There were so many things to take to school.
The day before he went to school, the sixth production team finally got electricity.
This was a big happy event for everyone in the village. In order to enjoy a meal with electricity for the first time, the Ruanlin Family even delayed dinner a bit. They had intended to eat under the light to experience the bright world, but little did they know, once the light was on, the mosquitoes and moths also increased. The family was both eating and chasing away the insects, a situation which was both amusing and frustrating.
They had to hastily finish their meal and then lit mosquito coils in every room before the whole family left the main house to cool off in the yard outside.
Ruan Jianguo moved the bamboo bed from the main hall outside.
The bamboo bed was two meters long and one meter wide, made of bamboo and very sturdy. It was perfect for the family to sit on and chat to cool off after dinner, and small children could even lie on it to sleep.
Ruan Jiaojiao was petite, so she was lying on the bed now, with the Ruanlin Family matriarch fanning her slowly and comfortably sitting next to her. Of course, it would have been better if the gaps in the bamboo bed didn’t pinch her skin.
Ruan Jie was playing with Meatball in the yard. After a while, feeling hot and tired, he came over to pull Ruan Jiaojiao, "Sister, let’s go to the old house and find your brother Jianguo and the others to play."
Ruan Jiaojiao gave him a lazy glance and shook her head, indicating she didn’t feel like moving at all.
Ruan Jie really wanted to go, so he grabbed Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand and kept shaking it until Xiu Xi, who was sitting on the side, opened Ruan Jie’s hand with his own.
The Ruanlin Family matriarch smiled at them and said to Jiaojiao, "Go ahead, but take Meatball with you, and be careful where you step so you don’t tread on a Changchong."
Summer nights are prime time for Changchong, and it’s easy to accidentally step on snakes and insects when walking in the dark.
"We can’t go back inside for a while." The mosquito coil had to be smoked with the doors closed for twenty minutes, and then the house needed to be aired out for a while. Only about ten minutes had passed, and it was still early. The Ruanlin Family matriarch hoped that the siblings’ affection for each other would remain strong after the move.
Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t really want to move because she was very lazy, but since the Ruanlin Family matriarch wanted her to go, she didn’t refuse and slowly got up.
When Ruan Jiaojiao left, Xiu Xi naturally wouldn’t be idle and followed along, and Ruan Hao, a bit worried about the young ones, trailed behind them.
The moon shone clear and bright.
The country lanes were filled with the sound of frogs, and fireflies twinkled in the night sky, looking so beautiful.
Ruan Jie walked ahead, hopping along, and caught a firefly in his hands. He immediately presented it to Ruan Jiaojiao like a treasure, opening his hands just enough for her to peek at the firefly through the gap between his thumbs.
The firefly’s tail twinkled, like the stars in the sky within reach. Ruan Jiaojiao watched with great interest.
Xiu Xi, seeing her delight, recalled the times they were in the forest, where she often caught these luminous insects. Thinking of this, a flicker appeared in his eyes.
He planned to catch a bottleful for her on the way back.
The group played and made their way to the old house. Passing by the Li Family home, Meatball, as usual, dashed over and gave Xiaohei a scare, making him howl. The Li Family came out to check the commotion, and only then did Meatball prance back to join them.
At the old house, after the Ruan Jianguo family moved out, their rooms were left empty. The remaining rooms in the three-room house were sufficient, and they were too lazy to hassle, so they just stored some clutter in those rooms.