Yonghe Road

Chapter 82 Ribbon
Zhong Ziqi left Wang's house and went to the village to look for Chunshui and Zi'an, but he couldn't find them. Then he received a call from Huifang.

Huifang said on the phone: "Chunshui's birthday is coming. I cooked a bowl of longevity noodles. You can give it to your sister..."

Huifang had never cooked a bowl of noodles with such a rich variety of toppings in her life: fresh prawns, tender chicken legs, plump oysters and mushrooms... The two poached eggs had shiny yolks and beautiful sugar cores, which were the result of her best cooking skills and the deepest maternal love for Chunshui in her life.

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Ziqi listened to Huifang counting the toppings of the longevity noodles. He seemed to smell the aroma of the longevity noodles cooked with She ethnic rice wine, drifting over along the radio waves.

"Your sister owes so much money, and we can't help her, so let her eat something good. She's been naughty since she was a child, and she refuses to listen to me. I can't persuade her, so you can persuade her and let her eat something good..."

How about eating something good and hitting the road?
Zhong Ziqi felt very upset as he listened to his mother's chatter on the other end of the phone.

"Deep in the Wutong tree, green embraces the Phoenix,
Spreading its wings among the clouds, its feathers are covered with rosy clouds.

The clear spring in the mountain stream is busy washing away the dust.

The sound of the phoenix's cry awakens the yellow mountains.

Phoenix, Phoenix, soaring high in the sky,

Phoenix, Phoenix, the She family’s heart’s desire…”

Someone is singing.

The melodious singing voice floated out from inside a courtyard wall.

Zhong Ziqi looked up and saw the wall of "Happiness Garden".

"Happiness Garden" is a nursing home that was recently completed in the village. It was formerly the Harmonious Apartment for the Elderly in Baile Village. The renovation and expansion was started by Secretary Wang and completed after Zi'an became the village secretary.

In order to better meet the daily life and leisure and entertainment needs of the elderly, Wang Zian also specially innovated the management model, adopting the public-private partnership approach. The village shareholding economic cooperative is responsible for the construction. After completion, a professional elderly care enterprise will be awarded the bid for operation. Wang Zian believes that this will introduce professional management experience and service concepts, and effectively improve the management efficiency and service quality of the nursing home.

Compared with some traditional ordinary nursing homes, the environment of "Happiness Garden" is more beautiful and comfortable, with parks around it. The internal facilities are more complete and modern. In addition to providing basic accommodation and catering services, it is also equipped with a medical room, activity room, gym and small canteen and other rich facilities.

Traditional nursing homes focus more on providing basic living care, while "Happiness Garden" pays more attention to caring for the spiritual and cultural needs and medical care services of the elderly on the basis of living care.

In the past six months, Wang Zian has organized various cultural and entertainment activities in the "Happiness Garden", such as free medical consultations and haircuts, Chinese filial piety philatelic exhibitions, large-scale charity galas, etc. He also regularly invites general practitioners to the nursing home to provide free physical examinations and health consultation services for the elderly.

In the past, the cost of senior apartments was relatively high and was generally borne by the elderly themselves or their families. After the "Happiness Garden" was built, the elderly were charged corresponding fees based on different service items and service levels and enjoyed government subsidies. For the elderly in special difficulties such as the five-guarantee households and low-income households in the village, the service was directly free of charge.

"Old age care" has been truly realized in Baile Village.

At this moment, the singing inside the wall became clearer and clearer, as if there was an invisible magic pulling Zhong Ziqi's footsteps.

Entering the "Happiness Garden," Zhong Ziqi immediately spotted his younger sister, Zhong Chunshui, standing among a group of elderly people, singing a She folk song. Dressed head to toe in She folk attire, she resembled a fiery phoenix, ready to spread its wings and dance. The elderly sat in the courtyard, swaying to Chunshui's tune and clapping to the beat, their rhythmic, professional beats almost too precise.

Zhong Ziqi soon discovered the secret. It turned out that there was someone in the crowd leading the photo shoot, and it was Wang Zian.

Wang Zian wore a smile, his eyes focused and bright. He stood to one side, his hands slightly raised, gently swaying to the rhythm of Chunshui's song. His fingers nimbly beat the beat, each one precise and powerful, as if conducting a magnificent symphony. Every rise and fall of his hands was rhythmic, leading the elderly to sway in unison, perfectly synchronizing with Chunshui's song.

Looking at Zhong Chunshui again, her face was filled with a brilliant smile. It was like the warm spring sun, warm and bright, and her eyes sparkled with confidence and joy. She was immersed in her singing, savoring the beauty of the moment, as if all her worries had been cast aside. Even Zhong Ziqi couldn't help but smile.

He hadn't seen such a confident and happy smile on Chunshui's face for a long time.

This time when he returned home, every time he saw Chunshui, he was full of hatred, irritability and sensitivity.

Zhong Ziqi did not immediately disturb the crowd surrounded by singing, but retreated behind a large banyan tree, using the thick trunk as cover to prevent Chunshui and Zi'an from noticing his arrival.

As an older brother, he was unable to help Chunshui resolve the debt and crisis, but he wanted to protect his sister's happiness and joy at this moment.

After Chunshui finished singing, she began to teach the elderly people to sing. She songs are performed in the She language. Chunshui taught the elderly people to sing along, but the Han elderly people present did not understand the meaning of the lyrics. The She elderly people helped Chunshui explain the meaning of the lyrics to the Han elderly people, one by one. It was a harmonious scene.

When it came to reporting the teaching results, an elderly Han Chinese man stood up and sang an entire She song word for word, which received warm applause from everyone and a ribbon presented by an old She woman.

Everyone in the audience laughed, and Zhong Ziqi, who was hiding behind the banyan tree, also laughed.

As a She ethnic minority youth, Zhong Ziqi certainly knows the meaning of the She ethnic minority ribbons:
She ethnic ribbons are traditional handicrafts of the She ethnic group. Made from various colored silk threads and fine cotton yarn, they are primarily black and white, dyed with indigo. Weaving requires only a simple weaving frame or even three bamboo poles about 20 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. The process is complex, involving multiple steps, including selecting the frame, chiseling the studs, setting the poles, positioning the poles, arranging the frame, matching the threads, warping, raising the harness, weaving the ribbons, weaving the patterns, and weaving the patterns. Using the warp and weft weaving method, the weaving creates a variety of designs and patterns using interlaced warp threads of different colors.

In addition to being an ornament to beautify clothing, it is also a practical item for life such as belts and suspenders. It is also a token of love for She men and women, a return gift for engagement, and a mascot for warding off evil spirits and blessings.

At this moment, Chunshui was wearing a colorful ribbon around her waist that she had woven herself. She had woven this ribbon during her free time at Prince An's house.

It features a black background dyed with indigo, with a phoenix embroidered on one end with golden silk thread. The phoenix stands tall, its chest puffed out, its multicolored wings spread wide, each feather clearly visible, as if poised to soar into the sky at any moment. The phoenix's eyes are inlaid with red silk thread, while auspicious clouds are outlined around it with light blue silk thread, creating a mysterious and ethereal appearance.

The other end is embroidered with traditional She ethnic patterns—diamond and triangle patterns. These geometric designs are arranged in a staggered pattern, creating a unique rhythm and beauty. The diamond patterns are embroidered with orange silk thread, representing light and hope; the triangle patterns are outlined with purple silk thread, symbolizing mystery and nobility.

A winding stream runs through the center of the ribbon, connecting its two ends. The stream, embroidered with light blue silk thread, shimmers, creating a shimmering, almost gurgling sound. Along the streamside grow a variety of flowers and trees, their vibrant green leaves and vibrant blossoms complementing each other, creating a vibrant scene. Among them, a few blooming azaleas stand out, their petals embroidered with vibrant red silk thread, their stamens woven with fine golden threads. The vividness of the petals seems to emanate a fragrance.

Such a carefully woven ribbon should have been a token of love between young men and women, but now it is only tied lonely around Chunshui's waist.

Chunshui will never give this ribbon to Wang Zian.

She doesn't deserve it now.

The task of teaching the elderly came to a temporary end, and Chunshui's smile faded once again. She followed Wang Zi'an silently out of the "Happiness Garden," even trailing behind him a few steps, intentionally or not. She was no longer worthy of walking side by side with her brother, Zi'an.

If her dream-chasing journey north had been like a gust of east wind blowing upwards for this She ethnic group phoenix, then now, this east wind had become a hurricane that nearly killed her, shattering her broken wings...

Chunshui looked at Wang Zian's back and wanted to cry again.

Wang Zian had already reached the gate of the nursing home, and the three words "Happiness Garden" shone golden beside him. Chunshui secretly thought that Wang Zian named the nursing home "Happiness Garden" because of her, because her nickname was "Happiness". This was a little secret between them, a little happiness.

But Brother Zi'an, how could Chunshui still have her own happiness now? Her life is over...

Wang Zian found that Chunshui did not catch up with him, so he turned around and saw Zhong Ziqi behind the banyan tree.

Seeing that Wang Zian had discovered him, Zhong Ziqi walked out from behind the banyan tree, took out the bank card from his pocket, handed it to Chunshui and said, "This is one million yuan of our family savings. I'll use it to pay off your debt first."

Chunshui subconsciously asked, "Does mother know you are doing this?"

Zhong Ziqi paused and lied, "Mother knows. It was she who told me to do this."

"How is that possible?" Chunshui didn't believe it.

"Chun Shui, I care about you. What parent doesn't love their child? I told you it's your birthday, and I even cooked longevity noodles for you. I asked me to come and ask you to come home and eat. Now that you've returned to the village, it's not a good idea to always stay at Zi'an's house. The villagers will gossip about you, and after all, you and Zi'an aren't married..."

Zhong Ziqi glanced at Wang Zian out of the corner of his eye. Chunshui's mess was a big pit. Even though he and Wang Zian were good brothers, he couldn't force Wang Zian to marry his sister at this time and place.

Chunshui also understood what Zhong Ziqi meant. How could she possibly rely on Wang Zian in such a situation? Her pride wouldn't allow her to do so. But she didn't want to go home and face Huifang. She knew with a simple thought that Zhong Ziqi must have kept the one million yuan he gave her to pay off her debts a secret from Huifang. At most, the bowl of longevity noodles was real.

Chunshui saw through Huifang, and she had developed a deep physical aversion to her mother.

Chunshui didn't know who to blame for the situation mother and daughter had found themselves in. Was it the damned patriarchal tradition of rural Fujian, or was it her own rebellious nature that didn't suit her age?
If Chunshui is a daughter with an awakened soul who longs to break free from the shackles of old ideas, then Huifang is a mother whose pedantic ideas are as stubborn and unshakable as a rock. Her soul has long been buried in the dust of old traditions. Those conservative and decadent ideas are like an indestructible fortress, standing between mother and daughter, making every breath of Chunshui full of depression and pain.

Chunshui wants to awaken the mother's dormant consciousness, just like a seagull trying to dispel the haze covering the sea. Every effort is futile, like an ant trying to shake a tree, and all it gets in return is deeper hurt and helplessness.

Huifang is suffering from an irredeemable disease. In the secular world, she is an absolute weakling, a victim, and an innocent wretch. But in front of Chunshui, she is an executioner, a perpetrator, and a tyrant who can crush everything in her path. She relies on her status as a mother to occupy a high position, show off her power, and be invincible. She uses the ethics of parent-child relationship to raise the banner of justice, occupy the moral high ground, and always put on the posture of a winner.

Chunshui hates an incompetent person in the real world giving her orders and giving her advice, but the relationship between mother and daughter is like the golden hoop on the head of the Monkey King, and resistance is a sin.

For Chunshui, staying away is the best salvation from this mental prison. Like a butterfly trapped in a spider web, only by struggling to break free from the sticky bondage can it fly freely in the vast world and pursue its own piece of gorgeous flower sea.

All the beautiful things in this world have a price tag, and she paid a heavy price for her freedom.

If one could view the present from the perspective of the future, and the process from the perspective of the outcome, perhaps one would be less fearful and resentful. Chunshui was still young, not yet possessing such wisdom. She wallowed in the terrible present, like a pony that had not yet reached the other side, at a loss as the river deepened and made her slip...

She thought that death was her end, and happiness and the future had nothing to do with her anymore.

She treated every day as her last. She didn't want to spend the remaining time dealing with an unhappy mother-daughter relationship. Fortunately, Wang Zian said to Zhong Ziqi, "Chun Shui living in my house, what gossip can there be? Don't make things complicated."

So, Chunshui did not go home with Zhong Ziqi to eat the longevity noodles cooked by Huifang, but followed Wang Zian to the next stop.

Wang Zian assigned her a new task, asking her to teach the children of the "Golden Phoenix" choir of Baile Village Primary School to sing in preparation for a national primary school singing competition.

On the way to Baile Village Primary School, passing by Filial Piety Culture Park, Chunshui looked up at the tall memorial archway on the ninety-nine steps. With a heavy heart, he asked Wang Zian, "Brother Zian, do you think I'm selfish and that I've been too harsh on my mother?"

Wang Zian paused, looking up at Chunshui intently. He knew Chunshui didn't need anyone's comments, just someone to listen. He led Chunshui up the ninety-nine steps and sat down beneath the memorial archway. From his viewpoint, the entire Baile Village was in full view.