My 1995 Small Farm.

"The water is empty? No way."

Hearing the sound, Chen Ling walked over and looked into the ditch, immediately frowning.

The water was empty, with only clear water flowing gently, and not even a small fish.

All that can be seen are snails of all sizes slowly wriggling and crawling on the green ditch walls.

"Hmm? There really are no fish... Brother, you came from the east herding sheep, is it the same on the east side?"

"East? I didn't pay attention when I came from the east. I'll go take a look."

As Wang Qingwen spoke, he walked eastward along the irrigation ditch, and Chen Ling quickly followed.

The two parted ways and each walked along a ditch.

Of the four irrigation canals designed by Chen Ling, two flow through the farm itself.

The other two streams encircle the farm and flow throughout the orchard.

There's no need to look after the fish in the farm; there are always people watching over them, and they raise fine-scaled salmon and red-lipped barbs.

Now let's focus on these two lines on the outside.

We walked eastward along the canal, stopping and starting intermittently.

The two discovered that everything else was relatively normal, but the fish in the ditch on the west side of the farm had greatly decreased.

Normally, the fish in the ditch swim back and forth.

Minnows, crucian carp, catfish, and all sorts of other small fish, as well as several types of domestic fish of various sizes, all swam around together, foraging and playing everywhere.

Moreover, it is different from other bodies of water.

The orchard is cool and dry, with little sun exposure, both day and night, and many fish often swim on the surface of the water.

In addition, there are many insects and tadpoles, and food is plentiful.

The fish swarm together on the surface of the water all day long.

Even if big fish chase after small fish to eat them, the entire place will not be empty, with not a single small fish to be seen.

"What's going on?"

Wang Qingwen sighed in distress: "Could it be that those cranes came to steal the food?"

"It's unlikely. Those cranes do like to eat fish, but they don't eat them that clean."

Chen Ling shook his head, then suddenly looked at the little foxes slowly stretching and crawling out of the burrow. He was taken aback at first, then shook his head inwardly.

I thought to myself that it was even less likely that the mountain fox would wipe out all the fish at once.

Moreover, fish is not their favorite food.

Zhao Yubao and Old Man Zhong each caught two baby raccoons a while ago.

It was less than two months old at that time.

Once we brought them home, we started catching mice. We didn't finish the big mice, but we caught and ate every little one we could, leaving none behind.

The mice in the house have all been caught.

In the evening, we would go under the trees to eat cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, and other insects.

Not to mention the two litters of civets on the farm, they used to catch birds and field mice, but lately they've been specifically hunting baby crickets at night.

My interest isn't in the fish at all.

As for the red-crowned cranes, they all roam around the village.

They made sure the villagers were well taken care of and fed.

White and gray cranes have hardly been seen; they are probably in mountain lakes and wetlands.

"Brother, you don't need to worry about it. I'll stay here and keep watch to see what's going on."

Chen Ling thought to himself that since the dog hadn't made a move, it couldn't be that simple.

Then I called Xiao Jin over and smelled it, and sure enough, there was no reaction.

If it's water birds or something that cause trouble, at least it'll have a bad smell.

Little Gold's nose is the most sensitive; if it doesn't react, it means there's no unusual smell.

It now appears that the disappearance of the fish in this section of the canal was likely caused by the water itself.

Wang Qingwen was puzzled by his conclusion: "This is really strange. What could be in the water that could have disturbed all the fish in these two sections of the canal?"

"I don't know, I can't figure it out either."

I just finished eating the pickled fish that was stored in the water tower, and I was thinking of stewing another pot.

I'll just stay here and keep watch while I catch some fish."

Then Chen Ling took out a fishing net from home and started fishing while keeping an eye on the movement of the ditch.

Seeing him busy here, the little white ox slowly walked over and lay down nearby, while the little blue horse trotted around, wagging its tail and frolicking about.

One moment it would come and bite Chen Ling's clothes with its big white teeth, and the next it would go and pull on the little white cow's tail.

They're even more annoying than puppies.

As Chen Ling played with the two fish, he gradually relaxed and then realized that not all the fish had disappeared from the two sections of the canal on the west side.

There are also many loaches and eels hiding at the bottom of the water.

If you look closely, you can see some loaches with their whiskers sticking out of the mud, occasionally spitting something into the water.

The eel peeks out of its burrow and catches some planktonic organisms such as water fleas in the water.

"Hmm, only eels and loaches are left, that's really strange..."

Chen Ling stroked his chin. He had caught quite a few fish on the east side, and since it was almost noon, he stopped guarding the area.

Then they left an ox and a horse nearby to watch over things.

Little Green Horse might not work.

But the calf is definitely fine.

It makes a little noise and is more effective than a regular dog.

Heiwa Xiaojin is busy taking care of the baby all day long, running around with Rui Rui, playing everywhere, and not wanting to leave him for even a moment unless there is something to do.

They couldn't care about anything else.

It's perfect to have the little white calf guarding this spot.

Actually, Chen Ling said he didn't really care about the fish here.

The fish he carefully raised, besides the red-lipped barracuda and the fine-scaled salmon, were just his ornamental fish.

Besides the monetary value of those fish, he also had an emotional attachment to them; he couldn't bear to waste a single one.

But this is a bit strange.

He wanted to see what was going on.

Carrying half a bucket of fish back, they arrived just as Wang Susu and her daughter had finished stringing the curtain with grass beads and were about to hang it on the living room door.

Chen Ling went over to help.

Rui Rui, that mischievous little kid, was originally playing with the chicks under the grape trellis with his aunt.

Seeing the commotion, it hurriedly ran over, tilting its little head back and shouting.

"What are you yelling about now?"

Chen Ling hung up the curtain, watched the little guy pointing at the living room and shouting, and gently tapped him on the head.

Wang Susu said, "He said it was a baby swallow building its nest in the living room."

He patted his son's head and said, "It's okay, don't worry about the swallows, they can fly out the window."

Gao Xiulan and Su Ligai, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, laughed when they heard this.

"Goodness, he's even started to worry about Little Swallow now. Everyone says he takes after his father, but I think he's even more responsible than Lingzi was when she was little. There's no one he doesn't take care of, from kittens and chicks to leopard cubs and little swallows."

Although the little thing didn't quite understand, it knew it was talking about him, so it tilted its head and chuckled, holding Heiwa's thick front leg with one hand and stuffing the other into its mouth.

She seemed a little embarrassed.

"Heh, so meddlesome, be careful you don't stunt your growth." Chen Ling took his hand out of his mouth: "Stop sucking your hand, you were just playing with the little chicks, and now you're biting your hand, isn't that dirty... Come on, Dad will stew some fish for you."

Then I carried him to the backyard.

Seeing this, Heiwa and his companion hurriedly followed behind.

Heiwa then picked up the bucket containing the fish and trotted after him, wagging his big tail.

I didn't tell the women about the fish outside.

That way they won't have to worry about it.

After all, those fish can sell for thirty yuan a pound if sold by weight.

It's very expensive.

They'll feel sorry for them when they realize something's wrong.

So I told my brother-in-law to figure out what happened first.

Now even family members are treated like outsiders...

Everyone thinks Chen Ling has some secrets to raising fish, and that raising dogs, chickens, ducks, or growing things is probably the same thing.

I don't usually get involved in these things.

I was afraid of causing him trouble.

……

afternoon.

After finishing his meal, Chen Ling put a large basin of pickled fish into the water tower and went into the cave for a while.

Because the Sun and Moon Grotto Heaven has the rotation of the sun and moon, the four seasons have appeared.

Just like the outside world, flowers, plants, and trees also have the habits of blooming and withering.

When those fruits ripen, they will fall to the ground, where they will be eaten by birds and beasts and rot.

Return to the soil.

The spiritual energy and nourishment will also return.

Chen Ling believed that this would also benefit the grotto-heaven, at least ensuring a return and preventing the land from being exploited without restraint.

At this time of year, the apricots have all fallen.

The peaches are still in their peak growing season.

There are also some wild cherries and wild bayberries.

But there aren't many left.

After falling to the ground and rotting, some tender saplings sprouted, standing out prominently among the green grass.

Chen Ling didn't interfere.

He is increasingly convinced that these fruit trees also have mother trees and daughter trees.

This is especially evident inside the cave.

The fruit from the mother tree does indeed taste better than that from the offspring.

He couldn't bear to sell it.

I couldn't bear to let them fall to the ground and rot.

So I've been coming in here often lately to pick up some things.

Or it can be used when making medicinal liquor.

Or make some juice for your wife.

Although Wang Susu kept looking for things to do, as her husband, Chen Ling knew that she had been emotionally unstable lately.

This is still due to the excessive influence of pregnancy.

It's not simply because they're idle.

So Chen Ling took her to the village every day to feed the red-crowned cranes and go fishing.

It's getting hot at midday, so I'll make some juice.

Drinking something sweet and sour can also help keep you in a good mood.

He's recently been thinking about having Lynx and Professor Han ask someone to bring some tropical crops or fruits, like sugarcane, to plant.

Make fruit juices and wines more diverse.

For example, the Drunken Plum bonsai I planted the year before last has already borne fruit, each one small and round, like a little lantern.

It tastes sour and astringent, but it's perfect for making medicinal liquor.

Chen Ling has already transplanted two of them from the flowerpots.

A tree was planted on the back hill.

A tree was planted next to the vegetable garden behind the farm.

It's better than keeping it trapped in a flowerpot.

This gives them the opportunity to grow into big trees.

For example, the pineapples that have been planted in the cave were brought to them by Liang Hongyu for the Chinese New Year two years ago. He buried them in the soil and they grew successfully.

We'll make some pineapple beer then; it's just as good as persimmon beer.

After leaving the cave, Chen Ling washed the fruit, squeezed the juice, chilled it in the water tower for a while, then poured two cups of the juice and brought them upstairs.

While drinking a refreshing, sweet and sour juice, he accompanied Wang Susu as she coaxed her son to sleep.

The cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window, a gentle breeze blew, and dappled sunlight shone on the bamboo house, swaying back and forth with the shadows of the trees.

Summer afternoons always seem to last a long time.

The farm was quiet, with only the sound of water flowing in the irrigation ditch.

The young couple lay on the bamboo mat, enjoying the gentle breeze blowing in from the window, watching their baby sleep. This was quite a pleasant scene.

The two big dogs, Heiwa and Xiaojin, were also stretching out their bodies, lying sprawled out outside the bedroom door, fast asleep.

Enjoy the rare tranquility.

I slept for a short while.

It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon when Chen Ling was preparing to spray pesticides to remove weeds from the cornfield.

Suddenly, the sounds of dogs and cows barking came from outside.

The mooing of the little white calf, in particular, was more urgent than ever before.

Chen Ling and Wang Qingwen hurriedly ran out.

Just outside the farm gate, you can see a little white calf mooing by the irrigation ditch next to the bamboo grove.

Next to it were Erhei and his pack of puppies, as well as a little blue horse.

The pack of dogs were all barking loudly in the direction of east.

The little blue horse also stared wide-eyed, snorting heavily, and pawing nervously as if it were frightened.

"what's the situation?"

Chen Ling and Wang Qingwen walked up, craned their necks, and peered over.

In the distance to the east, above the canal, the water was churning and splashing like a boiling pot, sending up large sprays of water.

Fish leaped and swam quickly on the surface of the water, flicking their tails. They created two strange whirlpools in the two channels, which rolled rapidly towards us from afar. During this process, schools of fish jumped out of the whirlpools, making a constant 'splashing' sound.

The wild birds that were foraging in the grass were so frightened that they flapped their wings and scattered in all directions.

There's something underwater!

Wang Qingwen exclaimed, "Something is driving the fish underwater!"

Chen Ling stared intently, then suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the scene and quickly turned back to find the harpoon.