My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 292 The Leopard's Past
"Tell me, Fourth Grandfather, tell me how you hunted leopards back then."

Seeing Chen Ling pull over a stool and sit down, looking eager to know, Chen Gannian grinned and chuckled, the two wolf scars on his face twitching.

"You little rascal, you're still the same as when you were naked, you still love listening to adults tell stories so much..."

The old man coughed twice with a smile and recalled, "That year, around this time of autumn, a leopard came down from the North Mountain. This leopard was fierce and caused trouble here for more than two or three days."

Zhongkui, the man from our village, is incredibly brave. You definitely know Zhongkui; he's the hunter from our village who chopped off his wife's head and made her roll around on the ground. Back then, he was also a hunter. When he heard there were leopards, he took a homemade gun and a sledgehammer and went out to look for them.

The leopard was lying in a ditch at the foot of Beishan Mountain when this man spotted it and went over to hunt it.

Whether he aimed correctly or not when he went to hunt the leopard is unclear.

Whether he was flustered or not, whether his hands were shaking or not, it's hard to say.

Anyway, as soon as he fired the gun, the leopard rushed up from the ditch, was pushed back down, and sat on him.

"What do you mean?"

"You got on?"

Chen Ling and the others were listening intently when they heard this sentence and were stunned, not understanding what it meant.

Chen Gannian took a sip of tea and nodded. "I sat down. That leopard was strong and heavy, and his strength was terrifying. I pressed him down to the bottom of the ditch in one go, and sat on him with my buttocks, pressing him down hard."

"Then the leopard ate him?"

"No. The strange thing about what happened back then is that the leopard was sitting on him, but it didn't pay any attention to him, didn't move him, didn't scratch him, and didn't bite him."

"Wow..." The crowd exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Gannian continued, "Later, as more people went, they just shouted from afar, but no one dared to come forward. When the leopard saw that many people were coming, it stood up again, and with a light leap, it jumped out of the ditch and hopped northwards back into the mountains."

This guy, also known as Chung Kwee Tata, we used to call him Old Tiao. We said he had been hunting for a long time and had a fierce aura about him. Even the livestock were afraid of him. He was very cunning.

Then he encountered a leopard, and, unable to fight back, died two months later, literally scared to death.

"Whoa, were you scared to death?"

"That's not true. Think about it, back then people couldn't even get enough to eat, they only drank thin porridge twice a day, and they had no energy. If they were frightened by a leopard, wouldn't they get sick from the fright?"

After Chen Gannian finished speaking, he chuckled twice, and then suddenly started coughing.

Chen Ling noticed that although the old man was conscious, his eyes were cloudy and he coughed from time to time, clearly indicating that he was not in good health. So he changed the tea and gave the old man a cup of honey water to drink.

The water supply at home is always diluted with wild honey, and the old man sweats after just a couple of sips.

But I feel much better now.

Chen Ling set up the chess pieces and, while playing chess with the old man, continued to ask, "That leopard is strange too, why doesn't it eat that old devil?"

Chen Gannian shook his head: "I didn't eat. I don't know if I wasn't hungry or what? Anyway, I ignored him."

Chen Dazhi chimed in from the side, "If a leopard doesn't eat people, it must be full. Otherwise, it would have torn that old scoundrel to pieces and eaten him long ago."

"Well, it's strange, the leopard knocked him down and sat on him, but he didn't eat anything. We were young then, so we hid behind the adults and watched as they dragged Old Diao out of the ditch. He didn't have a single wound on him."

"Uncle, why did that old scoundrel go alone? Why didn't he gather three or five helpers? Wouldn't it be safer with more people?" Wang Qingwen asked, leaning closer.

“That’s different, he’s a hunter.”

Chen Gannian looked up at Wang Qingwen: "He's thinking of killing the leopard and keeping it all for himself. If it weren't for the fact that there are many people, going up the mountain and down the river, everyone who sees it gets a share, and even those who don't put in any effort can get a share. If he kills the leopard, he won't get anything for himself."

"Oh, so he's hoping to get rich by hunting leopards?"

"That's not true."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingwen immediately understood.

Because in the Qinling Mountains, west of Fenglei Town and north of Lutou Mountain, there used to be many herbalists who made a living by collecting herbs.

They were both hunters and herbalists, and the herbs they collected included not only medicinal herbs but also parts of wild animals.

Take this leopard for example.

Leopard skin, leopard meat, leopard heart, leopard gall, leopard penis, and even leopard oil—all sorts of things from a leopard are very valuable.

"Fugui, you and your group encountered a leopard in the mountains a while ago, but it seems you didn't manage to hit it?"

Chen Dazhi then spoke.

"Yeah, I missed. That leopard even had its tail broken. It was so slippery, and it ran so fast and leaped so high that it was up in a tree in one go. If I hadn't brought a dog with me, I wouldn't have been able to get close to it at all unless it came right up to me."

Even domesticated tabby cats are hard to catch, let alone leopards in the mountains, which would be even more difficult.

If a leopard doesn't attack people on its own initiative but instead approaches them, it's a pipe dream to chase and catch it unless you have good dogs and guns, a large number of people, set traps in advance, or lure the leopard into your trap.

"When this leopard gets fierce, it's not like a common leopard. The young people in our village who had never seen a leopard before were quite excited when they first went up the mountain, but when they actually saw a leopard and it stared at them, they were so scared that they broke out in a cold sweat, their hair stood on end, and they forgot to fire their guns, let alone whether they could hit it or not."

Chen Ling pursed her lips, expressing her helplessness.

"How were the traps you set later? Did they work? Did you manage to lure any leopards?" Chen Dazhi asked again.

"Not very good. I went for a walk the day before yesterday, and I couldn't even catch a wild boar, let alone a leopard."

Chen Ling shook his head again. The traps he had set on the wild boar's dung path on West Mountain had yielded no results.

That's the main trail for wild boars, so it shouldn't be like that.

Unless there is another reason.

For example, the leopard or the wolf pack on the northern mountain could both affect them.

"If Old Diao had the strength to lift a 300-pound sledgehammer like you, Fugui, he might be able to kill the leopard when it sits on him," Chen Dazhi laughed.

"Aren't you right, Fourth Master?"

"Yes and no." Chen Gannian put down the chess piece in his hand and gestured with his hand: "I don't know if you've ever seen the leopard's claws. They're so long, almost half a hand's length. They're as good as iron hooks. They're transparent and bright. When they stick out, they're so shiny. If they grab someone, they'll grab a lump of flesh."

"This has nothing to do with how strong you are. Even if you can lift a 300-pound sledgehammer or carry 500 pounds of firewood, you still couldn't withstand a single claw attack from it."

"Wow, that's amazing?" Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking that the old man was exaggerating.

Only Chen Ling knew that what his fourth grandfather said was absolutely true.

The speed and sharpness of felines are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Otherwise, how could they climb trees, or run wildly down steep cliffs?

In a one-on-one situation, how could a human's reaction possibly match theirs?

"So, when hunting leopards or tigers, you still have to bring real weapons," Chen Ling sighed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gannian nodded approvingly: "You have to bring real weapons. Even if you don't bring a gun, bringing a pitchfork, a machete, or a shovel is much better than going bare-handed. There are few leopards around now, so don't bother them. We're not making money off them right now."

Although the old man was sometimes confused and sometimes clear-headed, he understood the basic principles very well.

Now that he was sober, he started playing chess and was able to hold his own against Chen Ling and the others.

After playing a few games of chess, the rain gradually subsided. The old man looked at the dogs and the eagles, wandering around the farm and praising it to the skies, making Chen Ling feel embarrassed by his praise.

At noon, Chen Ling insisted that the two of them stay for a meal before accompanying Chen Dazhi to take his fourth grandfather back to the village.

I heard that not long after my great-uncle returned home that day, he became confused again.

Chen Ling didn't have time to go back to look. The 18th day of the eighth lunar month was a sunny day. On that day, he drove his wife, children, and mother-in-law to Yaowang Temple to offer incense.

The Baihe Ridge where Yaowang Temple is located is not too far from Fenglei Town.

It can travel by water or land.

Taking the waterway means starting from Fenglei Town, while taking the land route means, like them, following the ancient trade route between Changle Township and Fenglei Town.

This ancient trade route cuts diagonally through the area, connecting three provinces, and the mountain path is quite wide.

Even now, it is frequently repaired. Although it is a gravel road, it is quite bumpy for bicycles, but cars can ride it without much of a jolt.

Walking along the wide commercial road, there are many more motor vehicles.

There were cars, three-wheeled motorcycles, and tractors, but most were agricultural vehicles, hauling various goods and chugging past, billowing black smoke.

But most of the time, it was pack animals and donkey carts, carrying grain tightly bundled together. The donkeys and horses trotted along, their bells jingling.

This time, Wang Zhenzhen didn't want to come along, so it was just Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan, but the two of them made quite a scene.

Chen Ling was driving in front, while the mother and daughter held the baby in the back, looking out the window and talking non-stop. The little one in their arms also looked out the window at everything.

Halfway there, Gao Xiulan reminded us, "We've reached the Niangniang Temple. I need to go there to offer incense before heading to the Yaowang Temple."

After Chen Ling responded, she added, "You and Susu wait downstairs. I can go to the Niangniang Temple by myself. We'll go up together at the Yaowang Temple."

The two then agreed.

This temple dedicated to the goddess is also related to Liu Xiu.

This is still one of the old stories about Wang Mang chasing Liu Xiu. This time, Liu Xiu was rescued by a village girl. At that time, people's skirts were large, and Liu Xiu hid in the village girl's skirt to avoid the pursuers. Little did he know that the village girl was a virgin.

She was so ashamed that someone had crawled under her skirt that she couldn't bear to live. After Liu Xiu left, she died of shame.

Later, when Liu Xiu became emperor, he learned of this and chose a hilltop in this place to establish a temple for the goddess.

Liang Hongyu mentioned this at the time.

In short, this temple is just a small temple used for praying for blessings, and it is only famous in Fenglei Town and Changle Township. It is not well known beyond that.

It cannot compare to Yaowang Temple.

After his mother-in-law came out of the temple, Chen Ling started the car again. After driving for ten minutes, a verdant mountain range appeared before him. The mountain walls were towering and the color was like splashed ink. A river, like a shimmering ribbon in the sunlight, flowed around the mountain, its destination unknown.

"This must be Baiheling. We've now left the province."

Chen Ling slowed down and looked at the road signs. At that time, there were no signs that were hung up; the place name was written on the stones by the roadside or there was a stone tablet carved on it as a marker.

"Yes, that counts as leaving the province."

Gao Xiulan nodded and smiled, "This is the first time you two have left the province. Susu has never come with me to burn incense or traveled around before."

"Huh? You haven't even seen the boundary marker between the three provinces?"

Chen Ling turned to look at Wang Susu in surprise. This was the most iconic thing outside of Fenglei Town.

Wang Susu smiled and slowly shook her head.

This surprised Chen Ling.

"Tsk, my wife is really something..."

"Next year, I'll definitely take her out more often to broaden her horizons."

As the three were talking, Chen Ling suddenly saw a figure on the cliff face of the opposite mountain, seemingly moving along the cliffside cypress trees, which made his heart pound with fear.

From a distance, the figures appear as small as sesame seeds.

Just as I was about to take a closer look, a mountain mist obscured my view.

Chen Ling asked his wife and mother-in-law if they had seen anyone on the opposite mountain, swaying back and forth, looking like they were about to fly off the cliff.

Hearing his exaggerated tone, the two quickly pressed their faces against the car window to take a closer look, but after a while they still couldn't figure it out.

Gao Xiulan said, "They're probably gathering herbs."

(End of this chapter)