A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 68 The Little Yellow Ox is Gone

Shouts could be heard outside Zhang Niu's Happy Little House early in the morning.

Zhang Niu, who had crawled out of his burrow, saw that it was Auntie San from the village. Auntie San approached him and asked, "Zhang Niu, did you see my little yellow dog yesterday?" She looked a little anxious.

"What? Little Yellow? No! Didn't you put it over there on the hill to graze yesterday?" She pointed to a small clearing near Maotou Mountain. Little Yellow was a little yellow calf belonging to Third Aunt. In the village, a cow was considered a treasure. It was useful for plowing fields and wading. During the busy farming season, it could even earn some money for the family.

"Yesterday, I went back to the village for a while. When I came back, I found that Xiao Huang was gone. I thought he had wandered off and looked around. I thought he might have run to your hilltop, so I looked there too, but I still couldn't find him. I came over this morning to ask if you had seen him yesterday."

The loss of their cow was a big deal for them; they had seen cows go missing occasionally before. The main concern was that Little Yellow was only two years old, young and strong. Little Yellow only had two teeth. Uncle San usually herded the cows near Maotou Mountain. The grass there was lush, and most importantly, several wolves would occasionally roam around, so the little yellow cow had gradually become familiar with the area and didn't need much supervision.

"Third Aunt, don't worry. There's no use in worrying about losing Xiao Huang. Think about whether any outsiders or unfamiliar faces came into our village yesterday." Zhang Niu quickly thought of the possibility that it might be a cattle thief from another village.

"This... do you suspect it was stolen by cattle thieves from another village? My third aunt and uncle are also thinking of going to this place."

"Yes, things rarely go missing in our village. Occasionally a few chicks might be stolen, but that's usually just rats. Your little yellow one is so big. And now that it's spring, the price of beef has gone up," Zhang Niu said, expressing his thoughts.

"Thank you. I'll go back and ask Shengming at the village entrance to see if there's any news. I'll go back and ask."

"I'll go take a look here for you later," she called out to her third aunt and uncle, who were in a hurry to go back.

Zhang Niu went back inside and drank some hot water. He figured it was probably the work of cattle thieves from another village. They'd sneaked into Zhangjia Village at night a few times before. He figured they'd be sneaking into Happy Little House in broad daylight soon enough. His own wild boar cubs and big turtles might also be on their radar. Looks like he'd have to be extra careful these next few nights.

I found a hollow steel pipe under the bed and placed it next to my pillow. I can easily light it when I get up at night.

The villagers all say dogs have a keen sense of smell. They called out to Little Black and Big Wolf to go check the open space for any clues.

We arrived at an open space next to Maotou Mountain. This area wasn't part of Zhang Niu's contracted land; it still belonged to the village committee. A large patch of tender, green grass covered the land. Several households in the village that raised cattle or sheep would graze here for a while.

Several piles of black cow dung could be seen on the grass, and nearby puddles were covered with cow footprints. The calf usually grazed here. Spring farming season hadn't started yet, so the calf, which had been raised at home all winter, was brought here to fatten up. After all, during the busy farming season, it wouldn't have time to come here to graze.

"Little Black, go up and smell that scent," Zhang Niu called out to Little Black, who was standing at his feet. Zhang Niu wanted to see how Little Black would perform, to see if he was as brave as in the movies. But nothing like he expected happened; Little Black was still rubbing against Zhang Niu's trouser leg. Ugh... This guy really doesn't know any better...

The big wolf beside him was better; it had already rushed forward. It lowered its head and howled softly beside the cow's footprints as it walked forward. Zhang Niu patted Little Black a few times, "Look at your wolf brother, he should have found something. You should learn from them." Unfortunately, all he got in return was a few barks from Little Black.

Watching the wolves disappear into the tall grass, Zhang Niu followed to see if they really were cattle thieves from another village. If they did, he'd give them a good beating. Those wolves around him were no pushovers.

There was still quite a bit of dew in the tall grass in the morning. It dripped onto Zhang Niu's clothes, forming small watermarks. He could also see several faint muddy footprints underfoot; if he wasn't mistaken, they should be Xiao Huang's cow's tracks. However, Zhang Niu hadn't noticed any other footprints as he walked in.

As I walked further in, I saw some tall, bent grass on the ground. With the howling of a large wolf ahead, I wondered if it had discovered something. The thought flashed through my mind, and I quickened my pace, running forward. The edges of the grass even cut me, leaving a few small scratches.

The once lush thicket of grass suddenly cleared out, revealing a small clearing in front of Zhang Niu. In the center of the clearing was a deep, sunken pit, where the wolves stood and howled.

Zhang Niu had lived at Happy Cottage for so long and had never noticed such a deep pit in the empty grass. Walking to the edge and looking down, he saw a circular pit about four meters deep. The little yellow calf's front legs were bent over on the ground, its large eyes closed. He didn't know if it was dead or alive. Little Black was barking loudly beside it.

It turns out that Little Yellow fell into this deep pit after not being able to find him all night. This pit is so deep! I wonder who dug it. Little Yellow was just eating grass outside, and now he's wandered into this pit and fallen in. After Little Black barked loudly, Little Yellow opened his big bull eyes and opened his mouth, but couldn't bark.

Upon seeing the little yellow calf with its eyes open, the speaker shouted, "Little Yellow, don't worry. Just bear with it a little longer. We'll go into the village right away and ask the villagers to help pull you up." He didn't care whether the calf could understand him or not.

Seeing the pitiful state of the little yellow calf at the bottom of the pit, Zhang Niu told the wolves to watch over it while he ran out of the tall grass. The important thing now was to pull it up first. Judging from the situation, the fall wasn't light.

Zhang Niu, who is usually not very good at running, ran home with all his might, pulled out his tricycle, and sped off to the village.

You can see Uncle San and Uncle Shengming under the big camphor tree at the entrance of the village.

Seeing Zhang Niu covered in sweat, his third aunt called out, "Zhang Wa, did you find Xiao Huang?"

After catching his breath, he said, "Yes, your little yellow cow fell into a deep pit in the tall grass. We'll have to find a veterinarian to go with you later."

Upon hearing Zhang Niu's news that he had been found, Third Aunt's expression improved considerably. "What? You fell into a deep pit? And you were injured?"

"Yes, I came down to the village as soon as I found it, intending to ask the villagers for help. Otherwise, we really can't get it done."

"Is the deep pit you're talking about the round one?" Uncle Shengming asked from the side.

"Yeah, when we see it, we'll have to ask who was so heartless as to dig that deep pit." Zhang Niu was very annoyed by the pit.

Shengming said after listening, "Sigh. That deep pit was used a few years ago to catch wild boars. It was used and then left unfilled. What a sin."

"Enough talk, let's hurry up and find someone to go up. Third Aunt, go back to the village and get someone to bring a rope, and have Uncle Shengming take you. As for me, I'll go to Wangjia Village to call the veterinarian." Zhang Niu quickly made the arrangements.

"Thank you for your help."

After saying a few words, Zhang Niu turned and rode towards Wangjia Village.

After Zhang Niu rode away, the village loudspeaker blared. It's still more convenient to notify people this way.

Zhang Niu was lucky today. Any later and the veterinarian would have had to go out to deliver the baby. Knowing the situation, he arranged for his apprentice to go instead, and he himself went with Zhang Niu to Zhangjia Village to help.

When the veterinarian arrived at the overgrown grass at Happy Cottage, there were already quite a few people around the deep pit. Even the village chief caught up, carrying ropes and such.

The veterinarian, watching from the side, said, "It's a good thing you didn't just go down and bring it up. This cow broke its leg. Go cut some branches and tie them to the broken part later."

After saying that, someone went out and brought back two small round sticks. The veterinarian was carefully placed down and then carefully placed up. The village chief, on top, cut open a large hemp sack and made a pouch. Several sturdy hemp sacks from the village were stacked together to make a cloth pouch, which would make it easier to pull the calf up later, and the pouch would prevent the calf from dangling uncomfortably in mid-air.

Many hands make light work. A few thick hemp ropes were enough to pull the calf out. At the bottom of the pit, the veterinarian found a skeleton—clearly a sheep skeleton. Upon hearing this, everyone realized that last year, a sheep had gone missing while grazing in this area, having fallen into this deep pit. It was strange that the pit was located deep within overgrown grass, probably covered with weeds, so few people would venture into it.

The veterinarian went down with his aunt and uncle. The village chief, smoking a cigarette, said, "This pit... it's really a menace. If Zhang Wa hadn't found it today, this little yellow calf would have died here, and nobody would have known. Everyone, let's all do our part to bury this pit."

The village chief's suggestion was excellent. When he came, he brought shovels, hoes, and buckets. Zhang Niu also picked up a hoe and started working hard. The soil was quite soft due to the light rain a few days ago, and everyone was busy and enthusiastic.

A large group of people worked until noon to fill in the deep pit. Several small pits appeared next to it, but they were shallow and didn't matter.

When they came out, the village chief was eager to go back and check on the little yellow calf. Everyone was sweating profusely and feeling hot.

In the afternoon, Zhang Niu carried a shovel and dug tree pits in front of the pond by the bamboo house. With spring approaching, Zhang Niu also planned to plant some willows along the way, so that people could rest under the trees when it got hot in the summer, or go fishing, which would be a good way to cool off.

I dug several pits in the open space to plant ginkgo trees. I heard on TV last time that planting ginkgo trees is very profitable; the ginkgo trees planted in the middle of the county road cost 30,000 yuan each. They are six meters tall and thirty centimeters in diameter.

Ginkgo trees have a long flowering and fruiting period, taking nearly forty years to bear fruit. Only male trees can flower and bear fruit. I've already planted quite a few cycads, so I don't mind planting some ginkgo trees too.

In the afternoon, when Uncle San arrived at Happy House, he saw Zhang Niu digging a hole from afar.

"Zhang Wa, are you still busy?"

Zhang Niu stopped and realized it was his third aunt and uncle coming up. "Is the little yellow calf alright?"

"It's nothing serious. The vet said it's just a minor leg injury, and it'll be healed by the time we start plowing. I came up here today to invite you to my house for dinner tonight," Auntie said with a smile.

"Don't bother with meals or anything like that. It's a small matter. Anyone would help if they saw it," Zhang Niu waved his hand.

"It's not like we only invited you. We called everyone who helped today. After a long day, all we get is a simple meal."

Under constant persuasion from his third aunt and uncle, Zhang Niu, unable to withstand the barrage of criticism, had no choice but to surrender. The people of Zhangjia Village are generally honest; if someone helps during the day, they'll invite them for a meal in the evening or on another day. Small favors are fine, but big favors usually involve a meal together.

That night, Zhang Niu got others to drink a lot of alcohol. Staggering along the road, dizzy, he stumbled and fell several times by the roadside when he returned to Happy Little House. He went inside and lay down on the bed, snoring loudly.

In the middle of the night, Zhang Niu, who was still fast asleep under the covers, was woken up by the big wolf.

"What are you doing? Can't you let a person sleep?" he muttered.

Seeing no response, the wolf leaped back onto the bed, pinning Zhang Niu beneath it and licking him. The little one, fast asleep, was also awakened. He rubbed his fur with his tiny paws. Seeing the wolf on the bed, he was clearly unhappy. He squeaked and swatted at the air with his paws a few times.

The wolf, head bowed, howled softly towards the outside. Looking at Zhang Niu, he seemed confused. What was going on? It was rare for the wolf to come into the room at night; it seemed something was amiss outside. He grabbed an iron rod and groped his way out into the darkness. The night was bright enough to see far into the distance.

Just as he stepped out of the front yard and near the duck shed, he heard a very faint sound. Zhang Niu huddled behind a cycad, completely concealing himself. Having eaten a lot of fruit in the space, Zhang Niu's eyesight and hearing had improved considerably, allowing him to hear sounds from a distance in the darkness.

Zhang Niu was a little depressed. During the day, he thought there really were cattle thieves, but at night he himself was robbed. This was truly interesting. Fate really knew how to play tricks on people.

"Hey, are you sure that guy's asleep?"

"Rabbit, you're such a coward. What are you afraid of? The two of us can't beat him. Otherwise, why would we have come all this way to town?"

"I heard they have a big wild boar at their house, so we'd better be careful."

"You believe that? The villagers are all old fogies who believe whatever they hear. Who would keep a wild boar at home, let alone one weighing 300 jin? You're really exaggerating."

Zhang Niu overheard their hushed conversation and found it somewhat amusing. These two had no idea what was going on before trying to steal from him; they were incredibly audacious.

Since you've come to steal, don't blame me for being impolite. He whispered to the big wolf, signaling it to circle around behind him.

Behind the cycad, I saw them cautiously making their way to the duck shed. Damn, this guy actually knows what's valuable! If the big wolf hadn't come in and told him, he wouldn't even know the ducks were being snatched.

With Big Wolf and Two Wolves going up, Zhang Niu could just wait to go up and catch the people; that should be enough. Zhang Niu's thinking was correct. The two wolves, upon seeing the wolves, mistook them for domestic dogs and even pulled out meat buns laced with anesthetic from their small bags and threw them over.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late to run; the wolves had pinned them down. The one called "Pockmarked" even got a claw wound on his leg. After tying them up with rope, they learned that the two were local hooligans who did all sorts of bad things. They'd heard that ducks were selling well in town, fetching tens of yuan each, and they'd heard that Zhang Niu from nearby Zhangjia Village raised quite a few ducks. So that night, they'd taken their weapons and some steamed buns, intending to catch a whole sackful of ducks to take home.

Besides stealing ducks, they also mentioned stealing quite a few ducks and sheep from Zhangjia Village last year. Good heavens, they've really done a lot of bad things. I'll take you all to the village first thing tomorrow morning.

With a large wolf watching them in the middle of the night, the two dared not escape.

They brought the two men to the village early in the morning. The villagers, upon hearing they were former sheep thieves, immediately began to punch them repeatedly.

Second update. Please point out any problems so that I can make timely corrections.