My 1995 Small Farm.

At that time, Hong Kong Island was indeed in a state of chaos.

It includes not only local forces on Hong Kong Island, but also forces from Taiwan Island and the Little Life area.

They come from all sorts of backgrounds, and you never know which side they're on.

Chen Ling happened to know people in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. When he opened his shop, everyone wanted to help him out, and Chen Ling appreciated this kindness.

We can bring them in when we open branches later.

Anyway, he's a tech stock, so he can make money effortlessly.

You get dividends without putting in much effort, as long as you have good character, are honest with him, and don't play tricks on him, then there's no problem.

Anyway, tech stocks are just tough.

By changing the formula at any time, results can be achieved again...

……

As night fell, thick clouds gathered over Hong Kong Island, completely obscuring the stars and moon.

At first, it was just a few raindrops tapping on the windowpane, making a soft "pat-pat" sound.

Gradually, the sound of rain changed from sparse to dense, from slow to fast, and finally merged into a loud "splashing" sound.

This was the first heavy rain in Hong Kong since the start of summer, and it came swiftly and lasted a long time.

Large raindrops pounded on rooftops, roads, and leaves, creating a deafening roar, as if trying to wash away the dust of the city.

The rain was loud, yet it carried a strange, peaceful power.

Inside the villa on the hillside, Chen Ling listened to the continuous sound of rain outside the window and felt an extraordinary sense of peace.

He got up and pushed the window open a crack, and cool, moist fresh air immediately rushed in, dispelling some of the stuffiness in the room.

Wang Susu was fast asleep beside him, and Kang Kang and Lele were breathing evenly in their cribs.

The sound of the rain, like natural white noise, enveloped the family, lulling them into a deeper sleep.

That night, I slept exceptionally well.

The next morning, the rain had already subsided, leaving only a lingering drizzle, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees washed by the rain.

The sky was slightly later than usual, and the indoor lighting was soft.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu were still embracing each other, hovering on the edge of sleep, when they heard a rustling sound coming from outside the bedroom door.

And the hushed, childish voices of conversation.

"Brother...Mom..." This was Lele's unclear, babyish voice.

“Hmm…Mom…” Kang Kang’s response was even simpler.

Next came the soft, clear sound of a small hand slapping against the door.

Chen Ling woke up first and chuckled to himself.

Wang Susu groggily opened her eyes and lazily asked, "What time is it? Have Kang Kang and Lele woken up?"

"Judging from the noise, the two little ones are up even earlier than us." Chen Ling put on his coat, got out of bed, and went to open the door.

When the door opened, the scene was so funny that it made people burst into laughter.

Kang Kang and Le Le, the two little babies, were only wearing their sleeping bibs and diapers, and were crawling on the soft carpet by the door.

As soon as the door opened, the two little ones immediately raised their faces. Kang Kang grinned and giggled, his mouth, which had just grown a few tiny teeth, drool dripping from his mouth.

Lele stretched out her little hand and clearly called out, "Daddy! Daddy!"

The little Tibetan Mastiff, Tiedan, had become the "follower" of its two young owners, squatting behind them with its pink tongue lolling out.

Its fluffy tail swept across the floor like a little broom, and its bright black eyes were full of excitement, as if saying, "We're all up!"

It seemed to want to rush through the door, but Kang Kang and Lele blocked its way firmly with their "crawling" tactics.

"You two little brats, why don't you walk properly and instead try to climb like Tie Dan?"

Chen Ling was both amused and annoyed. He bent down and scooped up the two dolls, one in each hand, like scooping up little rabbits.

"Look, his knees are all red from climbing!"

Wang Susu also sat up, looking at her children's antics, and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Yesterday they were imitating Tiedan to poop, today they're imitating him to crawl, are they going to be imitating him to gnaw on bones tomorrow? Just as naughty as Rui Rui when he was little!"

Just then, Wang Zhenzhen rubbed her sleepy eyes and poked her head out from the next room, complaining, "Sister, brother-in-law, Kang Kang and Le Le woke up too early!"

"They started babbling and trying to get down from their cribs just as dawn was breaking. I was so sleepy, so I picked them up and put them on the playmat, thinking I'd let them play by themselves for a while. But in the blink of an eye, they crawled away and disappeared. Turns out they came looking for you!"

Rui Rui was also woken up. Wearing a tank top and shorts, he ran out and saw his younger siblings being held by their father. He immediately pointed at them, his little face full of pride that said, "I'm a big kid."

"Daddy! Kang Kang and Le Le are being naughty! They're crawling like puppies! Rui Rui walks!"

Chen Ling was amused by her children and burst into laughter.

He gently rubbed the newly sprouted stubble on his chin against Kang Kang and Le Le's soft little faces:
"Did you hear that? Your brother is making fun of you! From now on, you should walk like your brother, understand?"

Kang Kang was tickled by the rubbing, and laughed even harder, kicking his arms and legs wildly.

Lele hugged her father's neck and babbled a string of "baby talk" that no one could understand. As she spoke, she curiously reached out to touch Chen Ling's Adam's apple.

The family laughed and joked as they began to wash up. The early morning interlude eased the post-rain chill, filling the air with the warmth of everyday life.

While eating breakfast, Rui Rui, with her sharp eyes, peered through the glass door leading from the living room to the yard and suddenly shouted, "Dad! Mom! Look! There's... there's a hedgehog in the yard! And... is that a snake?"

Wang Susu was startled upon hearing this and quickly went over: "Where are you? Don't frighten the child!"

Chen Ling also put down her chopsticks and walked to the window.

On the damp grass, near the flowerbed by the corner of the wall, a small, grayish-brown creature covered in sharp spines was curled up in a ball, looking just like a little hedgehog at first glance.

Beside it, there seemed to be a small, twisted, dark-colored object.

"It doesn't seem to be a hedgehog..."

Chen Ling had excellent eyesight, and upon closer inspection, he noticed that the little creature's body shape was different from that of a hedgehog, and its mouth was more pointed.

He gestured for his family not to get too close, and then gently pushed open the door leading to the yard.

Hearing the noise, the little creature jerked its head up in fright, revealing a pointed face with black eye patch-like markings, its eyes filled with terror.

It tried to escape, but its hind legs seemed unsteady and dragged on the ground.

"Oh, it's a mongoose!"

Chen Ling recognized it as a crab-eating mongoose, commonly known as "badger," which is relatively common in the mountainous areas of South China and Hong Kong Island.

They are known for catching snakes and rats.

The "snake" next to it, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a snake carcass that has been mostly eaten and is now just a small section remaining.

Little Iron Egg also came out. Upon seeing this uninvited guest, it immediately lowered its forelegs, made a "woo-woo-woo" warning sound in its throat, and made a move to pounce.

The mongoose was so frightened that all the sharp quills on its body stood up.

Actually, these aren't thorns, but rather fluffy hairs.

Startled, it curled up even more, trembling as it hid in the gap between several large flowerpots.

Only a small bottom and a slightly trembling tail tip were visible.

"Tiedan, come back!" Chen Ling shouted in a low voice.

Little Iron Egg was still obedient. Although unwilling, it took a few steps back, but its eyes remained vigilantly fixed on the gap in the flowerpot.

"Ah Ling, what kind of wild creature is this? Will it bite?"

Wang Susu asked with some concern, blocking Rui Rui and Wang Zhenzhen, who were curious and wanted to come closer. "It's a crab-eating mongoose. It eats snakes and catches mice, and it also eats sea crabs and other crabs. It generally doesn't attack people unless provoked, and it's very timid."

Chen Ling explained, "It's probably because the rain was too heavy last night, and its den was probably flooded, or it chased its prey into our yard to take shelter from the rain."

Chen Ling observed carefully and found that the mongoose's hind legs seemed a little unnatural, and it was trembling slightly when it was curled up. There was also a little dried blood next to it.

“Look at its hind leg, it looks injured,” Chen Ling said to Wang Susu.

"Wow, really! Look at its hind legs, they don't even dare to touch the ground."

Wang Susu, with her soft heart, immediately felt pity: "In this heavy rain, and injured, how pitiful."

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat.

This was the first time he had ever been so close to the wildlife on Hong Kong Island.

He had only heard of this mongoose's ability to fight venomous snakes in his previous life, but this was the first time he had ever seen one.

He was inspired to try to save them, and also wondered if he could take this opportunity to observe the local species.

"Rui Rui, Zhen Zhen, go inside and get Dad's old towel, and find an empty fruit box," Chen Ling instructed.

"Brother-in-law, are you going to catch it? Will it bite?" Wang Zhenzhen asked, a little worried.

“It’s injured and afraid of people, so it probably won’t attack us unless provoked… Let’s be careful and help it heal its wounds,” Chen Ling explained.

The children quickly brought the items.

Chen Ling asked his family to step back a little while he slowly approached.

He found a long clothesline pole and gently moved the flowerpot to widen the gap.

Startled, the mongoose made a soft squeaking sound and struggled to hide further inside, but its hind legs made it clumsy.

Chen Ling seized the opportunity and cleverly used the clothesline pole to move it to an open area.

Startled, the mongoose lunged outwards, trying to escape, but its injured leg hampered its speed.

Chen Ling reacted quickly, grabbing an old towel and swiftly and accurately covering the mongoose with it, gently wrapping it up along with the mongoose.

The mongoose struggled in the towel, letting out sharp cries.

"Daddy is so amazing!" Rui Rui cheered.

Chen Ling carefully held it down through the towel to avoid being hurt by its sharp teeth and claws, and then gently placed it into a cardboard box lined with soft cloth.

The mongoose thrashed about in the box in fear, so Chen Ling quickly closed the lid, leaving a vent.

"Alright, caught it." Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

He opened a corner of the box and examined it carefully.

Sure enough, the mongoose had a deep wound on its right hind leg, as if it had been cut by something sharp. It was already red, swollen, and inflamed, and covered in mud.

It could also be due to the heavy rain last night and the struggle with the snake.

"The injury is quite serious and needs to be treated quickly. The weather in Hong Kong is hot and humid now, otherwise it will be troublesome if it gets infected," Chen Ling said to Wang Susu.

"Okay, you do it. What medicine do you need? I'll go get it." Wang Susu had great faith in her husband's ability to treat small animals.

Chen Ling thought for a moment: "First, clean the wound and apply some anti-inflammatory powder. Let me see if we have any potassium permanganate or similar products at home."

The family busied themselves around the cardboard box.

Chen Ling carefully held the mongoose down, while Wang Susu used a cotton swab dipped in warm salt water to gently clean the wounds on its leg.

The mongoose began to struggle violently, but under Chen Ling's gentle yet firm control, it gradually exhausted its strength and could only let out a pitiful "woof woof," its bright black eyes filled with fear.

After cleaning, the wound with the skin turned outwards was exposed.

Chen Ling sprinkled on some anti-inflammatory powder and then gently bandaged it with gauze.

Throughout the process, he was as gentle as possible, muttering incantations as if to comfort it: "Little one, don't be afraid, I'll heal your wounds, and I'll let you go once you're healed..."

Perhaps sensing Chen Ling's kindness, or perhaps exhausted from all the commotion, the mongoose gradually calmed down, lying in the box with only its belly rising and falling slightly.

After treating the wound, Chen Ling placed the box in a well-ventilated and shady spot in the yard, and put some water and a small pinch of chopped apple pieces in a small dish in the corner of the box.

"Let it be quiet for a while and let it calm down."

"Brother-in-law, will it die?" Wang Zhenzhen asked worriedly.

"It shouldn't be a problem. It's in good health, the wound was treated promptly, and it's not serious. Let's observe it for a day and see."

Chen Ling was very confident.

He planned to feed it some leftover crab shells from his own farm, which were all products of the cave and would help it recover faster.

This unexpected "mongoose rescue incident" added a surprising twist to the early morning.

The children were filled with curiosity about this brave little animal, and would often peek at it through the air vent of the box.

Tie Dan seemed to realize that this was not an enemy, and stopped barking, only occasionally sniffing the box out of curiosity.

Chen Ling looked at the cardboard box, making plans in his mind.

Saving this local mongoose gave him a more direct understanding of the ecological environment of Hong Kong Island.

Before leaving in a couple of days, I can discuss with Liang Yuemin about finding a few guides to take me for a trip in the mountains.

Let's see if there's anything good in these mountains.

If you have any, take them into your grotto and nurture them.

Of course, according to his own preferences, this good thing was more likely to be plant-based.

It would be even better if it had medicinal and ornamental value.

He would naturally accept any unusual little creatures like mongooses.

He has an inexplicable fondness for and desire to study all kinds of wild animals.

Encountering such an injured local "unique" creature naturally evoked the desire to adopt it.

Moreover, meerkats are agile and clever animals. If they can be rescued and released back into the wild, it would be good, or... maybe a new member could be added to my "zoo" in the future?
Although this guy is small, he's quite capable and rather interesting.

……

It rained last night, and the temperature is much lower today.

It's no longer so humid and hot.

The wet ground and the exceptionally green grass and trees, washed clean, were a refreshing sight.

A refreshing sea breeze blew by, and sunlight shone through the thin clouds.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass, which was very refreshing.

They had this peculiar little mongoose that was recuperating from its injuries.

The children would gather around from time to time, curiously observing this new "guest".

Kang Kang and Lele also opened their eyes wide and pointed at the small grayish-brown ball in the box, babbling away.

“Brother-in-law, it’s so small, it looks like a weasel,” Wang Zhenzhen commented.

Rui Rui nodded vigorously: "Yeah, small, just like Xiao Huang..."

"There are many varieties of mongooses. This one looks like a common small species. No wonder it's called a crab-eating mongoose; it probably eats mostly insects."

"And don't let its small size fool you, it's also a master snake catcher."

Chen Ling explained. (End of Chapter)