Taohua Village.
It is spring now, with a persistent drizzle that never seems to end.
The village lived up to its name, with houses and courtyards lining the front and back, as well as the surrounding hillsides, all bursting with red peach blossoms. At dawn, the petals on the peach trees were adorned with rain, the chill still biting, spring lingering in its coldness.
The pond was full of water, the rain had stopped, and there were mud loaches in the muddy fields.
In the field, a boy of six or seven years old, with his clothes rolled up and braving the light rain, hummed a little tune as he bent over in the muddy field, searching for something.
He had a bamboo basket beside him, containing about ten mud loaches with four whiskers. Apparently, the boy had come to the field early this morning to dig for mud loaches.
In a short while, the child held a handful of mud in his hand and carefully tossed it into the bamboo basket. Then he began rummaging through the dirt again.
"Little Shen, why are you out in the field looking for mudskippers so early in the morning? It's raining today, go back home. Otherwise, your mother will scold you again..."
Along the path between fields, a strong man wearing a hat and a raincoat carried a hoe on his shoulder. He smiled at Shenxi in the field.
Shen Xi stood up straight, glanced at the man, lifted his bamboo basket, and swayed it gently. A row of white and neat teeth appeared as he smiled and said, "Uncle Liu, catching loaches is best on rainy days... Look, my harvest isn't bad..."
Showing off, Shen Xi ignored the man surnamed Liu and buried himself once again in earnest work.
Shen Xi wasn't from this place. To be precise, Shen Xi wasn't from this world. Perhaps describing his situation using the terms "past life and present life" would be more accurate.
In his past life, Shen Xi was an orphan who knew the hardship and difficulty of life from a young age. He studied extremely hard and skipped grades from elementary school to high school. With the help of people from all walks of life, Shen Xi was admitted to the top university in the country, Lu Dao University, at the age of sixteen. After completing his doctorate, he stayed at the university as a lecturer, and two years later became an associate professor due to his work performance. In less than five years, he became a professor of archaeology in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.
During his working years, Shen Xi had dated a few friends, but due to his wide-ranging interests and the fact that most of his income went towards buying ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, and stationery, he lacked both a house and money. Consequently, these relationships ended without any significant development. Later, when the Provincial Institute of Literature invited him to guide the excavation of a newly discovered tomb near Quanzhou, the tomb, which was built in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, suddenly collapsed. He lost consciousness and when he regained it, he had become a child and found himself in Taohua Village.
Just as Shen Xi was bending down to look for the ridges again, the man behind her let out another hearty laugh. Out of curiosity, Shen Xi looked up and saw a woman about twenty or three years old, wearing a patched green floral shirt, running towards the head of the field with a bamboo stick in her hand. She shouted loudly:
"You little punk, I just told you yesterday that it's too cold to go out in the fields, and here you are this morning! Do you think my words are just wind in your ears?"
As they were talking, the woman had already stood by the edge of the field, holding a bamboo whip and pointing it at Shen Xi: "You come over here, you little fool! Just wait until I beat you!"
"Oh, Madam Shen, children are still young and it's normal for them to be playful. You scared him like that, how would he come up?"
The woman saw the man talking and let out a cold snort, ignoring him completely. She crossed her arms and addressed Shen Xi in the field: "You little brat, if you have any guts, don't come up… last autumn when you were bitten by a snake, I helped you by applying medicine, do you know how expensive that medicine was? This time, if you get bitten by a snake again, see if I care about you, you fool!"
Shen Xi saw her fiery expression and immediately赔笑 said, "Mother, don't be angry, don't be angry. Last time I accidentally mistook the snake for a mud carp, that's why I got bitten. Look at me now, am I not doing well? Don't be angry, if you beat me again, I'll be beaten silly!"
When the woman saw Shen Xi with a mischievous grin, she was immediately angered. She waved her bamboo whip and snarled, "You little rascal, are you not afraid of me...?”
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Xi carried the bamboo basket and walked to the edge of the field with one foot deep and one shallow, saying flatteringly: "Mother, look, we keep these loaches in the house, wouldn't that be a snack for dinner? We eat vegetables every day at home, it's so bland..."
Before Shen Xi could finish his words, the woman pulled him out of the field. Seeing his muddy appearance, she suddenly lost her temper and raised the bamboo stick in her hand, ready to strike him.
Shen Xi, how could she just sit there and wait for death? Without a second thought about the mud, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly, screaming with all her might:
"Ouch... it hurts, it hurts, mother! It hurts so much, I'm going to die, this is killing me! Stop hitting me, please! I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I won't do it again next time."
When she heard this, a fierce expression flashed across her brow. However, she still whipped Shen Xi's little butt with the bamboo stick, but only used eight out of ten strength.
Shen Xi chuckled and raised his head, holding up the bamboo basket and offering it to his mother. "Mother, look, so many loaches, big and plump! I... I didn't mean to disobey you, really... It's just that... seeing you eat plain tea and rice every day, I came to dig some loaches for you to improve your life."
Seeing Shen Xi like this, the woman let out a cold snort and snatched the basket: “You wanted to eat it yourself, didn’t you? You just changed your clothes yesterday, look how dirty they are! Go back and change them, and if you dare to run wild in the fields again, I’ll take care of you.”
Shen Xi smiled as she carried her shoes, barefoot following behind. Sometimes stepping on sharp stones, she couldn't help but grimace and make a pained expression.
Back at their ancestral home, a traditional courtyard in the village, Zhou cleaned up Shen Xi's dusty clothes. Seeing the young man's flushed cheeks and bashful demeanor, she scowled slightly: "You little fool! What are you even doing? You're my own son!"
Shen Xi nodded repeatedly, too afraid to speak.
"Mother, are you feeling better now!"
Shen Xi flatteringly smiled and praised her mother.
When Zhou heard this, she was stunned for a moment, then looked at Shen Xi and sneered, “Silly child, you’re so young and already talkative?”
Shen Xi saw the disdain in his mother's eyes, shook his head, and said with unwavering conviction: "Mother, I don't have flowery words. I just think you are good."
"This old woman is both fierce and vicious, where could I possibly find peace?"
Zhou glared at Shen Xi, though her face remained impassive. But inside, she was overjoyed.
Shen Xi let out a sly smile, taking Zhou's hand and pleading, "Mother, don't hide it any longer. I can smell it, it's so fragrant!"
Zhou looked at Shen Xi, suppressing a smile, then frowned and snorted: "You're not a dog, why is your nose so sensitive?"
Having said that, Zhou took out a warm egg from the small bag hanging by her bedside and handed it to Shen Xi.
Shen Xi looked at the egg, couldn't help but greedily swallowed his saliva, took it over, and said with a smile: "Mother, although you like to hit me, you are kind to me deep down. Your son is magnanimous and will not bear grudges...When you and father get old, your son will support you, eat delicious food and drink fine wine, and even find a well-behaved daughter-in-law to serve you."
Zhou smiled faintly: "You silly fellow, you'll definitely forget your mother after marrying a wife. Just look at your face, born to deceive people, stop pretending to be Chen Shicai."
With a warm feeling from the little hand in his, Shen Xi chuckled inwardly.
In his past life, he was abandoned as a child and never experienced the warmth of family. While this world brought him poverty, at least he had parents, uncles, and aunts who were there for him. He understood that some things have value, while others are priceless. This was something Shen Xi knew very well.
The only thing that made him helpless was that he had been assigned a kid who was less than seven years old. This forced him to act like a child every day.
As for this, Shen Xi dared not be negligent at all.
He has been in this world for less than a year, and his understanding of local customs is still limited. If he shows off any extraordinary talent, people might misunderstand him as being possessed by a ghost and throw him into a pigsty.
Shen Xi was just about to go out, but Zhou shi grabbed his small arm and said sternly, "Eat inside first before going out. Don't let anyone see you."
"Ah... Mother, is it you who brought the eggs?" Shen Xi looked at the closed door and asked in a low voice.
Zhou first froze, then spat out angrily: "You little brat, you're not even happy to have your food? If you don't eat it, you..."
Shen Xi hurriedly tapped the egg against the edge of the bed and quickly peeled away the shell.
Looking at Shen Xi throwing the broken eggshells on the ground, Zhou shi angrily slapped his head: "I told you many times to pick up the eggshells and feed them to the pigs... You silly child, your old mother will stop giving you food from now on so that you don't waste good things."
Shen Xi watched Zhou, who was bending over to pick up the shards of eggshells on the ground, her eyes flashed with a look. She quickly grabbed Zhou's hand and said, "Mother, you can't eat eggshells."
"I didn't eat it, kid. Are your ears not working? I took this to feed the pigs. The pigs grow really fast after eating it…"
Shen Xi shook her head, crouched down, and handed half the peeled egg to Zhou shi, smiling cheekily: "Mother, you have a bite too."
Zhou, upon hearing this, was taken aback for a moment. She looked up at Shen Xi, whose eyes were innocent and guileless, just about to give her a scolding, when she heard Shen Xi continue, "Mother, you always lie. Last time, I saw you eat an eggshell with my own eyes... come, take a bite..."
Zhou raised her hand, sniffed her slightly sour nose, and lightly bit into the egg. She then choked back a sob and said, "Come on, eat quickly."
Shen Xi saw the old woman like a mosquito biting him once, sighed in his heart, no more to say, opened and bit down hard with a big mouthful, chewing vigorously, as if venting something.
"Mother... just rest assured, from now on I will definitely become someone important. I'll get you the best house and the finest food." Shen Xi mumbled with a mouthful of egg, making grandiose promises.
Zhou smacked Shen Xi's little head and let out a long sigh, but inwardly scoffed: "Little brat, you always get on my nerves! Just wait until I beat you to death one day."
Shen Xi smirked upon hearing this, just about to speak when a knock sounded. A voice then called out from outside, “Sister, can I come in?”
Zhou quickly kicked the egg shells under the bed a few times, but then heard the door creak open. An old man a few years older than Shen Xi's mother walked in from outside.
"Oh, it smells so good... So Xiao Lang is eating eggs, is it delicious?"
Shen Xi smiled and said, "Delicious. Aunt, are you here to find my mother?"
Seeing the eggs, I remembered that my mother hen at home had been laying fewer eggs recently... Where did your sister get these eggs from?” He ignored Shen Xi and asked Zhou with a smile.
Zhou, upon hearing this, glanced coolly at Shen Xi's aunt Wang. She said coldly, "Every day, there is a fixed number of eggs in the house. If there was truly a shortage, Mother would have informed each household long ago... These eggs were sent back by your father from the county town through someone he knew."
Wang smiled, her tone slightly reproachful: "Sister, we haven't divided the family yet. How come I haven't seen the eggs that your brother-in-law sent? Did you perhaps hide them?"
Zhou's temper was usually fiery, but at this moment she had restrained herself considerably. She stood up, took a deep breath, and replied in a somewhat forceful tone: "Sister-in-law, you are from a scholarly family, so you surely wouldn't hold a grudge against your younger sister over such trivial matters, would you?" |
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