My 1995 Small Farm.

Time flies, and before we know it, the end of the first month of the lunar calendar is almost over.

On the gentle slope east of the county town, next to the forest farm, the red brick walls are getting higher every day.

The men worked with great effort, and with the addition of the foreigner Jackson and a few other rare "laborers" like Lao Huang, the construction site was bustling with activity, like a theatrical performance.

Inside and outside the county town, and even in neighboring villages, many idle people came to see the spectacle after hearing the news of this foreign devil.

A blond, blue-eyed foreign devil.

Many people will never meet one in their entire lives.

Those guys were practically scrambling to get a look.

Of course.

These days, besides these foreign devils, the local Turtle King Temple is the most popular place.

Evil spirits often haunt the mountains.

Villages such as Chenwangzhuang and Jinmen Village have all fled to avoid the disaster.

It is said that there was a mountain of yellow.

Good heavens, the Yellow Mountain Goose always appears with the Donkey-Headed Wolf and the Old Monkey Spirit.

If you encounter just one, that's fine, but if you encounter several at the same time...

That's terrifying to even think about.

So one by one, before things got really busy in the first month of the lunar year, they hurried to the Turtle King Temple on the banks of the Jinshui River to offer incense.

……

Chen Ling had no interest in paying attention to any of this.

He knew the reasons behind many things in the mountains.

But I can't worry about that right now.

There's nothing I can do even if I tell you.

In those days, the mountain areas were so isolated that transportation was unimaginably difficult.

Not to mention the lack of roads and the difficulty of navigating the mountain paths.

When the snow melts, even waterways become difficult to traverse.

Because of the fear that rocks might fall from the mountains when the snow melts, and that some rivers might be hit by large rocks that could capsize boats.

It will come to a complete standstill.

So he simply decided not to concern himself with those matters for the next few days.

Most of his attention was focused on the forest farm.

At this moment, the blueprints were spread out on his lap, and he, along with Lynx and Zhao Dahai, squatted behind a pile of bricks to shelter from the wind, pointing and discussing.

Heiwa and Xiaojin were dozing off not far away, but their ears were perked up, listening to the sounds coming from the construction site.

Erhei adapted to the environment of the county town and continued to lead the pack of dogs on patrols, managing everything from east to west.

"Wealth and prosperity! Wealth and prosperity!"

Old man Zhao Yubao's loud voice could be heard from halfway across the construction site, carrying a tone that was both funny and exasperated.

"What's wrong, Uncle Zhao?"

Chen Ling looked up.

You should go home and check on things!

Zhao Yubao ran closer and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Those two little devils of yours really gave Susu a hard time today! And that brat Rui Rui is no better, he just added to the chaos!"

Upon hearing that it was about the twins at home, Chen Ling frowned: "Kang Kang and Lele? What's wrong? Are they sick?"

"You're not sick, you're full of energy!"

Zhao Yubao waved his hand.

"She's just so mischievous!"

"According to Susu, after breakfast this morning, she started acting up. One baby would cry and then another would cry, taking turns. She wouldn't eat properly when breastfeeding, and rocking her didn't help either. Her voice was hoarse from crying!"

"Du Juan tried to soothe him, but it didn't work. That kid Rui Rui even started crying and making a fuss. The house was like a pot boiling over!"

Chen Ling immediately pictured the two little chubby babies howling at the top of their lungs, and the chaotic scene of Wang Susu and Du Juan frantically trying to catch them.

He clicked his tongue and shoved the blueprints in his hand into Lynx's arms: "You two keep an eye on things for now, I'll go back and take a look."

"Go quickly, go quickly!"

Lynx quickly caught it, but thinking of his wife Dujuan and the children, he was also a little scared. He hurriedly said, "I'll stay here and continue to supervise the work for you. Don't worry."

Chen Ling dusted off his bottom, called to Heiwa and Xiaojin, and strode home.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard increasingly loud cries coming from inside the house, interspersed with Wang Susu's weary soothing words and Rui Rui's mimicking "aww" sounds.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of milk and a faint odor of urine hit me.

The room was warm. Wang Susu was wearing only a thin sweater, her hair was a little messy, and she was pacing back and forth in the room with Kang Kang in her arms, humming a tuneless little tune.

Kang Kang twisted in her arms, his little face flushed red, his eyes closed and mouth open, crying so intensely that his little chest heaved.

On the kang (a heated brick bed), Dujuan knelt on one knee, facing Lele, who was also crying with snot bubbling from her nose.

The little girl kicked her legs, her chubby arms flailing wildly in the air, her brows furrowed tightly, looking utterly aggrieved.

Rui Rui, lying on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grinned and howled along, his chubby little hands poking his sister's cheeks.

"Oh my little darlings! What's going on here?"

Chen Ling quickly stepped forward and picked up Rui Rui, who had been joining in the fun.

"Hey brat, what are you yelling about? Go play somewhere else!"

He casually handed him to Heiwa, who had followed him in, saying, "Take him out for a stroll!"

Heiwa let out a low growl and used his big head to nudge the reluctant Rui Rui out of the room. Xiao Jin also came over, watching Lele crying on the kang warily, making a low "woo-woo" sound in his throat.

"Ah Ling, you're finally back..."

When Wang Susu saw him, her eyes were a little red, and her voice was hoarse.

"These two little ones have been fussing since this morning. I don't know what's wrong with them. They won't sleep, they won't drink their milk properly, they just keep crying like this, and their voices are about to go hoarse!"

Chen Ling approached Kang Kang, but the little guy was crying so hard that he completely ignored him.

He then went to check on Lele on the kang (a heated brick bed). When the little girl saw her father, her crying paused slightly. She continued to sob, looking at him with teary eyes, her little mouth pouting, looking even more aggrieved.

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Chen Ling reached out and touched Kang Kang's forehead, then touched Lele's little feet.

"No fever, but your stomach is bloated?"

“I checked, and her stomach isn’t hard.”

Wang Susu sighed and changed her holding position with Kang Kang.

"Could it be 'sleep disturbance'?"

"But no matter how I try to coax her, she won't fall asleep."

"Is it just teething and causing trouble? But apart from the two little front teeth, there aren't any white spots on the gums yet."

Chen Ling looked at his wife's haggard face and felt extremely distressed.

He reached out his hand: "Give me Kang Kang, you can rest for a while."

Taking his heavy son into his arms, the little guy seemed to pause for a moment, his crying subsided into a pitiful sob, and he nuzzled his head against Chen Ling's shoulder, his wet little face smearing saliva and snot all over Chen Ling's neck.

"Oh? So you've recognized someone as your father?"

Chen Ling laughed and started strolling around the house with her son in her arms, gently patting his little bottom with her big hand.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Daddy's back. Let's see who dares to make my little darling cry now!"

Strangely enough, Kang Kang squirmed a few times in Chen Ling's arms, and his sobs gradually subsided.

The little head rested on his broad shoulder, and the eyelids began to droop.

When Lele saw that her younger brother had stopped crying and was being held by his father, her little mouth twitched and she cried even louder, reaching out her hand towards Chen Ling.

"Alright! This one's recognized a father too!"

Du Juan quickly picked up Lele and handed her over.

Chen Ling quickly freed one hand to hold her soft little daughter in her arms, one on each side.

Now look at him, he's got women on both sides.

He simply sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his arms steadily encircling the two little fleshy balls.

"Look, look! Isn't our dad amazing?"

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow at Wang Susu with a smug look.

Strangely enough, the two little ones who were crying their hearts out just a moment ago now nestled in their father's familiar and comforting embrace, whimpered a few times, and gradually quieted down.

Kang Kang's little head bobbed up and down, and Lele also gave a delicate yawn, with tears still clinging to her long eyelashes.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Wang Susu and Du Juan both breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a glance, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"These two little ungrateful kids! All that effort from Sister Du Juan and me to coax them was for nothing. They only want to be held by you, their father!"

Wang Susu was both annoyed and amused, and poured a glass of water for Du Juan.

"Sister Juan, have some water and take a rest. You must be exhausted."

"Hey, what's this?"

Du Juan took the water, looked at the twins who had calmed down in Chen Ling's arms, and smiled.

"These two little rascals are so clever! They know their father is back and they have someone to back them up, so they've stopped causing trouble."

Chen Ling looked down at the two delicate little faces in his arms. Kang Kang's little eyebrows were still slightly furrowed, and Lele's little mouth was slightly pouting. Both of them had rosy cheeks from sleeping.

The six-month-old baby's features had grown a bit, and he was chubby and fair-skinned. His little arms and legs were like tender lotus roots. He was wearing a blue floral cotton-padded jacket that Wang Susu had sewn by hand, which made his little face look even more adorable.

"Tsk, look how well she's been raised."

Chen Ling couldn't help but rub her chin against Kang Kang's full little forehead, and then gently pinch Lele's chubby little hand.

"It's all thanks to your mother. Look at these little hands, they're like little steamed buns."

Wang Susu walked over, gently smoothed Lele's furrowed brows, her eyes so tender they could melt: "She can eat and make a fuss, and she's strong too. This morning, Kang Kang almost kicked Rui Rui off the kang (heated brick bed)."

"Hey! This kid!"

Chen Ling chuckled and looked down at her son.

"You've always known how to protect your older sister since you were little?"

Kang Kang smacked his lips in his sleep, his little fists clenching unconsciously.

"That's right, just like his father, he's someone who can handle things."

Wang Susu looked at her husband's two children sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Looking at Rui Rui, who had been brought to the yard by Heiwa and was sticking out his bottom trying to build a snowman, all the fatigue seemed to disappear, leaving only a sense of peace.

Du Juan smiled gently, like an aunt: "In the end, it's Kang Kang and Le Le who are healthy and don't fuss much. My little one has driven his grandparents crazy, they're almost having a nervous breakdown."

She had only recently finished her postpartum confinement period when her baby started causing her to be restless and fussy, with his days and nights reversed.

Professor Zhong and his wife also suffered as a result.

This has scared even the father, Lynx. The moment the baby cries, his hair stands on end, and he's too afraid to stay home any longer.

It's both laughable and pathetic. (End of Chapter)