your dog is having a tantrum, and since my female dog is also due for mating, I brought her over…”

The old man nodded and chuckled repeatedly, his eyes actually fixed on Heiwa, who was hiding behind Chen Ling.

The more you look at him, the happier he becomes; it's clear he's very satisfied.

"Is that the male dog? It's really strong, looks like a little tiger, it's scary to look at."

Wang Laishun glanced at it, frowned, and exclaimed softly, "What's wrong with Heiwa? Why did you tie it up?"

Chen Ling's two dogs are never leashed, and his cows are never adorned with nose rings, yet they are raised better and are more obedient than those of other families. This is something the whole village knows and marvels at.

"Sigh, this dog has been acting up lately, always looking for Xiao Jin if we don't leash it. Xiao Jin isn't old enough to be bred yet and doesn't know anything about this, so it bites Xiao Jin when it gets annoyed."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled helplessly. Then he pulled Heiwa out by the iron chain, patted its big head and said, "Look, the wound on its neck was bitten by Xiao Jin. It's even deeper than the leopard bite on the mountain that day. If we don't take care of it, will this be okay?"

The two approached and saw that it was true; the creature had bitten deep, and the flesh was even turned inside out.

"If your dog can beat a leopard, then it must be even stronger than a leopard."

Wang Laishun's cousin glanced at it, couldn't help but gasp, and then cautiously asked, "This dog is injured, can it still be bred today?"

Chen Ling glanced at the black tabby female dog behind him, who was hesitant to come forward. This dog was indeed a good hunting dog.

The old saying goes that nine out of ten spotted dogs are hunting dogs. Local dogs with brindle coats are highly hunting and can become excellent hunting dogs after a little training.

The old man treated the dog well; its fur was smooth and soft, and the dog was quite strong.

He said, "This injury is nothing. The key is whether my dog ​​is willing. This dog has a strange temper. When it comes to fetching food, he doesn't just go for any female dog he sees."

"I've heard about it, I've heard about it, I just want to give it a try."

The old man chuckled. "Such a fine male dog, it's worth a try. What if it matches? Wouldn't that be a win?"

Chen Ling nodded, tugged at the iron chain in his hand, and said to Heiwa, "Then Heiwa, you go."

Heiwa still looked dejected and aggrieved. He glanced up at him but didn't move.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you blaming me for tying you up?"

Chen Ling kicked it: "Fine, I won't tie you up anymore, you can go. If you like it, great; if not, you'll be patrolling the mountain later."

He then took the chain off it.

The big goofball's expression changed instantly the moment he saw the chain was off. First, he comfortably shook his fur, then he perked up and excitedly ran towards Little Gold, panting with his tongue lolling out, without even glancing at the little black tabby female dog.

Well, that goes without saying.

This dog doesn't see anyone else now.

"No way. Forget it. His dog is more picky than most people when choosing a wife; it's very difficult to take care of."

When Wang Laishun saw the situation, he knew that Heiwa definitely hadn't taken a liking to her. Chen Ling had taken the dog around the village looking for a female dog, and everyone in the village knew about it. They said he cared for her more than his own son, and many people talked about it as a topic of conversation.

The long-faced old man had obviously heard about it before, and upon seeing this, he sighed, knowing that this trip had been in vain.

He sighed, but Chen Ling was a little angry. Heiwa was a troublemaker; as soon as he was let go, he went to cling to Xiaojin. As expected, he got bitten again.

Fortunately, although Xiao Jin was extremely annoying and would bite it, it knew its limits. Otherwise, if other male dogs did the same, they would have been killed on the spot.

How could I tolerate this many times?

After seeing Wang Laishun and his companion off.

Chen Ling scolded Heiwa again and sent him up the mountain to watch over the poultry, out of sight, out of mind, so as to avoid him making a ruckus around her.

But to his surprise, someone else came to him the next day wanting to breed dogs.

Among them were Sun Yanhong and two hunters from Jinmen Village.

In particular, two hunters from Kinmen Village brought eight hunting dogs with them at once: six local hunting dogs and two purebred tiger-headed yellow dogs.

The scene made Heiwa feel like he was being chosen as a concubine in the imperial harem.

Actually, if Heiwa were to take a liking to them and be able to settle him down, Chen Ling would be happy to let them come over.

Unfortunately, it still didn't work out even once; that simpleton Heiwa wouldn't even look at any of the female dogs.

But.

Just when Chen Ling thought that this matter would slowly pass, or that it could only be resolved when Xiao Jin came into heat.

Things suddenly took an unexpected turn.

Heiwa has stopped clinging to Xiaojin.

Chen Ling had it patrol the mountain every day, but unexpectedly, after patrolling for a long time, it found a wife outside.

----

Thanks to the several generous donors and the crowdfunding donors.

Adding another 17 chapters now is definitely not an option.

I did a careful calculation today. Adding the more than 1200 monthly tickets from last month, and one extra chapter for every 500 tickets, let's say three extra chapters.

Including the donations from patrons and other donors, there should be 80 extra chapters...

In an instant, I felt utterly hopeless.

(End of this chapter)