After returning to the village, Wu Chun and the village chief discussed the matter in light of the fall harvest and the villagers’ busy daytime schedules. They planned to gather everyone together in the evening and explain the situation.
The amount of the subsidy from above is now clear. Wu Chun contacted several construction teams to inquire about the materials needed to repair the wells near the village and the slabs needed to cover various wells in the village. After deducting the subsidized amount, each household will need to contribute about one hundred.
The total amount is less than Wu Chun originally thought. He intends to collect one hundred from each household up front. The remaining funds will be matched by Wu Chun and the village chief to repair the village’s only main road, which is currently a dirt track.
While the surrounding areas are progressing, this village seems to be stagnating.
There must be a wide road that can attract all the wealth and bring in most of the outside resources.
After discussing the matter with the village chief, Wu Chun, realizing that there was still some time before lunch, decided to take a walk around the village fields. During this time, Wu Chun’s hands had hardly worked on his piece of land. He decided to put it aside for the time being and concentrate on solving the village’s immediate problems. He also wanted to use this opportunity to interact more with the villagers.
Wu Chun stopped near a field near a water source. This was where they grew sweet potatoes. Although there had not been much rain that year, the water level in this lake had risen considerably, and half of the field was under water. At that moment, many farmers took off their shoes and rolled up their pants to feel for sweet potatoes in the water.
Wu Chun checked the time; it seemed like it wasn’t harvest time for sweet potatoes yet. However, given the current situation, waiting wasn’t an option.
Without much thought, Wu Chun immediately took off his shoes and socks and stepped into the field. The weather was a bit hot, but the water under his feet was refreshingly cool. As he walked on the pebbles, he felt a slight tingling sensation on the soles of his feet.
“Hey, young man, what are you doing down here?”
An old man noticed Wu Chun descending and hurriedly approached him, his movements in the water slower than usual. Wu Chun watched the old man’s clumsy steps and couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s okay, Grandpa, I’m just killing time.”
Wu Chun rolled up his sleeves and put his hands into the water.
The sweet potatoes were already submerged in the soil, and when they were lifted, the purple-red skin didn’t have a speck of mud on it. Perhaps from soaking in water, the skin looked a bit pale.
“It will take some time for the sweet potatoes to fully ripen, right?”
Wu Chun asked casually, not expecting the old man to sigh heavily.
“There’s no way around it. Depending on this lake, there aren’t many varieties we can grow. Every year, just when the harvest is near, the water rises. You have to harvest when it comes up, otherwise they rot in the ground. People our age depend on this land.”
The old man spoke and let out another deep sigh.
As he listened, Wu Chun felt a sense of unease, but at the moment, he couldn’t think of a good solution. In such situations, a person’s sense of helplessness tends to deepen.
“Grandpa, let me help you all with the harvest. It will be faster this way, and it’s not good for your health to stand in the water for too long.”
Wu Chun spoke as he walked to the front of the line. Besides a few elderly people, there were also several middle-aged women in the line.
After asking a few questions, Wu Chun learned that most of these middle-aged women had husbands who worked outside. They stayed behind, taking care of the elderly and children, and tending to the household lands. Some of them had lived here most of their lives and hadn’t even left the city.
“We don’t have the means to make money. We can only stay at home and rely on these few acres of land to make ends meet each year,” one of the women explained.
Hearing this, Wu Chun felt even more uneasy. The work these people put into their homes each year was not insignificant, and the hardships of farming were something Wu Chun had come to appreciate over the past few years.
Wu Chun’s most vivid memory is of the peanut harvest, usually during the hottest season of the year.
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.
He saw those who worked in the fields starting before dawn, carrying lunch and a large bottle of water. They would stay in the fields all day, not taking a break even during the hottest midday hours. Wu Chun saw many people whose arms were sunburned in just two days.
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The reaction of the worker is still fresh in Wu Chun’s mind.
“Things outside are expensive, and we make just enough every day. Without being frugal, it’s hard to save money.”
Thinking about it, Wu Chun let out a slow sigh.
Unexpectedly, it aroused the curiosity of the elderly lady nearby. “Young man, why are you sighing at such a young age?”
“It’s nothing, I just feel a bit emotional all of a sudden,” Wu Chun replied with a smile.
“What is there to be emotional about? In this day and age, as long as you are willing to work, you will certainly not go hungry,” the elderly lady said, dipping her hands into the water, scooping up a bunch of sweet potatoes and placing them in a nearby container.
After a moment, she added, “It’s just that when we’re not harvesting, it would be great if there was some work for us to do. Anything we can earn is good; it’s a little unsettling to be idle at home when it’s not harvest time.”
Hearing this, Wu Chun’s hands stopped.
Whether it’s planting or harvesting, the work in the fields seems to be concentrated around a certain time, leaving other periods relatively empty.
Wu Chun had never thought about this before.
“By the way, young man, what were you doing with the village chief in town today?”
Wu Chun’s thoughts were interrupted once again. Without hesitation, he explained everything, including the discussion he had with the village chief.
“This is a great thing!”
The reactions of the people present were quite enthusiastic, which surprised Wu Chun.
“These wells, unlike this lake, have no buffer edge. Once you step into those wells, it’s over,” the person said with a sigh. “How many young people have died in them over the years, including that child a few days ago? So, young man, what you’re doing is a good thing! You’ve done a great thing for the village! We can certainly contribute a hundred yuan.”
“Oh no,” Wu Chun smiled and said, “It’s not just me doing a good thing; it’s something we’re doing together.”
…
Wu Chun went to Shili Mountain in the afternoon.
There are a lot of things happening tonight and he doesn’t know if he will have time to make it.
However, around sunset, there is still a small window of time for Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao to spend together.
At sunset, Xu Shi Yao appeared out of the trees right on time.
“I have a new idea today,” Wu Chun said as soon as he arrived.
“What idea?”
Wu Chun brought over two relatively large stones and squeezed in next to Xu Shi Yao.
“Can we set up some smaller ‘factories’ in the village to solve the employment problems of the village’s housewives?”
“Hmm?”
The sudden suggestion inevitably left Xu Shiyao a bit confused, and Wu Chun realized that he had been too hasty. He told Xu Shiyao about today’s experience.
After listening to the story, Xu Shiyao slightly furrowed his brow. After a moment, he asked quietly, “Factory?”
Wu Chun then realized that these two words were probably new to Xu Shiyao.
Wu Chun briefly explained to Xu Shiyao that with the development of transportation in recent years, many industries had sprung up outside the village, and many young people chose to leave the village to work. However, at present, most of those who went out were men.
The women stayed in the village and took care of various things at home.
“Are you saying that you want some factories like this in the village?” Xu Shiyao asked.
Wu Chun nodded.
“I think this matter is not urgent,” Xu Shiyao replied without much consideration, “It certainly requires a considerable amount of money.
Wu Chun nodded again.
“You can write down this idea and wait until the surrounding conditions are ripe to proceed,” Xu Shi Yao continued.
“Do you think I can accomplish this?” Wu Chun asked.
Although he had only recently arrived, his notebook was already filled with many ideas. Sometimes, when Wu Chun looked at these things, he felt like he was making things up out of thin air.
For some currently confusing matters, Wu Chun needed a confirming voice other than his own to calm his inner worries.
Sometimes, too much worry did not stem from the difficulty of the immediate tasks, but from the uncertainty of the unknown.
Wu Chun received the desired positive response from Xu Shi Yao. He smiled softly, and his hand that had been resting on Xu Shi Yao’s leg slowly moved down and intertwined with Xu Shi Yao’s hand.
At that moment, Wu Chun heard a cry.
It was Grandpa’s voice.
Wu Chun immediately turned around to see his grandfather standing by the side of the mountain path, using a wooden stick to prop himself up. He looked a bit stooped, and his figure had become thinner.
Grandfather had aged.
Wu Chun’s eyes filled with tears. He quickly stood up and helped his grandfather.
“Grandpa, the mountain path is not easy to walk. How did you get here?”
“The village chief said you had something tonight, and since you’re here, I came to take a look,” Grandpa said, suddenly lowering his voice. “Is that child here too?”
Wu Chun turned around and saw Xu Shi Yao looking somewhat confused. He chuckled and said, “He’s here. Sitting under that tree.”
After saying this, Wu Chun noticed that Xu Shi Yao’s expression visibly changed, seemingly surprised by his words.
“Xiao Yao!” Grandpa shouted as he walked over. Eventually, he settled down between Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao, holding one of Wu Chun’s hands while extending the other to the side that Xu Shi Yao couldn’t see.
Wu Chun understood immediately. He took Xu Shi Yao’s hand and put it on Grandpa’s hand. After that, Grandpa slowly clasped his hand and when it touched Xu Shi Yao’s hand, it felt like it was passing through air.
“Xiao Yao probably doesn’t remember me,” Grandpa said with a smile. “Back then, you used to come with your mother. When Chun Chun wasn’t born yet, they said it was a little sister. Your mother and Chun Chun’s mother agreed to arrange a marriage between the two of you. When you went looking for a little sister and found a little brother, you even cried.
Hearing Grandpa talk about this, Wu Chun felt a little embarrassed and his face turned slightly red.
“Can you hear Grandpa talking?” Wu Chun asked Xu Shi Yao.
Xu Shi Yao nodded.
“Xiaoyao can hear?”
“Yes, yes, as long as Grandpa speaks, he can hear.”
Upon hearing this, Grandpa smiled and began to open up.
“At first, you even questioned your mother, asking where the little sister had gone. Eventually, you stopped asking and spent every day clinging to Wu Chun. Whenever no one was around, you’d catch Wu Chun and give him a kiss.”
Wu Chun laughed at this revelation, realizing that Xu Shi Yao, this fellow, had been plotting against him since childhood!
Wu Chun looked triumphantly at Xu Shi Yao, who replied with a gentle smile.
“Anything else, Grandpa?” Wu Chun asked with great interest.
“Many more stories. When you were just learning to walk, the water in the small river froze in winter, and you went ice skating with Yao Yao. Unfortunately, you accidentally slipped into a hole in the ice. I remember it well. In the middle of winter, Yao Yao took off his clothes for me, made a big fire, and, wearing only his autumn clothes, roasted a coat for you. When we got there, Yao Yao’s lips were purple from the cold.”
Wu Chun hadn’t expected to have so many childhood interactions with Xu Shi Yao. Logically, he should have remembered Xu Shi Yao from his childhood, but strangely, he didn’t remember him after he grew up. Realizing this, Wu Chun felt a pang of guilt.
“Chun Chun, the village chief mentioned that you’re back to do something big?”
Wu Chun had never told his grandfather about the purpose of his return because he was unsure if he should.
He instinctively looked at Xu Shi Yao, and when he met Xu Shi Yao’s encouraging gaze, Wu Chun hesitated for a moment.
“Speak,” Xu Shi Yao whispered. “This is the person you trust the most.”
Xu Shi Yao’s words seemed to be a catalyst, and Wu Chun made a decision almost immediately, deciding to share everything with his grandfather.
“Yes, Grandpa, I want to help the people in the village live a better life!”
I was binge reading this novel after I stopped reading for a bit to focus on school work! Now I’m back and in the blink of an eye Wu Chun is an adult and has graduated from university! 🥹💖
Thanks for the chapter!! (¯ ³¯)♡