My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 384 The True Face of Mount Lu [Part 1]

"Brother-in-law, isn't the earth dragon an earthworm? How did it turn into a water monster? Could it be that the earthworm has become a spirit?"

That morning, upon hearing the news, Chen Ling and his family rushed to the reservoir.

Chen Ling carried the baby and walked with Wang Susu, while the little girl Wang Zhenzhen was restless and walked in front of the family of three.

He walked backwards, swinging his arms, while asking questions with a puzzled expression.

"What earthworm becoming a spirit? Earthworms are called 'earth dragons,' this is a 'soil dragon,' I guess it refers to a crocodile..."

Chen Ling glanced at her speechlessly. She must have been helping her sister sort through medicinal herbs and had seen the medicinal name for earthworms.

However, when he heard "earth dragon," he thought for a long time before vaguely remembering that it might be a local name for crocodile.

He was just thinking to himself that if he didn't see the water monster later, he would ask his fourth grandfather. The old man was born before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and he had experienced a lot and seen a lot. He often went to play in the reservoir when it was still a big lake before it was built, so he might know something.

"Huh? A crocodile? Is it the kind of crocodile with hard scales all over its body and a mouth that big when it opens?"

Wang Zhenzhen looked very surprised. She knew about crocodiles. They were in the aquarium catalog that Chen Ling bought, and she had also read about them in extracurricular books. It was said that a kind of bird would even pick the teeth of crocodiles.

She was naturally very interested in such things, so she had a deep impression of the fierce and ferocious-looking crocodile and remembered its appearance clearly.

"Yes, it's that crocodile."

Chen Ling nodded, then suddenly paused, startled.

But then I remembered that in the autumn of the year before last, someone saw the water monster for the first time. They said it had a blue face and fangs, was covered in scales, and could swallow two ducks whole with its gaping maw.

At the time, he felt that the villagers' claims were exaggerated. The story had been spread by word of mouth, with each person adding their own embellishments, and the truth had long been distorted beyond recognition.

But now that I think about it, if it were a crocodile, this slightly exaggerated statement actually makes sense...

The large earthen cave that had always puzzled Chen Ling and filled him with doubt was instantly resolved.

After all, although crocodiles are not as good at digging as badgers, as amphibious animals that have survived for tens of thousands of years, they possess extremely advanced digging and burrowing skills.

If it's a crocodile, not a water monster, and not the water monkey that the old folks talk about, then there's nothing to be afraid of.

After hearing what Chen Ling said, Wang Susu breathed a sigh of relief. She had been quite worried when she heard about the water monster.

Wang Zhenzhen also became lively again, walking backwards while teasing the little one in her sister's arms: "Rui Rui, look at Auntie, I can walk backwards, can you? Hehe."

"Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go see what this thing is. Mom and Dad are waiting at home to go to the county town to deposit money."

Chen Ling said something to the little girl, and then the three adults and one child hurried towards the reservoir.

There were far fewer tourists at the dam at the village entrance, but the number of stalls was still quite high, so it was once again packed with people.

However, upon seeing Chen Ling's family, they all politely let him in.

Some villagers also carefully explained the situation to him.

Soon, Zhao Dahai waved to him and pointed to two collapsed earthen pits.

“These are two connected earthen caves. When we dug the pit, one collapsed, and the other was exposed…”

"At first, we thought it was a badger's, a fox's or some other kind of hole. But as soon as the hole was dug open, a grayish thing ran out of the reeds, jumped into the water and swam away. An old man next to us saw it and was startled, saying it was a water monster."

Zhao Dahai wiped the sweat from his face and said breathlessly, still shaken by what he had just witnessed.

"Are you sure it's one, and not two?"

Chen Ling looked at the two earthen holes and asked.

The traces inside these two earthen holes are very fresh, and they are not the two holes he blocked at the time, which proves that something lives inside.

"Well, we just saw one clearly."

Zhao Dahai scratched his head, knowing what Chen Ling meant by asking that question.

"Alright, who said that thing looks like an earth dragon?" Chen Ling asked again.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dahai looked left and right, searched around, and finally pointed to the old man to the west of Chen Ling: "He said it."

Old Niwai hurriedly chimed in, "It was Uncle Gan Nian who said it. He said that the thing's tail and the eddies it stirred up looked like an earth dragon." He then went on to recount the first time he discovered the water monster in the autumn of the year before last, and the characteristics he saw to corroborate the story.

They said that many of them saw it very clearly back then.

Then he started talking about things like a blue-faced monster with fangs and a gaping maw, saying which people saw it at the time, as if afraid that others wouldn't believe him.

"Do you hear that Earth Dragon? Fourth Grandfather."

"It must be. The earth dragon looks exactly like that. When I was fleeing from war, I saw militiamen making these things by the river. They were hanging in rows on frames and trees."

Chen Gannian gestured with his hands, describing the characteristics of the earth dragon in greater detail.

Listening carefully, Chen Ling was convinced that the "earth dragon" was indeed referring to a crocodile.

However, the crocodiles that live in the wild in the country should be the Yangtze alligator.

How did you end up here?
At this moment, someone next to him asked, "Uncle Gan Nian, isn't it said to be an earth dragon? Since it's called a dragon, how come the militia still dared to take guns to shoot it?"

Chen Gannian thought for a moment and said, "The earth dragon is a dragon on the ground. It doesn't have horns and can't fly. It's far from the real dragon that soars through the clouds. It's okay to shoot it with a gun. But if the earth dragon in this reservoir causes trouble and dares to hurt people, we'll shoot it too."

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this.

Many people laughed and said that with the turtle king protecting the reservoir, what is that earth dragon? It certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

Because everyone recently made a fortune, they believe that their good fortune was given by the Turtle King, so no one questions this statement; on the contrary, they agree with it.

Chen Ling felt a little relieved.

If it's a Yangtze alligator, it's not ferocious and is quite timid. It will run away when it sees people and generally won't hurt anyone. Just keep small children away from it; it poses no harm to adults.

Because the earth dragon was frightened away, its true form could not be seen.

Chen Ling's family didn't stay there to watch the excitement.

The villagers were not as excited as they had been when the turtle had appeared before.

Everyone already knew about the lake monster.

So, after a slight surprise, they continued setting up their stall and chatting casually.

The reservoir area is nowhere near as lively as it was last time.

Only the tourists who hadn't left and a few people from other villages were very excited and curious. They kept pestering the villagers who knew about it, asking them all sorts of questions about the water monster and the earth dragon. They were having a great time, wandering back and forth around the reservoir, reluctant to leave.

After returning home, Chen Ling immediately rode his motorcycle to the county town with his father-in-law to save the money he had earned during this period.

I also went to check out the small courtyard in the south of the city, and then went to a small village in the east of the city next to the forest farm to buy three different models of guns.

I took it home for self-defense.

It serves not only to protect against wild animals, but also to protect against those with ill intentions.

Lately, the village has become too famous, and most people in the surrounding area know that the village has made money. It's inevitable that some people will covet it.

It is now the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and we are gradually entering the busy farming season.

Once the busy farming season begins, it becomes a prime time for many idlers and hooligans to do bad things.

At this time, farmers are busy in the fields, and no one is home, or only the elderly and children are at home, making it an excellent opportunity to steal.

In recent days, the flow of people in our village has shown signs of gradually dissipating. After this peak period has passed, we must be vigilant and take extra precautions.

Besides these, I'm also going to the city soon to attend Lynx and Cuckoo's wedding.

Although Zhao Dahai said he would drive with them, Wang Susu and her child also wanted to go with them this time, to attend the wedding and then to see the house they bought in the city.

With his wife and children traveling a long distance with him, Chen Ling couldn't be too careful.

He and Zhao Dahai took two guns, and the rest were left for his father-in-law to use at home.

(End of this chapter)