My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 254 The Turtle and the Water Monster

in the afternoon.

The dam of the reservoir was packed with people, from east to west and from south to north, like a bustling market, all craning their necks to look into the reservoir.

Some adults and children even climbed trees just to get a better look at what was in the water.

Even the cripple Cui was leaning on his cane, trying to stand on tiptoe, craning his neck to look around.

"They're here! They've swum back again! Look!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, instantly causing the whole place to erupt in cheers.

"It's the Turtle King! See him? The Turtle King has swum back again."

"Good heavens, we are so lucky, we really get to see the Turtle King once in our lives."

"Make way, make room for me! The Turtle King is here, let my child share in his good fortune."

"..."

When Chen Ling and Wang Susu arrived at the village entrance with their son, they were greeted by an indescribably lively scene.

Wang Zhenzhen and a group of children had already climbed up the trees on the dam in no time, and were now waving their little hands and shouting from the trees.

"Sister, brother-in-law, it's a bunch of huge, huge, huge turtles! The leader is even bigger than our millstone! Come and take a look!"

"Go over there to see? How are we supposed to get over there? It's so crowded, there's not even a place to stand."

Chen Ling glanced at it twice, then turned to his wife and asked, "Do you want to see this big turtle?"

Of course, Wang Susu wanted to see it. She hadn't been out much since giving birth to Rui Rui, and now that it was so lively, she was really eager to see what the "old turtle" everyone was talking about looked like.

However, now that she's a mother, she can't do whatever she wants. She glanced at her son, who was staring blankly at the crowd in her arms, tilted her head, stuck out her tongue at Chen Ling, and laughed, "I want to see, but with Rui Rui here and so many people, I can't see."

"Hey, it's nothing, it's no big deal, I'll figure something out."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling completely disregarded it, took her hand, and walked onto the dam, heading east.

After wandering around for a while, I finally found a place where I knew someone and squeezed inside.

"Shuiwa, Qunfang, come and make room for me."

The two families, Chen Ze and Chen Fang, were watching intently, their eyes filled with piety as if they were praying.

Hearing the voice behind them, they all turned around and saw Chen Ling and his family of three, and immediately smiled.

"It's good fortune! Come quickly, come quickly! You have a child with you, so quickly pray to the Turtle King for blessings. Your child will be blessed in the future."

The adults greeted them, and the children called out "Uncle Fugui" and "Uncle" in response.

Chen Ling smiled and agreed, then led Wang Susu and her son to the front to look at the reservoir.

But when she looked over, Wang Susu was startled. "How come there's such a big turtle?"

On the wide surface of the reservoir, giant black turtles were slowly swimming towards them. The one at the very front was the clearest, as it was the largest and, just as Wang Zhenzhen had said, even bigger than the millstone in Chen Ling's house.

Seeing his wife startled and dazed, Chen Ling reached out and hugged his son. "They say a thousand-year-old tortoise and a ten-thousand-year-old turtle are like this. Look at its color and size, who knows how many years it has lived? Could it be a spirit?"

Besides size, many people here also like to judge age by color. For example, the darker the color of a scorpion or venomous snake, the more times it has molted, indicating greater venom and longer lifespan, which inspires awe.

"Fugui, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by 'spirited'? This is our turtle king. He just led those turtle generals to help us drive away the monster in the reservoir."

At this moment, Chen Ze patted his arm and gently warned him.

On the other side, Chen Fang and her husband also nodded solemnly in agreement: "Other things can be joked about, but this is not something to be taken lightly. If the Turtle King is watching, and he hears this, he might bite your nose at night."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling quickly suppressed his smile and pretended to be very sociable, but he still found it amusing in his heart.

When I came over just now, I was worried that if Garlic and the others were discovered, it would cause some unnecessary trouble.

To his surprise, the villagers actually regarded it as the "Turtle King," which was truly... He didn't know what to say, he just felt it was a bit too absurd.

But right.

If such a large turtle appeared in front of people, it would be understandable if it were in a city, let alone in the countryside, people would regard it as an auspicious omen or a monster.

"Is this the Turtle King? What monster did the Turtle King help us drive away?"

At this moment, Wang Susu turned around and asked Chen Fang.

"It's that monster that haunted the reservoir last year, the one that ate the ducks from several families around here. Today, while we were making lunch, the flood control workers were talking by the water, and that thing saw people and sneaked out of the water, as if it wanted to hurt them. Luckily, the Turtle King came in time and chased them away with a burst of power."

Chen Fang preached vividly, as if she had witnessed it herself.

"Them? Is there more than one monster?" Wang Susu sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked.

"Well... we don't know if it's one monster or several. When we saw it running away in the water, it was arching and thrashing. We couldn't see its head or tail clearly. All we could see were several streams of water being stirred up, stretching a long way, like a whole group of them had run away."

That's what Chen Fang said.

But an elderly woman nearby said, "That's a trick the monster uses to squint people's eyes. Think about it, if this monster dares to come out in the daytime, how powerful can it be? It's lucky that the Turtle King is keeping it in check."

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect the Turtle King to come here this year. It seems that the fact that we didn't have a big flood this year is all thanks to the Turtle King."

This remark drew a large group of villagers nearby who chimed in.

Good heavens, their back-and-forth banter left Chen Ling speechless, wondering how they could even connect such things.

Moreover, the story of the Turtle King is from so many years ago, spanning several generations, yet it's still being brought up again, and so many people still believe in it.

"Lord Turtle" comes from a very early local legend.

This legend is not only related to Chenwangzhuang; it is widely circulated and can be found in areas along the Jinshui River.

The story goes that every year in late summer and early autumn, when the Jinshui River swells, people will see the "Turtle King" come out to control the flood.

The Turtle King was a majestic and enormous figure. Every time he went on an inspection tour, he was followed by a large group of "shrimp soldiers and crab generals," turtle offspring, and their descendants, forming a dark, dense procession that stretched for two miles along the Jinshui River.

That was quite a large-scale operation.

At this time of year, people would spread the word and rush to the shore to watch.

It was even clearly recorded in the county annals, and was regarded as a "spectacle".

Long ago, in the area where the Jinshui River and the Nansha River intersected, there was a Dragon King Temple, which was built by our ancestors to suppress the floods of the two great rivers.

The amazing thing is that whenever the procession of the Turtle King arrives here, it stops and pauses. In some years, the pause is longer and in others, it is shorter. People say that this is to worship the Dragon King.

The dragon has nine sons, and the Turtle King is one of them.

Some scholars have even stated that this is a dragon turtle, a bixi, and should be called the Dragon Prince, not the Turtle King.

But people still prefer to call it their own way.

This is not the only legend about "Lord Turtle".

There are also stories that before liberation, when the reservoir was still a large lake, villagers saw a giant turtle on a foggy day. It was stuck on the shore and couldn't get back. Later, it was wrapped in red cloth and respectfully carried back to the lake. Since then, the area has enjoyed good weather for many years and no one has ever drowned again.

It's been passed down in incredible detail.

Another recent example occurred during a major flood two or three decades ago, where a giant turtle appeared. It is said that the turtle's back was wider than an ordinary table, and it saved many people in the flood.

After the floodwaters receded, the locals cast an iron tortoise to suppress the flood.

Because of the abundance of rivers, floods have occurred frequently throughout history, and legends like this are circulated in various places.

If what we heard before was mostly hearsay and misinformation, what we see with our own eyes now is quite different.

It really happened right before my eyes.

The visual impact is exceptionally strong.

Even the little guy in Chen Ling's arms felt the lively atmosphere and happily babbled incessantly. Although he didn't know what everyone was having fun about, he was just blindly happy along with them.

"You like being around people so much, huh? I'll take you to visit more places in the future." Chen Ling poked his little cheek, then kept a close watch on whether any mosquitoes would get close.

Meanwhile, Garlic Head and its several turtles were swimming closer and closer.

Chen Ling left them in the reservoir because he was worried about unidentified creatures. After all, there were two large holes on the shore, and the weasels had been quite frightened, so he had to be careful.

Perfectly, garlic is intelligent; it's a waste of its talent to stay in its grotto.

After Chen Ling released it and explained the situation, it was able to guard the area. If anything tried to harm people, it could also lead a group of male turtles to fight it and prevent any unknown creature from harming anyone.

Otherwise, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting Wang Zhenzhen and the village kids come here to play again.

After all, these mischievous kids might agree verbally, but children's minds are fickle, and who knows if they'll suddenly change their minds when they see something interesting.

Therefore, if no unidentified organisms can be found in the reservoir, it is best to take precautions in advance.

In retrospect, the decision we made back then was the right one.

It seems that the unidentified creature came out again today. After Garlic discovered it, it chased away a group of large male turtles.

"The turtle king is here! The turtle king is swimming over! Quickly, pay your respects! Quickly, pay your respects!"

"Thank goodness, the Turtle King has come to our Chenwang Village."

"..."

The closer the garlic is to this side, the greater its visual impact.

In particular, it took the lead, with seven large male turtles guarding it in an orderly fashion behind it.

This is definitely not an ordinary situation.

Even many young men were excited, calling out "Lord Turtle" and calling for their chickens and ducks to be brought over, offering incense and making sacrifices.

I pray that every year will bring favorable weather and abundant harvests.

Even the three young guards sent to control the flood silently clasped their hands together and bowed twice.

This scene is truly extraordinary.

Chen Ling found it amusing, but fearing that staying there would disturb Suantou, he picked up his son and pulled Wang Susu away quickly.

"Ah Ling, everyone says that's the Turtle King. Shouldn't we pay our respects to him? Let's pray for Rui Rui's well-being too."

As he pulled her out of the crowd, Wang Susu kept turning back to look at him, her face showing a lot of regret.

"Silly wife, how did you become so superstitious?"

Chen Ling smiled and squeezed her little hand. "Let's go. It's not uncommon to find turtles this big. They're very common in the sea. Didn't I tell you about sea turtles?"

"And whales, those guys are huge."

"It's not that something becomes sentient just because it gets big."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, but Wang Susu still hesitated.

"But they've already prayed to their own children, what if we don't pray to Rui Rui...?"

"No, it's not true. Let them worship if they want."

Helplessly, Chen Ling pulled his wife outside, thinking to himself, "This silly wife of mine, how did she become so confused after having a baby? All the lessons I taught her before were for nothing."

We need to give her more lessons in the future.

The family of three was walking down the dam when they ran into Liang Guizhen, who cut a piece of red cloth, tied it to a piece of cured meat, and threw it into the river to feed the turtles while muttering incantations.

Behind the old woman was Big Head, who was running with unsteady little legs. He had somehow gotten a piece of red cloth and was chasing after her, calling out "Grandma, Grandma" as he ran over.

Liang Guizhen didn't even look at him. Then she saw Da Tou pulling on her trouser leg. Annoyed by his tugging, she glared at him with her triangular eyes and scolded, "Go away, get out of here."

Da Tou was taken aback by the scolding and said in a low voice, feeling wronged, "Dada asked me to deliver the red cloth to you."

Liang Guizhen had already turned her head away, as if she hadn't heard, and kept muttering to herself with her eyes closed.

Normally, other villagers might have said something to criticize him, but now everyone's eyes are on "Lord Turtle," and no one cares about anyone else.

Moreover, it was crowded and noisy at the time, with everyone pushing and shoving, and Da Tou was quickly pushed out of the crowd.

With tears in her eyes, she frantically and helplessly held the red cloth, staring blankly in Liang Guizhen's direction.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling and Wang Susu quickly went over, worried that the villagers might not be paying attention and could accidentally step on the child while jostling around.

"Big Head, what are you doing here?" Wang Susu squatted down and asked with a smile as she walked up to him.

When Da Tou turned around and saw Wang Susu, he didn't know what was wrong, but he felt even more aggrieved. He rubbed his eyes and tears kept falling.

"Auntie, I've come to deliver red cloth to Grandma."

By the end, he was sobbing.

The child is now over two years old. Wang Jusheng and his wife have taught him well, and he speaks very clearly.

"Here to deliver the red cloth."

Seeing this, Chen Ling squatted down and reached out to wipe away his tears. "Why are you crying? Uncle will deliver it to you. I'll deliver it directly to the Turtle Prince, okay?"

Big Head rubbed his eyes, wiping away tears, and nodded vigorously: "Okay."

Chen Ling handed his son to Wang Susu, picked up Da Tou, and snatched a fish from the hands of the confused old man Chen Gan Nian. He wrapped it in a red cloth, squeezed to the front of the crowd, and threw it forcefully into the river.

Strangely enough, although the turtles ate the poultry and meat that the villagers threw into the river, the one who led the way, whom they considered the "Turtle King," never made a move.

Only now, when Chen Ling tossed it in, did it suddenly surface and swim right up to him, devouring the fish in a few bites, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

So much so that a brief silence fell over the dam.

They then followed suit, hoping to be the next lucky one, but unfortunately, the "turtle king" stopped responding and refused to eat anything they offered.

This made the villagers envious of Chen Ling. Only Liang Guizhen, her face as black as the bottom of a pot, was both angry and jealous.

Seeing Chen Ling holding Da Tou in his arms, and losing the red cloth from Da Tou's hand, made him even angrier.

Chen Ling ignored the old woman and, seeing that Da Tou had stopped crying, took him home with Wang Susu.

Today's incident wasn't something he deliberately created for the family; it was something Wang Jusheng's family was already fully aware of.

The couple originally planned to stay out of it and have their son deliver a piece of red cloth to Liang Guizhen. As a grandmother, Liang Guizhen couldn't refuse a request from her two-year-old grandson, so it would be a wonderful thing to have her represent the family in praying to the Turtle King for blessings.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

Moreover, there are so many people on the dam, and the child is so young, yet this grandmother is too lazy to even look after him.

Zhang Qiaoling was so angry that she cried, saying she would never do such a thing again to avoid being disliked.

Wang Jusheng just sighed and sat on the threshold, smoking silently with his head down.

There was no way to offer comfort in such a situation, so Chen Ling and his wife silently left with their son in their arms.

"What does Aunt Guizhen want? She used to treat Dandan badly because she disliked Jusheng's first child being a girl. Now that Datou is a boy, why is she still like this?"

On her way home, Wang Susu still felt a little uncomfortable, and her beautiful brows were furrowed together.

"I don't know, I can't figure it out either. Just look at Jusheng's personality. If you treat him even a little bit well, how could he treat you badly when he gets old?"

"Fifth Uncle and Aunt Guizhen are both shrewd and not stupid. I don't believe they can't see what kind of people their two sons are."

"But after all these years, it's still the same, nothing has changed, sigh..."

Chen Ling clicked his tongue as he spoke, "There are all kinds of parents in this world, but it's rare to see one who's this biased."

"And then there's the tiny baby, just like a kitten or puppy. If you treat him well from a young age and raise him from childhood, how could he not be filial to you when he grows up?"

"Fifth Uncle is really something. He doesn't offer any advice and just lets his wife do whatever she wants. They've been shrewd men their whole lives, but when it comes to their family, all they do is do stupid things like this."

"I can't figure it out. I really can't figure it out."

To say that Wang Jusheng isn't their biological son is utter nonsense. Wang Jusheng resembles his parents the most, while Wang Juxiang doesn't.

But when speaking to outsiders, Liang Guizhen always referred to her son as "my Juxiang" and "my Juxiang" repeatedly, as if she only had one son.

Wang Susu felt increasingly distressed as she listened, and kept sighing while holding her son. "Anyway, our family can't be like this in the future. We have to treat Rui Rui well, and we have to treat all our future children the same way. We have to treat everyone equally."

"I know, we definitely can't do that."

She didn't even need to say it; Chen Ling herself hated this the most. She picked up her son and walked to the front.

"No matter if we have a boy or a girl in the future, it will be the same. All our children are precious, and we can't even cherish them enough."

(End of this chapter)