My 1995 Small Farm.

"Grandpa, look at the wound on this chicken's neck..."

A little boy ran up to Chen Ling carrying a grayish-brown pheasant: "My dog ​​found this and brought it back."

When Chen Ling took a look at it, he immediately shook his head: "It's been bitten like this, I can't even recognize what bit it."

Looking at the pheasant in Wang Zhenzhen's hand, it was also mangled and bloody, all bitten to pieces.

In this situation, without clear teeth marks or other injuries, even the most skilled hunter wouldn't dare say what did it.

"Huh? Uncle Fugui doesn't recognize him either?"

"I can't recognize it, I can't even see the teeth marks, I don't have that much ability... If it's a pig, cow, horse, donkey or something, it's big, and wild things would have to hurt it, leaving many scars on its body, then you can easily tell the general idea at a glance."

The chicken's neck is chewed up beyond recognition, how can you tell? Do you think your uncle is a god?

Chen Ling chuckled at the group of mischievous boys, then asked, "Did your dogs bring these pheasants back?"

"Yes, Liu Ni'er's big wolfhound is the most energetic. It chased a wild monkey for a short while and then picked up a pheasant like this."

"Yes, the dogs we brought later also went to look for them, and they picked up a lot along the way."

As the children talked, they all shook the pheasants in their hands, letting Chen Ling see them.

"So many, and there are even half-grown chicks. Holy crap, they even caught a golden pheasant."

Chen Ling was shocked to see that among the dead pheasants, there was a red-bellied golden pheasant.

It might even be one of those golden pheasants he released.

"Yes, Uncle, we were just telling my aunt that this is the golden rooster we saw when we came to the mountains with you before. Back then, you hadn't moved outside the village yet, and you hadn't had Rui Rui yet."

"Haha, you guys have pretty good memories."

Chen Ling smiled and nodded. When the little fat boy and little chestnut heard them say that, they curiously went to look at the beautiful red-bellied pheasant.

Rui Rui hurriedly followed.

Chen Ling then turned around and looked at the pack of dogs following the dolls.

These dogs aren't from the farm.

They were just the local dogs kept by each family in the village, and of course, there was also Liu Ni'er's German Shepherd.

They usually like to follow Erhei and the others around the wild.

However, Erhei is a very responsible dog and usually doesn't stray too far from the farm.

When they want to go into the mountains to play with the children, they will come in groups on their own.

Most of the local dogs in the mountains are like this.

When I have nothing to do, I like to sneak off for a stroll in the mountains.

Now the villagers all go to the mountains to pick wild fruits, and a group of young masters take them with them.

We no longer need to sneak into the mountains.

It would be so much better to just openly and legitimately go into the mountains to have fun.

Seeing these dogs wagging their tails affectionately at me, I couldn't hide my joy at all.

Liu Ni'er's big wolfhound was saved by Chen Ling with a boy's urine, and it is incredibly affectionate towards him every time it sees him.

Chen Ling found it amusing, but also knew that it was unlikely they would find the 'culprit' that was harming the pheasants.

He picked up the bamboo whistle and blew it several times, hoping to call Heiwa and the other boy over.

“I’ve already called Heiwa and Xiaojin over. Let’s move forward now and see if there are any more pheasants like this. If not, we’ll go to your parents’ place. Uncle will also pick some wild fruit to take back.”

"Okay, two of them, Heiwa, will definitely be fine."

The kids were very excited when they heard that.

Chen Ling led them deeper into the area. Since the chubby boy and the little chestnut were not very strong, Chen Ling carried them on his shoulders.

Rui Rui was then snatched away by Wang Zhenzhen and the others, who took turns carrying her on their backs.

Even when Rui Rui reached out and cried out that he wanted to sit in the basket on his father's back again, they didn't care. They just laughed and carried him on their backs, deliberately teasing him, which made them very happy.

After walking for a while, the chubby boy recovered and asked Chen Ling to put him down. He took the opportunity to brag to Liu Nier and the others about digging for bamboo rats with Chen Ling, riding red-crowned cranes, and encountering crows and raiding squirrel nests in the maple forest.

Then I took out various nuts from the squirrel's nest and shared them with them.

The village kids don't find this kind of thing strange at all.

It's common for him to catch a couple of squirrels to play with.

But not many people raid squirrel nests.

Not to mention eating things from the squirrel's nest.

So the chubby boy took the food from them and ate it as he walked.

"Those things can't be given to Rui Rui, he's too young to eat walnuts and peanuts."

"Uncle Fugui knows, we won't give him any... Rui Rui, we won't eat this, okay? Brother will pick some fruit for you later. Wild grapes are delicious, kiwis are delicious, and there are also wild dates, small sour dates, and lots of figs."

Oh, and there are hawthorns too. Pick more, and Uncle Fugui will make you candied hawthorns when we get back. We'll go and have some too.

The children chattered away, while the pack of dogs walked along ahead, stopping and starting, sniffing around incessantly.

Mongol dogs lack the qualities of hunting dogs.

They would chase each other from time to time, playfully wrestle, and snatch small trinkets from each other.

Or perhaps it barks excitedly a few times.

This caused many mountain birds and small animals to scatter quickly through the grass, creating a rustling sound all along the way.

In autumn, the streams slow down, but the grass remains green and lush.

There are still quite a few autumn insects in the grass.

They say that grasshoppers won't be able to jump around for more than a few days after autumn.

But as long as winter hasn't arrived and the temperature doesn't drop below zero, they can all survive.

Unlike in spring and summer, although they are still numerous, they move much more slowly.

This is nothing short of a gift from nature to some of the wild animals in the mountains.

Especially in the last two years, there have been more of these things than you could have imagined.

Therefore, the mountain birds and small animals that feed on them roam around the mountains in large groups.

The pheasants and various mountain birds that people are familiar with seem to appear much more often than in previous autumns.

But...

As they ventured deeper into the area, Chen Ling and his companions never encountered any more dead pheasants.

Even when Heiwa and Xiaojin chased after them, they couldn't find it.

Furthermore, even with his small golden nose, he felt helpless towards the murderer because the target was too far away.

"I won't look for anything too far. I guess they come out to find food in the morning and evening and go back early in the morning."

Chen Ling had no intention of pursuing the matter further. He just thought that once food became plentiful, these wild animals would no longer cherish it and would not even care about the meat, only sucking blood.

And six or seven in a row.

I don't know if it was a group crime.

Moreover, they didn't even bother to pick up the other carnivorous wild animals; they just left them in the grass.

“Uncle Fugui, there have been more and more strange things in the mountains in the past two years. Could this blood-sucking thing be the same as the old pig demon?”

The children all looked scared.

"No way, where would there be so many old pig demons?"

Chen Ling was speechless. He was controlling it himself. As long as it wasn't one-on-one feeding, it rarely caused any so-called animal becoming sentient.

Moreover, some animals, even with one-on-one feeding, are difficult to develop a bond with.

For example, fish and shrimp are raised for the purpose of eating.

And pigeons too.

Pigeons are too docile; they're the same to everyone, so you can't raise them to achieve anything remarkable. Naturally, you can't really talk about developing a bond with them.

These things are either sold for money or eaten.

'Sigh, the environment is just too good; all sorts of strange and unusual things dare to wander around. This is the treatment of a primeval forest.'

"Hey, Fugui, you're such a big boss now, you're up in the mountains picking wild fruits too?"

Chen Dazhi and Wang Lishan came over carrying baskets full of wild fruits, intending to take them back to the village. When they saw Chen Ling leading a group of children, they stopped and teased him.

These two are definitely the villagers with the best mindset.

They didn't resent the rich, nor did they gossip about others behind their backs, and they didn't even take advantage of Chen Ling.

He's always cheerful, but when he sees Chen Ling, he starts saying strange things.

"Heh, and he even brought two Blackie along. What kind of day is it that even two mountain kings have come out to patrol the mountains in person?"

Wang Lishan was even more cheeky and impulsive. He not only talked about it, but also walked over and tried to touch Heiwa and Xiaojin.

The two dogs naturally ignored the bald man and easily avoided him, their expressions showing great disdain.

"You can say less, can't you be serious in front of the kids?"

Behind him, his wife and a group of women quickly caught up. "Look, even the dog isn't paying attention to you."

No one in the village dared to tease Heiwa and his brother.

It's too scary.

After Wang Lishan fought alongside Chen Ling and the Guang family, Heiwa and his brother had a good impression of him, and he never barked when he entered the house.

This made Wang Lishan very proud, and every time he saw them, he would reach out to touch them, thinking that one day he would be able to touch them.

"Who says dogs don't pay attention to me?"

Wang Lishan was still not convinced by his wife's words. He put down his basket, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it at Liu Ni'er's big wolfhound.

He didn't manage to drop it, but it landed near the feet of two other dogs, causing the pack to bark at him.

"You're getting more and more absurd, I can't be bothered with you."

Wang Lishan's wife left with several smiling women.

Wang Lishan didn't mind. He happened to run into Chen Ling, so he stopped to rest and have a smoke to relax.

Just as he lit his cigarette, he saw Heiwa and Xiaojin go over to Chen Dazhi's side. Heiwa even took a pear from Chen Dazhi's basket and ate it with gusto, his mouth full of juice: "Hey, these two mountain kings really don't give me any face. They're so close to Dazhi, but they don't even acknowledge me."

Chen Dazhi lit a cigarette and smiled smugly: "That's right, even the mountain king is closer to me."

Then he looked at the brat among the children: "Rui Rui, which of the two mountain kings listens to you the most?"

Rui Rui didn't understand any of this, so she ran over to him and stood on tiptoe to see what wild fruits were in the basket.

After reading his, I read Wang Lishan's.

“Fugui, look at this clever little devil. No wonder everyone who sees him praises him. When Shuiwazi’s child was a year and a half old, he could only say three or four words. How could you expect him to run around like this and look at the baskets randomly?”

Which child in the village this age can compare to Rui Rui?
I don't see a single one.

Chen Dazhi spoke from the bottom of his heart, grinning as he patted the brat's head.

Chen Ling shook his head: "Sigh, who knows what I'll be like when I grow up? I don't ask for too much, just don't make me worry too much."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lishan snorted and said, "What are you saying? Rui Rui is definitely better than my piglet. You're a big boss now, and famous writers and professors are all eager to be Rui Rui's grandfather. How could he be inferior?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling chuckled and didn't say anything more.

Then she started talking about the strange things the kids had encountered before.

"Is it Wong Tai Sin? Wong Tai Sin steals chickens by sucking blood but not eating meat, right?"

"Why don't you eat meat? That's because you haven't seen a weasel eat meat. When those things eat meat, they don't even leave much of the bone."

It is indeed the case.

Weasels only suck blood and don't eat meat because sometimes there are emergency situations where they don't have the opportunity to eat meat.

If no one is home, just leave the dead chicken where it is; it will definitely come back to eat it.

Chen Ling chimed in, saying it was unlikely to be a weasel, and that Xiao Jin had smelled it but it had run far away, so it wasn't worth chasing after it for such a small matter.

"There have been a lot of strange things happening this year. Yesterday, we went into the mountains and, after we finished our training, we killed an old wolf."

Chen Ling was taken aback by Wang Lishan's words: "I haven't heard of that."

"They're all busy. These days, young guys don't have time to come to your place. They're all busy looking for fruit trees and picking wild fruit in the mountains to make money."

"Yes, you've done such a great thing for our village again, even getting the cannery to buy these fruits. Everyone's discussing bringing you some when we hunt some."

"No, I don't need it. My water tank at home is already full. You can take it back, eat it, and sell it for money, whatever you want."

Chen Ling waved his hands repeatedly.

Although he has made contributions.

But the villagers earn their money by foraging for wild fruits through hard work; it's not easy.

The reason is simple: not all wild fruits in the mountains can be canned.

There are only a few kinds, such as pears, hawthorns, wild grapes, and so on.

Chen Ling had Han Chuang collect many of them, as an experiment to produce a batch of beverages to sell.

Liang Yuemin couldn't worry about it right now, so they discussed handing it over to the Han brothers.

So when the villagers went into the mountains, they not only had to search for suitable fruits everywhere, but they also had to constantly change locations and climb trees to higher places...

It's really not easy.

Another thing that Chen Ling couldn't do was that the purchase price of wild fruits was really low these days.

Of course.

In the eyes of most people in the countryside, selling fruit to a cannery is like selling vegetables from the field to a pickle factory—it's considered a bargain.

They were all thinking of selling whatever they could.

Besides, why be so picky about wild fruits? They're just unwanted in the mountains anyway, so it's like getting free money.

The more you pick up, the more you earn.

The villagers didn't think as much as Chen Ling did. They happily picked wild fruits every day, and after the autumn harvest, they had such a good income. Wasn't that much better than going out to work and suffering?

Not everyone with a conscience is grateful to him.

So... along the way, Chen Ling encountered only smiling villagers, and even when they caught prey and offered him some, he refused them all.

When they learned that he also wanted to pick wild fruit, they would tell him where there was more, saying that there was a whole grove of it and that there wasn't much left to pick, so he shouldn't rush and should take care of the baby.

Indeed, among the three mountains, the western mountain has the most varieties of wild fruits.

The mulberry groves in spring, the chestnut groves and hawthorn groves in autumn... are indeed vast expanses.

When it's hard to find, it really is hard to find.

But once you find them, there's a huge patch of them, and you can't finish picking them all in a short time without putting in a lot of effort.

"Wow, we've found another big forest, but it's a bit dangerous here. Nobody usually comes to this deep ravine..."

When Chen Ling arrived at the place the villagers had mentioned, it was a large hawthorn forest, mostly old trees with thick trunks and full of bright red hawthorn fruits.

A large group of men and women were standing under various trees, wearing straw hats and headscarves, with sleeves on their arms, and holding long bamboo poles, hitting the trees.

With a crackling sound, the red hawthorns fell to the ground like rain, covering it with a thick layer.

"Fugui, you've come to the mountains to pick fruit too? Well, you've picked so many, come and pick them up."

A young woman wearing a headscarf smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. As she spoke, she squatted down, opened her pocket, and began rummaging through it with her hands.

A young man chimed in, echoing Chen Ling's words, "Few people come here. It's close to the South Mountain, with many deep ravines and slippery roads. If it weren't for the large forest here, we wouldn't have come."

"Yes, there are a lot of wolf tracks here, as well as many deer and wild boar bones. It's really scary."

By the way, my brother almost shot down a kite just now. Everyone says you're a good shot, Uncle Fugui. If you see that kite again later, shoot it down and take it home to keep your bald son company. (End of Chapter)