My 1995 Small Farm.

"Thank you, Manager Li. I'll go take a look now."

Chen Ling led the horse westward along the path beside the stream.

I thought to myself, "If we take a detour through Liangkouzhai, it will probably take more than an hour to get there. After this continuous rain, going into the old forest and going around the tea mountain are all difficult paths. Even if I have Dongtian, I can't be of much help."

"Let's go back the way we came and see what the situation is like."

He had been to Fenglei Town many times and knew the way well.

The further west you go, the steeper the terrain becomes, and the sparser the houses become.

Finally, we stopped in front of an old covered bridge.

This is the covered bridge over the Xisha River, connecting the town with the villages on the mountain.

On the other side of the bridge is the plank road leading up the mountain.

The area above is called Camel Cliff.

Chen Ling stood at the bridgehead and looked out. Sure enough, he saw several gaps in the middle of the plank road, with broken wooden planks hanging in mid-air.

Several villagers were busy there, and the clanging and banging sounds echoed through the valley.

"Grandpa, when will this plank road be repaired?" Chen Ling asked an old man who was resting.

The old man puffed on his pipe, squinted at him, and said, "You are... the son-in-law of the Cunye family, aren't you?"

"You always recognize me?"

"Of course I recognize you."

The old man laughed: "The year before last, you came to help Qingzhong move grain. You carried two sacks by yourself. Your strength was known throughout the village. I am Qingwen's neighbor, surnamed Yao."

Chen Ling hurriedly asked, "Uncle Yao, how are my elder brother and the others? The road is blocked, so it must be inconvenient for them to go up and down."

"you do not say."

Old Man Yao sighed, "Both Qingwen and his family are doing well, it's just that Qingwen's father-in-law's back hasn't fully recovered. Now he's stuck at home, and he hasn't had his medicine for two days. He's so anxious, he's jumping up and down in frustration, but..."

He pointed to the plank road: "The weather is fine today, so a few of us old buddies discussed it and decided to come and fix it as soon as possible. In another hour or so, we should be able to leave."

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Uncle Yao, can I help you?"

"You?" Old Man Yao sized him up. "This job is very dangerous. You have to be tied with a rope to do it. Only experienced herbalists who often walk along the cliffs can do it. Do you know how?"

Chen Ling smiled: "Uncle Yao, I also grew up in the mountains."

He took the rope off the horse and skillfully tied a sturdy mountaineering knot around his waist.

Old Yao could tell from his posture that he was an expert, so he didn't say anything more and handed him an axe: "Alright, help me chop down a few pieces of hardwood, about the size of a bowl."

Chen Ling took the axe and followed Old Man Yao up the plank road.

The plank road was carved out of the cliff, supported by wooden piles at the bottom, and covered with wooden planks, about three feet wide.

There are four or five places where it breaks, the longest gap being two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide, with a bottomless ravine below.

Chen Ling fastened the safety rope, tied the other end to a sturdy wooden stake, and then began to work.

He was strong; he swung his axe with great force, and could chop down a piece of hardwood as thick as a bowl in just a few strokes.

The other villagers who were repairing the road were dumbfounded.

"Wow, that's strong, enough for the three of us!" a middle-aged man exclaimed in amazement.

Old Man Yao said proudly, "That's right, don't you know whose son-in-law he is? He's the son-in-law of our Medicine King Village."

With many people and the addition of Chen Ling as a fresh force, the road construction progressed much faster.

In less than an hour, several broken sections of the boardwalk were repaired with new wood. Although planks had not yet been laid, it was already passable with caution.

"Okay, you can walk now."

Old Man Yao wiped his sweat and said, "Fugui, you go up first. We'll take our time with the rest of the planking."

Chen Ling did not refuse. He untied the safety rope, thanked everyone, and led his horse onto the boardwalk.

The plank road winds its way upwards, getting higher and higher as you walk.

The mountain wind howled, causing people's clothes to flutter.

Beneath my feet flows a raging river, its waters roaring and churning.

It's not as clear as it used to be.

It was cloudy and yellowish, and it looked creepy.

If they fell, I don't even want to think about the consequences.

But Chen Ling walked steadily, and the little blue horse was not afraid at all. Its hooves clattered rhythmically on the wooden planks.

After walking for about two miles, the view suddenly opened up before us.

Scattered on a hillside are a dozen or so households; this is Yaowang Village.

The village is very simple and rustic, with most of the houses being wooden and stone structures with blue tiles on the roofs.

Because of its high elevation, this place offers excellent views, overlooking the entire Fenglei Town and gazing at the rolling mountains in the distance.

Chen Ling led the horse up the stone path.

Before even reaching the door, I could hear children reading aloud coming from the courtyard:

"...Therefore, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their will and strengthen their body..."

It is a chapter from the Mencius.

The voice was young, but the student read very attentively.

Chen Ling walked to the gate of the courtyard and saw a little boy of eight or nine years old sitting under the eaves, holding a book and reading aloud.

The child was handsome and looked like his brother-in-law, Wang Qingzhong.

"Dongdong," Chen Ling called out.

The boy looked up, startled at first, then jumped up in surprise: "Uncle! What brings you here?"

At this shout, everyone inside came out.

First, Wang Qingzhong saw Chen Ling and quickly came up to him: "Lingzi? It really is you! Wasn't the road blocked? How did you get up here?"

Then Wang Qingwen said, "Why are you here? Those foreigners said they called you. Come inside! Where's Susu? Didn't she come with you?"

The last two women to come out were the sisters-in-law.

Long time no see.

Upon seeing Chen Ling, they were all so happy they didn't know what to say. One busied himself pouring tea, while the other busied himself getting melon seeds and peanuts.

"Eldest brother, second brother, and sisters-in-law."

Chen Ling greeted them one by one: "Su Su is at home taking care of the children and couldn't come. It's been raining for so many days recently, and I was worried about her, so I came over to check on her as soon as the rain stopped these past two days."

"Oh, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Wang Qingwen pulled Chen Ling to sit down: "The road collapsed a few days ago. Fortunately, no one was injured, but it's inconvenient to go up and down. Tongtong's grandfather has run out of medicine, and he's worried about it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling quickly turned and went out, walked to the luggage rack in front of the little blue horse, and took out two bottles of medicinal wine:
"Brother, this is a medicinal wine brewed two years ago, Eight Treasures Wine. It can't be drunk too much, just a small cup each time, otherwise it will damage your liver and kidneys. You can let your uncle use it."

He had already heard that his sister-in-law Su Ligai's father had a back injury, which he sustained last year when he was attacked by wild boars.

I didn't take it seriously at first, but after a winter, by the end of spring this year, the pain started to get really bad, and I couldn't straighten my back anymore.

It's even difficult to turn over.

Wang Qingwen wanted to be polite.

Chen Ling quickly waved his hand: "Brother, we're all family, don't be so formal."

Seeing Chen Ling's actions, Su Li's eyes reddened: "Thank you, Lingzi."

"Oh, sister-in-law, don't worry. Let's wait for the rain to stop. Once it stops, I'll take Uncle out to find someone to treat his injury," Chen Ling comforted her.

At this moment, five-year-old Tongtong also came over and whispered, "Thank you, Uncle."

Chen Ling patted his head: "Study hard. If you and Dongdong get a score over 80, your uncle will buy you new schoolbags."

The two children's eyes lit up, and they nodded vigorously.

Second sister-in-law Guo Xinping was an honest woman. At this moment, she brought hot tea and took out rice cakes she had made herself: "Lingzi, you've been walking for a long time, are you hungry? Have something to eat first, I'll go cook now."

Chen Ling didn't stand on ceremony, picked up a piece of rice cake and took a bite: "It's so delicious, Second Sister-in-law's cooking skills are getting better and better."

"No one does it as well as you and Susu."

Guo Xinping laughed, "With so much rain for so many days, we thought your area was flooded too, and we were really worried. Yesterday, your second brother even said he wanted to risk going down the mountain to check on Chenwangzhuang, but I stopped him." Wang Qingzhong smiled, "That's right. The radio said that Chenwangzhuang did the best flood prevention work in the whole county, so we were a little relieved. Lingzi, tell us what happened?"

While eating rice cakes, Chen Ling briefly explained the flood prevention situation.

When they heard Chen Ling calling for people to harvest the wheat and mobilizing supplies from Hong Kong Island, the whole family listened intently.

“My God…” Wang Qingwen murmured, “Lingzi, your abilities are getting bigger and bigger.”

Wang Qingzhong exclaimed, "You've saved so many people! Your merit is immense!"

Chen Ling waved his hand: "What merit or not? I just did what I was supposed to do. As for you guys, does this house leak?"

Speaking of this, Wang Qingwen sighed: "It leaks. The east wing is leaking badly. We've filled three or four basins with it. Luckily, the grain has all been moved to the attic, so it didn't get damp."

"I'll take a look after I finish eating."

Chen Ling said, "I can mend tiles and repair wood. Since I'm here today, I'll help you get it done."

“That won’t do, you’ve traveled all day…” Both the eldest and second sisters-in-law felt bad.

"Sister-in-law, it's okay, I'm not tired."

At the dinner table, the family chatted and laughed, creating a warm atmosphere. Chen Ling talked about Kang Kang and Le Le's situation, saying that the two children could already walk and could ride on the tiger's back.

Dongdong and Xiaotong's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Uncle, do you really have a tiger in your house?" Dongdong couldn't believe it.

"It's true."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Next time the weather clears up, I'll take you out to play, and then you'll be able to see each other."

Xiao Zheng Tong asked in a low voice, "Do tigers...bite people?"

“It doesn’t bite, it’s very docile,” Chen Ling said. “Just like a big cat.”

The two children listened intently, their eyes filled with longing.

After the meal, Chen Ling kept his word and went up to the roof to repair the tiles.

Teacher Wang Qingwen is used to doing these kinds of rural crafts. He can manage to work with mud, but he's a complete mess of everything else.

You can only pass things down from below.

Wang Qingzhong also helped, but he wasn't very skilled at this job and almost slipped off the ladder, but Chen Ling caught him.

"Big brother, second brother, you two rest, I can manage on my own." Chen Ling said, both amused and exasperated.

“That won’t do…” Wang Qingwen insisted, “More people means more strength.”

The three brothers worked for more than three hours and finally fixed the leaky roof.

Chen Ling then inspected the roof beams, reinforced several loose tenons, and dug a drainage ditch in the corner of the wall to prevent rainwater from flowing back in.

By the time we finished our work, it was already dark.

It gets dark early in the mountains; it was only a little past four in the afternoon when it was already dark.

My two sisters-in-law have prepared dinner, which is simpler than lunch, but still tastes good.

The leftover chicken broth was used to cook noodles, fry an egg, and mix with wild vegetables.

After dinner, the family sat around the fire pit to warm themselves.

The continuous rain made the mountain nights very cool, mainly because of the high humidity.

Even in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, people still need to light fires for warmth and to dispel dampness.

The flickering firelight illuminated everyone's faces.

Chen Ling shared the scallion pancakes he brought from home with everyone, and then told them some interesting stories about flood control, such as the intelligent water buffalo, the appearance of the Turtle King, and Han Chuang asking Hong Kong star Jet Li for his autograph.

Dongdong listened without blinking: "Uncle, do you really know Li Lianjie?"

"Yes, I know him." Chen Ling nodded. "He even signed an autograph for my friend."

"Wow..." Dongdong said with admiration, "I want to be like my uncle and know lots of amazing people in the future."

Wang Qingzhong patted his son on the shoulder: "Then you should study hard, get into university, and broaden your horizons."

It was late at night, and the children were all sleepy.

Dongdong and Xiaozheng were sent to bed, and the adults chatted for a while longer before also going to rest.

Chen Ling was sleeping in the guest room, lying on the bed, listening to the howling mountain wind outside the window and the occasional chirping of night birds.

He slept soundly that night.

The next morning, Chen Ling woke up before dawn.

People in the mountains get up early. When he got up, his second sister-in-law, Guo Xinping, was already cooking in the kitchen.

"Lingzi, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Guo Xinping asked.

"I'm used to it. I can't fall asleep even when I'm lying down." Chen Ling smiled, washed up, and went out into the yard.

The mornings in the mountains are especially refreshing.

A thin mist, like a veil, enveloped the village, and the distant mountain peaks appeared and disappeared indistinctly.

The air was crisp and cold, carrying the scent of pine needles and earth.

Smoke was already rising from the chimneys of early risers in the village, and the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking filled the air with life.

Chen Ling took a deep breath, feeling as if his lungs and internal organs had been cleansed.

He strolled around the village.

The village was not yet fully awake in the early morning, with only a few scattered sounds coming from a few households.

The bluestone path was washed clean by the rain over the past few days, and velvety moss grew in the cracks.

Chen Ling walked slowly along the path, his gaze sweeping over the stone walls by the roadside, the stacks of firewood under the eaves, and the water vats in the corners of the walls.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Several snails were slowly crawling through the cracks in the damp stone slabs.

The shell is light brown with fine spirals, and the sticky, soft substance gleams faintly in the morning light.

This was nothing unusual; snails are common after rain. But when Chen Ling crouched down and observed them closely, he discovered that these snails were a size larger than usual, and their shells were thicker.

He got up and continued walking, arriving at the edge of the woods near the village.

This is a mixed forest, mainly composed of oak and oak trees, with a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated under the trees.

After days of rain, the woodland was damp, and the smell of humus filled the air.

Chen Ling parted a clump of ferns, his pupils contracted slightly, and he was almost startled.

Leeches were found clinging to damp fallen leaves, rotten wood, and even the backs of low shrub branches.

Some of these mollusks were curled up in a ball, while others stretched out their bodies and slowly wriggled, their dark brown bodies appearing shiny in the moist environment.

He had seen many leeches; they were commonly found in the mountains, paddy fields, and streamsides.

But the leeches here seem particularly plump, full of energy.

Chen Ling gently nudged one with a twig, and the leech immediately contracted its body, then slowly stretched out and attached itself to the twig, its suckers clearly visible at its mouthparts.

Chen Ling straightened up, his eyes thoughtful.

Leeches are a medicinal ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, known as "water leech".

It is salty, bitter, and neutral in nature, enters the liver meridian, and has the effects of breaking up blood stasis, removing blood stasis, and clearing the meridians and eliminating nodules.

Medical records indicate that it can be used for amenorrhea and abdominal masses caused by blood stasis, as well as traumatic injuries, swelling and pain due to blood stasis.

But that wasn't all he was thinking about.

A while ago, sterile maggots were used to treat fish bites and Li Lianjie's leg.

Maggots can clean wounds, feeding on necrotic tissue without harming living tissue.

What about leeches? Leeches suck blood, but in modern medicine, live leeches can be used to treat venous congestion, post-skin flap transplantation congestion, and even certain thrombotic diseases.

The principle is that leech saliva contains hirudin, which has anticoagulant, vasodilator, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Although this is different from maggot therapy, it still falls under the category of "biological therapy".

"This is good stuff! A flood that didn't quite reach its full extent has brought an influx of leeches..." Chen Ling's eyes lit up. (End of Chapter)