My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 111 Crab Climbing a Tree

When Lynx heard people say that, he felt embarrassed, but he wasn't good with words. He just stood awkwardly outside the crowd, not knowing what to do.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, it's our fault, we shouldn't have brought the dog into the village."

At this moment, an old man wearing a felt hat stood up next to him, apologized to the couple, and took some money out of his bag and handed it to them: "It was wrong of us to scare the child. Please take this and buy the child some food."

“We don’t want it. It’s not about the money. If you didn’t have someone who knows Fugui, no amount of money would be enough for us today.”

The couple were Chen Ze's elder brother and sister-in-law. Although they didn't have much contact with Chen Ling, they were still related by blood. This time, they were grateful for the help of Chen Ling's dog.

They had accepted the money the lynx had given them earlier, but this time, fearing it would embarrass Chen Ling, they pushed away the money the old man offered.

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled at Chen Ling, and then said to Chen Jiang and his wife, "The money Zhong Lin gave you earlier was compensation for hurting your dog. This is for the children. Please accept it, otherwise we won't feel at ease."

After they finished speaking, the surrounding villagers also advised them to accept the money. They said that these outsiders couldn't even keep an eye on their dogs and almost hurt their children. It was only right to give them more money. They were already being lenient by not beating them and their dogs half to death.

Despite the villagers' harsh words, the old man remained calm and sincerely said, "Just for the sake of young Fugui, give us a chance to admit our mistake."

Chen Jiang and Chen Ling glanced at each other, then exchanged a look before accepting the gift.

……

"Teacher, I really owe you a lot just now, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to handle this situation."

After following Chen Ling into the village, Lynx breathed a sigh of relief.

The old man smiled slightly and said, "Xiao Lin, you're wrong. If it weren't for your acquaintance with this rich young man and the crucial role played by his two dogs, this matter would have been difficult to resolve."

"Indeed, it's all thanks to Brother Fugui."

Lynx nodded gratefully, then said to Chen Ling, "Brother Fugui, let me introduce you. This is my teacher and also an elder in my family, named Han Ninggui. He used to be the director of the National Geographic Scientific Expedition Department, and now he is in charge of tracking, recording and investigating endangered plants and animals. People who know him well call him Professor Han."

After the lynx finished his introduction, the old man smiled and extended his hand to Chen Ling: "Young man Fugui, let's get to know each other formally. I am Han Ninggui."

"Hello, Professor Han."

Chen Ling smiled and shook hands with him.

Then they took the two of them home, while the others stayed on the dam to guard the car. After what had just happened, they dared not bring the dog into the village again.

Through his conversation with the two, Chen Ling learned that they had come mainly to pick up Du Juan and also to inquire whether they were still selling their two red eels. However, the village dogs smelled the unfamiliar scent and started barking at them, which caused the commotion earlier.

"Your two dogs are simply perfect. Their ferocity, physique, and appearance are all top-notch. They could be the alpha of any pack of wolves."

As they walked toward Chen Ling's house, Professor Han continued to praise the two dogs beside Chen Ling.

He then couldn't help but ask about the possibility of mating, but Chen Ling politely declined.

"What a pity, what a real pity."

The old man smacked his lips and shook his head repeatedly.

They also needed dogs when they went into the mountains for scientific research. Current technology has not yet reached the level of later generations. When venturing into dangerous places, it is impossible to do without dogs to warn them. A good hunting dog is truly the best companion for fieldwork.

Good dogs are hard to come by.

Just like the two hunting dogs that caused trouble this time, it's not just that they weren't trained well. The dogs' personalities and temperaments also played a big role. They were wild enough, but their obedience was very poor. Especially after going out into the wild, their ferocity was aroused. They would try to pounce on anyone they saw, whether it was a person or prey, which is obviously not acceptable.

Good breeds of dogs are different. They are loyal and steady, and while they may be fierce, they are also highly obedient and know when to do what. However, such hunting dogs are very rare and hard to come by.

Chen Ling was naturally unaware of Professor Han's inner thoughts. After taking them home and giving a brief introduction to Wang Susu and Liang Hongyu, Chen Ling brought out the water tank where they kept eels.

"Huh? I didn't expect it to actually be a pair of red dragons. Kobayashi, you have a good eye."

Professor Han's eyes lit up when he saw the two red eels in the water tank, and he became interested: "To put it bluntly, these things are a mutated variety of yellow eel after genetic mutation, but they are extremely rare. Under normal circumstances, they are hard to find even after decades."

"Isn't that a blood eel? I've seen plenty of them in Guangdong Province. Do we have them here too?"

Qin Rong and the other person glanced at the water vat and asked curiously.

"This isn't a blood eel. Blood eels only exist in the intermingling of saltwater and freshwater. They are deep red like blood, hence the name. Where is the sea around here? Look at the color of this eel. It's a bright red, very eye-catching. When it swims in the water, it even appears somewhat translucent. Its whiskers are much longer than those of yellow eels and blood eels. They are a pair of dragon whiskers. It's no exaggeration to say that the longest ones can grow to almost half the length of their bodies. In ancient times, they were considered auspicious. Even emperors treated them as dragon offspring."

Professor Han shook his head and explained to the two of them.

Then he turned to Lynx and asked, "Little Lin, what price did you offer Brother Fugui?"

“I initially contributed 10,000 yuan, but later, seeing that Brother Fugui’s two dogs were quite nice, I wanted to befriend him, so I added another 2,000 yuan.”

The lynx smiled faintly.

"Teacher, what do you think of this price?"

"Yes, that's a fair price."

Professor Han nodded and explained to Chen Ling, "The main problem is that the Red Dragon is too delicate. We have to travel a long distance and bear some risks. If we were in the city, I could give you an extra two thousand."

Chen Ling expressed his understanding, explaining that he had replaced the fish in the tank with fish that had grown from the first batch of fry, so he wouldn't lose money selling them at this price.

The group chatted back and forth, which made Qin Rongxian and his wife, who were listening from the side, widen their eyes. The two of them looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

Given their status, they wouldn't be shocked by such a small amount of money.

They were mainly surprised that Chen Ling, without making a sound, could sell two fish for more than 10,000 yuan, which was completely different from what they had imagined.

What surprised them even more was Chen Ling's composure. If it were anyone else, they would be overjoyed to see two fish sell for over ten thousand yuan, or at least grinning from ear to ear.

But he didn't even blink, and when he talked about prices, his tone was indifferent, as if he were selling cabbages.

This truly made the two of them look at Chen Ling with new respect and gain a new understanding of him.

"He doesn't love money or power; this child has a kind heart."

Liang Hongyu couldn't help but admire it in her heart.

But after praising him, he soon became distressed: "This child doesn't care about material things at all. It's difficult for me to do anything for him."

After decades of marriage, Qin Rongxian naturally understood what she was thinking. Seeing her frown, he took her hand, squeezed it gently, and told her not to overthink it and to just let things take their course.

Liang Hongyu looked up and smiled gently at her husband, indicating that she was alright, but in her heart she was thinking: Even if the child doesn't want it, I still have to give it to him, at least I have to do my part.

Then she walked over to Chen Ling and the others and joined the conversation, saying that she had also heard of the 'Red Dragon'. She then talked about the feng shui of the palace and the origin of the saying about auspicious omens, and felt that Professor Han and his companion had offered a bit too little.

Professor Han could tell from the elderly couple's refined demeanor that they were no ordinary people, and that they spoke with a slight Beijing accent, so he didn't dare to be negligent and explained helplessly, "Brother and sister-in-law, I'm the one who does research in this field. Do you think I would try to fool people for two or three thousand yuan? I have students all over the world. If word got out, would I still have any face left?"

"Come on, you intellectuals are the most ruthless."

Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu snorted, "If you raise the price again, I just said that in the city it would cost at least a few thousand more. But for this pair of red dragons, you can round it up to twenty thousand, that would be more than enough."

After saying that, seeing Chen Ling's surprised expression, he said, "Fugui, don't say anything. This old man is just taking advantage of your youth and ignorance. This Red Dragon is worth more than money. Twenty thousand yuan is too little."

"Oh dear, sister-in-law, what are you saying..."

“We still have to go back to the city. The journey is so long. What if the fish dies from all the trouble? It would be a complete waste. Besides, we’re taking this fish back for research, not to curry favor with the powerful. You’ve really misunderstood us.”

Professor Han was both amused and exasperated. Seeing the elderly couple's behavior, he assumed they were Chen Ling's elders and offered another explanation. Finally, he said to Chen Ling, "How about this, Xiao Lin has given you two thousand yuan to be your friend, and I'll also be your friend and give you another three thousand, making it fifteen thousand. If you want to sell these two red dragons, we'll take them away today. We happen to have a car with water tanks on it."

"Sell? Why not sell? If I keep it at home, people will covet it and I'll have to guard against people stealing it. You might as well take it away today."

Chen Ling didn't have much to say; he naturally wouldn't refuse to sell for 15,000. Of course, he didn't let them add the extra 3,000 for nothing; he changed the water to ensure the two red eels wouldn't die en route.

Afterwards, Chen Ling helped the two of them deliver the fish to the dam, and the lynx readily agreed, having Du Juan pay for it on the spot.

When they got back, Liang Hongyu was still indignant. "You're too thin-skinned, kid. If Auntie talked to you again, we could definitely sell it for 20,000. Ask your Uncle Qin. When I was young, I was always successful in business negotiations."

Chen Ling laughed upon hearing this. It was the first time he had seen Liang Hongyu like this. In his previous impression, this fashionable old lady was always elegant and capable, and spoke very gently. For some reason, she was a bit shrewish today.

But since it was the first time the two elders had come to his house, and it was to help him make more money, he naturally wouldn't blame them; he just felt a little strange about it.

"Never mind your aunt, she's just having her old habit again, she wants to meddle in every business she sees."

Qin Rong smiled and said that he knew his wife was anxious because she couldn't help Chen Ling, and she was trying to protect Chen Ling in every way.

He thought to himself, "Aren't you afraid that other people's children will find out something's wrong?"

Chen Ling didn't pay any attention to what he heard and turned around to hand a thick wad of money to Wang Susu.

"Put Su Su down here. From today onwards, we're officially ten-thousand-yuan households."

"Ah."

Wang Susu glanced at Chen Ling with bright, sparkling eyes, her dimples appearing on her face, and she was very happy.

With this money, I no longer have to worry about the lack of income at home, and I immediately felt much more at ease.

"Let's store it in the county town tomorrow; it's not safe to keep it at home."

"Alright, I'll go to town tomorrow and sell our eggs while I'm at it."

Seeing Wang Susu's smiling face, Chen Ling felt extremely satisfied and responded loudly with a smile.

……

"See? They're a perfectly fine young couple. Why are you meddling in their lives? You're so annoying."

"Whether it's a lot of money or a little is secondary. What matters is that the young couple lives a comfortable life. After all these years, haven't you figured this out yet?"

"Sigh, I know, I'm just anxious. I know the child's identity, but I can't help him at all, and that makes me feel terrible."

"When I think of his heartless mother, who abandoned him for more than ten years without caring about him, I sometimes get so angry that I can't sleep at night. She was so outstanding back then. Her uncles and aunts praised her, her parents praised her, and everyone praised her. I thought she was a person with ambition. Who knew that in the end she would abandon her own son?"

“Rongxian, it’s her business if she’s heartless, but we can’t let the child suffer.”

“I know, I know. Let’s visit each other more often and see the children more often. When Yuemin and Yinhuan come back, let’s also come and get acquainted. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Don’t mention anything else. It’s been over ten years, and the children all thought she was dead. Look at this child, she doesn’t care about money or power. It’s so good that she’s living such a peaceful life.”

The elderly couple sat by the pond, feeding the fish and muttering to themselves.

Unexpectedly, while they were talking, something suddenly fell into the pool with a "plop," startling the two of them. After calming down, they realized that a wet, mouse-like creature was swimming out of the water, followed by a group of fish chasing its tail and biting it. The little thing squeaked and scurried quickly to the ground.

"Fugui, Fugui, come out and see what this is!"

Just as Chen Ling and Wang Susu put the money away, they heard Liang Hongyu calling from outside. When they went out into the yard, they saw a little rascal, all wet, baring its teeth and throwing a tantrum at the fish in the pond.

"Don't be afraid, Aunt Hongyu, this is a little weasel."

"A weasel? How did this thing get into the house? Won't it bother the chickens and ducks?"

"It's alright. They often come over for meals and are well-fed, so why would they harm the chickens and ducks?"

Chen Ling smiled, picked up the little rascal from the ground, and was about to throw him aside when two more little creatures fell off the grape trellis with a 'plop' 'plop'. After falling to the ground, they immediately scrambled up and ran to his feet, trying to climb up his trouser leg, but Chen Ling kicked them away.

"I don't know where they go all day, it's dirty and smelly, get out of there."

Why don't you take care of your dog?

Qin Rong glanced at the two big dogs lying under the grape trellis. The three little rascals came over and made a fuss, but they didn't even lift their eyelids and couldn't be bothered to pay any attention. Qin Rong wondered.

The elderly couple had clearly seen that the two large dogs came in covered in blood. They had even heard the two fish sellers say that the dogs had killed two hunting dogs on the dam, so they assumed the dogs were very fierce.

"I don't care, we're already familiar with each other."

While they were talking, Wang Susu had already gone into the kitchen to clean up the leftover food and prepare to feed the dog.

The two dogs, who had been too lazy to move just moments before, suddenly darted out, grabbed their food bowls, and ran to the kitchen door, wagging their tails wildly, leaving the elderly couple dumbfounded.

Chen Ling shook his head with a smile. These two guys are never lagging behind when it comes to eating. No matter how imposing they are outside, they are just as surprising when they come back and fight for food.

It's just that Heiwa behaved alright today. Normally, Chen Ling would have been unable to hold back his scolding. He ate more than half as much as Xiao Jin, but his skills were far inferior to Xiao Jin's. Of the pheasants and rabbits he caught, apart from the two of them eating, the rest ended up in the belly of that idiot Heiwa.

As Wang Susu fed the dogs, the three little rascals, quite naturally friendly, started chasing and playing around the elderly couple's legs. Every now and then, they would stand up and squeak at the couple, seemingly barking at something incoherently.

This amused the elderly couple so much that they gradually let go of their prejudice against the weasels and started to tease them.

After Wang Susu finished feeding the dog and came over to make tea, the four of them drank tea, ate melon seeds, and chatted in the yard for a while. After a while, the old couple heard that they were also raising silkworms at home, so they asked Wang Susu to accompany them to the backyard to check on the silkworms. Afterwards, each of them carried a basket and followed Wang Susu to the fields to graze the cattle and cut some grass for the rabbits.

As they watched the sun set and felt the cool mountain breeze, the picturesque scenery and fragrant wildflowers made them feel that this day had been exceptionally fulfilling and enjoyable.

"This kind of rural life is really nice. We should come more often in the future. Susu, don't find it annoying."

"Aunt Hongyu, you're too kind. We're more than happy to welcome you."

Wang Susu led the cow and accompanied the two men for a walk outside the village. However, on their way home, they suddenly heard someone shouting from the dam: "Come and see! Crabs are climbing the trees! There are so many crabs on these trees!"

The man shouted, and many people ran over to see. A large crowd gathered on the dam. Wang Susu also led the two of them over to see. They saw that several wild, bent willow trees growing by the reservoir were covered with crabs. Roughly estimated, there were at least several hundred of them.

"Quick, go home and get a bucket, we're having crabs tonight."

Those who lived nearby rushed home to get buckets to catch crabs.

While some are happy, others are sad.

Many older people, upon seeing this scene, couldn't help but shake their heads, furrow their brows, and sigh repeatedly: "Crabs climbing trees means heavy rain is coming! The corn has just been planted; we hope it doesn't rain too much."

At this time, the corn seedlings have just sprouted in the field. The corn has not yet developed aerial roots, so it does not have a firm grip on the ground and has poor resistance to waterlogging. If it encounters continuous heavy rain, it will be submerged for three or four days and die. At that time, it will take a lot of effort to replant it.

"Oh dear, it's going to rain heavily. Susu, let's go back quickly. Your uncle and I have to hurry home, otherwise we won't be able to get back once the rain starts."

Upon hearing that it was going to rain heavily, Liang Hongyu couldn't help but look up at the sky, then called out to Wang Susu and pulled Qin Rong to head towards the village.

“It’s alright, Aunt Hongyu. If it’s raining, just stay overnight. There are plenty of empty rooms in my backyard.”

Wang Susu smiled and said something, then led the cow and the old couple towards the village.

As the three entered the village, they hadn't gone far when a strong wind suddenly arose. The originally cool and refreshing evening breeze took on a different form, causing the trees to sway and leaves to fly everywhere. Before long, the sky visibly darkened.

(End of this chapter)