Although there were a few setbacks along the way, Yan Shouyi and his companions arrived safely at Chenjia Village.
To ensure Jiang Ting's safety, Long Feicheng accompanied her to Shangxiang Village to deliver the goods and complete the task. They would then return to Chenjia Village together.
So, upon reaching the village entrance, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong alighted with their luggage.
Chenjia Village was not large, with only two to three hundred households in total. The village entrance and exit were both connected to the road, with fields and a small stream across the street.
In the past, when Yan Shouyi played in the village, at meal times, the sounds of parents calling out to their children would echo throughout the village.
Some parents had louder voices, and if they shouted a few times at the village entrance, children at the other end could hear them and obediently disperse to go home for meals.
This was Chenjia Village, a small, unassuming southern village.
"I'm back! It feels so good!"
Yan Shouyi took a deep breath, feeling refreshed.
The air in Rongcheng was naturally incomparable to that of Chenjia Village. Looking around, besides the low adobe houses, there was an endless expanse of green.
Even in December, the South remained vibrant, with little sense of desolation.
Lin Zhitong also felt refreshed. "I don't know why, but after coming to the countryside, I feel like the world has become smaller."
Yan Shouyi smiled and said, "Rongcheng is full of tall buildings. You can't even see the blue sky and white clouds when you look up, which makes people feel suffocated. It's different here; the view is open, the air is fresh. It's not that the world has become smaller, but that people have become bigger."
Lin Zhitong was eager to enter the village and take a look.
Yan Shouyi took all of Lin Zhitong's luggage and led her into the village. Not two steps after entering, they encountered the elderly aunts and grandmothers sitting at the village entrance chatting idly.
Chenjia Village had a small population, and everyone knew each other. The sudden appearance of a stranger naturally drew everyone's attention.
Someone recognized Yan Shouyi. "Hey! Isn't this Shouyi! When did you get back?"
"Whoa! It really is that kid from the Yan family. Didn't we hear you went to Rongcheng to pick up your father? Where is your father?"
"Good heavens, you even brought back a lovely girl. Is she your girlfriend? What's her name, and where is she from?"
The aunts grabbed Yan Shouyi and peppered him with questions, as if interrogating a criminal, so many that Yan Shouyi couldn't answer them all.
However, Yan Shouyi didn't mind, because he knew they meant no harm and were just asking out of boredom.
News traveled slowly in the countryside, and there wasn't much new happening daily. Even the death of a duck in a ditch could be a topic of conversation for three days. Him bringing back a beautiful young woman was likely to be the top trending topic in the village for the next month, concerning both him and Lin Zhitong.
He quickly explained everything to the aunts and grandmothers and introduced Lin Zhitong to everyone. Looking at Lin Zhitong, the outsider daughter-in-law, they showed no rejection; on the contrary, they liked her more and more the longer they looked.
This was because Lin Zhitong was stunningly beautiful and spoke politely and generously, showing none of the airs of city dwellers.
Although these aunts and grandmothers were not related to Yan Shouyi by blood, their affection for him surpassed that of many distant relatives. Especially since Yan Shouyi had brought Lin Zhitong home, they all vied to invite Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong to their homes for lunch.
Some even went to their homes with knives, ready to slaughter chickens and make chicken soup.
The first thing Yan Shouyi wanted to do upon returning was to see his old house. So, he politely declined everyone's kind offers.
Even so, Yan Shouyi received many items from the villagers along the way: cabbages just picked from the vegetable patch, free-range eggs just collected from the chicken coop, and even a live goose given to Yan Shouyi by the widow at the village entrance.
Carrying a handful of local specialties, Yan Shouyi said helplessly, "Now we have enough for lunch."
Lin Zhitong chuckled and said, "Does this mean I have a chance to taste your cooking?"
Regarding his culinary skills, Yan Shouyi could indeed brag. Because Yan Chou was imprisoned early and his grandfather was in poor health, Yan Shouyi became the head of the household at a young age, handling laundry and cooking with ease.
Under the warm welcome of the villagers, the two finally arrived at the old Yan family house.
The old Yan family house was nestled against the mountain, situated on higher ground. There was a large slope in front of the door. Standing at the main entrance, one could see the fields and the stream across the road.
From a feng shui perspective, this was called having a mountain at the back and flowing water in the front. While it might not make the residents immensely wealthy, it could ensure their safety and peace.
The house was built with wood and the distinctive adobe structure of Jianzhou, giving it a very aged appearance. Yan Shouyi pushed open the door, and the interior of the house was fully visible.
A simple, rustic square table was placed beside the stove. A pile of firewood was stacked next to the earthen stove, with a small bamboo chair in front of the firewood and a pair of old fire tongs leaning beside it.
Although they hadn't been back for two or three months, the house was very clean. After Yan Shouyi put down his things, he heard someone calling from outside:
"Shouyi is back!" Dafeng Novel Network
Lin Zhitong also peeked her head in from the doorway and whispered, "An old grandpa has arrived."
"It must be Grandpa Village Chief!" Yan Shouyi said with a smile and went to greet him.
The village chief of Chenjia Village was named Chen Shiliang. He had served in the army when he was young and was now ninety years old but still very healthy. He often played mahjong with others at the village's small store.
When Yan Shouyi was young, he often got into trouble, and it was Grandpa Village Chief who smoothed things over. Back then, when the Yan Shouyi family wanted to settle in Chenjia Village, the villagers were initially unaccepting. It was Grandpa Village Chief who said the village needed a carpenter, which allowed their family to stay. Afterward, Yan Shouyi's grandfather gradually gained everyone's trust and respect.
It could be said that in Chenjia Village, besides his former neighbor Chen Dawei, Yan Shouyi was closest to Grandpa Village Chief.
"Grandpa Village Chief!"
Yan Shouyi walked out, gave the village chief a big hug, and then took out two bottles of aged liquor he had brought from Rongcheng, saying, "Grandpa Village Chief, I know you like to drink, so I specifically brought some good wine for you to try!"
"You brat, you're so thoughtful!"
The village chief accepted the liquor without any politeness and then looked curiously at Lin Zhitong.
Lin Zhitong respectfully bowed and sweetly called out, "Grandpa Village Chief."
The village chief had already heard about Lin Zhitong's identity. Hearing her call him Grandpa Village Chief made him smile from ear to ear, and he repeatedly called her a good girl.
When Yan Shouyi was away, it was the village chief who sent people to help clean their house, which kept the house tidy.
It was already mealtime, and Yan Shouyi naturally wouldn't let the village chief leave hungry. So, he invited him to sit down and rolled up his sleeves to start cooking.
Lin Zhitong also felt awkward doing nothing and helped Yan Shouyi in the kitchen.
Old Village Chief watched Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong busily working together as a couple, lit a cigarette with a benevolent expression, and murmured, "It's so good, so good."
Soon, using the ingredients gifted by the villagers, Yan Shouyi prepared a table full of dishes.
The dishes filled the table, emitting a steaming aroma. Coincidentally, the village chief's great-grandson passed by the door and was invited to join them for the meal.
After a few rounds of drinks, Yan Shouyi curiously pointed at the village chief's nine-year-old great-grandson and asked, "Grandpa Village Chief, doesn't Goudan need to go to school?"
The great-grandson replied with a grin, "The village primary school collapsed, so we're all on holiday!"
"Collapsed?" Yan Shouyi was stunned.
The village chief smiled helplessly and explained, "A group of outsiders came to the village not long ago and were mining in the nearby mountains. They used explosives to blast the mountains every day. Three days ago, the only primary school in our village was blown up and collapsed, so Goudan and all the others were sent home."
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong exchanged glances, knowing that those people were likely Boss Zhou's group.
These people were simply lawless, blasting mountains with explosives every day, and they even affected the village's primary school.
No matter how poor, we must not impoverish education; no matter how hard, we must not make children suffer!
However, thinking back, Yan Shouyi had only seen elderly people, women, and children on his way into the village. He hadn't seen any young, strong men.
Presumably, all these men had been tricked by Boss Zhou into going to the mine.
Lin Zhitong whispered, "You big fool, that ghost car we saw in town yesterday, could it be transporting those people from the mine?"
Lin Zhitong's question made Yan Shouyi think that this was highly probable.
The ghosts in the ghost car were all covered in dirt and grime, very similar to the appearance of miners.
In this case, many people had already died in the mine, and many of them might have been villagers from Chenjia Village.
Yan Shouyi's expression gradually turned grim as he said,
"I've also heard about those people. Jiang Shuang's father died at their hands."
The village chief sighed, "Regarding Old Jiang's matter, I can't help either. Boss Zhou has bribed all the leaders from the town to the city. The emperor is far away, and in such a small place like ours, no one interferes."
Yan Shouyi stroked Goudan's short hair and said, "I must get involved in this matter. Goudan must be allowed to go back to school as soon as possible!"
Goudan, who had been eating heartily, heard Yan Shouyi's words and was so angry that he immediately put down his chopsticks and started crying.
Lin Zhitong giggled, "It seems Goudan doesn't really want to go to school."
"How can you not go to school? Without schooling, how can you have the ability to leave the countryside?" Yan Shouyi said, acting like an experienced person.
Goudan, wiping his tears and sniffling, said, "My dad said you only graduated from primary school and didn't continue your studies, so why are you telling me what to do?"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
He had dropped out of school after primary school, but he had later followed his grandfather to learn knowledge and skills from various masters!
However, if he explained these things to Goudan, the boy likely wouldn't listen.
So, Yan Shouyi pulled out his trump card. He pointed at Lin Zhitong and asked, "Goudan, do you think this sister is pretty?"
Goudan wiped his tears, sniffled, and shyly said, "Pretty."
"That's right, she's pretty! I married her from the city! If you don't study and stay in the village to farm your whole life, you won't be able to marry such a beautiful wife!"
Saying this, Yan Shouyi even hugged Lin Zhitong and kissed her. Lin Zhitong playfully pushed him away.
Goudan's eyes widened, and he immediately vowed to study diligently.
This made the old village chief incredibly frustrated. It took a lifetime to raise a good child, but Yan Shouyi corrupted a child in just a few words.