My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 527 Legal Affairs
Chen Ling is busy but has time to spare, and he's enjoying his life.

However, things have been quite turbulent in the past few days.

The news program about the Wild Boar King was broadcast on the provincial TV station.

Whether it's the enormous size comparable to an Asian elephant, the tense and exciting battle between humans and boars, or the chilling incident of a wild boar king killing people and digging up graves.

These events, one by one, are extremely shocking, even astonishing, in an era where most people have not been exposed to the explosive information of the internet.

After all, in this day and age, even a question like "Do dragons exist in the world?" can spark heated debate.

Moreover, this enormous wild boar king was actually filmed and featured on news television programs.

For most people, the shock is no less than witnessing a water monster, one of the world's unsolved mysteries, or seeing a mountain spirit or ghost from folk tales and ghost stories actually appear before their eyes and happen around them.

A wild boar king the size of a house!

How long has this thing lived? It must be a centuries-old pig spirit.

Some timid and superstitious people think that if such things exist, then there must be many monsters lurking in the shadows of the world.

Or perhaps something unknown is hiding in the darkness of the night.

Some people were very excited, thinking that if there was such a wild boar king, then perhaps there really were mythical beasts such as dragons, phoenixes, and qilins recorded in ancient books, just waiting for people to dig them out and discover them.

Many people, influenced by Journey to the West, believe this is about to become a monster. Some say it might be a descendant of Pigsy (Zhu Bajie), and call this wild boar king Zhu Ganglie.

In the surrounding areas of the provincial capital, and even in more developed places like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, many well-informed people from all walks of life quickly connected this wild boar king with the local thousand-year-old giant turtle king and the legends of water monsters.

They developed a strong interest in this magical place where "rare and exotic animals" frequently appeared, and inquired about the situation from the people around them.

Along with the Wild Boar King, Chen Ling and his pack of fearless hunting dogs also sparked heated discussions.

But the most important one is Chen Ling.

After watching the news program, the only feeling the audience had was that this young man was simply amazing. He was able to kill such a big wild boar king. If he encountered a tiger, could he stage a modern version of Wu Song fighting the tiger?

then……

Many people who knew him or were familiar with him quickly became highly sought-after by their friends and family.

When talking about Chen Ling, they all spoke with great enthusiasm, embellishing his deeds.

It seems to have become something they use to boast about.

They often heard their friends and family members staring in disbelief, unable to help but gasp in astonishment.

Wow, I never thought there were actually such amazing people in this world.

……

Chen Ling, on the other hand, never took the matter to heart.

He thought it would be like when garlic was exposed to the public: some people would come to the village, have a visit, and stay for a few days.

To increase the income of the villagers and their own farm.

That's all there is to it.

After all, the Wild Boar King is dead, isn't he?
However, he subconsciously overlooked the fact that these high-rated news programs would also be rebroadcast and rebroadcast by other local stations.

Or it could be described as repeated reports several times in a row.

In addition to being featured on television, it is also published in newspapers.

Even in an effort to grab attention, the legends of the wild boar king, the thousand-year-old giant turtle, and the water monster, which are clearly not in the same place, are blurred out.

It makes people think they came from the same place.

This will add to its legendary status.

The result was that the discussion remained high, the newspapers printed many pages, and the story was fabricated to be increasingly bizarre.

But at that time, the public trusted the news and newspapers very much.

They believe whatever their superiors say.

Those who live nearby, or those who have already visited the turtle once, are itching to go again.

Even the difficult roads and the hardships of the journey were forgotten.

In view of this.

Sun Yanhong realized that this was another favorable wind and quickly reacted.

They put up big photos of Garlic and his gang of big turtles again at the store entrance, along with the same promotional slogan from last year, which they could just reuse.

The crayfish restaurant, which had been struggling due to the floods, has been revitalized.

Along with the new jars of pickled vegetables and chili sauce that appeared in the nearby shop, they were also selling very well.

Not to mention the canned pickled fish that Han Chuang sent over.

Its popularity is second only to crayfish.

Han Chuang was still unaware of what was going on. He only noticed that the canned fish was selling much faster than before, and he had already hauled two truckloads. He was thinking of settling the accounts and then sharing the money with Chen Ling.

……

"Uncle Fugui, don't let Er Lengzi's difficulty in learning to drive fool you. He's actually quite lucky. On the way back, he even picked up two piglets that fell off another transport truck."

"At the freight station," Little Lamb said with a smile.

This guy was already older than Chen Ling, and in the past two years he'd been driving all over the country and gotten a lot of experience, and he'd become more and more like a mature and steady man.

Er Lengzi chuckled, "Brother Fugui, you can take this piglet back with you."

“I don’t want it. I’ve caught so many wild boar piglets before, but I didn’t want them. I raised them for a while and then killed them all to eat. These piglets are much dirtier than wild boar piglets. What would I do with them?”

Chen Ling shook his head.

"Huh? Brother Fugui, you don't want it?"

Er Lengzi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed: "Then I'll let my brother-in-law and Li Xian share it. I can't raise this myself. If it grows up, wolves will come and eat it in winter. The village is small and there are few people, so we can't defend against them."

"That's okay too."

Chen Ling glanced at him: "How's it going? I see you just got back. How's your driving lesson going?"

"No, I thought Bo Ming drove well, so I thought it would be easy. But when I got on the road, there were steep slopes everywhere, uphill and downhill. I kept wanting to close my eyes and I didn't dare to drive at all."

Er Lengzi said, his face pale.

Since this kid went to the city and visited the Miao village, he's gotten to know everyone quite well, and now he's learning to drive from the little scooter.

In the future, I can deliver things like pickled vegetables and chili sauce myself, which will be more convenient.

But this kid is timid and not as good at driving as a scooter.

Little Sheep isn't actually very brave; he's afraid of dogs, geese, and roosters. But he has a stubborn streak. To break free from his parents' control and to be with Sannier, he's willing to endure hardship and overcome obstacles with gritted teeth.

Therefore, even on these difficult and steep mountain roads, it is still possible to drive.

This is how Wang Lixian and some other villagers came to know.

This kid looks like a little lamb, not very manly, but he's actually better than many people.

"That means you're not really suited to driving. Wait a couple of years until the roads here are wide and smooth, then you can go and learn."

Chen Ling offered him a few words of comfort.

The little lamb was already calling for Er Lengzi to take a plastic hose and cool down the tires.

As several large trucks pulled into the freight station, the two men and a group of drivers used hoses or buckets to spray cold water onto the truck tires.

There was a hissing sound.

The tires emitted plumes of water vapor, which was quickly evaporated by cold water poured on them, turning into thick white smoke that drifted away.

The air was filled with a burnt smell.

It smells like the burnt-out tire.

This is because of the hot weather, plus the winding mountain roads that require constant braking.

Just imagine, such a large truckload of goods.

What kind of wear and tear does continuous braking cause to tires?

Therefore, the tires will heat up quickly and become scorching hot in a short period of time.

Every so often, you need to stop and use cold water to cool down the tires.

"Brother Fang, I have bumps on both of my tires."

"Mine has a problem too; the brake pads are a bit burnt out and I need to replace them quickly."

"..."

Going out of the mountains and back, the mountain roads are so difficult to travel, and a single transport trip is a huge drain on both the vehicle and the people involved.

This is why their freight transport mainly consists of minerals.

The transportation costs for mining are high.

Vehicle wear and tear is affordable.

For other fruits and vegetables, the transportation cost is minimal, but a single trip can wear out two tires and result in financial losses.

After making all the arrangements, Little Sheep walked over to Chen Ling's side.

"It's all thanks to the businesses you started, Uncle Fugui. Otherwise, with all these losses, even if my parents gave me money to run the business, I wouldn't be able to keep going."

Little Sheep still feels emotional when he talks about it now.

Running a freight station is completely different from going it alone.

If it weren't for Chen Ling's influence on the seafood and canned fish businesses, and the fact that Sun Yanhong and others constantly needed to transport goods, their business would be in real trouble.

Chen Ling said, "Don't keep thinking about this. Did you think about this day when you first started helping me transport ornamental fish? Just send a truck to do whatever work is available. Your real skill is to make money and keep this freight station afloat."

Man proposes, God disposes; could you have foreseen a flood? Let's take it one step at a time, seize good opportunities when they arise, and don't overthink it.

"Hehe, that's true, Uncle Fugui's thinking is very insightful."

The little lamb chuckled; he truly regarded Chen Ling as an elder and mentor.

"Daddy, Daddy, come quick!"

Outside the freight station, a small baby was sitting on the back of a beautiful, tall white buffalo, constantly calling out.

"Alright, he's wandered over. You go ahead with your work, I'll take him for a walk."

Chen Ling smiled, greeted Little Sheep and the others, and then walked out.

Little Sheep and Er Lengzi escorted him to the door, teased Rui Rui for a bit, and then went back inside.

Rui Rui rolled around on my back with a big laugh, with two gentle and pretty aunties by his side.

"So, did you see Sister Little Raindrop?"

"No."

The little guy shook his head with a tight-lipped expression, then pointed at Zhong Xiaoyun.

Zhong Xiaoyun said helplessly, "I can't control my daughter. She ran off to play with a bunch of kids a long time ago."

"You're a teacher, can't you even control your own daughter? We're making dumplings for lunch, and we're waiting for Xiaoyudian to come and check on the kids."

Chen Ling laughed at her.

Zhong Xiaoyun was used to being teased by the young couple and didn't care at all. She just snorted and said, "You're taking care of Rui Rui today, so we'll allow you to slack off, okay?"

"That's right, just focus on eating the dumplings once they're cooked."

Qin Qiumei smiled and glanced at the freight station behind Chen Ling. "How's it going? Is the crane still operational?"

Chen Ling shook his head: "It's unlikely he can operate it. He's taking over Sun Yanhong's business. The trucks are mostly used for hauling ore and gravel, and they're all quite old. The crane hasn't been used in a long time either. We should go to the county to ask."

He wanted to get the skeleton of the Wild Boar King, but that thing was too heavy.

If all else fails, we'll have to find people from the village to carry it by hand.

"Alright, you guys go home. The dumpling filling was ready when I came out. Susu and my mother-in-law were kneading the dough and getting ready to start making dumplings."

Chen Ling waved to the two girls, saying they had come to the county town. The two girls often visited each other, and since it was Sunday, he invited them to his home for dumplings.

"By the way, which yard does Aunt Hongyu's cow live in? I'd like to take it out for a walk."

"It's still in the old courtyard in the south. The door isn't locked; you can just go and pull it."

"understood……"

Chen Ling led out two yellow oxen, one large and one small, and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia upon seeing them.

She said to her son, "I do miss your great-aunt a little. Rui Rui, do you still remember the great-aunt who bought you toys and clothes?"

Rui Rui was only focused on holding the small water bottle, swinging his little legs on the broad back of the white calf, and talking to the little yellow calf in a low voice.

How could they know what Chen Ling was talking about?
Chen Ling smiled helplessly. The brat only liked small animals when he was young; he didn't care about them anymore when he grew up.

Just like those little chicks at home.

He used to be small, black, and fluffy, and he loved it.

Squatting in front of the cage, or simply sitting on the ground with legs crossed, they would chat and laugh with the chicks, feeding them insects, small fish, and shrimp.

Now those little moorhens have grown up, and because they're fed a lot, they're growing very fast.

It's grown into a half-grown chicken, no longer fluffy.

The boy's interest gradually waned. Chen Ling complained that the moorhens smelled too bad and said he wanted to release them. The boy didn't object and followed Chen Ling to the riverbank. After Chen Ling opened the cage door, the chicks quickly ran out of the cage and rushed into the tall grass by the river.

Instead, he excitedly stomped his feet and clapped his hands, seemingly enjoying this game of releasing animals.

Now Chen Ling is also taking him to the forest farm in the east of the city. There is a mute river there, which is cleaner and clearer than the Nansha River in the county town, and there is not much miscellaneous household garbage. Children in and around the county town like to play in the water there in the summer.

I strolled leisurely to the forest farm, and after passing through the green corridor of bamboo forest and going down the slope, I saw many people herding cattle.

Upon seeing Chen Ling leading a beautiful white water buffalo with a baby on its back, someone's eyes lit up: "Is that Chen Fugui from Chenwangzhuang? I recognize you. Don't go south, to the bend south of the Dumb River. Three people drowned there in twenty days. It's bad luck to bring a baby there..."

Chen Ling was startled: "Was it an adult or a child who died?"

“Yes, both. As you know, people drown here every year, but it’s really rare for so many people to drown in the same place in such a short period of time. Nobody dares to go there anymore.”

"...Indeed rare."

As he said this, the little white ox seemed to understand that it wasn't a good place, so it automatically turned its head and stopped heading south. Instead, it turned around and carried Rui Rui slowly in the opposite direction.

Upon seeing this, the cowherds' expressions changed: "People say that your white cow is spiritual, and it's true. Look, even your cow can sense something's wrong. Something must be wrong there. We need to ask someone to perform a ritual."

(End of this chapter)