My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 633

Because of the Wei army's matter, Chen Ling went to the county town and returned at 10 a.m.

The village was bustling with activity.

There were many people making a ruckus around the large pond at the bottom of the slope.

Even Erhei was strolling around with his pack of dogs, their eyes bright and constantly sniffing the air.

In the crowd, an old wolf with messy, yellowish fur was hanging from a tree, head down, feet up, body stiff, eyes closed—it was dead beyond any doubt.

The dead wolf posed no threat to Erhei.

The main problem was that a leopard with a ferocious face and gleaming eyes was locked in an iron cage under the tree.

This made Erhei and the others very cautious.

"My God, we really caught a leopard."

The group of people who came with Chen Ling were startled when they saw the leopard.

"Brother, I heard you can catch a leopard like that all by yourself, is that true?"

Chen Ling was also taken aback when he saw the leopard.

He had never seen a leopard this thin before.

Not only was it skin and bones, but its beautiful fur was also covered in dirty mud. Compared to the elegance and beauty of a normal leopard, it looked like a dirty wildcat.

Chen Ling stepped forward and asked, "How did you catch this leopard? Did you hunt it with the wolves?"

"Hey, Fugui's here? Come look at this leopard. This leopard was chased out by a pack of jackals. We just got up the mountain and saw some movement in the graveyard. This guy was lying in the grass ditch over there, and he pounced as soon as he saw people. Luckily, we all brought guns."

"Look, we shot it in the chest, and now it's not bleeding anymore."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling looked again and realized why the leopard was covered in blood; it had been shot.

Even though he's injured, this guy is still quite fierce.

Its eyes were shifty and cunning, filled with evasive fear and ferocity. Every now and then, it would open its mouth wide with a ferocious expression and let out a series of threatening hissing sounds.

"This must be an immature leopard cub."

"It's a little leopard. No wonder it's so small. It's not much bigger than a common leopard."

"Hmm, it's probably not even as big as some leopards, and it smells terrible. It's probably infected with a disease too."

Chen Ling nodded. As he approached, the leopard in the cage pounced, slamming the cage with a loud bang, startling many people.

They kept saying that the leopard was fierce.

“Fugui, do you want this leopard? If not, we’ll kill it and skin it. This thing is extremely fierce, so we can’t let it stay in the village for long.”

The villagers saw that the leopard was dirty, thin, and emaciated, and thought that Chen Ling probably wouldn't be interested in it.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ling nodded immediately upon hearing the question: "Yes, I want it. Whoever got it, come to my house later, and I'll pay you for the hide."

For the villagers, the only valuable thing about this leopard is its pelt.

If other internal organs are used as medicinal materials, they can't fetch a good price in the countryside.

"Hey, take it or leave it, don't worry about money, just take it... And this wolf, do you want it? Wen Chao killed it over at Laohewan, he probably knew that Lao was grazing cattle there, far away from the dogs, so he went after the calves."

Wen Chao knocked it over with a stick, then covered the basket and brought it back.

Everyone was laughing and joking, telling Chen Ling to take it if he wanted, and they didn't really care about these things.

Chen Ling arranged all the work of picking wild fruits to sell.

How could I possibly accept money from Chen Ling?

"Oh, Xiao Chao killed the wolf? Xiao Chao is pretty fierce."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling laughed and said that there was no use for the wolf if he took it back. He then talked about the situation he had encountered when he went deep into the mountains last time.

Speaking of the frequent descent of old wolves, wild boars, and leopards that are so thin they look like ghosts down from the mountains, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled are mentioned.

Tell them there will probably be quite a few more in the future.

"Ah? So that's how it is. I knew it! I was wondering why so many wolves were coming down from the mountains. I thought it was an evil spirit..."

“Fugui is still the most shrewd. He’ll go to the brigade later and shout it out through the loudspeaker.”

"..."

“Shouting won’t help. There’s no way to prevent this kind of thing. Take the old boar that used to roam around the village, for example. You haven’t seen it these past few days.”

These wild creatures are unpredictable; no one can tell when they come down from the mountain or when they slip away again.

The only options are to lock the door at night, wait for the dog to bark, and keep an eye on the children and livestock.

"Yes, yes, shouting won't help. We'll have to feed two more dogs at home. If a wolf attack occurs, they'll be even scarier than leopards."

As he spoke, he found a cart from a nearby house and helped Chen Ling put the leopard's iron cage up there with a stick.

Otherwise, this leopard is quite ferocious; its claws are sharper than iron hooks. If it scratches through the cage, a person can't take it; it will tear flesh and draw blood.

When Chen Ling pulled the cart to transport the leopard back, Chen Xiaoer and the others followed.

They went to watch the commotion and overheard Chen Ling's words.

While thinking about getting a watchdog for my own family, I also had many doubts.

“Fugui, I don’t quite understand. If you can train tigers, and your Heiwa can also harm those female wolves, why can’t you train wolves too?”
Why can't we stop them from running down the mountain?

Judging from the expressions on the faces of those old people, and hearing you say that there must be quite a few wolves coming down from the mountain, they're all a bit panicked."

"This... are you serious, waiter?"

Chen Ling looked at Chen Xiaoer with some surprise upon hearing this.

They seemed surprised that such an incredibly intelligent person would ask such an ignorant question.

"Go away, what kind of look is that? Of course I'm serious. I'm afraid of wolves too. What if they sneak into my house in the dark? That would be terrifying."

Besides being stingy, Chen Xiaoer is also quite daring.

“Yeah, bro, I think this idea has potential. You can train tigers, train a few wolves, and raise a wolf king to manage them. Isn’t that great?”

The bosses who were following behind also had their eyes light up, thinking that this suggestion was very feasible.

"Come on, you're trying to train a wolf king?"

Chen Ling was speechless. He turned his head and glanced at the docile leopard in the cage: "I have to ask you, in this circus, there are tigers, lions, bears... do you think there are wolves?"

"what?"

"It seems there really isn't one."

"Yeah, there don't seem to be any wolves in the circus, why is that?"

"Is it because wolves and dogs are quite similar, and people aren't particularly interested in dogs, so they don't bother with wolves?"

"...Well, that's only one reason. The main reason is that wolves are too wild and difficult to tame. There's an old saying that goes, 'You can't tame a white-eyed wolf.'"

Many old sayings have a basis in fact.

Unless you raise it like a dog, trying to train a wolf is futile; no matter how many methods you use, you'll just drive it to its death.

Chen Ling chuckled.

Besides being wild and unruly, wolves are also temperamental and proud beasts.

Lynx once said that when he used to go with others to catch wolves and breed them with dogs, he was often given advice by experienced seniors.

You can't chain a wolf like you chain a dog.

Otherwise, the wolf would feel humiliated and commit suicide.

It sounds a little mysterious.

In fact, some birds, such as swallows, will die from hitting their way into cages when they are put in them.

Unless you raise them from a baby to adulthood.

"This……"

Everyone fell silent.

They never expected that the wolf, which seemed unremarkable among the wild beasts, would have such a proud spirit as lions, tigers, and leopards.

As I walked home, Heiwa Xiaojin, who was in charge of taking care of the children in the village, came to greet me from afar.

These two lived up to the title of "Mountain Kings" given to them by the villagers.

It truly exuded a fierce and menacing aura. As soon as it approached, the leopard in the cage on the cart immediately shrank into a ball, becoming extremely docile.

This surprised everyone once again.

Good heavens, the dog scared the leopard; that's truly rare. Even when Heiwa and his companion, both large in stature, walked closer, the leopard in the cage looked tiny in comparison.

Although I was outdone.

But a leopard is still a leopard, a ferocious wild beast of the mountains and forests.

Even a young leopard, not yet fully grown, caused the chickens, ducks, and livestock to become restless when it came near the village.

It wasn't until the little white calf let out a long moo that they all calmed down.

"Dad~"

When Rui Rui saw Chen Ling return, he was the first to run, simply because he wanted to see what fun things Chen Ling had brought back.

The chubby boy and the little chestnut hurriedly shouted "Uncle!" and ran over.

But the two of them can't even run as fast as Rui Rui's two short legs.

The children ran ahead, with the two elderly women, Gao Xiulan and Liang Hongyu, following closely behind.

"What's Lingzi up to now? I heard they hunted wolves and leopards in the village. Don't get involved, our family is lively enough."

Gao Xiulan has been very wary of this lately.

There are many children in the family.

Wild things have no sense of proportion.

It could easily hurt the child.

The little muntjac is so cute, isn't it? When Rui Rui and the others annoy the little creature, it will kick them with its legs.

And he's incredibly strong.

Therefore, naughty kids and these things cannot coexist; if they get hurt, everyone will feel bad.

This little kid doesn't understand anything, all he does is play and fool around. There's no point in blaming him. It's better to let Chen Ling stop arranging these things for the family.

"Oh dear, Mom, this is just a little leopard that hasn't grown up yet. I'm just treating its injuries and checking on its vet. I'll contact the zoo later, and if they want to take it, they will... If they don't want it, it's not a big problem, and I'll release it in a couple of days."

Chen Ling gave a perfunctory reply.

Actually, he saw that the leopard was a female cub.

I wanted to take him into the cave and have him keep the short-tailed male leopard inside as a companion.

It's okay if the leopard cub isn't an adult yet; we can build a bond with it first.

"You always bring these things home. Rui Rui, don't go to your dad's place. Xiao Ming, you guys shouldn't go either. Be careful, the leopard might bite you."

Gao Xiulan shouted.

She doesn't need to shout now.

When Heiwa and Xiaojin saw Rui Rui rushing over, they immediately used their strong and muscular bodies to block him.

Their understanding of Rui Rui is no less than that of the elders in the family.

As soon as the little creature lifts its foot, they know what it's going to do and are already prepared to defend themselves.

However, Rui Rui doesn't need to be so strictly guarded.

When they saw the iron cage that Chen Ling and the others were carrying off the cart, inside which was a leopard.

He pouted with disappointment, his chubby little face tense, and muttered softly, his little brows furrowed: "Little bun~"

Then she turned around and said to her older siblings with a serious expression, "Little Baozi, fierce~"

After saying that, she took off running home, calling out as she ran, "Mommy, little package of paper, Mommy, little package of paper..."

Knowing that his mother liked the little leopard, he immediately called Wang Susu over.

Ignoring the children's play, Chen Ling led his men to clear a space near the bamboo forest and placed the cage there.

They went back to prepare various things and began to examine the leopard and treat its injuries.

The animals' four legs were tied with ropes, and tire liners were put around their necks. Their heads were secured in the gaps in the fence next to the livestock pen to prevent them from biting people.

The leopard's gunshot wound wasn't too serious.

But this leopard was seriously ill. Its new and old wounds were covered in mud and grime, and many places were infected and smelly. Its anus was also severely inflamed.

No wonder he was shot once and taken back to the village.

This patient has become quite weak and sickly.

The fact that a juvenile leopard is exhibiting these symptoms suggests that it must have gone through a series of horrific tragedies, just like the pregnant wolf Chen Ling encountered in the mountains.

“Fugui, is this the same ‘tiger-soothing drug’ you used on the tiger before? I saw you taking out a bullet, and it barely moved, like it wasn’t in pain.”

Zhao Yubao asked curiously.

"Yes, this stuff does have a calming effect, but it's not like an anesthetic. This leopard can still move, so don't put your hand near its mouth."

Chen Ling reminded him that the gunshot wound on the leopard's chest had been treated.

In fact, the little leopard could still feel pain; it had been repeatedly frightened and stimulated, and was almost fainting.

Chen Ling was quite adept at treating the wounds of wild animals.

He's just as good as the old veterinarian.

At this point, they began to examine the mud-covered wounds near the leopard's rump.

However, as soon as he started to examine the object, the crowd of onlookers behind him began to cover their noses and gag.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with this leopard? Its wounds are infested with maggots, and it stinks horribly. Is it about to die?"

"There really are bugs, brother, don't touch them. What if you have a contagious disease..."

Chen Ling's eyes were almost watering from the smell, but she still insisted on checking it out.

The leopard has claw marks and bite marks on the right side of its rump.

According to the villagers, and based on Chen Ling's assessment of the claw and tooth marks left on the wound, it closely matches the description of a jackal.

Jackal fangs are just as good as wolf fangs.

Good heavens, the leopard bit me so deeply; the flesh around the two bloody holes is rotten and turned inside out.

There really were small white insects crawling around.

Chen Ling suppressed the urge to vomit, broke off a thin bamboo twig, and used it to pull out the maggots that were growing on the wound one by one.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yubao immediately stomped on them, crushing them all to death.

The business owners were still trying to persuade him: "Brother, this leopard is infested with maggots, can it still be saved? We know you mean well, but you have children at home, and these things from the mountains might carry some infectious diseases."

"Yes, I know you mean well."

Chen Ling nodded, "But sometimes maggots in a wound aren't a bad thing, you know. Maggots only eat rotten flesh, not good flesh... If it were some other parasite, this leopard would probably be in so much pain that it can't walk right now."

He had recently written an article about maggots for a livestock magazine, so he naturally knew more about them than others.

They also know that maggots have remarkable effects in human medicine.

"Huh? There's such a saying?"

Everyone was completely bewildered.

Even Zhao Yubao and Chen Xiaoer were surprised.

Chen Ling, however, didn't bother to talk to them. He took a sharp razor blade and scraped away the rotten flesh from the leopard's wounds.

As he scraped, he wondered, 'So, this leopard's swollen and inflamed rear end must have been attacked by jackals? And how did it manage to evade their attacks and kill it?'

With more wild animals in the mountains and forests, it is dangerous, but more exciting than ever before.

Every day, new stories, even more exciting and thrilling than those recorded in Chen Ling's Hunter's Notes, unfold.

As Chen Ling treated the leopard's wounds, his heart began to stir with anticipation.

Perhaps I should venture deep into the Qinling Mountains again.

But what excuse should I use?

After healing the leopard's wounds, should we release it back into the wild?

No.

Then... take the dog into the mountains to deal with a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people like the lone old wolf?

How to prevent them from sneaking into the village?

Hmm, that should work.

(End of this chapter)