Looking for a place
"Senior brother, something bad has happened! The bird keeps making noise and flapping its wings!"
Sunlight and sawdust mingled in the courtyard of the mechanical kite. Upon hearing this, the flying sawdust stopped immediately. The people who were building the mechanical kite, who were bored, put down their woodworking and crowded around the wall to join in the fun.
"Let's see what Junior Sister Yan means by this letter."
Outside the haphazardly erected "birdcage," everyone posed in various ways, their eyes fixed on the mechanical sparrow that was disturbing their companions' rest.
After frantically searching, a hand holding a sheet of paper was raised high in the crowd. "Junior Sister asked us to deliver something useful!"
What does "handy" mean?
"What is a thing? Pshaw, I mean, what is a thing?"
The courtyard, which had been bustling with activity just moments before, was suddenly struck by hail. In the center of a group of listless people, a mindless mechanical sparrow hopped around happily.
"Junior sister, do you want to fight? Do you want us to give you some weapons?"
"That can't be right. Junior Sister is so calm and collected, who could possibly provoke her? Even if she were really angered, who could beat her bare-handed?"
"Even if the other side brings swords, my junior sister's half-body heirloom is enough to make him suffer!"
Seeing the topic veering off course, the senior sister interjected from the outside, "If we're talking about what's handy, Junior Sister Yan often praises her small hammer and big sword. Could it be these?"
With the owner away, these tools lay peacefully in the drawer, but as soon as they came into contact with light, their sharp blades gleamed.
If someone else were out and about and urgently needed a help, they might be facing some kind of difficulty. But since the letter came from Meng Yan, her senior brothers and sisters discussed it and hung her precious tools on the mechanical sparrow claws.
"Wait!" A senior brother firmly grabbed the mechanical sparrow that was about to set off, stopping it by bracing its wings. "Can any of you make a trip? Junior sister has been out all day, and she left in a hurry. She probably didn't bring much food. Now she has to do hard labor. What if she gets hungry in some deep forest?"
As soon as these words were spoken, half of the small courtyard of the government office was emptied in a flurry of activity. The senior brother was so anxious that he stretched out his hand on the spot: "Don't send so many people! What if the kitchen is emptied out!"
"Senior sister, you went to persuade them, right?" Seeing his senior sister's clothes fly out the door, the senior brother asked with tears in his eyes.
"I'm going to prepare some medicine for my junior sister. In case she gets hurt, I can help her out."
The mechanical sparrow in his hand was like a sweet potato just pulled out of a charcoal stove; he couldn't grab it or throw it away. The senior brother and the sparrow tore at each other, spitting out wood chips as they waited for the others to return.
.
The moored fishing boats swayed and rocked as they left the dock, and the fisherwoman watched them go. She then picked up her net and took the remaining fish and shrimp home.
Xiao Ling, who was walking at the back, had her head down when she glanced up and saw Meng Yan waving at her. She then walked towards them with the fishing net she was carrying, which she had barely laid out as a base.
"I think Miss Xiaoling isn't very happy," Yue Lang whispered in Meng Yan's ear.
Meng Yan nodded, "I'll go ask. You keep your ears open."
Xiaoling wore an extra layer of coarse cloth apron at home, and observed that the other fisherwomen were dressed the same way, presumably to reduce dirt and grime when separating fish.
As she approached the two, Xiaoling didn't put down the net in her hand. She took off her apron, which was mostly wet, with one hand and was about to fold it up and hold it in her arms when Yuelang reached out and took it from her.
A little embarrassed, she reminded Yue Lang in a softer voice than in the morning, "It's got sea air on it, so it'll be smelly and must be washed later."
"It's alright. We were out in the air and at sea yesterday, so our clothes need washing today. It's nothing." He refused Xiaoling's hand as she took back her apron and gestured to the fishing net in her other hand.
Xiaoling thanked him, shook her head, and tossed the fishing net around, indicating that it was safer in her own hands. Then she turned to Meng Yan, waiting for her to convey the meaning behind Yue Lang's words.
"He wants to be close to the local environment, as it will help nourish his personal spirit."
Xiaoling hadn't expected such an answer, and her gaze towards Yuelang was filled with surprise. Yuelang, who had just come back from his reverie, didn't know what they were talking about, and only after seeing the two of them, one surprised and the other silent, did he say "Huh?"
"Is it because the catch wasn't good?" Meng Yan brought the question back to her worried expression.
"There's enough to eat, but one of the large nets got pierced by a rock, so I'm afraid we'll only have one net left to catch fish for the time being."
The harvest was halved, and we're stuck on this sandy shore where we can only get food from the sea. How can anyone not feel terrible?
"Where is the broken net? Can it be repaired, or do we have to replace it with a new one?"
“It is possible, but…” Xiaoling’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked up at the sky for a while and then suppressed them. “There aren’t many elderly people who know this craft. It’s troublesome and time-consuming to repair. We can patch up small holes ourselves or leave them alone. Usually, after a few years, when they get worn out, we go to another port to buy a new one.”
"This was only bought a few months ago. The sea freight is bad, and it encountered this situation after only a few voyages."
She tried her best to suppress her emotions, and her tone of voice became much calmer. After looking at the ground for a while, she realized that she had forgotten to answer Meng Yan's initial question. "That net went to the shore with Brother Xiao Dong to sell fish, and it won't be back until tomorrow."
A trip to sea lasts three to five days. Even when they dock, they can't stay. They can only exchange a few words during the time they're collecting fish. Afterwards, they have to go to other places to work. When they finally get a break, they can dry the nets and rest for two days before getting back on the boat. They work tirelessly all year round, and they rarely get together. Now, with this terrible thing happening, it's already difficult for Xiaoling to hold back and say what she has to say.
Not only her, but Yue Lang and Meng Yan also fell silent after speaking. The three of them stood quietly by the sea, with only the sound of their shallow breathing and the surging waves crashing against the rocks.
A moment later, Meng Yan patted Xiao Ling's shoulder. She could no longer force a smile and could only turn her eyes to look at her.
"I'll come find you online tomorrow. I'm not sure how well I can do it, we'll see."
Xiaoling held little hope. Repairing the netting was no easy task; otherwise, it wouldn't be something only the elderly could learn. But she still agreed to Meng Yan's help, probably because the mountain people were curious about things that had been taken to sea.
“There’s one more thing I need your help with, Miss Xiaoling.” Meng Yan straightened her shoulders with both hands and gestured, “Do you have any tools like axes at home? Which forest nearby has good timber? The uncle who led us to the house said that we can only stay there for two days. It seems the owner is about to return. We need to find a place to go.”
"You really want to build a house, Miss Yan?" Yue Lang looked at her with a complicated and bewildered expression after reading what she said. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to say, "Do you build a house to live in when you go on a long trip?"
It's a shame this is a beach, not a deep forest. Otherwise, I could at least try my luck and find a cave to stay in, which would be better than waiting empty-handed for a house to be built.
"We can't sleep on the streets every time, can we?" Meng Yan retorted.
There wasn't every single time, was there? Clearly, only that night in the cave last time was the only two times the two of them were alone together, aside from this time.
Yue Lang's expression was still conflicted. Xiao Ling felt a little better after being disturbed by them, and couldn't help but say, "Don't you know how to care for people, Yue Lang? How can you be like this? It's one thing to suffer yourself, but you also have to make your sweetheart suffer with you. If I were Yan Yan, I would stay far away from you!"
Perhaps because the emotions in his words were too prominent, Meng Yan looked at Yue Lang and waited for him to translate. He saw that Yue Lang's eyes were wide open, his hands were fidgeting and moving around, and when he met Meng Yan's gaze, he looked away in an instant.
"What's wrong? Are you embarrassed to let people say it?"
Yue Lang was defeated by Xiao Ling's loud voice despite the language barrier. He pondered Xiao Ling's words and found that they made some sense. Meng Yan had avoided him the few times they met.
But what does this have to do with his sweetheart? He and Meng Yan have such a pure friendship, sharing joys and sorrows. As soon as he said he was going out, he would immediately grab his bag and follow. What a touching friendship! Why is he feeling sorry and wronged?
Under the gaze of the two girls, Yue Lang hesitated for a long time before changing the subject, "Miss Yan, repairing the door is fine, but I think building the house can wait. Why don't you ask Miss Xiaoling about the situation of the villagers first, whether there are any houses that are usually empty? We can even pay to rent them, it's more practical than starting from scratch, right?"
"By the way, Miss Yan," Yue Lang said with a genuine smile, "I didn't bring any money with me on this trip. I'll pay you back later."
Meng Yan didn't comment on his positive additions, but relayed the words verbatim to Xiao Ling.
“If you’re going to stay a few more days, why don’t you stop fussing and stay in the house? The room you’re staying in now belongs to Brother Xiao Dong. He and I are childhood sweethearts, and we’ve already secretly agreed to get married. But he always wants to go out to sea a few more times, catch more fish, and have more money before he comes to propose to me.” As she spoke, she glanced at Yue Lang.
Yue Lang was listening attentively when he noticed her little movements, so he quickly raised his hand and waved it in the air in front of him.
“He can move in with me for the next few days, and then he’ll move back after you leave. But by then, he’ll probably be going fishing again.” Xiaoling glanced at the undulating sea and silently suppressed her emotions.
Meng Yan rested his chin on his hand, looking at the sand and stones at his feet. After a moment's hesitation, he insisted on asking, "Aren't there any empty rooms that won't affect your living conditions?"
In a seaside fishing village, the people are concentrated and there is little change. The same few people have been in the neighborhood for decades, and the houses are fixed. However, when Meng Yan walked around yesterday, she felt that several houses in the west of the village were not inhabited, but were taken care of by their owners. Yet, she rarely saw anyone visiting them. This strange unfamiliarity among acquaintances made her feel very strange.
"To be honest with you, Miss Yan, I suspect there is." Yue Lang shook his neck while switching aprons, his eyes quickly blinking towards a certain corner.
Meng Yan raised an eyebrow in response, and he knew that she had also set her sights on that place.
Yes, there are.
While Xiaoling was still pondering how to explain, Meng Yan waved his hand and said, "That's fine. He'll handle the negotiations."
Yue Lang gasped for breath, the warm air making him cough repeatedly.
"Is he really capable?" Xiaoling looked at Yue Lang with increasing disdain. "This matter can't be explained in a few words. Let's go back inside first. I'll take care of the fish and shrimp."
"Is it easy to find an axe? I'd like to stretch my muscles too."
Meng Yan was still preoccupied with the axe she hadn't found. Xiao Ling couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she took her arm and walked home.
Yue Lang and the apron in his hand exchanged a glance, then silently followed.
On the sandy shore, the last three figures departed together, two in front and one behind, stepping into the village. Just as the wind filled the sand where they had stepped, a door on the west side of the village swayed and opened a crack.
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