Sometimes, Zhou Chunhua really admired Gu Yao's memory.
She had just looked at the map and didn't even know there would be a village ahead, but Gu Yao remembered it.
No wonder, after all, Gu Yao is so outstanding.
As far as Gu Yao is concerned, his memory is not worth mentioning.
They remained silent the entire way.
Nearly four hours later, she could see the village halfway up the mountain in the distance from a great distance.
The houses in the village are all made of wood, and the roof tiles are a dark gray color.
Every household has a level yard in front of their door, but no gate.
A mountain road, only one car width wide, winds its way up, passing by the door of each household.
"It looks like there isn't even a store."
"Let's take a look first. Maybe we can afford a meal. If not, we can just have some hot water to make a box of instant noodles. It's still a three or four-hour drive from here to the small county town." Gu Yao slowed down and drove into the village along the gravel road.
“Okay.” Zhou Chunhua’s eyes lit up.
This small village is so small that you can see it all at a glance; I didn't see a single car in the village.
It takes three or four hours to drive from here to the county seat, making this the best possible location.
Once they entered the village, people noticed their car.
Soon, an older man waved to them.
Gu Yao parked the car and got out.
She quickly followed.
The middle-aged man had a kind face and a large pipe tied to his waistband.
However, the smell of tobacco emanating from him could be detected from a great distance.
After a brief conversation, Gu Yao suggested buying some food, but the uncle refused outright and warmly invited them to his home, saying he would cook for them.
During our conversation, I learned that the uncle was the village chief. He and his wife were the only family members; all of his children had gone to work in big cities.
Almost all the families in the village are like theirs, with only the elderly and young children whose sons and daughters are too busy to take care of them.
This refers to the elderly and children left behind in rural areas, as mentioned online.
Their son and daughter, who work away from home, earn so little that they're barely able to support themselves. They rarely send money back to their elderly parents and children.
They supported themselves and their children by selling mountain produce and cultivating the land.
Therefore, there are no shops or supermarkets in their village.
The uncle also said that his family was considered relatively well-off in the village because they didn't have any grandchildren to support.
Other families have both elderly and young members, and they themselves are barely able to feed themselves, which is why I didn't invite them out.
The uncle's casual explanation revealed the bitterness of people at the bottom of society.
They followed them to the uncle's house.
The uncle's house is very simple, with only two rooms.
The uncle and aunt lived in one room, while the other room was filled with firewood and miscellaneous items.
The woman looked much older than the man; she was hunched over, hard of hearing, and had poor eyesight.
However, the elderly couple seemed to have a very good relationship.
The uncle said he would treat them to a meal, but the aunt didn't even ask what was going on. She just leaned on her cane and said she was going to start a fire to cook.
Zhou Chunhua offered to help, but the elderly couple refused outright.
In about half an hour, two dishes and a soup were served to them.
Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, a leafy green vegetable she didn't recognize, and a bowl of egg drop soup with hardly any oil.
“My wife and I don’t usually eat meat, so we don’t have any fresh meat at home. But these eggs were laid by our own chickens, and we just took them out of the coop this morning. You can try them.”
It's easy to see that this is the most presentable dish from the uncle's family.
She thanked Gu Yao and started eating her rice.
The uncle was right; fresh eggs really do taste delicious.
During this time, she made an excuse that she hadn't slept well the night before and suddenly felt dizzy, so she wanted to stay overnight.
Upon hearing this, the uncle immediately offered them a place to stay at his home.
Turning around, they asked the older woman to tidy up the inner room for them to stay in.
When Gu Yao heard that she was not feeling well, he said he would take her to the county hospital.
She quickly explained, "I really didn't sleep well last night, and I ate too much, so I'm really sleepy."
Gu Yao looked at her for a while before saying to the uncle, "Then I'll have to trouble you tonight."
"No trouble at all! It's rare for my family to have more people around and make it lively." The uncle waved his hand happily.
After the meal, the aunt took her to a room that had been cleaned up.
There was no door, so they just hung a piece of cloth as a curtain.
Looking up, you can see the wooden roof tiles and roof slabs.
The room was surrounded by walls made of wooden planks.
The bed was even simpler: two mud walls with a few planks on top, and cotton wadding on top of those planks.
The ground was simply rammed flat and covered with a layer of fine pebbles.
In the corner, there was a triangular basin stand like the ones her family used when she was a child, with a pole on top for hanging cloths and a small table in the middle for placing basins.
The room was simple, but very clean.
The older woman told her in Mandarin with a regional accent that she should just make do with it.
She quickly said it was already very good, and then thanked them repeatedly.
The older woman seemed quite pleased with her, smiling broadly, before lifting the curtain and leaving, leaning on her cane.
Before leaving, they even said they would boil water to make tea for them.
Taking advantage of this moment, Zhou Chunhua went to bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
After all, she still had things to do after Gu Yao fell asleep in the middle of the night.
When I woke up, it was already dark outside.
On the table next to the bed, there was an old-fashioned enamel mug.
It's still the kind with a white background and a red lid, and a big red "double happiness" character printed on the cup.
She used to have one of these enamel mugs when she was little; you can hardly find them anymore.
I checked the time on my phone; it was past 9 p.m.
The light from outside shone through the curtain.
She could clearly hear the uncle and Gu Yao talking.
After quickly tidying her clothes, she got out of bed and went outside.
After passing one room, you'll reach the main hall.
The room was filled with the aroma of rice wine, and the uncle and Gu Yao were chatting at a small table.
There were not only dishes on the table, but also wine.
As soon as she came out, the two of them stopped.
"You're awake! Come, come sit down and have some food." The uncle waved to her.
Gu Yao got up and went out.
She had barely sat down when Gu Yao brought in a large bowl.
Steam was still rising from the rim of the bowl.
"This is the food I saved for you. Your auntie kept it warm in the pot. Eat it while it's hot." Gu Yao placed the bowl in front of her and handed her chopsticks.
Steam rises, and the aroma of the dishes fills the air.
The dishes are simple, but the portions are generous.
The rice and vegetables together made a huge bowl, so big that her eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
She quickly thanked him and then buried her head in her food.
Gu Yao sat down and continued chatting with the uncle.
To her surprise, it was less of a conversation and more of a legal consultation with Gu Yao.
After listening for a while, she learned that the man was the uncle's son, who had suffered a work injury but did not receive compensation and was fired by the construction site foreman.
The uncle's son sued several times but failed to win.
Forget about compensation, they haven't even received their medical expenses yet.
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