My 1995 Small Farm.

"Brother Chen, come over here, let's go into the village first."

The thin leader waved to them and smiled. In fact, these two leaders didn't know much about the situation in the mountains.

Anyway, hunting isn't prohibited here now, and some Miao villages still have homemade guns. Wild animals are rampant, so we can just deal with them ourselves.

They don't go to the countryside much unless it's something important.

After asking around, he said to Chen Ling and the others who were walking over, "It's pretty much what you said on the way. It's about wild boars. There have been a lot of wild boar infestations in the mountains these past two months. Several villages, including Ranjia Village, have joined together to worship the local earth god and are holding a hunting event."

As Chen Ling and the others listened to his words, they also sized up the two Miao youths. They saw the two men glance at them again, then turn and walk away with their guns on their backs.

"Let's go, forget about their attitude, let's see my second brother first."

Chen Ling said something to the group and took the lead in following them.

The two Taihang dogs were still whining and growling at the wild monkeys in the tree when the lynx dragged them along by their chains.

Then head southwest along the steep and difficult mountain path that goes up and down.

Before long, after crossing a mountain ridge, the area ahead suddenly became flat and open.

Chen Ling and the others never expected that there would be such a large, flat plain nestled among the mountains at such a high altitude.

The dam area is covered with lush green grass.

Herds of cattle and packhorses leisurely swished their tails and grazed on the open grassland.

The dam is surrounded by small villages.

And the small patches of farmland near the village, hidden by dense weeds and trees.

The paths crisscross, the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard, and scattered trees stand beneath the trees outside the village, while a small river flows gently.

The two county leaders explained that the place was called Sanxiping.

There are three Miao villages around the basin.

The nearest one is Ranjiazhai.

You can reach it by following the small river at the foot of the western mountain.

"Sanxiping? It's quite cool here."

Chen Ling took a deep breath. Here, the sky was blue and the clouds were white, and a cool breeze was blowing. Although the dam was flat and there were no big trees to provide shade, there was no summer heat. Instead, the swaying of the trees and bamboo brought a refreshing feeling.

Men and women dressed in Miao costumes also came out in scattered groups, some carrying bamboo baskets, some carrying hunting rifles, and some carrying whips, moving around the surrounding villages.

Upon seeing these outsiders, they would stop and look around curiously.

Like the two young people from Ranjiazhai, they probably went out for a stroll on Simian Mountain after lunch.

"It's quite cool here. From a distance, this Miao village doesn't look particularly special. It's not the stilted houses or anything like that I was thinking of."

Zhao Dahai stood on a rock, gazing at Ranjia Village not far away, muttering to himself.

"Of course, we're not the Miao people from the south anymore. The environment here isn't humid or hot, so why would we live in stilted houses?"

The lynx replied to him, but then worried that he might not be able to control his mouth and would go around talking nonsense in the village, so he told him not to say anything later no matter what happened, and to let Chen Ling and Wang Qingwen go and negotiate with the people first.

Zhao Dahai felt helpless. He had reminded him several times along the way, so why was he so worried about him?

But he didn't say anything. He touched the gun and money in the bag on his back and thought that nothing should happen, and even if something did, he wouldn't be afraid.

Chen Ling then whispered a few words to Wang Qingwen.

Ranjia Village is already in sight.

The first thing you see is the village gate, which, like a memorial archway, stands in front of the village.

The buildings in the village are indeed not like the stilted houses of the Miao people, but are more like those in the mountain villages of Fenglei Town, mainly brick and wood structures, with dark blue-black roof tiles.

of course……

It also features a lot more Miao ethnic customs.

For example, hanging ornaments, pasted statues of gods, and temples.

The differences between them and the Han people were definitely huge.

However, there are others that are the same.

For example, a local earth god temple.

The Miao people here are different from those in Fenglei Town; they do not worship the mountain god.

Instead, like in Chenwangzhuang, people go into the mountains to hunt, gather herbs, and worship the local earth god.

"Brother Chen, don't rush things later. It's not as serious as you think. With the two of us here, everything can be discussed..."

At this moment, the fat leader saw that Chen Ling and the others were somewhat wary as they entered the village, and he had also overheard some of their conversations along the way, so he gave them some instructions in advance.

They were afraid of making things worse.

Chen Ling nodded, knowing that the two leaders meant to let them handle the negotiations first.

Didn't say much.

Wang Qingwen and the two young men walked briskly, quickly passing the village gate and entering the village.

Ranjiazhai is a small Miao village.

But at this time of day, there are still quite a few people in the village, busy with various things.

Upon seeing these outsiders, they all looked over curiously, and some even asked the two Miao youths questions.

Some were enlightened after receiving the reply, while others were wary and resistant.

Afterwards, the two young men took them to the home of an elderly Miao person and exchanged a few words in their native language.

The old man was thin and small, but he was much kinder than the two young men.

He walked over with a pipe in his hand, smiling, and greeted the two county leaders, one fat and one thin, before turning around and leading them to a secluded courtyard behind the village.

As soon as I got closer, I heard the familiar barking of dogs inside.

It's the little yellow dog barking.

After the old man pushed open the door, the little yellow dog in the yard excitedly wagged its tail and ran towards Chen Ling and Wang Qingwen.

Wang Qingzhong was idly feeding the packhorse on the threshold of his house.

Seeing them was both a pleasant surprise and an exciting experience.

Chen Ling and the others were somewhat relieved to see that he had not suffered any hardship or been beaten.

Then they asked what exactly happened.

Wang Qingzhong has been traveling through these counties for many years, traversing mountains and valleys, and is not an unreliable person.

They also know more about Miao villages than others.

I've heard him say before that he's had dealings with people from the Miao region.

Logically, nothing unexpected should have happened.

"Yes, things were going quite smoothly at first."

Wang Qingzhong smiled wryly and pointed to the little yellow dog that was grinning and whining around Chen Ling and the other man: "It's because this dog is disobedient. It saw people with hunting dogs chasing wild boars on the way, so it rushed up and got knocked away by the wild boar in one go."

It wasn't so bad that it was knocked away, but it also affected the hunting dogs from several villages. The wild boar went berserk, and when it got the chance, it broke apart the pack of dogs and charged straight at people, injuring three or four people in a row...

Even so, let alone in a Miao village.

Even in your own village or hamlet, people will still cause you trouble, wouldn't you say?
Moreover, Miao villages have many customs and traditions.

You disrupted the hunt, which is disrespectful to the local deity. The local earth god is angered and will punish them, so they will never be able to hunt again.

So, the Miao people here were all furious that day. They dragged me straight into the village.

It wasn't until the next day that they sent me and a mule caravan I knew back with a message. Sigh...

I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly.

After he finished speaking, everyone was stunned.

No wonder those two young people were looking at them with some hostility.

It turns out that someone was also injured.

This is really...

Then they all turned their gaze to the little yellow dog rolling on the ground with its tongue lolling out, showing no shame or embarrassment whatsoever.

"You rascal, I shouldn't have brought you out. You've only caused trouble. Get out of here and lie down."

Wang Qingwen kicked him with a dark expression.

The little yellow dog wasn't as smart as the black dogs, but since it was a farm dog, it could definitely understand the word "get lost".

It immediately stopped sticking out its tongue and even slowed down its tail wagging.

With his head drooping and a guilty look in his eyes, he glanced at Wang Qingwen and Chen Ling, then trotted behind the packhorse and lay down, his eyes still cautiously watching their direction.

After chasing the dog away, Wang Qingwen looked at his brother and frowned, saying, "Why did you bring it with you when you came out? You were fine before without the dog."

Wang Qingzhong was clearly afraid of his elder brother, scratching his head and chuckling, "Isn't the business that Lingzi entrusted to us quite important? Xinping has to stay home and watch over that business, so after thinking about it, I decided to bring the dog along."

It means that this trip is more profitable than reselling grain, and it's safer to bring a dog.

Moreover, reselling grain is inconspicuous; most of the pack animal and mule teams in the mountains are used for transporting grain.

He's stopped doing that and started selling clothes now, which is obvious to anyone with experience.

So let's bring the dog.

Moreover, things have indeed been quite turbulent in the mountains this year.

With dogs alerting the way, walking in the mountains doesn't require constant vigilance or worry.

"Sigh, Second Brother is right, it's just that this dog's temperament isn't suitable for taking outside."

Chen Ling clicked his tongue, looking at Wang Qingzhong with a slight toothache: "The dog I picked for our dad is just for him to play with. It's okay for guarding the house, but it's really unreliable to take outside. Even a snake dog would be more reliable."

The little yellow dog was naturally mischievous and active. When we bought it, it was less than two months old and was already pulling on the basket straps of the person who sold it, climbing everywhere.

Later, after following Wang Zhenzhen around and having fun everywhere, his personality became even wilder.

It's one thing to be wild, but the key issue is that he's of Tiger Head Yellow blood and hasn't been trained. This means he's just a troublemaker.

"...Fugui, I think this dog's hunting instincts have kicked in, haven't they?"

The lynx looked the little yellow dog up and down a few times before speaking.

"It has emerged. Tiger Head Yellow is naturally a strong hunter, and even if it is not raised as a hunting dog, its hunting instincts will gradually emerge as it grows up."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten so excited upon seeing a wild boar that he charged straight at it.

Chen Ling nodded and said.

It's not uncommon in rural areas for dogs that weren't raised as hunting dogs to develop hunting instincts, or even very strong hunting instincts.

For example, some dogs are kept on a leash from a young age.

One day, when they were freed, they pounced on the chickens and ducks at home, and the taste of fresh blood awakened their hunting instincts.

It has been out of control ever since.

Gradually, it may even escalate to the point of causing harm.

In the end, they had no choice but to be killed or abandoned.

A few years ago, dogs like these from Chenwangzhuang were sent to the mines in Wangbacheng to guard the mines.

The people there love this kind of dog.

You can get a couple of coins if you send it over.

Otherwise, if left at home, they might hurt people or poultry if not kept in watch.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingwen looked over and said, "Can this dog be trained? I'm afraid it won't behave."

Chen Ling shook his head: "At this age, they are already difficult to train. Just keep them at home and let them play with others. Don't take them out in the future."

"Hmm? It's not just about having a good dog to train it or a dog king to keep it in check. Let it follow Heiwa and the other dog for a while and learn from them..." Zhao Dahai said.

"There's no need for that anymore. This personality is good at playing with the kids."

Chen Ling waved his hand.

Two years ago, he and the lynx were at his father-in-law's house when he said that the little yellow dog's temperament was not suitable for being a hunting dog.

He's naturally unsteady, and training him won't help.

Moreover, most people with tiger-headed yellow hair are stubborn and their personalities are fixed, making them difficult to change.

Without Heiwa, they'd all be exposed for who they really are; what's the point of all that effort?

"Let's not talk about dogs anymore. Two county leaders went to talk to the people here. Let's wait and see how to resolve this later."

After the old man and the two young men brought them over, they went to talk to the two leaders elsewhere.

……

I waited for about twenty more minutes.

Two people, one fat and one thin, walked in, bringing the results of their discussion.

This means that while this incident did hurt people, more importantly, it offended the gods.

Therefore, the first thing to ask Wang Qingzhong was to find a way to hunt some valuable game to offer as a sacrifice to the local earth god of the Miao village and beg for forgiveness.

Then comes the matter of compensation.

They won't ask for your money in compensation.

Instead, they requested that when Wang Qingzhong brought his trendy new clothes next time, everyone in their village should choose some for free.

Of course, this will not exceed three items at most.

Everyone was a little surprised when they heard these conditions.

It's not that I think these conditions are harsh.

Instead, I found it much simpler than I had imagined.

This is what people of this era are like.

Moreover, it's located in the mountains, with limited communication with the outside world, and even the county town is dilapidated.

Therefore, the demands they made may have seemed excessive to them.

Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai, however, found them to be very simple and honest.

Let's not talk about clothes.

It wasn't worth much money to begin with; if you really did the math, it would be far less than the medical expenses.

As for sacrificing prey to the Earth God...

Chen Ling and Lynx exchanged a glance and smiled slightly, their eyes clearly conveying the same message: Just what I wanted.