The second day of the Lunar New Year was a bright and sunny day. It was still dark at five o'clock. The sisters Zheng Lanxiang and Zheng Meixiang got up to prepare breakfast and called everyone to eat at 5:30.
According to local custom, today is the day when married daughters return to their parents' home. The roads are bound to be congested, so I thought I should get up early to avoid the crowds.
When I left home at six o'clock, there were still quite a few cars, but apart from traffic lights, there were no cars parked anywhere else.
In Anshi, there is no rule against women sweeping tombs, and Jiang Shuyin goes back to pay respects every year during Qingming Festival and Spring Festival.
Fearing there wouldn't be anything to buy back home, Zheng Lanxiang prepared a vegetable basket containing a whole chicken and braised fish.
When we arrived at the local town, they indeed couldn't find it for sale.
There were only a few women selling flowers by the roadside. Zheng Lanxiang bought several bunches and came back to tell Jiang Shuyin, "I used to be reluctant to buy them, but now I think they're not expensive at all. Your grandparents really benefited from this."
With the name of Tuoan City, the town's population has more than tripled. People who used to speak local dialects are now mostly outsiders speaking Mandarin on the streets.
For Jiang Shuyin, going back to her hometown to sleep, drink water, and use the toilet is really inconvenient.
She ate leftovers from last night for breakfast, which was a bit salty. She saw a supermarket nearby and went over to buy a few drinks.
The supermarket owner, speaking in a slightly accented Mandarin from another region, asked, "Six task points. Is the girl here for the New Year or is she planning to stay for an extended period?"
Jiang Shu used a QR code to pay: "I'm going back to my hometown to visit."
Perhaps it was a rare encounter with a local, for the owner's eyes flickered slightly: "I heard that some villages are going to be demolished and resettlement housing built. Is that what you're here for?"
Jiang Shu paused for a moment, smiled but didn't say anything. She picked up her drink and walked out, returning to her car to tell him about it.
Zhong Dazhuang immediately became furious: "Niece, drive us to Zhong Fashun's house first. If he keeps this a secret, I'll beat that son of a bitch to death."
Zheng Meixiang was also panting heavily with anger.
Jiang Shuyin greeted Xie Yin and left as instructed by her second aunt's husband.
The village roads were built with donations from Jiang Jianli and other young people from the village. To save money, the roads were built very narrow, just wide enough for a car and a bicycle to pass side by side. If a car is coming from the opposite direction, whoever gets halfway across first goes first.
Zhong Fashun is the village chief. There are three or four cars parked in the large open space in front of his house.
Jiang Shuyin stopped the car, and Zhong Dazhuang opened the door and strode inside: "Zhong Fashun, come out!"
Zheng Meixiang led her children and followed, seemingly also wanting an explanation. This matter was still undetermined; wasn't her second aunt's husband making too much of a fuss?
These uncles and elders in the village have long regarded themselves as local emperors, and their word is law. Jiang Shuyin's household registration was transferred to the city with Jiang Jianli, so she had nothing to do with the affairs of the village. She got out of the car and strolled leisurely towards the fields.
Even in winter, the trees on the mountain are green. Except for pine trees, the other trees are not very tall. Tea trees are the most numerous. No one collects the seeds from the trees, so they fall all over the mountainside and become seedlings again the following year.
After the rice harvest, rapeseed was planted in the fields. Some of the early-planted rapeseed has already bloomed, creating a patchwork of bright yellow flowers that are fresh and eye-catching.
Zheng Lanxiang saw her daughter admiring the flowers by the field and thought that waiting indefinitely wouldn't do, so she went inside to take a look. Her second sister's husband was already sitting down talking to Zhong Fashun. She pulled her second sister aside and said, "I'm going to pay my respects to Grandpa and Grandma Xiaoyin first. I'll come back later to find you to go to our parents' place together."
With Zhong Fashun's promise, Zheng Meixiang's expression softened considerably, and her tone became more gentle: "Go ahead, it's still early here. It rained in the village the other day, so take your time going up the mountain."
“Okay, let’s go.” Zheng Lanxiang went out to find her daughter and asked her to drive: “Let’s get a car. There are seats in the back too. Nobody cares in the village anyway.”
The mountains in the village all look pretty much the same. They hadn't been here for a year, and the mother and daughter even went to the wrong mountain, only realizing their mistake after climbing for two minutes.
“I remember there was a steep slope to climb, and an old tea tree.”
Zheng Lanxiang, with a stern face, finally found the place and looked over: "Jiang Jianli, this filial son, hasn't come yet, and he might not be able to come this year either. He wants to give you two a precious grandson, so I brought Xiao Yin here to tell you that if you miss your son in the future, you can go to the Pear Blossom Villa District..."
Jiang Shuyin didn't have a close relationship with her grandparents. She was raised by her mother since she was a child. Every time she went back to her hometown, her grandparents would treat her like she didn't exist and would even scold her mother for being useless to her face.
Since they were already there, they burned two stacks of paper money. Jiang Shuyin and her mother bowed three times and only went down the mountain after the paper money had completely burned out.
While Xie Yin was in the car watching the child, Jiang Shuyin explained the significance of ancestor worship to him, and he even asked, "Are there really ghosts and gods?"
Jiang Shuyin smiled mysteriously: "If you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't."
The car stopped next to the cement bridge. The stream flowing under the bridge was a mountain stream with clear water and smooth, rounded pebbles at the bottom. Heimei and Shuining wanted to go down and play in the water, but Ace stopped them, saying, "Mom will be unhappy if you get your clothes wet."
Heimei wanted to play a game: "Isn't there Xiao Jiu? Let's ask him to help us dry our clothes."
“We’re outside now, so Xiao Jiu and Xiao Shi can’t just come out whenever they want,” Ace emphasized, wondering why his sister was becoming increasingly difficult to appease.
That guy, as a father, didn't fulfill his responsibilities as a father.
Ace looked at someone with a reproachful gaze.
He seemed to be looking in a certain direction, but not where his mother had left.
"There's something watching us from over there."
When Jiang Shu returned, she heard Xie Yin's horrifying words and immediately opened her phone and entered the following into the system: Detect the surrounding environment's organisms.
[A carnivorous bear (Ursidae family) has been discovered, exhibiting early signs of intelligence. Suspicious behavior has been observed, and further testing is underway. Please wait...]
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
