"Hey, isn't this Second Young Master? When did you get back? Come sit down at Auntie's house for a while, I still have a few apples that I haven't eaten yet."
... ...
All of this suggests that the people living in the village were incredibly hospitable. Upon seeing Xiao Jian, who hadn't returned for over a year, they all sincerely invited him to their homes.
Regardless of their reasons or purposes, this sense of hometown warmth touched Xiao Jian's heart.
As they entered the village, they pushed their carts in their hands, smiling as they greeted all the villagers they knew.
No matter how long a person is away from home, their hometown is an inseparable part of them. No matter where they go, their hometown is their root.
Liu Qing did not go back to her own home, but accompanied Xiao Jian all the way to his earthen courtyard.
After parking his bicycle, Xiao Jian held the keys and looked at the old yet familiar wooden door. He felt a little uneasy.
They've lived here since they were little, for generations of their family.
Here lie the joy, sorrow, and resentment of his memories...
Now that he's back here again, everything has become a memory, a past he can't hold onto no matter how hard he tries.
My brothers and sisters are all growing up. They have all spread their wings and flown into the city. Only I am left, like a bird with broken wings, returning to the little nest I have been longing for.
The door opened, and several people slowly walked into the courtyard.
The courtyard is still the same as before. The stone platform where his family used to eat and do homework when he was a child is still there, with his name carved on it.
There is a half-grown jujube tree in the yard, which he and Liu Qing found by the river when they were children and moved to their home. It is almost ten years old now.
In late May, the jujube blossoms have long since faded, and the trees are now covered with small, green jujubes, about the size of a little fingertip, their unripe appearance full of vitality.
Pushing open the door, the few simple, worn-out pieces of furniture in the room were covered in dust. No one had cleaned them for months, and under the urging of time, they were gradually becoming less and less lustery. Perhaps, in a few more years, all of this would be submerged in the dust of the world.
Xiao Jian walked over, picked up a small stool, brushed off the dust, and sat down.
Slowly, he closed his eyes, and at that moment, he felt incredibly relaxed, inside and out.
In this dilapidated yet tranquil little mud house, he seemed to have returned to the happiest time of his childhood.
After a long while, he finally opened his eyes and spoke softly to Gao Hu.
"Tiger, if I stay here, would you be willing to come and keep me company?"
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