Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 156: A Guest from Afar

Chapter 156: A Guest from Afar

Two years flew by in the blink of an eye, and it was June 2000.

The summer was scorching hot, and the shadow of the Big locust tree in front of Ge Village was reflected in the pond that had just been dug last year.

Several lotus plants with plump stems and leaves bore oil-green leaves, with pink and white buds half-open and half-closed. Occasionally, a breeze would sweep past, brushing against the buds and releasing a few strands of fragrance.

The cicadas on the trees chirped tirelessly, and the rice in the paddy fields at the entrance of the village was growing well. Villagers on the field ridge wore bamboo hats, and the eyes of the villagers under the hats crinkled with smiles; it was going to be another bountiful year.

"Ice pops for sale," rode a bicycle over the recently completed concrete road at the entrance of the village. The village was now completely covered with spacious tile-roofed houses with white walls and green tiles, and several well-off households had demolished their old houses and moved into small storied houses.

Electric poles stretched from the head to the tail of the village, ending at the grand ancestral hall, with rows of acacia trees about six or seven meters tall adorned with purple-pink cardamom flowers standing along the roadside.

Little Hai was sitting at the doorway doing his homework; behind him, an oscillating electric fan blew directly onto his bare back. From next door, bursts of animated sounds from a television series drifted over, and Little Hai glanced occasionally at the 18-inch black-and-white colored TV inside his house.

"Ice pops for sale, sugar water popsicles, black rice popsicles, cream popsicles..." Little Hai was instantly captivated by the vendor’s call outside. He felt his pocket where yesterday’s 50 cents, given by his drunken grandfather, still laid.

"Give me three popsicles, one cream and two black rice," ran out a timid little girl from a cluster of four connected tile houses in the village. Her dark bushy eyebrows, glowing red cheeks from running, and a pair of lively eyes stood out. The words for the popsicles she wanted tumbled out of her bright red lips.

Grandfather and Sister-in-law Lian liked black rice flavor, and she liked cream flavor, totaling exactly two yuan. Xiao Xian got the ice pops and seeing Little Hai sitting at the doorway, decided to buy another one. Feeling mischievous, she tossed the ice pop onto Little Hai’s homework. Little Hai quickly pulled his homework aside, but it was too late. Despite feeling like scolding Xiao Xian, she had just treated him to an ice pop, and besides, Little Hai had a soft spot for Xiao Xian.

Yet, he dared not say these words aloud; otherwise, Yezi from Dongnan Miao Village, who was fiercer than a wolf cub, would surely give him a harsh beating.

The Zhu Family’s girl, who hopped away, had grown just like the bean sprouts in Ge Village’s rice bins over these two years—suddenly tall and beautiful, academic performance outstanding. Grandfather had even said that Xiao Xian was supposed to go to junior high school in town later this year and advised him to work harder. However, Master Shanyin said that his current level was still below an average fourth grader in town; even Taohua from the temple could recite "goose, goose, goose" more fluently than him.

Little Hai felt troubled and suddenly found the cream ice pop less tasty.

The ice pop vendor had already pedaled away. Xiao Xian went back inside, shared one ice pop with Sister-in-law Lian, and was about to give the other one to grandfather when she found that he was nowhere to be found, both inside and outside the house. She heard that the village chief had just come to ask for help, mentioning that plants in a few acres of land on the back mountain were turning gray and had gotten diseased. Mr. Zhuong had accompanied them to inspect the fields.

Wrapped in wax paper, the cooling vapor rose from the ice pops. Xiao Xian, worried the pops might melt, hesitated about taking wireType coachella_to the back mountain as the ice pops might completely melt by then, and considering Village Chief Uncle Jin was also there, she felt a bit embarrassed to bring just one ice pop. She thought it might be better to give it to the neighboring neighbor instead.

Thinking this, Xiao Xian stepped out of the house, and after walking just a few steps, she heard a loud greeting.

"Xiao Xian, I was just looking for you. Look at the bracelet I’ve repaired," Yezi, now fifteen, had a voice that had deepened from a breathless boyish tone to a robust young man’s. He was already about 175 cm tall and sturdily built; his fists, used to swinging a silver hammer, frightened peers from adjacent villages with just a wave.

Yezi wore a white sweatshirt with a vest and trousers, embroidered with exquisite Miao embroidery on the collar and waist—a craft unmistakably from Yezi’s mother. Over the past two years, he had traveled and gained experience, becoming more astute, although his temperament was quite the same—headstrong and straightforward as a young bull.

"On such a hot day, did you run all the way here just to return the bracelet? You really must be looking for trouble. Here, for repairing my bracelet, have an ice pop," Xiao Xian took the silver bracelet from Yezi and scrutinized it closely. The bracelet now looked slightly different. The plum carving bracelet she wore had been carefully crafted by Li Quqi several years ago, already featuring an adjustable design to accommodate her growth. Adorned with nearly a hundred tiny plum buds, the bracelet gleamed brilliantly.