My 1995 Small Farm.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August, the chill in the air on the mountain at night became increasingly intense.

But this did not dampen Chen Ling and his companions' enthusiasm for collecting insect specimens.

They ate dinner early and came to the hillside to keep watch.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Yubao and Old Man Zhong also came to join in the fun with great interest.

More people came.

Wu Fei had no intention of establishing another observation point.

It was still just a clean white gauze, like a bed sheet, hanging up.

It is secured with bamboo poles.

Then hang an incandescent lamp in front of the white cloth.

It is used to attract insects at night.

This is called 'lighting' in technical terms.

Wu Fei's wife is usually quiet and doesn't talk much, but she becomes very talkative when it comes to her professional field. She explained that staying in one place makes it easier to conduct identification and record-keeping.

If another light-guided observation point is set up.

Too many overlapping insect species will lead to a lot of wasted effort.

"Like Fugui, we will also submit our work after we finish recording it."

The couple said with a smile.

"Publish a book? Or a professional journal?" Chen Ling asked.

"Publish the book first, then you have the freedom to publish it."

Wu Fei said, "Publishing a book doesn't have to be so rigid and serious. Let's publish one book first, write down and organize our views, and then do reports or similar things later. The ideas will already be clear in the book."

When the time comes, you'll have a clear plan in mind, and your writing will flow effortlessly.

And the books can be sold for money, so it's a win-win situation.

Chen Ling nodded after listening.

Zhao Yubao clicked his tongue, feeling that this approach didn't sound quite right.

He was very devout to words.

He looked down on such mercenary practices.

But he's an animal researcher, not a writer or intellectual, so we can't hold him to the same standards.

Knowing what the old man was thinking, the lynx gave him and his father two sets of paper and pens, instructing them to take notes from then on.

"Turn on the light, my ears are filled with the chirping of insects."

It's the end of the month, and there's no moon in the night sky. Only a few fireflies dot the hillside. The weather is getting cooler, and the fireflies aren't as lively as they were on summer nights. The sparse glow of the fireflies dances slowly, echoing the chirping of insects, which is also a few degrees cooler.

However, because there were so many insects in the grass, even though their calls were low enough, they still made a real cacophony in my ears.

Suddenly, the incandescent light bulb turned on.

The scenery around the slope suddenly became much clearer.

In the distance, sorghum and cotton grow on the slope below; nearby, wild mugwort and wild sunflowers grow, while gourds, pumpkins, bottle gourds, and other wild melons climb the slope and become entangled with wormwood.

The observation point on the slope is surrounded by lush, green grass.

On the tall blades of grass, tiny insects hidden among them began to flutter towards the light.

Soon, crickets, grasshoppers, mole crickets, and mantises in the grass began to fly out towards the light, crashing onto the white gauze along with various moths.

In just two minutes, the gauze was covered with all sorts of insects.

Chen Ling, who was the most playful, and the two old men had just been looking forward to turning on the lights to attract insects.

I have absolutely no expectations now.

Damn it, there are way too many bugs in this grass.

Especially crickets, grasshoppers, mole crickets, and mantises, which are inconspicuous during the day, will hop away when they see people.

But when the lights are turned on at night, wow, they all fly faster than the last.

It was like a downpour.

They all crash into people.

At first, Chen Ling and the two old men were just standing in front of the lamp.

Being closest to the light, a lot of them flew up onto my head, some crawled down my neck and into my clothes, and sometimes even hit my face.

The three of them yelled and shouted as they took off their clothes and started hitting each other.

That won't help either.

The three were successfully chased away by the insects, fleeing in panic.

Wu Fei and his group are in a better position.

Because they were dressed quite conservatively beforehand, with stand-up collars, hats, and glasses.

These large and small flying insects have no effect on them.

Lynx always wears the same hiking gear or camouflage, so these insects can't get into his clothes.

But their shock was no less than that of Chen Ling and his two companions.

It was truly breathtaking.

Various flying insects can cover the white netting used to attract insects in just two minutes.

They were densely packed, crawling around like bees in a hive.

After Chen Ling and his team quickly finished recording,

We also had to tear off this piece of gauze, about the size of a bed sheet, and shake it vigorously in the grass to shake off all the flying insects.

Otherwise, the newly attracted insects won't be able to land on the gauze.

Even after the gauze was removed, the flying insects still gathered around the incandescent light bulb, swarming around it and making the bulb sway.

For a moment, all around were swaying shadows.

The scene left Wu Fei and his wife speechless for a long time, their skin crawling with goosebumps. They were excited, thrilled, and incredulous.

After a long while, Wu Fei muttered to himself, "Have I come to heaven? There are actually such insect paradises in the country."

At first, they just felt like they had arrived in a new place.

Since I will be living here for a long time in the future, I'm just trying to get a basic understanding of the insect species here.

I didn't expect to give them such a big surprise.

After regaining his senses, he hurriedly went forward again to catch the insects.

Together with his wife, they sorted things out.

I've already finished recording crickets and grasshoppers, so now I just throw them away whenever I see them, and I'm specifically looking for strange new species.

"Arrest them quickly! Arrest them quickly!"

"Brother Fei, Brother Fei, don't arrest us. There are more of us, so we can arrest you faster. You record our names while we arrest you, otherwise we won't recognize you."

Chen Ling and the others quickly stepped forward to help.

There were so many bugs, you could grab a handful and they were all useless.

So they specifically target the strange ones to catch.

The slope under the lights suddenly became lively.

Before long, villagers who lived nearby also brought their children over to see what was going on.

Then he also joined the army of bug catchers.

Adults and children alike began crawling all over the place, catching bugs.

"Teacher Wu, how about this one?"

"Brother Fei, Brother Fei, this, this."

"Sister-in-law, look at this."

"..."

"The singing grasshopper, a record!"

"Mongolian Cicada".

"Dead Leaf Butterfly"

"Double-forked rhinoceros beetle".

"..."

There are many insects, and a great variety of species.

At first, I wasn't quite used to holding it.

Insects fly onto people and burrow into their clothes; it's unbearable to stand for too long.

The main problem is the unbearable itching inside my clothes; it's painful to bear.

As they continued to arrest more and more, the group even began to enjoy the experience.

During breaks, Zhao Yubao would shake the bugs off his clothes, sometimes even a grasshopper more than half a foot long. If he stepped on it, its belly would burst with eggs.

"Fugui, why don't we start a fire later? Look at this grasshopper we just stepped on. Its belly is full of yellow, even yellower than crab roe. It's full of eggs. It would definitely taste good roasted."

"Okay, I'm getting a little hungry from all this work."

Chen Ling laughed as he swatted at the mosquitoes.

Old Zhong, standing nearby, also said with great enthusiasm, "You know what, this thing is actually quite fun. We've really experienced a scientific expedition."

The novel experience was indeed very exciting.

Just as he finished speaking, the lynx called out to him, "Dad, come here and shake the bugs."

"I'm coming."

The old man walked over excitedly, and the father and son unfolded the gauze at both ends, gave it a vigorous shake, and countless insects fell down like dumplings.

The insects were indeed falling like rain.

Chen Ling looked at them; there were too many insects to pick them up.

If they were all grasshoppers, it would be fine if there was only one kind, but with so many moths, crickets, butterflies, and the like mixed together, it's just too much trouble.

It seems I won't be able to have a big feast of roasted grasshoppers like I did with the roasted cicadas before.

We could only pick up a few, just enough to satisfy our craving for a little bit.

He even complained about the variety of insects here.

However, they did not mind the unexpected guests.

Flocks of birds fluttered their wings and flew over, landing on the ground not far from them, squeaking and munching away. They didn't seem afraid of people at all.

"what?"

Wu Fei and Chen Xiaoer were startled and quickly turned around to look.

“A flock of wild ducks,” Chen Ling replied.

The two turned around and immediately put on an air of ignorance, their eyes widening in surprise.

"Good heavens, good heavens, we were trying to attract insects, but we ended up attracting wild ducks too."

"That's normal. We often see these guys going into the pond at night to eat small fish. People also use nets to catch ducks at night."

Zhao Yubao said.

Now that he has lived in the village for a while, he has come to understand many things.

When I introduce myself to others, I feel like I know a lot, and I get a huge sense of accomplishment.

Not to be outdone, Old Zhong said, "I've seen quite a few too. Recently, there's been little rain, the water is shallow, and it's easy to catch small fish in all the rivers and ditches."

"Hmm, these wild ducks are really bold, not afraid of people at all, haha, they've practically delivered themselves to our doorstep."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go catch them."

The two old men wanted to show off their skills in front of Wu Fei and the other newcomers.

I took off my coat, crept close to the grass, and used it to pounce on the grass.

"We're coming too! We're coming too!"

Wu Fei and Chen Xiao'er had never seen such a scene before. So many wild ducks flew over at night, and they looked so easy to catch. If they didn't catch them, they would be doing themselves a disservice.

The insects have also been basically recorded.

So they followed stealthily.

But wild animals aren't so easy to catch.

They were eating insects so casually, seemingly without any defenses.

Actually, I was paying attention to my surroundings while eating.

As soon as you approach, they will fly away immediately.

I'll come back to eat after you've gone far away.

As a result, the two old men failed to show off their skills and were completely outmaneuvered by a group of ducks. Zhao Yubao even tripped and fell, getting his hands covered in duck droppings.

He got so angry that he started cursing and swearing.

I felt extremely ashamed.

It's all Wu Fei's fault for causing trouble.

If they hadn't caused trouble, they would have caught the wild ducks long ago.

I didn't bother catching bugs with them anymore; I said I was sleepy and went home to wash up and go to bed early on.

Chen Xiao'er was dumbfounded: "Hey, these two old geezers are acting like children, getting all worked up..."

Chen Ling and the others suppressed their laughter.

"Alright, everyone go back to sleep early. The wolves in the mountains are howling again. I wonder if something will come down the mountain."

Chen Ling said.

A while ago, an old wolf came down from the mountain.

There was no further news after that.

Tonight I actually heard the howling of wolves in the mountains.

Chen Ling wasn't sure what had happened in the mountains.

Hopefully, the wolf pack associated with Heiwa can reproduce safely; at least they are still somewhat under control.

"Is that what a wolf howls? It's really creepy."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoer immediately listened carefully to the sound: "My father said that there were wolves in the mountains outside the capital in the old days, but unfortunately I have never seen or heard a wolf howl."

"Alright, go back to sleep early. If you want to see wolves, there's Fugui. We'll go into the mountains another day and ask him to hunt a couple for us."

After Wu Fei and his wife finished packing their things, Wu Fei urged them on.

"Huh? Fugui, you're going into the mountains?"

Chen Xiaoer couldn't believe it: "Your second and third babies aren't even a month old yet, and you're already going hunting?"

"It's just small-scale stuff, usually not overnight. If it's overnight, it's back the next day."

Chen Ling chuckled and said, "It's that time of year now, so let's also use some wild game to give my second and third children a unique full moon celebration."

"Then, look at me, look at me, can I follow along?"

Chen Xiaoer quickly straightened his chest.

"Stop talking nonsense. You should finish building the house first. Once you've built it and installed a heated kang bed, I'll take you to the mountains when winter comes."

Chen Ling waved his hand and walked straight down the slope.

Chen Xiaoer agreed, as building the house was the priority right now. So he suppressed his anticipation but couldn't help asking, "You're not going tomorrow, are you?"

"I'm not going tomorrow."

Chen Ling replied and had already walked away.

He did not go into the mountains the next day.

But he went to hunt rabbits.

He rode his horse early in the morning, shouldered his gun, and took Er Tuzi with him to wander around.

Baldy is high in the sky, with sharp eyes; few rabbits can escape his search.

Even wild rabbits are wary.

Upon noticing an eagle in the sky, it will flee at lightning speed.

Even rabbits by the mountain roadside would be shooed out and shot dead by Chen Ling.

There are so many rabbits in autumn.

The abundance of rabbits near Chenwangzhuang is largely due to environmental factors.

In other places, there are quite a few, although the numbers are not as large. However, pesticides are not widely used in the mountains, especially in the forest farms, where there are many wild rabbits.

Chen Ling rode his horse and casually played for two hours, accumulating a long string of numbers.

We were not far from Huangni Town, so we rode there and gave most of the game to Han Chuang.

We had lunch and drinks at noon.

After returning to the county town, he went to the rural postman at the post office and asked him to keep an eye out for who was talking badly about him behind his back.

The rural postman had become familiar with him and said that he seemed to have noticed it a while ago. At first, no one said such things; it seemed that it was someone from some government agency in the county who first brought it up.

It wasn't until a temple fair that it spread widely.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling said he understood and asked him to inquire further before giving him the remaining prey.

Just then, he received a letter from him, so he stayed a little longer and read it.

It was a letter from Zhou Weijun, asking about Yu Qi'an.

He hasn't installed a telephone yet, so the only way to contact him is by calling him. If they don't call, Zhou Weijun and the others can only write him letters.

Zhou Weijun is at his wit's end.

Yu Qi'an, that old rascal, brought that girl to the mountains and hasn't heard back for months.

Even if his own family isn't worried, the girl's family is.

We couldn't get in touch with them, and we didn't know where to look for them. We even thought they had been kidnapped.

After the other parents came to their door, Yu Qi'an's parents realized that their son was at fault, but they couldn't contact him.

They had no choice but to ask around, eventually reaching Ma Wei, who then found Zhou Weijun and contacted Chen Ling.

It really took a lot of effort.

"That old bastard, when are we ever going to find Ma Yao?"

Chen Ling was speechless after reading the letter. The old man was still riding his own motorcycle, all he knew was taking his wife out to play.

"I have to go check it out, just in case something really bad has happened."

Some time ago, when Wang Qingzhong and his wife came, they said that Yu Qi'an sometimes stayed in Yaowangzhai and sometimes in the town, but most of the time the two of them would go deep into the mountains to find packhorses and some kind of birds.

Chen Ling didn't pay attention at the time.

Now that his family is pressuring him, he should at least find him and call them back. Ideally, he should bring Bai Huining back with him.

I can rest assured at home.

So Chen Ling returned to the village, told his family, and then, carrying his gun and leading the eagle, charged towards Fenglei Town in the afternoon.

Chen Ling galloped away on his horse at an extremely fast speed.

Since the trip to the provincial capital, Little Green Horse has recovered and grown a lot since it was put to rest. Its endurance and speed have both improved significantly.

Moreover, it is fast yet agile.

At this time of year, after the autumn harvest, there are many trucks on the road delivering grain to the government.

Despite Chen Ling's rapid horse speed, the little blue horse was able to dodge very nimbly.

When encountering a small stream or a narrow stone bridge blocked by a donkey cart or similar object, this spirited horse will disregard everything and charge forward even when it is far away, then leap high into the air from the riverbank and fly across in one go.

This left everyone speechless.

Then look up at the eagles in the sky, and without saying a word, everyone knows who this person is.

The sound of discussion lingered.

Chen Ling ignored everything and just kept riding forward.

However, this won't always be the case.

When they arrived at Changle Township, since it was a good day and several families in the township were getting married, they couldn't just ride through like that.

But when they arrived at the archway, Chen Ling was about to take a detour through the village.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the wedding procession not far away, and the onlookers scattered in all directions, with shouts of panic echoing everywhere.

Chen Ling quickly told the little blue horse to slow down and stop. Then, after passing through the stone archway, he looked over there and saw a large, black creature covered in persimmon juice climbing down a persimmon tree next to the temple. It was opening its mouth and howling, clumsily trying to climb down.

"Holy crap, a giant bear ran down the mountain?"

Just as Chen Ling was surprised, he then noticed that there was another black bear in the chaotic crowd, standing in the wedding procession, being loudly frightened and driven away by the people who had come to their senses with various weapons.

"Good heavens, not only has the bear come down the mountain, it's also coming down to stop the bride."

Seeing this, Chen Ling also found it novel and quickly spurred his horse forward.