funbook-pk Chapter 618: Sunset and Yearning at Qingyufang
Chapter 618: Sunset and Yearning at Qingyufang
The setting sun, like a giant, glowing red gem, slowly sank into the rolling hills to the west. Its final rays, like molten gold, splattered across every inch of Qingyufang, dyeing the sky a dazzling sunset glow. The colors, shifting from crimson and orange to gentle pinks and pale blues, layered and ever-changing, were captivatingly beautiful, yet tinged with a fleeting melancholy.
The tree at the entrance of the village has gone through layers of pink, purple, and light blue, changing unpredictably. It is so beautiful that it is breathtaking, but also carries a hint of fleeting melancholy.
At the entrance of the village, an old locust tree, weathered by countless storms, stood lush and leafy, towering like a canopy. Its vast canopy cast a shimmering, dappled light and shadow in the evening glow. At that moment, beneath the trunk and in its shade, gathered the villagers of Qingyufang. Most of them were elderly, with a few middle-aged people and even a few naive children nestled against the adults. Normally, this place was a place where villagers gathered to relax, chat, and exchange information, filled with the bustling atmosphere of everyday life. But today, the atmosphere was unusually solemn. No one was talking or laughing loudly, and even the children, seemingly sensing the adults' emotions, remained silent.
The villagers sat or stood quietly, their gazes fixed unanimously on the distant horizon, toward the setting sun, and also toward a place etched deep in their memories. An indescribable feeling hung in the air—a faint melancholy, like the evening mist over the mountains, lingering in everyone's heart; mixed with a deep gratitude, as mellow and sweet as old well water, etched in the depths of time. They were lost in reminiscing about the past, a time woven with hardship, hope, and passion, and the protagonists of this time were a group of young women—the Lin Wei team.
After an unknown amount of time, Aunt Liu, who had been silently gazing into the distance, sighed softly and deeply. The sigh was particularly clear in the quiet evening, as if she was expressing all the emotions that had been pent up in her heart for a long time. With her wrinkled and calloused hands, she gently brushed away the non-existent dust on her clothes. Her voice was hoarse with age, but it was also filled with infinite emotion: "Alas... What wonderful girls..."
Her voice was low, but it was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring ripples in the hearts of the villagers. Their thoughts were suddenly drawn back to a few years ago, when Qingyufang was still struggling with poverty and isolation.
Back then, Qingyufang was nothing like it is today. Nestled amidst mountains, the village was inaccessible and the land was barren. Although the village's name contained the word "jade," and legend had it that ancestors had been skilled jade miners, such opportunities were long gone by modern times. For generations, villagers had cultivated a few acres of meager fields. In good years, they could barely scrape by; in times of drought or flood, they had to tighten their belts. Most of the village's houses were dilapidated adobe structures, low and dim, many already crumbling. The roads were bumpy and dusty, leaving them covered in dust on sunny days and mud on rainy days. Most children couldn't afford school and began helping with household chores early. Life was like the muddy river at the village entrance, flowing slowly and heavily, with little light visible.
"Yes," a gray-haired old man nearby—the village's old Party Secretary, Uncle Zhang—took over the conversation, his voice also carrying the vicissitudes of time. "Back then, life in Qingyufang was really tough! We worried about our next meal after eating the previous one, and the house we lived in leaked in the summer and let in the draft in the winter. Young people all wanted to run away, feeling that there was no hope in the village."
"That's right, that's right," another woman chimed in. "My husband always wanted to go out and work. Even if it meant suffering in the mines, it was better than staying at home."
Just when the folks in Qingyufang were about to lose hope in life, they arrived.
It was a spring day. "My husband always wanted to go out to work. Even if it meant suffering in the mines, it was better than staying at home."
Just when the folks in Qingyufang were about to lose hope in life, they arrived.
It was a spring day. The snow in the mountains had just melted, revealing the grayish-yellow earth. The air still carried a chill. A small group of young women, carrying simple bags and singing loud songs, entered Qingyufang. They wore uniforms, simple but clean. Their young faces were full of vigor and vitality, their eyes bright and determined. The leader was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She was tall, with neatly cropped hair and a healthy tan. She spoke crisply and clearly, and her eyes revealed a calmness and competence that belied her age. She was Lin Wei, the captain of the group.
At first, the villagers were unfamiliar with them, even wary. It was rare to see outsiders in the mountain village, let alone such a "special" group of girls. What were they doing there? Were they a work group sent by higher authorities? How long would they stay? What kind of help could they offer? Everyone was unsure.
"I still remember the first time Captain Lin Wei spoke to us," Aunt Liu recalls, her memory as clear as if it happened yesterday. "She stood on the large millstone at the entrance of the village, her voice clear and unfazed. She said, 'Fellow villagers, we are the Lin Wei team. We are here to help you build your hometown and live a better life!'"
At the time, many people were skeptical. Good days? What a distant word! Generations of people had lived like this, so what could a few young girls possibly stir up?
But soon, Lin Wei's team dispelled the villagers' doubts with their actions and gradually warmed everyone's long-frozen hearts.
Instead of living in the village's only relatively well-equipped office, the village party committee, they set up simple tents on a vacant lot near the village. They refused the coarse and fine grains that their fellow villagers scraped together, insisting on living and eating with everyone else and working in the fields together.
"When they first arrived, they really scared us!" Aunt Zhang, the village's famous quick-talker, lowered her voice, thick with reluctance. "Those delicate city girls were no match for the rough farm work we do! Captain Lin Wei took the lead, picking up hoes and going to the fields. The ground had just thawed and was as hard as stone. They got blisters on their hands, but they didn't complain. They pricked them with needles in the tent at night and went back to work the next day!"
"And there's Miss Xiaoyan," an old man added, "the one with the glasses, who looks so gentle, like a student. She's the team's technician, and she brought us new seeds and farming methods. To improve the soil, she took us to the mountains to find humus and to the river to collect sand. She taught us step by step how to compost and plant seeds at the right density. Once, during a heavy rain, she fell into a mud pit while trying to save the seedlings in the experimental field. She was soaked and had a high fever, but she stubbornly held on and refused to rest."
"Miss Xiaoyun is very thoughtful," Aunt Liu said, wiping her eyes. "She saw that many children in the village didn't go to school, so she cleared a space next to the tent, built a simple table with wooden planks, and taught them. She paid for textbooks and pencils herself. My little Shitou, who was only five years old at the time, would chase after Miss Xiaoyun every day, calling out 'Teacher, teacher!'"
The villagers talked one after another, and once the floodgates of memory were opened, those past scenes came flooding back like a tide.
They come not only to work, but also to bring hope and knowledge. Captain Lin Wei not only leads everyone to improve the land and reclaim wasteland, but also keenly discovers the potential advantage of Qingyufang - the mountain.