My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 76 Sick Bird
There was no wind or moon at night; it was pitch black, without a single ray of light.

Chen Ling followed behind the weasel, wondering if Little Fatty was about to have babies since he hadn't seen him for days.

Thinking this, I followed Xiao Huang to a small alley in the north of the village.

Chen Ling was surprised to see Xiao Huang dart into the depths of the alley in a few steps.

"So you two live here? This place is safe!"

This alley is quite famous in Chenwangzhuang. Someone died here in the 1980s; their head was chopped off and rolled on the ground. So people who aren't brave enough don't dare to come here at night.

Some timid women would mutter a few words or spit a few times before hurrying past, even when passing by.

This alley is extremely narrow and has been uninhabited for more than ten years. In the pitch-black night, it is somewhat eerie and terrifying.

Chen Ling walked through the weeds and rubble to the depths of the alley, where a small courtyard overgrown with weeds and covered with green vines came into view.

This is a typical earthen courtyard in a mountain village. Amidst the thick, dense green vines, one can still vaguely see the narrow gatehouse at the entrance, but unfortunately, it is now dilapidated.

Little Huang stood up straight in front of the gatehouse, gesturing wildly with its two front paws and making a bunch of random grunts.

Chen Ling couldn't understand the animal language and didn't know what it was trying to say.

He said to it, "If you want to take me somewhere, just lead the way."

Upon hearing this, a hint of human helplessness flashed in Xiao Huang's little eyes, and then he nimbly ran into the yard.

He hadn't gone far when he stopped, turned around, and started yelling at Chen Ling again.

Chen Ling had just pushed aside the dense vines wrapped around the door and walked in when he saw the scene and found it quite strange.

After walking a few steps, I parted the weeds and saw that the bluestone slabs between the weeds were covered with scorpions.

At the base of the waist-high wormwood, he even saw a large, plump female scorpion, right in the crack of the bluestone slab, with her tail raised and her back covered with countless tiny, pinkish-white scorpions.

But when he tried to look again, the mother scorpion had already cleverly dodged away and retreated back into the crevice.

Chen Ling patted Xiao Huang's head and realized that it had just been warning him.

Then we went around that side and continued following Xiao Huang forward.

Children who grow up in the countryside know that they never go into the grass because there are poisonous insects such as snakes or scorpions, and one careless move could lead to disaster.

Some young children don't tell their parents immediately when they are bitten by poisonous insects, for fear of being scolded or even facing life-threatening situations.

The courtyard is quite long from north to south, but the two old houses on the north side are dilapidated and buried in weeds.

Moreover, all the doors and windows were gone, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

Chen Ling picked up a tree branch, used it to wrap up the spider web at the door, and followed Xiao Huang into the house.

As soon as he entered the house, a chubby weasel poked its head out, squinting and sniffing and rubbing against Chen Ling's feet, appearing very affectionate.

"Huh? Little Fatty, you haven't given birth yet?"

"Why did Xiao Huang call me here?"

Chen Ling was very surprised to see that Xiao Pang's belly had gotten even bigger.

He thought that Xiao Huang had called him over to share his joy of becoming a father.

I didn't expect it to be.

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Huang suddenly straightened up and pointed to a corner of the room.

Chen Ling looked over there, and a pair of bright green eyes suddenly entered his field of vision, startling him.

I quickly shone my flashlight over and discovered it was a falcon.

This falcon was not small, but at this moment its body was entangled by a thick viper. When Chen Ling shone his flashlight on it, it let out a weak and hoarse cry.

The cauliflower pit viper, also known as the cauliflower pit viper, is covered with black and yellow stripes and is not the same species as the cauliflower snake. It is a venomous snake.

It is also a type of venomous snake that is extremely common in the local mountainous areas, and can often be seen in grass, farmland or bushes.

Just as Chen Ling was wondering how the falcon had gotten entangled with the viper, Xiao Huang suddenly ran to a spot not far from the falcon, glanced at Chen Ling, and then made a fierce gesture at the viper and the falcon, baring its teeth and making a series of loud cries.

He looked exactly like a dog relying on its master's power.

"You invited me here so I could get rid of them?"

Seeing this, Chen Ling couldn't help but smile and went over to ask.

After all, Little Fatty is about to give birth, and eliminating threats around him is the instinct and nature of all animals.

Upon hearing this, Little Yellow excitedly barked around Chen Ling's feet, then gestured wildly with its two front paws as if it were making a accusation.

This guy's spirituality is growing stronger every day.

However, it still dared not approach the viper or the falcon, neither of which it could afford to provoke. A small snake might be manageable, but this viper, capable of subduing a falcon, was clearly out of its depth.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling took out a wood-chopping knife from the cave and walked over without saying a word.

As soon as we got close, the cauliflower viper hissed a threatening and warning sound.

After Chen Ling grabbed its head and neck in a few quick movements, it struggled even more, but after only a few struggles, Chen Ling used his brute force to pull it hard and slam it to the ground, where it lay motionless.

Fearing it might recover, Chen Ling used a machete to chop off its head.

Only then did Xiao Huang and Xiao Pang dare to step forward.

Chen Ling finally got a good look at the falcon. Its feathers were grayish-brown all over, it was thin and bony, and it looked like it was about to die.

Upon closer inspection, he frowned: "How did it get caught in a trap?"

The falcon's leg was caught in a rusty, muddy animal trap; no wonder it was subdued by the cauliflower viper.

"Where did this guy get stuck? How did it end up inside the old house?"

As Chen Ling was wondering if someone had deliberately placed traps in the yard, he saw Xiao Huang point to the falcon's belly and show it to him.

Filled with doubt, Chen Ling squatted down to examine the area, and immediately a putrid smell filled his nostrils.

He then noticed that the falcon had an unhealed old wound on its belly, which was festering and crawling with maggots.

No wonder she's become so thin; it turns out she has a stubborn, unhealed injury.

Saving an eagle's life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.

Seeing its pitiful, sorrowful, and helpless appearance, Chen Ling removed the animal trap.

Then they fetched some stream water from the cave and fed it to the falcons.

This falcon was actually quite afraid of him, its eyes always filled with fear, and it seemed indifferent to the Dongtian Creek, constantly screeching and trying to avoid him.

But now, in this half-dead state, he only struggled a few times before stopping and letting Chen Ling do as he pleased.

After feeding it the water from the cave stream, the silly bird seemed to be in better spirits. Chen Ling then used a thin twig to pry the maggots off one by one from the wound on its belly and crushed them to death with his foot.

"Alright, what do you think? Should I take it with me, or leave it here?"

"Actually, there's no need to worry. This eagle is different from that snake. If I don't save it, it won't live for more than a few days. It poses no threat to you at all."

Chen Ling spoke to the two weasels beside him who were intently watching him treat the wounded falcon.

Xiao Huang was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then straightened up and bowed to Chen Ling, with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

It's like saying, "My wife is about to give birth, please take it with you."

Seeing this, Chen Ling laughed and patted the two little heads of the yellow weasels. He told Little Fatty to take good care of himself during his pregnancy, and then carried the falcon by one leg and walked outside.

When he came out of the alley, Xiao Huang even came out to see him off.

"If the rest of the village saw this, they'd probably be scared half to death."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled.

This courtyard used to be the home of a hunter in the village. The hunter's wife was paralyzed and bedridden, and the hunter took care of her for nearly ten years, tending to her every need.

Later, when famine struck, everyone was starving, and even the hunters, who usually went hunting in the mountains, could not support their families.

One night, he used a kitchen knife to cut off his wife's head.

As luck would have it, someone came to the door that very night, which startled the hunter. In his panic, he accidentally knocked his wife's head all over the floor.

Later, the hunter fled overnight, and this alley became an ominous place in the village.

This guy, along with a weasel, is seen escorting people out at night. If someone saw him, I wonder how terrified they would be.

"However, there are poisonous snakes and scorpions there, so most people should definitely stay away from it."

Then, thinking of the hunter's family's tragic fate, he couldn't help but sigh again: "They say that even filial sons can't stay by the bedside of a chronically ill parent, let alone a husband and wife?"

As Chen Ling was lost in thought, he suddenly saw a shadowy figure sneaking out from across the street from his house when he was almost home.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Chen Erzhu.

There was another person behind them, with disheveled hair, who saw Chen Erzhu out the door; it was Qin Dongmei, that woman.

"Good heavens, Chun Yuan is keeping a mistress outside, and this woman is no less, she's giving him a big green hat at home..."

As Chen Ling was filled with amazement, he quickly hid in the shadows in the corner and quietly watched the scene unfold.

(End of this chapter)