Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 159 - 2: Little Reunion (Third Watch)

Chapter 159: Chapter 2: Little Reunion (Third Watch)

Zhu Shijun’s face tightened after hearing those words, and he spoke with righteous indignation, "Da Fu, you don’t have to be polite, I am happy to help. For someone like me, who feels like a burden wherever I go, being able to serve the villagers a bit is hardly a hardship."

"Go back; Sister-in-law Lian just told me to let you go back early. Xiao Xian has gone to buy popsicles; if she can’t find you later, she’ll complain that I love bossing people around again," Jin Dafu did not retort any further, knowing the elder’s temperament. He was not as shrewd and meticulous as the elder, but in some ways, they were similar; for example, even though he was old and retired, he still refused to rest.

As Zhu Shijun and the village chief walked, they talked about the changes in the village over the past two years—the newly-built houses by the villagers, and who had taken a bride from the town as a daughter-in-law. When they reached the entrance of the village, the village chief admired the neatly pruned red-bud trees, "Old sir, these trees really look good, they grow well and don’t get insects."

"That’s the red-bud. Originally, it’s a foreign species; I don’t even know how Xiao Xian found one on the mountain. This kind of tree is easy to propagate by cuttings. I managed to propagate a few casually, and over a year, I planted more and more. The village needs to build roads. When San Gouzi and I were discussing the trees for greening, I thought of the red-buds that survived. Our village has always been planting rice which isn’t great; having a single crop won’t help in restoring the land’s fertility. The country has entered the World Trade Organization in recent years... which means there’s a possibility to buy foreign rice, so we need to be prepared. If possible, find a few nimble villagers to learn the cutting technique from me; by then, red-buds could be one of the reserve crops for the village." After hearing what Zhu Shijun said, the village chief then understood why the old man had recently suggested digging a pond at the village entrance and proposed improving the wild chestnut trees in the village.

"Old sir, there are so many crops; the villagers can’t learn them all at once. Besides, you are just one person; how can you handle so many things by yourself?" Like many other villagers in Ge Village, Jin Dafu was content with the current situation, thinking it was already quite good without aiming for something as big as picking watermelons over sesame seeds.

"Propagating isn’t something I have to do myself; Xiao Xian, that girl, has a natural talent for gardening. Every time she cuts branches and sticks them in the ground, they grow. She’s going to junior high school in town next semester. There’s still a month or two left now, and the farm work in summer isn’t busy—it’s a good time to organize some training." Zhu Shijun knew the nature of the village chief well; it was better to be strict.

"That’s settled," the village chief agreed. At the village guesthouse ahead, Sister-in-law Wangcai saw them coming and greeted Zhu Shijun, "Old Sir, there are visitors at your place."

"Visitors?" Zhu Shijun, living in Ge Village, was seldom visited, and from Wangcai sister-in-law’s expression, it didn’t seem like someone from the police station.

"It’s a young lady in her twenties, looks like she’s from the provincial city; I showed her the way to your house," Sister-in-law Wangcai kindly said.

A lady in her twenties, Zhu Shijun felt a lump in his throat as if he was choked by thick phlegm; without even finishing his conversation with the village chief, he quickly walked towards his home. What must come, will come; seeing Zhu Shijun’s unusual behavior, the village chief also ran after him.

Inside the Zhu Family’s tiled house, in front of Zhuo Feng sat a bowl of white tea, fragrant and inviting, but the steam had already dissipated. After brewing the tea, Xiao Xian sat at the square table without saying a word.

Served were ordinary, large porcelain bowls, cleaned thoroughly, giving off no hint of greasiness. Zhuo Feng sipped the tea, surprised by the subtle fragrance of the brew, then started to examine the furnishings in the room. Compared to the decor four years ago when Xiao Xian had just arrived in Ge Village, not much had changed in the Zhu family house, the square table looked even more worn, along with a few still sturdy stools. On the dinner table, there was only an old-fashioned radio. Different from other villagers, the Zhu family still hadn’t bought a television.

Xiao Xian showed little interest in the vivid characters on TV; she’d rather sit with the old man at the front door, fanning herself and enjoying the natural breeze, listening to the radio broadcast for hours.

Looking from the dining room towards the kitchen, only a few potatoes piled in a corner could be seen, along with a string of dried chili peppers strung up last year.

So simple, Zhuo Feng felt a pang of heartache looking at it; these past years, Xiao Xian must have suffered following Zhu Shijun. After surveying the simple and basic furnishing of the house, Zhuo Feng came to this conclusion. City kids could hardly endure such a poor and bare life.

Yezi had already left, seeing Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng’s expressions, he knew they must have some private words to exchange.

"These four years, have you been well?" Zhuo Feng couldn’t help asking.

"Pretty good, everyone in the village is kind, and Grandpa is very fond of me," After inviting people inside, Xiao Xian wasn’t idle either; she held a pair of scissors in her right hand, trimming some branches and leaves of red-bud.

"This is the red-bud, isn’t it? It’s not common in the country; I see your village has planted quite a few," Zhuo Feng, well-educated in her field, had a thorough understanding of plants and flowers. After tentative questioning and seeing Xiao Xian’s lukewarm responses, she knew that their emotional bond had grown distant over the years.

"The village has successfully propagated many; if you like, you can take some with you when you go down the mountain. Did you come here for something specific today?" Xiao Xian wasn’t naive; seeing Zhuo Feng’s evasive and roundabout questioning after entering, she had asked quite a few details about her life these past years.

"I’ve come to take you away, Xiao Xian; you can’t stay in the mountains forever. Your aunt has bought a house in Beijing, how about you come and live with your aunt and uncle? Look, I’ve brought you lots of fun and delicious things from Beijing," Zhuo Feng quickly opened her backpack and started digging things out. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)