My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 145 Fighting Wolves
It was just past three in the morning, the night fog was thick, but the village was bustling with activity.

The sounds of gongs and shouts rose and fell.

The torchlight shone dimly in the mist, and the men from house to house got out of bed.

Those without hunting rifles grabbed hoes, shovels, and rakes and rushed out to hunt wolves.

When Chen Ling and his group arrived, the wolves had already been driven out of the village.

Although the gun was fired, the night was deep and the fog was heavy, and the aim was too poor to hit the wolf.

Wolves are cunning and suspicious, much smarter than people imagine.

When they hunt, they constantly test the aggressiveness of their prey to assess the threat to themselves.

Now that the shotguns can't hit them, their deterrent effect has instantly decreased.

Even with torches and hunting rifles, the wolf pack did not leave, but instead lingered in the fields outside the village to the south, unwilling to go away.

The man and the wolf thus came to a standoff.

However, due to the heavy fog and the distance of thirty or forty meters, the people could not see the location clearly even with torches.

All that could be heard was the constant howling of wolves.

Accompanied by howls, countless will-o'-the-wisps flickered in the distance, and green light filled the air.

Those are the eyes of a wild wolf.

There was more than one wolf; there were at least twenty, making it a medium-sized wolf pack.

Chen Ling has exceptional eyesight; he can even see through the fog to clearly make out the wolves' appearances.

They were all wolf species unique to the old forests of Wuyun Mountain, with large heads, thick necks, and robust, majestic bodies. When they howled, their fur stood on end, revealing sharp, white fangs that looked terrifying in the thick fog.

However, this was only what Chen Ling could see; the villagers couldn't see it and still couldn't shoot it with a hunting rifle.

If you approach them, they will retreat, maintaining a distance that is neither too close nor too far, thus provoking you and wearing down your patience.

"Listen! The sheep are bleating!"

"There are definitely still wolves in the village that haven't come out yet!"

Just then, someone shouted, and everyone listened carefully. Sure enough, they heard a series of painful and panicked "baa" sounds. It was the sheep crying out in agony.

The patrol team's young men immediately raised their guns and went to investigate. When they approached with torches, they saw several pairs of green eyes darting around in the distance. Several wolves had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, chasing and tearing at the sheep like madmen, and were driving them out of the village.

Two sheep were already lying on the ground, their throats torn apart, blood flowing everywhere. They had been killed by wolves and dragged over.

In this situation, no one cared about the sheep; they picked up their guns and started shooting at the wolves.

Unfortunately, no damage was caused. The wolves let out a soft whimper and ran off to the south.

"Damn it, chase after them!"

"We can't just let them get away!"

"If we don't beat them hard this time, we'll be the ones who suffer next time these beasts sneak into the village!"

The village's poultry and livestock had been severely damaged this time, and seeing the scene before him, Wang Laishun was furious. He shouted that he would have the wolves killed and that the matter would not be considered closed until blood was drawn.

Almost as soon as Wang Laishun finished speaking...

Two figures suddenly rushed out from Chen Ling's side.

It's Heiwa and Xiaojin.

They were restless and agitated on the way here. For some reason, when they sensed the wolf pack nearby, they seemed to be inexplicably excited, and their eyes looked different than usual.

It was Chen Ling who kept them in place, preventing them from running around, which is why he had been able to endure it.

Seeing several wolves at such close range, I couldn't resist immediately.

They moved like two bolts of lightning, incredibly fast. Before Chen Ling could react, the two dogs were already barking wildly and charging towards the wolves, where they were locked in a fierce fight.

To the villagers' surprise, the wolves seemed to be having trouble with Chen Ling's two dogs. Heiwa's imposing and powerful physique was almost overwhelming. Just as one wolf bared its teeth, ready to attack, Heiwa bit down on its neck, flicked its head, and with that one move, severed the wolf's neck.

Little Gold on the other side was no less impressive, but it was more agile and fast enough that the wolves couldn't react in time. It rushed forward, bit a wolf's throat, smashed it to the ground, and then went to bite the next one.

Heiwa is brave and fierce, Xiaojin is ruthless.

The stray dogs, which had been circling around and were too afraid to approach the wolves, seemed to have their courage roused and started barking wildly as they went to join the fight.

In less than two minutes, the wolves were either dead or crippled.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the wolf pack to the south let out long, low howls from time to time. The mournful sounds echoed incessantly in the night, and long howls also responded from the distant mountains.

It's unclear what they were exchanging, but suddenly the wolf pack to the south stirred.

They rushed towards this place.

And the howling of wolves on the mountain was getting closer and closer...

It turned out to be another pack of wolves coming down from the mountain!

No wonder they're so bold.

The villagers immediately became alert and prepared to fire their guns, but Heiwa and Xiaojin led a pack of dogs to meet them.

The wolves and dogs fought fiercely.

No one was shooting anymore, for fear of accidentally hitting the dogs.

Seeing this, Chen Ling became secretly anxious. The local dogs were no match for the wolves in terms of fighting power. Several of them had already been bitten and injured in the first encounter. If this continued, his own dogs would probably be no match for the wolf pack's attack.

So he turned around, took the torch and hunting rifle from Wang Laishun, and hurried over.

"Fugui, come back quickly!"

"If a wolf pounces on you and bites your neck, you're done for..."

Wang Laishun's expression changed drastically.

But Chen Ling ignored him, walked over, raised his hand and fired a shot, instantly killing a wolf on the spot.

This was due to the wolf's good eyesight and its lack of vigilance.

He killed a wolf, but the wolves beside him were not frightened at all; instead, they became even more ferocious and pounced on him.

Chen Ling remained calm and shot down another wolf with a single shot. Then, holding the torch in his left hand, he swept it towards another wolf that was lunging at him from the side. The molten pine resin was scalding hot and splashed onto the wolf's face, causing it to scream and fall to the ground, scratching its face and eyes with its two front paws.

Taking advantage of this moment, Wang Laishun also ran over, swung the heavy jujube wood stick, and smashed it on the wolf's back. The wolf let out a miserable howl and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Hunting wolves is like hunting dogs; their weak points are their waist and the bridge of their nose. If you hit these two spots, they will either fall down or flee in panic.

However, there are many wolves coming down the mountain today, and the harder you fight them, the more ferocious they will become.

That's it for now.

Upon hearing their companion's screams, the wolves, who had just run down the mountain, immediately abandoned their fight with the dogs and pounced on the humans instead.

The villagers, armed with hunting rifles, were no pushovers.

Seeing that Chen Ling dared to charge forward, they naturally didn't back down either, and rushed over, raising their guns and firing wildly.

Whether they hit the target or not was irrelevant, but their sheer force of will, after only two or three minutes of standoff, truly scared the wolf away.

Even if they were hit squarely by a shotgun, they couldn't withstand it.

In less than half an hour, more than ten wolves had been killed, including those killed by dogs and those shot with hunting rifles.

Now, the wolf pack finally knew fear.

"Let's go, let's chase after them together."

"Get your weapons ready, everyone. We need to teach them a lesson this time, or they'll come back again in a while."

The men were all fierce, shouting loudly.

By the time they chased after them, the remaining wolves had already run dozens of meters away, but they still refused to leave, circling around at the foot of the mountain, occasionally howling at the sky.

The villagers discussed the matter and, fearing that the wolves might attract reinforcements and enter the village from another direction, they split into two groups. One group continued to chase the wolves and give them a good beating, while the other group stayed outside the village, lighting bonfires and occasionally setting off firecrackers to prevent the wolves from sneaking back into the village.

Wolves are afraid of fire, and it's still early before dawn. Someone needs to tend the fire and add firewood. Otherwise, given the wolves' cunning, even if one or two manage to slip through and sneak into the village from another direction, it's not something an ordinary person can stop. Besides, there are elderly people and children at home, so it's better to be careful.

After splitting into two groups, Chen Ling and his group of young people continued to chase after the dogs.

In fact, most ordinary mongrels are afraid of wolves and will not even dare to bark in most cases. Only a very few will protect their home or their owner.

Now, only with Xiao Jin leading the way do the stray dogs have the courage to chase after the wolf pack.

If they encountered wolves themselves, they would be terrified and would simply tuck their tails between their legs and run far away.

……

A pack of dogs chased after the wolf, so the wolf couldn't run fast.

Chen Ling and the others followed the dog up the mountain. When they reached the mountainside on the southwest side, they found some poultry and livestock behind a stone embankment. They shone the firelight on them and found that they were chickens, ducks, and sheep. They asked Wang Lixian and found out what they were.

The wolves, laden with prey, would hide it under a rocky embankment on the mountainside, where their companions would guard it to prevent other wild animals from stealing it. Once they had caught enough prey from the village, they would drag it away together, making it food for the entire pack.

As they were talking, Heiwa barked and charged ahead, followed closely by Xiaojin and the pack of dogs.

When Chen Ling followed, he discovered that this was another hiding place for prey. The wolves were about to drag away their prey when they were caught up by the pack of dogs.

Perhaps because these last prey were unwilling to give up, a tall and strong wolf in the pack raised its snot and howled, and the wolves immediately joined forces with the dogs in twos and threes.

This time, the wolves split up to fight, battling the pack of dogs while carefully guarding against the approach of humans. They did not charge forward blindly; some wolves even circled around, trying to drag away their prey.

Wang Lixian saw through their plan, and the group, guns in hand, engaged in another chaotic battle with more than ten wolves in front of the forest.

The power of a shotgun is undeniable; with good aim, a wolf will either be killed or seriously injured.

What's more, there was a pack of dogs to help them.

The wolves swarmed forward several times, trying to drag their prey away, but were harassed and stopped each time.

When they were finally reloading their ammunition, the wolves seized the opportunity. Several of them dragged and tore at a sheep they had killed, and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Once the wolves saw their companion succeed, they immediately scattered and chased after him.

It's impossible to catch up now.

But tonight, as many as forty wolves came down the mountain one after another, and only seven or eight remained when they left.

That's enough to teach them a painful lesson.

However, the villagers also suffered heavy losses.

After taking stock, it was found that the wolves had killed eight sheep that night, all by biting their throats. Many more were scratched and wounded, their bodies covered in blood, bleeding and howling pitifully in the night wind. The number of chickens and ducks wasn't exact, but almost every household living on the edge of the village suffered losses, totaling about thirty or forty birds.

I just hope that killing the wolf can make up for it a little.

After all, dead poultry and sheep can be sold for a lot of money, and so can killed wolves.

Both the meat and the fur can be sold for money, but I don't know what the prices will be.

After hurting the wolf and driving it away, Chen Ling and the others cut some thick tree branches and carried the dead poultry, sheep, and wolf carcasses down the mountain on their shoulders.

On the way back, Chen Ling asked a few more questions.

Only then did they realize that the patrol team hadn't been diligent enough that night, allowing the wolf to sneak into the village.

Today, it was Cui the Cripple's nephew, Wang Xuecheng, and a few of his relatives who were on patrol. They were young, and the wolf had been wandering outside the village for half a month without entering, and recently they hadn't even seen a trace of it.

So they were a bit perfunctory when they patrolled.

With the light rain yesterday, it got a bit chilly, so everyone huddled in the thatched shed to sleep.

Unexpectedly, the wolf pack took advantage of this opportunity to sneak into the village.

They entered the village from the southwest.

The wolves are cunning; we've figured that out lately.

Knowing that patrolmen were guarding the threshing ground, they alerted people from the west and north.

Adding to the bad weather, the patrolmen were fast asleep.

They entered the village from the south without anyone noticing.

The dog barely barked.

Even more frightening is that wolves have sneaked into people's homes and injured people.

The one who was injured by the wolf was Ermao Donkey from Team Four.

Er Maolu's home is located on the edge of the southwest corner of the village.

The wolf easily jumped into the yard.

It was quite a coincidence. Because of the rain, Er Mao Donkey caught a chill at night and went to the outhouse to relieve himself when he happened to run into the wolf.

It was dark and foggy at night, and he mistook it for his own big yellow dog. Not only was he completely unprepared, he kicked it, scolded it a couple of times, and then hurriedly went into the outhouse.

however……

Just as he squatted down in the outhouse, the wolf suddenly pounced and viciously bit his neck.

The most common tactic wolves use when attacking people is to bite the neck and grab the shoulder from behind. When people are frightened or curious, they will usually turn around involuntarily to look, and the wolf will bite the exposed throat. Once this tactic is used, the person will surely die.

Fortunately, Er Mao Lu thought it was just the dog making a fuss and didn't turn around to look. When he was bitten and it hurt, he retaliated by elbowing the wolf.

And at this critical moment, his big yellow dog rushed out, bit the wolf's hind leg, and refused to let go.

That's how he miraculously survived.

Ermao Donkey finally realized that a wolf had entered the house. Without thinking of anything else, he hurriedly woke up his family and neighbors to chase after the wolf. The commotion grew louder and louder, and only then did the villagers realize that the wolf had entered the village.

Besides the injured donkey, Old Wang's family also had a little child who was almost carried off by wolves.

Thankfully, this family had installed an electric mouse trap at night to catch mice.

This year, grain is expensive, and rats keep sneaking into the flour and rice bins, defecating and urinating everywhere. How are people supposed to eat? Even the cats can't keep an eye on them at night.

So I gritted my teeth and installed the electric modem.

Who knew that it would save their own child's life?

When wolves enter a village to snatch children, they specifically target those who are small and light. The location they bite is crucial; they must not bite the throat, otherwise the child will die instantly.

A clever wolf bites the chin.

When the baby wolf bites its chin and drags it along, it will feel pain and will wrap its arms around the wolf's neck, hanging under the wolf's belly, which will help the wolf run.

Chen Ling was unaware of these things.

This was told to him by Wang Lixian.

It is said that the village's "New Year's Uncle" was carried away by wolves when he was a child and almost eaten.

Chenwangzhuang is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, wolves were rampant and repeatedly entered the village to abduct children, carrying them all the way to the mountains to eat them.

People discovered a pattern: wolves always fled along the same route to the highest mountain. Villagers followed the wolf tracks and chased after them. This route was called Nianzigang, and the village entrance where they started was called Nianzikou.

People later called it millstone handle and millstone mouth.

Uncle Gan Nian was carried away by wolves at that time. He was only 5 years old and weighed less than 20 pounds. In his poor and hungry family, he was thin and withered like a little chick.

His chin was surrounded by bloody holes from wolf bites, some of which had even pierced through his face.

The villagers rescued him from the wolf's jaws, and he still bears the scars. His family named him Gan Nian, which means "hurry up and chase away".

Therefore, wolves are bad creatures, ruthless and cunning. If you discover wolves entering the village, you must not hesitate to confront them.

Otherwise, people will suffer the consequences.

-

P.S.: I was keeping vigil, so it's a bit late. Happy New Year to everyone, and best wishes for a prosperous Year of the Tiger.

(End of this chapter)