My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 738 New Forest and New Species

"Ah I?"

Chen Ling looked troubled: "You might not believe it, but I have so many complicated things to do right now..."

He listed out all the things he was going to do, including writing a thesis, writing children's stories, growing crops in greenhouses, and selling puppies.

The deputy director was speechless.

Then he firmly grasped Chen Ling's hand: "Brother, you don't need to be there every day for this, and you won't be busy at all throughout the year..."

And to be honest, we only feel at ease with your involvement. Like Professor Han and his group, you'll have an official position, making it easier for you to raise tigers and whatever else you want.”

After listening, Chen Ling paused for a few seconds, thought for a moment, and then nodded and said, "Alright, since you've said so, let's go back first, have a meal in the village, and then talk in detail."

To put it bluntly, this matter is similar in nature to the forest ranger status that Professor Han previously arranged for him.

In short, these people believed that with Chen Ling's animal taming abilities, having him join the project would give them an ace up their sleeve.

After a brief exchange, we prepared to head back.

The zoo's vehicle had a flat tire, so the little sheep took out a steel cable, tied it up, and used a tractor to tow the vehicle back.

However, walking like this takes a bit of time.

It's almost noon, and we'll probably reach the village in the late afternoon.

Let's find a place to eat nearby.

Fortunately, this place is not too far from Huangni Town.

There are many kinds of food in Huangni Town.

They slowly walked around it.

We had a meal and drinks in town.

During the meal, besides talking about Chen Ling's recent affairs, they mostly talked about tigers.

They also mentioned that because of Ah Fu and Ah Shou's appearance on television, they received contact from overseas who wanted to arrange a blind date for the tiger.

Chen Ling laughed as soon as he heard that.

Isn't this just like mating dogs with pigs? They see someone raising a good breed, so they come over to breed with them?

The deputy director said that's what he meant.

But tigers are more independent.

This means that tigers are more selective. Unlike other animals, they don't become restless and impulsive when they are in heat, and the male and female mate immediately. If they don't like each other, they will refuse to mate no matter what.

If someone interferes and gets angry, things can easily go wrong.

After all, fights between tigers can sometimes be all-out, resulting in dead or injured tigers, which is unacceptable for zoos at this stage.

Now that the conversation had reached this point, regarding the two types of zoos, Chen Ling said that he would help whenever he could, doing only what he could.

The little lamb followed along the whole way, and now he admires Chen Ling even more.

She's not even as old as him, yet she knows so much.

And it seems like they're good at everything.

……

"Fugui, you're finally back! I need to talk to you about something." As soon as we arrived at the threshing ground at the village entrance, Yu Qi'an jogged over.

"What's wrong? Has something happened with Dujuan?"

Chen Ling asked hurriedly.

"No, no, Dujuan is fine, it's a village matter."

Yu Qi'an waved his hand and shouted across the stream up the slope, "Teacher He, Secretary Zhang, come out quickly, Fugui is back."

On the slope, in Wu Fei's small courtyard, He Jiawen and Secretary Zhang, along with a large group of people, came out noisily.

Chen Ling glanced around and saw that Li Weiguo and several other police officers were also in the crowd, each carrying a gun.

Moreover, these people were all covered in dirt and sweat.

What happened?

"Fugui, you're back just in time! We went to the mountains. We'd always heard how fun your hunting was, and we wanted to try it too. But when we got there, Teacher He and the others made some interesting discoveries..."

Secretary Zhang came over and said with a smile.

Chen Ling then learned that after he went to pick up the people from the zoo, they hadn't eaten. Instead, after hearing that He Jiawen and the others were going to continue working in the mountains that afternoon, they suddenly had the idea to go hunting in the mountains.

When leaders go into the mountains, safety is of course the top priority.

So they sent men, all armed with real guns, to take a stroll in the mountains.

Considering that many people have never been to the mountains.

They were heading towards the west side of the mountain, where the slope is gentler and there is frequent foot traffic, making the path easier to walk.

indeed.

This place is more friendly to people who have never been to the mountains before.

Moreover, there was plenty of game this year, and with the help of the villagers, they managed to hunt quite a few small game, giving the guests a great time.

Having enjoyed themselves to the fullest, their spirits were high, and before they knew it, they had wandered further and further away.

They brought guns, and since it was daytime, they weren't afraid of being outnumbered.

When they arrived deep in the Western Hills, they discovered a strange forest.

"Fugui, look, this is the place. There are many bird nests inside, and many small holes on the ground, holes from some unknown creature..."

He Jiawen took out a booklet containing their hand-drawn illustrations, drawn to scale, from various angles.

Chen Ling looked around, somewhat confused: "Where is this?"

"Huh? You haven't been there?" This time, it was He Jiawen and the others who were dumbfounded.

"No." Chen Ling shook his head.

This manual is well-drawn and quite realistic.

However, Chen Ling had never seen this terrain before, and the trees on it were completely unfamiliar.

Next to the woods is a valley.

Moreover, there are quite a few different kinds of trees in this forest, and He Jiawen and his group have labeled the trees with their names.

Chen Ling had never heard of the names of several of the trees.

There were also tree species that none of the teachers recognized.

Not only are there many kinds of trees, but the area occupied is also quite large.

Judging from the area marked on the brochure, it's comparable to the small sinkholes that Chen Ling visited.

"Hmm? Right, the sinkhole?"

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat as he wondered if this might be yet another sinkhole.

He Jiawen began to explain, "This place is indeed a bit hard to find. The terrain around West Mountain is relatively flat, but this forest is hidden among the steep peaks and ridges between West Mountain and South Mountain..."

Surrounded by cliffs on all sides, the entire valley resembles a large-bellied bottle.

If we hadn't chased after a herd of deer, we wouldn't have discovered this place.

"A big-bellied bottle? We've never been there before!"

Chen Ling shook his head again, and at the same time, he was certain that this place was not a sinkhole.

But if it's between Xishan and Nanshan, then it should be along the innermost part of Shanzhonghu, where the terrain is treacherous, and Shanzhonghu was previously regarded as Yerengou (Wild Man's Gully).

Then this place, hidden deep within, is even less known to others.

At the same time, I was quite puzzled.

Last year, when I went boating on the mountain lake with Zhao Dahai and the others, we also went to the deep part of the lake.

There weren't such conspicuous trees back then.

Moreover, he had been to every place in the surrounding mountains.

This place is much closer than the sinkhole.

But why don't I have any recollection of it?
"What interesting things did Teacher He discover in this place?"

"There are new species, plant-based, several kinds, and it's hard to tell them apart at first."

At this point, He Jiawen's expression turned serious: "We also saw the black leopard you brought back last time; it flashed by in the woods."

There should be the animal trail you mentioned nearby, or it might be a trail specifically for herbivores.

The deer we were chasing kept running in that direction.

This terrain is what these animals rely on for survival.

After He Jiawen finished speaking, the female teacher, Ms. Li, added, "Moreover, we also saw the footprints of a large feline, bigger than a fist. They must have been left by your tiger..."

We also couldn't quite distinguish the other types of unfamiliar footprints.

If we're lucky, it might be a new species.

If you're a little unlucky, it'll probably be a subspecies of some kind of animal.

The teachers became more and more excited as they talked.

Chen Ling became increasingly alarmed as he listened, exclaiming inwardly, "Damn it! Could these tree species have been influenced by the spiritual energy of the cave to have emerged? Otherwise, I would have known about this place!"

"Nature is amazing. There are so many things we haven't discovered yet. We had a great hunting trip this time, and Teacher He and the others also made some new discoveries. This trip to the mountains was a very rewarding one."

Secretary Zhang spoke with a smile.

As he spoke, he was holding a wild rabbit tightly in his hand.

The leaders behind them also had their own hauls. One chubby, middle-aged man with sweaty eyes, from the municipal bureau, had short arms and couldn't hold things well, so he held a deer he had hunted in his arms and peered around to listen to their conversation.

Old Wu and the others were so happy they couldn't stop smiling.

I experienced the joy of hunting for the first time.

He Jiawen and the others changed from serious to excited smiles: "We thought Fugui knew about this place. Since you didn't know either, it means this place is a virgin territory that no one has been to and has never been discovered. Let's study it ourselves."

Teachers believe in science and don't associate anything mysterious with it.

Unless Chen Ling takes them directly into the cave, they would never make that connection.

"Well, since we've all made some gains, let's have the TV crew take a few more photos of us, and have a group photo taken."

Secretary Zhang continued speaking.

"Huh? Why are you still filming?" Chen Ling hasn't been home for most of the day.

"What do you mean by 'still filming'? Your village has so many things worth promoting, why don't you film them and let people see them? If you have good things, you should show them off."

Secretary Zhang patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "It's only because of you, Xiao Chen. If it were anyone else, they would fight tooth and nail to get the chance to show their face. You're always trying to hide in the back, that won't do."

Ok.

Chen Ling decided to cooperate.

The main issue is that he already talked about what he wanted to promote during his speech in the morning, like cows and dogs, so there was no need to repeat it.

The zoo staff, however, seemed quite pleased with this.

They never mind the hassle of interviews and other procedures.

Despite their advanced age, Wu Lao and his two groups were even more interested in taking photos with their prey and were less afraid of the hassle.

I was even worried that I hadn't taken enough photos of them.

(End of this chapter)