My 1995 Small Farm.

The farm was peaceful, with the livestock pens undisturbed.

Chickens and ducks are put into cages, and cattle and sheep are ruminating, with only faint chewing sounds and occasional snorting noises.

In its spacious and clean stable, the little blue horse was somewhat restless.

Its large, bright eyes, still clear even in the darkness, darted around, and its ears perked up alertly, capturing every sound around it.

Listening carefully to the direction of the main house, the elderly couple, Wang Cunye and his wife, remained silent.

His eyes immediately flashed with a cunning light.

It snorted softly, almost inaudibly, and then, with its incredibly agile lips, began skillfully and carefully dealing with the reins tied to the stake.

The sturdy hemp rope, under the skillful manipulation of its teeth, gradually loosened and came apart.

"Plop..." The sound of the reins hitting the ground was barely audible.

The little blue horse proudly flicked its thick mane, took a step, and tried to sneak out of the stable.

Just then, in the nearby cattle pen, the little white calf raised its huge head.

It had already noticed the commotion beside it, its big, dark eyes filled with a human-like helplessness. It let out a low, gentle "moo..." as if to say, "Why are you being naughty again?"

Upon hearing the sound, the little blue horse stopped, turned its huge head, and approached the little white calf. It stuck out its rough tongue and affectionately, yet playfully, licked the little white calf's broad forehead.

Her warm breath seemed to soothe me: "Don't worry, my dear sister, I'm just going out for a walk to clear my head. I'll be back before dawn! It's so stuffy at home!"

The little white calf seemed to sigh, shook its head, but did not stop it any further.

It knew the horse's nature; though it appeared tall and mighty, it actually had a mischievous child inside it.

They especially enjoy going out "adventures" late at night when it's quiet.

Previously, Chen Ling kept a close watch on it at home, so it was more obedient. Now that "there are no tigers in the mountains," this "monkey" is naturally eager to become king.

Seeing that the white calf no longer objected, the little blue horse immediately perked up, and with light, almost joyful steps, nimbly leaped out of the stable.

Its four hooves touched the cold ground, and it excitedly stomped a few steps in place.

Then it raised its graceful neck, flicked its glossy mane, and its long, fluffy tail also stood up happily, like a proud flagpole.

It took light, springy steps, its hooves clattering clearly in the quiet night, before disappearing into the darkness outside the farm.

Under the eaves, the two giant tigers, Afu and Ashou, had actually woken up as soon as the little green horse started biting the reins.

Their massive heads rose from their folded forepaws, their amber eyes shining like tiny lamps in the darkness, as they glanced at the enormous figure that had sneaked away stealthily.

Afu let out a very low, somewhat helpless "ooh" sound, as if to say, "That big oaf, out having fun again."

Then, it let out a huge yawn, revealing its gleaming white fangs, and then shifted to a more comfortable position, burying its large head back into its front paws, continuing its tiger dream.

Ah Shou didn't even bother to lift his head; he just twitched his ears slightly before falling back asleep.

They were already used to this "old hand" horse that often stayed out all night.

Heiwa and Xiaojin merely glanced up at the direction of the courtyard gate, letting out barely audible hums, before lying back down to continue their loyal guard duties.

As long as no unfamiliar or dangerous presence approaches the farm, they choose to turn a blind eye to the nighttime activities of these "old residents".

Now, Little Green Horse, once it left the farm, was like a bird released from its cage, running wild with abandon.

It knows the roads and villages within a radius of dozens of miles as well as its own home.

It took off running along the village road, its pace not fast, but its steps light and steady, precisely avoiding potholes and stones even in the pitch-black night.

It first circled around Chenwangzhuang, its hoofbeats echoing far and wide in the quiet night.

It walked to Wang Laishun's door, sniffed at the crack in the door, and then wandered over to Zhao Yubao's courtyard, tilting its head to listen to the sounds inside.

Old Master Zhao was probably writing under the lamp, and a few coughs could be heard from time to time.

It's like a nighttime patrolman, inspecting the sleeping village.

Then it ran towards Changle Township.

Occasionally, a sliver of moonlight would peek through the clouds, illuminating its smooth, glossy back.

It traversed the fields and crossed the streams with practiced ease, and would even mischievously scare the wild rabbits sleeping in their nests by the field ridges.

Watching the gray shadow dart away in panic, it snorted triumphantly.

The streets of Changle Township were deserted, with only a few dim lights shining in the chicken farm.

The little blue horse slowed down and strolled along the street, occasionally stopping in front of a shop that smelled nice and nudging the door with its nose.

It even remembered that there were often piles of rotten vegetable leaves in front of the small shop next to the supply and marketing cooperative, so it went over and found a few withered cabbage leaves, which it crunched and chewed with relish.

After lingering in Changle Township for a while, it seemed unsatisfied and turned to run towards the more distant and bustling county town.

Its pace was extremely fast, and before long, the outline of the county town could be vaguely seen in the darkness.

The city is brighter at night than the countryside. Although it is late, you can still occasionally see pedestrians and bicycles carrying flashlights on their way home.

Little Green Horse seemed quite familiar with the county town.

It deliberately chose to go through those quiet alleys, and after many twists and turns, it actually arrived near the county committee's residential compound.

The environment here is tranquil and the trees are lush.

It paced back and forth in front of rows of bungalows, finally stopping in front of a house with a small courtyard.

This is the home of Liang Hongyu and Qin Rongxian, an elderly couple.

There are old trees in the yard with large canopies; it recognizes them.

As luck would have it, just as the little blue horse stopped outside the courtyard gate, curiously peeking out, two furtive dark figures crept over from the base of the wall on the other side.

These are two idle hooligans in the county town, one named Hou San and the other Wang Laizi, who often hang out in billiard halls and card rooms.

They had their eyes on Liang Hongyu's family for a long time.

Everyone knows that this old lady came back from Beijing, and her son and daughter-in-law both have respectable jobs in the city and the provincial capital, so their family must be well-off.

More importantly, they learned that Chen Fugui, a relative of this family, had taken his entire family on a long trip.

This family doesn't keep dogs like Chen Fugui's family, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
"Hey, get your eye on this place! The old man goes to bed early. Let's go in through the kitchen window at the back. I checked it during the day; the latch is broken. We can pry it open!"

Hou San lowered his voice and pointed to the back of the courtyard.

"Third Brother, is this reliable? I heard that this family... is related to Chen Fugui, the tiger breeder in Chenwangzhuang..."

Wang Laizi felt a little guilty.

"What are you afraid of! Chen Fugui took his wife and kids to Hong Kong for a good time! That tiger is much dumber than his dog, how could he possibly come into the city to catch us? Hurry up, make some money, so we can make a comeback tomorrow!" Hou San urged.

The two tiptoed around to the back of the yard, and sure enough, the kitchen window was ajar.

Hou San took out the knife he had prepared and began to pry open the already loose pin.

Just then, the little blue horse standing outside the front gate, with its large ears, keenly caught the subtle prying sound from the backyard, as well as the tense aura emanating from the two people that seemed out of place with the tranquil surroundings.

Although it is mischievous, it has a strong instinct to sense "malice" and "intrusion".

It immediately became alert, no longer peering out curiously, but instead taking small steps and silently circling around to the side of the yard.

Through the gaps in the fence, it saw two dark figures with their rear ends sticking out, intently trying to pry open the window.

The little blue horse's black eyes darted around in the darkness, seemingly flashing a mischievous glint.

Instead of roaring as a warning like Heiwa Xiaojin, it took a deep breath and then... moved!
It took a few steps back, then with a light running start, it lifted its front hooves and easily cleared the not-so-high wall, landing silently in the courtyard like a huge gray ghost!
The whole process was lightning fast and made almost no sound.

Just as Hou San pried open the latch and was about to open the window, he suddenly felt a gust of wind coming from behind him!
He instinctively turned his head—

"OMG!!!"

Under the moonlight, a black horse's head, taller and enormous than his, stared with a pair of large, copper-bell-shaped eyes and bared its striking white teeth, almost touching his face!

The hot breath exhaled from the horse's mouth, carrying the fishy smell of hay, sprayed directly onto his face!
Hou San was so frightened that half of his soul flew away. His legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud. He scrambled backward on his hands and feet, making a hoarse, choked sound in his throat. He couldn't even scream!

Hearing the sound, Wang Laizi turned his head, and what he saw made him tremble with fear:

A gigantic, monstrous horse reared up, its two large front hooves whistling through the air, about to trample him down!

The shadow instantly enveloped him!
"A ghost...a ghost! A donkey-headed wolf!!"

Wang Laizi let out a shrill, distorted scream, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted instantly, his crotch soaked with sweat.

Little Green Horse looked at the thief who was paralyzed with fear and the other who was fainted, and seemed quite satisfied with his "masterpiece".

It didn't continue its attack; it simply lowered its front hooves, snorted, and sprayed Hou San's face with spittle.

Then, with a leisurely turn, he nimbly leaped over the fence again and disappeared into the darkness at the alley entrance. His merits and fame remained hidden.

As soon as it left, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.

Liang Hongyu and Qin Rongxian were old and light sleepers; Wang Laizi's scream, though brief, had woken them up.

"Rongxian, what's that sound? It sounds like someone is calling?" Liang Hongyu sat up, putting on her coat.

Qin Rongxian also listened intently: "It sounds like it's coming from behind... Shall we go out and take a look?"

The elderly couple, supporting each other and holding flashlights, carefully opened the door.

As soon as the flashlight beam shone into the backyard, I gasped in shock!
Hou San was slumped down under the kitchen window, his face ashen, his eyes glazed, and his whole body trembling like a leaf.

Wang Laizi lay flat on the ground, unconscious, with a puddle of water beneath him.

The window had been pried open, and a dagger lay nearby.

"Oh dear! A thief has broken in!" Liang Hongyu exclaimed.

Qin Rongxian, having weathered many storms, remained relatively calm. He quickly stepped forward to check and shone his flashlight around, discovering fresh hoof prints in the corner of the courtyard wall.

A thought struck him, and he remembered something.

“Hongyu, look at these footprints…and didn’t we just hear the sound of horses’ hooves running by?”

Qin Rong first pointed to the marks on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, Liang Hongyu realized what was happening: "This...this hoofprint is so big...could it be...the little blue horse from the Fugui family?"

"Cunye said it likes to run into the mountains, so how come it's come to the city again? Or...did it scare the thief into fainting?"

Thinking of that magnificent horse that was intelligent yet often stubborn and liked to roam at night, the old couple looked at each other, feeling both fear and amazement.

At this moment, the neighbors were also alerted and got up to check.

Someone recognized Hou San and Wang Laizi and immediately shouted that they were going to report the case.

Soon, the police from the local police station arrived and took away the terrified Hou San and the unconscious Wang Laizi.

After inspection, there was no damage to the house except that the back window had been pried open.

It was a false alarm. After reassuring their neighbors, the elderly couple returned to their house, but they were wide awake.

"My God, what a blessing!"

Liang Hongyu patted her chest, "If it weren't for... if that horse hadn't happened to pass by, we would have been in big trouble tonight!"

Qin Rongxian was also still shaken: "Yes, who could have imagined it? That little blue horse is really something else! How did it know there were thieves here? And why did it have to come at this time?"

"Do you think it recognizes our family? Does it know that Fugui is on good terms with us and came to help us?" Liang Hongyu guessed.

"Who knows, this horse might be quite intelligent!"

Qin Rongxian sighed, "None of the things raised by the wealthy are simple. Afu and Ashou guard the mountains, Heiwa and Xiaojin watch the house, and this blue horse... could it be on night patrol?"

The elderly couple found it increasingly amazing as they talked about it.

Remembering her son's previous instructions to call if anything happened, Liang Hongyu said, "No, I have to tell Yuemin about this again, and have him tell Fugui as well."

"This horse ran out in the middle of the night, it's done a great job this time, but it would be bad if it got lost or startled someone next time."

So, Liang Hongyu dialed the number on Hong Kong Island.

The person who answered the phone was Liu Yinhuan.

"Mom? Why aren't you asleep yet? What happened?" Liu Yinhuan asked nervously when she heard her mother's voice.

"Silver Ring, it's alright, it's alright, it was just a false alarm..."

Liang Hongyu recounted everything that had just happened, focusing on how the little green horse "descended from the sky," frightened the two petty thieves into unconsciousness, and then drifted away.

Liu Yinhuan was stunned when she heard this on the other end of the phone, and quickly handed the phone to Liang Yuemin next to her.

After hearing this, Liang Yuemin exclaimed in amazement, "My God! Is that even possible? A young horseman sneaks into the county town at night and bravely captures a petty thief? This is practically a story worthy of being included in 'The Strange Tales of Hong Kong'!"

"Mom, I'm so glad you and Dad are alright! Thank goodness! I'll go tell Fugui right away; his horse has done a great service!"

"But we also have to say something to him. He needs to keep a close eye on the horse; it's not good for it to keep running off..."

"Sigh, I know, Mom. I'll let Fugui and Susu play outside for a few more days. Actually, I just talked to Fugui about the little green horse today, and I didn't expect it to come out again tonight." (End of Chapter)