A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 99 The Welcome from the Family Animals

"You're out." Uncle San spotted Zhang Niu coming in from outside at a glance.

"Yes, I'm back. I just took a shower." He rubbed his still-damp hair.

"I heard from the village chief that you were back, so I rushed over to see you. I'm so sorry that I didn't report you to the Cultural Bureau last time," he said apologetically.

"It's still my fault. If I hadn't brought the stone tablet over in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."

Chairman Zhang watched from the side and chuckled, "Both of you stop arguing. To be honest, someone else has their eye on this stone statue."

"By the way, speaking of stone statues, Zhang Niu, do you know where your stone statue is?" Reminded by Chairman Zhang, he remembered the stone statue that had disappeared.

"I don't know, I only heard them say it was gone when I was inside." Zhang Niu naturally wouldn't say that he had taken the stone statue himself.

"It's a pity about the stone statue, and even the weapons in its hands." Clearly, Uncle San still cared a lot about the stone statue.

"But it's better that it's gone, so that no one will try to take advantage of it in the future," Chairman Zhang said.

They both nodded. "Yes, it will be quieter from now on."

The stone statue was gone. But a bundle of bamboo strips remained, which was better than nothing. The stone path was now inaccessible, and Zhang Niu considered burying the pit, then thought better of it and decided to use it as a water reservoir for watering in the summer.

"Everyone, stop chatting and come eat!" Mom called from inside the house.

Although he had already eaten quite a bit in the morning, Zhang Niu still planned to eat something else.

At noon, I had stewed old hen with fresh bamboo shoots; the aroma was irresistible.

It's early May now, the time when bamboo shoots are sprouting in abundance. We've dug up quite a few bamboo shoots at home these past few days.

Chairman Zhang really liked this dish; the combination of a year-old hen and freshly harvested bamboo shoots made it incredibly delicious.

I drank two bowls of Zhang Niuguang's chicken soup at noon, and kept smacking my lips after the meal, saying how delicious it was.

In the afternoon, Zhang Niu returned to Happy Little House.

As soon as he entered, a large group of wild boar piglets surrounded him, rubbing against his trouser legs in a very welcoming manner, though Zhang Niu thought they were begging for food.

"You wild boars seem to welcome you quite a bit." Looking at the whole group of wild boars in front of him, Chairman Zhang was a little envious.

"If we don't get close to the hot spots, we won't have anything to eat."

As soon as he entered the house, a dark shadow flew down from the roof beam. Thinking it was Big Red and the others, he picked them up and exclaimed, "Hey, the cat can fly!" Zhang Niu was very surprised; this guy could finally fly.

The cat in his arms, with its big eyes wide open, looked at its owner who was grinning foolishly, and raised its sharp beak to peck at Zhang Niu.

After pecking at it a few times without getting a response, it fluttered up and flew onto the roof beam.

Zhang Liangshan was in the kitchen when he saw the wild boars surrounding the doorway. He immediately guessed it was Zhang Niu returning, otherwise, there wouldn't be such a large group of wild boars gathered around. Each time he went to feed them, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Liangshan couldn't do anything about those wild boars, so they just ignored them.

I put down what I was doing and walked towards the courtyard.

"You're back. Did you have any trouble inside?" Liang Shan asked.

"See, everything's fine here. How's things at home while I was away?"

Seeing that Zhang Niu was alright, Liang Shan said happily, "He's fine. Not many people have come these past few days. I guess when the cherries ripen in a few days, a lot more people will come."

Picking cherries is a novel experience for city dwellers. Picking a few and popping them into your mouth in the orchard, the subtle sweetness makes the cherry-picking a truly enjoyable experience.

Many of the cherry trees in the yard have already started to turn red, their leaves glistening and translucent, making one want to pick a few clusters.

A large red bird perched on a treetop, preening its feathers. The sparrows in the distance dared not come down.

"Ah Niu, your hawk is quite capable, it can even guard the cherry trees." Chairman Zhang said with a smile, looking at the hawk in the tree.

"That's right, eagles and pigeons are fierce birds. This is the territory of the big red ones." Looking at the red cherries, they could be picked in a few days. It must be because I boiled too much water in my space!

Looking at the cherries on the tree in front of him, Chairman Zhang felt it was necessary to go back and pick up his granddaughter to come along; that little troublemaker would definitely love this place.

Zhang Niu had a good rest in the afternoon, since he hadn't slept well inside. Now that he was back, he quickly rested, lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep, not even waking up the little one who ran in from outside.

Zhang Niu slept until the next morning before finally stepping out of his room.

"You slept well, didn't you?" I heard Liang Shan's voice as soon as I stepped out the door.

Stretching out his limbs, he said, "Mmm, that feels good. I feel so energized."

Standing by the pond, looking at the frogs in the water, are you getting ready to fish and try your luck? They're at their fattest right now.

The cat was squatting by the pond, which made Zhang Niu a little curious. This guy can fly, so why doesn't he go down and catch it himself?

Owls usually like to hunt mice at night, but in Zhangniu, with Da Hong and the others around, mice are nowhere to be seen.

A red shadow landed on the ground, flinging out a frog. This guy still prefers to be caught by Big Red; he's so lazy.

I just threw the frog out. A dark shadow rushed over and snatched the still-hopping frog away.

"Little Black, come here," he called out to the shadowy figure.

Little Black has grown rapidly during this period; it used to be around knee-length, but now it's almost a meter tall. Its glossy fur makes Zhang Niu realize that this guy is developing really fast.

It's said that dogs and wolves are close relatives, and Zhang Niu thinks that makes a lot of sense. Now, Xiao Hei follows the big wolves around all day and has become fierce, but he's very good at bullying cats.

Now, they've started stealing the frogs from the cats.

The frog that was in his mouth had already been swallowed by Xiao Hei. The cat hopped around Zhang Niu's feet, pecking at Xiao Hei, and flapping its big wings as if Zhang Niu was backing it up.

I picked up the cat and patted its head. "You, if you can fly, you should learn to hunt. If I'm not home, this little black cat will bully you again."

The little cat, lying near Zhang Niu, stared at the cherry tree in the distance and purred softly. Zhang Niu looked up at the tree and saw the little one lying on a branch, looking in his direction, with a ripe cherry still on its paw.

This was probably Little One's idea. After a scolding, Little Black, with drooping ears, ran into the yard. The cat that had been struggling out was now purring by the pond.

Back here, Zhang Niu felt completely at ease and forgot all about what had happened in the past few days.

"I'm in a good mood."

Turning my head, I saw that it was Chairman Zhang who had come out.

"Yeah, I slept all day, so I came out."

While slowly practicing Tai Chi, he suddenly asked, "What are you going to do with the deep pit you dug?"

Zhang Niu, twisting and turning as he exercised, exclaimed, "Let's use it as a pool!"

"What! A pool? You really are something! Using a tomb as a pool? If the cultural relics bureau finds out, they'll be furious." He laughed heartily.

Zhang Niu, however, didn't seem to care at all. Since the stone statue was in his own space, he figured he could just keep it as a family heirloom. He shrugged. "It'd be great as a pool. In the sweltering summer, you could irrigate the fruits and vegetables. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I'm not going to say anything more. Young people think differently. I'm getting old." He continued practicing Tai Chi.

"Dinner's ready!"

I didn't expect Liangshan to make breakfast so quickly. Early in the morning, a thick fog blanketed the distance.

After breakfast, Zhang Niu went to Maotou Mountain to check on the chicken coop.

"How are the chickens doing lately? Have they gotten sick?" As I walked into the chicken coop, I saw Zhang Weimin filling a container with water at the door.

"Fortunately, there haven't been many cases of illness here lately." He then added, "I heard you got arrested by the police, is everything alright?" Zhang Weimin had heard about this earlier and asked Zhang Niu as he approached.

"It's nothing, thanks for your concern. It's all because of that brat Zhang Wu's mischief." Zhang Niu was furious just thinking about that guy.

"It's good that you're alright."

Just as I was about to go into the chicken coop to take a look, the five brown pheasants from last time darted out of the grass. They were much fatter than before, and the chicks were too. It seems they had a good winter.

Seeing Zhang Niu there, they weren't shy at all, and continued to look for food with their chicks.

"These guys are really relaxed right now."

Entering the bamboo shed, the smell inside wasn't too strong, which must be because the villagers clean it regularly.

It seems the people I hired are pretty good; they can work with peace of mind. But all things considered, there isn't much work to do usually. The only time I was really tired was when they helped plant melon seedlings.

The fruit trees on Maotou Mountain are quite different. Fortunately, the space is well-watered, and since it's the first year, the orchards there alone will produce a lot of fruit this year.

The chicken farm was a large shrubbery, which was later given to us by the village. The place was originally barren, and when some free-range chickens were brought over, we naturally went to the village to ask for a piece of land.

The bushes were surrounded by a bamboo fence, and a net was laid on the outside so that the mischievous chickens wouldn't fly out.

This place subsequently became Zhang Niu's chicken farm.

Second update. I only have a pitifully small number of votes, so please give me some!