The pastoral life of the grass tribe chief

After parting ways with Lü Yimin, Lu Yao did not go directly back to Wumutang, but instead watched Lu Changping dig a ditch in front of the ancestral hall.

The village's ancestral hall and surrounding houses have been razed to the ground, and the excess bricks and soil have been cleared away, with foundation work underway.

Lu Lide and a group of villagers sat at a table under the longan tree, drinking tea, chatting, and discussing and resolving problems.

Lu Liquan and his grandson were also watching the commotion.

The baby and Lu Changping's son each held a toy excavator and sat there with a few other little kids, watching Lu Changping operate the excavator with complete concentration. At that moment, even thunder and rain could not disturb them.

"We should widen the excavation here."

"I think it should be kept as it is."

"The pond should be reduced in size, and the dikes widened so that green plants can be planted and parking spaces can be added."

"I agree. There will be more and more vehicles in the village in the future, and there will be enough space to park during weddings and funerals."

"No, no, absolutely not. A smaller pond means less water storage, and therefore less wealth."

"What should we do then?"

"The pond area remains the same, but the dam is expanded by several meters from the outside."

"In that case, the project will be larger, and a large amount of additional labor costs will be required, which may lead to insufficient funds."

……

The debate raged on.

Grandpa Lu and Lü Yimin came out of their house and saw a large crowd gathered under the longan tree, each person making a louder noise than the last. Curious, they came over to watch.

"You're all overthinking it. You can try a different approach."

"Tear down the public toilets and rebuild them in this location. Cut one meter here, widen one meter here, and expand the perimeter by one meter, and all the problems will be solved."

Lu Yao chatted with Lu Changping and the others for a while, then came over to watch them scribble on the paper, arguing for a long time without reaching a conclusion. He then picked up a pen and redraw a simple design on the paper.

"Yeah, how come I didn't think of that?"

"In this way, labor costs are reduced by two-thirds, leaving more than enough funds."

"No wonder he's a top student from a prestigious university; his brain works really well."

"Uncle De has a good son."

"Grandpa, you have a good grandson."

"Haha, they are all descendants of the Lu family, thanks to the good deeds of their ancestors."

……

"Uncle Min, have lunch at my house."

Lu Yao was on his way back to Wumutang when he saw Lü Yimin there and extended a warm invitation.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"The old man is coming too. We haven't had a drink together in a long time, so we'll have a couple of drinks at noon."

Lü Yimin was in a good mood and readily agreed.

"OK."

Grandpa Lu readily agreed.

Lu Lide and his son Lu Yao were a little surprised, but mostly happy.

"I'll go tell Grandma and ask her to come eat with us."

Lu Yao then headed to his uncle's house.

"Grandma and I went first."

Soon, Lu Yao drove his grandmother back.

"I'll stay with the old man a little longer."

Lü Yimin said.

Lu Yao drove his grandmother back to Wumutang, where Wang Xiurong was washing romaine lettuce.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

Wang Xiurong was somewhat surprised.

"Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Yimin had lunch here."

Lu Yao parked the car and went into the kitchen to get busy.

"Mom, please sit in the living room. I'll get you a glass of water."

Wang Xiurong happily put down the vegetables she was washing and stood up to pour water.

"I'm not thirsty, you go about your business, I'm going to take a walk."

As Lu Yao's grandmother spoke, she walked towards the bamboo shed.

Behind the bamboo shed is a poultry farm in the tea plantation, where you can see flocks of chickens foraging and resting among the tea trees.

Next to the bamboo shed is a three-meter-wide slope made of solidified mud and stones, which connects the tea plantation to the pond. As long as the fence of the tea plantation is opened, the ducks and geese can swim in the pond.

At this moment, a group of one-month-old ducks and geese were chasing and playing in the large pond.

After walking down the slope, the terraced fields, which were originally covered with cypress trees, have been cleared away, restoring them to their original state.

The terraced fields are planted with mulberry, pineapple, peach, plum, apricot, plum blossom, and pomelo trees.

The terraced fields are covered with all kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs.

The few guava trees that used to be half-dead in the corners of the two ponds are now lush and laden with fruit.

Guava is the name used in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Its scientific name is guava, and there are many varieties.

At the end of the terraced fields, which is also the end of the third pond, lies a mountain stream.

Across the mountain stream are mountain ridges, with various kinds of bamboo growing on the mountainside, and further up are vast stretches of bamboo.

Previously, there was a mountain path between the tea plantations and terraced fields that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The mountain path gradually extends upwards, leading to a deep pool beneath a waterfall deep in the valley.

The water from the deep pool flowed down the mountain stream. The torrential rain had carved out a depression on both sides of the stream. Villagers used to cultivate the land here, but now it is overgrown with weeds and bamboo taller than a person, and the fields are no longer recognizable.

"Your grandma went up the mountain alone."

Wang Xiurong said to her youngest son with concern.

"She's probably just looking around the tea plantation; she won't go inside."

Lu Yaodao.

"Mom, do you think Grandma suddenly wanted to go there for a walk? Is it because she was thinking about the time when my dad was born and wanted to revisit the place?"

Lu Yao seemed to have thought of something and smiled.

Back then, his grandmother was almost ten months pregnant with his father. One day, she was delivering food to his grandfather, who was working in the valley, when she gave birth halfway up the mountain.

Fortunately, the mountains and fields were full of people working at that time. The village midwife, who was also Lu Yao's great-grandmother, was working in the valley and came to help Grandma give birth. Mother and child were safe.

My great-grandmother once said that children born on a mountain under a tree will suffer in the first half of their lives but enjoy happiness in the second half.

"She must have remembered what your great-grandmother said."

"Speaking of your great-grandmother, she was such a beloved old woman."

"Her room was always spotless, her clothes were always spotless, and her smile was always spotless. She was tolerant of everyone and would share good things with everyone."

"No matter the wind or rain, no matter how far the journey, no matter how poor the family is, as long as people come to her for delivery, she will arrive as quickly as possible."

"I will always remember that day."

"It seems she knew she was going to leave. She asked your grandparents to call all her children and grandchildren back, have dinner together, then go to bed and leave the next day. She left peacefully and cleanly."

"I have never seen anyone die and people from all around come to pay their respects."

"When she went up the mountain, adults and children alike cried."

"Only her portrait shows a clean smile, as if telling everyone not to cry for her, not to miss her, that she has just gone to another place and will be doing well there."

Wang Xiurong had never spoken so much at once, nor had she ever looked so devout.

Lu Yao had no idea that his mother possessed such literary talent and eloquence.

On second thought, it wasn't that my mother was particularly eloquent or talented; she was simply stating a fact.

Just then, the sounds of grandparents, father, and Lü Yimin talking and laughing could be heard outside.

The mother and son smiled at each other.