My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 441 Dragon
Chen Ling thought about it and realized that he had overlooked the fact that his fish were rather wild.

I remember catching some small fish when I was a kid. On rainy days, they would jump out of the water tank when it was only half full.

These are just ordinary fish; they'll jump around wildly and high even during heavy rain. Imagine how much more dangerous these fish are, having been nourished by the sacred water.

Take out two chicken coops from the woodshed.

They ran into Zhou Weijun and the others as they came out of the kitchen after finishing breakfast.

Seeing Chen Ling holding this strange bamboo tool, he came over to him and asked, "Is this for raising silkworms?"

"No, what you're talking about is a silkworm tray, a round tray woven from bamboo strips or reeds. This is a chicken coop, used to cover baby chicks."

Speaking of chicken coops, most people probably don't know what they are. To put it simply, they are used for raising chickens in the countryside.

This thing is woven from bamboo strips and is shaped somewhat like a large bell in a temple, with a hollow hole at the top.

After the mother hen leads her chicks home in the evening, trap them inside this thing, and cover them with heavy objects such as bricks or stone slabs to weigh them down, which can prevent wild animals from stealing and eating the chicks.

Chen Ling's family had never kept this kind of thing before.

They usually use baskets or water tanks, or sometimes a layer of wire mesh to cover it.

It was Wang Lixian, Chen Dazhi, and the others who thought Chen Ling's method was too pathetic. It was like using a water tank to isolate a hen that was brooding over its nest. It was really... Only Chen Ling would dare to do such a thing. Others might have killed the chickens and ducks.

So he brought two chicken coops from the village for Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan to use.

"Huh? Chicks still running around in the rain?"

Zhou Weijun and his companions were a little confused. They had witnessed the spectacular sight of chickens and ducks rushing back to their burrows when it rained yesterday.

Good heavens! They all flapped their wings and flew straight down the hillside, and the chicks and ducklings couldn't wait to burrow into their nests, with feathers flying everywhere.

On rainy days, they all hide in their nests and show no sign of wanting to run around.

"No, I'm going to take it to the front yard to catch fish."

Chen Ling smiled and gave a brief explanation: the fish trap was too small and would be inconspicuous in the ditch. When the fish that were swimming upstream saw that their path was blocked, they jumped high and refused to swim along their original route, instead trying to get into the fish trap.

If you want to find something bigger than a fish trap to catch fish, it's safest to put a chicken cage on it.

Sure enough, when Chen Ling placed the chicken coop at the intersection of the two water channels and the lotus pond, the effect was quickly apparent.

Even if there are fish that can jump high, there aren't many. Most of them jump into the chicken coop and get trapped inside.

Before long, they had harvested more than half a bucket of fish.

During this time, Ya Ya and Rui Rui, the two little ones, felt that there weren't enough grass snails crawling into the house, so they took their small buckets and went outside to look for more in the grass.

After watching the silkworms spin silk for a while, Wang Zhenzhen and her friends went out to collect grass snails.

This grass snail is very common in fields and along roadsides.

They like to eat crops and nibble on vegetable leaves... Strictly speaking, they could be considered a pest.

When it rains, they climb to higher places to avoid the rain, and their figures are everywhere on tree trunks and tall grass blades.

When Chen Ling was a child, he once caught eight grass snails on a leaf in a cornfield. They were all quite big. It was drizzling at the time, and they were crawling in a string on the corn leaf. It was a huge harvest, and young Chen Ling was so excited that he showed it off to everyone he met.

I still remember them vividly.

……

"What kind of snail is this? It's so big! Its head is terrifying."

After catching fish in their yard, they went out to join the fun. When they got outside, they were astonished to find that the fruit trees were covered with grass snails, a dense mass of them, some as many as twenty or thirty, crawling in a string at varying heights.

It's one thing if there's a lot of it.

It's just that it's too big.

The largest ones were almost as big as eggs.

And the bigger it gets, the higher it climbs.

The little children also had to use bamboo poles to poke downwards.

The snails fell with a pattering sound, carrying the raindrops that pattered down from the leaves.

Rui Rui giggled and picked through the grass with Ya Ya, not caring that they got covered in mud and water.

"Uncle Zhao, you guys are so stupid. These are just ordinary grass snails."

When Wang Zhenzhen saw the two old men scrambling to collect snails with Rui Rui, she glanced at them with a pout and said, "But these big ones usually hide and you can't see them. They only come out when it rains."

"Oh, I see. We've never seen that before."

The two old men chuckled.

Zhou Weijun and the others were also surprised and picked up a few in their hands, examining them curiously.

Chen Ling was somewhat speechless as he held the enormous grass snail in his hand. He had seen grass snails this big before, but there wouldn't be so many all of them at once.

It seems that, regardless of their numbers or size, these snails have benefited from the environment of the farm, which is extremely beneficial to their growth.

"Wow, there are even more grass snails on this tree, I think there are a hundred."

"You little pig, you really are a little pig. How old are you and you still can't count? There aren't even fifty of these, how come there's a hundred?"

"Hmph, if you're so capable of laughing at me, then don't try to take it from me... Huh? What's that? Wow, Uncle Fugui's fish are jumping around again, the whole stack of straw is covered in them."

"Are there fish in the haystack?"

"Wow, there really is one."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly went over to look, and saw that the wet haystack was full of fish of all sizes.

These haystacks were placed here after the wheat harvest. Chen Ling originally wanted to make them look nice, like a castle, to attract birds to live there.

Pheasants, ducks, and waterfowl can also crawl inside to lay their eggs.

Unexpectedly, before we had done anything, so many fish jumped up after it rained.

This scene filled everyone with both novelty and excitement. They rolled up their sleeves, forgot about their umbrellas, and started circling around the haystacks looking for fish.

Some were looking for fish, some were catching snails, adults and children alike were all busy, laughing and occasionally startling the birds in their nests in the trees. They were having a great time in the pouring rain.

For lunch, unsurprisingly, fish was the main dish, prepared in various ways: pan-fried, deep-fried, stewed...

I also cooked a pot of grass snails using the same method as river snails, and it tasted quite good.

When it rains and you can't go out, all you can do is stay home and think about what to eat, which is a rare kind of enjoyment.

Today, Chen Ling didn't even let the little kids leave, in addition to the original guests.

The busy farming season holiday is almost over, let's treat them to a good meal to satisfy their cravings.

The adults knew Chen Ling was exceptionally kind to the children, and no one came to call them at noon. They felt safe with Chen Ling, and besides, he had guests at home, and it was raining, so they didn't want to bother them.

The rain stopped in the evening.

After the rain, the starry sky over the fields is especially beautiful, but tonight is not a good time to stargaze because there are no stars to be seen, only a bright moon in the clear blue sky.

The huge moon hung brightly in the sky, casting a light silver frost on everything in sight. It felt as if it were the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon so bright that it cast shadows on the trees along the roadside.

Accompanied by a pack of large, burly dogs, Chen Ling walked along a country path with his hands behind his back.

In the distance, the laughter of the three old men, Wang Cunye and Zhao Yubao, could still be heard. Zhao Yubao had drunk some wine today and was particularly inspired to write poetry, loudly reciting: "What night is without a moon? What night is without bamboo and cypress? But there are few idle people like the three of us."

"The moonlight tonight is absolutely stunning, breathtakingly beautiful. Let's go up the mountain! Cunye, lead the way!"

"Wait a minute, the mountain roads are slippery after the rain. Let's go change our shoes and get all our gear..."

Chen Ling smiled slightly upon hearing this and gestured to Erhei and the others who were frolicking in the fields, saying, "We're going up the mountain now, you should come along too."

Erhei was taken aback for a moment, then barked a few times and led a pack of puppies away in a wild run.

As for Heiwa and Xiaojin, they naturally look after the farm and also help take care of Rui Rui.

The moonlight is indeed beautiful tonight.

The scenery under the moonlight is also extremely beautiful.

In the fields, there are wheat fields where the harvest is complete, leaving only stubble, and there are grassy slopes covered with green grass and trees. The glistening grass blades gleam in the moonlight, and frogs croak in the grass.

If you stand on the slope and look out, the distant mountains and forests are shrouded in a hazy mist after the rain, and the bright moonlight shines into them, making it look like a dream.

Looking further south, the wide river of Laohewan flows quietly, its surface shimmering. Under the bright moonlight, the watermelons in the nearby melon fields appear clearly visible, making one feel as if they are in a dream.

Chen Ling came out alone because he wanted to take advantage of the moonlight to go to the reservoir and call out Garlic Head, so he could ride on Garlic Head's back and take a ride around.

Although garlic is intelligent, it is just like a little baby and needs to be accompanied. It won't do if you don't visit it for a long time, or it will get grumpy.

Zhou Weijun and his friends were in a good mood today and accidentally drank too much, so they went to bed early.

The night was slightly cool after the rain, and none of the villagers came out for a stroll.

The village was unusually quiet, with only a few barks from dogs.

As Chen Ling admired the rural scenery under the moonlight, his emotions gradually calmed down, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the reservoir.

The stone tortoise statue here, bathed in moonlight, seems to be veiled in a silvery, shimmering gauze, mysterious and beautiful.

Chen Ling looked up twice, then went to the water's edge and gently patted the surface of the water.

slam-la-

The water churned, creating huge ripples, and enormous, mysterious creatures emerged from the water like black islands—a truly breathtaking scene.

Unfortunately, no one saw it.

Chen Ling smiled slightly and waved to them.

The garlic bulbs, growing larger and wider, rapidly approached the shore.

Chen Ling could even see its eyes, which gleamed with a faint light, filled with excitement and affection.

Chen Ling strode onto its broad back, patted its head and said, "Good job, Garlic. Come on, let's go to the Jinshui River first. I'll take you out for a good time today."

Garlic was extremely excited. It turned around and rippled through the water, carrying Chen Ling into the depths of the reservoir. Behind it, it led a silent army of old turtles. Under the moonlight, the ripples on the water made it seem like a myth was being recreated.

A moment later, a cry rang out in the sky, and a magnificent yellow-clawed falcon circled overhead, flying against the night wind.

This made him feel extremely happy and in high spirits.

"What dog king? If we have to talk about kings, I should be the beast king. If anyone calls me dog king again, I'll smash their windows with a slingshot."

That night, Chen Ling rode the old turtle across the water, from the reservoir to the Jinshui River, from the Jinshui River south to the Nansha River, and from the Nansha River to the Dumb River and Dumb Lake...

Er Tuzi's night-vision eagle also accompanied them the whole way.

It was a really fun and enjoyable experience.

This made him unable to resist dreaming of swimming in the Yangtze River and braving the waves of the sea.

But this beautiful dream isn't over yet...

Just as they were retracing their steps and reached the reservoir, Garlic suddenly stopped, and the turtles behind him also stopped, looking nervously ahead.

"what happened?"

Chen Ling was jolted awake from her beautiful fantasy and looked at Garlic Head with a puzzled expression.

After noticing the unusual behavior of Garlic and the others, they also looked around.

The next moment, a loud splash suddenly erupted on the wide expanse of water thirty or forty meters away.

A huge and terrifying vortex appeared.

A dark bluish-black back, resembling a hard suit of armor, with a long, serrated dorsal fin in the center, like the spine of a dragon, was truly awe-inspiring upon its appearance.

Chen Ling was also startled by the sight.

Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses and realized that this was not the back of a dragon, and that no dragon would appear at the bottom of the water.

This thing is an old nemesis I've encountered before.

It's unclear whether it's a sturgeon or a beluga sturgeon, but it unexpectedly came to this place, quietly grew, and grew to such a huge, even frightening, size.

Needless to say, it must have lived here before the garlic.

He put the garlic and other animals into the reservoir, and now they have occupied part of its territory, making them uninvited guests to it.

"Damn it, this old nemesis has grown quite a bit in just one year. I remember he wasn't this fierce last year."

Chen Ling stood up from the turtle's back, his eyes fixed on the strange sight ahead, his fists clenching unconsciously.

It's rare to encounter a fish that has grown to such a large size again.

I'd be unwilling to let it go unclaimed.

Moreover, how could he miss out on such a treasure as the Cave Heaven?

He was already plotting how to bring this big guy into his cave and train him properly.

But just then, the water surged again, and with a loud crash, the surface shook and churned violently, enough to capsize several fishing boats.

After this commotion, the strange fish disappeared from sight on the surface of the water, but underwater currents surged violently, churning and churning like muffled thunder, with astonishing force.

The scene speaks for itself; they were clearly heading straight for them.

(End of this chapter)