Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

Chen Wenfeng followed Chen Xiaofang to the adjacent cornfield. Sure enough, in the direction Xiaofang pointed, they saw the nest of hedgehogs. He told Xiaofang to wait outside, went back to get an empty bag, and then quickly returned.

Chen Shouyi, Wang Guizhi, and Chen Wenshui also followed.

Chen Wenfeng crouched down and quietly entered the cornfield, then used a bag to trap the entire nest of hedgehogs inside.

The moment the bag was closed, he could even feel the little hedgehog moving, but the movement was not loud.

"Gotcha! Gotcha!"

Chen Xiaofang clapped her hands and shouted happily.

She hurriedly entered the cornfield. Chen Wenfeng was carefully putting the hedgehogs into a bag. The moment Chen Xiaofang opened the bag, one hedgehog escaped from her hand, carrying a small one in its mouth as it ran away.

Chen Wenfeng swiftly grabbed the larger one. The larger one finally opened its mouth while trying to escape, but it couldn't escape Chen Wenfeng's grasp and could only accept its fate, being put into the bag by Chen Wenfeng.

The smaller one couldn't run fast and was caught by Chen Xiaofang. She was overjoyed; the sense of accomplishment was comparable to that of a roasted chicken leg.

On the way home, Chen Shouyi drove the oxcart. Wang Guizhi and Chen Wenshui dozed off in the cart. Chen Wenfeng held the bag containing the hedgehog. Xiaofang couldn't resist opening it several times, but Chen Wenfeng stopped her each time, saying:

"Xiaofang, be good, wait until we get home to play. If it runs away in the car, we won't be able to catch it."

Xiaofang gave up after hearing Chen Wenfeng say that he couldn't catch him.

By the time I got home, it was already getting dark.

Chen Shouyi was busy unloading the truck, Chen Wenshui was helping him, Wang Guizhi went to prepare dinner, and Chen Xiaofang fell asleep next to Chen Wenfeng.

Chen Wenfeng handed the bag containing the hedgehog to Wenshui, then carried Xiaofang into the house. Xiaofang, still half-asleep, seemed to be muttering something. Chen Wenfeng leaned closer to listen and realized his sister was saying, "My hedgehog, my hedgehog, don't run away..."

How wonderful it is to have a carefree childhood. We all used to wish we could grow up quickly, but Chen Wenfeng actually hopes his sister will grow up more slowly...

Chen Wenfeng also helped unload the truck for a while. After unloading, the yard was piled high with corn.

Chen Wenshui turned on the yard lights, and the pale yellow light emitted by the incandescent bulbs evenly coated the golden corn. The air was filled with the aroma of fresh corn, an aroma that could be implanted into a person's brain and preserved permanently.

Chen Wenfeng found an old chicken coop and put the nest of hedgehogs inside, while Wen Shui watched with great interest.

It was only then that Chen Wenfeng truly observed these little creatures in detail. There were eight in total, two large and six small.

The two large hedgehogs weren't very big, about the size of a baby rabbit, while the smaller hedgehog was even smaller, barely bigger than an orange when rolled up.

The two large hedgehogs have black quills, grayish-white bellies, and pointed mouths.

The six little hedgehogs had much lighter-colored quills, milky-white bellies, and pointed mouths.

Both the big and small hedgehogs are adorable, but they have an indescribable smell. Is it sweat? No, it's not. Is it a foul smell? No, it's not. It smells a bit like a dog that hasn't been bathed in a long time.

Before dinner, Chen Shouyi carried a bucket to water the old ox. After the ox finished drinking the first bucket of water, he poured out half a bucket, but this time he added a handful of salt.

After the old ox finished drinking the water, Chen Shouyi threw a large bundle of green grass in front of him, untied the rope binding the grass, and the old ox began to eat it slowly.

Xiaofang woke up at dinner time. She was starving and drank two large bowls of corn porridge and ate most of a pancake.

Chen Shouyi drank two bottles of beer. He's become quite addicted to alcohol these days. It's a pity there was no roast chicken this time, as roast chicken and beer are his favorite combination now.

Wang Guizhi also drank a bottle of beer. She began to get used to the taste of beer, especially when she was hot after finishing farm work.

Chen Wenshui ate quite a lot, but his hands trembled as he picked up food with his chopsticks.

Chen Wenfeng patted his younger brother Wenshui on the shoulder with heartache and said:

"Wenshui, you'll be in charge of washing the dishes after dinner, and then you can go to sleep. You don't need to do anything else."

Wenshui agreed. He knew that his parents and older brother would be working late into the night in the yard because the harvested corn needed to be husked before drying.

As Chen Wenshui was clearing away the dishes and Chen Wenfeng was tidying up corn with his parents in the yard, Xiaofang suddenly came out and tearfully said to Chen Wenfeng:

"Big brother, I suddenly remembered! Didn't we catch the hedgehog? I didn't see it after I woke up. Did it really get lost this time?"

Seeing his sister's slow-wittedness, Chen Wenfeng found it amusing and quickly comforted her:

"You didn't get lost. When we came back, you were asleep. Your second brother and I put it away for you. Go check under the mangroves in the mountains, look for that chicken coop."

After saying that, Chen Wenfeng picked a fruit from the hawthorn tree. The hawthorns were all ripe and red, hanging like little lanterns. Chen Wenfeng put it in his mouth and chewed it. It was sticky and sour, with a sweet taste in the sourness.

He couldn't help but hum a song:

"Everyone says candied hawthorn berries are sour, but the sourness is wrapped in sweetness. Everyone says candied hawthorn berries are sweet, but the sweetness has a hint of sourness..."

"The hawthorn berries are so round and smooth, like round gourds with rock candy. Eating them cures ailments and satisfies your cravings, making you twenty years younger..."

Chen Shouyi and Wang Guizhi both thought Chen Wenfeng's singing was quite nice, wondering where he had learned those folk songs.

Xiaofang had been squatting by the chicken coop, quietly watching the little hedgehog for a while. She ran back and forth, throwing some vegetables into the coop, but the little hedgehog didn't eat them. She was a little disappointed. Wang Guizhi saw her daughter's expression and knew that she was tired from working in the cornfield all day and was inevitably feeling down. She wanted to comfort her, but Xiaofang ignored her.

Chen Wenfeng said to Xiaofang:

"Xiaofang, did you like the song your brother sang?"

"I didn't pay much attention..."

"..."

Chen Wenfeng was quite helpless. He then thought of a song he had heard online in his previous life. The melody was "Pink Memories," and the lyrics were a poem about husking corn that had been written by someone else.

Summer, summer, quietly passes by. Driving a tractor, picking corn, picking corn, you'll be exhausted. Just as you're sleeping, your mother wakes you up and tells you to go to the field to pick corn.

I changed into old clothes, wrapped my head in a scarf, and took two strong allergy pills beforehand. Walking into the cornfield was like entering the eighteenth level of hell; picking corn was a painful memory...

As soon as Chen Wenfeng started singing this song, the catchy lyrics immediately captivated Chen Xiaofang. She hummed along and quickly learned it. After singing for a while, she forgot all about the hedgehog and, yawning, said:

"Big brother, I'm sleepy..."

Wang Guizhi looked at her son Chen Wenfeng with admiration, and said gently to Xiaofang:

"Xiaofang, be good, Mommy will take you to bed!"

The night was as still as water, a new moon hung under the eaves, and the Big Dipper, like grains of rice in a plate, was piled up in the northern sky.

In the courtyard, Chen Wenfeng chatted with his parents while busily wrapping corn.

Night deepened, and dew began to condense on the leaves; it had been a busy day...