bayedsolid Chapter 34 The village has peach blossoms, but no Wenhua (a type of peach blossom).
Chapter 34 The village has peach blossoms, but no Wenhua (a type of peach blossom).
No matter how you look at it, Xiao Nangjun seems like an unreliable intern!
That day, he brought Xiao Sizi to a semi-circular stone arch bridge. The bridge's reflection was on the calm water, and occasionally a flock of Muscovy ducks would pass under the bridge, creating ripples.
One side of the bridge is lined with ancient residences with a long history, and the other side is also lined with ancient residences.
Tourists, some covering their heads and others holding umbrellas, walked back and forth across the stone bridge.
Until they came to a house standing by the stream—
These houses look like they escaped from an antique shop from the Tang Dynasty;
The cracks in the earthen walls of their homes tell the story of the vicissitudes of history;
The patches on the wooden windows seem to be playfully mocking the poverty of the past...
Look, the old folks in the village are so excited when they see Xiao Nangjun, it's like they've discovered a treasure boy!
They warmly invited him into their house, brewed them a cup of hot tea, and brought out sunflower seeds that they had roasted themselves—truly roasted by hand, with the simple, strong hands of farmers!
The elderly neighbors also came to their courtyard, carrying vegetable baskets, and stuffed them into his hands!
"Young Master Qiu, look at these fresh vegetables, all grown by our own hands. Please don't be shy, take them and have some!"
Unable to refuse Xiao Nangjun's hospitality, Xiao Sizi accepted the basket of vegetables, and her heart was filled with warmth.
Si Zi secretly thought to herself: Wow, I didn't expect Mu Gege to have his own fan club of elderly fans! Who said he was just a silly goose! He's super charming!!
But what good deed did Mu Guoguo do? Xiao Sizi blinked her big eyes and asked Qiu Rongmu curiously.
Qiu Rongmu smiled and led Xiao Sizi into several rooms, pointing to the watercolor and oil paintings on the walls that made people laugh out loud, and said, "Guess who painted these?"
"Could it be an old man or woman from the village?" Little Sizi's eyes widened.
"Yes, it's them!"
Sizi leaned closer to examine the details in surprise: Wow!! Their art style is even more avant-garde than modern art; they could practically hold an art exhibition!
At this moment, an elderly villager dressed in coarse linen clothes, the linen being a light gray mixed with off-white, displayed a simple yet clean and tidy appearance.
He walked slowly to the courtyard of the house where Sizi and the others had settled at the edge of the village. The wrinkles on his face looked particularly deep in the sunlight. The old man suddenly sighed: "These days, young people leave their homes to seek a living elsewhere because of the village's poverty. We older folks can only stay in the village, tending our small plots of land, growing some vegetables and grains, and at least managing to make ends meet."
Another old man had gray hair, which was tied into a simple bun and secured with a wooden hairpin, giving him a rustic and dignified appearance.
He squeezed into the crowd of onlookers and sighed, "Yes, although we old folks haven't starved to death, if we get sick, we can't even afford a doctor, and we can't even keep a few livestock to help with the plowing, let alone take care of them!"
He paused slightly, looked at Xiao Nangjun, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, a rather thin old woman wearing a plain Tang Dynasty-style jacket continued, "Yes, thank goodness for Young Master Qiu!! He not only saved the only two cows in our village, but also taught us a skill for making money free of charge!!"
The old woman's clothes were loose and swayed gently with her slow steps. She wore a cotton belt around her waist, and the cuffs and collar were slightly worn, showing the marks of time.
Another old woman pointed to the paintings on the cloth with her calloused, large-knuckled hands and said:
For many years we have been busy farming and weaving. It was Qiu Gongzi who taught us to paint. Now there are more tourists and merchants coming to the village.
The old man said: "Yes, to be honest, although we are busy weaving and repairing during the busy farming season, this place is a beautiful place with clear waters and beautiful mountains, but it is barren!"
Xiao Nangjun said to Sizi, "This village used to be so poor that it was practically destitute."
Then a light rain began to fall, and the village, surrounded by mountains, became shrouded in mist and rain.
The old people urged Qiu Gongzi to quickly go inside to take shelter from the rain. Just then, Sizi saw a persimmon tree laden with red persimmons emerge from behind the roof tiles, which were shrouded in white mist.
"Look at those persimmons!"
"Grandma will pick some for you, don't rush, little girl."
The village instantly came alive with life and joy!
The drizzle continued, and Little Si couldn't hold back any longer! She grabbed a big lotus leaf as an umbrella, pulled Little Nangjun along, and ran towards the village.
They tried this and that, there were so many delicious things to eat!
Before long, the two of them, holding lotus leaf umbrellas, walked along the stone path to the home of an elderly person living in a stilted house by the stream. They enjoyed tea and snacks, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting banana leaves. It was so pleasant!
Imagine a group of impoverished elderly people from the early Tang Dynasty transforming into vegetable and fruit artists, creating art using common plants like chili peppers, potatoes, cabbages, and mushrooms. Wouldn't that be quite amusing?
Sizi discovers that the young man who used to treat cattle has transformed into the curator of an art exhibition.
Qiu Rongmu realized that the elderly might not be able to afford medical expenses, but she also knew how important the two old oxen were to the village—without the oxen, the elderly's lives would truly be absurd, or rather, "absurd without oxen."
So Xiao Nangjun taught the elderly how to print colorful fruit and vegetable patterns on coarse linen, saying that this could offset medical expenses.
The old lady beamed with joy: "Shouldn't we let more city people come and see our 'rural art'?"
Xiao Nangjun: Absolutely! Once our art exhibition opens, the village will not only be an artist village, but also an internet-famous village!
Grandpa: Haha, then I'd better hurry up and take out my "Peach Blossom Forest Secret Realm" series of paintings, lest people say that our village only has peach blossoms, rapeseed flowers, apple blossoms... but no Wenhua flowers~!
Little Nangjun: Grandpa, once your painting comes out, I bet all the fruits and vegetables will sell out! Our village is now all about "delicious fruit trees and beautiful paintings"!
Grandma: Oh dear, I must hurry and tell Old Zhang that his amaranth fields will not only be vegetables in the future, but also our "red dye"! Little Nangjun, you have really turned Songzhuang into a treasure trove!
Xiao Nangjun: Haha, this is all thanks to everyone, and we should especially thank this little guide. He pointed to Xiao Sizi. He learned all his brushstrokes and rubbing techniques from this little guy!
Si Zi proudly patted his chest.
Grandpa: Then we really need to thank you, Little Sizi!
Sizi: No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank our "source of art"—our village—and the hands and hearts of our grandparents. Now, this village is not just a place to live, but also a place to create dreams!
Xiao Nangjun said: This village is like a place hidden by nature. It is more than 40 miles away from our county. Every time I come here, I feel like I have traveled back to the scene of the "Peach Blossom Spring" that you mentioned.
Sizi laughed and said, "Yes, with Guoguo's help, most of the villagers here are living like that—the kind you see in TV dramas—old grandfathers and grandmothers wearing loose clothes and with kind smiles on their faces. Their daily activities now? Oh, oh, haha, they just play a game of 'seeing who is more leisurely' with those more than 100 acres of vegetable fields and orchards."
Xiao Nangjun: That's right. The pace of life here is as slow as a snail participating in a marathon. But don't underestimate these elderly people. They have come up with new and creative ways to combine farming and art.
Sizi: Dear friend, thank you so much for creating a completely natural "foodie paradise" for us!!!