My 1995 Small Farm.

"Dad! Buy some candied hawthorns! Red ones!"

Rui Rui sat in front of the saddle, twisting and turning her little body, pointing at a vendor at the market entrance who was carrying a straw target covered with crystal-clear candied hawthorns, her eyes shining like stars.

"You just finished eating, and now you're snacking again? Be careful not to get a toothache!" Chen Ling gently patted his son's bottom, but still reined in the horse.

Old Bago laughed heartily, "Oh dear, what little kid doesn't have a sweet tooth? Fugui, buy the kid a skewer, it's on me!"

He reached for his old leather bag as he spoke.

"No, Brother Ba, I can't let you spend money."

Chen Ling quickly stopped him, laughed as he dismounted, took out some small bills from his pocket, and handed them to the vendor.

"Give me a skewer, pick the one with the thickest sugar coating."

"okay!"

The vendor deftly picked the largest and reddest string of candies; the sugar coating glistened in the morning light, looking incredibly tempting.

Rui Rui took the candied hawthorn, grinning from ear to ear. He eagerly licked it off, sugar crumbs smearing half his face, and squinted his eyes contentedly: "Sweet! Daddy, have some!"

"Dad isn't eating, you eat slowly, don't stand there like a horse."

Chen Ling gave a word of advice, mounted his horse, and said to Old Ba Ge, "Old Ba Ge, it's settled then. I'll come find you when I get back from Fenglei Town, and we'll hurry up and get the spring defense sorted out."

"Okay! I'm relieved to hear that! Drive carefully!"

Old Bago waved and watched Chen Ling and his son leave.

Rui Rui held up the candied hawthorn, like a little general holding a command arrow, licking it as he walked. The sweet and sour taste wafted in the wind, attracting the attention of the stray dogs wandering by the roadside.

The little blue horse trotted along, leaving the bustling market behind.

As you travel further west, the terrain gradually becomes undulating, and the scenery on both sides of the road changes from flat wheat fields to gentle slopes and hills.

The distant mountain ranges soften in shape, covered with dense secondary forests. In this season, new green shoots are just beginning to emerge, and from a distance, they look like they are veiled in a light green gauze.

The air grew increasingly fresh, carrying the crisp scent of newly sprouting vegetation.

After walking for about half an hour, the terrain suddenly opened up ahead, with a clear river meandering through it. On the opposite bank, an ancient town with black-tiled roofs and wooden buildings was nestled against the mountain and beside the water, spreading out in a well-organized manner...

We've arrived at Fenglei Town.

This town has a long history. Most of the old houses are wooden stilted buildings left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with upturned eaves and mottled walls, exuding the weight of time.

Unfortunately, these days, people look at the trendy villas and think that this old house is dark and damp and not a good thing.

The town was rather quiet, with only the waterwheels on the river turning creaking and splashing water.

Chen Ling skillfully led the horse, carrying the curious and peering Rui Rui, across the creaking stone bridge, through several narrow alleys, and arrived at the town's middle school.

The school bell hadn't rung yet, and the campus was quiet.

Chen Ling greeted the gatekeeper and found the teachers' office with practiced ease.

Just as I reached the door, I heard my brother-in-law Wang Qingwen's slightly helpless voice coming from inside:

"...This girl won the shuttlecock from the older boys again yesterday. When they came to confront her, she just hid in a tree reading comic books..."

Chen Ling couldn't help but chuckle and pushed the door open, asking, "Big brother, what's wrong? What trouble has Zhenzhen gotten into this time?"

Wang Qingwen looked up and saw Chen Ling. He was immediately overjoyed, as if he had seen a savior: "Fugui! You've finally come! You'd better control your sister-in-law! She's practically a tyrant at the town's elementary school! The teachers have come to me several times already!"

Upon hearing "Auntie," Rui Rui immediately perked up and peeked out from behind Chen Ling: "Uncle! Where's Auntie? Rui Rui's here to pick her up!"

When Wang Qingwen saw Rui Rui, his expression softened. He bent down and patted Rui Rui's head, saying, "Rui Rui is here too? Good boy, your aunt hasn't finished class yet. She'll be out in a bit, and I bet she'll be the first one to rush out!"

"How's the road? Is it easy to travel?"

Chen Ling smiled and nodded: "The journey was easy, no delays. Zhenzhen? Still in class?"

"Soon, the elementary school lets out 15 minutes earlier than us, so the bell should ring soon too."

Wang Qingwen glanced at the old Shanghai watch on his wrist and said, "Let's have lunch in town after Zhenzhen finishes class."

"That's daring!"

Chen Ling agreed: "I've been craving Old Li's beef soup and steamed meat cakes at the entrance of town."

The town's central primary school is right next to the middle school.

Just then, a clear school bell rang from the elementary school.

The once quiet campus suddenly erupted into chaos, with the sounds of children running and shouting filling the entire space.

Before long, a group of chattering elementary school students poured out of the school gate.

In the crowd, a little girl with two pigtails and wearing a red corduroy jacket stood out.

She didn't come out alone; she was surrounded by several children of similar age, who were all talking to her at once.

The little girl had a slightly smug smile on her face, and walked briskly, looking every bit the leader of the children.

This is naturally Wang Zhenzhen.

As soon as she looked up, she saw Chen Ling and Rui Rui standing under the locust tree outside the school gate, and her eyes lit up instantly!

"Brother-in-law! Rui Rui!"

Like a cheerful little deer, she skipped and hopped over in a few steps, first grabbing Chen Ling's arm, then immediately squatting down and vigorously rubbing Rui Rui's chubby little face with both hands, teasing him with a grin: "Stinky Rui Rui! Did you miss your auntie? Tell me you missed her terribly!"

Rui Rui squealed and cried as the candy was being squeezed, nearly dropping the half-eaten candy in her hand. She dodged and mumbled, "Want! Want! Auntie, stop squeezing! Rui Rui's candy is going to fall!"

His comical appearance made Wang Qingwen and Chen Ling burst into laughter.

"Alright, Zhenzhen, stop teasing Ruirui."

Wang Qingwen stopped laughing and said to his sister, "Your brother-in-law and Rui Rui are here to pick you up. We'll have lunch in town."

"Okay, okay!"

Wang Zhenzhen was even happier to hear this. She stood up, clapped her hands, and said, "I haven't eaten out in ages! Let's go get some beef soup, brother-in-law?"

She blinked her big eyes, looking at Chen Ling with anticipation.

"You're just greedy!"

Chen Ling smiled and gently pinched her little nose.

"Okay, let's go get some beef soup, all you can eat!"

Unfortunately, today is not market day in Fenglei Town, so there are fewer pedestrians on the street than usual, making it less lively.

But the old food stalls in the town center still exude tempting aromas.

The four of them arrived at the famous "Li Ji Beef Soup" restaurant at the entrance of the town.

The shop is small and has been around for many years. The wooden doors are blackened by cooking fumes, but the inside is kept very clean.

Before even entering, a rich and mellow aroma of beef wafts over, mixed with the fresh scent of scallions and cilantro, making one's mouth water.

"Boss, four large bowls of beef soup, extra meat, and four steamed meat buns!"

Chen Ling called out familiarly.

"Alright! Please come in and have a seat! It'll be ready soon!"

The shop owner recognized Wang Qingwen and knew he was a middle school teacher in town, so he greeted him warmly.

The four of them found a square table by the window and sat down.

Soon, four large bowls of steaming hot beef soup were served.

The soup is clear with a light milky white hue, and the large slices of beef are stewed until tender, while the vermicelli is crystal clear.

Topped with vibrant green cilantro and chopped scallions, and drizzled with bright red chili oil, it looks incredibly appetizing.

The steamed meat cakes were also served next to it; the dough was soft and fluffy, and the meat filling inside was plentiful and glistening with oil.

Wang Zhenzhen couldn't wait to pick up the spoon and take a sip of the soup. It was so hot that she slurped it off, but she squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "Wow! It tastes just like this! It's so delicious!"

Rui Rui imitated her aunt, clumsily scooping up soup with a spoon and blowing on it repeatedly.

Chen Ling broke open a steamed meat cake, handed one to Wang Qingwen, and took a big bite for himself.

The dough is chewy, the meat filling is savory and juicy, and a sip of the delicious beef soup will dispel all fatigue and chill, leaving only a feeling of comfort and warmth.

While eating, Wang Qingwen asked, "Fugui, is everything settled in the village now? Has 'Over-the-Mountain Yellow' stopped causing trouble?"

"Yes, now that Afu and Ashou have been brought back, the villagers feel much more at ease and have all moved back to the village."

"That thing has been much quieter lately; it probably smelled the tiger and is keeping its distance."

Chen Ling replied, "After we bring Zhenzhen back, we'll prepare for our trip to Hong Kong Island as planned in a few days."

Upon hearing "Hong Kong Island," Wang Zhenzhen's ears immediately perked up. She even forgot about her soup and excitedly asked:

"Brother-in-law! Are we really going to that place with all those tall buildings and the sea? When are we going?"

"Soon, once you've got your leave from school approved, we'll pack up and leave."

Chen Ling smiled at her: "I'll take you on a big ship to see dolphins!" "That's great!"

Wang Zhenzhen was so happy she almost jumped for joy, already dreaming about her trip to the far south.

……

After a hot lunch, Rui Rui's little belly was full and he dozed off next to Chen Ling's legs.

Wang Zhenzhen, however, was still excited, chattering about the interesting things that happened at school, wishing she could pour out all the things she had been saving up to her brother-in-law at once.

Seeing that the sun was still high, Chen Ling took Rui Rui and led the little blue horse, leaving Fenglei Town and heading west.

From outside Xishagou Village, we went up the plank road to Yaowangzhai, halfway up the mountain, to visit my father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Before the Lunar New Year, heavy snow blocked the mountains, and after the Lunar New Year, the "over-the-mountain yellowing" incident caused widespread panic.

Although the two elders were looking after the villagers while they stayed in the village, they must still be thinking about their daughter and grandson down the mountain.

“Zhenzhen, Mom and Dad probably aren’t going to Hong Kong with us. Let’s bring them back to the village for a few days and have them help look after Afu and Ashou. Otherwise, without any familiar faces, Afu and Ashou won’t be able to stand it.”

Chen Ling patted the little girl on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay!"

"My parents also said they want to go back to stay for a while, saying that Kang Kang and Lele must have grown up a lot by now..."

Wang Zhenzhen jumped up excitedly, then lowered her voice a little embarrassedly: "By the way, brother-in-law, those wounded foreign devils are still living in the village... it's quite scary."

Wang Qingwen continued, "He's still there. The one who was seriously injured, William, fractured his leg and needs to rest. The old herbalist in the village used a folk remedy to immobilize it, so it hasn't become inflamed, but the recovery is slow."

"The other two who were lightly injured, one of whom was named Hans, was terrified and became paranoid all the time."

"There was another woman, Hans's wife, named Sofia, who helped take care of the wounded. She was quite calm."

Chen Ling nodded: "Perfect, I'll go check it out and ask them what really happened. Old Huang and Jackson's stories are all over the place, and many details don't match up."

We walked along the long, high boardwalk.

We walked up the mountain along a stone path that had been washed clean by the rain.

The higher you go, the more lush the trees become, and the air is filled with the mixed fragrance of herbs and soil.

This is the territory of Yaowangzhai.

The village is situated on a gentle slope halfway up the mountain, with houses built of bluestone arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.

Many households had various herbs drying under their eaves, stored in bamboo trays, emitting a bitter fragrance in the afternoon sun.

Several stray dogs lay lazily by the roadside, basking in the sun. They barely glanced at strangers, and the village was peaceful and serene.

Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan, an elderly couple, were drying the Panax notoginseng they had just picked in front of their courtyard.

She was both surprised and delighted to see her daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and son return together, and quickly put down her work to greet them.

"Hey! Lingzi! You've finally arrived!"

"And what about that brat Rui Rui? Does he miss his grandma?"

Gao Xiulan took Rui Rui, who was still rubbing his eyes, and hugged him tenderly.

"My dear grandson, you must be exhausted from walking such a long way! Look how sleepy you are, you keep dozing off!"

Wang Cunye's face lit up with a smile as he greeted Chen Ling, "I've been thinking about you these past few days. Come on in and have some tea to rest before we talk about anything else."

The family entered the main room, and Gao Xiulan busied herself making tea and pouring water, and took out the dried hawthorn and sweet potato candy she had sun-dried for the children.

Rui Rui perked up immediately upon smelling the sugar, and she and Wang Zhenzhen happily shared it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Ling asked about the foreigners.

Wang Cunye sighed, took out his pipe, lit it, took a puff, and said, "Alas, it's a terrible thing."

"Those foreigners, the leader was a young man named William. He was a good shot, but he was too bold and didn't believe in evil."

He pointed to the direction of the back mountain of the village: "The incident happened over at Eagle Cliff, which is after passing Liangkou Village and going west and north, through a series of twists and turns, not exactly in the northwest corner."

"That place has been incredibly eerie over the past year."

Eagle Cliff?

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat. He had heard his second brother-in-law, Wang Qingzhong, mention this place name before. He said that the mountains were steep and there were many poisonous insects and wild beasts.

Ordinary herb gatherers rarely venture deep into that area.

At the time, he thought it was the Eagle Cave that Wang Qingzhong mentioned, where eagles live.

We even said we were going to catch baby eagles.

We were told that it was in two different places.

Eagle Cliff is more remote and a bit more dangerous.

"Yes, Eagle Cliff."

Wang Cunye's expression turned serious: "William and the others said they set up camp in a pine forest at the foot of the cliff."

"That noon, they had hunted a lot of wild animals and were in high spirits when they encountered that strange rabbit."

"Strange rabbit?" Chen Ling frowned.

"Hmm, it's grayish-yellow, quite big, and it's lying motionless in a snowdrift less than three zhang away from them."

"William raised his gun and fired, but at such close range, he fired three shots and missed."

He recalled that he couldn't tell whether the gun malfunctioned or he was just suddenly out of practice.

"The bullets fired only splashed a few snowflakes on the snow, and the rabbit was still lying there perfectly fine."

Wang Cunye paused, then lowered his voice: "The elders in the village all say that this is something from the mountains trying to 'keep guests here,' it's a warning!"

"But William didn't believe it and felt he had lost face, so he insisted on going forward to catch it. As a result, he used his clothes to catch the rabbit and brought it back to the camp."

Gao Xiulan added from the side, "But things turned out badly! That night, a strange wind started blowing, the compass spun wildly, and there was a constant scratching sound outside the tent, it was really creepy! And sure enough, the next day, something bad happened."

Wang Cunye tapped his cigarette ash, looked at Chen Ling, and said in an unusually solemn tone: "Lingzi, I know you are very capable. Heiwa and Xiaojin are very intelligent, and Afu and Ashou are even more like mountain kings."

"But don't even think about going to a place like Eagle Cliff."

"We won't go even if other people offer us money, or if those foreign devils offer us cash, understand?"

Fearing that Chen Ling might not take it seriously, he gave another example: "Do you remember? A couple of years ago, there were some geological team experts who insisted on going to your miasma valley to explore. They had such advanced equipment, but in the end, they didn't find anything."

"This Eagle Cliff is even more eerie than that Miasma Valley!"

"And about rabbits, one of my uncles had a similar experience. He saw valuable medicinal herbs at the foot of a cliff, and he could see them clearly."

"But we gritted our teeth and followed the edge of the cliff, but we couldn't find it no matter how hard we looked. We searched the whole mountain, but we still couldn't find it. When we came down the mountain, it was still there."

"If you encounter something this strange, run away as fast as you can..."

Gao Xiulan said worriedly, "Lingzi, you must listen to your father! Our family is doing well now, and the children are still young. You can't be reckless and go to a place like that!"

"Mother knows you're proud and knowledgeable, but that kind of place is evil and unreasonable, do you hear me?"

Looking at the earnest and worried eyes of the two elders, Chen Ling felt a warm glow in his heart, and also found it somewhat amusing.

He certainly knew that there were indeed phenomena in some places that were difficult for science to explain, but he possessed the secrets of the cave, so his confidence was naturally much greater than that of ordinary people.

That little bit of money from the foreign devils isn't enough to bribe him.

However, to reassure the old man, he immediately adopted the most sincere attitude and nodded repeatedly:
"Dad, Mom, don't worry! I'm not stupid, why would I go to such a strange place?"

"I have a wife and children at home, and I have three kids to take care of. I don't have time to go on any adventures."

"I came to pick up Zhenzhen this time and also to see you all. I'll take you back to stay with me. We're planning to go to Hong Kong Island together in a few days. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back. There's a lot of stuff waiting for me at home."

Upon hearing "Hong Kong Island," Wang Cunye and Gao Xiulan were both taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

Their daughter's family is doing better and better, and they are able to travel to such faraway places to broaden their horizons, which naturally makes them very happy.

"Going to Hong Kong Island is great, going to Hong Kong Island is great!"

Wang Cunye breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "There are a lot of rich people over there, let's take the kids there to play."

"Don't worry about things at home. Your older brother and I will take care of things for you."

At this point, the two elders became less serious.

The main reason is that during this period, that foreign woman Eva kept talking about Chen Ling, saying that he was capable and wanted Chen Ling to take her into the mountains.

The two elders were terrified that he would agree.

After all, Wang Cunye had been collecting herbs in the mountains since he was eighteen or nineteen years old, and he knew that some places were hard to explain.

Don't be competitive, and don't try to show off.

Just avoid them. (End of Chapter)