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While the people of Taoyuan County were cheering, Qijia Village was filled with shock and surprise!
After the rain stopped, the livestock team got up and went to the stream to wash up as usual, but they were stunned by what they saw as soon as they stepped outside.
Oh my god.
Zuo Li, without even washing up, ran back with a basin, shouting, "Everyone, go out and check! The back mountain... the back mountain..."
Overwhelmed with surprise, even the usually composed Zuo Li began to stammer.
"What happened to the back mountain?" Xiang Rong asked, dressed and carrying a washbasin as she came out of the house.
Upon hearing Zuo Li's voice, the others also got dressed and came out, following Zuo Li out.
Aside from the gate, all you could see was lush greenery. The trees seemed to have grown much taller overnight, and the grass on the ground looked as if it had sprouted from the soil overnight, reaching over a foot in height and being so dense that you could hardly see any soil at all.
“This wasn’t the case on our back mountain yesterday!” Professor Wang frowned and pondered. Although she didn’t understand botany or climatology, such a drastic change overnight was unscientific.
Even though she prided herself on her extensive knowledge, she couldn't understand it.
"Yes, yesterday the grass on the mountain was dry and withered, and the leaves on the trees were scattered everywhere," Old Man Qi said in surprise. "It's really strange. Could it be... could it be that our Qi Family Village is really a blessed land, just like the rumors say?"
"What are you talking about? So superstitious!" Old Man Bai retorted, not believing in such things. "It must be because it rained. With rain, the trees will naturally grow so lush."
"But it happened overnight, don't you find that strange?" Old Man Qi said, "It's like it was cast by a magic spell, turning into this overnight."
The crowd was speechless, exchanging glances, unable to explain this phenomenon.
"Zuo Li, go and tell the village secretary so he's aware of the situation," Old Man Qi instructed. "Whatever, it's going to rain, and a mother will remarry. We should eat and drink as usual. Everything has its destiny!"
Qian Shikun laughed heartily and said, "That's well said. Anyway, a green mountain is always more pleasing to the eye than a bare one."
“That’s true, it’s much easier to cut grass now, we don’t have to go so far,” Sun Sihao said. There were nearly thirty livestock of all sizes, and they all had a big appetite. There was no grass on the nearby hillside, so they had to dig it up from there, which could be dangerous.
Upon hearing this, everyone felt relieved. Yes, everything has its destiny!
Thinking so much is just needless worry!
Zuo Li went to tell Secretary Qi about the changes in the back mountain. Secretary Qi didn't even have breakfast before personally going to the back mountain and was so surprised that he was speechless for a long time!
Great, great, the lush green hills behind the mountain have been restored.
Although Secretary Qi didn't say it, he truly considered Qijia Village to be a blessed land.
This is a wonderful place!
Not a single grain was wasted last year. This year, while other villages suffered from drought, Qijia Village did not, and they even found a water source to alleviate the drought.
What surprised him even more was that the back mountain had become lush and green overnight!
After returning home, Secretary Qi took out some straw paper, cut it into paper money, found some old incense and candles, and began to worship heaven, earth, and spirits, hoping that they would continue to bless Qijia Village.
When He Tiantian woke up, it was already nine o'clock in the morning.
Grandma Qi had finished cooking and was just about to call He Tiantian to eat!
Hearing the shout, He Tiantian stretched and yawned. She had slept so well and even had a thrilling dream during the night!
He Tiantian thought last night's unusual experience was a dream!
After the meal, He Tiantian carried a bamboo basket on her back, humming "Purple Bamboo Tune," and headed to the back mountain.
Along the way, He Tiantian encountered several groups of people rushing to the livestock team on the back mountain.
He Tiantian was surprised and wanted to ask, but those people ran fast and she couldn't catch up. Just then, she saw Qi Ergou with Yang Xiuxiu.
"Second brother, why are you running so fast? What are you looking at?" He Tiantian asked. Suddenly, she had a bad feeling. Could it be... could it be that something happened to the livestock team?
Qi Ergou laughed and said, "The mountain behind the mountain has shown its power, everyone is going to worship the mountain god!"
Has the spirit appeared in the back mountain?
Worshiping the mountain god?
What is this thing?
She didn't see the gods, only the Snake King and the Turtle Statue!
"We're off!" Qi Ergou grabbed Yang Xiuxiu and ran towards the livestock team, as if there was gold ahead and he was eager to grab it!
When He Tiantian arrived at the back of the mountain, many people were already kneeling there, hands clasped together, praying for divine protection. They weren't stupid; they could make their own connections. Although it wasn't quite right, coming out to express their gratitude and kowtow made them feel more at ease.
Qijia Village is a place blessed by the gods!
They don't know what's going on outside, but here, there is a sense of awe!
At this moment, the Snake King's voice echoed in his mind: "Yesterday, when I underwent my tribulation, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth nourished the area within a ten-mile radius. This mountain, in particular, absorbed even more essence, which is why it underwent such a dramatic change. It's not a deity at all!"
He Tiantian suddenly realized what was happening, stopped in her tracks, and did not approach the foot of the mountain.
Professor Wang saw He Tiantian standing outside and said, "Tiantian, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to pray?"
"No, thank you." He Tiantian shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter if the villagers go to pray; no one will report them. But I'm afraid if I go, someone will report me."
He Tiantian wasn't making this up; she had just seen Qi Fangfang.
With a brother like Qi Jianguo, Qi Fangfang is no better!
She didn't want her rare peaceful days to be disrupted, and all she wanted to do was work hard and wait for the New Year to reunite with her parents and brother Yingjie.
“That’s true. It’s raining on the mountain. You can go up the mountain to cut grass this afternoon,” Professor Wang said. “I’ve made some chrysanthemum tea. Come and have some with us.”
"Okay," He Tiantian readily agreed.
Professor Wang poured tea, and He Tiantian silently drank a few sips.
Seeing that He Tiantian didn't speak, Professor Wang assumed she was thinking about things outside and smiled, "Are you curious too?"
"Yes, I'm very curious," He Tiantian said with a smile. "Doesn't Professor Wang find it strange?"
Professor Wang did not answer, but instead asked again, "Do you really believe there is a mountain god?"
He Tiantian was taken aback, then shook her head and said, "Compared to the mountain god, I believe more in the principle that good and evil will eventually be rewarded. It's not that they won't be punished, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. However, if people always have a sense of awe, perhaps people's hearts wouldn't be so complicated."
Professor Wang knew that He Tiantian was more precocious than most girls, but he didn't expect her to have such insight at such a young age.
"Yes, without reverence, people will go mad," Professor Wang remarked. Compared to reverence for deities, she hopes people will revere the law even more.
However, inadequate laws and imperfect law enforcement are the biggest problems now.
Hopefully this period will pass quickly, and we will usher in a new stage of development.
She is not only proficient in the subject, but also well-versed in the history of China.
In China, every dynasty's rise and fall was preceded by a period of struggle before stability and prosperity could be achieved. The most famous example is the early Tang Dynasty, when Li Shimin seized the throne after murdering his brothers, thus stabilizing the Tang Dynasty's rule and ushering in the Zhenguan era.
Hopefully, this period of time is just a brief period of chaos before things stabilize.
He Tiantian smiled and said, "Let's not talk about such heavy topics! Professor Wang, you've done a great job this time. I heard that Secretary Qi is applying for permission for you to communicate with your family. Deputy County Head Niu in the commune is helping you out, so this matter should be successful."
"That's wonderful!" Professor Wang said with a smile. "To be honest, I really miss my son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter. I wonder how they are doing in Nanshi? Have they suffered any injustices?"
Judging from the mental state of Gu Yujun and his wife, He Tiantian knew that they were not doing well, but they were still able to survive.
“Everything will be alright,” He Tiantian encouraged. “They are young, and it would be even better if they could receive your letters.”
Professor Wang rubbed his eyes and sighed, "I hope so. I have some money here that I don't need. Could you send it to them?"
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry. After Professor Wang had his basic needs met here, he began to worry about his children and grandchildren in the city, fearing they wouldn't have enough to eat or wear. Whenever he had a little money, he wanted to improve their lives.
Professor Wang reminded her of her parents in Nanshi, who gave her the grain coupons, cloth coupons, and money they had saved.
He Tiantian nodded and said, "Okay, when I go to the county town, I will help you transfer the money to Uncle Gu."
"Thank you so much," Professor Wang said gratefully. Just then, Qi Ergou and his wife Yang Xiuxiu came in carrying some things.
When He Tiantian saw Qi Ergou carrying things, she realized that he was going to school tomorrow and that he had brought these things to thank Professor Wang and Professor Gu.
In the past two months, Qi Ergou has learned a lot from Professor Gu and Professor Wang.
Unlike Qi Xiaoyan, who only studied vaguely, Qi Ergou had to study many subjects. Fortunately, Professor Gu was good at humanities and Professor Wang was good at science. They gave Qi Ergou two months of intensive tutoring, which enabled him to fully master the junior high school knowledge and understand the difficulties of high school.
Once you get to university, you won't fall behind.
"Thank you, Teacher Wang and Teacher Gu." Qi Ergou brought a piece of cloth, ten catties of rice, a catty of white sugar, and a catty of salt—four gifts. Although simple, they were all things that people used in daily life.
Professor Wang wanted to refuse, but then he thought that since he had already accepted Qi Xiaoyan's offer, it wouldn't be good not to accept Qi Ergou's as well. So he smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. You're about to go to university. Since you have this opportunity, you should study hard. Talk less, work harder, and acquiring knowledge is the real skill."
"I understand. My mom also told me not to get involved in those messy things and to focus on learning," Qi Ergou said. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Professor Wang. If you trust me, I'll mail you some things."
"Isn't that a bad idea?" Professor Wang hesitated. "After all, you'll be carrying a lot of luggage."
"It's alright," Qi Ergou said. "My family will take me to the county town. I'll send you my things before I take the train."
"Okay, I'll pack my things and bring them to you tonight," Professor Wang said. He Tiantian had other things to do, and it wasn't easy for her to go to the county town. Since Qi Ergou was going that way, he would let Qi Ergou help her.
"The roads are bad at night, I'll come pick it up at eight o'clock tonight." Qi Ergou smiled憨厚ly, he was very happy to be able to do something for his teacher.
"Then I'll trouble you, Second Brother. I won't need to go to the county town." He Tiantian said with a smile, "I wish you a safe journey and success in your studies."
"Thank you." Qi Ergou scratched his head.
Yang Xiuxiu stood obediently beside her husband, always smiling.
Professor Wang, He Tiantian has a very good impression of Yang Xiuxiu. No wonder Director Zhao inquired everywhere about this daughter-in-law back then.
At noon, He Tiantian returned home and turned around to take one last look at the lush and verdant mountains.
Everything was so wonderful!
Because the back hill was covered with dense trees and wild grass, He Tiantian and the other members of the livestock team cut almost the amount of grass they used to do in two days in one afternoon. Old Man Qi also began his work of herding cattle and sheep.
The livestock couldn't finish eating all the grass, so Old Man Bai, Professor Wang, and Professor Gu dried it and kept it as feed for the winter.
The crops in the fields are changing every day.
Because the rain alleviated the drought, Liu Lingli no longer came to fetch water.
He Tiantian threw herself into her work and read books in her spare time, leading a fulfilling life. Especially since no one bothered her, it was very pleasant.
Without Qi Xiaoyan, He Tiantian maintained closer ties with the other educated youth at the settlement. Sometimes, when they had nothing to do, the educated youth would go with He Tiantian to dig for wild vegetables in the mountains.
Deputy Township Head Niu personally delivered the certificate of merit to Qijia Village, along with commendations from Professor Wang and Professor Gu, and granted them permission to contact their families in Nanshi.
"We owe this all to Qijia Village!" Deputy County Head Niu said gratefully, adding that the marriage his nephew had arranged was excellent.
Secretary Qi humbly replied, "It's all for serving the people!"
"By the way, I've recently heard rumors that there's a mountain god in the mountains behind your village. This could be a big deal or a small one, and we can't let this trend continue," Deputy County Head Niu reminded him, giving Secretary Qi a heads-up beforehand so he would be aware of the situation.
"Who is it?" Secretary Qi was taken aback. "Our Qi Family Village has always prioritized the overall situation. Why would anyone dislike us?"
“First, there’s Deputy County Head Zhang and Director Zheng, who are in charge of this area. They’ve been quite relaxed lately and are looking for something to do,” Deputy County Head Niu said. “Second, there are indeed many people in your village who are superstitious and feudal. Finally, you’ve probably been implicated because of me.”
"Are you kidding me? How could you implicate our village?" Secretary Qi asked, puzzled. Niu Peng had always done practical things in the commune and had a good reputation among the people.
"Some people are envious of my achievements and want to use them to compete for the county magistrate's position, so they brought up Qijia Village, but I suppressed it," said Deputy County Magistrate Niu. "Those people don't like peace because when it's peaceful, they don't have much power."
"Sigh, ordinary people don't understand these things," Secretary Qi said with a sigh. "I've noted it down. We'll have a meeting this afternoon to remind everyone to be careful. Our village has several hundred people; we're not afraid of those people from the commune. But you, being in officialdom, are not in control of your own destiny. Take care of yourself. If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word; we'll be there without hesitation."
Hearing Secretary Qi's words, Deputy County Head Niu was deeply moved. Regardless of whether Qi Dazhu could actually help, his attitude was already quite commendable. All the help he had given Qijia Village before was worthwhile! (To be continued.)
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