SWDnovel Chapter 61 1 Always very face
Chapter 61 1 Always very face
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The Jing Kingdom lasted forty years.
A young couple arrived in Songguo Village with their one-year-old child.
The village roads have been rebuilt in the last two years, and now extend smoothly to every household.
There is also a main road that extends into the fields, allowing villagers to haul their harvested grain away.
A middle-aged peddler pushing a cart walked along, calling out his wares.
You can use silver coins or barter.
The young man took out a few coins and bought a small paper windmill.
The child held it in his hand, and when the wind blew, the windmill started to spin, making him giggle.
The woman, dressed in a clean blue silk skirt, nervously clutched the hem of her skirt and asked, "Husband, please help me see if there's anything I haven't done right."
The young man reached out to play with the child, and seeing her so nervous, he couldn't help but laugh: "It's not like we've never seen anything like this before, why are you so flustered? Your uncle has always been unconventional, he can wear whatever he wants."
After taking a few deep breaths and calming down a bit, the woman asked with curiosity and anticipation, "Are the crows at my uncle's house really bigger than people?"
"No, not really." The young man thought for a moment, then gestured to his waist. "It's about this big."
The woman was astonished; that man was as tall as a five- or six-year-old child.
The two walked along the village road and encountered some villagers along the way.
The young man then handed the child to the woman, cupped his hands in greeting, and greeted the villagers.
The villagers were very welcoming, yet also showed a degree of reverence.
In an open space ahead, an elderly man with one leg that was visibly atrophied and unable to straighten lay on a recliner.
He had white hair and was very thin.
On the wooden benches nearby, several middle-aged men with white hair were diligently fanning him with palm-leaf fans.
The young man walked over, cupped his hands, and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, Uncle Guangmao."
Li Guangmao quickly stood up from the stool: "Huan'er's here, have a seat?"
"No, I still need to go to my uncle's house."
Li Shoutian, who was on the recliner, opened his somewhat cloudy eyes and spoke in a low voice.
The young man quickly went over and squatted down beside him, hearing Li Shoutian say, "Do your best in the exam next year, and bring back the top scholar. Then this old man can die in peace."
"What are you saying? My uncle said you'll live to be a hundred," the young man said.
Li Shoutian chuckled, his teeth almost all gone, with only two or three remaining: "Ah Xun, that person... all he knows how to say are nice things."
As if he heard a child's voice, Li Shoutian turned his head.
The young man quickly asked his wife to bring the child over. Li Shoutian struggled to raise his hand, and the child cooperated and curiously grabbed his finger.
The skinny Li Shoutian chuckled again: "Good boy, you'll all amount to something someday."
After a while, the family of three left.
Li Guangmao watched their retreating figures, then turned back and sat down, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Dad, if Huan'er really becomes the top scholar, how prestigious will our village be!"
Li Shoutian closed his eyes again and said, "Even if he wasn't the top scholar, our village still has someone to rely on."
Li Guangmao seemed to have thought of something and laughed heartily, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, always so impressive!"
Before long, the family of three arrived in front of the house.
The house was renovated last year, with blue bricks and red tiles.
A few clumps of ivy spread up the corner of the wall, not yet covering the entire wall, but leaving behind a beautiful imperfection.
The courtyard gate was half-open. The young man reached out and pushed it open, then went in first.
The woman followed closely behind, and when she looked up, she saw dozens of crows perched on the eaves.
Her eyes widened in astonishment; these crows were indeed enormous.
Another question popped into my head: "With so many crows, how could the eaves not collapse?"
Ordinary roof tiles shouldn't be able to withstand such weight.
My gaze moved downwards, first falling on the plaque hanging above the door, and then on the figure squatting at the doorway.
I had seen them before, and what impressed me most were their eyes.
It's very bright and has a vibrant quality.
But for some reason, whenever I think back, I always feel that there is some kind of indescribable sadness in those eyes.
The family of three walked over, and when they got closer, they realized that the man was looking at the "weeds" by the door.
Twenty leaves, emerald green, arranged in a circle.
Last year, a bright red flower could still be seen blooming, but a few years later, the petals have fallen, revealing the green fruit in the middle.
It's about the size of a thumb and round.
The young man smiled and said, "I've seen people who grow flowers, and I've seen people who raise fish, but only my uncle has such patience. He's spent most of his life raising a single plant."
Several crows flapped their wings and jumped down from the eaves, landing beside him and cawing.
The woman was still a little worried and instinctively hugged the child tighter.
A gentle voice came from beside me: "Don't be afraid, they won't harm their own family."
The woman looked up and saw that the man who had been squatting was now standing up.
Her eyes were still as bright as I remembered, yet they held a hint of sadness.
Those who saw it couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. What could have caused this wealthy and well-connected man to have such a melancholy look in his eyes?
It wasn't until the child reached for the crow that Liu Yuqing came to her senses and quickly bowed, saying, "Yuqing greets Uncle."
"No need for formalities."
Chu Xun smiled and offered a helping hand, then said to Huan'er, "Your aunt, Er Mao's wife, Qiaohua, and a few other children went to the temple fair together. They probably won't be back until later."
"Then we'll wait here for a while. It's been a long time since we've seen the crows."
"So you're here to feed the crows?"
"He's also here to see his uncle, half and half, haha..."
Listening to their conversation, Liu Yuqing gradually relaxed.
She was still a little worried because her child was making a fuss about touching the crow.
Huan'er took the child from her arms and put him down: "Don't worry, I've played with crows since I was little, they're very gentle."
Liu Yuqing lowered her head and watched as the crows surrounded the child, tilting their heads to examine him.
Or perhaps they think the child is too small to reach, so they bend over and stick their heads out.
The child grabbed a feather from the crow's head and giggled as he did so.
The crows weren't angry; they simply turned their heads away, and the feather slipped from the child's hand.
Under the sunlight, the jet-black feathers showed off some colorful patterns, which surprised Liu Yuqing.
"So crows aren't black, but rather multicolored?"
A rubbing sound came from her feet, and Liu Yuqing looked in the direction of the sound.
Suddenly, several weasels, each nearly two feet long, appeared out of nowhere, stood up, and pushed the stool in the yard over.
One child was placed under each of the three children's bottoms, and then the children ran over and squeezed into the flock of crows, sniffing the little baby curiously.
The chirping sound came from seven or eight small field mice, each about the size of a palm, poking their heads out from the vegetable garden in the corner of the yard.
Not afraid of strangers at all, it quickly crawled over and rubbed against the baby's feet.
Liu Yuqing was both frightened and surprised, and goosebumps rose all over her body.
Why are there so many poultry and livestock at my uncle's house?
If it weren't for the impoliteness, she would have run away.
"Sit down," Chu Xun said, and sat down first.
Huan'er then sat down.
"I thought you would come back after the imperial examination. A few days ago, when I went to town to buy wine, your mother said she missed you a lot. Did you go home to see her?" Chu Xun asked.
"I went home first, had dinner with my parents, and then came here," Huan'er said.
He then explained, "The imperial examination is still a few days away. My teacher told me to come back home, visit my family, and then focus on preparing for the exam."