Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 164: Filial Piety

Chapter 164: Filial Piety

After riding in the mountains for nearly half a day, Zhuo Feng was indeed tired, so Xiao Xian let her go wash up in the house first.

The village conditions were not yet good enough to have showers, so bathing was just pulling the curtains in Xiao Xian’s room and wiping down as necessary.

Xiao Xian sneaked a few bites of food in the kitchen, but Sister-in-law Lian chased her out with a spatula.

She rounded to the outside of the house, wiping the dining table. Zhu Shijun had already picked a melon, setting it aside, while the old man did not notice Xiao Xian coming over and started hoeing the soil with a hoe.

Still swinging the hoe, he dug up the melon vines that had been stripped of their fruit. The old man was skilled when working the field, not at all like the corrupt official Zhuo Feng described him as.

After finishing the hoeing, Zhu Shijun also picked up some lumps of mud, crushed them with his hands, and threw them back into the field. The old man’s care for the soil was well known—"Soil is the lifeblood of farmers," a phrase often on his lips.

"Grandpa?" Xiao Xian called out.

"Are you not going in to keep your aunt company? She hasn’t seen you in years. What, don’t remember her?" Zhu Shijun turned around with streaks of sweat on his face. Through Xiao Xian’s eyes, he could sense something different. Had Zhuo Feng told her everything? That her past and her parents’ demise were all his fault?

Zhu Shijun wasn’t too saddened, as the truth would have come out someday; it was just a matter of time.

"I don’t remember, Xiao Xian only has one family member," Xiao Xian said, picking up the melon.

A single family member, that statement was sweeter than the sweetest melon, sweetening Zhu Shijun’s heart to the core. Yet it was also incredibly sour, making Zhu Shijun’s heart ache.

"Xiao Xian, do you remember Grandpa told you, one should live with no regrets. Grandpa doesn’t want you to have any regrets," Zhu Shijun looked as his granddaughter moved to the front of the house, sighing to himself.

Perhaps his life, Zhu Shijun’s, was indeed coming to an end in this little mountain village, but his granddaughter could not stay here forever.

This was the decision the old man had reached alone in the house, after several hours of thought, while Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng were out.

Sister-in-law Lian’s cooking skills were praised by Zhuo Feng. Zhuo Feng, a typical urban young woman, had never farmed or cooked. Watching Sister-in-law Lian bustling in the kitchen, quickly serving a variety of dishes, she couldn’t help but flatter her.

Three cold dishes included: fresh cucumbers picked from the vine just hours ago, rinsed with well water, smashed silently with the back of a knife, cut into bite-sized pieces, then sprinkled with garlic and chili-soaked salt water.

Unripe tomatoes, sliced into wedges with a knife, sprinkled with white sugar. Chicken feet, bought from the village store and braised, fell off the bone with one bite.

The hot dishes were more elaborate; the big fat fish the village chief had caught was neither steamed nor made into soup, but braised with distiller’s grains. A true rural culinary method, the grass carp has an earthy taint, fortunately, its flesh was fine. Portions left from wine brewing eliminated that taint, making the fish flesh tender and aromatic. This dish was Sister-in-law Lian’s specialty. As soon as the fish was served, not only Xiao Xian, but even Zhuo Feng, the "big troublemaker," couldn’t control themselves and indulged heartily.

Enjoying the fresh and savory fish, there was also a wild mushroom duck soup. In summer, drinking chicken soup is too heating, so Zhu Shijun had Sister-in-law Lian buy a three-pound old duck from a neighbor and cook it with morels, finishing the pot with a pound of homemade noodles just before serving. Zhuo Feng ate three bowls before she finally stopped, only to sigh at the last dish, plain pork slices.

Along with slices of melon, all the sultriness of the day was driven away by the lingering sweetness on the taste buds. Zhuo Feng wanted to help wash the dishes but was stopped by Xiao Xian.

Xiao Xian was pumping water at the wellhead, skillfully washing pots and pans. Zhu Shijun turned on the radio, just as he had done on hundreds of nights before Zhuo Feng’s arrival, listening to the broadcast.

Xiao Xian poured the dishwater behind the house, the sound startling the fireflies perched on the melon vines, causing them to fly up. Time flowed like water from a hand-pumped well. Zhuo Feng felt all her fatigue vanish, convinced that such a life might not be so bad after all.

"Miss Zhuo," Zhu Shijun had finished listening to the radio, joining Zhuo Feng in watching the twinkling around the melon vines, his eyes also shining, "If you’re interested, why not stay in the mountains for a few days? I’ll have Xiao Xian pack up and she can go down the mountain with you."