My 1995 Small Farm.

On a clear morning after the rain, the air was so crisp you could wring water out of it.

When the sun shines, the farm is filled with water and sparkles everywhere.

The apricot blossoms, glistening with water droplets, looked exceptionally delicate.

Chen Ling got up very early, his mind preoccupied with the goslings hatching in the county town.

I had other things to do the past two days and didn't have time to take care of it, but I have to bring it back today no matter what.

Those little creatures are delicate; once they hatch, their "parents" need to take them to recognize food and water as soon as possible, otherwise they are easily broken.

"Susu, I'm going to the forest farm to bring back our brood of goslings."

Chen Ling said to Wang Susu, who was feeding Lele egg custard, while drinking millet porridge.

"Okay, come back early."

"The greenhouse has been neglected all winter, and the weeds are almost taller than the vegetable seedlings. We still need to tidy it up."

Wang Susu didn't even look up as she carefully wiped the milk stains from Lele's mouth.

Upon hearing "little goose," Rui Rui immediately lifted his head from his bowl, rice still clinging to the corner of his mouth: "Daddy! Rui Rui wants to go too! To see the little birds!"

“Where are you going? The forest farm is a mess, and it’s all muddy after the rain. You’ll slip and fall.”

Chen Ling pinched her son's chubby cheeks.

"No! Rui Rui wants to go! Be good, Rui Rui! Don't step in the mud!"

Rui Rui immediately put down her spoon, grabbed Chen Ling's leg, and started acting spoiled.

Unable to resist his pestering, Chen Ling finally said, "Okay, okay, I'll take you. Hurry up and eat, then change into a pair of little boots. We don't have your size of rubber shoes."

After the father and son finished eating, Chen Ling put little boots on Rui Rui, put on high-top rubber shoes himself, mounted his little blue horse, and carried his son to the forest farm.

The lynx was crouching in the greenhouse, carefully lifting the last fluffy, gray gosling out of the bamboo tray and placing it into a willow basket lined with dry grass.

Upon seeing Chen Ling and his son, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally! If you hadn't come, this place would have become a daycare center! This little thing is more boisterous than a baby, and eats more than a chick or duckling. When it gets hungry, it quacks and quacks, giving me a headache."

Inside the willow basket, a dozen or so goslings huddled together, their tender yellow beaks opening and closing, emitting soft "chirp chirp" sounds, their small, beady black eyes timidly observing the unfamiliar humans.

Rui Rui stood on tiptoe, his eyes wide with amazement: "Daddy, a little duck! It's gray!"

"Silly boy, this is a gosling. It will be able to fly very high when it grows up!"

Chen Ling smiled and corrected him, reaching out to touch the goslings. Their down was dry and fluffy, and they seemed to be in good spirits.

"Oh right, I haven't shared the money from hatching the chicks with you yet! I'll split the accounts with you later!"

Chen Ling picked up the willow basket and placed it steadily on the pack rack in front of the saddle.

"No rush, no rush. The important thing is to get the dog farm I've been wanting to get going."

The lynx waved its paw.

After saying goodbye to the lynx, Chen Ling carefully controlled the horse and returned to the farm with a basket of chirping little creatures and the excited Rui Rui.

The next step is crucial.

Let the adult geese in the greenhouse adopt these "babies".

Chen Ling carried a willow basket to the greenhouse area.

The adult geese were preening their feathers by the canal. When they saw Chen Ling coming, they made a "cawing" sound, showing no fear of people.

They were already very familiar with this two-legged creature that provided them with food and shelter.

Chen Ling gently placed the willow basket by the canal, then stepped back a few paces, signaling Rui Rui to keep quiet as well.

He imitated the call of a wild goose, making a few low "caw" sounds.

The lead male goose cautiously stretched its neck, tilted its head to look at the little one in the basket, and then at Chen Ling.

There seems to be some confusion.

A mother goose seemed to be attracted by the goslings' calls, and strolled over, curiously peering into the basket.

The goslings in the basket sensed the presence of their kind and cried out even more urgently.

The mother goose made a gentle "coo-coo" sound in her throat and jumped into the basket on her own, gently pecking at the downy feathers of the goslings with her flat beak.

Other geese gathered around, honking and exchanging greetings.

Soon, two more female geese jumped into the basket, seemingly instinctively awakened by their maternal instincts.

"Success!"

Chen Ling was overjoyed.

These geese are indeed intelligent, or rather, their flocking instincts make them willing to accept new members.

He carefully tilted the basket, allowing the mother geese to lead the toddlers to the edge of the ditch.

The adult geese surrounded the goslings, dipping their beaks in water to teach them how to drink and groom themselves.

The goslings waddled and learned, and soon began to frolic by the water, chirping happily, and integrating into this new group.

"Hehe, the little ducks are going into the water!" Rui Rui laughed heartily as she watched.

"Alright, let them play by themselves."

Chen Ling was relieved; the first step in the socialization of the geese was complete.

He rolled up his sleeves and looked at the two greenhouses whose roofs had been cleared away, leaving only the frames and the ground.

"Come on, Rui Rui, let's go plant vegetables with Daddy!"

"Oh! Planting vegetables!"

Rui Rui cheered and followed after him, carrying his little plastic shovel.

The land in the greenhouse had been abandoned all winter, and weeds grew wildly, so it needed to be deeply tilled and fertilized again.

This would be strenuous work for an ordinary person, but it was nothing for Chen Ling.

He picked up a brand-new shovel, exerted force with his arm, and the blade easily cut into the soil. With a stomp and a pry, a large clod of dark brown soil was turned over.

The scent of earth mixed with a faint smell of humus wafted out.

Rui Rui followed his example, digging at the ground with a small shovel. Although he could only dig up a little topsoil, he worked very seriously, and his little face was soon covered with mud.

Just then, a long moo came from outside the courtyard gate.

Then Wang Susu drove in a cart pulled by a white ox, the cart covered with thick old cotton quilts.

Kang Kang and Lele, two little chubby babies, were sitting on it, waving their little hands and making cooing noises.

Grandma Liang Hongyu followed beside the car, holding a rattle-drum to amuse them.

"Hey! Mom! My little brother and sister!" Rui Rui immediately dropped the shovel and ran over.

"Why did you bring them all out?" Chen Ling straightened up and asked with a smile.

Wang Susu parked the oxcart at the entrance of the shed and smiled helplessly: "Don't even mention it! These two little ones are crawling so nimbly now. If you don't keep an eye on them, they'll be running all over the bed and gnawing on whatever they can get their hands on."

"The room is too small, and they cry and fuss a lot. It's better to bring them out. There's plenty of space, and they can climb all over the place. If their clothes get dirty, we can just wash them a couple more times."

Liang Hongyu also laughed and said, "You don't know Fugui, Susu has really come to terms with things now. She says it's good for the child to be a little more robust. If he's kept cooped up in the house all day, he'll get sick even if he wasn't already."

Chen Ling looked at the two excited little children waving their arms and legs on the cart, then at his wife with her sleeves rolled up and a "what the heck" expression on her face, and couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"It should have been like this a long time ago! How can our country kids be so delicate! The local earth god is watching; if they fall down a couple of times and eat some dirt, they'll grow stronger!"

He walked over, picked up Kang Kang and Lele, one in each arm, and placed them on the turned-up, soft soil.

"Come on, son and daughter, try out the feel of our new floor!"

When the two children came into contact with the vast land, they were stunned for a moment, and then became excited.

Kang Kang used both hands and feet to crawl forward quickly, heading straight for the small shovel his brother had dropped.

Lele, on the other hand, was more interested in the soft soil. She sat on the ground, grabbed a handful of soil, and curiously kneaded it while making "ah ah" sounds.

The little white calf stood quietly to one side, gently swishing its tail, its big eyes watching its young owners explore the land with tenderness.

Wang Susu and Liang Hongyu took out the small stools they had brought and sat by the entrance of the shed, basking in the sun while watching the children, with needlework in their hands.

Sunlight streamed through the greenhouse frame, illuminating the newly turned black soil and the playful children, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Chen Ling watched this scene and smiled slightly. He picked up the shovel again.

Turning the soil, harrowing, ridging...

The movements are fluid and graceful, possessing a unique beauty of power.

Rui Rui ran back and forth between her parents and younger siblings, sometimes "helping" her father push the rake.

A moment later, she ran off to tease her younger siblings, keeping herself very busy and happy.

Kang Kang finally climbed to the little shovel, picked it up and waved it around wildly, making a "da da" sound.

After studying the soil enough, Lele began to try crawling forward, chasing after a slow-moving pill bug that happened to pass by.

At first, Wang Susu watched him nervously, afraid that the child might have eaten dirt or bumped into something.

But seeing Chen Ling's encouraging gaze and the children's genuine joy, she gradually relaxed.

With a gentle smile on her lips, she occasionally got up to adjust the direction of Lele, who had climbed too far.

The greenhouse was filled with the laughter of children, the rustling of shovels turning the soil, and the occasional hushed conversations of adults.

The little white calf occasionally mooed, as if providing background music for this heartwarming scene of labor.

Soon, small plots of land were cleared out.

Chen Ling took out the seed bag that he had prepared beforehand.

"Rui Rui, come here! Help Daddy plant the seed!"

"Coming!"

Rui Rui quickly ran over and stretched out her little hands covered in mud.

Chen Ling grabbed a small handful of shiny spinach seeds and placed them in his son's palm: "Come on, like Daddy, pinch a little with three fingers and gently scatter it on the ridge. Spread it out, don't pile it up."

He demonstrated, gently scattering the seeds evenly onto the moist soil with his fingers.

Rui Rui studied very seriously, her little brows furrowed as she carefully sowed the seeds.

Although the scattering was still crooked and messy, their earnestness was especially endearing.

"Kang Kang, Lele, look, your brother is planting vegetables!"

Wang Susu, holding Lele, pointed this way.

Lele cried out "Ah ah," and Kang Kang dropped his shovel and crawled over, curiously watching his father and brother's actions.

Chen Ling had an idea. She took two particularly plump seeds and put them into Kang Kang and Le Le's little hands.

"Come on, all the kids in our family, come and plant some! This is Kang Kang's, and this is Le Le's. If you plant them, you can eat big spinach in the fall!"

The two little children, bewildered, clutched the seeds and giggled.

Chen Ling held their little hands and guided them to gently place the seeds in the soil, then covered them with a thin layer of fine soil.

"Alright! It's planted! From now on, this vegetable patch belongs to the three of you! You'd better keep a close eye on it!" Chen Ling announced loudly.

Rui Rui puffed out his little chest, brimming with a sense of responsibility: "Rui Rui's vegetables! Water them! Let them grow!"

Liang Hongyu smiled when she saw her, perhaps because the weather was fine today and the air was filled with the scent of spring.

The old lady was quite emotional.

What a wonderful family, with a little baby! It's a pity that some people rarely get to see one like this.

……

Inside the greenhouse, the scent of freshly turned soil mingled with the warmth of the sun, creating a sense of peace and security.

The spinach seeds have been evenly scattered on the flat soil bed, covered with a thin layer of fine soil, like adding subtle patterns to a dark brown velvet carpet.

Rui Rui, carrying a small spray bottle, imitated Chen Ling, tiptoed and carefully sprinkled the fine mist of water from the spout onto the ridge, muttering to himself, "Drink water, grow up quickly, so I can feed you, Big Tiger..."

Kang Kang and Le Le, under the care of their mother and Grandma Liang, were having a great time crawling on the newly turned, soft soil.

Kang Kang became very interested in a pill bug that had been turned over and curled up into a ball, and clumsily poked at it with his little finger.

Lele grabbed a handful of wet soil, making her little hands all black, and tried to put it in her mouth, but Wang Susu stopped her quickly, which made her protest with "ah ah" sounds.

Chen Linggang had just sown the cucumber and tomato seeds in different areas and was bending over to check the firmness of the seedbeds.

A slightly abrupt sound of a motorcycle engine approached from afar.

"Put-put-put...creak—"

The sound stopped outside the courtyard gate, followed by a few sentences of Mandarin with an odd accent and slightly hurried footsteps.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen, are you busy inside?"

Chen Ling straightened up, patted the dirt off his hands, and frowned almost imperceptibly.

That voice... it's Jackson.

Wang Susu also raised her head, the relaxed smile on her face fading slightly, and she looked at her husband with a hint of worry.

Grandma Liang Hongyu picked up Lele, who had crawled far away, and muttered to herself, "That foreign devil, why is he here again? He's like a ghost that won't leave."

Chen Ling gave the two of them a reassuring look and stepped out of the greenhouse.

Outside the courtyard gate, Jackson and the elderly Chinese man, Old Huang, were standing there.

When Old Huang saw Chen Ling, he quickly stepped forward, his face plastered with a sincere smile, though the smile was full of forced smiles.

"I'm so sorry to bother you! We...we had no other choice..."

Old Huang rubbed his hands together, organizing his thoughts: "Mr. Chen, we know you're busy, and we understand your difficulties."

"But... it's been quite a few days already. The weather in the mountains changes quickly, and our funds are almost gone. If we still don't have any clues, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back!"

Jackson chimed in, saying in broken Chinese, "Mr. Chen, please help us! We can add more money, a lot more money!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling shook his head, his tone calm yet firm: "It's not about the money. I'm busy lately, and I have to go to Hong Kong Island on business in a few days. I really can't get away."

Jackson stamped his feet in despair, his blue eyes filled with hopelessness: "God! Is there really no hope?"

Looking at their expressions, Chen Ling pondered for a moment before saying, "How about this, although I don't have time to go into the mountains myself, I can help you find the dog."

"Looking for the dog?" Old Huang and Jackson were both stunned, looking at each other, not understanding what Chen Ling meant.

Chen Ling nodded and continued, "Haven't you been looking for the 'Purple Qilin'? The legendary Tibetan Mastiff. I can try to find one for you."

Old Huang and Jackson stared wide-eyed at Chen Ling in disbelief.

They have been searching for the "Purple Qilin" for many years, almost traversing the entire snow region, but to no avail.

Hearing Chen Ling say this now, I was both surprised and skeptical.

"Mr. Chen, are you... are you telling the truth?"

Old Huang's voice trembled; he could hardly believe his ears.

Do those Tibetan mastiffs really exist? Can you find one?

Jackson excitedly grabbed Chen Ling's arm: "Boss Chen! If you can really find the Purple Kirin, we're willing to pay any price!"

Chen Ling smiled slightly, but he had his own plans in mind.

Regardless of whether there is a real "Purple Qilin" in the world, as long as I use the abilities of this blessed land to breed a Tibetan Mastiff that transcends the norm, I can still do it.

"I can't guarantee that I'll definitely find it."

Chen Ling's tone was calm, yet it carried a convincing power.

"But I can try. You all go back and wait for news. I'll let you know when I have some progress."

He didn't really want to be bothered by these foreigners all the time; it smelled terrible.

However, he won't refuse a deal that's practically giving him money.

These people are obsessed with the Purple Qilin, wanting him to bring dogs and tigers to help them search the mountains and protect them. This is no joke.

He doesn't have the time for that; he'd better breed one himself.

Just then, Lynx was considering dog breeding and raising stud dogs. (End of Chapter)