Several people were already waiting on the platform. One of them, a middle-aged woman wearing a blue homespun shirt, saw them and immediately greeted them warmly: "Are you distinguished guests from the city? I am Aunt Wang from Daohua Township."
Aunt Wang's smile was as warm as the sunshine, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes revealed her simple kindness. She helped everyone with their luggage, and as they walked, she explained, "Our town is about two miles from the station. I hired a tricycle to pick you up, and we'll be there in a little while."
Sitting on the bumpy tricycle, watching the fields and villages rushing past the window, Ah Yu felt exceptionally relaxed. The sky here seemed bluer, the clouds whiter, and even the sunlight carried a gentle warmth. She saw that in the rice paddies by the roadside, the rice ears had already sprouted, swaying gently in the breeze like a green ocean. In the distance, the mountains stretched endlessly, and at their foot, a few houses with white walls and black tiles were scattered, wisps of smoke rising from their rooftops and merging into the blue sky.
“You’ve come at just the right time,” Aunt Wang said with a smile as she turned around from the driver’s seat. “In another two weeks, the rice will be in bloom, and that’s when it will be truly beautiful, with the whole field smelling wonderful.”
Lin Xiaoman couldn't help but take out her phone to take a picture: "Aunt Wang, the air here is so fresh, it feels so good to breathe."
“Of course,” Aunt Wang said proudly. “We have no factories or car exhaust here, only green mountains, clear waters, and fresh air. You city people need to come to the countryside more often to cleanse your lungs.”
The tricycle drove onto a narrow path paved with stone slabs, flanked by tall poplar trees whose leaves rustled in the wind. At the end of the path, a quaint courtyard house appeared, surrounded by various flowers and plants, with several chickens leisurely strolling around.
"We've arrived. This is our Daohua Township," Aunt Wang said, stopping the car and warmly greeting everyone. "Come in and rest. I've prepared some chilled plum juice for you."
Ah Yu followed everyone into the courtyard and was immediately captivated by the scene before her. In the middle of the courtyard was a small pond filled with lotus flowers, their pink blossoms blooming among the green leaves, and several dragonflies perched on the petals. Beside the pond was a stone table and several stone benches, on which sat a ceramic teapot and a few rough porcelain bowls.
"Wow, this place is so beautiful," Lin Xiaoman couldn't help but exclaim. "It's even better than I imagined."
Aunt Wang smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. Please sit down and have some water. I'll show you the room."
Ah Yu sat on the stone bench, looking at the lotus pond in front of her and listening to the cicadas chirping in the trees. She felt as if she had truly stepped into a pastoral ink painting. She knew that this trip to Qingyang Town would definitely leave them with an unforgettable memory.
Chapter Three: Cicadas and Stars in the Rice Flower Village
The afternoon sun filtered through the grape trellis, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs. Aunt Wang brought over a bowl of plum juice in a rough earthenware bowl; a few mint leaves floated on the deep purple liquid, and fine droplets of water clung to the rim. Ah Yu took a sip, the sweet and sour taste sliding down her throat, instantly dispelling the fatigue of her journey.
“The rooms are all in the east wing,” Aunt Wang said, wiping her hands with her apron. “There are two large beds and one tatami mat. You can decide which one to take. There are palm-leaf fans and mosquito coils in the rooms. If it gets hot at night, there are bamboo beds under the eaves. It’s the most comfortable place to lie down and watch the stars.”
Lin Xiaoman, dragging her suitcase, was the first to enter the east wing, immediately letting out a gasp of surprise. The room was in the typical style of a Jiangnan folk house, with wooden beams and pillars emitting a faint woody fragrance. Faded paper-cuts were pasted on the window frames, and a rough porcelain vase sat on a low table by the window, containing a few freshly picked wild chrysanthemums. What surprised her most was the carved wooden door, which led to a small terrace with a bamboo recliner facing the endless rice paddies behind the house.
"Ah Yu, come and see!" Lin Xiaoman leaned on the balcony railing, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. "From here, the entire rice paddy is right at our feet!"
Ah Yu walked over and followed her gaze. The rice paddies in the afternoon were like a piece of green silk ironed smooth by the sun. When the wind blew, the rice ears rippled in layers of waves. On the distant ridge, a farmer wearing a straw hat was working at a bent over. Occasionally, he would straighten up and wipe his sweat with a towel. His figure looked particularly small in the vast green.
"Aunt Wang said the bayberry tree behind the house is ripe," Chen Mo said as he walked in carrying his backpack and a copy of Walden. "Little Zhang has already run to the stream with his fishing rod, saying he wants to catch a crucian carp to add to the dinner."
Just then, Xiao Zhang's cheers came from outside the window: "Brother Chen! Sister Yu! Look what I caught!" He had rolled up his trousers and was holding a glass jar. Inside the jar, there were several crabs the size of fingernails crawling around, and a few water plants were floating on the surface of the water.
"Be careful not to get your hand pinched," Ah Yu reminded with a smile. "Take it to Aunt Wang and see, maybe she can make a spicy crab dish for dinner."
As evening fell, Aunt Wang set up a wood-fired stove in the yard. Ah Yu and Lin Xiaoman, wearing aprons, helped pick vegetables, while Chen Mo sat on a stone bench reading, occasionally glancing up at Xiao Zhang chasing and playing in the rice paddies. The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the distant mountains, birds chirped under the eaves as they returned to their nests, and the air was filled with the aroma of firewood and cooked food.
"Try our homemade tofu," Aunt Wang said, bringing over a plate of freshly cooked tofu with scallions. The snow-white tofu was sprinkled with bright green scallions and drizzled with sesame oil. "It was ground this morning with the stone mill in the old mill. It tastes different from the tofu you buy in the city, doesn't it?"
Ah Yu picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The tofu was delicate and smooth, with a faint bean aroma, much fresher than the ones she usually bought at the supermarket. "It's so delicious," she couldn't help but pick up another piece. "Aunt Wang, can we go and see that old mill tomorrow?"
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