Song Tan's Notes

Night always falls early in the countryside.

Even though it's past seven o'clock, the farmers, still sweating profusely, return home from the fields and mountains, the entire village falls into tranquility again before nine o'clock.

Only the solar streetlights standing tall along the roadside emitted a dim light.

At this moment, all is quiet, and even those who stay up late would find it difficult to stay awake in this atmosphere.

For example, Qin Yun, let alone the two working people, clearly managed to write a little bit during the day, and decided to redeem himself tonight!
But in reality, lying in bed scrolling through my phone, I soon found myself unable to keep my eyelids open, and eventually I had no choice but to give up.

Tomorrow! I'll definitely write more tomorrow!
In the family suite, in the inner room, He Tuoluo was also fast asleep.

After all, no matter how much energy you have, it's hard not to feel tired after a day of this.

In the lobby on the first floor, after leaving her phone number at the front desk, Lu Jing stretched and took out a U-shaped lock without a lock, then locked the glass door from the inside.

Then she went back to her room to sleep peacefully.

It's a rural guesthouse, so there's no such thing as a night shift. Just call her if you need anything—although I haven't been called her more than a few times so far.

There are also guards outside, and surveillance cameras everywhere, so it couldn't be safer.

There was no one around, and all was quiet.

This tranquility continued into the deep of night, and more and more fireflies gradually appeared in the flower corridor. Xiao Shi stood up from a prone position, stretched out his two paws, and stuck his butt out, finishing a perfect downward-facing dog stretch.

Then, wagging its tail, it happily went to the flower bushes and retrieved the bone it hadn't finished gnawing on during the day.

At this moment, it pressed down with both paws, held the big bone in its arms, and gnawed on it with great force, making a crunching sound.

When it gets tired of gnawing, it pulls the bone into its arms and then buries its head and falls asleep.

Judging by its dashing appearance, it has absolutely nothing to do with being wary.

This tranquility lasted until midnight.

Even after the streetlights went out, Xiao Shi was still fast asleep when he heard a "click," a slight clanging sound of metal against a glass door.

It pricked up its ears and instantly became alert.

Turning back, I saw He Tuoluo carefully removing the unlocked U-lock from the inside of the lobby, gently placing it on the ground, and then tiptoeing out of the door with his backpack on.

"Woo..."

Xiao Shi stood up and uttered a low voice:
What are you going to do, man?
He Tuoluo put his index finger to his lips and frantically made "shh" sounds, afraid that it would make a sound.

But seeing that Xiao Shi was just tilting his head to look at him and didn't seem to be stopping him, he couldn't help but feel happy again:
"Xiao Shi, don't follow me, I'm going to wander."

He spoke softly, his voice barely audible due to his nervousness.

He patted the fluffy dog's head again, then strode confidently through the flower corridor in the dim light of the streetlights in the yard, and soon arrived at the pitch-black road.

Then I was lost in confusion.

Children who grow up in the city naturally don't know that solar streetlights in the countryside have limited energy, and usually become pitch black by midnight.

It's completely different from the brightly lit city.

But it's okay.

He Tuoluo was fully prepared.

His smartwatch can light up!

and……

After blinking, he noticed that the moon in the countryside was exceptionally bright, illuminating the wide, flat road clearly, which only enhanced the feeling of running away from home!

With a renewed sense of purpose, I looked at the fireflies twinkling in the roadside grass and heard the chirping of insects and birds all around me. I gripped my backpack strap tightly again and strode forward.

Goodbye, Mom, I'm setting sail tonight!
……

Xiao Shi doesn't understand what human children are supposed to do.

This time...

It perked up, wondering if it was going to go up the mountain for a late-night snack? But it seemed like only working people could afford to eat late-night snacks.

But it's okay, just follow along.

It hid its big bone again, panting happily, and followed him at a distance, wagging its tail. How pleasant it was to have someone accompany it on a walk!

He Tuoluo was also incredibly excited!

He had never done anything so significant in his life, so he didn't walk fast and remained vigilant.

However, after walking for a short distance, they heard lights come on in a courtyard ahead, followed by a creaking gate. A young woman hurriedly closed the gate and walked towards the main road.

not good!

He Tuoluo tensed up, wondering why anyone would get up in the middle of the night—

This is Liu Liu, who rents a room at Grandma Lotus's house.

Although she became a full-time employee, the vegetable picking job only lasts for one or two hours, which only adds up to a little over a thousand yuan a month, enough for a late-night snack!

She couldn't bear to miss out on such a good opportunity!
Now is the time to go up the mountain to prepare.

But she, who always walked in a hurry, didn't notice He Tuoluo hiding in the shadows of the roadside bushes. Instead, she saw Xiao Shi still walking around late at night, and couldn't help but laugh again.
You look great.

Before she started working here, she would get up at dawn to work two extra days, leaving her feeling dizzy and exhausted. Unlike this dog, who's full of energy, its fur is even shinier than her daughter's, practically glowing in the moonlight—it's simply adorable.

……

Only after Liu Liu's figure disappeared up the slope of the road ahead did He Tuoluo breathe a sigh of relief and stand up to walk forward again.

Walk and walk. Walk and walk.

The journey that didn't seem far during the day when I was playing with the adults and friends turned into a journey that I could never reach at night.

He moved his short legs forward, encouraging himself.

But not long after, they heard people talking ahead again!

It was a courtyard, brightly lit, with the faint sound of machinery.

His heart tightened, and he saw the courtyard gate creak open, and someone was pushing a cart with a large bucket, pouring water out of the gate!
If he looked up again, he would find that it was Aunt Zhang Hong's tofu shop.

Rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu have been considered the three great hardships of life since ancient times.

Nowadays, with the help of machines, although it's not as physically demanding, the sales volume is still high, so it's still necessary to get up in the middle of the night to do some preparations.

Oh dear! Why don't these adults sleep at night?

He Tuoluo was anxious.

But it didn't matter. He hid for a while longer, and seeing the courtyard gate close again, he tiptoed away once more.

Walk and walk, walk and walk...

He walked for an unknown amount of time, but before he even reached the village entrance, his steps suddenly froze.

Suddenly, a very fierce-looking man walked out from the gate of another guesthouse ahead!
He looked like one of those villains from TV shows—tall and strong, with dark skin and fierce eyes. He was waving his arms around in the yard, his arms outstretched, while muttering something about "playing on his phone" and "cervical spondylosis."

In short, he looks like a really bad guy!

One punch can take down 10 spinning tops!
He Tuoluo stood there dumbfounded, breaking out in a cold sweat. It took him a while to realize: This was the fierce-looking uncle he had eaten with during the day!
No! That's not how you say it!
The reason he needed to identify it for a while was because he wasn't eating with everyone, but was alone in the mountain canteen!

Thinking of this, a slight fear was replaced by resentment. Even if there were countless difficulties and dangers, He Tuoluo was determined to wander tonight!

In short, after the fierce-looking man went back into the house, he mustered his courage again and walked towards the village entrance.

The area ahead was quiet; apart from the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind, it seemed that only his breathing could be heard.

He Tuoluo felt a little scared. But when he turned around, Xiao Shi was still following him at a leisurely pace.

Although he shouldn't have let the dog follow him, he had to admit that it really put him at ease.

He Tuoluo secretly resolved that once they reached the main road and encountered a car, he would not let Xiao Shi follow them—but why hadn't they encountered a taxi yet?
Mingming had been eating barbecue with her dad before, and if she waited by the roadside, there would be cars available even in the middle of the night.

Young children often can't distinguish between the agricultural base they're visiting and the countryside, and they think taxis are everywhere.

But he walks slowly at night and often hides on the road, so he hasn't actually gone very far.

not to mention……

A sense of meticulousness, typical of adults, welled up within him: maybe if he went a little further away, there would be no surveillance cameras!

Thinking of this, his spirits lifted again.

Walk and walk, walk and walk...

It feels like I've been walking all night, but when I check my smartwatch, I've only been walking for fifty minutes!

But I was constantly on edge, and I kept encouraging myself, which is why I've only just reached the top of the riverbank.

And more importantly...

He Tuoluo patted his belly:

A little hungry.

It's all the adults' fault for being unreasonable. He was a little angry at dinner and didn't eat much.

But it doesn't matter, he's a fully prepared spinning top!
Under the dim moonlight, he sat on the ground and opened his schoolbag: inside were papers, a charger for his smartwatch, his water bottle, a jacket, and his small pillow.

However, there were no snacks.

When we came to the countryside, my mother took away all the snacks except for a very large hawthorn ball.

This tastes sweet.

Mom said that sweet things are high in calories and keep you full, so we should eat this.

Dr. Guo's hand-rolled hawthorn balls are really big, even bigger than quail eggs, and perfectly round.

It's usually wrapped in oil paper. If anyone in the village has an upset stomach, can't digest food properly, and doesn't want to take medicine, just take one.

The reason it's so big—

Oh dear, it's not that big of a deal. If you don't add enough digestive aids, the effect won't be as good!

But it has some honey from Lao Song's family mixed in, and it tastes really good!
Materials are limited, and nowadays they generally won't be sold to anyone who isn't a close acquaintance.

The moment the paper package was opened, a tangy and fragrant aroma wafted out, and He Tuoluo immediately swallowed.

It seems a bit inappropriate to start eating after walking for less than an hour.

But he encouraged himself: If I walk a little further, I'll definitely see a taxi. It's okay to eat now!

With that thought in mind, he unhesitatingly unwrapped the paper package and took a bite of the hawthorn pill.

When Xiao Shi saw him eating, he quickly ran up a few steps and put his fluffy head close to his cheek. He also smelled the sour and sweet smell and started whining and acting cute, trying to get a little bit too.

But that won't work.

He Tuoluo was very serious:

"I need to wander and replenish my strength, so I can't share with you."

"Once I get in the car, come back and continue eating delicious food."

He was indeed a very determined and planned child. He carefully chewed and swallowed the hawthorn pill, gulped down his water from the large water glass, put his schoolbag back on, checked the battery level of his smartwatch, and then continued walking forward.

Walk and walk, walk and walk...

The little guy's short legs were getting sore from walking, but he still hadn't seen a single taxi.

Why?

Do people here never take taxis when they go out?
They own a car, but Dad still sometimes chooses to take a taxi.

But the path is not wrong.

There's only one main road; it's hard to go the wrong way.

Behind him, Xiao Shi continued to follow slowly, completely baffled as to what this human child was doing in the middle of the night.

Looking at the time again, it had been more than forty minutes already, and He Tuoluo was exhausted.

and……

He reached out and covered his stomach, where the rumbling of his empty intestines grew even louder.

Why am I so hungry?
The hawthorn pills I just ate were about the size of a tightly squeezed small bread roll.

He Tuoluo looked somewhat bewildered: Could it be that Mom was wrong, that sweet things don't keep you full?
His stomach was empty, his mouth was empty, and he even had saliva inexplicably secreting, as if it would drool out as soon as he opened his mouth.

But how could this be?

I can vividly recall everything I ate for dinner, and I wish I could turn back and eat two more big bowls.

If I just held on a little longer, I'd want to pluck a blade of grass from the roadside and chew on it. I couldn't tell if it was hunger or craving that drove me.

He sighed like a dignified old man: I'm so hungry!
I was even hungrier than when I was at school.

But he's a little man, and he has a great mission to fulfill today!
Even now, I grit my teeth and persevere, continuing forward despite my slightly sore calves.

Gululu.

Gululu.

In the still of the night, this mysterious sound kept coming from the country roads.

Xiao Shi followed behind, tilting his head silently.

Humans are so strange.

……

Dr. Guo had no idea that her hawthorn pills had caused a child to fail in his mission, and the child was already hungry and craving something halfway through the journey, and couldn't take it anymore.

All she knew was that her giant meatballs were made with the finest ingredients!

There's no other way; elsewhere, digestive tablets would suffice.

But at Old Song's house, everyone was so full that their bellies were round and bulging; they could easily break out from overeating.

If you don't eat a meatball with strong digestive power to help with digestion, you won't feel comfortable if you overeat! What if you throw up? Wouldn't that be a waste of such good ingredients?

Therefore, the hawthorns selected are wild hawthorns from the nearby mountains. They are so sour that they make your eyes water, but they are exceptionally effective at aiding digestion.

The honey used is from Lao Song's family, and the other ingredients added when making the balls are also of high quality.

Just look at how the Song family always takes some food from her before hosting a dinner party – it really does help with digestion!

Don't even mention eating He Tuoluo on an empty stomach. Even if you're already full, eating this will make you hungry again in just two or three hours.

Now, He Tuoluo swallowed hard, glanced at Xiao Shi, and sighed mournfully:
"Why are there no taxis? And no breakfast shops either?"

He had pocket money in his smartwatch, and he even planned it all out. He could also accurately tell you his building number in his neighborhood.

He could just get into a taxi and the driver would take him home! (End of Chapter)