At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

It was clearly visible that in every household's yard, there were vehicles parked—either tricycles, tractors, or small electric vehicles—specifically used for hauling goods.

There are almost no decent private cars.

Su Che's destination was the second-to-last courtyard at the village entrance.

Because the house on the far end is empty and no one is inside, it's a perfect place to park your car.

He chose his spot, then got out of the car first, walked towards the second house where an old woman was squatting outside, sunbathing, and asked:

"Excuse me, sir, does anyone live in the house next door?"

No, no.

The old lady spoke with a kind face, but when she opened her mouth, she had only a few teeth left.

"Are you from the city?"

"Yes, I'd like to borrow your stove to cook a simple home-cooked meal and rest here for a while before leaving this afternoon."

Su Che explained his purpose.

After hearing this, the old lady immediately nodded emphatically, indicating that it was perfectly acceptable.

"My yard is quiet, it's just me. The vegetables are grown in the garden, I can pick whatever I need myself, but be careful of snakes. If you don't step on them, they won't bite you."

"...Okay. Thank you, sir."

Su Che waved his hand, signaling the three women behind him to enter.

The group followed the old lady back to the courtyard.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, on the left is a stray dog, tied up in front of its kennel and howling loudly;

To the right is a small vegetable garden enclosed by a red brick wall, containing ingredients such as potatoes, green beans, eggplants, and tomatoes. There are also fruit trees planted in the backyard.

It can be seen that although the old lady is old, she is completely self-sufficient in the countryside.

"There are eggs in the henhouse, I'll go and get you five."

The old lady muttered, "We have to keep this from the chicks, otherwise they'll get angry."

Soon,

The old man busied himself, teaching An Qing how to use the stove, and successfully set out a large table of dishes.

Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, stewed pumpkin, potatoes and eggplant, cucumber salad, braised chili peppers, wheat flour pancakes, and farmhouse-style dipping sauces.

Although there wasn't much meat, the fact that it was all homegrown organic food made everyone feel very comfortable and at ease eating it.

"Don't give me money. There's not much money needed in the countryside. I'm an old lady all by myself, and I can't finish all this food. If you come next time, just let me know in advance, and I'll stew a disobedient goose for you."

"..."

For some reason, faced with the old man's enthusiasm,

Su Che had an indescribable feeling.

seem,

Looking back, I realize I've never met my grandparents or maternal grandparents.

I've rarely seen my parents since I was a child, let alone the elderly people in my family.

This upbringing caused him to harbor resentment towards the kindness of the elderly, a resentment directed at his own family, an extremely intense resentment.

You might think, "Even strangers outside are so kind, so why is my own home enveloped in indifference, with such a chilling atmosphere?"

"Grandpa, I'm transferring money to you."

"What?"

The old lady laughed and said, "Silly child. We still use cash in the countryside. You city people use cell phones to spend money, but we use bills. You don't need to bother with that."

Next time you come, bring me a case of milk, and I'll be perfectly happy, haha.

"...No problem, absolutely no problem."

Su Che glanced at An Qing, and An Qing immediately made a mental note of it.

We'll probably visit this village more than once, so we need to make sure the old lady gets her requests on her next visit and bring her some city food to try.

The four of them ate at a small table set up on the kang (a heated brick bed). The old lady sat on the edge of the kang, pulled the switch cord next to her, and turned on the old, bulky television set on the shelf.

The TV screen was filled with white noise, making it difficult to see clearly; all I could hear was the sound.

The old lady rolled herself a cigarette and chatted casually with Su Che.

"Grandpa, have all the young people in this village left?"

"Yes, all the strong ones have gone to the city to work and earn money. Those who aren't capable have gone to work on the land with the landowners, or to work in the factories. Some have even become long-distance drivers. Sigh, my granddaughter is doing quite well, but once she went to the city, we haven't heard from her since. I'm just a withered old woman left here, guarding the house and the land. It's not very interesting."

The old lady sighed, and the helplessness in her words was truly touching.

Su Che and the girls exchanged glances, seemingly lost in thought.

now,

Yuan Xiao ate voraciously, she loved the clean and fresh taste of farm-style food, pure green and pollution-free.

Gu Zhi also really enjoyed this dish, eating large mouthfuls of rice and drinking large gulps of water to replenish her energy.

In the countryside, the water is cool water scooped from a vat, natural water, or well water.

It tastes refreshing and has a unique flavor.

"Grandpa, what does your daughter do for a living in the city? How old is she?"

At this moment, An Qing asked out of curiosity.

Upon hearing this, the old man looked dazed, as if he were trying very hard to recall some distant and impractical term.

Finally, he said uncertainly:

“Her mother passed away early, and she made her way in the city on her own. I supported her through school, and then she became independent. She earned her own money, and she said she was… becoming some kind of… idol? Anyway, I don’t really understand.”

……

……

Chapter 156 The Ancient Buddha Appears in a Second - The Little Bird's Butt Sticks Out

There has always been a legend in the Zhengliang Village area.

It is said that a little girl once came from the village; she was originally adopted by an old woman surnamed Bai at the town's church.

Orphaned and raised carefree in the countryside,

Later, for her sake, Old Mrs. Bai went bankrupt to send her child to university to study art, and moved to town with her to take care of her.

She herself is also very hardworking. She started studying voice acting in high school, double-majored in music and singing in college, and then entered the live streaming industry.

Finally, when the old lady's brain tumor flared up, the little girl managed to raise the money for the surgery and saved her.

Now, that child has grown up and become a popular artist in Tianhai City. After reaching the peak of his career, he retired and disappeared into the vast world of celebrities.

So, Mrs. Ge, the second house on the edge of the village, also thought of replicating it.

[Even the likes of Lao Bai, who have no one to rely on, can think of adopting a child to support themselves in their old age. My family has saved up plenty of rice, flour, and cooking oil, so why can't I also adopt a cute little granddaughter?]

therefore,

More than a decade ago, while her legs were still strong and she was skilled at all kinds of farm work, Mrs. Ge, carrying a bag, asked Old Wang next door to drive her tricycle straight to the orphanage in town.

The process of choosing a granddaughter went very smoothly.

As the director introduced them, the children swarmed around them, sobbing.

Mrs. Ge didn't like this.

She likes quiet, unique children.

The goal of adoption is a little girl, because girls are like warm, comforting cotton jackets; she needs a girl to come home and spend more time with her when she grows up, instead of a little boy running wild outside every day.

From the perspective of her objective, she chose the child who seemed the most obedient and the least talkative in the group.

"early".

“Grandma Ge, this girl’s given name is Chu, and the nameplate around her neck when she was brought here says that. She doesn’t have a surname. Do you want her to take your surname?”

The dean reminded him at the time.

"No, I need her surname to be Bai."

Mrs. Ge said, "This will bring me good luck."

"Ok."

"From now on, your name will be 'Bai Chu'."

-

……

"Chuchu, Chuchu?"

What are you thinking about?

The image hovering before her eyes flickered, snapping Bai Chu out of her reverie.

Mental confusion.

Teammate Hiyori took off her mask and asked:

"Are you ok?"

"……Um."

You don't look well.

"It's fine."

Will I be able to perform at the next show?

"Okay. That's fine."

Inside the expensive "Small Garden" rehearsal room, Hikase Hiyori, the captain of the silver travel ship, looked at the distracted lead singer with a serious expression.