"Hehe, I also think that this is much more interesting than working a job," Zhuo Feng went to Yanqing and had some other ideas, rather than being confined to the congested environment in Beijing, she preferred to freely watch over those dozens of acres of land. Mei Xiang’s and Bai Juyi’s unfulfilled wishes would be accomplished by her. Zhuo Feng shared her rough plans with Xiao Xian; of course, Xiao Xian was in favor. Zhuo Feng’s current state was nearly the same as when she first arrived at Ge Village; it was clear that she genuinely wanted to run an ecological farmstead.
Regarding Zhuo Feng’s concerns about her education, Xiao Xian wasn’t too bothered, "There are many boarding students at Sacred Heart Middle School for the entire term. Knowing that I’ll be living at the school, Zhang Yiyi will probably be overjoyed. I can just take the bus to Yanqing during holidays. But Auntie, what about Uncle’s work?"
Xiao Xian had come to Beijing and accepted some of the city’s concepts. Don’t city dwellers all hope for a stable job? It was uncertain whether Uncle would really be able to resign from his job at the Social Security Bureau and join Zhuo Feng to go to the countryside to farm.
"No worries, rest assured, I can definitely persuade him," Zhuo Feng, with preliminary approval, was all smiles. The aunt and niece planted the earth together and pruned the branches and leaves; the crops on the rooftop would have a good winter.
Feng Xing walked back and forth inside the Social Security Bureau all morning, undecided in his mind. Zhuo Feng’s eager questioning and hopeful eyes this morning made him feel very distressed.
"Feng Xing, there’s a telegram for you," the elder in the mailroom brought over a telegram.
Feng Xing took a look. The telegram had arrived yesterday, but he took leave yesterday. He opened it and saw a few words, "Xingxing, it’s New Year’s, mom misses you terribly, taking the train through the city to see you."
At the end of the telegram, it was written that it was sent by Feng Xing’s mother.
A major incident had occurred in the Li Family at Dongnan Miao Village. It wasn’t just the people in the village who knew about this; even the Ge Village people had heard a bit.
The Ge Village people, though now wealthier, still had some habits that were hard to change. For example, whenever a major or exciting event occurred, they liked to gather by the lotus pond at the village entrance (in the deep winter, the lotuses had withered), which was the former location of the Big locust tree.
"I heard that the Li Family’s only son was in a car accident. Everyone in the car was fine, but he was the only one who died."
"Not just that, I heard that not even his body was found, it was all torn apart. The child’s mother cried to death,"
"There’s more, I heard that Li Quqi wants to sculpt a silver figure of his son to worship,"
"Also, I heard Mr. Zhu was sadder than if he had lost his own son, he personally carried a white mourning towel to send condolences to the Li Family,"
"You don’t know anything, I heard that the dead child from the Li Family and Xiao Xian had their marriage arranged since they were kids, saying that now the Li boy has passed, he wants to take Xiao Xian with him to a ghost marriage,"
Ptui, ptui, ptui, a plump little red bird flew by overhead. If there really was a King of Hell, he should hook away the tongues of all those meddlesome busybodies; although Yezi usually was a bit lazy in feeding "chickens" and snored loudly at night, she shouldn’t be cursed while still alive.
Li Quqi sat on the edge of the kang, with Miao Saisong’s eyes red, bowing her head and steeping tea, with the village chief, Zhu Shijun, the village chief, and others sitting on the side.
"Mr. Li? Are you sure you don’t want to send someone to search? There are many chaotic shores along both sides of Chishui River, but if you really look carefully, surely he could be found," Jin Dafu was still a bit worried; after all, that was the Li Family’s only son, washed away by the water, not to go search and rescue?
"The Great Wizard said it was safe, then it is safe, no need to search, the new year is here. That kid disobeyed, went down the mountain by himself, it’s only right for him to suffer a bit," that mischievous boy, without uttering a peep, went down the mountain, not even considering what his parents would think. Li Quqi and his wife came home in the evening and couldn’t find their son, thinking he had just gone out to wander.
After 7 o’clock, when the secretary of Ge Village, San Gouzi, brought the news of the car accident, delivering the message with a mourning expression.
It was a vehicle from Ge Village that had the accident, making him feel that Ge Village must bear some responsibility.
The couple were stunned on the spot. They had only one son after all.
Yezi’s mother was even more scared, her face pale, and she fainted away. Later it was the Red Locust Great Wizard who came over, fed her a few sips of herbal medicine, and assured with absolute certainty that nothing would happen to Yezi, that this departure was a blessing and not a disaster.
"Brother Li, perhaps still let someone go search," Yezi’s mother didn’t distrust the Great Wizard, but the Great Wizard had confirmed that Yezi would surely be unharmed, it’s just that he can’t return home for a while, at least a year or two, maybe several years. Yezi’s mother asked for her son’s specific whereabouts, but the Great Wizard only shook his head, saying her fortune-telling could only go so far.