"This young man is really handsome."
"Like a movie star."
"Yes, yes, he looks like that Little Li Feidao." An elderly lady at the stone steps near the entrance smiled, revealing her gaping teeth, as she looked at Li Weijin.
Xiao Qi: ...Little Li Feidao was a TV drama from which year? She probably wasn't even born when it aired.
Li Weijin was used to attracting attention and not feeling awkward at all.
He had been good-looking since he was a child, being observed by his classmates, teachers, classmates' parents, and passersby in kindergarten...
But Xiao Qi felt very uncomfortable.
Embarrassed...
She had just gotten used to the atmosphere of the village and felt the village aunts and uncles weren't that intimidating, but now Li Weijin had arrived.
Xiao Qi felt it was difficult to remain composed in the face of everyone's teasing.
"Who is this?"
Su Youfu saw the young man, who looked more handsome than his own daughter, and then looked at his daughter who had just returned from university and seemed to have gained some inexplicable authority, but was now blushing. He felt like his foot had been hit by his own hoe, the pain piercing his heart.
"Dad, he's my college classmate, Li Weijin."
Sheng Juanhua had also come out, mainly because she was quite puzzled. The party secretary, village chief, and a county government official had come to her house, saying they were sending a young man to stay with them for two days as the dormitory lodging was inconvenient.
Sheng Juanhua wanted to say that her home was also inconvenient, but when she looked up and saw the young man at the entrance, she exclaimed, "Oh my! Tsk, tsk, I've never seen such a handsome young man before, he's so good-looking."
It wasn't that Sheng Juanhua was boasting, she could be considered the village belle in their village, and her daughter Xiao Qi had also been a beauty since she was young. But compared to this young man, she had to admit honestly, there was no comparison...
The words "not convenient" just wouldn't come out.
She was relieved when her daughter and the child's father returned.
But then she became worried again.
This young man was actually acquainted with her daughter and had come specifically to see her.
A college classmate, what college classmate would come to set up a signal tower because there was no signal at your home? Those things are so expensive, even the county government leader had come along... Judging from the leader's bow, Sheng Juanhua could sense it must be very costly.
The night before, the villagers had gossiped and boldly imagined with exaggeration that installing a signal tower would cost at least two hundred million yuan. What kind of foolish company would have that much money to spend on such a thing when they could just put it in the bank and live off the interest for life?
And then someone really did come today.
Moreover, it was the college classmate of the lame Su's daughter. With this implication, building this base station was just to ensure the lame Su's daughter had a signal on her phone to stay connected... This was simply too wealthy.
At first glance, it seemed the man was interested in her, having pursued her all the way here. But this young man was so handsome, and so wealthy too, that a sense of regret arose in the crowd.
Some wished they had given birth to daughters, while others who had daughters wished they had taught them well and sent them to university. Look, this university student was indeed different, finding a partner with such excellent conditions.
For Zhang Jian, who had a car gifted to her partner, people openly expressed envy but privately said many unpleasant things about finding a man older than her own father.
But for this young man before them, they not only envied him outwardly but also inwardly envied him immensely.
While Xiao Qi was shocked at how to introduce Xiao Qi to her parents, the mechanical voice in her mind suddenly sounded: "Host has found an outstanding partner, exerting a positive influence on those around her and inspiring them to pursue education, bringing progressive positive energy to society. System level unlocked, upgrading to Level 11 Progressive System. Host will earn 1.1 yuan for every step, capped at 30,000 steps per day."
Xiao Qi: ...
Finding a partner can bring positive energy and social progress?
So the night before, when so many people praised her for being outstanding, they were just paying lip service.
But now, seeing Li Weijin, they were truly praising her, finding a good partner could actually motivate everyone to educate their children?
Xiao Qi could only feel amused and saddened.
She thought she had been diligent and outstanding enough, but in the eyes of the villagers, it seemed marrying well was better than doing well...
Finally, the onlookers observing the commotion were led away by the party secretary, village chief, and county government officials.
Xiao Qi closed the courtyard gate.
The world became a little quieter.
Xiao Qi looked at the lone Xiao Qi and wondered, "Didn't the butler come with you?"
He was supposed to come together, but he strongly refused, feeling that bringing a butler to Xiao Qi's home would make Xiao Qi's parents think he was immature, unreliable, and untrustworthy, among other things...
So he came alone.
Xiao Qi felt it was impossible, not knowing where the butler was hiding in some corner, as this place didn't even have a signal.
It must not be easy.
Sheng Juanhua warmly welcomed the young man, "Perfect timing, you haven't had lunch yet, right? Let's eat together. It's just homemade dishes, but the taste is quite good."
Su Youfu remained silent, feeling somewhat disgruntled, as he looked at this handsome young man.
"Thank you, auntie." Li Weijin washed his hands readily and even came to help serve the rice.
But then he picked up a bowl and couldn't find the rice cooker.
Xiao Qi: ...
"There's no rice cooker, we cook rice in a wooden barrel at home." Xiao Qi explained.
Then she opened the large wooden barrel next to him, with steam rising from it, and the fragrance of rice immediately wafted out.
Li Weijin looked astonished, this rice was actually cooked in a wooden barrel, wouldn't the water leak out?
Seeing Xiao Qi's bewildered expression at unfamiliar things, Xiao Qi couldn't help but laugh. But when she went to Xiao Qi's home, she had similar moments of surprise, so they were even.
Xiao Qi's parents exchanged glances, wondering just how affluent a family this child had come from. He was very polite, but he had never seen rice cooked in a wooden barrel before?
After lunch, Xiao Qi took Li Weijin for a stroll to the village stream in the afternoon.
The scenery there was beautiful, and Xiao Qi liked to go there whenever she felt down.
She also took him to the vegetable field to cut some vegetables.
It was planted by her uncle, who had given her a cigarette and a shirt as gifts the day before. Her uncle was delighted and told them to help themselves to the vegetables from the field.
It was still quite hot in the afternoon. Li Weijin wore a white sportswear set, with a black baseball cap on his head. At around 182 cm tall, plus his thick-soled sports shoes, he was nearly 186 cm.
Xiao Qi wore her old cloth shoes, around 167 cm tall. Since she was accompanying Li Weijin, she didn't wear her morning military uniform but changed into a red padded sportswear top and jeans.
She also wore a straw hat.
Gumula Village was at a high altitude, and the sunlight was still quite intense.
When the villagers saw the university student take her classmate to the vegetable field, they wanted to tease them a little, but the two were too good-looking and too serious, walking through the village roads like they were filming a movie. An old man with his pants rolled up, passing by, didn't even feel comfortable greeting them until Xiao Qi called out, "Hello, uncle."
The old man nodded, feeling flattered, smiling so widely that his uneven, yellow teeth were exposed.
Xiao Qi realized that before, when she greeted the villagers, she always felt a burden and pressure because she couldn't remember the proper titles for their relations. But now she found it didn't really matter, as long as she took the initiative to greet them, even if she got the title wrong, most likely no one would mind. As long as she was polite, it was enough.
Xiao Qi asked Xiao Qi to carry the basket while she held the knife.
They followed the stream from the entrance, passing under an arched bridge. On the other side, they could see a small forest, with a tiny hut underneath.
"Who lives in such a small hut?" Li Weijin asked curiously.
"The Earth God."
As they approached, they saw a rather crude stone sculpture inside, with a stone table in front of it. The table surface was soaked in candle wax, and there was an incense burner on the table with a few sticks of incense burning.
"This is something every village has - a small earth shrine. Whenever there's something going on at home, or during festivals, people come here to pray and worship, seeking blessings for everyone."
Li Weijin had not been exposed to such spirit education since childhood, so he found it quite novel.
Following Xiao Qi's lead, he took out nine incense sticks from inside the shrine. He inserted three sticks into the incense burner in front of the Earth God, bowed in worship, then inserted three sticks on each side of the entrance and bowed again.
After that, they left the earth shrine together.
"Does this really make wishes come true? The Earth God has to fulfill the wishes of the whole village, won't he be too busy? What if someone makes a really difficult wish? Or what if people from outside come to make wishes?" Li Weijin asked curiously.
"It's just a psychological consolation. If wishes do come true, villagers will bring lots of delicious food and set it out in a ritual called 'fulfilling the wish'. After the ritual, they just take the food back home to eat themselves."
As they walked shoulder-to-shoulder on the stone path covered with fallen leaves, they soon found themselves, just like in the Peach Blossom Spring, passing through a dense forest of tall trees. Suddenly, the view opened up ahead, with clouds seemingly at their feet and layer upon layer of terraced fields stretching out densely below.
In winter, with the rice harvested, only weeds remained, creating a desolate scene of black and yellow.
Even though Li Weijin had been to many places and seen many famous scenic spots, he was still struck by the sight before him.
It was hard to imagine that the clouds could be at your feet, floating by one by one.
Due to Gumula Village's high altitude and unique terrain, a stunning landscape was formed.
It seemed no one dared to speak loudly, as if afraid of scaring the clouds away.
By the side of the path was a small stream, its water clear with mud and stones, and some aquatic plants growing along the banks.
Xiao Qi reached into the water and scooped up a handful of mud, then spread it open to reveal three or four tiny shells.
Li Weijin was amazed.
Could shells really be that small? Were they alive? He couldn't believe he could just casually pick them up like that.
"When I was little, we often came to scoop up these tiny shells. We could fill a big bowl in an afternoon, take them home, fry them up and eat them. They're really delicious, and you can also make soup with them - very fresh," Xiao Qi said.
Gumula Village was very poor and remote, but because of that, the environment was well-preserved. Sometimes if you flipped over rocks in the stream, you could even see palm-sized fish.
Li Weijin also reached into the water and scooped up a handful of mud. Sure enough, when he spread it open, there were tiny shells that had been exposing their flesh but quickly retracted when touched by his hand.
It was amazing.
"The water is so cold, are you cold?" Li Weijin rinsed his hand and grabbed Xiao Qi's hand, then continued walking while holding her hand...
Their icy hands soon warmed up from each other's touch.
The further they went, the narrower the path became, as they were entering the vegetable fields without stone paths, just a muddy trail with grasses growing into the middle from both sides.
Suddenly there was a "poof" sound that made Li Weijin jump, gripping Xiao Qi's hand tighter.
Not far away on the side of the path, a colorful wild chicken burst out, flapping its wings frantically as it flew away.
Li Weijin: ...
He felt this was too incredible.
He saw Xiao Qi take out a knife and swing it a few times into the bushes.
"What's wrong?"
"Just checking if it was laying eggs. Sometimes we get lucky and find wild chicken eggs, but there could also be snakes, so I can't reach my hand in."
Hearing the word "snake", Li Weijin's face paled slightly.
Fortunately, there were no snakes or eggs in the bushes, probably just a wild chicken resting there.
After walking a little further, they finally arrived at their destination - Xiao Qi's uncle's vegetable plot, part of which belonged to her family but had been left for her uncle to grow crops on for half a year.
Xiao Qi picked the vegetables while Li Weijin helped by holding the basket.
They cooperated quite well.
Li Weijin felt that this place was so intriguing, it was no wonder there was no phone signal - it was like a paradise hidden from the outside world.
Xiao Qi used to think Gumula Village was just backward and poor, with all sorts of inconveniences. But this time, coming back from university, she also discovered the beauty of her hometown. Returning felt different, very grounded, like a kite finally being pulled back into its box, no longer worrying about the string breaking.
After they finished picking the vegetables, Xiao Qi carried the basket while Li Weijin, not wanting to be completely useless, held two large cabbages in his arms with a delighted expression.
The cabbages were so big, it felt like one could feed him for several days.
When Su Youfu saw his daughter casually carrying a basket full of vegetables, followed by a young man hugging two large cabbages...
He couldn't help but feel the young man seemed a bit weak, hugging those two cabbages with such a nice, almost silly smile...
After dinner, it quickly became dark.
Night in the countryside was truly dark. Even with dim street lamps, they were just tiny specks in the black night.
Then an awkward situation arose - no matter how good-looking, even a young man has to use the toilet eventually.
Li Weijin had been holding it all day. He was staying on the third floor of Xiao Qi's house, but no matter how much he looked around upstairs and downstairs, he couldn't find the bathroom and was too embarrassed to ask.
Finally, as night fell, he could no longer hold it in.
When Li Weijin awkwardly asked Xiao Qi where the bathroom was, she also looked embarrassed.
She grabbed a stick and led him to the outhouse in the backyard... an open-air dry toilet.
There were partitions around it but basically no roof.
"What's the stick for?" he asked, trying to change the subject out of embarrassment.
"In case there are snakes in the grass, you tap it first. But there probably aren't any in winter, it's just a precaution."
Li Weijin: ...
When he saw that the little shed was actually the toilet, he was stunned again.
He had thought it was a storage room. With partitions around but just a thatched roof overhead, it was essentially an open-air toilet. Going inside was even more distressing - it was just two large wooden planks placed over a big barrel?
He was worried he might fall in.
And it was so cold at night, with the chilly wind blowing in.
Li Weijin felt utterly mortified at having to call Xiao Qi to accompany him to the toilet.
Fortunately, while she waited for him, she kept a good distance away.
Li Weijin felt he just couldn't go in that environment.
Xiao Qi was also helpless, tilting her head up to gaze at the starry sky.
Li Weijin, in the toilet, also looked up at the stars filling the night sky while inhaling the foul odors. For the first time, he realized one could defecate while moongazing, accompanied by the chirping of insects that sounded like they were calling "Si Guo Ya... Si Guo Ya..."
He felt this would be the most unforgettable toilet experience of his life.
"This young man is really handsome."
"Like a movie star."
"Yes, yes, he looks like that Little Li Feidao." An elderly lady at the stone steps near the entrance smiled, revealing her gaping teeth, as she looked at Li Weijin.
Xiao Qi: ...Little Li Feidao was a TV drama from which year? She probably wasn't even born when it aired.
Li Weijin was used to attracting attention and not feeling awkward at all.
He had been good-looking since he was a child, being observed by his classmates, teachers, classmates' parents, and passersby in kindergarten...
But Xiao Qi felt very uncomfortable.
Embarrassed...
She had just gotten used to the atmosphere of the village and felt the village aunts and uncles weren't that intimidating, but now Li Weijin had arrived.
Xiao Qi felt it was difficult to remain composed in the face of everyone's teasing.
"Who is this?"
Su Youfu saw the young man, who looked more handsome than his own daughter, and then looked at his daughter who had just returned from university and seemed to have gained some inexplicable authority, but was now blushing. He felt like his foot had been hit by his own hoe, the pain piercing his heart.
"Dad, he's my college classmate, Li Weijin."
Sheng Juanhua had also come out, mainly because she was quite puzzled. The party secretary, village chief, and a county government official had come to her house, saying they were sending a young man to stay with them for two days as the dormitory lodging was inconvenient.
Sheng Juanhua wanted to say that her home was also inconvenient, but when she looked up and saw the young man at the entrance, she exclaimed, "Oh my! Tsk, tsk, I've never seen such a handsome young man before, he's so good-looking."
It wasn't that Sheng Juanhua was boasting, she could be considered the village belle in their village, and her daughter Xiao Qi had also been a beauty since she was young. But compared to this young man, she had to admit honestly, there was no comparison...
The words "not convenient" just wouldn't come out.
She was relieved when her daughter and the child's father returned.
But then she became worried again.
This young man was actually acquainted with her daughter and had come specifically to see her.
A college classmate, what college classmate would come to set up a signal tower because there was no signal at your home? Those things are so expensive, even the county government leader had come along... Judging from the leader's bow, Sheng Juanhua could sense it must be very costly.
The night before, the villagers had gossiped and boldly imagined with exaggeration that installing a signal tower would cost at least two hundred million yuan. What kind of foolish company would have that much money to spend on such a thing when they could just put it in the bank and live off the interest for life?
And then someone really did come today.
Moreover, it was the college classmate of the lame Su's daughter. With this implication, building this base station was just to ensure the lame Su's daughter had a signal on her phone to stay connected... This was simply too wealthy.
At first glance, it seemed the man was interested in her, having pursued her all the way here. But this young man was so handsome, and so wealthy too, that a sense of regret arose in the crowd.
Some wished they had given birth to daughters, while others who had daughters wished they had taught them well and sent them to university. Look, this university student was indeed different, finding a partner with such excellent conditions.
For Zhang Jian, who had a car gifted to her partner, people openly expressed envy but privately said many unpleasant things about finding a man older than her own father.
But for this young man before them, they not only envied him outwardly but also inwardly envied him immensely.
While Xiao Qi was shocked at how to introduce Xiao Qi to her parents, the mechanical voice in her mind suddenly sounded: "Host has found an outstanding partner, exerting a positive influence on those around her and inspiring them to pursue education, bringing progressive positive energy to society. System level unlocked, upgrading to Level 11 Progressive System. Host will earn 1.1 yuan for every step, capped at 30,000 steps per day."
Xiao Qi: ...
Finding a partner can bring positive energy and social progress?
So the night before, when so many people praised her for being outstanding, they were just paying lip service.
But now, seeing Li Weijin, they were truly praising her, finding a good partner could actually motivate everyone to educate their children?
Xiao Qi could only feel amused and saddened.
She thought she had been diligent and outstanding enough, but in the eyes of the villagers, it seemed marrying well was better than doing well...
Finally, the onlookers observing the commotion were led away by the party secretary, village chief, and county government officials.
Xiao Qi closed the courtyard gate.
The world became a little quieter.
Xiao Qi looked at the lone Xiao Qi and wondered, "Didn't the butler come with you?"
He was supposed to come together, but he strongly refused, feeling that bringing a butler to Xiao Qi's home would make Xiao Qi's parents think he was immature, unreliable, and untrustworthy, among other things...
So he came alone.
Xiao Qi felt it was impossible, not knowing where the butler was hiding in some corner, as this place didn't even have a signal.
It must not be easy.
Sheng Juanhua warmly welcomed the young man, "Perfect timing, you haven't had lunch yet, right? Let's eat together. It's just homemade dishes, but the taste is quite good."
Su Youfu remained silent, feeling somewhat disgruntled, as he looked at this handsome young man.
"Thank you, auntie." Li Weijin washed his hands readily and even came to help serve the rice.
But then he picked up a bowl and couldn't find the rice cooker.
Xiao Qi: ...
"There's no rice cooker, we cook rice in a wooden barrel at home." Xiao Qi explained.
Then she opened the large wooden barrel next to him, with steam rising from it, and the fragrance of rice immediately wafted out.
Li Weijin looked astonished, this rice was actually cooked in a wooden barrel, wouldn't the water leak out?
Seeing Xiao Qi's bewildered expression at unfamiliar things, Xiao Qi couldn't help but laugh. But when she went to Xiao Qi's home, she had similar moments of surprise, so they were even.
Xiao Qi's parents exchanged glances, wondering just how affluent a family this child had come from. He was very polite, but he had never seen rice cooked in a wooden barrel before?
After lunch, Xiao Qi took Li Weijin for a stroll to the village stream in the afternoon.
The scenery there was beautiful, and Xiao Qi liked to go there whenever she felt down.
She also took him to the vegetable field to cut some vegetables.
It was planted by her uncle, who had given her a cigarette and a shirt as gifts the day before. Her uncle was delighted and told them to help themselves to the vegetables from the field.
It was still quite hot in the afternoon. Li Weijin wore a white sportswear set, with a black baseball cap on his head. At around 182 cm tall, plus his thick-soled sports shoes, he was nearly 186 cm.
Xiao Qi wore her old cloth shoes, around 167 cm tall. Since she was accompanying Li Weijin, she didn't wear her morning military uniform but changed into a red padded sportswear top and jeans.
She also wore a straw hat.
Gumula Village was at a high altitude, and the sunlight was still quite intense.
When the villagers saw the university student take her classmate to the vegetable field, they wanted to tease them a little, but the two were too good-looking and too serious, walking through the village roads like they were filming a movie. An old man with his pants rolled up, passing by, didn't even feel comfortable greeting them until Xiao Qi called out, "Hello, uncle."
The old man nodded, feeling flattered, smiling so widely that his uneven, yellow teeth were exposed.
Xiao Qi realized that before, when she greeted the villagers, she always felt a burden and pressure because she couldn't remember the proper titles for their relations. But now she found it didn't really matter, as long as she took the initiative to greet them, even if she got the title wrong, most likely no one would mind. As long as she was polite, it was enough.
Xiao Qi asked Xiao Qi to carry the basket while she held the knife.
They followed the stream from the entrance, passing under an arched bridge. On the other side, they could see a small forest, with a tiny hut underneath.
"Who lives in such a small hut?" Li Weijin asked curiously.
"The Earth God."
As they approached, they saw a rather crude stone sculpture inside, with a stone table in front of it. The table surface was soaked in candle wax, and there was an incense burner on the table with a few sticks of incense burning.
"This is something every village has - a small earth shrine. Whenever there's something going on at home, or during festivals, people come here to pray and worship, seeking blessings for everyone."
Li Weijin had not been exposed to such spirit education since childhood, so he found it quite novel.
Following Xiao Qi's lead, he took out nine incense sticks from inside the shrine. He inserted three sticks into the incense burner in front of the Earth God, bowed in worship, then inserted three sticks on each side of the entrance and bowed again.
After that, they left the earth shrine together.
"Does this really make wishes come true? The Earth God has to fulfill the wishes of the whole village, won't he be too busy? What if someone makes a really difficult wish? Or what if people from outside come to make wishes?" Li Weijin asked curiously.
"It's just a psychological consolation. If wishes do come true, villagers will bring lots of delicious food and set it out in a ritual called 'fulfilling the wish'. After the ritual, they just take the food back home to eat themselves."
As they walked shoulder-to-shoulder on the stone path covered with fallen leaves, they soon found themselves, just like in the Peach Blossom Spring, passing through a dense forest of tall trees. Suddenly, the view opened up ahead, with clouds seemingly at their feet and layer upon layer of terraced fields stretching out densely below.
In winter, with the rice harvested, only weeds remained, creating a desolate scene of black and yellow.
Even though Li Weijin had been to many places and seen many famous scenic spots, he was still struck by the sight before him.
It was hard to imagine that the clouds could be at your feet, floating by one by one.
Due to Gumula Village's high altitude and unique terrain, a stunning landscape was formed.
It seemed no one dared to speak loudly, as if afraid of scaring the clouds away.
By the side of the path was a small stream, its water clear with mud and stones, and some aquatic plants growing along the banks.
Xiao Qi reached into the water and scooped up a handful of mud, then spread it open to reveal three or four tiny shells.
Li Weijin was amazed.
Could shells really be that small? Were they alive? He couldn't believe he could just casually pick them up like that.
"When I was little, we often came to scoop up these tiny shells. We could fill a big bowl in an afternoon, take them home, fry them up and eat them. They're really delicious, and you can also make soup with them - very fresh," Xiao Qi said.
Gumula Village was very poor and remote, but because of that, the environment was well-preserved. Sometimes if you flipped over rocks in the stream, you could even see palm-sized fish.
Li Weijin also reached into the water and scooped up a handful of mud. Sure enough, when he spread it open, there were tiny shells that had been exposing their flesh but quickly retracted when touched by his hand.
It was amazing.
"The water is so cold, are you cold?" Li Weijin rinsed his hand and grabbed Xiao Qi's hand, then continued walking while holding her hand...
Their icy hands soon warmed up from each other's touch.
The further they went, the narrower the path became, as they were entering the vegetable fields without stone paths, just a muddy trail with grasses growing into the middle from both sides.
Suddenly there was a "poof" sound that made Li Weijin jump, gripping Xiao Qi's hand tighter.
Not far away on the side of the path, a colorful wild chicken burst out, flapping its wings frantically as it flew away.
Li Weijin: ...
He felt this was too incredible.
He saw Xiao Qi take out a knife and swing it a few times into the bushes.
"What's wrong?"
"Just checking if it was laying eggs. Sometimes we get lucky and find wild chicken eggs, but there could also be snakes, so I can't reach my hand in."
Hearing the word "snake", Li Weijin's face paled slightly.
Fortunately, there were no snakes or eggs in the bushes, probably just a wild chicken resting there.
After walking a little further, they finally arrived at their destination - Xiao Qi's uncle's vegetable plot, part of which belonged to her family but had been left for her uncle to grow crops on for half a year.
Xiao Qi picked the vegetables while Li Weijin helped by holding the basket.
They cooperated quite well.
Li Weijin felt that this place was so intriguing, it was no wonder there was no phone signal - it was like a paradise hidden from the outside world.
Xiao Qi used to think Gumula Village was just backward and poor, with all sorts of inconveniences. But this time, coming back from university, she also discovered the beauty of her hometown. Returning felt different, very grounded, like a kite finally being pulled back into its box, no longer worrying about the string breaking.
After they finished picking the vegetables, Xiao Qi carried the basket while Li Weijin, not wanting to be completely useless, held two large cabbages in his arms with a delighted expression.
The cabbages were so big, it felt like one could feed him for several days.
When Su Youfu saw his daughter casually carrying a basket full of vegetables, followed by a young man hugging two large cabbages...
He couldn't help but feel the young man seemed a bit weak, hugging those two cabbages with such a nice, almost silly smile...
After dinner, it quickly became dark.
Night in the countryside was truly dark. Even with dim street lamps, they were just tiny specks in the black night.
Then an awkward situation arose - no matter how good-looking, even a young man has to use the toilet eventually.
Li Weijin had been holding it all day. He was staying on the third floor of Xiao Qi's house, but no matter how much he looked around upstairs and downstairs, he couldn't find the bathroom and was too embarrassed to ask.
Finally, as night fell, he could no longer hold it in.
When Li Weijin awkwardly asked Xiao Qi where the bathroom was, she also looked embarrassed.
She grabbed a stick and led him to the outhouse in the backyard... an open-air dry toilet.
There were partitions around it but basically no roof.
"What's the stick for?" he asked, trying to change the subject out of embarrassment.
"In case there are snakes in the grass, you tap it first. But there probably aren't any in winter, it's just a precaution."
Li Weijin: ...
When he saw that the little shed was actually the toilet, he was stunned again.
He had thought it was a storage room. With partitions around but just a thatched roof overhead, it was essentially an open-air toilet. Going inside was even more distressing - it was just two large wooden planks placed over a big barrel?
He was worried he might fall in.
And it was so cold at night, with the chilly wind blowing in.
Li Weijin felt utterly mortified at having to call Xiao Qi to accompany him to the toilet.
Fortunately, while she waited for him, she kept a good distance away.
Li Weijin felt he just couldn't go in that environment.
Xiao Qi was also helpless, tilting her head up to gaze at the starry sky.
Li Weijin, in the toilet, also looked up at the stars filling the night sky while inhaling the foul odors. For the first time, he realized one could defecate while moongazing, accompanied by the chirping of insects that sounded like they were calling "Si Guo Ya... Si Guo Ya..."
He felt this would be the most unforgettable toilet experience of his life.
