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Qinglan pouted, lifting her face to look at Bai Cuifen, her eyes blinking but not saying a word.
"What's wrong?" Bai Cuifen smiled again, looking steadily into Qinglan's eyes and asked, "Did you have another quarrel with Brother Shaojie?" A teasing smile spread across Bai Cuifen's face.
Since Qinglan was little, whenever she saw Qinglan, Bai Cuifen would habitually ask this question. Although everyone knew that the situation between her and An Shaojie was not as simple as just a quarrel, the time they had spent in this awkward state was quite long.
But in Bai Cuifen's eyes, their relationship would always be seen as just childish bickering. She consistently used the term "quarreled" to describe the state between her and An Shaojie.
It was fine not to mention An Shaojie, but once he was brought up, all sorts of grievances surged to her heart. Pouting and looking up at Bai Cuifen's smiling face, her expression slowly transformed from one of innocence to one of wanting to cry, with tears of grievance welling up in her eyes.
"Oh dear, what's wrong? Look how upset our Lanlan is."
Bai Cuifen said as she placed the wooden basin on the ground and pulled out a handkerchief from her cotton jacket to wipe Qinglan's tears.
"Mother." Shaw Min walked out from the house with a gentle smile.
Since returning home from Shenzhen, Shaw Min had already changed back into the attire of a Tujia girl, with a thick braid hanging down in front of her chest. She was dressed as she used to when studying in Liu Family Village, but now she exuded more maturity and calmness. Although still in traditional clothing that carried a rustic charm, there was an air of sophistication and elegance that came from having spent time in a bustling city.
Her outfit this time was even more graceful compared to the simple dress she wore on her last visit.
"Sister Shaomin!" Qinglan raised her eyes and saw her first, leaping out of Bai Cuifen's arms and bouncing in front of An Shaomin.
Just right, Shaw Min had been home for a few days without going out, and Bai Cuifen was hoping she could get some fresh air.
As for Qinglan! It was clear she wanted to play with Shaw Min and was eager to find out news about An Shaojie.
Seeing that Shaw Min had come out, Bai Cuifen quickly picked up the wooden basin from the ground and said, "Lanlan, your Sister Shaomin has been home for a few days without going out. She’s been worried about having no one to play with. You two can chat and have fun together."
With that, Bai Cuifen turned and went back into the house, leaving the remaining time for the two young and beautiful girls.
Shaw Min walked hand in hand with Qinglan along the small path leading to the fields in front of the village.
“Lanlan,” Shaw Min finally spoke after walking in silence for a long time, “Is there still no progress between you and An Shaojie?”
“Mm.” Qinglan nodded, her voice very soft.
“Feeling discouraged?” Shaw Min continued to ask.
“No.” Qinglan shook her head, her voice still light, like the wind blowing from the mountains, almost drifting away. It was evident that even though Qinglan was not discouraged, she clearly lacked the confidence she once had.
“Have you thought about giving up?” Shaw Min asked next.
Qinglan bit her lip, hesitating.
The fields were desolate, and the distant mountains were serene.
Qinglan's mind flashed with the tall and handsome figure of Xu Wen.
During school, she had almost been by his side every day. For a long time, her mind was filled with his presence, leaving her little time or space to think of An Shaojie.
But once she returned home, far from the hustle and bustle of Beijing and back to a place deeply etched in her childhood memories, surrounded by the tranquility of the countryside, Qinglan's memories and thoughts suddenly quieted down, standing still like the distant mountains that seemed to have stood for a thousand years.
In these past few days, she had not thought of Xu Wen even once; her mind was almost entirely occupied with An Shaojie.
Memories from childhood and adolescence sometimes surged like a flood and at other times lingered like a gentle drizzle that wrapped around her thoughts endlessly.
For instance, at this moment, standing amidst familiar yet strange fields, Qinglan felt as if she were still a child. The dark mountains in the distance and the barren fields nearby seemed to tell her that she had never left Liu Family Village even for a moment. The county town, Beijing, and university felt like dreams; all she had were memories belonging to Liu Family Village.
However, looking at the scenery around her—the grass and trees—Qinglan felt they were so unfamiliar, no longer resembling their former selves. Although there had not been earth-shattering changes, many details had changed little by little, erasing what was once familiar beyond recognition.
Shaw Min turned her face to look at Qinglan, who was still waiting for her response.
"Sister Shaomin, look!" Qinglan seemed in no hurry to answer Shaw Min's question, suddenly pointing to a distant spot.
"Hmm?" Shaw Min followed Qinglan's finger, looking at her with a puzzled expression. She didn't see anything worth looking at.
"That hillside used to be filled with Mulberry Trees, remember, Sister Shaomin?" Qinglan's gentle voice floated in the wind.
After saying this, Qinglan withdrew her gaze from the distance and focused on Shaw Min's face.
Shaw Min nodded and said, "Yes, we often played in the mulberry grove when we were kids, especially in April and May. We would run there every day to steal mulberries."
Shaw Min smiled slightly at Qinglan.
"Yes," Qinglan replied with a nod. "But now there are only a few Mulberry Trees left. The remaining ones, as you can see, aren't doing well because no one pays attention to them or takes care of them. More importantly, there are no children like us anymore who look forward to them every year, hoping they grow well and bear fruit. Without the laughter of children, they can't thrive and have slowly withered away."
"Mm-hmm." Shaw Min nodded in agreement.
"Actually, no one specifically took care of them back then either, but they grew lush because we kids often visited them. Even before spring arrived, we would come here every day hoping they would bear fruit soon."
"That's right!" Shaw Min sighed and continued Qinglan's thought. "When we were young, we hardly had any snacks. We always ran up these hills or sometimes ventured into the mountains looking for wild fruits to eat. Those were happy and beautiful times." Shaw Min reined in her habitual light smile, her expression becoming slightly serious as she said earnestly, "Good times never come back again."
Qinglan did not continue on Shaw Min's topic but pointed in another direction and said softly, "When we were kids, there was a row of peach trees over there. Do you remember? One time, you, me, Brother Shaojie, Lin Xi, and a few other friends from the village were picking straw roots for firewood on that hillside. Everyone had a basket. One of our companions who always liked to bully me had some big stones secretly placed in his basket by Brother Shaojie."
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