Xiaoyi Town was also located along Hengzhou’s outskirts, but it was farther away than Fucheng. Even by tractor, the trip took a full hour.
The tractor chugged along the rural road, which was still unpaved, drawing curious glances from passersby and villagers working in the fields. When they noticed that seated on the tractor was a young man and woman with fair skin and striking looks, their gazes lingered even longer.
Everyone around had yellow or dark skin. It was rare to see people at this fair, no wonder they looked so good.
Amid looks of envy and admiration, the three arrived at the center of Xiaoyi Town.
Today was market day in Xiaoyi. It was still early, just past ten o’clock, and there weren’t many people at the market yet, only a few scattered vendors setting up their stalls.
The tractor stopped at the crossroads in the town center. Zhou Jiajing said calmly, “I need to go to the villages down below for interviews. I won’t be back until four in the afternoon.”
Jiang Lianyue quickly replied, “Then I’ll wait for you here at four.”
Xu Jiajing nodded coolly.
“I’ll get off here,” Jiang Lianyue said with a smile to Xiao Tan, then jumped down from the tractor.
The tractor left Xiaoyi Town and continued on its way.
With the faint fragrance and distracting presence beside him gone, Zhou Jiajing wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or something else entirely. Gradually, his body relaxed.
Before long, he felt thirsty. He reached out to the side, but didn’t find the green military canteen. He turned his head to look, still nothing.
“Xiao Tan, did you see a green canteen?” Zhou Jiajing asked.
“I did!” Xiao Tan nodded. “My sister-in-law took it with her. Don’t worry.”
Zhou Jiajing: “……”
Wasn’t that water prepared for him?
After thinking for a moment at the crossroads, Jiang Lianyue headed straight for the pork stall.
Pork vendors usually set up in the same spot year after year. News from different villages and towns passed through them constantly, if anyone knew local gossip, it was the pork seller.
Yesterday, the woman selling tangyuan had only mentioned that it was in a village next to Nahuan Village. Jiang Lianyue still needed to find the exact location.
The pork butcher was chopping meat when he saw a particularly fair-skinned young woman walking over. He immediately greeted her with a smile. “Pretty girl, buying pork?”
Jiang Lianyue looked at the cuts on the wooden board, white fat, red lean meat, all very fresh, and asked, “How much per jin?”
“Five mao per jin.”
“That’s not expensive,” Jiang Lianyue said. “But I wasn’t planning to buy meat today. I didn’t bring meat coupons.”
The pork seller, a middle-aged man, glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he lowered his voice. “I can sell to you without coupons.”
Controls weren’t as strict as before. Selling secretly without coupons once in a while usually didn’t cause trouble.
Jiang Lianyue had only intended to use that as an excuse to decline, but now she hesitated.
She had just gone out, carrying pork around all day would be inconvenient.
After a moment’s thought, she said, “I’m here on business today and won’t head back until the afternoon. I’ll come get it then.”
She still had some money on her; buying pork for a meal was manageable.
The butcher grinned. “Alright, I’ll save you a good piece.”
Everyone is poor these days. A whole pig sometimes wouldn’t sell out in a day. Having someone reserve meat right after opening, especially a pretty young woman, made him very happy.
Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Lianyue asked, “Brother, I heard people around here are growing jasmine flowers. Do you know where?”
“I do,” the butcher replied readily. “In Nahuan Village. They say flowers can be sold for money. Everyone’s talking about it, never heard of flowers making money before.”
Skepticism crossed his face as he continued, “They say the tea factory leadership told them to plant it and will come collect it later. Who knows if it’ll make more money than sugarcane?”
Lingnan had long been a sugar-producing region. Many villages and towns in Hengzhou County grew sugarcane, it was one of the county’s main sources of revenue. Xiaoyi Town planted quite a bit too; Jiang Lianyue had even seen people cutting cane by the roadside on her way in.
But she remembered even more clearly that later on, all those sugarcane fields would turn into jasmine plantations. When the jasmine bloomed, the area would become a well-known tourist attraction in Hengzhou County.
Thinking of the fragrance drifting over tens of thousands of jasmine fields, Jiang Lianyue’s lips curved slightly. “It should. If the tea factory is buying, there won’t be any problem with sales.”
The butcher laughed. “If it really makes money, more people will start planting it.”
Of course, Jiang Lianyue thought so. In another ten-plus years, it’ll be everywhere.
“Brother, do you know how to get to Nahuan Village? I’d like to go take a look at how jasmine is grown.”
The butcher raised his hand and pointed ahead. “Follow the main road. After you pass Liulan Reservoir, turn right and that’s Nahuan Village.”
Jiang Lianyue thanked him, agreed to come back for the pork in the afternoon, and headed off in the direction he’d indicated.
The sun was fierce, and there were few trees along the roadside to block the light. After walking for ten minutes, Jiang Lianyue was already drenched in sweat.
She fanned herself with one hand as she walked, grateful she’d worn a straw hat today. Otherwise, she might have lost a layer of skin to the sun before getting there.
After about twenty minutes, the view suddenly opened up. Damp, cool air rushed toward her, and she had reached Liulan Reservoir.
She raised a hand to shade her eyes and looked out. The reservoir was quite large; she couldn’t see the end at all.
A breeze blew across the water, carrying away much of the heat. Jiang Lianyue turned toward the reservoir and stood there quietly, enjoying the wind.
Only after the sweat on her body had dried did she continue on.
Once past the reservoir, tall trees suddenly lined both sides of the road, and walking no longer meant being scorched by the sun.
Her earlier irritation from the heat had already eased after cooling off in the breeze. Now, in the shade, her mood improved even more, and she couldn’t help softly humming a tune.
She walked on for quite a while, but still hadn’t seen the right-hand turn the butcher had mentioned. Jiang Lianyue began to wonder if she’d gone the wrong way, otherwise, why hadn’t she reached Nahuan Village yet when he said it was nearby?
Just then, a bullock cart came toward her. Several people were sitting on it, most dressed neatly, looking like they were heading to the market.
As the cart drew closer, Jiang Lianyue smiled and greeted them. “Uncles and aunties, brothers and sisters, excuse me, is Nahuan Village reached from here?”
The middle-aged man driving the ox smiled. “Yes. Keep following the reservoir for another three kilometers. When you see a fork, turn right and keep going, you’ll get there.”
Jiang Lianyue smiled and thanked them, then continued on her way.
As long as she hadn’t gone wrong, it was fine. She had plenty of time and could walk slowly.
As she walked, she noticed the surroundings growing quieter. She lifted her head alertly to observe the area. Perhaps because the trees were becoming denser, she could no longer see farmers working in distant fields. The only sounds were birdsong, insects, and the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind.
Her heart slowly tightened. People in this era might be more simple and honest, but there have always been bad people, no matter the time.
With that thought, she quickened her pace.
After passing the fork, the closer she got to Nahuan Village, the thicker the trees became. Jiang Lianyue quietly picked up a stick from the roadside and walked on, ears pricked, alert to every sound around her.
Just then, a bicycle approached from a distance. Jiang Lianyue tightened her grip on the stick.
“Pretty girl, where are you headed?”
“We can give you a ride!”
The bicycle stopped beside her. The young man in front wore flared pants. He propped one foot on the ground and grinned shamelessly at her. The man sitting on the back wore a polyester floral shirt, unbuttoned down to his chest, and had the same leering smile.
Jiang Lianyue frowned.
So this is it, she thought. Running into hooligans.
When she didn’t respond, the two grew bolder.
The man in flared pants patted the bike’s front bar. “Come on, sit here. Big brother will take you.”
The man in the floral shirt laughed along in a lewd manner.
Without changing expression, Jiang Lianyue glanced ahead. All she saw was the yellow dirt road, tall trees on both sides, and dense shrubs underneath. The trees were towering, the undergrowth thick, it looked gloomy, even ominous.
Her eyes flickered, and she smiled. “Granny, are you going to the market too?”
The two punks froze, exchanged glances, then looked around. Confusion spread across their faces.
The man in the floral shirt asked suspiciously, “Are you joking? Besides us, there’s no one else here.”
Jiang Lianyue tilted her delicate chin slightly. “Such a big person standing right behind you, and you can’t see her?”
She looked past them and called out loudly, “Granny, why are you alone? They have a bike, tell them to give you a ride!”
The two hooligans scanned the area again. Still no one. They looked at each other, fear clearly visible in each other’s eyes.
“You… you see her?” the man in flared pants asked, forcing calm. “Then tell us, what does she look like?”
Jiang Lianyue widened her eyes, her expression exaggerated with surprise.
“You really don’t see her? She looks just like any ordinary old lady, white hair, lots of wrinkles on her face…”
“That’s Granny Mo!” the man in flared pants screamed before she could finish. “That’s exactly what Granny Mo looks like!”
The man in the floral shirt immediately clutched the back seat and urged, “Go, go, go! Hurry!”
The man in flared pants kicked hard, and the two fled as if for their lives.
Jiang Lianyue raised her brows, shrugged, and sneered.
Aren’t all old people supposed to look like that?
With guts this small, how do you expect to be a bad guy?
Seeing them disappear into the distance, she turned and continued on her way.
She’d been lucky this time, running into two cowards. If it had been someone truly reckless, that would’ve been dangerous. Better to reach somewhere with people as soon as possible.
After walking a bit farther, she could already see the fork in the distance. Jiang Lianyue finally let out a breath of relief. Once past Liulan Reservoir, the trees by the road should thin out.
Just then, she suddenly heard an unusual sound coming from the woods beside the road. She stopped short, narrowing her eyes and focusing on where the noise came from.
No one was around. If someone suddenly attacked her from the trees, then,
Unpleasant images flashed through her mind, and she clenched the stick in her hand.
Rustle—
The sound of fabric brushing against bushes rang out, and a white figure appeared among the trees.
When Jiang Lianyue saw the person’s face, the tension in her shoulders instantly eased.