The crisp crowing of a rooster broke the chaotic dream. Guo Pengbin slowly woke up. What time was it now …
It was his first night back in the village. He didn't plan to sleep, at least not so soundly. He wanted to take a break because he had to pay attention to the movements outside and surf the internet for news of this world. He knew that he hadn't settled down just yet.
It was just that he was too tired after driving for a day. He didn't know when he fell asleep and slept until now …
Guo Pengbin opened his eyes and saw that it was already early in the morning. He was slightly shocked. "Wife?" He looked around. There was no one else in the yellow mud house. "Little Tiger? Little Vegetable? " His wife and two children were nowhere to be seen. Some unpacked luggage was quietly placed on the spot.
He hurriedly got up from the wooden bed and rushed out of the house without even turning off the fan that was making an unpleasant sound. The anxiety in his heart rapidly increased. Some messy and inexplicably terrifying scenes mixed with the bloody scenes of New York in the news video surged in his mind … Don't, don't let anything happen to me …
After rushing out of the yellow mud house, Guo Pengbin looked around but still didn't see anyone. What's going on …
He rushed to another yellow mud house. The door wasn't closed. He looked inside and saw no one. He ran to the entrance of the village and shouted, "Wife, wife!?"
At this time, before he could go completely mad, he suddenly saw his wife coming back from the other side of the road with the two children, who were bouncing about.
"Ah …" Guo Pengbin almost collapsed to the ground. His heart was still stuffy and uncomfortable. He couldn't relax for a while. He walked up to them and asked anxiously, "Where have you been?"
"Uncle Quan asked us to go for breakfast." Yu Qi was a little surprised, but she immediately understood her husband's concern and explained, "Uncle Quan is taking your mother and my parents to the fields to have a look. Here are some hard-boiled eggs for you to eat. We've already eaten them."
"Why didn't you wake me up!" Guo Pengbin was really annoyed. He then noticed that she was carrying a bag of eggs in her hand. They were all eggs from free-range chickens.
"I did, but I couldn't wake you up." Yu Qi was really helpless. "No matter how I called you, you still said to sleep a little longer … I saw that you were so tired, so I let you sleep. Don't be so flustered. Nothing happened. "
Guo Pengbin took a deep breath, nodded, and followed them back to the house. He hadn't brushed his teeth and washed his face yet.
"Papa, papa," the cub cried. "Shall we raise a few chickens to lay eggs?"
"Alright!" Lassie was also looking forward to it. "Raise it! And the dog! "
"Yes, Dad, let's get a dog." The tiger head begged again. "Grandpa Hong's dog mother just gave birth to a litter of puppies. Let's take one to raise. Mother has already agreed, okay?" Little Vegetable nodded repeatedly. "We want to raise a dog."
Guo Pengbin glanced at his wife and saw her nod. Actually, he understood her intentions. "Alright, we'll raise them all."
Since they had moved back to the village, they would live there for at least a year and a half or even longer. It would be good to raise some chickens, ducks, and dogs. His mother could take care of those chickens and ducks. Raising a dog could not only guard the door but also be a pet for the two children, accompanying them to integrate into the rural environment.
Sure enough, once they heard him agree, the two children suddenly cheered and excitedly shouted for their papa to kiss.
Guo Pengbin squatted down and moved closer. Both his cheeks were kissed by his son and daughter. He also smiled happily. Looking at the smiles on the two children's faces and watching them dance, the warmth in his heart grew. It was worth it, it was worth it …
"Why aren't you washing your face and brushing your teeth?" Yu Qi smiled. The dark circles under her eyes showed that she didn't sleep well last night, but compared to yesterday's melancholy, she seemed to have pulled herself together. "We still have work to do today. We need to clean both inside and outside the house. We need to check the wiring, clean the stove, and clean it. There are too many things to do."
"Yes." Guo Pengbin knew that his wife had pulled herself together. As a mother of two children, she was not a fragile person, and her enthusiasm made him more energetic. He didn't say anything more. He hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his face. After eating a few eggs, he rolled up his sleeves and began to work.
Not long after, the three elders came back with some farming tools and joined in the big cleaning.
The weeds in the yard outside the house were first cut with a sickle, and the ground was leveled with a hoe. The water tanks and firewood were rearranged. The cobwebs and dust in the house were completely removed. The uncles came to help again. They brought two new light pipes for them to change. This way, the house would be brightly lit at night.
They were busy from early morning until noon. Only then did they move to Uncle Quan's house for lunch. Aunt Quan made a big pot of rice.
The people living in the village were middle-aged and elderly, and they all knew each other. As long as the neighbors saw them, they would join in the fun and ask why they came back to live. Guo Pengbin showed enthusiasm and politeness. He had already told his family to do the same. They must have a good relationship with the neighbors while living in the village.
After lunch, although Guo Pengbin didn't want to go out, there were some things that needed to be bought in order to improve the living environment of the house. He took Uncle Bo, who knew a little about water and electricity, and drove to the town. They bought all the things as fast as they could, and then rushed back to the village. He was nervous all the way, but fortunately, nothing bad happened.
When they returned to the entrance of the village, they met another family driving back to the village. They were also carrying big and small bags.
Because it was daytime, there were several villagers watching. Uncle Hong was among them. After Guo Pengbin got out of the car, he asked and found out that Uncle Doehring's son had also moved back.
"Rongqin?" Guo Pengbin took a look. Wasn't Uncle Doehring's son his primary school classmate? He recognized the middle-aged man immediately. "Li Rongqin!"
He and Li Rongqin were very good friends when they were young, but their relationship gradually faded after they entered junior high. They really hadn't met for more than ten years. The last time they came back to pay respects to their ancestors, they saw each other, so they recognized each other. After all, everyone looked very different from when they were young.
"I haven't seen you for a long time." He walked up and sighed with a smile. His heart felt more stable, like holding on to a piece of wood in a river and holding onto more wooden planks.
"Guo Pengbin!" Li Rongqin also recognized him, and the smile on his face was also complicated. "You're back too?"
"Yes, I came back to live …" Guo Pengbin nodded heavily and patted him on the shoulder. Li Rongqin also patted him. At this moment, both of them had the same feeling.
Then, Li Rongqin introduced his wife and children. He only had a son, Xuan Xuan, who was five years old this year. He was a little shy, and when he was asked to greet people, he hugged his mother's leg shyly and refused to speak. Guo Pengbin told them not to force the child, and sincerely said that this was great. The little tiger head and the little vegetable had a playmate now.
Li Rongqin's parents were still alive, and they welcomed them at the side. His parents-in-law also came along. This family was also very busy.
Therefore, after chatting for a while at the entrance of the village, the two men went to do their own things. In the days to come, they would have a lot of time to spend together.
Guo Pengbin returned to his yellow mud house with the things he bought and sent back the news. Yu Qi immediately felt a little relieved. The two children were already looking forward to the playmate. Yu Qi said that she would visit the next day when the playmate was almost done with his work.
That evening, when it was almost dinnertime, Uncle Quan came over to ask Guo Pengbin to look at the fields. He had been back for a day, and it was time to go and have a look, Uncle Quan said.
There were many fields around the village, and because the old people were still farming, the fields were not abandoned. In this summer, the paddy fields were about to be harvested. Everywhere was golden, and when the wind blew, it seemed to carry the fragrance of rice.
"Uncle Quan, when are you going to harvest these fields?"
Guo Pengbin followed Uncle Quan to the muddy road beside the fields. He was both familiar and unfamiliar with farm work. In the past, the farm work at home was handled by his old father. Even if he was involved, he would only help in whatever way his old father asked him to. He did not know much.
"It will be ready in a few days." Uncle Quan looked at the fields that had already grown, and there seemed to be a gentle light in his eyes. "This year, the rice is ripe."
"Then when the time comes, I will help you with the harvesting," Guo Pengbin said. "I have to find something to do here."
At this time, he saw Li Rongqin following his father, Uncle Doehring, around the fields. Seeing that Li Rongqin had noticed him, he waved in greeting.
Li Rongqin probably had the same idea. Since he had returned to live in the village, he wanted to live there steadily.
"Pengbin." Uncle Quan explained his plan as he walked. His tanned face was very serious. "Listen to me. I've already talked to your mother. These few mu of land originally belonged to your father, but he passed away early, so it fell to me. I farmed it along with my own few mu of land. Now that you have returned to live in the village, and you want to find some farm work, I will return these few mu of land to you. These few mu of land won't be worth much after harvesting them. I heard that the situation outside isn't good, and I have also seen some news. What I mean is, let's not sell these grains for now. Who knows when we will have the money to buy food? I have been hungry before, and I know how hard it is to be hungry. Going back to our great-grandfather's era, it was common for people to sell their children to the landlord for a bag of grains. So I say we shouldn't sell these grains. Let's save them. I will try to call your cousin and the others back. These fields can still be farmed once more this year. When the harvest is ready, we will see if we should sell some. What do you think? "
"Good, good …" Guo Pengbin listened and nodded repeatedly. Uncle Quan's words touched him, and he agreed with them. This old farmer, who had lived most of his life in the yellow soil, had a unique view of the changes in the world. "Let's do as you say, Uncle Quan. Don't sell the grains, keep them … we will farm these fields together …"
"If you are willing to farm, you can farm the rest of the fields." Uncle Quan pointed to the surroundings. "But farming is very tiring."
"Tiring is not a problem." Guo Pengbin smiled and looked at the golden paddy fields. "As long as the family can be safe and don't starve, it doesn't matter if it is a little tiring … Uncle Quan, now I finally understand why my father was always unwilling to leave these fields …"
He didn't know if the disaster outside would suddenly spread to the village one day, but looking at the paddy fields in front of him, there was a real sense of hope in his heart.
With these paddy fields, with these lands, they could survive.
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