0p0 Chapter 26 Entering the Ancient Village
Chapter 26 Entering the Ancient Village
Chen Fang stood at the entrance of the village, feeling strange and uneasy. She held the strap of her backpack tightly, and everything around her seemed so ancient and distant, as if time had stopped here.
"Is this the village of my dreams?" She said to herself, her eyes wandering around, trying to find something familiar. The houses in front of her were built with blue bricks and tiles, with a few strings of dried chilies hanging under the eaves, and farmers were busy working in the fields next to them.
"You are from another place, right?" A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts. Chen Fang turned around and saw a plain-dressed woman with a pretty face, smiling at her.
"I...yes, my name is Chen Fang." She stuttered a little, feeling surprised and curious.
"My name is Li Mei, welcome to our village." Li Mei's voice was like a spring breeze, warm and kind. "Is this your first time here?"
"Yes, that's right." Chen Fang nodded, still feeling a little uneasy, "I don't know much about everything here."
Li Mei's eyes flashed with understanding. "It's okay. Although the village is small, the people are very welcoming. You can come with me and I'll take you around."
"Thank you." Chen Fang breathed a sigh of relief and followed Li Mei, feeling a little more at ease.
As they walked along, the village gradually appeared before Chen Fang's eyes. The peach trees beside the road were full of pink flowers, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers. Li Mei pointed at the peach tree and said with a smile: "This tree blooms every spring, and people in the village like to come here to take pictures."
"It's really beautiful." Chen Fang exclaimed, thinking to herself that such scenery is hard to find in modern cities.
"There are many interesting things in our village," Li Mei continued, "such as the annual Harvest Festival, when everyone gets together to celebrate, sing and dance, and it's very lively."
"Harvest Festival? Sounds interesting." Chen Fang's eyes sparkled as she imagined the lively scene.
"By the way, what do you do?" Li Mei suddenly asked, looking at Chen Fang curiously.
"I...I work in the city." Chen Fang hesitated for a moment and decided not to reveal too much and just answered simply.
"Life in the city must be very busy, right?" Li Mei sighed, seeming to yearn for city life. "Although our village is quiet, sometimes I also want to experience the outside world."
"In fact, city life also has a lot of pressure." Chen Fang smiled slightly, but she felt a complex emotion in her heart. She thought of her busyness and loneliness in the city, and she couldn't help but sigh.
The two continued walking forward, and Li Mei took Chen Fang to the center of the village, where there was a small square, and several elderly people were sitting on benches, chatting. Chen Fang saw the smiles on their faces, and she couldn't help but feel a little warm in her heart.
"These are the elders of the village. They all like children very much." Li Mei said softly with a gentle look in her eyes.
"I like children very much." Chen Fang responded unconsciously, but felt a little melancholy in her heart.
"Then you will definitely like it here." Li Mei smiled slightly and took Chen Fang to a small stall. The stall owner was a kind middle-aged woman who was selling some vegetables she grew herself.
"Li Mei, are you bringing your friends here again?" the woman greeted enthusiastically.
"This is my friend Chen Fang. This is her first time visiting our village," Li Mei introduced.
"Welcome, welcome! The vegetables here are all grown by me, they are absolutely fresh." The woman said with a smile, with a warm light in her eyes.
"Thank you." Chen Fang smiled slightly, feeling a little touched. She had never thought that she would feel such warm acceptance in such a strange place.
"What do you like to eat?" Li Mei asked, her eyes full of concern.
"I... I like eating vegetables." Chen Fang replied, feeling a little overwhelmed.
"Then you must try the vegetables here, they are so delicious!" Li Mei said excitedly, pulling Chen Fang towards the stall.
In front of the stall, Chen Fang looked at the fresh vegetables and felt a warm feeling in her heart. Everything here was so simple and beautiful, as if time had stopped at this moment.
"Do you want to buy some to take back?" Li Mei asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Okay." Chen Fang nodded, secretly deciding in her heart to experience it all.
With the help of Li Mei, Chen Fang bought some fresh vegetables and couldn't help feeling a little satisfied.
After a few days of adaptation, Chen Fang gradually let go of her initial anxiety and began to slowly integrate into this new environment.
"Good morning, Chen Fang!" Li Mei's voice came from outside, with a hint of a crisp smile.
"Good morning, Li Mei!" Chen Fang got up quickly, put on her clothes, and walked out of the room. She saw Li Mei standing in the yard, holding a basket of fresh vegetables in her hands, with a sunny smile on her face.
"We are going to the fields today to help my family harvest some crops. Are you ready?" Li Mei asked excitedly.
"Harvesting crops? I've never done anything like this." Chen Fang was a little hesitant, secretly worrying whether he could do it.
"It's okay, I will teach you, come with me!" Li Mei patted her shoulder and encouraged her.
Led by Li Mei, Chen Fang walked towards the fields outside the village. The sun shone on the golden rice ears, and the breeze blew gently, bringing bursts of rice fragrance. She took a deep breath, and her heart was filled with freshness.
"Look, the rice is almost ripe, we should harvest it early." Li Mei pointed to a golden rice field, her eyes flashing with excitement.
"What should I do?" Chen Fang was a little nervous, but she was looking forward to this new challenge.
"First, you have to learn how to use this sickle." Li Mei picked up a sickle and demonstrated how to cut rice. "Be careful to be steady, make the cuts obliquely, and try not to hurt the roots."
"Okay, I'll try." Chen Fang took the sickle and walked to the edge of the rice field with trepidation, trying to imitate Li Mei's movements. She lowered her head and began to cut the rice, but the sickle in her hand was a bit clumsy, and the rice she cut was always crooked.
"Take your time, there's no rush." Li Mei patiently instructed, "You can try cutting a few first to get familiar with the feel."
"Well, I understand." Chen Fang took a deep breath, tried to relax, and tried again. After several practices, she gradually found the feeling and her movements became smoother.
"Good, Chen Fang! You learn very quickly!" Li Mei encouraged from the side, with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.
"Thank you, Li Mei." Chen Fang smiled slightly, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She began to enjoy the process and felt the close contact with nature.
While they were busy, a middle-aged man came over on the ridge of the field with a sunny smile on his face. "Li Mei, what are you doing here?"
"Uncle, we are harvesting rice. Chen Fang is my friend and she is studying." Li Mei answered proudly.
"Oh, Chen Fang, welcome to our village! Although life here is hard, it is also fulfilling." The middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Thank you, I'm trying to adapt." Chen Fang responded, feeling a little warm in her heart.
“You should learn more from Li Mei. Life in the village is simple, but also very interesting.” The middle-aged man said, and continued walking forward.
After a whole morning of hard work, Chen Fang and Li Mei finally harvested a small piece of rice field. Although her arms were a little sore, her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
"The harvest went smoothly today!" Li Mei said happily, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Yeah, I didn't expect harvesting rice could be so interesting." Chen Fang responded with a smile, secretly sighing in her heart that she could actually find fun in this ancient village.
"Next, let's go to the kitchen to prepare lunch!" Li Mei suggested.
"Okay, can I help?" Chen Fang immediately asked excitedly.
"Of course, you can help me wash and cut vegetables." Li Mei nodded and took Chen Fang back home.
In the kitchen, Li Mei started to get busy, putting water in the pot, preparing to cook some fresh vegetables. Chen Fang was washing the vegetables carefully, her heart full of anticipation.
"Your vegetable cutting skills are pretty good!" Li Mei said approvingly as she watched Chen Fang's skillful movements.
"Thank you, I find it very interesting too." Chen Fang replied, secretly glad that she could learn these ancient life skills.
After lunch was ready, the two sat around the table and enjoyed the sumptuous meal. The sunlight from the window shone through the curtains, shining on their faces, casting a warm glow.
"This is the life in our village. It's simple but very real," said Li Mei with a smile.
"I like this kind of life." Chen Fang felt satisfied in her heart and a happy smile appeared on her face.
"Then you can stay here!" Li Mei winked mischievously, "We can live and study together!"
"I...I'll consider it." Chen Fang smiled slightly, but in her heart she had already begun to yearn for this land, her friendship with Li Mei, and this simple and real life.