My 1995 Small Farm.

Along the irrigation ditch of the farm, red-crowned cranes gracefully strolled and pecked at food, while villagers gathered around, marveling at their beauty. Children chattered excitedly, creating a peaceful scene.

Suddenly, a clear and sharp eagle cry pierced the morning mist from high above, causing everyone to look up.

"Wow—!"

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw three black dots swooping down from the southeast at an astonishing speed, like three black arrows shot from a bow, piercing through the morning mist with a whistling sound!
It's Er Tuzi!

And its two increasingly magnificent eagle companions!

Their flight paths were precise and domineering, their target being a patch of grass on the outer edge of the orchard, near the edge of the wheat field!
Almost the instant everyone looked up, Baldy Er had already pounced!

Its sharp, hook-like eagle eyes had already locked onto its target.

A plump gray hare is peeking out from its nest in the grass, trying to slip away when no one is looking!
Suddenly, Er Tuzi folded his wings and his body crashed down vertically like a black lightning bolt!

"puff!"

A dull thud was followed by a short, shrill scream from the hare.

The sharp claws dug deep into the rabbit's back like iron pincers, and the huge impact forced the rabbit to the ground. After struggling for a couple of seconds, it fell silent.

Having succeeded in its attack, Er Tu Zi didn't stop. With its powerful wings flapping again, it easily took to the air with its prey, which was larger than itself, and flew towards the farm.

Its two underlings were not to be outdone, and they spotted the target almost simultaneously.

One rabbit spotted another fleeing rabbit in the wheat field, and with a beautiful low glide, it made a precise kill!

The other one suddenly turned and rushed towards a wasteland at the foot of the mountain to the east of the orchard, where a silly pheasant was frightened by the eagle's shadow and stood there with its feathers bristling. The next second, it was fiercely seized by the eagle's steel-like talons!
"Wow!"

Water splashed everywhere, and the pheasant flapped its wings in vain, scattering colorful feathers all over the ground.

"Good heavens! Baldy's going to have a big harvest today!" Wang Cunye squinted and couldn't help but exclaim.

"That look in his eyes, that speed! He's even fiercer than last year!" a villager exclaimed in astonishment.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Baldy was the first to fly back. Instead of landing, it circled halfway around the farm, seemingly searching for something.

Then, it let out a short cry and released its claws!
The plump wild rabbit fell straight down with a "thud," landing right in front of Afu, who was lying down watching the commotion, kicking up a little dust.

The other two eagles followed suit, dropping their hunted rabbits and pheasants. One landed at Ah Shou's feet, while the other was thrown onto the open ground near Chen Ling.

Having done all this, the three falcons did not linger. They flapped their wings and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing into the azure horizon, leaving only a few clear cries echoing in the air, as if to say, "The tribute has been presented; you may deal with it yourselves!"

This sudden scene once again left everyone stunned.

"This...this eagle is really a spirit? It's feeding the tiger again?" Zhao Dahai's mouth dropped open.

Afu was stunned by the "gift" that fell from the sky. He looked down and sniffed the wild rabbit that was still twitching slightly at his feet. Then he looked up and looked in the direction where the flock of eagles had disappeared. A trace of... confusion and bewilderment appeared in his amber eyes.

That expression seemed to say, "What's this? Here we go again? Do we look like we need to be fed?"

Ah Shou also came over, nudged the wild rabbit in front of him with his paw, and made a low "groan" sound in his throat, as if he was somewhat disgusted by this "food offered with contempt".

The villagers burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Fugui, did your eagle feed a tiger like a cub?"

"This bald guy is becoming more and more like a big brother! He even knows how to give his underlings perks!"

Chen Ling was both amused and exasperated, shaking his head and laughing as he scolded, "These guys think they're so great just because they have wings, huh? Showing off their amazing abilities, huh?"

"You don't know, we fed them twice recently, and Afu and Ashou were also very confused."

"That bald guy is interesting."

"Who knows what it was thinking..."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

However, Er Tuzi's "showy" hunting and feeding seemed to have touched a nerve with the two "mountain kings".

Afu and Ashou exchanged a glance, their enormous heads turning towards the lush, thriving wheat field.

They are the kings of beasts!

Overlord of the mountains and forests!

How can we keep being "aided" by those flying creatures in the sky?
Where do we put our pride?

"Hooooo——"

Afu let out a deep and powerful tiger roar, as if saying to everyone: Watch us!
The next moment, the two giant tigers suddenly stood up, their massive bodies stretching out, muscles bulging, exuding an explosive sense of power.

They took steady steps, no longer languid, their eyes becoming sharp and focused, like two true hunters, one on the left and one on the right, silently sneaking into the wheat field!

The wheat stalks were already more than half a foot tall, their green waves creating a perfect hiding place for small animals.

Afu lowered his enormous head, his nostrils flaring violently, keenly catching every scent in the wind.

Ah Shou pricked up his ears, his amber pupils contracting as he carefully discerned the faintest rustling sounds among the wheat fields.

Their movements, though seemingly large and clumsy, are actually light and skillful. Their thick, fleshy feet land silently, and their massive bodies weave through the wheat fields, crushing only a few wheat seedlings.

"Oh, so they've gone off to hunt for something too, and they seem pretty defiant?"

Wang Laishun and the others immediately became interested.

I find both the tiger and the eagle very interesting.

"Shh, Fifth Grandfather, don't shout, don't speak, let's see what they're up to..."

The villagers held their breath and watched with curiosity, all wanting to see how these two "mountain kings" would display their abilities.

Chen Ling frowned slightly.

The wheat is at a crucial stage of jointing and stalk formation, and the stalks are fragile. These two big guys are causing trouble inside; hopefully...

He was about to speak up and stop them when Wang Laishun interrupted with a laugh, "It's alright, it's alright! Fugui, let them play! What's a few stalks of wheat worth? Do we really need that little bit? Look how serious they are, it's so much fun!"

“That’s right! Ah Fu and Ah Shou know what they’re doing. Look how lightly they’re moving!” another villager chimed in, his eyes full of doting and indulgence.

These two are real mountain kings.

With them guarding the village, no jackals or leopards have come down from the mountains.

Even if Chen Ling doesn't indulge them, they still have to pamper them and treat them like royalty.

"Look! Ah Shou seems to have spotted prey!" Wang Zhenzhen, with her sharp eyes, pointed at the wheat field and whispered.

Ah Shou stopped beside a wheat field, its huge front paws carefully parting the dense wheat seedlings, and it lowered its head to sniff carefully.

Suddenly, its eyes lit up, it let out an excited growl, and its paw slashed downwards!
"Splash!" A small hole was dug in the soil and wheat seedlings.

A hidden rabbit hole entrance has been exposed!
The soil at the entrance of the cave is still very fresh, so there's obviously something there!

Afu quickly moved closer, his massive body crouching down to block another possible escape route, their cooperation seamless.

Ah Shou appeared more patient. Instead of roughly widening the hole, it stretched its huge paws into the hole and carefully explored with its thick paw pads and claw tips, as if it were searching for some treasure.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and everyone craned their necks to look.

Even the red-crowned cranes stopped eating, raised their long necks, and curiously looked at the commotion in the wheat field.

Rui Rui clenched her little fists nervously and asked in a low voice, "Daddy, can the big tiger catch the little rabbit?"

Before Chen Ling could answer, Ah Shou suddenly stopped and slowly pulled his claws out.

From its paws, it pulled out two pink, fluffy little wild rabbits whose eyes were not yet fully open!

The little rabbit was extremely small, only the size of a baby's fist, and its body was already covered with a layer of fine gray fur, unlike domestic rabbits which are bald when they are first born.

They trembled in Ah Shou's huge claws, squeaking softly, pitiful yet adorable.

"Oh dear! It's a little rascal! He's not even a month old yet!" Gao Xiulan exclaimed.

"This Ah Shou! His claws are so steady! He didn't hurt anyone at all!" Wang Cunye exclaimed in amazement.

Ah Shou seemed quite satisfied with the "living treasure" it had pulled out. It lowered its head, gently touched the few little fur balls with its nose, and made an extremely soft "purring" sound in its throat. Its appearance even carried a hint of... affection?
It carefully cradled the little rabbits in its lips, stood up, and walked steadily out of the wheat field.

Approaching Chen Ling, she gently placed the two little rabbits down. They rolled onto the soft grass, still huddled together and trembling.

"Ouch."

Ah Shou rubbed his big head against Chen Ling's leg, as if to show off, "Look, I caught it, alive!"

Afu strolled over, caught the little rabbits one by one, and curiously sniffed the tiny creatures. He snorted, seemingly thinking that these things weren't enough to fill a tooth gap, but also a bit novel.

"Hahaha! Ah Shouxing! Not only can you hunt, but you can also raid nests! You're very skilled at this!" Zhao Dahai laughed heartily.

The villagers also gathered around, marveling at the few baby wild rabbits that were clearly only recently born.

"These wild rabbits are something else! They're born with fur, and they can crawl around even before their eyes are open!"

"This big guy, Ah Shou, looks scary, but he's really careful when he goes down!"

"Fugui, can this little rascal survive? Take him home and feed him some goat milk, maybe he can support the family!"

Wang Zhenzhen and Rui Rui squatted down excitedly, wanting to touch it but not daring to.

"Little rabbit! So small!" Rui Rui's eyes widened in surprise.

"Brother-in-law, let's raise it! Don't let the tiger eat it!" Wang Zhenzhen pleaded, looking up at him.

Looking at Ah Shou's slightly smug and expectant eyes, and then at the children's longing expressions, Chen Ling smiled and nodded: "Alright, Ah Shou has done a good job, catching them alive. Let's try raising them."

He found a bamboo basket lined with dry grass and carefully put several small wild rabbits inside.

"Susu, try squeezing some goat milk later and see if they'll eat it."

"Okay, sure." Wang Susu smiled and agreed, finding the scene extremely amusing.

Seeing its younger brother being praised, Afu seemed unwilling to be outdone. It shook its big head, turned its gaze back to the wheat field, flared its nostrils, and continued its search.

Soon, it also discovered something on another ridge and, imitating Ashou, began to carefully dig.

This time, it seems to have better luck, or perhaps a bit more volatile?
All that could be heard was a violent thrashing of the wheat seedlings and a panicked squeaking!
Afu let out a low growl and suddenly scooped and swung his claws!
A large, grayish-brown female hare, struggling desperately, was pulled directly from its burrow and slammed onto the edge of the field!
The mother rabbit's hind leg seemed to have been scratched by Afu's claws, with a little blood, but it was not seriously injured. At this moment, she was so frightened that she collapsed on the ground, trembling, and did not even have the strength to run away.

At the entrance of the hole that had been dug out, two or three equally furry little rabbits were frantically trying to crawl deeper into the hole!

"Another nest! Good heavens! We've wiped out the entire rabbit lairs today!" the villagers exclaimed again.

They completely disregarded the taboo against hitting mother rabbits with babies.

Afu wasn't as "gentle" as Ashou. It pinned the female rabbit down with one paw and looked down at its prize with curiosity.

Looking at the little ones in the cave, he seemed a bit unsure how to deal with this large family.

"Alright, alright, Afu, that's enough!" Chen Ling quickly stepped forward, stopping him with a wry smile.

He realized that, with the villagers' unbridled indulgence, these two big guys were determined to "make a name for themselves" in the wheat field today.

If they keep running amok, this wheat field will surely be ravaged by their massive bodies and excited claws.

"We've had a great haul today, with both big rabbits and little ones. Come back!" Chen Ling called out.

Afu seemed a little unsatisfied, but upon hearing its master's command, it obediently released its paws.

Once freed, the mother hare was so frightened that she forgot to run away. She froze for a second before suddenly leaping up and limping into the tall grass beside her, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ling carefully took out the baby rabbits from the hole and put them into the bamboo basket.

"Alright, these two mountain kings have cleared out all the rabbit burrows in our wheat field today," Chen Ling said to the villagers with a smile.

Wang Laishun beamed with joy: "Well done! Well done! This will save those little rascals from ruining the wheat seedlings! Ah Fu and Ah Shou have done a great job! We'll have to give them extra food tonight!"

"Yes! Extra food! We absolutely need extra food!"

The villagers laughed and agreed, their eyes filled with affection and pride as they looked at Afu and Ashou, as if they were not wild beasts, but two mischievous yet highly skilled children who had performed meritorious service.

The sun shone brightly on the earth, and the morning mist dissipated.

After eating and drinking their fill, the red-crowned cranes gracefully preened their feathers and uttered clear, melodious calls.

Afu and Ashou finished their "hunt" and strolled back to Chen Ling's feet, lying down contentedly and basking in the sun, as if their swift hunt had just been a warm-up.

In the basket, the newly harvested wild rabbits huddled together, chirping softly.

The babies gathered around the bamboo basket, chattering excitedly about how to feed them.

The villagers chatted and laughed as they went about their tasks, all with relaxed and happy smiles on their faces.

Chen Ling glanced at the mother rabbit that the two tigers had harmed. The villagers spoiled the two tigers and didn't follow some rules anymore. He had to follow them. After he finished eating, he would go back and put something in the rabbit hole to help the mother rabbit recover from her injuries quickly.

As for the little rabbit, it's certain it won't go back.

If it comes into contact with human scent, the mother rabbit will kill it. (End of Chapter)