My 1995 Small Farm

 In the early morning of autumn, smoke-like mist flows around the mountains.

 One by one, pure white herons flew out of their nests through the mist.

The sound of tractor engines and the barking of dogs could be heard from the farm.

 Chen Ling drove a tractor and slowly drove out of the orchard with a load of grain. Today he was going to the countryside to deliver public grain.

 Behind him, a bullock cart also drove out soon.

It was pulled by a white buffalo and driven by an old man wearing a gray-blue shirt and a white turban. There were two children, one big and one small, and three little kids in the car.

These three little guys were extremely restless on the bullock cart.

Keep calling the puppies, hoping they will follow.

These little dogs love children the most. They play a lot and will run over to children when they bark.

What’s more, the old man driving the cattle cart is the person they know best.

 So this group of little milk dogs all swayed their chubby little bodies and ran behind the bullock cart.

The old man smiled and didn't care, and made the big dog in the village bark anxiously.

 Fortunately, the barking of a big dog is still very effective.

The chubby little dogs followed the ox cart and ran out of the orchard, then stopped in unison.

Everyone lined up in a row with a tacit understanding, watching the bullock carts and tractors slowly disappearing from sight. They were as plump as toy bears... They barked in a low voice, trying to follow them, but the big dogs stared at them. They didn't dare to run around.

 Fortunately, Coyotito is just like a child, his attention shifts quickly.

For example, the caramel-colored little yellow dog that Wang Lixian picked quickly looked like a stupid dog with a mental illness, sticking out its tongue and pounced on the chickens that had just been released.

 It is learning how the big dogs herd chickens.

 But he obviously didn't understand, and he fell headlong into a tree hole before running very far.

Then he got up again, shook the dust and fallen leaves from his head, and rushed forward to catch up with him excitedly.

If Chen Ling or Wang Lixian saw this scene, I'm afraid they would be very satisfied. This is because yesterday's training stimulated their hunting instincts and started to become restless.

Although wild boar blood is used, puppies are like this at the beginning. They first show interest in all living things. After a period of exploration and exploration, their curiosity gradually declines, and finally they slowly return to wild boars. body.

This is actually a bit similar to a young man in adolescence. First he is interested in all the opposite sex, which is a biological instinct. Later, he can gradually figure out which one is compatible with him and is suitable for spending the rest of his life.

 As for these little dogs, it’s time to go to each house.

 Chen Ling is now waiting for the sold puppies to be taken away, and will let each family take away the slightly older ones as soon as possible.

 Otherwise, if the child grows bigger and bigger at home, not to mention the father-in-law, even he and Wang Susu would be a little reluctant to send it out.

 Intellectually, of course he knew that he couldn't keep up with so many dogs.

 But it’s still a bit hard to let go emotionally.

 So it’s better to send him off as early as possible.

 What Chen Ling didn't expect was that after these bosses arrived in the countryside, they were in no hurry to leave.

　　Yesterday afternoon, I followed the villagers up the mountain to pick wild fruits. When I got back after dark, I went to the reservoir to worship the old turtle.

Now that Chen Ling was going to pay the public rations, they got up early again and worshiped at the reservoir. They were accompanied by people from the Journey to the West crew. When they saw him, they greeted him warmly and said bluntly that after worshiping at the reservoir, they would be waiting for him later. After breakfast, we have to go to the city to pay our respects.

And wherever there is water in a radius, they will go to worship to show their piety.

 Chen Ling had nothing to say after hearing this, so he drove the tractor and left.

 On the other hand, my father-in-law felt happy and felt that this matter was very interesting.

After arriving in the village, I asked him: "Hey, Lingzi, you said these big bosses make so much money and do such big business, how smart they are. How can they believe this..."

 After saying that, he realized something was wrong, and quickly clasped his hands and bowed in the direction of Chen Wangzhuang, showing that he was not disrespectful to Prince Turtle.

Chen Ling was quite speechless when he saw his father-in-law's little action, but he still responded: "Only smart people believe this. Dad, you will know if you go south in the future. Many overseas Chinese in the South and even Southeast Asia are superstitious. It’s true, the richer you are and the better you are, the more superstitious you are.”

 “Ah? Why is this?”

 The father-in-law jumped down from the bullock cart and asked in surprise while picking up the children one by one.

"Who knows, the emperor still believed this in the past. Oh, Dad, please hand over the public food first. After paying the public food, take the three of them to the market. We have something to do when we go back."

 At this time, it was already past the most crowded and lively time for delivering public grain, and they came very early. Chen Lingqing finished the delivery quietly and smoothly, and drove the tractor out of the grain station.

People have just begun to come to the big fair in the countryside.

On the other hand, the father-in-law was still looking at the child while chatting happily with people at the hair-shaving stall at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

 Telling about the harvest of wild fruits in Chen Wangzhuang and the fact that Prince Turtle is worshiped every day.

 Chen Ling took a look and saw that he was an acquaintance in the village. The old man, the mule and horse broker, was here. He recognized the little white cow and started chatting with Wang Cunye.

Then he asked about Chen Wangzhuang's current situation and so on. He became more and more enthusiastic as he talked, and even the shaved old man couldn't help but interject a few words from time to time.

"Hey, wealth has come out. Your father-in-law said it was you who said it. The richer people are, the more superstitious they are. From now on, you, Chen Wangzhuang, hurry up and build a temple for Prince Turtle. Then the rich people will come to burn incense and kowtow. We will do it every day Catch the temple fair, hahaha."

 Seeing Chen Ling park the tractor aside and come over, the old man started shouting.

“Come on, don’t let Prince Turtle scare you away when the time comes. We locals won’t be able to protect you.”

Perhaps because Garlic and other old turtles were raised by himself, Chen Ling always felt a little bit awkward when his things were being worshiped by others.

“Look at what you said, Prince Turtle is a god. He saves people and blesses us with good weather this year. You see, there haven’t been many heavy rains in autumn this year. In the past, there were a lot of heavy rains in autumn.

You ask your father-in-law, especially in Fenglei Town, where the rain is so heavy that no one can go down the mountain. "

 Lao Ba said.

 Then he took Chen Ling, gave him a small horse, and sat down at the shaving stall to talk.

 Chen Ling saw that her father-in-law also wanted to shave his head, so he sat down and chatted with an acquaintance.

Little Fatty and Little Lizi have never seen the scene of head shaving in the countryside. They were very curious about this kind of scene. Ruirui was even more curious. The two elders and the younger one looked at it with their black and white eyes wide open, and they were very fascinated.

The shaved old man who looked like Ma Sanli took the razor and scratched it on the top of an old man's head. Strands of white hair fell down, like harvesting wheat, and everything he passed was swished. Being shaved off gave an inexplicable feeling of pleasure, which attracted all three children.

After a few times, the sharp razor successfully landed on the old man's scalp, and squeaked against the scalp. With a crisp sound, the originally rough scalp was shaved clean. He sat on the stool. The old man also squinted his eyes comfortably.

 The scalp seems to be extremely comfortable and relaxed after being shaved.

 After seeing the three children, they were also ready to move. Ruirui even ran to Chen Ling, pulled his sleeves, and showed him: "Dad, that..."

"Shave your head. You are still young and your skin is very thin, so you can't shave your head. Just watch here. It will be my turn to shave my grandpa soon, so I will let you get closer."

 Chen Ling touched his little head and looked at the expectant eyes of Little Fatty and Little Lizi: "But you can't shave your hair here. Can uncle give you a haircut when he gets home? We can do it like this too."

“Uncle, do we have such a knife at home?”

“Yes, there are also clippers. I have everything. I have prepared it a long time ago. It just so happens that your aunt is going to have her hair cut during her confinement period.”

Chen Ling said with a smile.

 The three children were instantly happy.

Of course, it was Little Fatty and Little Lizi who were cheering happily.

Ruirui doesn't understand anything, he just acts silly and grins happily.

But compared to when they were at home, there was something new that attracted them, and it was harder for them to settle down.

 “These dolls are so nice.” Lao Ba said while holding a cigarette stick in his mouth.

 Chen Ling chuckled and shook his head: "Ha, it's the right time to grow old. Every day when I open my eyes, I run around and play."

"This is how it should be, this is how it should be. If such a big doll doesn't want to play with it, why would you let it do it? Look at how happy your father-in-law is. We, the elderly, like to have dolls making trouble in front of us."

“Haha, that’s right, Old Bugs. There is less rain this autumn and the weather is a bit dry. Are the animals okay?”

  Sometimes, the climate is very different from previous years, and livestock and poultry are prone to disasters.

“It’s okay, or else I can just say that Prince Turtle has blessed me. There has been less rain this autumn, but there really hasn’t been any problems.”

"Is that so? It's good to be fine, otherwise our livestock station will be busy again."

 “Haha, you kid always wants to be lazy.”

 Chen Ling was talking to Old Man Ba, and soon it was the father-in-law's turn to shave his head. At this time, there were more and more people at the gathering.

With sharp eyes, the little fat man also saw his uncle Zhang Tiegen, the candy seller, leading Little Lizi and Ruirui to run over and act like a spoiled brat, each of them begging for a candy man.

Chen Ling knew that he would definitely run into Uncle Tiegen at every village fair. Today, he asked the children to follow him. They were also going to the little fat man’s grandpa’s house to visit Liu Yinhuan’s parents.

Actually, Qin Rongxian and Liang Hongyu had come to the countryside and visited their in-laws when they came back, but the little fat man only focused on playing and did not follow.

Now the elders in the family also know that Liang Yuemin and Chen Ling are basically tied together.

Since he came to the countryside, Chen Ling thought it would be better to bring the little fat boy over. After talking for a while with the children in front of Zhang Tiegen's stall, the head-shaving master was very skilled and had shaved Wang Cunye's head very quickly. Chen Ling led the ox cart and asked the old man and the children to sit on the ox cart. In the car, I took them around the market twice.

 I bought a lot of food and entertainment, and also went to the mule and horse market to see the pigs, dogs, cattle, horses and sheep. The children had a lot of fun.

 There was also a lot of stuff on the oxcart.

Of course, the oxcart also brought some things, including the family's venison and two jars of fruit wine. After all, we were going to someone else's house, so it was not good to be empty-handed.

After shopping around the market, we went to Liu Yinhuan’s hometown. The old man in the family was very enthusiastic and kept asking Chen Ling to stay for lunch, saying that he was going to make arrangements.

Not only were the grandson, Little Fatty, happy to come back, but they were also happy that Chen Ling came to their house once in a while.

They are no strangers to Chen Ling and have met Chen Ling many times. However, they always meet and chat with Chen Ling when he passes by the countryside. They have never been to his home once.

 So I really want him to stay for dinner.

However, Chen Ling still didn't respond. After saying all his good things, after talking about coming with Liang Yuemin and the others, the two old men let them go. When they were sent out, they followed them for a long distance, still sighing and nagging. He wanted them to stay.

Chen Ling had to stop again, smoked two packs of cigarettes with Liu Yinhuan's father, and chatted for a while before leaving.

 Autumn has entered Qinling Mountains, the sky is clear and the air is crisp, and the scenery is beautiful. It is actually a more suitable season for going out than spring.

As long as the cold morning is over and the sun comes out, the mountain wind will no longer be cold.

The sun is in full bloom, the autumn light is better than the spring light, and facing the gentle wind, how comfortable is this.

yes.

Children also like to go out in this season. When they are driving back from the countryside, they are very happy all the way.

 People going to the market on the road, riders on bicycles, cart drivers, donkey riders...

Hare wandering on the roadside, hawks and falcons wandering in the sky, and groups of wild geese passed by one after another.

 Those who shoot waterfowl with guns by the river, and those who harvest winter vegetables in the fields.

 They are excited about everything they see.

The autumn colors in the Daqinling Mountains are not uniform. The colors are flowing and changing in the mountains. In early autumn, there are only one kind of colors, but as the autumn progresses, various levels of colors will appear.

 It will be so beautiful that locals will never get tired of seeing it every day.

In such a beautiful autumn day, when Chen Ling returned to the village, he heard something that surprised him, that is, the old turtle appeared again.

 It is located in the southern section of Jinshui River, close to the Nansha River in the county seat.

Then naturally a large number of people ran over to watch and worship. The bosses, even Zhao Yubao, Zhou Weijun, Chen Xiaoer and others also passed by one by one.

 It's a pity that the old turtle only appeared for a short while and then disappeared into the water again.

 But this does not hinder people's enthusiasm, especially the enthusiasm of outsiders.

Those bosses were even more exaggerated, kowtowing three times at a time, like a pilgrimage, praying excitedly and devoutly again and again, buying various tributes, and contacting the county to donate incense money and so on. It was so dizzying.

 Chen Ling was helpless after hearing this. He had never understood the behavior of such people before.

As my father-in-law said, these people have such a big business and none of them are stupid. Each one is smarter than the other. Why are they still so superstitious?

 When there are no old turtles, they will often find some efficacious Taoist temples and temples to burn incense, and they are very willing to spend money.

 Not only them, some wealthy Chinese in Nanyang are even worse.

Later, when he went to play with others in Xiaoli and picked up the Sun and Moon Cave, an old man’s words suddenly made him realize it.

  I mean these people who do business, sometimes their experiences are very metaphysical.

Just like a successful businessman, when he reaches a certain stage, when he looks back, he will find that he based on rational analysis, multi-party investigation, weighing the pros and cons, and even buying information through the back door... All the things he thought he did right, in the end, he did not It must be a good result.

 And one thing that he himself clearly made wrong judgment in the past may actually bear fruit in the end and get unimaginable gains.

After experiencing enough things like this...

These social elites, who appear to be the "top people" in the eyes of others, will also have a sense of powerlessness.

 I feel like I made so many right decisions, but they turned out to be wrong.

On the contrary, I made obviously wrong decisions, bad decisions, to be serious, even a complete mess. I was forced to perfunctory and fudge past decisions, but in the end, they were proved to be right.

  And it’s the kind that can’t be more right, which makes me achieve unimaginable success.

Then these people sometimes naturally think: Since fate is so elusive, then I will find something elusive and illusory to give me psychological comfort and spiritual sustenance.

 So sometimes many very smart and excellent business giants are very superstitious and believe in fate.

 This is not because they are stupid and easy to fool.

 Some things are really not their fault.

 …

“Miyoko, we seem to have gone too far...will these old turtles no longer trust us in the future?”

After dark, on the bridge near the Nansha River in the county town, Li Zhongyi said in a very troubled and troubled manner.

 Miyoko Chishima was actually very confused, panicked and in a mess.

It's just that he's not as sad as Li Zhongyi. Instead, he takes two deep breaths and cheers to himself: "I don't think so. They are gentle, kind and family, just like real water elves. We just need to cultivate them well." Emotions can definitely lead them to the Jinshui River again.

 At that time, as long as we cross the Jinshui River, we can find someone to drag them away..."

It turned out that after the two of them accidentally bumped into the old turtles at the Mute Lake last time, they discovered that these giant beasts in the water were very different from the ferocious and cruel things they imagined.

 On the contrary, he was very gentle and honest, and was friendly to others, so he tried his best to feed her with various things.

These gentle water giants have gradually responded to them, and sometimes even have some simple interactions.

These made them both happy and surprised.

 At this time, they have been trying different ways to please these old turtles and cultivate feelings with them.

 The reappearance of garlic this time obviously has a lot to do with them.

“No, Miyoko, I mean, they are so kind and gentle that they make us reach out and touch them. Isn’t it bad for us to do this?”

After Li Zhongyi said these words, his face became even more tangled, and there was a deep sense of guilt in his eyes.

 After all, that is the Turtle King that so many people worship, the water god, and is called the descendant of the Dragon King.

 Be able to gradually get closer to the two of them.

 They say they are unhappy and have no fluctuations in their hearts. That is a lie.

Miyoko Chishima was stunned when she heard this, and her eyes suddenly became a little dazed and unnatural. However, she quickly became firm again: "Ono-kun, are you soft-hearted? You have forgotten that this is our mission and that the organization trusts us. Tasks that require rigorous execution.

 It is also good for the old turtles if we bring them back to our country and conduct some research. "

 “I, I haven’t forgotten, it’s just, alas…”

Li Zhongyi scratched his hair in pain. Sometimes people can be ruthless and cruel to each other, but sometimes they can't be so ruthless between humans and beasts.

"Huh?"

Just after sighing, Li Zhongyi's eyes suddenly froze. He found a sneaky figure on the other side of the bridge, "Is it a thief?"

 They have been here for a long time.

I also know that these days, no matter in the countryside or in the city, thieves and thieves are very common, and it is even more common to break into homes and steal things.

Miyoko Chishima also saw it at this time, "It's not a thief. He was carrying something like a small bucket in his hand. He was sneaky and seemed to be doing something bad."

 “Hmm? Is it dynamite?”

 “No, it’s not dynamite, he’s writing.”

The two of them hid quietly under the big willow tree beside the bridge, watching from a distance a figure writing and drawing on the outer wall of a house on the street opposite the school.

“No, this place seems to be Chen Ling’s home in the county. Is this his enemy?”

　　…Well, I think it’s very possible.”

“In this case, Miyoko, I think this is an opportunity to get closer to Chen Ling, what do you think?”

“Huh? You mean?…That’s right. His other pen pals are all so nice, but he’s only good to you…”

The two of them whispered in Japanese. I have to say that the two people who did this job had really good eyesight. They were blindly lighting up. There were no street lights on the street these days, and even the school lights couldn't shine over there. They still couldn't shine. It's really amazing to be able to see something clearly.

“Over there, there is an old barn across the river embankment. You go get the bricks, and I’ll get a stick…”

Li Zhongyi gritted his teeth and whispered.

It was a lie to get closer to Chen Ling. It was true that I was entangled in the old turtle's affairs and wanted to find an excuse to vent my grievances. (End of chapter)