Extra: Xiaochen's Secret Agreement with the Old Breed
# Extra: Xiaochen's secret agreement with the old breed
In early summer in Qingxi Village, the wind was filled with the sweet scent of strawberries. Three-year-old Lin Chen squatted beside the strawberry patch, his chubby little hand gently touching the reddish fruits. A touch of fine hairs touched his fingertips, and he giggled. He leaned closer to see if the light lines on the fruit's skin really looked like "little smiley faces," as his grandmother had said.
"Xiaochen, slow down! Don't knock over the strawberries." Lin Xiaoman came over with a bamboo basket, a pale purple lavender tucked into the end of her hair—Chen Wang had picked it this morning, saying it repelled mosquitoes and complemented her white shirt. As soon as she set the basket on the edge of the field, she saw her son, holding a half-red strawberry, running toward the "Star Pattern" tomato seedling in the center of the field—it was planted by Chen Wang specifically when Xiaochen was born. The stalk was tied with a red string, tied with the "peace knot" his grandfather had taught him.
"Mom, look! Guoguo is laughing at me!" Xiaochen brought the strawberry next to the tomato leaf. The sunlight just happened to fall on the leaf. The light yellow lines on the edge of the leaf spread out along the direction of the light, and it really looked like a little grinning face. It also reflected the mud spots on the tip of Xiaochen's nose, which was funny and cute.
Lin Xiaoman walked over with a smile and wiped the mud off her son's nose. "Yes, Guoguo is saying hello to Xiaochen." She turned and looked not far away. Chen Wang was leading tourists from the city to visit the parent-child planting area. He held up a small sign with pictures of the growth process of tomatoes and strawberries. He explained in a gentle voice, "This is an old variety from Qingxi. We have been growing it for decades. It is very sweet and hardy."
"Brother Xiaochen, can tomatoes grow small airplanes?" The little girl with pigtails came over, holding a plastic airplane toy in her hand, staring at the tomato vines with sparkling eyes.
Xiaochen immediately puffed out his chest and pulled the girl to the tomato vine. He stood on tiptoe to reach the green tomatoes hanging on the branches: "We have to whisper to it!" He put his mouth next to the tomato and whispered softly: "Guoguoguoguo, turn into a small airplane." The wind just blew by, and the tomato leaves swayed gently. The yellow lines on the edges of the leaves staggered in the sunlight, just like a small airplane with its wings spread, attracting the children to cheer around the vine.
In the evening, as the tourists dispersed, the setting sun painted the ridges of the fields a warm orange. Chen Wang bent down, picked up Xiaochen, and sat him on his shoulders. His son's tiny hands tugged at his ears, and he said crisply, "Dad, the old pear tree left me some leaves!" He pulled a pear leaf from his pocket. With a knife, he had carved a tiny character for "Chen" into the leaf—Chen Wang had secretly carved it last week as a surprise for his son, but he hadn't expected Xiaochen to pick it up and treasure it.
"That's the old pear tree remembering Xiaochen." Chen Wang pinched his son's cheek. When they passed by the cultural and creative workshop, Grandma Zhang was sitting on a stone bench at the door, distributing strawberry jam candies to the children who gathered around. When she saw them, she called out, "Xiaochen, come here! These candies are freshly made and very sweet!"
Xiaochen immediately twisted his body to get down. Chen Wang put him down and watched him run towards Grandma Zhang, his heart full of tenderness.
A light rain suddenly began to fall during the night, accompanied by a few cracks of thunder. Xiaochen was awakened by the thunder, rubbing his eyes and slipping out of bed, running barefoot to the backyard. He was worried about the "Star Pattern" tomato seedling, afraid the rain would damage it. The raindrops rustled against the tomato leaves, and Xiaochen squatted beside the seedling, gently patting the leaves with his small hands. "Don't be afraid, Guoguo, Xiaochen is here."
At this time, Lin Xiaoman came over holding a desk lamp. The warm yellow light fell on her son's small figure. She asked softly, "Xiaochen, why aren't you sleeping? Are you afraid of thunder?"
"I'll accompany Guoguo." Xiaochen pointed at the tomato leaves. Under the light, the light yellow lines on the leaves reflected the light, and slowly connected into a familiar picture - like Chen Wang squatting on the ridge of the field to plant seedlings, and like the silhouette of Lin Xiaoman when watering the seedlings, and finally it turned into Xiaochen himself holding a toy car, squatting beside the seedlings.
"Mom, look! Guoguo is telling our story!" Xiaochen excitedly pulled Lin Xiaoman's hand, his eyes shining like stars.
Lin Xiaoman's eyes warmed slightly. She walked over, picked up her son, and gently touched the tomato leaves with her fingertips. The light flickered, and the pattern changed again. This time, it looked like a family of three sitting under an old pear tree. Chen Wang held the camera, Lin Xiaoman held Xiaochen, and Wangfu lay at their feet. It was exactly the same family photo they had taken last year.
Chen Wang also woke up and stood at the door looking at the mother and son, holding a brand new little notebook in his hand - the cover was drawn by him, with an old pear tree, tomato vines and a small figure on it. It was a "planting diary" specially prepared for Xiaochen.
"Our Xiaochen has become good friends with Lao Zongyou." He walked over and hugged his wife and children. The sound of rain was dripping, and the light from the table lamp wrapped them, as gentle as a piece of candy.
Xiaochen lay in his mother's arms, watching the lines on the tomato leaves slowly fade away, and whispered, "Mom, I want to grow up with Guoguo and protect the fields of Qingxi Village."
Lin Xiaoman and Chen Wang smiled at each other, then bent down and kissed their son on the forehead.
The next morning, the rain stopped, and sunlight streamed through the window lattice. Xiaochen woke early, crouched beside the tomato seedlings, clutching his "planting diary," and meticulously drew "smiley faces" on the leaves with his crayon. His drawings were crooked, but meticulously done. Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman stood at the door, watching him. Wangfu lay at his feet, tail wagging cheerfully, occasionally coming over to sniff Xiaochen's crayons, which made the child laugh.
Morning dew dripped from the old pear tree and landed on Xiaochen's notebook, leaving a small wet mark. A breeze blew, and a leaf fell from the tree, landing right on the notebook. On the leaf, the small character "Chen" was exceptionally clear in the sunlight.
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