After military training, Wu Chun returned to Shili Mountain once again.
This year, the Dragon Boat Festival and National Day happened to coincide, giving Wu Chun’s school a nearly two-week-long holiday. On the night of departure from the school, Wu Chun talked throughout the evening. When they finally reunited after nearly a month, Wu Chun’s heart was filled not only with longing but also with indescribable excitement.
TLN : The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional holiday in China that falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. It is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Chinese culture. The festival commemorates the death of the famous poet and minister Qu Yuan, who lived during the Warring States period in ancient China.
During this month, Wu Chun gradually learned to integrate the feeling of missing the other person into his daily life. He kept himself busy with college activities, constantly engaging his mind. Even though he couldn’t completely push away the thoughts of missing the other person, as time passed, Wu Chun found a way to coexist with this emotion.
Listening to others complain about the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, Wu Chun felt somewhat disdainful. However, it was not until he experienced it himself that he realized how love could be so trivial in the face of reason. Loving and missing someone deeply made him wish to be with that person every moment, and if he couldn’t see the other person within his visible range for an extended period, he would feel insecure.
Several times, Wu Chun’s remaining rationality almost collapsed. In those moments, nothing around him seemed important, and he only wanted to rush to Xu Shi Yao’s side and have a conversation with him.
But in the end, Wu Chun held back.
On that night, what Xu Shi Yao said made sense. They should focus more on the future between them. Wu Chun needed to create a foundation for himself in that place; otherwise, even their future wouldn’t hold any hope.
Xu Shi Yao could only stay in that place.
While Wu Chun’s feet could step into various corners of the world, he would eventually return to that place as well.
Shili Mountain was the intersection where Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao’s life paths began to meet, and naturally, it would also be the point where their paths converged. This process that seemed like returning to the starting point required both of them to make significant efforts.
Moreover, beyond the Shili Mountain, Wu Chun felt the need to explore the world on behalf of Xu Shi Yao.
Five years ago, Xu Shi Yao had just stepped into a new world when an unexpected incident forced him to return abruptly.
Wu Chun always believed that he had a responsibility to carry, and he should persist in the place where efforts were needed, with the dedication and expectations shared with Xu Shi Yao.
In the past month, due to the loss of the refreshing energy from the pine cone that Xu Shi Yao took away, Wu Chun’s fair skin had become slightly tanned because of the military training.
During this process, Wu Chun also learned a lot, as spending long hours in the library had increased his knowledge.
In just one month, Wu Chun’s whole demeanor had changed.
Upon returning to the Shili Village, Wu Chun first visited the village chief’s house.
During this time, Wu Chun had read a large number of books at school and gained some understanding of rural development. However, there were still some questions that Wu Chun needed to consult the village chief about.
What you read in books is just theory; the actual implementation needs to be adapted to the specific circumstances.
Upon seeing Wu Chun, the village chief’s expression seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he smiled warmly and said, “Indeed, going to the big city broadens your horizons. You look completely different now compared to before.”
Wu Chun smiled but didn’t say anything. Instead, he took out a notebook from his bag, which contained the notes he had made over the past month.
“Village chief, I’ve studied some cases from other villages and found that here, at the lake below Shili Mountain and Shili itself, is it possible to engage in aquaculture…”
…
After spending about two hours at the village chief’s house, Wu Chun left with his notebook in hand.
With still a few hours left until evening, Wu Chun decided to wander around the village and explore various places.
During his time at school, Wu Chun deeply felt that he had very little understanding of this place. Whenever he saw something and wanted to recall it, he couldn’t even remember certain aspects of the village.
This wouldn’t do.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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He chose the area closest to Shili Mountain so that in case he took too long, he could still save some time by heading to Shili Mountain after sunset.
Now is the time of corn harvest.
The corn at this moment is fully ripe from top to bottom, with the corn ears hanging down. As Wu Chun passed by a field, he approached and gently peeled back the husk covering the corn, revealing the plump kernels inside.
The yellow corn kernels met Wu Chun’s gaze, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Isn’t this the nephew from that family? Back to visit your grandfather again?” A middle-aged man carrying a sack of corn approached and placed the sack at Wu Chun’s feet.
Wu Chun was about to offer help but was stopped.
“Don’t touch it. This sack of corn is not light. You, as a scholar, can’t handle it.” He wiped his sweat and hoisted the sack back on his shoulder. “Are you planning to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at your grandfather’s place again this time?”
TLN : The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar when the moon is believed to be the fullest and brightest.
“En, yes.”
To be honest, Wu Chun hadn’t recognized who the person was yet, but he still politely called him “uncle.” He noticed that there was still half a sack of corn in the field not far away, so he put down his notebook and walked over to the field, attempting to carry the half sack of corn on his shoulders.
Perhaps it was only half a sack, and the weight of the corn was not as heavy as Wu Chun had imagined. He could handle it just fine. However, as he took a step, he accidentally stepped on a stone and stumbled.
At that moment, the person in front turned around and saw the scene. He quickly put the corn on the ground and hurriedly ran towards Wu Chun, saying, “Young man, you can’t do this. You might hurt your back. Let me handle it.”
“I can do it, uncle,” Wu Chun replied.
Saying that, he shook the corn on his shoulders a couple of times and continued walking away with the corn.
“Just this little thing, if I can’t handle it, then all these years of meals would have been for nothing.”
After placing the corn in the designated spot, when Wu Chun turned around, he saw the uncle’s face showing a mix of astonishment and admiration.
Wu Chun couldn’t help but find it a bit funny. “What’s wrong, uncle?” he asked.
In a tone of disbelief, the man said, “I never expected a student like you could handle this kind of work.”
“Uncle, you can’t say that,” Wu Chun said with a smile. “Students are also human beings. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean we can’t do it too, right?”
“I’m not the only one who thinks that way,” the man chuckled as he poured the corn from the bag into the basket. “But it’s true, you students have been sitting in school since you were little, sheltered from the wind and rain, and have never done heavy labor. Naturally, you won’t be able to handle this kind of work.”
“Uncle, that’s just a stereotype,” Wu Chun stepped forward, helping to pour the corn from the sack into the basket while saying, “We are actually just like you, boys who grew up eating grains and miscellaneous grains. If you can do it, we can do it too. It may seem a little challenging now, but with more practice, we might even surpass you.”
“Well, you have a point,” the man said, picking up the bag and preparing to continue walking into the field. “But since you’ve already changed your fate through education, why do this dirty and tiring work? Study hard and get out of this impoverished mountain area, right?”
“But there must always be someone going against the tide…” Wu Chun murmured softly.
“What?” The man seemed to catch the words furrowing his brow.
“Nothing,” Wu Chun smiled and quickly changed the subject, “Uncle, how much more do you have? Let me help you.”
“No need, no need. The sun is scorching, and you have delicate skin. Don’t get sunburned,” the man replied.
“It’s alright, Uncle. Let me help you,” Wu Chun said firmly.
Looking at Wu Chun’s determined eyes, the man finally nodded.
“But listen to me, don’t carry too much at once, and don’t stay in the cornfield for too long.”
“Got it!”
Wu Chun readily agreed and quickly picked up the notebook he had thrown aside, following the man.
“Uncle, the corn harvest seems good this year. Can you sell it at a good price?”
“You won’t get much money from selling it.”
“Why?”
“Grains are not worth much anymore…”
The conversation continued for a long time.
…
At sunset, Wu Chun arrived at Shili Mountain.
But he was still a step late. Before he reached the pine tree, he saw the familiar figure standing there.
Xu Shi Yao also noticed him and, within a second, he appeared in front of Wu Chun.
Seeing the face he missed so much in front of him, Wu Chun couldn’t hold back any longer and threw himself into the other’s arms.
“I miss you so much, Xu Shi Yao,” Wu Chun said, burying his face in Xu Shi Yao’s embrace, letting the familiar scent surround him.
“I miss you too,” Xu Shi Yao said softly, reaching up to remove the corn silk from Wu Chun’s hair.
“Did you go to do farm work again?” Xu Shi Yao asked.
Just then, a gust of wind blew by. Wu Chun emerged from Xu Shi Yao’s embrace and looked towards the distant mountaintop. At the peak, you could faintly see the tip of the sun.
“Let’s watch the sunset,” Wu Chun pointed towards the distance and said.
Xu Shi Yao softly replied with a “okay,” and they sat on the pine tree branch just like before.
Fortunately, although Xu Shi Yao couldn’t tolerate direct exposure to light, at least he still had the chance to join Wu Chun and catch the tail of the sunset together.
However, on this rare occasion in Shili Mountain, there were other people besides Wu Chun.
“Young man, why are you sitting on the tree? It’s dangerous. Come down quickly.”
Wu Chun was startled, and if it weren’t for Xu Shi Yao’s hands firmly holding his waist, he might have slipped down from the branch.
“Don’t worry, he can’t see me,” Xu Shi Yao reassured in a low voice, close to Wu Chun’s ear.
With a sigh of relief, Wu Chun realized that luckily, he and Xu Shi Yao hadn’t done anything suspicious just now. Otherwise, in the eyes of others, it would seem like he was alone, doing strange things on a mountain that was once rumored to be haunted.
“Aunty, I was just watching the sunset,” Wu Chun replied with a smile.
The woman walked over, carrying a hoe and holding a frame in her hand. “You can watch, but young man, this tree isn’t meant for sitting. Come down quickly.”
Wu Chun hesitated and turned to look at Xu Shi Yao beside him, silently seeking his advice.
Xu Shi Yao’s face didn’t show much change in expression. He held Wu Chun’s waist and floated down from the tree.
Seeing this, the woman quickly placed the hoe on the ground and took out a few things from the frame, arranging them on the stove.
“Tree Spirit of the Pine Tree, thanks to your blessings, our village hasn’t experienced flooding in these years. We had a good harvest this year, and we have secured the tuition fees for the children’s schooling. I came here specially to thank you.”
She knelt down and kowtowed three times, then stood up, patted the dirt off her knees, and prepared to leave.
“Aunty,” Wu Chun hurriedly stopped her, carefully asking, “I just heard you say you are going to sell the crops for the children’s education?”
“That’s right.” The woman sighed slowly, “We are poor at home, and we need to pay the children’s tuition fees in autumn. The money from selling the crops will just be enough.” Saying this, she looked at Wu Chun, scanning him up and down, “Young man, you are also a student, right?”
Wu Chun nodded.
“Studying is good, studying is good.” The woman exclaimed repeatedly, “With education, you can leave this remote place. Alright, I should go now. It will be getting dark soon, and you shouldn’t stay here for too long.”
Wu Chun nodded.
The woman walked away, carrying the hoe, and humming a song as she went.
Wu Chun looked at her thin figure, feeling deeply emotional at this moment.
“Wu Chun,” Xu Shi Yao called softly in his ear.
“Xu Shi Yao, I have an indescribable feeling in my heart, do you understand?”
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao, and saw a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Wu Chun smiled and held his hand, patiently saying, “People have to eat to live, and to eat, they must work. But merely eating is not enough. They need more things, and for these things, they have to work tirelessly day after day. Until the day when they can no longer work, and by then, it will be time to bid farewell to this world.”
Xu Shi Yao had also experienced such emotions, but at the moment when life came to an end, this feeling dissipated with the passing of life. Now, he knew that protecting this mountain forest and providing a stable environment for the people living below was important, but he couldn’t fully understand what they had to do once the environment was stable. The stability of the environment was just a prerequisite for their lives.
Life is built from countless helplessness and unavoidable circumstances. Occasionally, the interspersed moments of joy make people feel that no matter how difficult life may be, they still want to live, to continue living, in hopes of encountering unexpected surprises.
“The outside world is fascinating, so they all want their children to strive to leave this mountain and go outside. For them, studying is the only way to do so.”
“What about you?” Xu Shi Yao asked in a low voice.
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao and smiled faintly, “I’m the same as you.”
“The same in what way?”
Wu Chun turned around, leaning his shoulder against Xu Shi Yao’s shoulder. He gazed at the village below, and after a moment, he let out a slow breath. Then, with a determined tone, he said, “I’m the same as you, staying here is to give more people the opportunity to leave.”
A soybean:
Suddenly appeared! Good evening, everyone!!!
