vstars Chapter 365 The older brother of Sizi's friend is actually Zi'an
Chapter 365 The older brother of Sizi's friend is actually Zi'an
"Slow Sun Freezes"—these three words, like icicles falling to the ground, pierced the remaining warmth on Old Du's face, freezing that deeply furrowed smile on the edge of his memory, chilled by the biting north wind.
The old man's eyes suddenly went unfocused, and for a moment his soul was dragged by invisible chains, sinking back into that terrifying night when the wind and snow roared like wild beasts and the frozen earth cracked like ghosts wailing.
In his ears, he vaguely heard the chilling groan of ginseng whiskers slowly snapping in the extreme cold. His hand, rough as the skin of a century-old ginseng root, marked by the marks of time, clenched so tightly that the knuckles bulged and the veins coiled like dragons, silently resisting the past chill that seeped into his heart.
Sizi secretly glanced at her grandfather's profile, which suddenly became as tense as a bowstring, and her heart skipped a beat.
She remembered her grandfather often saying that tending to ginseng in the forest was like gambling with one's life and fortune against the mountain god!
After thirty years of hard work, among the hundreds of ginseng farmers, only a very few can smile with pride, holding a golden bowl in their hands.
So much wealth has been used to fill this bottomless pit, or even... cost lives! This ginseng must endure eighty-one tribulations, and the "slow yang freeze" is the most ferocious and vicious of them all, capable of devouring bones and blood, leaving one helpless and unable to cry out to heaven or earth!
The little girl subconsciously reached into her bosom and touched the warm, ancient jade she had hidden close to her body—the only remnant of the ancient Tang Dynasty. At this moment, she seemed to sense a chilling coldness, and a gentle warmth quietly spread out.
The grandfather and grandson walked silently through the low-rise houses on the outskirts of the city, and finally stopped in front of a small courtyard that was particularly neat and full of life.
The glass windows of the three blue-tiled houses are so clear that they can reflect the shadows of drifting clouds.
In the small vegetable garden, the rows and ridges are clearly defined, and the vegetables are lush and green, glistening with water droplets, so fresh that you could almost squeeze water out of them.
A few morning glory stalks playfully twine around the cucumber trellis. Their small trumpet-shaped flowers with blue blossoms and pink stamens hold aloft translucent crystals formed from morning dew, shimmering with delicate iridescent colors in the soft morning light, like stardust fallen to earth.
"What a good family, they know how to plan ahead." Old Du uttered a low, approving sound, and the frost that had settled in his eyes for years melted away with the vibrant life force.
Just as the two were about to push open the courtyard gate, painted with thick indigo lacquer and exuding the rustic charm of Northeast China, the hinges creaked and groaned first—it was the old wood's sigh.
A tall, slender, handsome young man stepped out with his head down. When he looked up and saw the visitor outside, he was struck dumb, his feet digging into the ground, and the color drained from his face in an instant.
"Master...Master? How...how did you find your way here?" Zi'an's voice was dry and tight, filled with disbelief, panic, and helplessness.
Sizi stared intently, and her pink lips instantly formed a round "O" in surprise—ah! It was none other than the ginseng picker, Zi'an, who had caused trouble yesterday and was scolded by his grandfather as "half-baked"!
Zi'an looked ashamed, his back involuntarily hunching over, his voice filled with humble pleading: "Old master, that ginseng... it was my clumsy work that damaged the roots, I admit it! I'll compensate you even if it means going bankrupt! I only ask that you... allow me some time to make ends meet? I... I'll pay you back in installments... slowly?" He clearly regarded the grandfather and grandson's visit as a debt collection trip, his eyes filled with panic like a startled deer.
At that very moment, the spirit of the rhinoceros suddenly became clear, as if a candle wick had been lit in a dark room!
She suddenly remembered that during her last visit to her friend Zhi Xiaoye's house, although she didn't see any of her family members, she had glimpsed a family photo hanging on the wall! The handsome boy standing next to Zhi Xiaoye in the photo... his features overlapped with the person in front of her!
"Oh! You...you are Ono's older brother? You must be! No wonder you looked familiar at first glance. Ono's eyebrows and eyes are exactly like yours!" The little girl suddenly realized, and her clear, childlike voice instantly dispelled the stagnant air.
"Pfft!" Seeing Zi'an's tense expression, as if he wanted to shrink into a crack in the ground, Si Zi couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter was like the tinkling of silver bells, clear and melodious.
Ignoring the stunned Zi'an, she tiptoed and called out towards the house in a cute, childlike voice, yet with a touch of the charming naiveté unique to noble ladies of Chang'an: "Xiao Ye! Xiao Ye! Come out and see! Look what rare treasure I brought you! I guarantee you'll be delighted!"
"Bang!" The door swung open, and a lively and clever little boy shot out like an arrow. His round eyes shone with surprise, curving into two clear crescent moons. He rushed to Sizi in a few quick steps and grabbed his friend's slightly cool little hand.
"Ono, what happened to your hand?" Jiko's eyes flashed like lightning as her small hand touched the coarse cloth strips wrapped around Ono's fingers.
"I ground it from ginseng seeds!" Zhi Xiaoye proudly showed off her injured fingers, her little face beaming with pride.
“Sizi, I’ve saved up three hundred coins! That’s enough to exchange for a lot of books!” Then, as if deflated, he said listlessly, “But today, the ginseng shop owners are all busy preparing for the Ginseng Festival, and there’s no work to assign.” Only then did he notice the object carefully wrapped in damp moss and oil paper in Sizi’s arms.
The ox proudly held up the brocade pouch wrapped in moss, and deliberately shook it. Several plump, round ginseng seeds, as bright as blood-red coral beads, playfully peeked out from the pouch, their luster as warm and alluring as agate in the morning light.
Zhi Xiaoye's eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth gaped open in astonishment: "Wow—! Linxia Shen! Sizi! You...you really found him for me? Your parents...your parents will allow it?"
“Of course I grant your request! Didn’t you also give me that…that ‘jade palace made of building blocks’ before?” Sizi tried hard to recall the name of that strange toy, puffing out her chest even more, her little face saying, “This princess always keeps her word!”
Zi'an watched in stunned silence, his lips moving several times, a lump seemingly stuck in his throat. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a hoarse voice: "Master...this...this..."
Just then, a pretty woman (Ono's mother), dressed simply but meticulously, exuding the capable and efficient air typical of Northeastern women, stood inside the door, looking at Zi'an with a puzzled expression: "Zi'an, didn't you say you were going to the market to find your old friend Shen Shang from the south? Now that you have such an important guest, why don't you quickly welcome him in and serve him tea?"
It turned out that Zi'an, who had just given birth, returned home last night, but his heart felt as if it were weighed down by a massive ice rock, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The lingering image of that damaged old ginseng lingered in my mind.
The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt towards his former employer. Before dawn, he hurriedly got up and contacted several old friends who were ginseng merchants who had come all the way from the south to attend the ginseng fair. He wanted to lead them to the market to buy Du's wild ginseng, even if it cost more money, it would be a small way to atone for his mistake...
“My friends are all in the bulk business, and they only recognize the prestigious Changbai Mountain ginseng brand! As long as the quality is authentic, the price… is no object!” Zi’an rubbed his hands together, his words urgent and earnest, his eyes burning with a desire to make amends.
Du Laozhao's gaze swept over the sincere and anxious face of Shengzi Zian, and then fell back on the two little children beside him, their hands clasped tightly and their smiles as bright as the rising sun—Sizi was winking triumphantly at Zhi Xiaoye with his star-filled eyes.
The old man's throat bobbed slightly, but before he could speak, Zhi Xiaoye had already clutched the precious ginseng pouch tightly to his chest. He looked up, his eyes burning with barely suppressed fervor and hope, and called out to Zi'an, "Brother! Let's go and bring Grandpa home! Sizi wants to come too, so she can present this ginseng to Grandpa herself!" His childish voice trembled slightly with excitement, filled with deep affection.
Zi'an gazed into her younger brother Zhi Xiaoye's bright, burning eyes, which were filled with hope for their grandfather's recovery from his chronic illness and boundless joy at the unexpected and generous gift before them.
A surge of warmth rushed to his heart, and he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He nodded heavily, as if a mountain had been lifted from his back, and strode into the courtyard, starting the engine of the covered tricycle, the "backward donkey."
"That's great!" Si Zi cheered excitedly, his joy as exuberant as a fledgling phoenix trying its wings for the first time.
She pulled Ono along, and they nimbly climbed into the makeshift truck bed.
After settling down, she turned around and stretched out her small, jade-like hand, calling out to Grandpa Du in a clear voice, "Grandpa! Hurry up and get on! Riding this 'iron horse,' you can travel a thousand miles in an instant!" She regarded this modern machine as the magnificent steed that once roamed the streets of Chang'an.
Looking at his granddaughter's excited, flushed cheeks, a warm, wistful smile finally bloomed on Old Du's weathered face.
"You naughty girl!" he scolded with a laugh, but his movements were as agile as ever as before, and he nimbly flipped into the room.
Perhaps, deep down, this old ginseng master, who had spent his life trekking through the harsh winds and frosts of Changbai Mountain, truly longed to witness it with his own eyes.
Witness the fate of this ginseng, a gift from a quirky and blessed time-traveling granddaughter, a plant embodying the pure affection of three innocent hearts and intertwined with the joys and sorrows of another family, and whose ultimate fate will it fall into.
I long for it to be like a dusty key, clicking to unlock the ancient secrets buried beneath the dust of time, inextricably linked to the vast white mountains and black waters.
The little tricycle roared and sputtered, puffing out wisps of blue smoke. It carried a heavy load of emotions, a sincere gift, a belated redemption, and three figures with different thoughts but equally excited hearts (Sizi and Zhixiao huddled together whispering like nightingales, while Zian silently gazed at the misty road ahead), heading towards the unknown distance gently enveloped by the morning mist and ancient legends.
The wheels rolled over the wet, gravelly path, splashing water that, in the dim light of dawn, shattered into fleeting moments of time...