My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 423 Alien Beasts
"This rain looks like it's coming down hard. What will happen to Zhenzhen after school?"

Wang Cunye, who was leading his pack of dogs to herd the chickens and ducks back to their burrows, also looked up at the sky and said with a sigh.

"Hey, you don't need to worry about her, don't you know what your daughter is like?"

Gao Xiulan didn't care at all. As she gathered the clothes, she glanced back at the old man and chuckled, "Don't even mention that I ran into Qiumei today. She said she'd pick her up this afternoon, and she certainly wouldn't abandon her even in this heavy rain. Even without Qiumei, with your daughter's personality, she'd already become familiar with the teacher. Would the teacher really ignore her?"

Wang Cunye thought about it and realized that it was true. His younger daughter was much more lively and outgoing than his older daughter was when she was a child, and she had become very familiar with their teachers long ago.

She even had Chen Ling take her to her teacher's house for a temple fair. She was even a pen pal to the teacher's daughter, who was in junior high school. It's true that you don't have to worry about anyone else.

While Chen Ling's family was busy, the rest of the family wasn't idle either.

Seeing that it was about to rain, Wang Lixian didn't stay for dinner and hurriedly went back to tidy up the greenhouse.

Zhao Dahai and Shanmao also went to help.

The elderly people from both families, along with Dujuan and the others, helped tidy up the yard and surrounding area at the farm.

"My goodness, there are so many swallows, I can't even count them all."

"Oh my, it really is! There are probably tens of thousands of them, all of them, all black..."

"It must be raining, let's hurry back to our nest."

On rainy days, countless swallows and swiftlets gather in the sky. Even when the sky is dark and overcast, and it seems like a torrential downpour is about to begin, swallows still fly and dart about against the wind.

A series of clear, chirping sounds could be heard from time to time.

They are catching insects against the wind, and once they have caught enough, they will fly back to their nests to feed their young.

They shuttle back and forth between farmers' homes and the sky.

Soon, Zhao Yubao and Old Zhong discovered this day.

A pair of swallows were flying in and out of the living room, constantly busy.

"Cunye, why are you letting Yanzi stay in the living room?"

"Oh, it's alright. This swallow isn't dirty. It'll carry its own droppings out."

"Oh? It can even pick up its own poop? Wow, this bird's nest is beautiful..."

"Haha, that's right. Look, there are gourds on this table. The bird's nest is built in the shape of these gourds."

"What the hell?"

The two old men looked completely bewildered upon hearing this.

Wang Cunye then told them the story behind the "mud swallows and grass swallows".

The two old men listened with amazement, staring intently at the bird's nest.

After watching for a while, Zhao Yubao slapped his thigh and quickly asked Wang Cunye to find paper and pen in the living room so that he could write down the story he had just heard.

To imbue animals with human qualities—one lazy and clumsy, the other diligent and intelligent—is like observing people…

Such a good story is perfect for being written into an article.

When Zhao Dahai and Shanmao returned from helping Wang Lixian, they saw this scene and asked what they were doing.

After finding out what happened...

The lynx laughed: "Uncle Zhao, you don't know, Uncle Cunye is a master storyteller. Wait a minute, have him tell you the story of ginseng and bellflower, it will definitely be unforgettable..."

"Oh? You've been keeping a low profile, Cunye. Tell me quickly."

Zhao Yubao was quite surprised to hear this and hurriedly urged him on.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'hidden secrets'? It's just a story passed down by us herb gatherers..." Wang Cunye waved his hand with a smile.

At this moment, the long-awaited thunderstorm finally arrived.

Large raindrops, accompanied by thunder and lightning, pelted the roof tiles and leaves, making a loud, clamorous sound.

"Alright, it's starting to rain. Let's go to the kitchen and wait for dinner. Brother Yu Bao wants to hear a story, so let's tell it while we eat."

Today's rain came suddenly and cleverly; perhaps rainy days have their own unique charm, and everyone is in high spirits.

The women were bustling about in the kitchen, while the men, with two little children, ran in and out in the rain, sometimes picking up fish, sometimes leading the dog to unclog the drain.

There's no rush to eat.

Seeing this situation, Chen Ling knew that it was uncertain when they would be able to have lunch today.

So he went outside with an umbrella and caught two newly grown roosters to stew.

The commotion lasted until four or five o'clock.

The rain had subsided by this time.

But the sky remained overcast and the weather was particularly dark.

It was only four or five o'clock, but it felt like nighttime; the sky was completely dark.

Listening to the sound of rain outside, everyone sat around the fire pit outside the kitchen.

This is a tent that Chen Lingxin built, which he plans to use for barbecues on summer nights. It's coming in handy today, and he doesn't have to worry about it getting wet in the rain.

The fire crackled and popped, and a simple barbecue grill, welded from iron, was placed on top, with long bamboo skewers skewered with various ingredients, including cured pork, cured duck, quail, pigeons, fish, and shrimp...

Next to the barbecue grill was a dark, hanging pot, inside which stewed chicken and potatoes. The young rooster meat was both tender and firm, chopped into large pieces, and simmered with potatoes in the boiling water, emitting a rich aroma of meat.

In the rainy night, rising heat and smoke were clearly visible, with wisps of mist swirling around and dissipating in the rain with the wind.

Once the meat was roasted, everyone gathered around the bright fire, eating and listening to Wang Cunye tell stories. A group of dogs lay nearby, oblivious to the thunder and rain, creating a rather leisurely and elegant atmosphere.

……

After dinner, everyone who had been playing happily all day went back to their rooms to rest.

Chen Ling took the opportunity of inspecting the drainage problem to visit the Sun and Moon Cave.

The thunderstorms today weren't too heavy.

The lightning lasted only a short while before disappearing, leaving only the sound of rain.

Without a large-scale lightning phenomenon, Chen Ling had no chance to take out the lightning-struck wood.

But.

We could take this opportunity to release some of the turtles, fish, and shrimp from the cave.

For example, inside the cave now, in the large lake, the largest turtle is already the size of a washbasin.

It's raining outside.

Inside the cave, however, it was a sunny day.

Several large turtles are sunbathing by the lake. These are the baby turtles born to Garlic; they've not only grown bigger, but have even reproduced for two or three generations.

“You guys can’t just stay in the cave and collect salaries without working. You’re living a more comfortable life than your mother. It’s time to let you out and let the wild turtles outside improve your genes.”

These guys are having a great time now, leisurely lounging in the shallow waters of the lake, sunbathing.

Sometimes, when small fish swim by, they lazily stick out their heads, turn their heads, and snatch the fish into their mouths.

If you're not hungry, you don't even bother with anything else; you can just squint your eyes, bask in the sun, and feel perfectly comfortable.

Completely unaware that these carefree days of being waited on hand and foot were about to end.

Food won't just be delivered to our door like this anymore.

"Hmm... there's no sign of the earth dragons in the mountain lake either. There's a lot of space over there, so we'll put two or three of them there, and the rest in the stream behind the farm."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ling made up his mind and held up the umbrella to put them into the stream.

As for the lake in the mountains, we'll release them when the weather clears up.

It's raining late at night, who would be foolish enough to go into the mountains? That would be asking for trouble.

Back at the farm, after a quick wash, I prepared to go upstairs to sleep.

Unexpectedly, just as I stepped outside the bedroom, a bamboo window creaked open, and a cute little head peeked out.

"Hehe, Daddy~"

"What are you doing, trying to scare me? You dare to climb so high and stand on the table." Chen Ling gently flicked his head.

The little one immediately shrank his neck, covered his head, and giggled, pointing at Wang Susu: "Mommy~"

"Oh, Mom carried you up here."

Chen Ling smiled and reached out to pick up the little guy like a radish, carrying him out through the window.

"You little rascal, you left your mother here just to scare me when I come back, didn't you?"

Through the window, you can see Wang Susu making the bed with two new quilts in the bedroom.

He turned around and smiled at the father and son, saying, "It's windy and rainy at night, don't take him running around, come back inside."

"Okay, I won't run around anymore. I was just saying I forgot to check on the two litters of kittens outside, and I wanted to go see them..."

"What are you looking at? Don't worry, the mountain fox is so smart, and it dug such a deep hole. It's not a big rain, it won't flood."

"As for you, are you going to cover yourself with a blanket tonight? If you're hot, I'll get you a blanket, and I'll just cover myself with the blanket."

Wang Susu is now showing signs of pregnancy and is worried that she might catch a cold if it rains at night.

I took out the quilt that I had put back in the closet a while ago because of the hot weather.

Chen Ling's physique is far superior to that of ordinary people. He has a strong constitution and is not afraid of the cold. If he is covered with a thick blanket, he will feel hot.

"It's alright, what's so hot about rainy days? It's more comfortable for us to share a blanket, and we can sleep in tomorrow." Chen Ling chuckled and put his son in the crib.

"Stop being so inappropriate... Rui Rui is very smart. As she grows up, she's not allowed to say things like that."

Wang Susu snorted at him and glared at him.

Chen Ling didn't care. He hugged his wife from behind and gently stroked her growing belly. "What's the big deal? We'll arrange a little house for him when he grows up."

"Daddy~, Mommy~"

At this moment, Rui Rui rolled over in her crib, scrambled up to the head of the bed with her bare feet, and stretched out her little arms to call out to them.

"Hug~"

"Go away, what's it to you?" Chen Ling waved his hand impatiently. "Go to sleep, you've been playing all day, aren't you tired?"

The little one had no idea what he was talking about. Seeing his parents hugging affectionately, he stubbornly stretched out his little arms, wanting to join in: "Mmm~ Hug~"

"Come here, let Mommy hug you." Wang Susu pushed her husband away, gave his restless hand a hard slap, picked up her son and put him on the big bed, letting him roll around and play.

Seeing this, Chen Ling sighed, walked to the desk, picked up a book, and started reading.

With my son bothering me, I can't be intimate with my wife, so I'll just have to read for a while and go to bed early.

Gradually, listening to the sound of the rain, Chen Ling's heart slowly calmed down.

This state of mind is perfect for reading and writing.

Although he is not a poetic or artistic person, nor does he have the refined taste for poetry and painting.

But on a rainy night like this, if the mood strikes, it's nice to occasionally indulge in some leisurely pursuits.

There's a saying that goes, "A family tradition of farming and reading lasts a long time."

He then took out a pen and notebook and summarized his hunting diary and recent experiences in raising dogs.

In addition, as his enthusiasm grew, he wrote two letters to his pen pals.

I told you about some interesting things that happened recently.

Then, he turned off the light, carried the sleeping little one back to his crib, crawled into bed, and snuggled up to his wife for a comfortable nap.

……

I slept very well.

But the comfort only lasts for the first half of the night.

It was late at night, around 3 a.m.

Suddenly, an unknown beast roar rang out from the mountains, followed by a series of loud wolf howls that echoed from afar.

The sound traveled out of the mountains and forests, and into people's deep sleep.

Although Heiwa and his companion were unaware of the danger, they kept the farm's dogs from barking loudly.

But the wolf howls and intermittent beast roars never stopped.

In the twilight of sleep, amidst the lingering drowsiness and dreams, it felt as if we had been having a nightmare all night.

It only gradually subsided as dawn approached.

Just when everyone thought they could finally get a good night's sleep.

Not long after, in the thick morning fog after the rain, a strange wild beast unexpectedly wandered into the farm's grounds.

This caused the dogs to bark wildly.

Well, now I'm completely unable to sleep.

One by one, they got dressed and got out of bed to see what was happening outside.

(End of this chapter)