My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 140 Wolves and Pigs

With nothing much to do in the afternoon, Chen Ling stayed home and cleaned up the fish.

After drying the flour, we spent half a day weaving straw mats.

As dusk fell, the young couple brought Wang Zhenzhen and the village children back together.

Then Wang Susu cooked porridge and Chen Ling cooked dishes, making a sumptuous dinner for Wang Zhenzhen. After dinner, the two of them helped their sister-in-law with her homework for a while before Chen Ze and Yu Qiang came to call him.

...He responded and went to pack his things, but Wang Susu hurriedly came out of the house and stopped him.

"It's cold at night, put on your coat before you go."

"It's okay, we're not going to be outside all the time, we don't need to wear it."

Chen Ling, carrying a hunting rifle, filled half a bag with bullets, and then took two fish from the kitchen before getting up and heading outside.

"Put them on. Yuqiang and Chenze are both wearing them, just in case they get cold."

Wang Susu, however, pressed on to put the general's overcoat on him.

Helpless, Chen Ling glanced at the new coat his wife had bought this year in her hand and had no choice but to agree: "Alright, then find me the old one. This one is too new, it's not worth getting it dirty over something like this."

Today's job is to patrol the night, not to visit relatives, so as long as it provides shelter from the wind, that's fine.

In reality, most of the time they would just stay in the thatched huts on the edge of the village and wouldn't patrol around the village all the time.

He is physically strong and can patrol outside all night without any problems.

My wife insisted on putting it on, so I had no choice.

When Wang Susu found an old coat from previous years, Chen Ling casually draped it over his shoulders and was seen out by his wife and sister-in-law.

It was just past nine o'clock at night, and the Mid-Autumn Festival had only been a few days ago. The moon was still bright, so it wasn't dark yet. The three of them, carrying guns and food, walked and talked as they made their way to the straw shed in the threshing ground.

This thatched hut was a gathering place built by the villagers after the flood and before they built their houses.

It's ready to use right away, saving a lot of trouble.

Moreover, the threshing ground is spacious and free of clutter. It is located just outside the village, and you can see the activity in the northwest and southwest directions from just a few steps outside the shed. It is the perfect place to keep watch at night.

Today, their seventh team was on night patrol, and a total of five people came.

Besides Chen Ling and his two companions, there was also Chen Baoshuan from Chen Sangui's family, and Chen Baoliang from Chen Erzhu's uncle's family.

Erzhu's real name is Chen Baozhu, and he shares the same great-grandfather as Chen Baoshuan.

Chen Ling and Chen Ze belong to another large family. In terms of kinship, Chen Dazhi and Chen Guoping's side is the furthest. However, as time goes on, they don't care about these things anymore. They don't care about seniority. Each family lives its own life and doesn't interfere with each other much. If they get along, they get along; if they don't, who will recognize them as family?

Especially Chen Baoshuan, who was taught by his wife to scheme all day long about how to empty his father Chen Sangui's savings for his funeral. The money that Chen Sangui painstakingly saved by doing carpentry work was almost completely plundered by the couple.

You can't ask others for advice; if anyone tries, you'll make a scene.

Now his reputation is terrible, even worse than Chen Ling's before.

Chen Ling also has a good wife, but the two of them are a terrible couple and don't do anything right, so they are not well-liked in the village.

Aside from his own uncles and brothers, he couldn't get along with his peers.

Let's talk about tonight.

Since we're supposed to be keeping watch together, the men naturally won't just sit idly by. It's perfectly normal for them to get together and have a few drinks, as long as they don't drink too much and it doesn't interfere with their work.

So Chen Ling brought fish, Chen Ze brought wine, and Chen Yuqiang brought some pig's head and pig's ears.

Once inside the thatched hut, Chen Yuqiang, being honest, was not as shameless and ruthless as Chen Ze. Feeling that the three of them had brought food and were embarrassed to leave Chen Baoshuan and Chen Baoliang to watch over it, he called them over to drink together. Chen Ling and Chen Ze didn't know what to say, so they went out to gather firewood, preparing to grill the fish later.

After gathering the firewood and returning, he had barely sat down and hadn't even finished two cups of wine when he finally got to sit down.

Chen Baoshuan put his arm around Chen Ling's shoulder, calling him "brother" repeatedly. He complained about how Chen Ling had refused his invitations to drink several times, and blamed Chen Ling for not asking him for help building his house. Later, he went on to discuss the closeness of the Chen family, saying a lot, but the underlying message was the same:
We finally managed to sit together today, so I'm going to make him punish himself by drinking three cups.

Chen Ling ignored him and, after offering the brothers two cigarettes, got up and made an excuse to leave.

But before he had gone far, Chen Baoshuan began to mutter to himself.

"Hademen? Who smokes this lousy cigarette?"

"He has good cigarettes but he hides them from us and won't give them to us. He's always sending this and that to those two bastards, Li Xian and Ju Sheng. Is this how he treats the Chen family brothers? Bah!"

These words made Chen Baoliang feel embarrassed. Chen Ze and Chen Yuqiang were too lazy to argue with him. They didn't even say a few polite words. They picked up the wine and food they had brought and got up to leave the thatched shed, leaving nothing behind.

Chen Baoliang could only watch helplessly.

"Bao Shuan, what are you doing? Fu Gui is offering you wine and meat, and even giving you cigarettes. Why are you complaining?"

"Besides, they didn't hire you to build the house, but they still had Uncle Sangui bring them plenty of food and drinks. They've really gone above and beyond. You're going to see them all the time, so why are you making a scene like this? You're just asking for trouble..."

Chen Baoliang was also quite helpless, as his cousin was useless and only caused trouble.

If you can't get along, then don't. Why make everyone your enemies?

It made him, as the older cousin, feel very embarrassed.

"Hey, it's just some leftover food and drinks from other people. Only an old man would treat it like a treasure. Who would want it?"

Chen Baoshuan's face turned purplish-red. He rolled his eyes, crumpled the cigarette Chen Ling had given him into a ball, and threw it aside. "You know what this kid was like before. Now he's just acting all high and mighty in the village because he's curried favor with the leaders."

"I just don't like him, so what? Is that a problem?"

Chen Baoliang was speechless for a moment, then got up and went out for a smoke, not wanting to talk to him anymore.

You can still faintly hear Chen Baoshuan cursing inside: "If you're so capable, stay out all night and freeze to death, you sons of bitches."

……

After leaving the thatched shed, Chen Ling and the other two went off to work on grilling fish, without mentioning the matter at all.

This is not because Chen Ling is magnanimous.

The main problem is that Chen Baoshuan is just like that; everyone in the village knows it. He doesn't understand social etiquette and is obsessed with saving face.

In the past, Xizi's matter had caused considerable embarrassment to several families in the village.

I just didn't expect them to come looking for trouble with Chen Ling today for no reason.

If you insist on arguing with such a thing, you'll only make yourself look ignorant and become a laughing stock for outsiders.

It's better to stay away from him to avoid bothering him.

So the three of them, carrying their guns, left their wine, food, fish, and firewood in the woods outside the threshing ground, and wandered around the fields. The hazy moonlight poured down, illuminating the corncobs and soybean pods.

Crickets chirped incessantly among the grass, and frogs occasionally chirped in response from the puddles. On such a moonlit night, the scenery was peaceful and extremely tranquil, making it perfect for a picnic.

However, before preparing these foods, they planned to conduct a preliminary inspection.

The main patrol areas are the south, north, and west. Since the mountains are connected, wild animals often emerge from these three directions. There is a reservoir to the east, so wolves won't go there and we don't need to worry about it.

For example, a few nights ago, wolves came down from the west and north, and for two or three days in a row, they almost sneaked into the village, which terrified the villagers who were on night duty those two days.

The three of them first went to Chen Ling’s field and, finding nothing amiss, turned and headed south. Soon they arrived at Chen Ze’s field. The young man handed the gun to Yu Qiang and then crouched down and crawled into the cornfield.

"Where are you going, Shuiwazi?"

"I need to poop, I've been holding it in the whole way."

"If you had something to do, why didn't you take it here earlier?"

"What do you know? This is called keeping the good stuff in the family."

"Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over your little bit of shit and pee?"

"I'm doing it my way, what's it to you?"

Chen Ling stayed far away, watching the two bicker with amusement. These two were quite amusing; they weren't even idle while taking a dump.

A moment later, Chen Ze came out pulling up his pants.

Suddenly his expression changed: "Oh no, there seems to be some movement in the cornfield."

"Which way?"

"I don't know. Let's head back quickly and get some torches ready, just in case wolves come down from the mountain."

The two men immediately tensed up, raising their guns and looking around nervously.

Chen Ling listened quietly for a moment, and sure enough, there was a crackling sound coming from the cornfield, coming from the south.

And it's very fast.

Before the three of them had even returned to the thatched hut, the commotion in the cornfield was right before their eyes. In the blink of an eye, they spotted five or six dark figures on the edge of the field to the southwest.

"It's not a wolf, it's a wild boar."

As the three breathed a sigh of relief, they raised their hunting rifles and fired two shots into the air, shouting loudly.

A loud gunshot shattered the silence of the night, and then the small herd of wild boars was seen running away quickly and disappearing from sight, with only a series of terrified grunts escaping from sight.

In the mountains, the main way to deal with wild boars is to scare them away, especially when encountering a herd of wild boars, they will not be easily provoked.

Wild boars have thick skin and tough flesh, and when they travel in groups, they have virtually no natural enemies and are known for their domineering and rampant behavior.

These creatures especially love to rub themselves against trees and rocks, like pine resin. When you rub them on your skin, it's like you're wearing a layer of armor. If you don't have any strength, even if you have a knife, you can't cut through their bark.

Wild boars are fierce, mainly because they are top-heavy, thick in the front and thin in the back, with their muscle power concentrated in the front half of their body.

It's no exaggeration to say that they make up 70% of the body. They are thick-skinned and go berserk, like a small tank. Some large adult wild boars can knock down trees as thick as a bowl when they go crazy. How can a human withstand them?
In some places, there is a saying: "First the wild boar, second the bear, third the tiger." This doesn't mean that wild boars are stronger than tigers and bears, but rather that wild boars are more harmful to people and crops.

Especially in autumn, around the eighth or ninth month of the lunar calendar.

At this time of year, the corn is basically fully grown, and the tender corn with its high sugar content is a favorite of monkeys and wild boars.

It goes without saying how clever monkeys are, but wild boars also have incredibly sharp noses, almost as good as dogs. They can smell the sweetness of corn from miles away and come down from the mountains under the cover of night to wreak havoc.

Wild boars mate with multiple females, and when they go out, they often bring a large family of more than ten animals. In addition, unlike monkeys, they don't sneak away after picking a couple of ears of corn. Instead, they plow through the fields like they are tilling the land. Their long snouts are like big shovels, and they can eat and destroy several acres of land in one night, leaving it completely devastated.

Therefore, before the autumn harvest, even if you don't guard against wolves, you still need to guard against wild boars.

For families living in the mountains, this is a very common occurrence.

In the summer, after the wheat harvest, guarding the threshing ground at night was to prevent grain thieves. Before the autumn harvest, it was called "watching the green," to prevent wild boars and other wild animals from damaging the crops. This has been the way it has been for many years, and everyone is used to it.

However, defending against wild boars doesn't require the same level of effort as defending against wolves.

Sometimes you don't even need to bring a hunting rifle.

The main problem is disturbance.

In general, you only need to light a torch, hold a pitchfork, and shout a few words to scare them away.

Wild boars are not very bold and are not aggressive. They will leave if they are disturbed.

of course……

There are exceptions, though.

When a wild boar is injured or has piglets, you must be extra vigilant and careful.

Otherwise, angering it will likely lead to bad consequences.

When enraged, the wild boar goes berserk and attacks anything in its path. Even wolves avoid it and dare not provoke it.

Not to mention people.

"Everything's alright now, let's head back. Wolves usually don't come in the first half of the night."

Chen Ling said something, stroked the slightly warm gun barrel twice, and led the way to the threshing ground.

Wolves are cunning and like to sneak into villages late at night when people are sound asleep.

If they get used to the situation, they can sometimes evade the dogs and catch the livestock without the animals even realizing it.

That being said, there are exceptions, and we must be wary of them.

So the three of them set up a fire outside the threshing ground, roasted fish, and chatted and drank wine while eating pig's head meat. After a while, Chen Baoliang also came over. Apart from being a bit boastful, he was actually not bad.

Don't be fooled by his big, bulging eyes and thick lips, which make him look like a simpleton. He's actually quite shrewd. He knew his cousin Chen Baoshuan's temperament long ago. It's a waste that he should learn his father's skills better than to keep such a good job.

So he learned carpentry from Chen Sangui, and in the past few years he has been able to get jobs and has become quite successful.

The man approached, and Chen Ze poured him a cup of wine. He didn't drink it, but instead picked it up and poured it on the dirt road beside him, saying it was a toast for the passing ghosts.

"Goodness, I never would have guessed, Bao Liang, you're quite superstitious."

Chen Ze clicked his tongue in amazement.

The three of them didn't believe in this, but since there wasn't much to do at night besides eating and drinking, they urged Chen Baoliang to tell them two ghost stories.

So the four of them stayed by the fire until after 2 a.m., still full of energy and talking non-stop.

They were listening to Chen Baoliang tell some strange and unusual stories.

They all heard it from Chen Sangui.

Over the years, Chen Sangui traveled far and wide doing carpentry work, crossing mountains and valleys, and experienced and heard many bizarre things.

Chen Ling and the other two could only listen. Some of the stories were indeed chilling, and listening to the howling wolves in the mountains sent shivers down their spines, making them more and more alert and keeping them wide awake.

"Let's stop here for now and have some tea."

As Chen Baoliang spoke, he turned around and went to the thatched shed to fetch a kettle. After pouring a cup for each person, he opened his coat and took out a few sweet potatoes from his pocket.

He used a stick to gather the fire, clearing away the flames, and buried the sweet potatoes in the firewood pile.

Yu Qiang and Chen Ze's eyes lit up: "Wow, Bao Liang, you've been hiding so many sweet potatoes. Why didn't you bring them out sooner?"

Chen Baoliang chuckled, his eyes wide: "We're just waiting to eat this after we finish drinking. It'll be warm and comforting, and we can each have one."

Actually, we didn't drink much alcohol; we mainly ate the food.

The two grilled fish were delicious, and we ate them down to the bones. With the howling of wolves coming from the mountains, we didn't dare drink much alcohol. The four of us still have half a bottle left.

"Fugui, did your third uncle make all the doors and windows for your house?"

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"How much did your third uncle charge you?"

"I didn't receive any money."

"Uncle Sangui said he was too old to help me with anything else, so he helped me build a new set of doors and windows. He also said that it was just a small job for my family, and he didn't care about charging me. I offered him the money, but he refused no matter what."

Chen Ling gently poked at the fire and said.

In fact, the money was given, but Chen Sangui had almost spent all of Xizi's tuition and fees on his son and daughter-in-law, so he begged Chen Ling not to tell anyone and that he would make him a new set of furniture for free after the New Year.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu couldn't bear it.

So they helped him keep it a secret.

As for free furniture, we're not short of money, so we wouldn't take advantage of an old man.

"I see. Uncle San is indeed a fast worker. We treat his work like a big business, but sometimes he doesn't even care."

Chen Baoliang nodded.

What he said is actually true; Chen Sangui really was like that before.

Therefore, he accumulated a lot of goodwill in the village.

Otherwise, people like Chen Baoshuan and his wife would have been dealt with long ago. Who would put up with that kind of nonsense for no reason?

"What? Trying to steal your third uncle's business?"

Chen Ze was quick-witted and always had a sharp tongue, which made Chen Baoliang blush with embarrassment. He quickly waved his hands and explained, "No, no, I wouldn't dare to say such things. My third uncle is getting old and can't go far, so he's given me a lot of work. But, my skills aren't as good as his, so I don't know how much to charge. That's why I wanted to ask Fugui."

Chen Ling and the other two did not believe what he said.

They also knew that Chen Baoliang was too greedy.

He wanted to earn more money, and he also wanted to be like Chen Sangui, so that everyone would praise him and give him a thumbs up, and people from all around would come to him, so that he would never lack work for the rest of his life.

However, they knew it, but they just didn't say it out loud.

You don't ask others to do work, so why can't they even daydream?

"The sweet potatoes are ready, come and eat!"

As they were talking, the sweet potatoes were roasted. Chen Baoliang pulled them out of the pile of ashes and gave one to each person.

Holding it in his hand, he gently tapped off the ash, revealing a layer of golden sweet potato flesh. Taking a bite, he found it fragrant and sweet, and after eating it warm, Chen Ling still felt a little unsatisfied.

This year, only peanuts and soybeans were planted in the fields.

If I want to eat sweet potatoes, I have to take some time to grow them using stream water.

……

At this moment, Chen Baoshuan came out to urinate. Seeing them eating roasted sweet potatoes around the fire, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, muttered under his breath, "Eat, eat, eat, you'll choke to death," and then went back to the thatched hut and fell fast asleep.

Nobody paid any attention to him.

It was past three in the morning, but the group was still not sleepy. After eating the roasted sweet potatoes, they prepared to light torches and take another stroll along the dirt road by the village.

Just as the torches were lit, a series of extremely clear and loud wolf howls rang out, one after another, indicating that they were not far away.

All four of them instinctively shuddered and exchanged glances.

I thought to myself that the wolf had indeed come over in the middle of the night.

He then planted the torch on the edge of the threshing floor, loaded the shotgun with ammunition, and waited for the wolves to appear.

Chen Baoshuan had obviously heard the noise and dared not sleep anymore.

He emerged from the thatched shed with a gun, stood silently to the side with a cold face.

The five of them waited like that.

But as time passed by, second by second.

We waited for almost half an hour, but there was no sign of the wolf.

It seemed like the wolves only howled once nearby before running away.

The group waited for another ten minutes or so, walked around the dirt road outside the village twice with torches in hand, but there was still no movement. They breathed a sigh of relief and walked back, cursing under their breath.

"Damn it, these wolves are really cunning. They come over every day, make a mess of things, and then run away without even showing their faces."

"..."

"I guess they're too scared. The other night, the patrolmen spotted them and fired shots. I heard they even wounded one. Wolves are smart; they know guns are dangerous, so they don't show themselves easily anymore."

"That's true, now that you mention it, it's quite possible."

Then he extinguished the torches, relit the fire, and leaned against a tree for a nap.

Around 5 a.m., the four of them rubbed their eyes, yawned, and prepared to go home.

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound came from the cornfield. When they looked over, the corn stalks were shaking and falling over.

"A wolf?"

The four men, on high alert, raised their guns again and, using the cover of the woods outside the wheat field, stealthily crept over.

Before I even got close, a familiar figure emerged from the cornfield.

"Wild boar! How come there's only one?"

"No, no, this is a sow with piglets, it's not with the others from before..."

"Be careful, it's coming this way. Slowly retreat and don't provoke it."

Just as the four were about to fire their guns to drive the wild boar away, they suddenly noticed a bunch of tiny creatures following behind it, and they immediately became cautious.

Although it was still dark and the torches had gone out, by the faint moonlight, it was still possible to determine that this was a wild boar with piglets.

Moreover, he has a broad and thick build, making him extremely powerful and robust; he doesn't look like someone to mess with.

The four dared not disturb them, and under the cover of the woods outside the wheat field, they quietly retreated.

Quietly watching the wild boar lead its cubs to the fire, they grunted and ate the skins of roasted sweet potatoes, then devoured fish bones and the seasonings inside the fish's belly, sniffing the aroma as they headed towards the thatched hut.

"Oh no, there are Bao Shuan's sweet potatoes in the shed."

Chen Baoliang's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.

He brought sweet potatoes with Chen Baoshuan, but Chen Baoshuan was stingy and refused to take them out, planning to secretly roast them at night. However, Chen Ling and the others actually brought wine and food, and after arriving, they had a fight and their faces were stiff. So he stayed inside and slept, too embarrassed to come out and roast them.

This has now turned out to be a disaster.

Wild boars not only love to eat tender corn, but they also love to eat sweet potatoes. In previous years, some locals grew sweet potatoes, but when it was almost harvest time, wild boars ravaged the fields, and ten acres of sweet potatoes only yielded about a hundred pounds. There was no good way to deal with them.

Now the wild boar must have smelled the sweet potatoes in the hay shed, and since the wolf hadn't appeared, Chen Baoshuan had gone back to sleep.

I hope Baoshuan won't disturb them.

Chen Baoliang was secretly anxious and dared not shout loudly.

A sow with piglets is not to be trifled with; you can't afford to upset her.

Even a brooding hen will fight a falcon to protect her chicks, let alone a wild boar.

Unfortunately, his fears came true.

Unaware of what was happening, Chen Baoshuan panicked and fired his gun when he saw something break in.

It's over now.

I don't know if I hit it or not, but the sow was frightened and went berserk, knocking the straw shed over and leaving a big hole in it.

Chen Baoliang became extremely anxious and kept shouting.

They were terrified that something might happen to Chen Baoshuan.

No matter what, they are cousins. If we just stand by and do nothing, we will not only lose face in our own family, but the villagers will also talk behind our backs.

Chen Ze and Chen Yuqiang huddled together with Chen Ling, unhurried and even winked at Chen Ling in unison, clearly conveying the same meaning: "Serves you right."

Chen Ling naturally noticed it, but his mind wasn't on it.

Instead, I suddenly remembered the wild boar that Xiaosen and the others had kept in the graveyard, and wondered if it was related to that wild boar.

Just then, another gunshot rang out from the thatched hut.

Chen Baoshuan was unharmed and actually managed to escape.

But he was so frightened that he lost his grip after firing the second shot and ran wildly toward them, yelling and screaming.

"Run! This wicked person is leading us this way!"

Chen Ze yelled and took off running.

The wild boar squealed sharply and was much faster than a human, catching up with Chen Baoshuan in the blink of an eye.

In the midst of the crisis, perhaps out of sheer fright, Chen Baoshuan swiftly climbed up a tree in just a few moments, narrowly avoiding the wild boar's charge.

The wild boar couldn't stop and charged around wildly with pitiful cries. It ran up to Chen Baoliang and took a bite. Luckily, he dodged quickly, or he would have been seriously injured.

Taking advantage of the break, Chen Ling and the other two climbed up the tree, preparing to fire their guns.

Suddenly, the wild boar turned around and charged at Chen Baoshuan again.

Heaven help him, Chen Baoshuan hadn't even caught his breath, nor had he climbed very high; he was just clinging tightly to the tree trunk with his hands and feet. The wild boar charged at him so arrogantly, as if it would knock down a mountain in front of it.

This once again proves that wild boars with young piglets are definitely not to be trifled with.

Their combat power has more than doubled.

The wild boar charged, causing the trees to shake violently. Chen Baoshuan was so frightened that his face turned ashen. He could no longer hold onto the tree trunk and slipped down. In his struggle, he ended up sitting on the boar's back.

This was serious. The wild boar was instantly provoked even more, its rage flaring up. Its eyes turned red, and it was breathing heavily. Its loud cries were even more ferocious than before, and with these continuous high-pitched roars, it tried to throw the person on its back off.

Chen Baoshuan was so frightened that he screamed and howled. He was no longer the unreasonable person he had been before. In his panic, he held tightly to the wild boar's ears with his fingers and kept his legs tightly clamped together.

On the other side, Chen Baoliang had just been bitten by a wild boar and was terrified. He was panting heavily and trembling all over. He didn't dare to help with his gun, afraid that if he missed the boar, he would hit Chen Baoshuan instead, and that would be the end of him.

With a person climbing on its back and its ears being scratched painfully by fingernails, the wild boar became even more frenzied, howling as it charged into the village at an even faster speed than before, rushing forward wildly, trying to shake off Chen Baoshuan.

At this time, around 5:30 a.m., the nearby villagers had been awakened by the commotion.

Stepping outside, I witnessed a truly dramatic scene...

A tall, ferocious wild boar, carrying a person on its back, rampaged into the village.

They were so frightened that they quickly hid, closed their doors and windows, and tried to avoid it at all costs.

But then, not wanting to miss this rare event, they climbed onto the roof to watch the excitement.

The incident happened suddenly; all we knew was that it was a wild boar, but we couldn't see clearly who was on the boar's back.

They stood on their own rooftops, shouting back and forth, and started chatting.

"What the hell is going on so early in the morning? Why is someone riding a wild boar into the village?"

"You're just making sarcastic remarks. Can you call that riding a pig? He must have been provoked by the night patrol. Wild boars are very fierce. We must hope that no one gets killed."

"It shouldn't be that bad, but I wonder who's so unlucky as to suffer serious injuries."

"..."

As they were chatting animatedly, a loud noise came from afar.

A furious, aged shout followed, and the commotion gradually subsided.

"Quick, go down and see what's going on."

"Let's go, let's go together."

(End of this chapter)