After leaving the entrance of the residential area, the electric vehicle arrived at the first intersection.
Normally, if I want to go to school, I have to turn left; if I want to go to Wanda Plaza, I just go straight.
Today, since he was going to the fishpond, Song Yunshen made a right turn and headed north, braving the hot summer morning breeze, towards the fishpond.
Xia Jinshu sat sideways in the back seat, her hands resting on Song Yunshen's waist. Occasionally, she would glance at Song Yunshen's face in the rearview mirror, then immediately look away as if nothing had happened, gazing at the scenery rushing past on the street.
"Has Senior Xia ever been to a place like a fishpond before?"
While waiting at a traffic light, Song Yunshen turned his head and asked.
Xia Jinshu paused for a moment, shook her head, and then asked, "Why are you suddenly calling me 'senior' again?"
Although Song Yunshen had called her that before, he usually called her Teacher Xia more often, but in his diary, he almost always called her Mama Xia.
Upon first hearing the term "senior sister, "Xia Jinshu felt a little uncomfortable, even though this should have been Song Yunshen's most common way of addressing her.
"Are we going out to play today? It's not like we're in class, so of course you should call me 'senior sister,' not 'teacher.'" Song Yunshen teased with a chuckle. "Or do you actually prefer me to call you 'teacher'? I don't mind."
"Then let's just call her 'senior sister'." Xia Jinshu thought about how she would be meeting Song Yunshen's grandparents later, and it would be a bit awkward if he immediately called her " Teacher Xia".
"Okay, Teacher Xia," Song Yunshen replied with a grin. "Didn't you say you'd call me 'senior sister'?" Xia Jinshu Shu asked helplessly, "Are you doing this on purpose?"
"You're so smart, senior."
The red light went out, and the green light came on. Song Yunshen twisted the handlebars and set off again.
The hands that had been loosened while waiting at the red light immediately returned to Song Yunshen's waist. After Xia Jinshu sat up, she released one hand and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear.
She felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness as she watched the street scene recede into the distance, her mind drifting back to memories.
When was the last time I went on a day trip like this?
Xia Jinshu couldn't quite remember.
Not to mention going to a fishpond.
She grew up in the city and had rarely been to the countryside; she had only heard of fishponds but had never seen one.
So when they reached the second traffic light, Xia Jinshu unusually took the initiative to ask, "What's your fishpond like?"
"What do you think?" Song Yunshen thought for a moment, "A fishpond, well, as the name suggests, is a place for raising fish."
"I remember there were three ponds inside, with fish in the water, ducks and geese on the surface, and chickens in the sheds next to them. The surrounding land could also grow vegetables and fruits." "When we went to the market, the vegetables my grandfather sold were all picked from his own fields, they were incredibly fresh."
Xia Jinshu listened thoughtfully, her anticipation growing stronger, and then asked, "How far is it? How much longer until we get there?"
"It's not far, only three or four kilometers, it'll only take about ten minutes. We've already walked halfway there."
Xia Jinshu nodded gently, then fell silent.
A few minutes later, Song Yunshen turned from the main road onto a side road. To his right was a vast field, and to his left was a high wall.
After driving about two hundred meters in, Song Yunshen stopped in front of a small silver gate and shouted loudly towards the inside of the wall, "Grandpa and Grandma, I'm here! Open the gate, I'm parking the car!"
"Oh! Coming!" Grandma's voice came from inside.
Song Yunshen continued driving forward, passing the small silver door, and stopped at the large blue door ahead.
A moment later, the blue door was pushed open, and a sprightly old lady came out, waving and smiling at Song Yunshen and the other person.
The next second, before Xia Jinshu could even politely greet them, a yellow figure darted out from behind the door and ran to the electric scooter, barking loudly.
"Ah!" Xia Jinshu exclaimed in surprise, instinctively hugging Song Yunshen's waist tightly, and quickly lifting her two feet that were hanging outside, afraid of being bitten by the Big Yellow below.
"Are you afraid of dogs?" Song Yunshen asked with concern as he rode his electric scooter further in. "N-no, I'm okay." Xia Jinshu, who had somehow gotten close to Song Yunshen's back, stared nervously at the Big Yellow beside them. "It shouldn't bite, right?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, it's just barking, it won't bite," Song Yunshen said with a smile.
Grandma walked over to the Big Yellow, gently kicked it twice to shoo it aside, and then closed the blue door again.
At this moment, Grandpa Zhao Lisong also came out of the house. Seeing the two of them get off the electric scooter, a smile immediately appeared on his face. He went up and greeted them, "Hey, Xiao Shu, you're here."
"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma." Xia Jinshu stood beside Song Yunshen and greeted him softly and politely.
Zhao Lisong waved his hand, then corrected, "You're Shenshen's friend, just call us Grandpa and Grandma."
"Oh..." Xia Jinshu nodded gently, and hearing his words, she had no choice but to change her address, "Hello, Grandpa and Grandma."
At this moment, Song Yunshen had already squatted down, laughing heartily, and grabbed the dog's head, rubbing it a few times before scratching its chin. " Big Yellow, did you miss me?"
"Woof! Woof!" Big Yellow barked twice in Song Yunshen's arms, rubbing against him affectionately.
Song Yunshen turned to Xia Jinshu, who was half-squatting down, and introduced with a smile, " Big Yellow used to be a stray dog in this area."
"After my uncle bought this fishpond, my grandparents moved here. This guy stole their chickens several times, which is why we built this wall around it to enclose the entire fishpond."
"But this guy somehow managed to crawl out through a dog hole; we couldn't stop him." "Later, when we had no other choice, my grandma put leftover food in the fishpond every day for him to eat, and she managed to tame him."
"Later, they stayed at the fishpond and wouldn't leave, and gradually they started raising fish there."
Xia Jinshu found it amusing, so she put her hands on her knees, half-squatted down, and curiously examined the Big Yellow in his arms.
As a result, Big Yellow turned its head and broke free from Song Yunshen's embrace, then went up to Xia Jinshu and sniffed her shoes.
Xia Jinshu was startled again and quickly hid behind Song Yunshen, but Big Yellow insisted on following her and sniffed her shoes a few more times.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Song Yunshen patted her shoulder. "It's recording your scent so it won't bark at you next time it smells it."
"Is that so?" Xia Jinshu relaxed a little after hearing what he said.
Song Yunshen squatted down again, patted the dog's head, and beckoned to Xia Jinshu: "Do you want to pet it?"
Xia Jinshu was somewhat tempted. She carefully squatted down and slowly reached out to place her hand on Big Yellow's head.
Big Yellow obediently lowered its head, letting her stroke it.
"Good dog, good dog." Song Yunshen chuckled and patted Big Yellow's rear end a few times. "You'll get a chicken leg as a reward later."
"Woof woof!" Upon hearing the word "chicken leg," Big Yellow immediately barked happily, circling around Song Yunshen Shen. (Go to Bing search for the latest chapter!)
"Alright, alright, now that you two are here, Shenshen, take her to play by the fishpond. I still have to go hoe the fields." Zhao Lisong picked up the hoe from the wall and said to the two of them, "Your grandma just made chicken soup; have her cook you a nice lunch."
"Okay," Song Yunshen said, "Grandpa, where are you going to hoe the ground? We'll help you."
"How can I help with that? I have a fishing rod over there, you guys can go fishing or something."
"No rush with fishing," Song Yunshen said with a smile, stepping forward to help carry the hoe. "Are you going to the vegetable garden? We can take her along to pick some vegetables so Grandma can cook a few dishes for lunch."
Zhao Lisong glanced at Xia Jinshu, and seeing that she didn't seem to mind, he smiled and nodded, "Alright, alright, you two come with me."
Grandpa walked ahead, Song Yunshen followed behind carrying a hoe, and Xia Jinshu quickly caught up. As they walked on the dirt road between the two fishponds, Big Yellow trotted back and forth between the three of them.
Previously, when entering through the blue gate, all you could see was a courtyard and a small two-story house.
After crossing the house and stepping onto the dirt road, Xia Jinshu looked around curiously and couldn't help but sigh.
At this point, there are fishponds on both the left and right sides, and further ahead, there is another fishpond at the end of the dirt road. The three fishponds form a triangular shape and are roughly the same size.
The upper left corner and upper right corner of the word "pin" are the locations of the chicken coop and the vegetable garden respectively.
A summer breeze rippled across the water. Xia Jinshu could occasionally see large fish darting across the surface, as well as ducks and geese swimming around in the pond.
She had only ever seen such idyllic rural scenery on her phone before; she had never actually seen it in person.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the vegetable garden.
Zhao Lisong led them to a small open space on the east side, and pointed to it with a smile, saying, "I plan to plant some cowpeas here, and then some bok choy and radishes over there. We can harvest them in the fall."
Song Yunshen patted his chest, indicating no problem. The next second, he shoved the hoe into Xia Jinshu's hands. "Then it's yours."
"Huh?" Xia Jinshu was stunned for a moment, looked down at the hoe in her hand, and then looked up at Song Yunshen.
Zhao Lisong, standing to the side, was speechless. "How can you, a grown man, have the nerve to let Xiao Shu hoe the ground? Move aside, let me do it."
"No, Grandpa, don't worry," Song Yunshen said. "It's a rare opportunity to come to the fishpond, so you should definitely experience it. It's not like you're going to let her do everything for you."
"Shall I give it a try?" Xia Jinshu thought it seemed somewhat interesting and asked softly, "How do I do it?"
Let me demonstrate for you.
"Okay." Xia Jinshu handed the hoe back to Song Yunshen.
"So what should you call me now?" Song Yunshen asked with a mischievous grin. Xia Jinshu had known him for a while, so she knew exactly what he meant. She smiled helplessly and could only agree, " Teacher Song, then I'll leave it to you."
Song Yunshen Shen chuckled twice, then immediately picked up a hoe and went to the open space. He hoeed a couple of times with practiced ease, demonstrating to Xia Jinshu, "Look, the soil needs to be loosened to this extent. Come on, try it."
Xia Jinshu took the hoe again, mimicking Song Yunshen's posture, and with a "heave-ho," she shoveled the hoe into the ground, then lifted it up to loosen the soil.
Zhao Lisong crossed his arms and stood aside, clicking his tongue in admiration. The more he looked at Xia Jinshu, the more he liked her, so he took a few steps back so as not to disturb them.
Unfortunately, Xia Jinshu didn't dare to use too much force, and the soil she loosened was only shallow. After the two of them had played for a while, Zhao Lisong put away his hoe and had to loosen the soil again.
Meanwhile, Song Yunshen had already led Xia Jinshu Shu into the vegetable garden and asked her if there was anything she wanted to eat.
"Pick plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, edamame, and water spinach. Take some home with you tonight so your family can try them too."
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Xia Jinshu hesitated for a moment.
"What's wrong with that? If my grandfather only goes to the market sporadically, how long will it take him to make a living?"
Song Yunshen laughed and said, "We usually give them to relatives and friends. They don't make a living from this anyway, so it doesn't matter who we give them to. Even if I didn't say anything, my grandfather would definitely give you a bunch later, so you might as well pick them yourself."
Upon hearing his words, Xia Jinshu immediately stopped being polite and looked around expectantly.
Two cucumbers are fine, Mom likes them. Tomatoes are good too, Ningning likes scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Let's get a few more eggplants; we can make minced meat and eggplant soup at home. Xiao Nuo seems to like it quite a bit.
Stir-fried edamame with pork is also good; it goes well with rice.
There's also okra, amaranth, water spinach...
After thinking it over in her mind, Xia Jinshu and Song Yunshen started picking a basket of vegetables.
Around 10 o'clock, Zhao Lisong, who was standing nearby, had finished loosening the soil and called them to go sow the seeds.
By the time everything was finished, it was almost 11 a. m.
So the three of them and the dog followed the dirt road they had come by, under the blazing sun, sweating profusely, and hurried back into the house.
The moment the air conditioning blew in, Song Yunshen let out a long sigh of relief and plopped down on the sofa, "Ah, I'm alive again."
"Go away, don't just sit there." Zhao Lisong kicked him twice. "I bought some drinks yesterday, they're in the fridge. Get one for Xiao Shu."
Song Yunshen jumped up from the sofa again and led Xia Jinshu to the refrigerator to get a drink.
At this moment, Xia Jinshu whispered to him, "My fingers feel a little itchy, I don't know why." "Oh? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Upon hearing this, Song Yunshen immediately took her to the bathroom, gave her soap, and told her to wash her hands. "It's probably because you got some on your fingers when you were picking okra, just wash them off."
Xia Jinshu did as instructed. After washing, she did feel much better. "I feel like you know a lot of things."
"You're calling me Teacher Song already, how can you be a teacher if you don't know much?" Song Yunshen said with a smile. "The demolition of Tangning Village was probably six or seven years ago."
"I was still in elementary school then, and my uncle contracted this fishpond to my grandparents."
"After that, I would come here every summer and winter vacation. How could I not know a lot about it?"
Xia Jinshu nodded in understanding, feeling a little envious.
At the same age, Song Yunshen could go out and play during holidays, while she could only stay at home obediently, helping with housework and taking care of her two younger sisters. Where would she find the time to relax?
Today was her first time visiting the fishpond and her first time picking vegetables in the garden. Even though the sun was very hot and her back was covered in sweat, she was still very happy.
Song Yunshen just said he would take her fishing this afternoon, to collect goose eggs, and to feed the chickens and ducks. His grandmother said there were also a few cages of rabbits in the chicken coop, which they could go check out later.
There are so many things to do that Xia Jinshu feels like she can't possibly do them all.
After sitting on the sofa in the living room with Song Yunshen for a while, his grandparents started bringing out dishes one after another.
Lunch consisted of four dishes and a soup, freshly prepared. These included chicken soup, blanched okra, water spinach with garlic, stir-fried edamame with pork, and steamed egg with meat patties.
Except for the pork, which was bought from the market, everything else was sourced from the fishpond itself.
Xia Jinshu sat down next to Song Yunshen.
Zhao Lisong greeted the two with a smile, handing them bowls and chopsticks. "We don't have so many formalities here, just sit down and eat. Try a bowl of chicken soup first, it's very delicious."
As soon as Zhao Lisong finished speaking, Song Yunshen had already ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to Xia Jinshu.
Xia Jinshu thanked her quietly and took a small sip.
The chicken soup had a very mild flavor, as if almost no salt had been added, but it tasted exceptionally fresh.
At this moment, Song Yunshen also served himself a bowl of chicken soup, added half a spoonful of soy sauce, took a sip, and let out a contented "ha!"
Seeing Xia Jinshu looking at his chicken soup, Song Yunshen raised an eyebrow. "Want to try some? Add half a spoonful of soy sauce, it's especially delicious."
Xia Jinshu followed his example, added some soy sauce, and took another sip. The taste was indeed better, but it slightly masked the original umami flavor of the chicken soup.
If it were up to her to choose, she'd prefer it the way it was before, but adding soy sauce isn't bad either.
The four of them sat in a circle, eating and chatting. Grandma spoke very little; it was Zhao Lisong who did most of the talking.
Having met at the market before, Xia Jinshu was initially a little reserved, but as they chatted for a while, she gradually relaxed and became more at ease.
After a hearty meal, Song Yunshen was satisfied and leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his stomach.
I just wanted to rest after dinner, but I accidentally fell asleep.
Xia Jinshu, who had just finished eating and gone to the restroom, was stunned to see Song Yunshen fast asleep on the sofa.
Seeing this, Zhao Lisong, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "Let me wake him up. Didn't you two say you were going fishing?"
"No need, no need," Xia Jinshu quickly stopped him, then said softly, "Let him sleep for a while. The midday sun is quite strong anyway. We'll go fishing after he wakes up."
"That's fine. The fishing rods are all in that room, feel free to use them," Zhao Lisong said. "I'll go get back to the fields now."
"Mm." Xia Jinshu nodded and watched Zhao Lisong leave. Then she looked at Song Yunshen on the sofa, then at her grandmother washing dishes in the kitchen, and got up to go into the kitchen.
"Hey, go sit down, no need, no need."
"It's alright, Grandma. Song Yunshen is asleep, and I don't have much to do, just washing the dishes."
"Oh dear, there's no reason to make a guest wash the dishes." "Just think of it as keeping me company for a chat," Xia Jinshu said with a smile. "Grandma, can you tell me about Song Yunshen?"
"Oh, speaking of Shenshen." Upon hearing this, Grandma immediately started chatting with a smile, recounting many embarrassing stories about Song Yunshen from his childhood.
Soon, Xia Jinshu's laughter could be heard from the kitchen from time to time.
After washing the dishes, Xia Jinshu followed her grandmother back to the living room. She saw Song Yunshen on the sofa with his arms slightly curled up. She glanced at the air conditioner in the living room, then asked her grandmother:
"Grandma, do you have any blankets or anything like that? Let's cover him up so he doesn't catch a cold."
"Oh, you're right, I'll go get it for him." Grandma immediately went into the bedroom, brought back a clean blanket, but instead of covering Song Yunshen with it, she handed it to Xia Jinshu Shu. "I'm going to help his grandfather in the fields, you stay here with him for a bit."
"Okay, okay. Grandma, you can go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about us." Xia Jinshu took the blanket and watched her grandmother leave. Then she walked to the sofa and carefully covered Song Yunshen with the blanket.
Seeing Song Yunshen's slightly relaxed eyebrows, Xia Jinshu smiled slightly. Then she looked around to make sure no one was there before slowly squatting down and getting close to Song Yunshen, curiously examining his face.
After falling asleep, it looks quite well-behaved.
Looking at him up close like this, he really does look handsome, especially his eyebrows.
As Xia Jinshu thought this to herself, she inexplicably reached out a finger and gently stroked Song Yunshen's eyebrows.
The next second, she heard Song Yunshen mutter something vaguely. She didn't know what he said.
Xia Jinshu was a little curious, so she tilted her head and leaned in to listen, only to hear Song Yunshen muttering something.
"Mom..."
Xia Jinshu paused for a moment, turned her head, looked at Song Yunshen who was covered with a blanket and sleeping soundly in front of her, her eyes filled with tenderness, and gently stroked his eyebrows.
So, he was missing his mom.