Free Web NovelChapter 161: Chapter 127: Memories of the Village (Part 2)
"Hey girl, want to go to the fields?"
The corner of Yang Yishui’s mouth twitched. "Alright, fine. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway."
The two of them then got up and headed for the fields.
There were actually quite a lot of fields back in their hometown.
The countryside was hilly, and the Shen Family owned plots of land on the mountainsides as well.
Even though Shen Yuan’s grandparents were over eighty, the old man was in ridiculously good shape. He could still go up the mountain to cut bamboo at his age.
Right now, however, they were probably in the fields at the foot of the mountain.
Shen Yuan and his Eldest Female Cousin had just turned down a path when they saw Li Zhi appear in the lane ahead.
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Going to the fields?"
Li Zhi nodded with a look of resignation.
Clearly, Li Zhi’s grandparents couldn’t stay idle either.
The paths that crisscrossed the fields were perhaps the most frequent feature of their childhood memories.
In their memories, everything was always changing, but the paths were eternal, looking just as they always had.
Except, of course, for the spot where the elevated highway now ran through.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi walked one after another along a narrow path, both looking a bit cautious.
Yang Yishui, walking behind them, strode confidently on her long legs, moving as if she owned the place, even though it had been ages since she’d last been in the fields.
She made it look completely effortless.
After all, she had walked these paths for many more years than Shen Yuan had.
Yang Yishui soon spotted two familiar figures in the fields.
"Grandpa! Grandma!"
The moment Yang Yishui saw the old couple, she broke into a brisk walk, her long legs eating up the distance.
Shen Yuan’s grandparents weren’t the only ones working in the fields at this hour; several other elderly villagers were out as well.
Hearing Yang Yishui’s voice, the old folks, who had been bent over their work, all looked up and glanced around curiously.
When they got a clear look at the three people on the path, the expectation on their faces instantly turned to disappointment. They then nonchalantly lowered their heads and went back to their work.
Shen Songde, an old man who was still hale and hearty, immediately recognized the young woman striding so swiftly along the path.
A flash of pleasant surprise appeared in his eyes, followed by a kindly smile as he shouted, "My girl is here!"
Hearing her grandfather’s call, the smile on Yang Yishui’s face grew even brighter.
Like a cheerful little bird, the Eldest Female Cousin crossed the path, ran quickly into the field, and headed straight for Shen Songde.
"Grandpa!" Yang Yishui cried affectionately, throwing herself into Shen Songde’s arms.
Seeing this from his spot on the path, Shen Yuan, not to be outdone, shouted, "Grandpa! What about me?"
Shen Songde, overjoyed by his granddaughter’s arrival and in high spirits, put on a serious face when he saw Shen Yuan. "You little rascal! You were so quiet, I thought you hadn’t come along!"
Hearing this, Shen Yuan wasn’t offended in the slightest. Instead, he just grinned at the old man.
Just then, Shen Songde noticed Li Zhi standing beside Shen Yuan, and the smile on his face grew even wider.
"This must be Li Zhi, right?" Shen Songde asked kindly.
Li Zhi nodded politely and replied, "Hello, Grandpa!"
Shen Songde nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, Shen Yuan asked, "Grandpa! Where did Li Zhi’s grandpa go?"
"Yutang? He probably went up the mountain!"
The older generation was accustomed to calling each other by their given names.
Hearing this, Li Zhi pursed her lips.
’Guess I’m not going up the mountain then.’
’If Old Li were around here, I’d probably go find him.’
Li Zhi was, at heart, a little lazy.
"Grandpa, Grandma, don’t prepare too much food. The family will be bringing some dishes over," Yang Yishui advised.
"Oh, nonsense! It’s all vegetables from our own garden—healthy and fresh!" her grandmother said quickly, her face beaming with a kindly smile.
"Then just make a little bit, okay? I want to take some home with me, too," Yang Yishui replied skillfully, knowing exactly how to make her grandparents happy.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the two elders beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright, we’ll listen to our girl!"
At that moment, Shen Songde looked up, glanced around, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Where’s Shen Yuan? Why don’t I see him?"
Yang Yishui also looked around, but after failing to spot him, she shrugged helplessly. "He probably went off to hang out with Li Zhi."
"Hey, my girl," Shen Songde said, suddenly leaning closer to Yang Yishui, his eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Tell Grandpa, are Shen Yuan and the Yutang Family’s granddaughter dating?"
Yang Yishui couldn’t help but laugh. Her eighty-year-old grandfather was actually this interested in the love lives of young people.
She glanced at her grandfather and saw his gaze filled with curiosity and anticipation.
’Grandpa, are you also in the Kissing Association?’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yang Yishui pulled out her phone.
"I won’t waste words. Just look at this."
Shen Songde’s eyes went wide as he stared at the picture on the phone—a shot of the young man and woman gazing at each other. A huge smile blossomed on his face. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Old woman! Old woman, get over here!"
Shen Songde quickly called his wife over, and the three of them stood there in the field, looking at the image of the young couple gazing at each other under a flowering vine.
All three of them broke into happy smiles.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan was leading Li Zhi on a stroll through the village.
The late September morning sun slanted across the eaves, stretching their two shadows long upon the bluestone path.
Shen Yuan kicked away a stray pebble and caught a glimpse of Li Zhi’s profile out of the corner of his eye.
They maintained a tacit distance of half a step between them. Neither spoke, but the silence held an indescribable comfort.
They walked on quietly like this, covering one stretch of road after another. frёeωebɳovel.com
After walking for a while, the two arrived at the bank of a small stream that ran through the village.
The stream wasn’t what you’d call wide, but it wasn’t tiny either—it was about five feet across, and the water was about calf-deep.
The water was crystal clear, revealing the sand, pebbles, and small, darting fish at the bottom.
Shen Yuan walked to the stream’s edge and stopped, his gaze falling on a concrete slab by the bank. He pointed to it and said to Li Zhi, "Do you remember this place?"
Li Zhi followed his finger, and the corners of her lips curved up into a faint smile. "Mhm. The place where a certain dumbass used to catch fish as a kid."
"You’re remembering it wrong," Shen Yuan retorted.
Li Zhi gave him a curious look. "Oh? Then what’s your memory of this place?"
Shen Yuan scratched his head and said softly, "You and I set paper boats afloat here."
In the morning light, the stream’s surface shattered into flecks of gold leaf. Li Zhi watched the shimmering ripples, and her eyelashes suddenly trembled.
As Li Zhi turned her head, the tips of her hair swept by, and a citrus-scented breeze brushed past the boy’s flushing ear.
The daze in Li Zhi’s eyes, not yet concealed, was rendered translucent by the morning light, as if the lock on a memory box had suddenly sprung open, revealing a dog-eared paper boat inside.
"I didn’t think you’d still remember that," Li Zhi said, a hint of pleasure in her voice.
Shen Yuan smiled. "Well, you wouldn’t give me the time of day for anything else. You were only willing to float paper boats with me here."
Li Zhi nodded.
Just then, she heard Shen Yuan’s voice right next to her ear. "And when your boat didn’t float as far as mine, you’d cry and say I was bullying you."
Li Zhi’s pupils contracted. Sparks of indignation flared in her eyes, glittering in the morning light.
The stream gurgled behind her, but it couldn’t drown out her sharp gasp. "You’re the one who cried!"
"It was clearly... clearly you who cheated!"
Seeing the defiance on the beautiful girl’s face, Shen Yuan tilted his head back and said cheekily, "I forget."
"You!"
Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a furious glare.
But before either of them could say more, a voice suddenly called out from the streamside.
"Zhizhi?!"
Hearing the voice, Li Zhi looked up.
When she saw the old man standing by the stream, a smile immediately bloomed on her face.
"Grandma! Grandpa!"
Shen Yuan looked up and saw Li Zhi’s grandfather, Li Yutang.
The old man was staring at Shen Yuan with a stern expression, even though Shen Yuan was giving him a brilliant smile.
Just then, Yang Yishui’s faint call drifted over from the distance.
Shen Yuan spoke quickly. "My cousin’s looking for me. I’m gonna head back now."
Li Zhi glanced at Shen Yuan and waved her hand. "Go on, then."
As soon as he got Li Zhi’s reply, Shen Yuan quickly darted out of range of Li Yutang’s scrutinizing gaze.
