A small plot of land in a mountain village

"Hey Niu, what are you doing?" Chairman Zhang, who was exercising, saw Zhang Niu carrying a small bamboo pole back.

Zhang Niu, whose shadow was partially obscured by the small bamboo shoots, pushed aside the bamboo leaves covering him and said with a smile, "It's nothing. I just had some free time this morning, so I went into the woods to gather some small bamboo shoots to plant by the pond."

"Planting bamboo doesn't require covering your whole body like this! Look at you, if it weren't for your feet walking, I would have almost thought the bamboo was walking by itself, or some kind of monster." Chairman Zhang teased with a smile.

Wow! This chairman really knows how to make people laugh. Bamboo leaves covering his whole body, that makes a lot of sense. From a distance, Zhang Niu does indeed appear to be covered by green bamboo leaves.

Early in the morning, while strolling outside, I saw several lush and verdant bamboo stalks. Taking advantage of my good mood that morning, I went back inside and dug out a hoe.

With each stroke of the hoe, the bamboo, being wild, stretched out in a continuous expanse, making it difficult for Zhang Niu to handle. He broke off quite a few bamboo rhizomes before finally managing to bring them back.

Pine trees, green bamboo, and red plum blossoms—these are the three things that great poets loved to describe. Zhang Niu simply followed their example and transplanted the bamboo to the edge of the pond.

Although there were willows by the pond, it still looked too monotonous. Zhang Niu planned to buy some saplings later. Otherwise, this place would be exposed to the scorching sun in the summer.

On a sweltering summer afternoon, with the sun blazing down, the tall trees at Happy Abode were too few; the bamboo pavilion was the only place to hide. Now was the perfect time to buy some large saplings. With the water in my spatial storage, I figured they'd grow into tall trees by next year without a problem.

Next year, this place will be lush and verdant, and you can rest right under the trees.

The sugarcane is now taller than Zhang Niu, with dark red sugarcane sections exposed to the air.

Zhang Niu dug up a lot of bamboo in the morning and laid it on the ground. There were still many empty spaces by the pond, and he planned to plant them all in these places.

Chairman Zhang watched Zhang Niu busy with his work with great interest. The diligence of country folk was evident in this man.

"Hey, the sun's rising in the west, busy with things early in the morning." The fat man chuckled as he came down the bamboo staircase.

"What do you mean the sun is rising in the west? I'm just idling around. There are bamboo trees behind me, so I'm planning to plant some by the pond to add some atmosphere and prevent it from looking too deserted."

He waved his hand and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're full of nonsense. I'm going to go to the kitchen to see if Brother Liang has made breakfast yet. I'm starving."

The fat man was already heading towards the kitchen as he spoke.

It's quite rare to see someone get up early and immediately start looking for food.

I have so much to do in the morning, so even skipping breakfast makes my food taste extra delicious.

"Damn it, how can you eat so much today? This breakfast is almost empty!" the fat man started yelling.

Zhang Niu glanced at the fat man who was still struggling to finish his food. He had only eaten his third bowl, so how could he say he could eat a lot? This guy really had no manners.

"This isn't empty, I've only had my third bowl. I was so hungry planting bamboo this morning, how can I replenish my strength if I don't eat more? Besides, I still have to go into the mountains later!" Zhang Niu said with a smile as he drank his congee.

"What? You want to go into the mountains? Why?" This last question clearly piqued the fat man's interest, and even Chairman Zhang, who was still eating his porridge, became interested.

Seeing the way the two were looking at him, Zhang Niu knew they were curious, so he chuckled and said, "Let's go into the mountains to pick honeysuckle."

A simple sentence: all that eating was for picking honeysuckle in the mountains. It's really quite frustrating.

Honeysuckle is a common plant in rural areas, and many people go into the mountains every year to find it, either on the mountainside or along cliffs.

"Why did you suddenly decide to pick honeysuckle?" the fat man asked, puzzled. Although honeysuckle was quite expensive, the fat man didn't really like drinking it.

"In this season, honeysuckle is in full bloom. I usually like to drink honeysuckle tea. Its slightly bitter taste is more comfortable than tea leaves, and it allows me to better appreciate the sweetness and bitterness."

"Well said! Sweetness and bitterness, aren't these the experiences we all go through in life? These words speak to our hearts." Chairman Zhang applauded.

Unexpectedly, Chairman Zhang said that, and Zhang Niu couldn't quite figure out what he meant. "That's all just talk, don't take it to heart. Why don't we pick some and try them?"

Honeysuckle tea, when dried and brewed, has a bitter taste, which most people wouldn't drink immediately, just like Zhang Niu doesn't really like drinking Liren tea.

Both have their own preferences, and both are simply pursuing an understanding of nature.

"If you're going to pick them, then pick a lot! Save some for me so I can taste the honeysuckle," Chairman Zhang said with delight.

Since Chairman Zhang said so, I understand. But how much we can pick depends on luck. A lot of people went into the mountains to pick honeysuckle a few days ago.

"It's alright, it's just a taste, even just one cup won't be a problem."

"Don't forget to call me when you go," the fat man said, looking up.

Zhang Niu was puzzled. Why was this fat guy preparing to go into the mountains? With his size, he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly inside!

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just here to see what's going on in the mountains. I live by the mountains and have never been inside. People will laugh at me if I go out like this." The fat man's excuse was quite convincing.

The fat man's suggestion was that Zhang Niu take him along.

"Okay, after we finish eating, I'll take you there. You'd better change into sneakers," Zhang Niu added.

"Mm," he continued, burying his head in his plain porridge and rice.

"Let's go!"

"Fatty, hurry up! Stop dawdling. It takes you so long to change your shoes, you're so slow!" Zhang Niu shouted into the bamboo house.

"What's the rush? We're just switching." A loud voice shouted.

Zhang Niu had everything ready when he came out, but the fat man was still huddled inside the bamboo house, showing no sign of coming out. Zhang Niu couldn't help but call out to him several times.

Zhang Niu was tired of hearing the same answer every time.

"Hehe, that's just how Fatty is, it's alright." Chairman Zhang was quite understanding.

Chairman Zhang didn't plan to pick honeysuckle. Instead, he preferred to stay in the bamboo pavilion, enjoy a pot of tea, and practice calligraphy and painting, finding endless pleasure there.

These past few days, I've had Fatty buy some calligraphy practice tools in the county town. Every morning, he seems to be in a trance, wandering around practicing calligraphy and painting. His calligraphy is quite profound, exuding a grand and majestic air.

Chairman Zhang's calligraphy is the best besides that of his third uncle.

The difference between the two is quite significant. Uncle San has been immersed in this art for decades, and his brushstrokes are full of freedom, naturalness, and mastery.

Zhang Niu still had some interest in calligraphy and painting. These were the essence of the nation, and he wanted to know a little about them. He was quite familiar with the styles of Wang Xizhi and other calligraphic styles. Reading books did help him gain some knowledge.

The fat man was fully equipped with glasses, a hat, and trousers.

"What if you were going to fight a war?" Zhang Niu couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

The fat man looked himself over and thought, "It's normal. That's how you have to be for safety when you go into the mountains." "It's not normal. What's so funny? I'm just wearing a little more clothes than you. Damn it, you're already envious of me."

Zhang Niu told Fatty that they would always be the losers, and they should hurry inside before the sun rose too high.

"Let's go! The sooner we get in, the sooner we can go in."

The three wolves, along with Little Black, Fatty, and Zhang Niu, set off into the mountains.

"Don't smoke that cigarette in the mountains. It could cause a fire." Watching the fat man puffing away, Zhang Niu still felt he had to give him a heads-up.

"I know, Dashan doesn't smoke, so of course I know that."

On the outskirts of the mountains, many honeysuckle vines were picked clean of all the white honeysuckle flowers, almost like they had been swept away several times, even the buds that were just about to bloom were picked.

Honeysuckle is actually most fragrant and effective when picked before it blooms. Although it can still be used for brewing after it has bloomed, the taste is completely different before and after the flowers have bloomed.

"Honeysuckle, do we have to go further in?" The fat man started panting after walking only a short distance.

"Go inside, they've all been picked outside. We can only go inside. Fatty, I see you exercise regularly, how come you can't keep up after walking for so long?" He turned around and said, looking at the person sweating profusely.

The fat man stopped, put his hands on his hips, and said, "It's still because I haven't been training enough. Looks like I'll have to work harder on my training when I get back."

As you walk further in, the temperature drops suddenly, not as hot as outside.

"Ha, thank goodness I had an extra layer of clothing, otherwise, this sudden drop in temperature would be unbearable," the fat man muttered to himself, basking in his own cleverness.

Zhang Niu was quite used to the cooler temperature. He used to come here often, and he was used to the slight drop in temperature. In fact, he would stay in the space for a while and wasn't bothered by the temperature at all.

The sparrows chirped incessantly in the trees, making the mountainside noisy and bustling.

Many squirrels perched on the pine trees, watching the passersby, but they were used to it. In the past few days, many villagers had come to pick honeysuckle.

Zhang Niu arrived early today; many honeysuckle flowers were already blooming.

The unique fragrance of honeysuckle wafted through the air.

"Phew, it smells so good!" the fat man exclaimed.

"We're quite early; the honeysuckle has just started to bloom." Zhang Niu smiled happily as he looked at the patch of honeysuckle twining around the bushes in front of him.

Honeysuckle loves to twine around bushes or surrounding trees, densely encircling the entire tree.

Honeysuckle is afraid of the cold, so in winter only dry vines remain. When spring comes again, it will sprout tender green leaves. The miracles of nature are endless.

If we're not quick, once the village aunties come up, the two of us running won't be as fast as one person coming.

He pulled out a black plastic bag he always carried. "Here, take this."

The fat man took the plastic bag, scratched his head, and said, "How do I pick these honeysuckle flowers? I've never picked them before."

If Fatty hadn't mentioned it, Zhang Niu probably would have known that "any flower bud or fully open flower with white petals is fine, even nearby leaves can be picked; we can pick them out slowly when we get back."

There are too many honeysuckle flowers here for Zhang Niu to slowly select. Anyway, he will have to select them when he gets back, so he will pick all the ones that can be picked and leave none behind.

"understood."

He entered the mountains, carrying two sharpened machetes, and cut through the bushes. (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)