My 1995 Small Farm.

"Fugui, stop messing with those hornet's nests and come take a look at these turtles."

On the slope, in Old Zhong's small courtyard, Zhao Yubao called out in front of the shallow turtle pond made of bluestone, shining a flashlight.

Meanwhile, Chen Ling and Old Man Zhong were digging through the hornet's nest under the lamp, using bamboo skewers to pick out the plump, white bee larvae from each hole and put them into a bowl at their feet.

Hearing the shout, he got up and went over: "What's wrong?"

As soon as I asked the question, I saw the pond full of all kinds of turtles, some pressing down on others, some huddled together like a human pyramid.

"Hey, Uncle Zhao, you're making such a fuss. I thought something was wrong. These are just turtles mating."

"Huh? It's already autumn, the weather's getting cooler, what's the point of 'wearing' it?"

Zhao Yubao was completely bewildered upon hearing this.

"Of course they'll mate. They usually mate in the fall, and they'll lay eggs next summer. You forgot when you came this year, around the time of the wheat harvest? That's when you were collecting turtle eggs in the wheat fields."

Chen Ling said with a smile.

"Oh? So that's exactly when they conceived. That means if they conceive now, the baby won't be born until next summer?"

"Yes, after all, turtles hibernate. In winter, they go back into their burrows or hide in corners and don't move. They only come out when the weather warms up in the spring. After three months of spring, when they are well-nourished, they lay eggs."

"That takes quite a while. I always thought this thing was pretty fast."

Zhao Yubao scratched his head. There was nothing he could do; the old man was a bit simple-minded when it came to these kinds of things.

As the two were talking, Old Zhong hurried over to take a look. "Good heavens, good heavens, you've really gotten yourself into trouble today, Old Zhao."

These tortoises were brought over from the dog farm by the lynx.

After Zhao Yubao started raising wheat field turtles, he gradually developed an interest in them and began going to the Zhong family's yard every day to feed them.

The main reason is that the old man is also a big fisherman. The small river they dug down the slope now has more and more fish, so catching some small fish is very easy. Watching the turtles gobble up the food is especially satisfying.

Today, I actually noticed a problem.

"The environment here is so much better. Ever since Sanzi started his dog farm, your aunt and I have been going there almost every day to feed the dogs. We've never even seen turtles pair up."

So many turtles are still pairing up together.

"Tsk tsk, and it's growing so fast! Old Zhao, have you noticed? Sanzi only brought the turtle over about a month ago, and it's already grown so much."

As Old Zhong was speaking, his wife and Du Juan soon came over to see what was happening.

"The environment is good, and Uncle Zhao feeds us well too."

Chen Ling smiled and took a small turtle into his hand. The turtle was about half the size of his palm and was a yellow-throated turtle, though it was actually smaller.

Turtles generally grow very fast when the temperature is high in summer.

Female turtles, in particular, grow very quickly.

Zhao Yubao was flattered by the compliment: "Haha, how are your two sea turtles doing? I haven't checked on your fish tank lately."

"...What sea turtle? That's a pig-nosed turtle. It's been well cared for and isn't as timid now. Uncle Zhao, you'll know if you have time to go and see it tomorrow."

Chen Ling has only recently begun to realize that this pig-nosed turtle is actually quite special; it doesn't eat much small fish or shrimp anymore.

On the contrary, the aquatic plants in the fish tank and the duckweed on the water surface are often eaten by them.

They ate even more fiercely than the red-lipped barbs that specialize in eating these things.

Fortunately, Chen Ling's aquarium was different from ordinary people's; it contained spiritual water, which caused the aquatic plants to grow wildly.

These creatures that love to eat aquatic plants actually help to suppress the overgrown aquatic plants.

"Fugui, your second brother has steamed meat buns again. He's called Teacher Zhao and Professor Zhong to come and eat."

Just then, a woman's voice came from a small courtyard far away across the street. It was Chen Xiaoer's wife.

Chen Ling laughed heartily and said without any politeness, "Okay, I'll go over and eat later. Is there a lot steamed? Is it enough for me to take home?"

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted from the other side.

Over there, one could faintly hear Chen Xiao'er's furious cursing, directed at his wife.

Chen Ling and his group laughed even harder.

"We've actually prepared dinner here. We made some noodle soup, and there's still some fried fish that your father-in-law gave us that we haven't finished. We need to eat it quickly."

The old lady from Zhao Yubao's family also said.

Chen Ling clapped his hands immediately: "That's perfect! We can go to the waiter's place later and get some meat buns to eat with it."

"Hahaha, Fugui, you're sure to get back at Xiao Er for talking about you behind your back."

“Hey, Lao Zhao, you don’t understand. With such a stingy person, you have to mooch off him for food and drinks. But with someone as generous as Fugui, we’d feel bad. Don’t you think so?”

"Uncle Zhong is absolutely right... Wait, why do I feel like you're subtly pointing something out to me?"

"No, no, absolutely not."

So Chen Ling and the two old men went to Chen Xiaoer's house and ate a few big meat buns, laughing and joking.

I must say, besides the vinegar-braised noodles, Chen Xiaoer's steamed buns are absolutely amazing. When you bite into the bun skin, there's a chunk of meat inside, and it's so fragrant and juicy.

He's just too stingy.

This person has been like this since childhood, and it is said that his father was the same. He is loyal to his friends, but he can never change his stingy nature.

His dad was quite funny too; he had a high fever and was almost delirious.

The son and daughter-in-law who were accompanying the patient couldn't remember.

But Chen Xiaoer and Lao Mao remembered the visit very clearly.

When asked, he immediately said, "Of course Lao Mao remembers. He came to visit me and gave me 30,000 yuan."

...That's what happens when someone is stingy and greedy for money.

Despite the banter and playful arguments, it's still easy and fun to be together.

Only Chen Xiaoer's son, Daxu, remained simple-minded. Upon seeing Chen Ling, he would sniffle, hug his leg, and wail as he complained that Rui Rui hadn't been playing with him lately.

That's true. Rui Rui was having so much fun playing with his older siblings that the three of them slept together. They didn't even remember him, the silly boy.

However, Chen Ling felt obligated to help them today, so after taking a few meat buns, he carried the simple-minded boy back to the farm while munching on the buns, so that he could join Rui Rui and the other two in tending to the quails, catching puppies to nurse, or arranging the turtles of all sizes in rows...

Anyway, let them have their fun.

He went upstairs to have dinner with Wang Susu, changed diapers for the two babies Kang Kang and Lele, and took some time to write a reply to the livestock magazine and a new short article.

He's recently developed a rare interest in writing, and his writing is even better than when he was in school, so naturally he's thinking about writing more.

……

Chen Ling still had the leisure and inclination for this at home.

The Wei army in the county town was in a worse situation.

It's fair to say that ever since his wife caught him cheating on her, he's been having a rough time.

Many people become very sensitive when they encounter setbacks.

He felt that everyone's gaze was mocking, and that all his acquaintances were laughing at him.

Especially people like Wei Jun.

Having just achieved success, only to suffer a setback, the situation is naturally even more serious.

He was caught red-handed by his pregnant wife and wanted to save the baby in her womb. He ran into Chen Ling, but Chen Ling didn't help him.

Although Chen Ling indeed had neither the connections nor the ability in this regard.

But he didn't believe that Chen Ling was truly incompetent.

He felt that Chen Ling was doing it on purpose, that he was making a fool of himself.

It was revenge for his 'disrespect' in Fenglei Town.

So he held a grudge and couldn't let it go, and during the temple fair in the county town a while ago, he spread rumors about Chen Ling everywhere.

These kinds of rumors spread quickly and can be quite damaging.

But who knew that it would only last for the National Day holiday.

Chen Ling has caused quite a stir again, appearing on television and in newspapers. Although Chen Ling himself hasn't shown his face, everyone knows he cares about the village and is trying various ways to increase the villagers' income, even finding people to collect wild fruits from the mountains.

It's said that even if it's sent from other villages, they'll still want it.

This is terrible. People will never remember the mudslinging that was thrown at Chen Ling.

I wasted a lot of effort, but it was all for nothing.

Wei Jun grew angrier the more he thought about it, and for the past few days he had been plotting how to deal with Chen Ling.

Yes.

When you're envious and jealous of someone, all you want to do is drag them into a pit and stomp them to death.

At this point, there's no room for reason.

But thinking about the rumors surrounding Chen Ling, none of the things he kept—whether dogs, cows, or horses that liked to bully people—were easy to mess with.

Wei Jun dared not go to the village.

Let's do it in the county town then.

This time, he wanted to be more direct: he would write something scary for Chen Ling when it was dark and no one was around.

Then he thought he would also write something on the walls outside the homes of the two women who were close to Chen Ling.

In other words, they felt that spreading rumors about Chen Ling, Qin Qiumei, and Zhong Xiaoyun wasn't enough.

They also write words on people's doors.

This caused unrest in their home.

Even if you have a good relationship with Chen Ling, his family will probably still have a negative opinion of him.

This is indeed a disgusting method.

Wei Jun carried a bucket of paint and scribbled on the outer wall of the South City Campus, while excitedly calculating in his mind that he had finally gotten his revenge.

Just as he was feeling secretly pleased with himself, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him, which startled him.

Just as he was about to find a place to hide, he turned his head to peek and saw a dark stick hurtling towards him.

Li Zhongyi's blow was really hard; not only was the blow hard, but his verbal abuse was also fierce.

I learned the locals' favorite way to curse the Japanese.

"Fuck your ancestors, you heartless, filthy bastard, go to hell."

While cursing, he used the stick in his hand to beat the Wei soldiers so badly that they fled in panic.

However, Li Zhongyi was tall and strong, and there was also the sneak attack from Chishima Miyoko.

This Japanese woman can be quite fierce when she gets angry.

One blow with an old brick wasn't enough, so he started kicking her and scratching her face.

The Wei soldiers were so frightened that they thought they had run into Chen Ling and his wife. They covered their heads and rolled on the ground, fearing that Chen Ling would beat them to death.

He had heard that Chen Ling was strong and could hit people hard.

They even dare to break the legs of elderly men.

So he hid while calling for help.

This area is next to a school and also near a residential area, so there are naturally quite a few people here.

But today is his turn to have bad luck.

His shout not only attracted the locals, but also the business owners who wanted to talk to the county leaders.

This is really serious.

Upon hearing that Chen Ling's home had been vandalized like this...

These old guys all rolled up their sleeves and got to work. It had been a long time since they'd fought, and once they started, they got more and more into it, taking turns punching and kicking each other.

Well, to put it simply, the Wei army has run into trouble today.

The final battle was terrifying.

Li Zhongyi, being a simple man, was afraid of causing trouble by beating people up, so he stopped them and told them to rest and drive over to call Chen Ling to handle the situation.

"It's too late now, it's dark, and the mountain road is difficult to walk on. If you ask me, let's tie this bastard who did bad things... ptooey, ptooey, no, I mean this son of a bitch to this telephone pole and let him freeze for a whole night before we talk about it."

"We'll go to the village again tomorrow and call Brother Chen over."

"Shall we report it to the police now?"

"What's the rush? It's not too late to report it tomorrow. Who knows if this son of a bitch has any accomplices? Tie him up first, and we'll stake him out here."

That's what they say, but they definitely don't have any accomplices.

It was just a random excuse.

So when Chen Ling received the notification the next morning and rode over, the Wei army, which had been frozen all night, was no longer recognizable as human.

With his face bruised and swollen, he hung his head and was tied to a telephone pole, fast asleep.

In this state, there's no need for him to lift a finger; doing so would likely result in someone's death.

Chen Ling was too lazy to waste any more words on this kind of person.

I went directly to report the case and had the police take the person away.

With so many witnesses and physical evidence, there's not much to say. In short, after this incident, Wei Jun will no longer be able to work within the system.

Even more absurdly, Captain Li and his team found explicit articles in the old man's room containing his fabrications about Chen Ling and other women.

Chen Ling was completely speechless.

It even led to unfounded associations, such as the story of Wu Zhi and Wu Dalang being falsely accused in the novel *Jin Ping Mei*.

Thankfully, Wei Jun's article was too stiff and not very interesting.

Otherwise, if word gets out, he won't know how to explain it to people later.

"Damn it, I have no grudge against this son of a bitch, why does he hate me so much?"

After returning to the village, Chen Ling was still quite upset about the matter.

I didn't provoke him or do anything to him, so I just can't figure it out.

His wife and Wang Susu were old classmates; they were acquaintances who had met before, and there was no deep-seated hatred between them.

"Hey bro, that's just how people are. Sometimes it's only those you know who want to kill you."

A few of us, for example, are doing quite well in business.

"You know, if we suddenly became penniless, would our relatives and friends be sad or happy?"

"Well, many people will probably laugh out loud with a sense of unease."

Chen Ling nodded. It wasn't that he couldn't think straight; he just couldn't understand such a simple principle.

I just really don't understand how this kind of person's thought process works, acting like I have some deep-seated grudge against them.

"Haha, you're still in the mood to joke, which means you're not too affected... Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. On our way back, we heard that another wolf was killed in the village, and we're thinking of going to take a look."

"Oh right, I have to go check it out too. They not only killed the old wolf, but I heard they also caught a leopard."

Chen Ling took a sip of water and followed them outside. Lately, the elderly, weak, sick and disabled in the mountains have been eliminated too quickly.

In the past, wolves were relatively easy to spot; you could occasionally see them.

On clear days, when you can see far into the distance, you can sometimes see groups of three or five wolves running in the mountains and forests, or drinking water by a river in the distance.

But there was no way to see a leopard.

This thing can climb trees, travel long distances, cross rivers and climb mountains as easily as walking on flat ground, and it is also very stealthy.

And now, not only have they seen him, they've also been caught.

In the past, even experienced hunters wouldn't dare to catch this.