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

The next morning, Chen Shouyi got up early to shovel cow dung and feed the cows. After all, the corn harvest would take a few more days.

Wang Guizhi prepared breakfast for the family, and she even made some flatbreads so that the family wouldn't have to eat dry, hard cornbread while they were in the fields.

Chen Wenshui had an exam, so he didn't have to participate in the labor. Xiaofang was in a lower grade, and all the children in her class were at home harvesting crops, so she naturally stayed at home. However, compared to harvesting corn, the nest of hedgehogs she caught yesterday was the thing that made her happiest.

Chen Wenfeng didn't eat breakfast. He went to Jiming Mountain early in the morning because, according to the schedule, he needed to go up the mountain to work today.

Chen Shouyi believed that without Wen Feng and Wen Shui, the efficiency of husking corn would be greatly reduced. He and Wang Guizhi discussed finishing the unhusked corn at home in the morning, then arranging and stacking the corn. This would tidy up the yard, give them a rest, and allow them to wait for Wen Feng to return so they could go together.

At the dinner table, Chen Shouyi shared his idea, and the whole family thought it was feasible.

After breakfast, Chen Wenfeng went up Jiming Mountain. Chen Xiaohei was still jumping and hopping to welcome him, but Old Sun was nowhere to be seen.

He went to the room where Old Sun lived, pushed open the door, and saw the mattress on the small bed spread out, but Old Sun was nowhere to be seen.

"Master Sun!" Chen Wenfeng called out.

"Has Wen Feng arrived?"

As Old Sun's voice came, the old man came over from the chicken coop, holding a shovel in his hand and with chicken feathers on his head.

Chen Wenfeng found Old Sun's appearance somewhat comical and said:

"Master Sun, you've worked hard these past two days."

"It wasn't too hard, just a minor problem; I didn't sleep well last night."

Seeing that Old Sun indeed had dark circles under his eyes and was yawning incessantly, Chen Wenfeng asked, "What's wrong?"

Old Sun sighed and said:

"A weasel must have gotten into the chicken coop last night."

"Oh no, is the chicken alright?!"

"The chickens in the coop are fine for now, but of the chickens that ran outside, one was carried away and another was killed. If it weren't for Xiao Hei squawking so loudly, those chickens outside would probably all be dead."

Well, two more of the Eight Vajras have been lost. Including those killed earlier, only three remain.

Old Sun continued:

"I haven't had time to deal with the one that got bitten to death yet; I'm planning to do it after breakfast."

Chen Wenfeng said:

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. We need to thoroughly inspect this chicken coop today. The chickens aren't easy to squeeze into the cages, but constantly coming over to scare them is affecting their egg production."

As the saying goes, every creature has its nemesis, and chickens are most afraid of weasels. Because chickens have poor eyesight at night, while weasels are night owls, under the cover of darkness, once this creature sneaks into the chicken coop, the chickens are so frightened that they dare not move, leaving them at the weasel's mercy.

Upon hearing Chen Wenfeng's words, Old Sun suddenly seemed to remember something and said:

"No wonder the eggs have been laid less these past few days. I guess this weasel has been here for more than a day. That thing is very cunning, even more so than a person. It knows how to scout out the location. Damin Chicken Farm had a weasel problem before. It wandered around for several nights, and then crawled into the broken part of the chicken coop and killed seven or eight chickens in one go. But the opening was too small, and in the end it only took two small hens with it."

"That's really cunning," Chen Wenfeng cursed, saying.

"We'll catch it tonight."

Old Sun had been tormented by the weasel all night and was quite angry, but hearing Chen Wenfeng's words, he immediately perked up and said:

"Let's prepare during the day, and if we catch that bastard tonight, we'll skin him alive!"

Seeing that Old Sun was very irritable, like a gas cylinder that could explode at the slightest spark, Chen Wenfeng knew it was because he hadn't slept all night and was suffering from exhaustion. He smiled and said:

"Master Sun, after we've had breakfast, you should take a nap and we'll talk again after dark!"

Old Sun nodded in agreement.

The two quickly ate breakfast, and then Old Sun went to catch up on his sleep.

Chen Wenfeng also stayed up late last night husking corn. After tidying up the chicken coop, he went to bed as well.

Chen Wenfeng slept soundly until after 3 p.m.

He wanted to sleep, but after a good night's sleep, his stomach started rumbling, the gurgling sound like an alarm clock repeatedly reminding him to get up.

This thing is different from an alarm clock. You can turn off an alarm clock by reaching out, but you can't turn off the rumbling in your stomach.

Chen Wenfeng lay there, stretched his arms and legs, and rolled over to sit up.

When he got up, he found that Old Sun had been up for a while and was making snares with thin wire, making five or six in one go.

Those thin rings are very simple; they're like adjustable loops. Once they're on the prey, they tighten as the prey runs.

When Old Sun saw that Chen Wenfeng was awake, he said:

"Are you hungry? I was just about to call you. I heated up some steamed buns and stewed some vegetables in the pot."

After being reminded by Old Sun, Chen Wenfeng felt his chest pressing against his back and became even hungrier, saying:

"Yes, I woke up hungry."

Old Sun laughed:

"I woke up hungry too. While I'm heating up the food, I'll make a few traps; they might come in handy tonight."

Chen Wenfeng followed suit and made a few. The two of them made more than a dozen snares in total, placing them one by one around the chicken coop.

After setting everything out, they began to eat. Perhaps they were extremely hungry, because the two of them devoured the hot steamed buns and vegetables in no time.

Perhaps because he had eaten too much, Chen Wenfeng felt a little dizzy and sleepy again. He said to Old Sun:

"Master Sun, I'm going to get some more sleep. Wake me up when it gets dark!"

"Young people just need more sleep," Old Sun replied with a smile. "Alright!"

As the sun sets behind the mountains, the moon slowly rises over the eastern hills, and only occasionally a bird's call echoes through the forest before all is quiet.

The night in the mountains is pitch black and quiet, with only the stars casting a faint glow and the wind occasionally making a few noises as it passes through the trees.

Chen Wenfeng made various preparations in order to catch the weasel.

Chen Wenfeng settled Xiaohei in the house, telling it to be quiet and not move around. Xiaohei seemed to understand Chen Wenfeng's words, wagged its tail, and obediently lay down on the ground.

Chen Wenfeng told Old Sun to turn off all the lights on Jiming Mountain. They waited quietly not far from the chicken coop, with all their flashlights turned off. Everything was ready, just waiting for the weasel.

Time passed by, and the waiting time seemed to stretch out several times over.

Chen Wenfeng was already about to doze off, and Old Sun's legs were starting to go numb from squatting.

Fortunately, there were two of them, so they could keep each other company.

Just imagine how unbearable it must have been for Old Sun to be alone in the chicken coop last night.

The chickens in the coop are asleep, and there isn't a sound at all.

The three remaining free-range chickens outside the coop huddled together, enjoying the warmth of the night.

rustling... rustling...

rustling... rustling...

finally come!