A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 36 Little Black

We brought back Little Black from Happy House. Zhang Niu helped us pick it up on the way. Little Black was exceptionally excited to be in its new place. It wagged its little tail and ran around constantly. It even barked loudly at the little turtle that crawled into the house, seemingly regarding it as an intruder.

"Little Blackie, stop fooling around. They're like your brothers. They arrived before you. You should get along well from now on."

No sooner had he finished speaking than "King Kong" ran in from outside, followed by piglets. Upon seeing this, Little Black immediately scurried behind Zhang Niu, peeking out to secretly observe "King Kong" and the piglets behind him. In Little Black's eyes, even "King Kong" was a big guy.

Zhang Niu walked over and patted "King Kong," pointing to the little black pig behind him. "It's new here, so you all have to take good care of it. Don't bully the little black pig. Especially your King Kong's piglets." King Kong grunted in agreement. The piglets also stared curiously at the little black pig, which was smaller and thinner than them.

After Zhang Niu gave them a scolding, everyone knew that another guest had arrived at Happy Abode. They saw the little piglet quickly become friends with Little Black, and then, without warning, take Little Black to bully the little turtle, making them do somersaults. Sigh. These guys really are a handful. It seems we'll have to assign them some tasks from now on, especially the wild boar cubs. The wolf cubs have even learned to hunt mountain rats near the house.

The cycads and Buddha's hand citrons in front of the house have already been planted. Zhang Niu even secretly moved quite a few into his spatial dimension. Now the space is almost fully planted. With the addition of the cycads and Buddha's hand citrons, the space is a bit crowded.

The plums, nectarines, and cherries by the pond are all ripe and hanging heavily on the branches. Fish occasionally leap from the pond below, beckoning to the fruit on the trees. The eels are already as thick as a thumb; they must be quite large for their size here. Zhang Niu stares at the cherries on the tree, smacking his lips. Looks like he should pick some and taste them first; otherwise, his mouth will keep watering.

He picked a small plate of cherries. He grabbed a cherry and gently tossed it into his mouth. It melted in his mouth. Absolutely delicious! Zhang Niu continued eating them one by one. The small plate of cherries was gone in no time. Touching his slightly protruding belly, he thought, "Oh well, I'll eat them next time I come back." Before leaving, he even picked two nectarines to take with him.

Zhang Niu found Little Black playing outside. He carried it to the eel pond, ready to give the little guy a good wash. Having spent so much time at the market, Little Black already smelled bad. He put it in the water and started washing it with a brush. But Little Black was even more restless than a wild boar. It kept shaking its fur, spraying water droplets and soap suds all over Zhang Niu. Now Zhang Niu realized that bathing his pets was truly a hassle. He sighed and continued his struggle with Little Black.

Zhang Niu stood barefoot in the water, small fish occasionally swarming around his feet, gently nibbling at the surface. Zhang Niu looked quite content. These little fish nibbling at his toes was actually a good thing. On summer evenings, many villagers would sit by the stream to cool off, putting their feet in the water. Small fish would then come up and nibble at them, tickling them and making them quite excited. It was said that they were nibbling away dead skin, which was very good for health.

Holding the clean-washed Little Black, she returned to the front yard. As soon as she put him down, he shook off the water droplets, drawing another torrent of curses from Zhang Niu. She went inside to give Little Black the peaches from the table, only to find that the two peaches that had been there were now gone. "Little one!" "King Kong!" Zhang Niu roared like a lioness.

The obedient little one and King Kong quickly entered the house. Seeing their owner looking angry, the little one rolled its eyes, pointed at King Kong with its furry little paw, and didn't forget to bark a few times.

Zhang Niu chuckled at the sight. He hadn't expected the little guy, who had only learned to flatter a few days ago, to add another skill to his repertoire—slander. He wondered where he'd learned it all. Self-taught? That was amazing. In Zhang Niu's eyes, "King Kong" had always been a model of diligence. Just a little gluttonous, though.

Judging from the faint plum blossom marks on the table, it was clear the little ones had stolen food again, but surely they couldn't have eaten both of them. If he wasn't mistaken, King Kong was also an accomplice. Zhang Niu really had nothing to say about these two.

I retrieved three nectarines from my spatial storage, giving one to Little Black. I tossed the other two into the small pond for the little turtles to gnaw on. Don't underestimate these turtles; they devour the food from my spatial storage like a gust of wind. The peach pits are usually eaten by the wild boar cubs.

The next day. The phone rang. He answered and saw it was an unfamiliar number. A gruff voice came through the line as soon as he answered. "Hey. Is this Little Zhang from Zhangjia Village?"

"You are that person? I am Xiao Zhang from Zhangjia Village."

"I'm Jianzhulou's apprentice, Grandpa Wang's apprentice. I'm at the entrance of your village now. I don't know how to get there."

"It's you. There's a mountain path over there at the edge of the village. You can see it if you look. There's also a cedar tree by the roadside. It's easy to spot."

"I saw it. Come over and we'll talk." Then he hung up the phone.

The people building the bamboo house are coming. I should call the bamboo supplier and ask him to send up about a thousand kilograms of bamboo first.

I made a phone call. Luckily, someone was there. After explaining the situation, the bamboo supplier assured me that the bamboo would be delivered later and told me not to worry.

A moment later, I heard a car horn. A utility vehicle was driving in front, followed by a truck with an open roof. Scaffolding and safety netting were visible.

The car stopped in front of the pond. A tall, 1.9-meter-tall man wearing a white vest stepped out of the car.

Approaching Zhang Niu, he spoke in a rough voice, "You must be the Zhang family member who's building the bamboo house. My surname is Ma. You can call me Brother Ma."

"Let's go inside and sit down first. Standing is tiring for everyone." He gestured to Brother Ma.

Brother Ma told the men outside to unload all the tools and put them aside. Then he followed Zhang Niu into the front yard. As soon as they entered, they were startled by the large wild boar and a group of piglets in the yard.

"Is this your own pet?" he asked the little wild boar that had run up to him.

"I guess so! Bringing a golden guinea pig back could also be considered raising it, it's pretty much the same thing anyway."

Just as I finished looking at them, I spotted a small turtle basking in the sun on the sandy surface of the pond. "Could this be a baby wild turtle?" I thought, and ran over to the edge of the pond.

Zhang Niu patiently answered the question. "You have a good eye. Many people mistake it for a domesticated turtle when they first see it. It's quite funny."

What Zhang Niu didn't know was that Brother Ma often helped people build bamboo houses. He frequently ate delicacies, including wild turtles. He even personally went to the kitchen to check on things.

Brother Ma became interested in the quiet animals in the yard: wild boars, turtles, and even a little black dog that ran out and barked at him.

Second update! Please recommend and add to your favorites. I hope everyone will support me. A few words about replying to book reviews. My space has reached its limit, but I'll soon be moving to the second level.