My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 442 Jujiu
Chen Ling could even see a huge black shadow rapidly approaching underwater, violently stirring up streams of water, like a great white shark slamming into him from below.

The ferocity of the attack startled Chen Ling, causing his face to change color.

"Holy crap, he's gotten this powerful in just one year!"

He even felt that when he first saw this strange fish, it was about six or seven meters long, but now, a year later, it had reached nearly ten meters long, with a body thicker than a water bucket.

As the saying goes: "A strong body is never a disadvantage."

Such a huge, powerful fish, and in its familiar waters.

If this strange fish were to hit you, it could capsize a steamboat, let alone a person.

Therefore, even with his hidden treasure cave, Chen Ling dared not be overconfident in the face of such a fierce attack.

The current situation.

It's like encountering a ferocious tiger in the mountains that pounces on you.

That creature is simply not in the same league as wild boars, wolves, or leopards.

When Chen Ling encountered a herd of wild boars in the mountains, he dared to drive them away, rush into the herd, and take them into his cave.

But when faced with a tiger, they couldn't do the same as when facing a wild boar.

How fierce are tigers?

simply put.

For a fully grown tiger, biting through a car tire and smashing tempered glass with a single slap is child's play...

This is still in a normal state, not a berserk state caused by being provoked.

This strange fish was much bigger than a tiger.

It was a behemoth that was nearly ten meters tall.

Not only is it larger, but it's also on water, so people's reactions are different from those on land.

The psychological pressure it brings is greater than encountering a tiger in the mountains.

Chen Ling was even afraid that its violent charge would injure Garlic Head as well.

In the blink of an eye, he took Garlic and the turtle and entered the cave together.

As for the other male turtles, time is of the essence, and we cannot attend to them for the time being.

It's too late to say.

Just after Chen Ling and the turtle hid in the cave, a ferocious and enormous monster fish burst out from under the water, splashing countless water droplets.

This strange fish was covered in bluish-black hard bony armor, and had a long, sharp, bony fin on its back, like a short dagger, extending from the back of its head to its tail fin.

Apart from the prominent bony dorsal fin down the middle of its back, there are two shallow bony fins on either side.

It makes it look like an ancient creature like a dinosaur.

It looks strange and exudes an extremely primitive and ancient aura.

But if an ordinary person who doesn't know about ancient creatures like dinosaurs saw it, they would definitely mistake it for a giant sea monster without question.

Then it burst out of the water, and the target in its original position suddenly disappeared, which puzzled it for a moment. Then it became even more frantic, shaking its head and wagging its tail, stirring up a larger whirlpool.

They charged straight at the large male turtle that remained in place.

In a short time, the male turtles were all killed and wounded, and they scattered in all directions.

……

Chen Ling timed it and waited for about half a minute before emerging from the cave with Garlic again. They saw crimson blood swirling all around them.

"They've become even more ferocious. Before, we could hold our own against them, but this time the turtles are no match for us at all."

Fortunately, the giant turtles had thick and hard shells, and they ran away very quickly after Garlic left, darting in all directions. Although some were badly injured, none of them were in any real danger.

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped onto Garlic Head's back, took the semi-automatic rifle that Lynx had given him, and slung a large machete at his waist. He looked around for any sign of the strange fish, ready for battle.

They wanted to use the cave to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

However, after waiting and waiting, and finding all the large male turtles and bringing them back to their grotto, they still couldn't find any trace of the strange fish.

It comes suddenly and fiercely, and it leaves silently.

Helpless, Chen Ling secretly guessed: "The last time I encountered this strange fish was when I was riding Garlic Head around in the nearby river."

Is it because I brought Garlic and the others through here and trespassed into its territory that it's so angry?

It's quite possible, really. Even eels exhibit egg-protecting behavior. These creatures, which have lived for decades, are certainly not to be trifled with.

Even so, it seems to be very cautious to have lived for so long.

It seems that simply driving the uninvited guest out of its territory is enough; there's no need to kill the intruder or anything like that.

Thinking about it this way, it's quite contradictory.

"Things shouldn't happen more than three times. It's not okay to let it fight and run away twice like this. I guess I'll have to be more prepared next time..."

"Hmm, we can make a sturdy big net."

“When it appears, I lure it into the net. As long as it stays in the net for a few seconds, I can bring it in, fish and net together, into the cave.”

Chen Ling thought about it and realized that the method was indeed feasible. He then kept the preparation of the large net in mind, had Garlic put him on the east bank of the reservoir, and gave the injured male turtle some simple treatment.

Only then did he take Er Tuzi, who had been circling and following them in the sky, and hurry back to the farm.

……

After the rain stopped, it didn't rain again the next day, and the weather was fine.

"Although rain has many disadvantages, at least it allows people to get a good night's sleep."

After the rain stopped, the bird chirped from night until morning, 'bang bang, bang bang,' making so much noise that it was impossible to sleep in.

In the morning, Wang Siyi, with her hair disheveled, walked into the kitchen yawning.

Wang Susu was feeding Rui Rui steamed eggs when she looked up at her and smiled, "Those are moorhens. At this time of year, they keep calling out, from day to night, without stopping for a moment."

"Oh? Don't they get tired of making all that noise?"

Wang Siyi sat down on one side of the kitchen doorway, combing her hair, watching the family of three eat.

Chen Ling, munching on a steamed bun with pickled vegetables, chuckled and said, "Frogs croak day and night, don't you think they get tired?"

Wang Siyi was taken aback by his words. It seemed the frogs were croaking loudly all night. She then said, "You shouldn't be tired, right?"

"Yeah, I'm really not tired. Do you know why?"

"Uh, I don't know, why is that?"

"Because, after it rains, frogs pair up and lay eggs. They don't keep croaking because they're bored; they're courting and looking for suitable partners to mate with. The waterhens do the same thing, which is why they keep croaking."

These were actually very ordinary words, but Wang Susu felt it was a bit inappropriate to say them in front of a young girl like Wang Siyi.

She then whispered a reproachful tone, "Ah Ling, really, Si Yi is a girl, why do you tell everyone everything?"

Wang Siyi has always been outgoing and carefree. In addition, the atmosphere in Taiwan was much more open than that in mainland China at the time, and it was not uncommon to see couples kissing in the street. If mainlanders saw this at the time, they would probably be very shocked.

So she didn't think anything of it and quickly waved her hand, saying, "It's okay, sister-in-law. Brother Ling was actually quite serious. Otherwise, I wouldn't know why they kept making that noise."

"Hey, Siyi, you're right, this is really quite serious. I haven't even gotten to the really serious part yet, and your sister-in-law interrupted me."

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow at his wife.

Wang Susu looked at him with a pout and hit him with her hand. Rui Rui followed suit, giggling, and reached out to hit him as well.

"Are you two bullying me? Do you want me to be serious or not?"

"Go ahead and tell me, I want to see if it's proper or not."

The way the two were bickering made Wang Siyi envious, and she was also looking forward to what Chen Ling would say next.

"Cough cough..."

Chen Ling cleared his throat and asked, "Siyi, did you learn 'Guan Guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river' in Taiwan?"

"Yes, I've studied it. It's traditional Chinese culture, how could it be complete without the Book of Songs?"

"Actually, the ospreys in the poem 'Guan Guan Jujiu' refer to the moorhens courting for mates, which is a metaphor for lovers seeking love. Think about it, the next line is 'A fair maiden, a gentleman's good match,' isn't it?"

This statement stunned Wang Siyi.

"Huh? No way, this '雎鸠' is actually a rail? I remember when I was learning it, it wasn't called a rail, it was some kind of water bird, I forgot."

Wang Susu also looked at him with considerable doubt, wondering if her husband was deliberately deceiving her.

Chen Ling smiled at them: "Actually, most of the things in classical Chinese texts are based on guesswork. If it seems reasonable and matches up, then that's fine. There are many times when there is no fixed explanation."

"For example, the 'Guan Guan Jujiu' (关关雎鸠). Why do I say that this 'Guan Guan Jujiu' is actually a rail? First, their courtship behavior corresponds to the poem. Second, their call. Listen to their call, 'Guang guang guang,' 'Guang guang guang,' how loud it is! The 'Guang guang' call of the rail is exactly the 'Guan Guan' in the poem."

"The ospreys cry 'guan guan' on the river islet," doesn't that mean the moorhens calling "guan guan" on the riverbank to woo each other, signifying the pursuit of love?

"Wow! It really is! It all matches up perfectly!"

Wang Siyi was stunned. After reflecting on those lines of poetry, she gradually realized that they were the same as what Chen Ling had said.

Then, greatly surprised, he stared at Chen Ling's face for a long time before saying, "No wonder Teacher Zhao Yubao wanted to take you as his apprentice and godson. Brother Ling, you know so much, your knowledge is definitely profound. It's a real pity that you're stuck in the mountains."

Chen Ling and his wife couldn't help but burst out laughing.

There's nothing else to it, it's just that they've heard this kind of talk far too often.

"By the way, sister-in-law, speaking of which, I'm curious, when the moorhens make that sound, aren't you disturbed at all while you're resting at night?"

Wang Susu smiled and said, "We are heavy sleepers, and your brother Ling never dreams. He can fall asleep the moment his head hits the pillow."

Wow, I'm so envious.

Wang Siyi's beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened. "Is Rui Rui like that too?"

Chen Ling curled her lips: "He must be the same. The brat is so tired from playing during the day that he wets the bed at night and doesn't even wake up."

He and Wang Susu had been nourished by the spiritual water for a long time, making it easy for them to fall into a deep sleep.

"However, compared to frogs, waterhens are indeed too noisy... After dinner, I'll have your sister-in-law make you some herbal tea, or I'll prepare some medicinal wine for you before you go to bed tonight. A sip will help you sleep better and is also good for your health."

“Great! I’ve heard Teacher Zhao Yubao and the others mention it before. They say your medicinal wine and your sister-in-law’s pharmacy are both very famous.”

Wang Siyi's eyes lit up, and she became expectant.

"You and your sister-in-law can eat here first. I'll go and call Lao Zhou and the others to come and eat too."

Chen Ling carried his son outside, so that Wang Susu wouldn't have to take care of the brat, as she could only eat after he finished eating.

Zhou Weijun and Ding Haidong are heading back today.

The main issue is that Ding Haidong can't afford to delay any longer.

After breakfast, he left in a hurry. Before leaving, Ding Haidong hugged Chen Ling, feeling very reluctant to part. He said that if he couldn't make it to the tiger-fighting scene, he would come over to play after his scenes were finished.

After seeing them off, Chen Ling took his son to the thatched huts of two old men in the village and played there for a while.

Zhao Dahai and Shanmao returned to the city before the rain started.

The elderly from the remaining two families stayed in the village, enjoying their idyllic rural life.

This morning, the village loudspeaker announced several times that construction was about to begin, widening the ditch outside the village and digging a river to connect to the large pond.

If there are able-bodied young people in the family who are not working, they can go and do chores.

Professor Zhao paid everyone their wages.

Now that the wheat harvest is over, the remaining tasks are simply threshing, hulling, and drying the wheat.

I can work half a day every day, and still have half a day to work for Zhao Yubao.

Besides, the weather is hot, so most of the work is done in the cool mornings and late afternoons. Since it's all done in the village, it's convenient for everyone. Most families go, including the women.

Everyone wants to earn some extra money.

However, Zhao Yubao was quite satisfied.

Many hands make light work, and we can get things done faster.

When the old man got excited, he personally took charge of directing the operation, explaining how wide the river should be, where he planned to build a bridge, where the fishponds would be for raising fish and growing lotus flowers, and so on.

The requirements weren't many; everyone was willing to work if they were paid, and skilled workers like Wang Lixian were paid even more.

Chen Ling wandered around for a while, and then Wang Cunye drove his cattle and sheep to join in the fun. So he handed his son over to the old man and went home to figure out how to make a big net.

They're waiting to be used to deal with that strange fish.

(End of this chapter)