Grandma Yan sat in her electric wheelchair, controlling the speed and direction herself, and slowly drove towards Mushroom Mountain. The villagers, seeing the sprightly old lady, all came up to greet her.
Grandma Yan looked at the villagers in front of her and greeted them warmly, appearing as a kind old lady who was friendly to everyone. Although she didn't recognize most of them, no one could tell from her appearance.
The trees around Mushroom Mountain have grown strong and healthy, gradually restoring the natural environment of Mushroom Mountain. As people's living conditions have gradually improved, they basically no longer dig for wild vegetables to eat, so fresh wild vegetables are everywhere in the fields at the foot of the mountain.
Cuihua and Xuemei, each holding a machete, slowly dug for wild vegetables. Yan Xiaonan's consciousness, meanwhile, spread up the mountain. The new Tiger King lay lazily asleep in its den, and the Wolf King had already been replaced.
"Grandma, do you want to ride a tiger?" Yan Xiaonan asked quietly.
Grandma Yan shook her head with a smile. She said that riding it a few times was enough. The tiger smelled terrible and it wasn't very comfortable to ride on.
"Does Grandma want to eat wild game?" Yan Xiaonan asked again.
Grandma Yan still shook her head with a smile. With her full set of dentures, she could no longer chew the wild game. If the wild game was stewed too mushy, it wouldn't taste good.
"My dear babies, if you want to eat, you can eat it yourselves. I'll just have a sip of soup."
Yan Xiaonan's consciousness saw a pheasant nearby. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the pheasant. With a cooing sound, the pheasant flapped its wings and struggled a few times before collapsing and dying.
Hearing the pheasant's call, Xuemei quickly ran over and picked it up from the low grass: "Nannan, you're really amazing, you can handle it with just a stone."
Grandma Yan grinned from ear to ear; her own child was undoubtedly the most amazing.
"Mom, we're making wild vegetable and meat dumplings today, so you have to eat a lot."
Cuihua also picked up a basket full of wild vegetables. She chopped up the tender ones to make dumplings, and chopped up the roots and stems to raise chicks. Early this morning, Ma Mingchun delivered more than a dozen tender yellow chicks.
The family strolled slowly home, their laughter filling the air. Grandma Yan looked at the drastically changed Mushroom Village and felt a pang of sadness; it was no longer the village she knew.
Old Village Chief Ma has passed away, and Ma's wife has been taken to the county by Ma Mingyuan, where it is closer to the hospital.
The old bachelor has entered old age, and probably because he ate too well, he has developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, and even suffered a stroke. Fortunately, his wife is still young, and their son is quite filial.
Wang Erniu and Pan Gaozhi, this ill-fated couple, have spent their whole lives bickering, but now they care for each other and live a simple life, neither good nor bad. Their son has gone to work in another city and has not returned to this day.
Yan Xiaoqiang didn't go with Grandma Yan and the others to dig for wild vegetables. Instead, he carried some things and went to find his childhood friends in high spirits. When his friends saw Yan Xiaoqiang, they were all surprised.
They suddenly didn't want to stand with Yan Xiaoqiang anymore. Why do children who grew up together look so different now?
Look at Yan Xiaoqiang. His light beige shirt is tucked into his crisp trousers. His belt is obviously not cheap. And his vest over the shirt, I don’t know what it’s made of, but it even has a faint fluorescent glow in the sunlight.
They all had white hair, and the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes were so deep they could trap flies, but Yan Xiaoqiang didn't have a single white hair on his head. Although his skin was sagging, he didn't have many wrinkles on his face.
Look at the gifts he's carrying: a bottle of Moutai liquor and some Huazi cigarettes—those are rare finds. Although conditions are much better now than before, who would bother with Moutai all the time?
Having spent so many years in Beijing, Yan Xiaoqiang was quite adept at reading people's expressions. He sighed inwardly. He had originally planned to bring some wine and have a meal and chat with them, but now it seemed they wouldn't be able to get along.
He placed the items in his hands on the table with a smile, expressing his sentiments, and then silently turned and left. He planned to go to the county town to buy a few sets of down-to-earth clothes. Since he had returned to his hometown, he had to live according to the local customs.
Yan Xiaonan strongly agreed with her father's words and drove them to the county town. The county town's supply and marketing cooperative had been transformed into a two-story department store, with food sold on the first floor and daily necessities and clothing sold on the second floor.
They helped Yan Xiaoqiang and Cuihua pick out several outfits, even bought several sets of clothes for Grandma Yan, and also bought a lot of daily necessities needed in the countryside. The whole family returned home laden with their purchases.
Having grown accustomed to life in the capital, the Yan family returned to their old habits after a week in their hometown. They liked to sit by the well to wash clothes, and while washing the clothes, they also cleaned the yard.
Bei Nan and Xue Mei didn't rest either. The soil in the backyard had been fertilized, and some vegetable seeds had been sown. Yan Xiao Nan used a little bit of her growth-promoting ability to simply let the seeds take root and sprout.
A month later, Yan Xiaonan was going back to the capital. After all, she was worried about leaving such a big business to the two children. Besides, Ye Ren was already over eighty years old, and she hadn't seen Enming for a month.
Xuemei went back with Yan Xiaonan. The fashion store in Beijing also needed attention. The fact that the boss hadn't shown up for so long was definitely not a good thing. Beinan stayed behind. Anyway, his father-in-law was capable, so he could spend some more time with his grandmother and parents.
Yan Xiaonan made a plan: she would work in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday, fly to Mushroom Village from Thursday to Saturday to live with her grandmother and parents, and spend Sundays with the children while also sending some mountain god energy to Ye Ren.
Spring has passed and autumn has come. In the blink of an eye, it's December. Snowflakes have started to fall in the capital. Everyone has put on their winter clothes. In two days, it will be Nan Nan's fortieth birthday. It's also Grandma Yan's birthday. This year, it's her 100th birthday.
Ye Ren also prepared gifts with a smile, and Bei Nan even hired the entire team from Wangfujing Kitchen, bringing pots, pans, and ingredients to Mushroom Village to prepare the banquet.
Whether they were from the Yan family or the Ye family, or had some other connection, everyone except the elderly and infirm who couldn't walk, rushed to Mushroom Village. If the Yan family couldn't accommodate them all, they stayed at Ma Mingchun's house. If Ma Mingchun's house couldn't accommodate them all, they stayed at the logging dormitory. If there wasn't enough room, they paid to stay at the villagers' homes.
On his birthday, bright red lanterns were hung high in the house, firecrackers and cannons were lit from time to time, and longevity peaches and cakes were everywhere. The Yan family became the most beautiful sight in the village.
Grandma Yan was wearing a bright red brocade cotton-padded jacket and black thin cotton trousers. Her hair was neatly combed and shiny, and her face was rosy and full. She happily greeted the guests who had come to celebrate her birthday.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
