bayedsolid Chapter 384 Children playing at the entrance of Polin Village
Chapter 384 Children playing at the entrance of Polin Village
Yundan hummed a song while Aji drove the oxcart, praising her singing from time to time.
Sunlight streamed through the sparse clouds, warming my skin.
Looking at the scene outside, Leng Xiyue suddenly laughed and said, "This kind of life feels like going back to my youth."
Zhang Sanfeng also laughed: "Yes, it has been a long time since I have experienced such a scene, it is quite rare."
The oxcart rolled along the country dirt road, raising a cloud of fine dust.
Yun Dan hummed an off-key tune in the car.
Aji drove the cattle, occasionally listening to her humming, and would smile and praise her.
"Sister Yundan, your tune is so beautiful, it's even more pleasant to listen to than the rattle drum on the peddler's shoulder pole in the village."
Yun Dan beamed with joy at his praise: "Isn't it beautiful? This is a tune from my hometown, also known as a song."
Looking out the window at the fields and farmhouses, Leng Xiyue remarked, "This village looks quite peaceful."
Aji turned around and replied, "We're almost there. Polin Village is just ahead."
Our village is small, with only a dozen or so households, all related by blood or marriage, and life is simple.
As they were talking, the oxcart had already rounded a mountain ridge, and a cluster of low houses came into view.
The walls, made of rammed earth, and the thatched roofs are scattered sparsely in the valley, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys drifting lazily in the midday sun.
At the village entrance, several children dressed in patched-up clothes were chasing and playing.
They stopped and stared wide-eyed as they saw the oxcart slowly approaching in the distance.
Aji tightened the cow's rope, his voice tinged with tension.
"We've arrived, Sister Yundan, Uncle Leng, Uncle Zhang, this is my village."
It was Aji who was among the group of teenagers playing and frolicking.
They swarmed over like a flock of startled yet excited sparrows, instantly surrounding the oxcart.
The tiger-headed baby at the very front took small, quick steps, tilting his sun-darkened little face upwards.
"Brother Luji, you're finally back! Did you still promise to take us out to play?"
A skinny boy in patched clothes clung to the cart shaft, his eyes fixed on the rope on the cart, and asked in a clear voice, "Brother Luji, did you buy this oxcart? The wheels look even shinier than Uncle Gao's!"
"Brother Luji! Brother Luji!"
The little girl with the red ribbon tied around her neck couldn't squeeze in. She stood on tiptoe and looked at Aji, her voice still trembling with tears.
"You're back from working in town. Did you forget to bring me some maltose?"
The slightly older children crossed their arms, trying to look mature, but they couldn't hide the anticipation in their eyes.
"I heard you went to the seaside this time, Aji? Can you tell me what the big ship looks like? Is it bigger than the threshing ground in the village?"
Aji smiled and rubbed the tiger-headed baby's head, then bent down and picked up the little girl with the red rope, placing her on the cart.
"We bought some; the maltose was put in the bundle, and everyone got a share."
I haven't forgotten about taking you guys out. I'll take you to the back mountain tomorrow.
The children immediately erupted in chatter, bombarding them with questions.
"Brother Luji, have you made a fortune?"
"Can I touch the oxcart? I've never touched such smooth wood before!"
Suddenly, two small, thin figures tiptoed towards the village, shouting as they ran, "Brother Luji is back with malt sugar! And a new oxcart too!"
His voice carried far on the wind, and it was easy to imagine that within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the entire village would know he had returned.
He shook his head helplessly and patted the carriage shaft.
"Alright, alright, all of you, get out of the way and go have some fun!"
After I get home and unload the things, I'll go to the threshing ground to find you guys to share the sugar, and while I'm at it..."
He paused deliberately, looking at the children's eyes that lit up instantly, and said, "Tell me about the big ships by the sea."
"yeah!"
The children cheered and jumped up, but none of them moved a step. Instead, they circled the oxcart even more excitedly.
Tiger-headed Baby simply climbed under the car and counted the spokes on the wheels;
The little girl with the red rope clung to Aji's arm and swayed back and forth, afraid that he would change his mind.
Even the child who had been pretending to be mature couldn't help but reach out and touch the brass ring on the side of the cart, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Looking at this group of clingy little devils, Aji felt both warm and amused.
This is his Polin Village, where the children's laughter is sweeter than honey, and even their mischievous antics have an irresistible warmth.
Surrounded by children, the oxcart moved slowly, its wheels creaking as they rolled over the cobblestones.
It was mixed with the chattering laughter of children, like a lively country tune.
"arrive."
Aji said to Yundan and the other two, "Sister Yundan, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Leng, this is my home."
Yun Dan got out of the car and stepped onto the bumpy dirt road.
Some green vegetables were growing in the vegetable garden by the roadside, and a few chickens were pawing at the fence.
She took a deep breath, the air filled with the smell of earth and firewood, and suddenly felt at peace; this was the true essence of life.
Aji's house is at the far east end of the village. The two thatched houses are close together, with some of the thatch on the roof turning yellow and moss climbing all over the corners of the walls.
The courtyard wall was made of stones and mud, with a gap in it, through which you could see the dried sweet potatoes drying in the yard.
"Father, I'm back!"
As soon as Aji called out, a series of dragging footsteps came from inside the house.
A man walked out, leaning against the wall.
He was not tall, about 1.6 meters, with narrow shoulders and skin as dark as charcoal baked by the sun. His coarse cloth clothes were washed until they were faded, and the cuffs were worn out.
He was about thirty years old, but the wrinkles on his face made him look like a weathered old farmer.
Especially his eyes, which were tired from long hours of work, but lit up when he saw Aji.
"came back?"
The man's voice was a little hoarse. His gaze fell on Yun Dan and the other two, and he immediately became flustered, not knowing where to put his hands.
Aji quickly stepped forward: "Father, I'm back! I've also brought three guests with me. Come, let me introduce you."
He led his father to the oxcart and introduced them: "This is Sister Yundan, this is Uncle Zhang, and this is Uncle Leng."
They...they came back with me this time to celebrate the New Year with us.
Aji stammered as he introduced himself.
The man quickly bent down, intending to bow, but swayed slightly due to his leg injury.
Yun Dan quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Uncle, please don't be so polite. We are Aji's friends. We're sorry to bother you."
A blush crept across the man's face as he stammered, "No trouble at all... Please come inside."
Then three more children came out of the house.
The oldest boy was about ten years old, as thin as a bean sprout, but he stared at them with wide, round eyes.
Two girls followed behind, one seven years old with crooked little braids, and the other five years old, hiding behind the boy with only half her face showing.
He pointed to the three children and introduced them to Yun Dan: "This is my younger brother Xiao Bao, my older sister Da Mo, and my younger sister Xiao Ya."