My 1995 Small Farm.

On an autumn morning, wisps of mist flowed around the mountains.

One by one, white egrets flew out of their nests through the mist.

The sound of tractor engines and the continuous barking of dogs filled the farm.

Chen Ling drove his tractor, loaded with a bucket of corn, slowly out of the orchard. Today he was going to the township to deliver the grain to the government.

Soon after, an oxcart drove out from behind him.

It was pulled by a white water buffalo, and an old man wearing a gray-blue cloth shirt and a white headscarf was driving the cart. There were two adults and one child, and three little kids in the cart.

These three little guys were extremely restless on the oxcart.

He kept calling out to the puppies, trying to get them to come along.

These puppies love children the most. They play with children a lot, and when a child calls, they will run over.

What's more, the old man driving the oxcart was someone they knew very well.

So all the little puppies waddled their chubby little bodies and ran after the oxcart.

The old man smiled and didn't care, which made the big dog in the village bark anxiously.

Fortunately, the big dog's barking was still quite effective.

After the chubby little dogs followed the oxcart to the outside of the orchard, they all stopped abruptly.

They lined up in a row with perfect understanding, watching the oxcart and tractor slowly disappear from sight. They were as chubby as little toy bears... The dogs barked softly, wanting to follow, but the big dog kept an eye on them and dared not run away.

Fortunately, the puppy, just like a child, can easily lose its attention.

For example, the caramel-colored little yellow dog that Wang Lixian had chosen soon turned into a crazy, silly dog, panting and lunging at the chickens that had just been released.

It's imitating the big dogs' 'herding chickens'.

But he clearly couldn't learn it, and before he had run far, he fell headfirst into a tree pit.

Then he got up again, shook off the dust and fallen leaves clinging to his head, and excitedly chased after them, panting heavily.

If Chen Ling or Wang Lixian saw this scene, they would probably be very satisfied. Their hunting instincts had been aroused by yesterday's training, and they were starting to get restless.

Although wild boar blood was used, puppies will initially show interest in all living things. After a period of exploration and discovery, their curiosity will gradually subside, and they will eventually return to the wild boar.

This is actually a bit like teenagers. They are initially interested in all members of the opposite sex, which is a biological instinct. Later, they gradually learn which type is compatible with them and suitable to spend the rest of their lives with.

It's time to take care of these puppies and visit their respective homes.

Chen Ling is now just waiting for the puppies that have been sold to be taken away so that the slightly larger ones can also be taken away by their respective families as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if they keep raising them at home until they grow bigger and bigger, not to mention his father-in-law, even he and Wang Susu will be reluctant to give them away.

Rationally, he certainly knew that he couldn't possibly keep up with so many dogs.

But emotionally, it's still a bit hard to let go.

So it's better to send them away sooner rather than later.

What Chen Ling didn't expect was that after arriving in the countryside, these bosses weren't in a hurry to leave at all.

Yesterday afternoon, I went up the mountain with the villagers to pick wild fruits. When I came back after dark, I went to the reservoir to worship the old turtle.

Now that Chen Ling is going to deliver the grain tax, they actually got up very early again to worship at the reservoir. The Journey to the West crew members were also with him. They greeted him warmly when they saw him and said that after worshiping at the reservoir, they would go to the city to worship after breakfast.

Furthermore, they would go to any place with water in the vicinity to worship, as a sign of their piety.

Chen Ling had nothing to say after hearing this, and drove off in his tractor.

The father-in-law, on the other hand, felt proud and also found the whole thing quite interesting.

After arriving in the countryside, they even asked him, "Hey, Lingzi, you know, these big bosses make so much money and run such big businesses, they must be so shrewd, how come they believe in this stuff..."

After saying that, he realized something was wrong and quickly put his hands together and bowed in the direction of Chenwangzhuang to show that he was not disrespecting the turtle king.

Chen Ling was speechless at his father-in-law's little tricks, but he still replied, "Only shrewd people believe in this. Dad, you'll understand when you go further south. Many overseas Chinese in the South and even Southeast Asia are very superstitious. The richer and more outstanding a person is, the more superstitious they become."

"Ah? Why is this?"

The father-in-law jumped off the oxcart, picked up the children one by one, and asked in surprise.

"Who knows? Even emperors used to believe in this. Oh, Father, let's pay the grain tax first. After that, take the three of them to the market. We have things to do when we get back."

By now, the busiest time for delivering grain had long passed, and they had arrived very early. Chen Ling quietly and smoothly finished delivering the grain and drove the tractor out of the grain station.

People were just beginning to arrive at the village market.

Meanwhile, the father-in-law was watching the child while chatting animatedly with someone at the barber stall next to the supply and marketing cooperative.

They talked about the wild fruit harvesting in Chenwangzhuang and how people worshipped the Turtle King every day.

Chen Ling took a look and realized it was an acquaintance from the village, Old Brother Ba, the mule and horse broker. He recognized Little White Cow and started chatting with Wang Cunye.

Then they started asking about the recent situation in Chenwangzhuang, and they got more and more excited as they talked, with even the old barber often unable to resist chiming in.

“Hey, Fugui is here! Your father-in-law said it was you who said that the richer people are, the more superstitious they are. You should hurry up and build a temple for the Turtle King in Chenwang Village. All the rich people will come to burn incense and kowtow. We can have a temple fair every day, hahaha.”

Seeing Chen Ling park the tractor to the side and walk over, Lao Ba started shouting.

"Come on, don't scare the turtle king away and then none of us locals will protect you."

Perhaps because the turtles, including Garlic, were raised by himself, Chen Ling always felt a little awkward that his pets were being worshipped by others.

"Look at what you're saying, the Turtle King is a god, he saves people and blesses us with good weather this year. Look, there haven't been many heavy rains this autumn, whereas in the past there were so many heavy rains in autumn."

Ask your father-in-law, especially in Fenglei Town; the rains there are so heavy that people can't even get down the mountain.

Old Ba said.

Then he pulled Chen Ling aside, gave him a small stool, and sat down to talk while guarding the barber's stall.

When Chen Ling saw that his father-in-law was also getting a haircut, he sat down and chatted with his acquaintance.

Little Fatty and Little Chestnut had never seen a barber's in the countryside before, and they were very curious about it. Rui Rui was even more curious. The two adults and the little one stared intently with their bright black and white eyes.

The old barber, who looked like Ma Sanli, was shaving his head with a razor. Strands of white hair fell down, and like harvesting wheat, the razor was neatly shaved off wherever it passed. It was so satisfying that it captivated the three children.

After several attempts, the sharp razor successfully landed on the old man's scalp, slicing along it with a crisp, clean sound. The rough scalp was shaved clean, and the old man, sitting on the stool, comfortably closed his eyes.

My scalp felt incredibly refreshed and relaxed after being scraped.

The three children, seeing this, also became eager to try it out. Rui Rui even ran to Chen Ling's side, tugged at his sleeve, and showed him: "Dad, that..."

"You're too young to get your heads shaved. Your skin is too thin. Just watch from here. It'll be Grandpa's turn to shave your heads soon, and then I'll let you stand closer."

Chen Ling patted his little head and looked at the expectant eyes of the little fat boy and the little chestnut: "But you can't get your heads cut here. Uncle will give you haircuts when we go home, okay? We can do it like this too."

"Uncle, do we have a small knife like this at home?"

"Yes, we even have clippers. We have everything. It's all ready. Your aunt needs a haircut after her confinement period."

Chen Ling said with a smile.

The three children immediately became happy.

Of course, it was the chubby boy and the little chestnut who were cheering happily.

Rui Rui didn't understand anything, she just laughed along and grinned foolishly.

However, compared to when they are at home, they rarely stay still when there is something new and attractive to them.

“These kids are really nice,” Old Ba said, puffing on his pipe.

Chen Ling chuckled and shook his head: "Ha, that's the time when he's being mischievous. Every day he opens his eyes and runs around playing."

“That’s how it should be, that’s how it should be. What else can such a big kid do if not play with him? Look how happy your father-in-law is. We old folks just love having kids around us making a ruckus.”

"Haha, that's true, Brother Ba. There's been less rain this autumn, and the weather's been a bit dry. Are the livestock alright?"

Sometimes, when the climate differs greatly from previous years, livestock and poultry are prone to disease.

"Nothing's wrong. You could say it's because the Turtle King is protecting us. There's been less rain this autumn, but nothing really has gone wrong."

"Is that so? It's good that everything is alright, otherwise our livestock station would be busy again."

"Haha, you kid, all you ever think about is slacking off."

As Chen Ling talked with Old Man Ba, it was soon his father-in-law's turn to get a haircut, and the market was getting more and more crowded.

The chubby boy, with his sharp eyes, spotted his uncle Zhang Tiegen, who sold candy figurines. He led Xiao Lizi and Rui Rui over and, after some playful tantrums, each got a candy figurine.

Chen Ling knew that he would usually run into Uncle Tiegen at market days in the village. Today, he brought the children along to visit Liu Yinhuan's parents at Little Fatty's maternal grandfather's house.

Actually, Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu had visited the village and their in-laws when they returned, but the chubby boy was too busy playing to follow them.

Now the elders in the family all know that Liang Yuemin and Chen Ling are basically inseparable.

Since they were already in the countryside, Chen Ling thought it best to bring the little fat boy along. After chatting with the children at Zhang Tiegen's stall for a while, the barber, who was skilled, quickly and efficiently shaved Wang Cunye's head. Chen Ling then led the oxcart, had the old man and the children sit on it, and drove them around the market for a couple of rounds.

We bought a lot of food and toys, and even went to the mule and horse market to see all kinds of pigs, dogs, cows, horses, and sheep. The children had a great time.

The oxcart was piled high with goods.

Of course, the oxcart was also carrying some things: venison from home and two jars of fruit wine. After all, it wouldn't be good to go to someone else's house empty-handed.

After visiting the market, we went to Liu Yinhuan's old home. The elderly people there were very hospitable and kept inviting Chen Ling to stay for lunch, saying they would go and make arrangements.

They were happy not only because their chubby grandson was back, but also because Chen Ling rarely came to their home.

They were familiar with Chen Ling and had seen him many times, but they only met him briefly when he passed through the village, stopped to chat for a while, and never actually visited his home.

So she really wanted him to stay for dinner.

However, Chen Ling still didn't agree. He tried everything he could, saying that he would come with Liang Yuemin and the others after this period of time. Only then did the two old men let them go. When they saw them off, they followed them for a long time, still sighing and nagging them to stay.

Chen Ling had no choice but to stop again, have a good two pipes of tobacco with Liu Yinhuan's father, and chat for a while before leaving.

After autumn arrives, the Qinling Mountains are blessed with clear skies, crisp air, and beautiful scenery, making it an even better season for outdoor activities than spring.

Once the chilly morning has passed and the sun comes out, the mountain breeze is no longer cold.

The sun shines brightly, the autumn light surpasses that of spring, and a gentle breeze blows—it's incredibly comfortable.

Yes.

The children also enjoy going out during this season, and they are happy all the way back from the countryside.

People on the road heading to the market: some on bicycles, some driving carts, some riding donkeys...

Wild rabbits linger by the roadside, eagles hover in the sky, and flocks of geese pass by one after another.

People shooting water birds by the river, people harvesting winter vegetables in the fields.

They were excited about everything they saw.

The autumn colors of the Qinling Mountains are not uniform; the vibrant colors flow and change among the mountains. Early autumn presents one kind of color, but as autumn deepens, it will present various different layers of color.

It will be so beautiful that locals will never get tired of looking at it every day.

On such a beautiful autumn day, Chen Ling returned to the village and heard something that surprised even him: the old turtle had reappeared.

It is located on the southern section of the Jinshui River, right next to the Nansha River near the county seat.

Then, naturally, a large number of people rushed over to watch and worship, including all the bosses, as well as Zhao Yubao, Zhou Weijun, Chen Xiaoer, and others.

Unfortunately, the turtle only appeared for a short while before disappearing back into the water.

But this did not dampen people's enthusiasm, especially that of people from other places.

The business owners went even further, bowing three times with every step, as if on a pilgrimage, excitedly and devoutly worshipping again and again, and buying all sorts of offerings, even contacting the county to donate incense money, making it all quite dazzling.

Chen Ling was also helpless after hearing this; he had never understood the behavior of such people before.

Just like my father-in-law said, these people have built such big businesses, and none of them are stupid; they're all incredibly shrewd. Why are they so superstitious?

Even when there were no turtles around, they would often visit Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries that were believed to be efficacious to offer incense, and they were very willing to spend money on them.

Not only them, but some of the wealthiest Chinese in Southeast Asia are even more so.

Later, during the time he went to Xiao Rizi with others and found the Sun and Moon Cave, a man's words made him suddenly realize the truth.

That is to say, the experiences of people who do business and trade are sometimes quite mysterious.

Just like a successful businessman, when he reaches a certain stage and looks back, he will find that all the things he thought he did right, based on rational analysis, extensive investigation, weighing of pros and cons, and even bribing for information and using back channels, did not necessarily lead to a good result in the end.

However, something he clearly misjudged in the past may have actually yielded unexpected results and brought him unimaginable gains.

After experiencing enough of this kind of thing...

These social elites, who appear to be the 'best of the best' in the eyes of others, also experience a sense of powerlessness.

I feel like I made so many right decisions, only to have them proven wrong.

On the contrary, the decisions I made that were clearly wrong, terrible, or even a complete mess, and which I was forced to make perfunctory and muddle through, were ultimately proven to be correct.

And it was absolutely right, the kind of success that brought me unimaginable success.

So sometimes these people will naturally think: since fate is so unpredictable, then I'll find something unpredictable and ethereal to give me psychological comfort and spiritual sustenance.

Therefore, many exceptionally intelligent and outstanding business tycoons are sometimes very superstitious and believe in fate.

It's not that they're stupid or easily fooled.

Some things really aren't their fault.

……

"Miyako, it seems we've gone too far... Will these old turtles stop trusting us in the future?"

After dark, on a bridge near the Nansha River in the county town, Li Zhongyi spoke with great distress and confusion.

Miyoko Chishima was actually very conflicted, flustered, and her mind was in turmoil.

Unlike Li Zhongyi, who looked gloomy, he took a few deep breaths and encouraged himself, saying, "I don't think so. They are very gentle, kind, and affectionate, just like real water spirits. As long as we cultivate a good relationship with them, we can definitely lead them back to the Jinshui River."

Once we cross the Jinshui River, we can find someone to tow them away…

It turns out that after they accidentally bumped into the turtles at Dumb Lake last time, they discovered that these aquatic giants were quite different from the ferocious and brutal creatures they had imagined.

On the contrary, they were very gentle and kind, and friendly to people, so we went to great lengths to feed them all sorts of things.

These gentle aquatic giants gradually responded to them and sometimes even engaged in simple interactions.

All of this made them happy and surprised.

During this period, they tried every means to please these old turtles and cultivate a relationship with them.

The reappearance of garlic this time is clearly closely related to them.

"No, Miyoko, I mean, they're so kind and gentle, they even let us touch them. Isn't it...isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to do that?"

After Li Zhongyi said those words, his face showed even more conflict, and there was a deep sense of guilt in his eyes.

After all, that's the Turtle King, a water deity worshipped by so many people, and a descendant of the Dragon King.

I was able to gradually become closer to both of them.

They say they're unhappy and that they're not upset at all, but that's a lie.

Chishima Miyoko was taken aback by his words, and her eyes suddenly became somewhat dazed and unnatural. However, she quickly regained her composure: "Ono-kun, are you being soft-hearted? Have you forgotten that this is our mission, a mission that the organization trusts us to carry out strictly?"

Bringing the turtles back to our country for research is also good for them.

"I... I haven't forgotten, it's just... sigh..."

Li Zhongyi scratched his head in anguish. Sometimes people can be ruthless and cruel to each other, but sometimes people and beasts can't be so cold-blooded.

"what?"

Just as he finished sighing, Li Zhongyi's eyes suddenly widened as he spotted a furtive figure on the other side of the bridge. "Is it a thief?"

They've been here for quite some time now.

I also know that these days, whether in the countryside or the city, thieves and robbers are very common, and it is not uncommon for them to climb over walls and break into homes to steal things.

Miyoko Chishima also noticed this at that moment. "He wasn't a thief. He was carrying something that looked like a small bucket, and he was acting suspiciously, as if he was about to do something bad."

"Huh? Is it explosives?"

"No, it wasn't explosives, he was writing."

The two quietly hid under the big willow tree by the bridge, watching from afar a figure writing and drawing on the exterior wall of a house across the street from the school.

"Wait, this place seems to be Chen Ling's home in the county town. Is this his enemy?"

"...Well, I think it's very likely."

"In that case, Miyoko, I think this is an opportunity to get closer to Chen Ling. What do you think?"

"Huh? You mean... That's right, all his other pen pals are so nice, only to you..."

The two whispered to each other in Japanese. It has to be said that the two of them had really good eyesight. In the dark, in those days there were no streetlights and the school lights didn't even reach that area, yet they could still see some things clearly. It was really amazing.

“Over there, across the riverbank there’s an old livestock shed. You go get some bricks, I’ll get a stick…”

Li Zhongyi gritted his teeth and whispered.

Getting closer to Chen Ling was a pretense; his real intention was to vent his frustration about the old turtle incident. (End of Chapter)