Chapter 36: Old State Ancient Village

  Since crossing the bridge, the number of vehicles on the road has significantly decreased. Except for occasionally seeing one or two used passenger-cargo vehicles, no more endless large trucks can be seen on the road, and the entire road suddenly becomes quiet.

  Lui suddenly had an illusion, this road seemed to be forcibly opened up in a sea of bamboo, the car was driving through the bamboo sea all the time, except for bamboo, it was still bamboo.

  "How big is this sea of bamboo?" Lian'er asked, unable to help herself after the car had been driving for nearly ten minutes and all she could see were endless green bamboos.

  "How big is it? I'm not sure!" Duan Lei thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, within tens of kilometers around are all bamboo forests, this small plain along the river is all, but no one has ever come to measure it."

  This bamboo forest has been here since the beginning of Duan Lei's memory, and according to Grandpa, it was planted by a demoted official from the Central Plains during the Song Dynasty. Later, its scale gradually expanded, becoming what it is today. This sea of bamboo also has the reputation of 'Tianzhou Bamboo Sea', but due to Tianzhou's underdeveloped economy and inconvenient transportation, this place did not become a tourist destination, nor was it occupied by those bamboo product factories. It can be said that this sea of bamboo is still an untouched land unpolluted by the stench of industrial civilization.

  "How is it that this asphalt road is even better than the national highway we were on earlier?" The car had been driving for a while, and Lian'er noticed that the road surface was consistently high-quality asphalt, far superior to the bumpy national highway they had been on before.

  "Haha, this is the benefit of having power!" Duan Lei said with a smile as he followed Yan Xiaoqing's motorcycle, "In our hometown, when someone becomes a high-ranking official, the county government will repair the road to show respect for him. It also makes it convenient for us."

  Lui'er was taken aback and became somewhat confused.

  Why can roads be repaired when a big official comes back to his hometown?

  Turning to see Lui's confused expression, Duan Yue smiled slightly and didn't explain further. Although Lui had been living in an official family since she was a child, her family hadn't raised her with the idea of being a strong woman, so they protected her very well, thus Lui wasn't aware of many subtle things in society.

  Duan Lei remembered that when he was a child, to go to the county town, his father would take him on a bicycle through more than ten kilometers of gravel roads to the ferry terminal, and then ride for another seven or eight kilometers before arriving at the county town.

  At that time, the old state town had very little contact with the outside world. This is also why the old state town, which was once the seat of Tianzhou County Government after liberation, became an ordinary town, while the county town moved to the side of the national highway. Isn't it because of transportation problems?

  However, sometimes many things change in ways that people can't imagine.

  In the old town, there was an old fellow who got into the Imperial Capital University in the early 1980s. After graduation, he stayed to work in the central government and had a smooth career. He was favored by a certain central big shot, not only becoming his secretary but also marrying his daughter. This big shot was no ordinary person, coming from the most orthodox red family, with his father being one of the founding fathers of the country. By now, this family has become one of the top families in the country.

  Duan Yue's fellow villager was capable and had good luck, rising through the ranks as quickly as a rocket, becoming the governor of a certain province before the age of 50. Given this, Tian Zhou... County... government, in order to curry favor with this fellow villager, gritted their teeth and built this high-standard asphalt road from their not-so-abundant financial resources, and also built a large bridge over Xiao Panjiang River.

  No matter whether the high-ranking official knew about the hardships of his hometown parents, anyway, the villagers on the other side of Xiaopanjiang River in the old town of Guizhou Province benefited a lot from it and were quite grateful to the government, after all, they got benefits.

  Liu'er couldn't figure out the subtlety of it all, so she naturally wouldn't go on thinking about it anymore. She quickly threw these questions to the back of her mind and turned her attention to the scenery along the way.

  The car winds its way through the forest, occasionally crossing one or two small bridges, under which flows a crystal-clear river and stream, with ducks playing in the water. Not far away, villagers can be seen washing clothes, and the rustic atmosphere of a village surrounded by streams and rivers fills the air. In the bamboo forest, the clear and pleasant sound of birdsong is heard from time to time, even drowning out the engine noise, as if this forest is playing a welcoming melody.

  Lui has lived in huge cities like Haicheng and Ditu since childhood, even when traveling, her eyes were always on those well-planned and beautifully constructed tourist destinations. When had she ever seen such rural scenery up close?

  For a moment, she frequently raised the camera in her hand, wanting to capture these fleeting beautiful scenes, and kept them to appreciate slowly when she got back.

  Of course, Duan Yue naturally couldn't bluntly tell Liu Er that these scenes were just the most ordinary scenery in the countryside, and would be boring after staying at home for a few days. Duan Yue even deliberately slowed down the speed of the car, so that Liu Er could better enjoy the beautiful scenery.

  Of course, Duan Yue also felt a bit more anxious as he got closer to home, and was thinking about what to say after returning home, so he consciously slowed down his pace.

  As the car emerged from the endless bamboo sea and leaped onto a small unnamed mountain pass, Li Er was instantly stunned by the breathtakingly beautiful scene in front of her.

  This is a small basin, only about a few kilometers in circumference. A small lake, like a bright pearl, is nestled in the center of the forked land. The sunlight at noon shines on the surface of the lake... The sparkling ripples seem as if there are billions of gold coins inside the small lake.

  Around the small lake, golden squares are mature rice fields, rippling in the wind; green squares are orchards, dotted with various colorful hues, which may be flowers or fruits. The blue sky, white clouds, and distant towering green mountains, all the vibrant colors accumulated together, forming a stunning oil painting.

  On the edge of a small lake, a white-walled and green-tiled building blends naturally into the picture, as if it were half-naturally formed, without any sense of incongruity.

  Being shocked by such a beautiful painting, Lì ér even felt her own breathing was a bit rapid, is this really the hometown of Stone?

  "Lui'er, let's have some fun together these next few days. For now, let's head back home!" Seeing Lui'er's shocked expression, Duan Lei couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself, but for now they needed to head back home.

  "Uh-huh!" Lì ér also knew it wasn't time for playing around and nodded in agreement.

  Yan Xiaoqing's motorcycle had just gone up the pass and then swooped down the slope in a cloud of smoke, now only a small back view can be seen.

  Duan Yue didn't hesitate any longer, and stepped on the accelerator lightly. The Q7 drove smoothly down the slope along the flat asphalt road, getting closer and closer to the small town by the river.

  The old town is not very big, with only a few streets, backed by the rolling Tiger Ridge, north of the southern shore of Xiao Jing Lake. It has been a beautiful and rich small town since ancient times. In the past, the transportation between the town and the outside world was not very convenient, relying on mules and human power for material exchange. Now that the highway is open, the town has become much more prosperous, but it also brings many negative impacts.

  Yan Xiaoqing's motorcycle roared past the streets of Old Town, and everyone paid little attention to this familiar vehicle. Instead, the dogs lying lazily under the eaves suddenly barked loudly. From the rearview mirror, a large group of dogs were seen running after him, making Yan Xiaoqing laugh heartily!

  Yan Xiaoqing's old home is in Jiuzhou Town, his father used to practice martial arts with Duan Yue's grandfather when he was a child. Now at the crossroads in the center of Jiuzhou Town, there is their ancestral house, which has been rented out to others to open a store.

  In the westernmost part of the town, an ordinary farmhouse stood quietly by the side of a small lake, with wisps of smoke rising and then gradually dispersing into the air.

  "Auntie, open the door!" Yan Xiaoqing familiarly parked his motorcycle under a silver ginkgo tree by the wall of the courtyard and then went to knock on the door.

  "Here!" A slightly old-fashioned female voice came from inside the house, followed by the creaking of the red-painted door as it swung open to reveal a plain middle-aged woman. She was Miao Lihua, Duan Lei's mother.

  "Xiao Qing, how did you come? Is school on holiday?" Seeing Yan Xiaoqing, Miao Lihua's face showed a smile.

  Yan Xiaoqing had a close relationship with Duan Yu since childhood, and the two families also had a deep connection. As a result, Yan Xiaoqing often went to the Duan's house for meals, and sometimes when Yan Kaishan was too busy to take care of him, he would stay at the Duan's house. Due to her maternal instincts, Miao Lihua was especially fond of Yan Xiaoqing, who had lost his mother since childhood, and treated him like her own son.

  "Little Brother Qing is here! Did you bring me a gift?" A head with a ponytail popped out from behind Miao Lihua, staring at Xian Xiaoqing's empty hands with wide eyes.

  Xiao Yaotou is Duan Lei's younger sister, Duan Qi. The little guy who is in the first year of junior high school has a good relationship with Yan Xiaoqing too. As soon as he sees Yan Xiaoqing coming, he opens his mouth to ask for gifts.

  Logically, after the 1980s, the national policy of family planning was implemented across the country. So how did Duan Lei still have a younger sister? There's a lot to this story, and later on, many unexpected things happened, bringing about many unforeseen changes to the Duan family.

  "You little scamp, brother is here and you're asking this and that!" Miao Lihua laughed and pinched Xiaoyao's ear, saying: "Don't go in and get some water for your brother, it's so hot today!"

  "Our school has been on holiday for two days, but I've been busy helping out at the shops on the street and didn't have time to come see you!" Yan Xiaoqing followed Miao Lihua into the courtyard, smiling as she said to Duan Qi: "Don't worry, little girl, your brother and sister-in-law will bring gifts back for you later!"

  "What's with the brother and sister-in-law?" The little girl's head was a bit dizzy, she opened her eyes wide and stared at Yan Xiaoqing.

  Miao Lihua also turned around with a puzzled face, looking a bit strange.

  "Shí tou jīn tiān kāi chē dài zhe nǚ péng yǒu huí lái, tā méi yǒu hé nǐ men shuō ma?" Yán Xiǎo Qìng fǎn wèn le yī jù.

  Translation:

  "Stone drove back with his girlfriend today, didn't he tell you guys?" Yan Xiaoqing asked back.

  Unbeknownst to them, Duan Yue didn't tell his family about coming back in order not to worry them. On the phone, he just said that it's hard to buy a ticket and might be late getting home.

  "Is Xiaohui coming back? By car? With his girlfriend?" Miao Lihua was a bit overwhelmed, as Yan Xiaoqing's words revealed a lot of information.

  "Yes! The car is just behind, it may arrive in a moment!" Yan Xiaoqing nodded.

  "Brother is back!" The little girl finally understood that her brother was coming back and cheered excitedly!