My 1995 Small Farm.

After dinner, Wang Susu and her three children went to bed early.

Chen Ling, however, did not sit idle. He picked up a flashlight and, along with Heiwa and Xiaojin, headed towards the greenhouse at the east end of the village.

After spring arrived, the temperature rose quickly, and the two greenhouses used for overwintering became rather stuffy.

It's time to let the geese kept inside get out and adapt to the outside environment.

Inside the greenhouse, the temperature was significantly higher than outside, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of poultry, a mixture of hay and droppings.

A dozen or so gray-brown geese were huddled in a grassy nest in the corner. When they saw the light and Chen Ling enter, they honked and seemed a little uneasy.

They spend the entire winter in this warm but enclosed environment, and the sudden light and human shadows make them wary.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, let's go outside for some fresh air."

Chen Ling spoke softly, his gaze sweeping over the grass nest, where there were indeed about twenty goose eggs, slightly larger than duck eggs, with light brown spots on their shells.

He carefully picked up the goose eggs one by one, put them into the bamboo basket he had brought, and lined them with dry grass.

These eggs were laid by the geese before spring. In the relatively temperature-controlled greenhouse, they mistakenly thought that spring would continue, and they laid their eggs much earlier than in the wild.

"Alright, let the lynx incubate these eggs. He's experienced in hatching chicks, and he should be able to do it just as well with geese."

Chen Ling carried the basket out of the greenhouse and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

So he took the two dogs home.

The next morning, Chen Ling delivered a basket of goose eggs to the lynx.

The lynx was feeding his dog in his little yard when he saw the goose eggs and his eyes lit up: "Hey! Goose eggs! These are good stuff!"

"These things need to be incubated by humans for a high survival rate!"

He rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with excitement; he had an extraordinary passion for incubation.

"Okay, you can handle it as you see fit. Temperature and humidity are similar to hatching chicks, just it might take a bit longer."

Chen Ling handed him the basket: "I'm going to take down the greenhouse. It's getting warmer, so we won't need it anymore."

"Alright! Leave it to me!"

The lynx took the basket like a precious treasure.

He added, "But I can't help you with the greenhouse, my kid at home is so naughty, I can't leave him alone."

"I understand, I understand, there's not much to do over the greenhouses."

Chen Ling patted him on the shoulder with a smile. His child was really difficult to deal with. When one child started making a fuss, the whole family had to take care of him. He was too much of a handful.

After leaving the lynx's house, Chen Ling went straight to the greenhouse.

Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng were already there, carrying shovels and rakes.

The thatched roof and plastic sheeting on the shed had darkened in color after a winter of wind and snow, and the edges were slightly curled up by the wind.

“Fugui, you’re here? What’s up with these two sheds? Have you taken off all the straw mats?” Wang Jusheng asked at the top of his lungs.

"Okay, remove it all! Roll up the plastic sheeting too, tidy it up, and we can use it again next winter." Chen Ling nodded.

The three of them did what they said.

Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng climbed onto the roof of the shed and used pitchforks to remove the thick layer of thatch covering it, one by one.

Chen Ling was below to receive them, and he bundled up the unloaded thatch and piled it aside. This hay could be used as fodder or kindling later.

After the thatch was removed, the white plastic film covering it was revealed.

"Hey, this shed has been cooped up all winter, the smell is really strong!"

Wang Jusheng lifted a corner of the plastic sheet, and a warm smell mixed with the scent of poultry feathers, hay, and a faint odor of feces wafted out.

Inside the greenhouse, the flock of geese that were overwintering were huddled together, fast asleep.

Upon suddenly seeing light and figures, a commotion erupted, with a chorus of squawks filling the air as they flapped their wings and scurried into a corner.

They have long been accustomed to the warm and stable environment inside the shed and regard it as their permanent home.

"Slow down, slow down, don't startle them!"

Chen Ling gestured for the two to be quiet.

Wang Jusheng carefully used a knife to cut open the binding ropes, and together with Wang Lixian, slowly rolled up the entire large plastic sheet and tied it up.

As the covering was removed, the frames of the two greenhouses were exposed, and the sunlight shone in without any obstruction, making the temperature inside seem to instantly synchronize with the outside temperature.

The stuffy and humid feeling was completely gone.

Sunlight poured in without any obstruction, illuminating every corner of the shed.

The geese were initially a little startled, but they quickly adapted to the light and tentatively walked into the sunlight, stretching their necks and curiously gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar world outside.

At first they were a little panicked, huddled together and squeaked.

But soon, they seemed to sense the familiar presence of the outside world, and tentatively stepped out of the greenhouse and waddled into the wheat field.

They looked around curiously, pecking at clods of earth with their flat beaks, then looked up at the azure sky and chirped merrily, as if celebrating that they were finally free from jail.

Soon, they discovered the large pond not far away and the small river that winds around the village beside it.

So they set off in groups, their steps faltering but their eagerness palpable, and jumped into the water with a "plop, plop."

They swam and washed freely, splashing water everywhere.

Chen Ling didn't chase them away, letting them frolic and play freely.

These geese are already quite intelligent and recognize their home and owners; they are not far from being domesticated.

Even if they are released, without clipping their wings, they won't fly far.

Chen Ling walked into the empty greenhouse and stepped on the soft ground: "Alright, it's bright and airy now. I'll turn over the soil in a couple of days and see what to plant."

By the time we finished working on the greenhouse, it was already noon.

Chen Ling said he would leave the geese alone and let them play freely, but in reality he still fed them something.

The geese are in a relatively large vegetable greenhouse, the one where fish and vegetables coexist.

They've gotten tired of the vegetables and aquatic plants inside.

Chen Ling retrieved some from the cave and fed it to them, and they ate it with great relish.

Chen Ling figured that if it were next winter, they wouldn't need to live in the greenhouse anymore, and they wouldn't fly away with the changing climate.

……

Back at the farm, we had lunch.

Chen Ling was preparing to move the beehives out of the greenhouse and tinker with them.

As soon as I arrived at the greenhouse, I saw Party Secretary Wang Laishun strolling over with his hands behind his back.

"Fugui, busy, huh?"

Wang Laishun greeted him with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the now bare greenhouse: "Now that the greenhouse is down, when are you planning to apply fertilizer to the wheat in the field? I see that everyone else has already started, but you... it seems like you haven't done anything yet?"

Chen Ling's wheat field is right next to the farm. It is lush and growing very well, even more robust than the wheat seedlings carefully tended in the village.

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this, took out a cigarette and offered one to Wang Laishun: "Fifth Uncle, I'm not in a hurry. My land is fertile, and there was plenty of snowmelt before the New Year. It looks alright right now. Let's talk about it in a couple of days."

Wang Laishun took the cigarette, lit it with Chen Ling's light, took a puff, and smacked his lips: "That's right, your land is very fertile, everything grows like crazy, it doesn't follow the rules."

"But we still have to keep busy. Crops are like flowers, and fertilizer is the key to success."

He paused, then changed the subject: "By the way, I have something important to tell you. There's progress on the renovation and expansion of our village primary school!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly!"

Chen Ling became interested.

Wang Laishun's face lit up with a smile: "Thanks to you! Those Hong Kong celebrities who were here last time, and that old professor from Taiwan, all donated money to us after they went back! And it was a considerable amount!"

"The county also attaches great importance to this and has allocated some funds, so our village doesn't need to raise funds; the money is more than enough!"

"We'll start construction after this month. I heard from the county that they're going to expand the current school and build a new two-story teaching building!"

"We also need to pave the playground and add new desks and chairs!"

"Wow, they've really gone all out this time! This is fantastic news!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling was genuinely happy for the village children: "When will construction begin? If there's anything we can do, Uncle Wu, just let us know!"

"It'll be done soon. I heard the blueprints are almost finished, it'll be done in the next few days."

Wang Laishun patted Chen Ling on the shoulder: "I know you're a big boss and a very busy person, so you don't need to do any heavy work."

"On the day construction starts, you should show up and give everyone a boost."

"Also... if it's convenient, could you help arrange meals for the workers on the construction site, like you did when we built the livestock farm last year?"

"You cook well, and you always come up with new and interesting dishes that everyone likes."

"When everyone eats well, they'll have the energy to work!"

Chen Ling readily agreed: "No problem! My family will provide the meat and vegetables! I'll have my brother Jusheng and the others set up a big pot, and I guarantee everyone will eat well and work happily!"

"If we build a bright and spacious school, we can attract some good teachers. Then the children won't have to go to school in other places anymore. We can raise them right here in our village!" "Haha, great! It's all thanks to you, Fugui! You're truly our village's lucky star!"

Wang Laishun slapped his thigh with joy: "It's settled then! I'll go and finalize the date with the county right away!"

Watching Wang Laishun's excited departure, Chen Ling also felt a sense of anticipation.

Providing the children in the village with a better learning environment is more satisfying than earning any amount of money.

The key point is that he also likes children.

I'm really not keen on sending my own child to the city for elementary school.

Over the next few days, Chen Ling herded the dozen or so geese that had been released from the greenhouse to the irrigation ditch next to the farm's orchard.

At first, the geese were somewhat frightened by the presence of the two tigers, honking loudly in the open space and not daring to go into the water.

But they quickly adapted to the presence of the two tigers and realized they posed no threat.

Only then did they tentatively step into the canal and begin to play and forage in the water.

Interestingly, they seem to have made that warm greenhouse their "home".

Every evening, they would line up and waddle back to the now-empty greenhouse frame to spend the night.

It was as if that was the safest harbor.

Chen Ling found it amusing and didn't chase them away, letting them be. He thought that once the new grass grew, they would probably build their own nests inside.

As spring grows warmer day by day, the mountains become increasingly lively.

The wild boars were restless, the deer herds were unruly, and the pheasants and rabbits in the wheat fields were showing up one after another.

That afternoon, Chen Ling took advantage of the fact that Lynx had finished incubating the goose eggs and returned to the village, so he called him and Zhao Dahai, brought out Little Green Horse, pushed out Lynx's mountain motorcycle, and then prepared to start a night hunt.

……

soon.

As the sun set, the sky began to darken.

Chen Ling fed the little green horse plenty of bean curd residue, and the lynx polished his mountain bike until it shone.

Zhao Dahai, meanwhile, was excitedly rubbing his hands together, checking the batteries in his miner's lamp and flashlight.

"Hurry, hurry! Dad, it's getting dark!"

Rui Rui eagerly clung to Chen Ling's leg and climbed up, her little face flushed with excitement.

"Hey kid, what's the rush? The show hasn't even started yet!"

Chen Ling smiled as he lifted his son onto the saddle, then climbed on himself and sat behind him.

"Heiwa! Xiaojin! Afu and Ashou! Let's go!"

At his shout, the pack of dogs and the two giant tigers, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately perked up.

Blackie and Little Gold darted out with a "whoosh" and led the way, letting out a low, excited whimper from their throats.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou followed the horses with steady and powerful strides, their massive bodies casting long shadows in the setting sun, resembling two moving mountains, their imposing presence was astonishing.

Lynx straddled the motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and the engine emitted a deep roar.

Zhao Dahai sat in the back seat, holding the powerful mining lamp that could illuminate a great distance, eager to try it out.

“Fugui, let’s get this straight first. I’ve never done a night hunt before. Tonight, the rabbit I spot is mine! The pheasant is Rui Rui’s! Neither you nor the lynx are allowed to take it!”

Zhao Dahai was shouting that he had automatically downgraded himself to be on the same side as the little kid.

"Alright! Let's see how lucky you are!"

Chen Ling laughed loudly and flicked the reins: "Giddy up!"

The little blue horse neighed loudly, its four hooves taking flight, like a streak of blue lightning, rushing down the gentle slope of the farm and plunging straight into the boundless wheat field outside the village.

Lynx's motorcycle followed closely behind, its engine roaring as it carried Zhao Dahai, bouncing and swaying along the ridges of the fields, kicking up a trail of dust.

The wheat has grown to almost a foot tall, lush and green, dense and thick, like a huge, thick velvet carpet.

The evening breeze blows, stirring up layers of green waves and releasing a fresh yet slightly astringent plant fragrance.

"We'll be able to play it in the next few days."

As Chen Ling controlled the horse, he spoke to the two men, but it also seemed like he was speaking to himself.

“Once the wheat begins to grow tall and the stalks harden, we can’t let the horses run like that anymore, for fear of damaging the crops.”

"If you want to play like this again next time, you'll have to wait until after the autumn harvest, when the land is tilled, before you can run around like this again."

"Oh!"

Rui Rui didn't understand any of this, so she just agreed without thinking.

His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the few doves that had been startled by the horse's hooves and were now fluttering away.

The sky darkened rapidly, and stars appeared one after another, forming lines against the inky blue sky.

"Turn on the lights!"

Zhao Dahai roared and turned on the powerful mining lamp in his hand.

A thick, bright beam of light pierced the darkness in an instant, sweeping across the vast wheat field.

Almost the instant the beam of light swept across.

In the distance, in a field of wheat, a gray-furred hare nibbling on tender leaves was enveloped by a beam of light.

As if frozen in place by a spell, they stood motionless.

Its two long ears were perked up, and its ruby-like eyes stared blankly at the source of the bright light, motionless.

"The rabbit! It's mine!" Zhao Dahai shouted excitedly.

Without needing any instructions, the experienced Heiwa pounced like an arrow, leaving only a black shadow behind.

The rabbit only realized the danger when Heiwa's huge shadow loomed over it. Just as it was about to kick its legs and run away, Heiwa bit its neck with perfect precision, and with a gentle flick, it was silenced.

Heiwa, carrying his spoils, ran back and placed them in front of Chen Ling's horse, wagging his tail proudly.

"Well done, Heiwa!"

Zhao Dahai jumped off the back of the motorcycle, happily picked up the fat rabbit, and weighed it in his hand.

"Hehe, a great start!"

"These rabbits and pheasants have been too arrogant these past few days, jumping around in front of us every day. Today, we're going to wipe them all out and execute their entire families..."

The beam of light continued to move.

Soon, another pheasant peeking out from its burrow in the grass was spotted in the photo.

Its colorful feathers reflected dazzling light under the strong sunlight. It stood there dumbfounded, tilting its head, as if trying to figure out what was going on with this sudden "sun".

"My chicken! Rui Rui's chicken!"

Rui Rui called out urgently, while Xiao Qing struggled anxiously.

Little Jin, who was standing nearby, had already transformed into a yellow lightning bolt. In a few leaps, he pounced on the pheasant and, just as it was about to flap its wings, he jumped up and pinned it down with his claws!

"Pretty!"

The lynx praised, then walked over and took the still-flailing pheasant from under the little golden claw.

Xiao Jin completed the task more efficiently than Heiwa, but it didn't take credit. It simply walked back to Chen Ling's side calmly, its eyes still scanning the surroundings indifferently.

"Dad! Let's come home and have chicken!"

Rui Rui danced excitedly in Chen Ling's arms, pointing at the pheasant caught by the lynx.

"Haha, silly boy, this is only the beginning, why are you in such a hurry to eat!"

Chen Ling squeezed the horse's belly, and the little blue horse continued to walk slowly forward.

Afu and Ashou also found this "hunting" method quite novel.

However, they do not like to cooperate with humans when hunting; they prefer to act alone.

So he just followed slowly behind, occasionally lowering his head to sniff the scent of the wheat seedlings, looking for prey that no one noticed.

The two tigers moved through the wheat field with their enormous bodies, yet miraculously did not trample many crops, displaying astonishing lightness and control.

The beams of the miners' lamps, like spotlights on a stage, swept back and forth across the dark green wheat fields.

Rabbits and pheasants were spotted one after another, only to be swiftly taken down by two ferocious dogs.

Great harvest.

The smiles on Zhao Dahai and Shanmao's faces grew wider and wider.

Rui Rui's cheers were almost nonstop.

Just then, as the beam of light swept across a sparse patch of wheat, the two tigers finally moved.

With a roar, they pounced on it together. (End of Chapter)