My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 473 Leopard Shadow
As we entered the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the corn in the fields had grown taller than a person's knees and had taken root. From a distance, the vast fields were a sea of ​​green.

A mountain breeze was blowing, and the sunlight was not intense.

After spraying pesticides, groups of villagers sat on the ground under a big tree by the field, eating popsicles brought by the children, chatting and laughing.

The large trees on the ridges of the fields have dense canopies. When the mountain breeze blows, they sway gently, bringing a refreshing coolness.

It was truly extremely pleasant.

Wearing a straw hat and holding a sheep whip, Chen Ling was leading a flock of white and black goats that were bleating noisily along a country path.

Behind them followed a naked toddler, whose popsicle was melting quickly and dripping all over his hands, but he was reluctant to let go.

"Uncle Fugui, go up the mountain to herd sheep. We'll go with you to find cicada shells."

“Fugui, don’t pay them any attention. There are jackals roaming around on the mountain. Your tiger is gone, but these jackals are very wicked. They might come down the mountain again at any time.”

"That's right. I was terrified when I heard the tiger roar that night. I even went out to check. Later, when I got to the top of the slope, I saw you with a flashlight and led the tiger back. Only then did I feel relieved."

These words were spoken by Chen Baoshuan and the brothers Wang Lishan and Wang Lihui. They lived on the edge of the village and could hear the commotion from the farm most clearly.

"What? Are you afraid the tiger will go crazy and eat people?"

Chen Ling asked with a smile.

"That's right. Who isn't afraid of tigers? Just looking at them from afar gives me the creeps. I don't know where you got the guts to let them out."

"Yes, yes, anyway, I felt really creeped out after seeing the tiger that day."

“They all think tigers are rare, but I don’t. I’m afraid of those things. Didn’t you hear what Uncle Gan Nian said about leopards? Tigers are much fiercer than leopards. Their mouths are so big when they open, and their claws are so thick. One slap can smash a person’s head.”

“Brother Lishan, I didn’t think much of what you said at the time, but later I heard Uncle Cunye say that tigers kill jackals and dogs like chickens, and I got scared. I didn’t dare to go to your place for meals anymore.”

Although Afu and Ashou have returned to the zoo, their legends still circulate here and they remain the most talked-about topics among people.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Fugui, your family has a little leopard cub?"

"Well, but I don't want to raise them. Carnivorous animals are hard to handle, and I'd like to release them once they're a bit bigger."

"Speaking of which, I've seen tigers, but I've never seen a leopard like the ones around here. I'd like to come to your house sometime to take a look."

“Okay, these things only became more common last year. They’re much slipperier than wildcats. They’re usually completely silent. They’re in the trees, and you can walk right past them without even noticing they’re up there.”

Chen Ling chuckled and sat down, leaning on his sheep-herding whip.

"Dad~"

After Rui Rui finished eating her popsicle, she held out her sticky little hand to him.

"Wow, you finished an entire popsicle?"

Chen Ling took the kettle off his neck and unscrewed it to let him wash his hands.

"Ah."

The little thing nodded and stretched out its two palms to catch the water.

"Hey, Rui Rui is such a child. He doesn't seem like a one-year-old. He seems to know more than a two- or three-year-old. He can even wash his hands."

"Yes, Shuiwazi's child is two months older than Ruirui, and he can't do anything."

"Hey, Fugui, is it okay to let him eat popsicles? The kid is still so young."

"It's okay, he doesn't eat it. Most of it dissolved on the way, and it kept flowing as he walked, so he didn't get to eat much of it."

"whee."

The little guy, who had just washed his hands, couldn't understand what the adults were saying. When he saw a small wooden stick used to make frozen popsicles on the ground attracting a group of ants, he immediately giggled, ran over, and started peeing.

A single pee washed away the ants, scattering them into countless pieces.

"Haha, you can tell how naughty this kid is, much naughtier than Fugui was back then."

Chen Ling was both amused and exasperated, and gave him two slaps on his little bottom: "You good-for-nothing, all you do is cause trouble."

“Rui Rui, I’m ignoring you. Uncle likes kids like you. Come here, let Uncle catch grasshoppers for you.”

Unfortunately, the brat paid no attention to anyone and was soon attracted by the caterpillars that came out of the cornfield. He ran over and stepped on one of them.

Then he lifted his little foot and saw the caterpillar that had been trampled to pieces. He was so happy that he squealed and kept stomping his little sandals back and forth in the grass looking for more caterpillars to stomp on.

They were having a blast.

"Let's go, we won't let him cause trouble here."

Seeing the sheep slowly walk away, Chen Ling stood up, picked up his whip, and prepared to leave.

Wang Lishan and the others kept trying to stop them, saying it was nothing.

"It's alright, let him play. Little babies are so adorable."

Chen Ling only said he was taking Rui Rui for a walk; how could he let him stay here and delay people's work?

The weather is just right today, not too hot, and the breeze is refreshing, making it a good time to spray pesticides.

As soon as the father and son left, Liu Nier and the others followed, searching for cicada shells in the trees and fields.

Knowing that cicada shells are expensive this year, wouldn't it be foolish not to quickly find more to sell for money?
Walking along the winding dirt paths through the fields, flocks of sheep grazed as they went.

With nothing to do, Chen Ling and his son, along with a group of children, played around with the sheep grazing, searching for cicada shells, raiding bird nests, and chasing rabbits.

This season really has everything.

We drove around the village for a long time and had a great time.

After waking up from my afternoon nap, I was planning to go herd the sheep.

But Wang Jusheng came over and said that they had finished picking the watermelons over there, so the sheep could just go directly into the watermelon field to eat, which would save them trouble.

Otherwise, I'd have to wander around with the sheep.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling thought, "Great! The next few days will be easier; I won't have to herd sheep around anymore."

Every day, we drive the sheep to the watermelon field for a feast, and once they're full, we take them home and that's it.

So in the afternoon, I rode my little blue horse, took my little white ox, and went straight to the melon field on the riverbank of the old river bend.

Sheep ate watermelon vines and leaves in the melon field, while Chen Ling took his son, a cow, and a horse to bathe and play in the river, catching fish, shrimp, and crabs. They went home for dinner when the sun went down.

Life was easy and enjoyable.

Zhao Yubao was so envious when he saw it that he couldn't help but think about going to the market to buy a lamb.

He went to the farm every day to ask Chen Ling for advice on animal husbandry, even taking notes in a little notebook. He was so engrossed in it that he couldn't stop. He was incredibly serious about it.

The old man has also finished building the small bridge in front of his house these past few days.

Wang Laishun and a few others even took the lead in erecting a monument and writing the date on it.

In the past, after a bridge was repaired, local people would hire stonemasons to carve inscriptions and erect monuments so that future generations would remember when and who did good deeds for the local area.

Of course, this was just something I did randomly, and the monument wasn't really that formal.

But Zhao Yubao was still very happy.

He praised the "small bridge, flowing water, and traditional houses" arrangement he had created.

Feeling completely satisfied, I locked myself at home for the past two days and spontaneously wrote two articles, which I sent out along with a letter. Needless to say, they were meant to be shown off to my old friend.

Originally, his old friends were not interested in his decision to live in seclusion in the countryside.

It wasn't until his article and photos of the mountain donkey giving birth on a cliff were circulated that people started writing to him.

This gave Zhao Yubao a real chance to gloat.

He didn't even pursue the matter, even though his old friend's daughter had posted the message without his permission.

"Teacher Zhao, you're a great writer, a highly educated intellectual, a respectable person. How come you're carrying a sack and searching for cicada shells? If people from other villages see this, won't they laugh at us? You're the face of our village now!"

"Exactly, we can't just focus on appearances without considering our dignity."

After repairing the small bridge for Zhao Yubao and spraying pesticides on the corn seedlings, the villagers finally had some free time and started coming to Chen Ling's farm for meals.

At lunchtime today, a large group of people, young and old, gathered together.

They all teased Zhao Yubao.

For the past two days, this old man has been taking his wife out every day with a burlap sack and a bamboo pole to look for cicada shells.

The question is just for fun.

But he secretly told Chen Ling that he was going to find cicada shells to save money to buy lambs.

Good guy.

These words left Chen Ling dumbfounded for a long time.

Such a great writer, who is not short of money, yet he goes to the trouble of collecting cicada shells to exchange for money to buy lambs.

Isn't that just plain crazy?
"Go away, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Hurry up and play chess."

Sitting at the stone table, Zhao Yubao pushed up his glasses, puffed out his beard, and glared at everyone.

"Teacher Zhao, next time you write an article, could you include me in it like you did with Fugui? Could you mention me too?"

“Oh, right, Teacher Zhao, we live in the same village, so you should mention us too.”

Everyone got to know him and knew that despite his great reputation, he was approachable and very kind.

"What are you talking about?"

Zhao Yubao made a move, glancing at Wang Lishan and the others.

"Hmm... let me think about it..."

Wang Lishan put the bowl and chopsticks down at his feet, squatted on the stone and pondered: "Why don't we just say that Wang Lishan of Chenwangzhuang knows how to raise pigs, and that the pigs he raises are fat and strong, and the meat tastes delicious?"

"What are you talking about? It smells so good. Teacher Zhao, when you write about me, just say that Chen Dazhi can weave baskets, as well as bamboo chairs, benches, beds, brooms, and mats. He can even weave a bright lantern."

"No, Dazhi, you can't do this either. I'll do it, Teacher Zhao, I'll do it. Chen Yingqiang can grind flour, one of him is worth two and a half..."

That's how it is in the countryside; the general level of education is not high. If someone has something to say, the first thing they think of is to use a rhyme or jingle.

Whether praising or criticizing someone.

Many of them are rhymes or catchy phrases.

It sounded incredibly awkward, but the person involved was quite pleased with themselves after reading it.

This perfectly illustrates what it means to be embarrassed as long as I'm not embarrassed; embarrassment is someone else's problem.

Chen Ling sat to the side, breaking apart hard dried fish and feeding a group of kittens, listening with a smile to their argument and bickering.

I couldn't help but chuckle several times, almost bursting out laughing.

I also found it quite interesting.

"Meow~"

Suddenly, a series of sharp meows came from the west side of the farm.

Upon hearing the sound, the two litters of kittens quickly wagged their fluffy tails and scattered in different directions, each going back to their own home and their own mother.

After the kittens scurried into their burrows, the mountain lemur on the west side still poked its head out of its burrow, staring intently at the tree, meowing incessantly.

It's like a cat in heat making an even more unpleasant noise.

"What are you meowing about? You just had kittens, are you going to the pond again?"

"This wildcat's meow is much worse than a house cat's. Is Fugui keeping it here to catch mice?"

"Probably. Having two cats is better than not having any; they can keep out the mice that steal the chicks."

Everyone chimed in, and someone even picked up a stone and threw it at the bird to stop it from barking, saying it was bad luck.

Unexpectedly, before the mountain cat could even react to the stone, the treetop shook, and a large, spotted cat leaped into the dense foliage and disappeared.

"My goodness, what is that thing? It suddenly jumped out and startled me."

Wang Lishan looked up and muttered with lingering fear.

The commotion drew a huge crowd, and everyone rushing to the dinner party swarmed over, craning their necks to look around.

"I looked a bit like a cat just now, but much bigger than a cat. Didn't you see how scared the mountain fox was, screaming all over the place?"

Chen Dazhi frowned and said, then suddenly a thought struck him: "Hey, could this be the Earth Leopard?"

"Fugui, you were sitting right there, did you see clearly?"

"No, that thing flashed past in the tree, but if it was much bigger than a cat, I think it was probably a leopard."

Chen Ling shook his head, thinking that if it really was a leopard, it must have been attracted by the little leopard at home.

(End of this chapter)