Dusk gently enveloped Falling Flower Village, and the setting sun dyed the blue brick floor in the courtyard a warm orange-red color. The evening breeze carried a faint fragrance of flowers, passed through the wooden windows, and gently stirred the simple but neat tables and chairs in the house.
There are several simple home-cooked dishes on the dining table, including stir-fried wild vegetables, soft stewed mountain mushrooms, and a bowl of fragrant multigrain rice. It is simple, but it is the most stable taste of fireworks for ordinary people.
The little Luo Nian'an picked up the bowls and chopsticks in his hands, his round face slightly bulging, and his big black eyes full of reluctance.
Children are straightforward and pure in nature, unable to hide any thoughts in their hearts, and their grievances and confusions are all written between their immature brows and eyes.
The image of the children laughing and playing at the entrance of the village just now is still lingering in my mind. Their companions were running and playing freely, carrying sweet wild fruits in their pockets, playing carefree.
In contrast, he was detained in a small courtyard every day, faced with boring and obscure books and texts, and read and recited repeatedly day after day. This gap made the little boy feel more and more depressed.
Luo Nian'an put down the wooden chopsticks in his hand, tilted his head slightly and looked at Luo Chuan, who was sitting beside him, with a child's unique softness and coquettishness in his tone, mixed with a hint of grievance.
"Dad, I have to read and read every day. It's really boring."
"At the entrance of the village Da Niu, they can play outside every day, pick fresh fruits from the mountains, and chase birds in the forest. The days look very happy, and I want to go out and play with them."
After a pause in his words, Luo Nian'an lowered his little head and gently rubbed the edge of the wooden bowl with his fingertips. The grudge caused by the gossip of the children in the village just now came to his heart again, and he muttered in a low voice.
"There are also many people in the village talking privately, saying that I am not my father's biological child. Every time I hear these words, I feel particularly uncomfortable."
Luo Chuan Hearing this, his originally gentle and indifferent eyes moved slightly, and he raised his eyes to look at the uneasy little child in front of him.
After two months of caring for each other day and night, the abandoned baby that was huddled in the mountains, as guarded and fierce as a little beast, has long since lost its wild and rough nature.
Under the stable and warm care, he grew into a child with handsome features and good manners.
Luo Chuan is sitting upright on a wooden bench, wearing a simple and elegant cloth that is warm and clean. There is no trace of the majestic momentum that once dominated the heavens, only the gentleness and calmness of an ordinary person.
Luo Chuan slowly stretched out his generous palm and gently landed on Luo Nian'an's soft head. The temperature in the palm was gentle and steady, soothing the restless emotions in the child's heart.
A low and gentle voice sounded slowly, with a firm tone without any hesitation. "Don't take the casual gossip of others to heart. In my heart, from the moment I brought you back to this small courtyard, you will always be my biological son. This friendship will never change just because of a few words from others."
A simple sentence, but it has the power to make people feel at ease.
Luo Nian'an raised his childish little face, his dark eyes instantly lit up, and most of the grievances that had been lingering in his heart dissipated.
But when I think about the children in the village who often tease me about my life experience, I still feel a little anger in my heart, my little fists subconsciously clenched slightly, and the boy's spirit is somewhat stubborn and refuses to admit defeat.
"But they always say this over and over again. If someone talks and slanders like this again in the future, I will definitely teach them a lesson and prevent them from talking nonsense again."
Seeing the stubbornness flashing through the child's eyes, Luo Chuan shook his head gently and patted the boy's shoulder with his fingertips, his expression calm and indifferent.
He did not reprimand the children for their childish thoughts, but only comforted them softly, "Gossip is like the breeze in the mountains. It will dissipate after hearing it. There is no need to get angry and argue about it. Words that hurt others are shallow after all. Don't ruin your character and tolerance because of unnecessary trivial matters."
Luo Nian'an nodded in understanding. The child had a simple mind and could not understand such a profound truth. He just remembered his father's firm words and knew that he would always have stable support.
Luo Chuan retracted his palm, his eyes fell on the unfinished food on the table, his tone slowed down, and he spoke with the gentleness of daily advice.
"Eat the food slowly while it's hot. As the night gets darker, go back to the house early to rest and recuperate. When you get up tomorrow morning, you still have to read and practice calligraphy quietly. Don't be lazy."
"Yeah, I remember, kid." Luo Nian'an responded obediently, calmed down the chaotic thoughts in his heart, picked up the wooden chopsticks and lowered his head to eat seriously.
The evening breeze in the courtyard was quiet, and the fallen flowers were falling. The father and son ate in silence, without saying much, and their ordinary interactions were filled with the warmth and stability of ordinary people.
The food was simple and light, but I felt at ease while eating it. The boredom and restlessness during the day slowly settled in this stable company.
After the dinner ended peacefully, Luo Nian'an packed up the dishes and placed them neatly according to the rules he had learned in daily life. Then he bowed slightly to Luo Chuan and returned to his hut quietly.
The little figure was lying on the hard wooden bed. While the boring daily life of reading and practicing calligraphy was echoing in his mind, he couldn't help but think of the incomparably mysterious immortal legends told by the children in the village. In his little heart, a seed of yearning to cultivate immortality was quietly planted.
The night is getting darker, the stars slowly climb into the night sky, and the bright moonlight shines through the window lattice into the house, casting a clear glow all over the place.
Falling Flower Village gradually fell into silence, with only the soft rustling of leaves blown by the wind and the soft sound of gurgling water lingering in the quiet mountain village.
A night of peace and dreamlessness, and years of peace and stability.
The morning dawned the next day, and the eastern sky broke through a faint fish belly white. The hazy morning mist was like a veil, covering the entire Falling Flower Village.
The grass and trees in the mountains are covered with crystal clear morning dew, and the crisp and melodious chirping of birds comes one after another, breaking the silence of the night, and a new day comes quietly.
The sky gradually became brighter, and the children in the village broke free early, ran out of their homes one after another, and gathered in the open grain drying field in the center of the village. They gathered together in twos and threes, laughing and playing, and the laughter resounded throughout the village.
Luo Nian'an didn't immediately sit down at his desk to study this morning. Taking advantage of his free time in the morning, he walked briskly to the place where children gathered.
All the friends who used to play together were here, and a group of children of similar age gathered around, chattering away.
The most popular topic among children is the mythical fairy tales circulating in mountain villages.
In the center of the crowd stood Da Hu, who was a little taller. He was the child of the Wang Clan, a farmer in the village, and he had a cheerful and outgoing temperament.
He is usually very popular among the children. At this moment, he is holding his chest up and raising his head with a high-spirited look on his face. He is loudly telling his lofty ambitions to his friends around him.