However, repairing the road of the village was not as easy as it sounded. The mountain and river in the village were all troublesome issues. Of course, the whole village could just move out, but it was not a realistic way as this was the villagers’ root. The youngsters certainly intended to move out, but nonetheless, the elderly never wanted to leave. Even when they passed away, they wanted to be buried here.
Thus, the road in the village had yet to be repaired until now as the technologies involved were too high and they had insufficient funds. As a result, the villagers still lived in the valley of this mountain, completely isolated from the rest of the world. They had been living this way for generations and gotten used to such a manner of living.
Despite the poor condition and being lagging far behind, this place was quiet and free from all the squabbles outside. The villagers were able to supply their own needs, which was not really a difficult life for them. At the very least, the days spent there were peaceful and quiet, like in heaven. This was a great place as long as one was content with his lot.
However, the human heart was never easily contented or satisfied.
Yan Huan returned to the house, put her hand near the fire pit and felt the temperature of the fire. It was very warm inside, so she took off her clothes and tugged herself in her blanket. She had not been feeling cold ever since she came here. Regardless of how she was during the day, at least she was able to get good sleep or even sweet dreams at night. In spite of that, she rarely dreamt about Lu Yi or the kids.
As a matter of fact, it was better for her not to dream about them since she would feel sad and terrible if she did have such a dream.
She put her hands in front of her chest, clenching tightly into a fist.
Wait for me, I’ll return. I’ll come home, I’ll come home for sure.
The closer it got to the Spring Festival, the merrier the atmosphere in the village. Everyone was thinking of what to buy for the purpose of the Spring Festival. Notwithstanding the poor condition in the village, they still bought whatever was necessary for the celebration.
Yan Huan’s hair salon did quite well recently as it was near the end of the year. Everyone wanted to clean up a little by getting a haircut before the Spring Festival. Yan Huan was quite good at cutting hair. The villagers felt a few years younger and looked more energetic after getting a haircut from her. This eventually resulted in more and more people looking for Yan Huan to get their hair done. According to the villagers, they would have to wait until the second day of February in the Lunar Year to have their hair cut again. Therefore, everyone would usually just get their hair cut before the Spring Festival.
By taking five eggs from one person and another five from another person, Yan Huan had collected a lot of eggs within a short period. Yan Huan received five eggs in return for a haircut, it applied to both adults and children. Giving five eggs for a haircut was not a lot for the villagers as every family herded dozens of hens. Normally, they would just keep the eggs as they could not finish it. This was why they were very generous in paying Yan Huan with the eggs, and of course, nobody asked for deferred payment.
Yan Huan had earned a whole lot of eggs, so she wanted to sell these eggs in the town and buy a phone.
“You want to go?” Changsheng scratched his head, “Why do you want to go?’
“Can’t I go?” Yan Huan lifted her face, but she immediately covered one side of her face with her hand after realizing something.
“That’s not what I mean,” Changsheng quickly explained. “Actually, you’re not ugly.” He looked at his toes while saying it, his ears burning but the other could not see it.
“The journey is very difficult. You won’t be able to go down there due to the condition of your leg.”
Yan Huan lowered her head and touched her leg, biting her lip, “I really can’t go down there?”
“Yeah, you can’t,” Changsheng said and nodded his head heavily. “The road is very hard to walk on. Even we have to be very careful when we walk, let alone you. Besides, the roads are covered with thick snow now, which makes things harder. Now’s not the right time if you want to leave the mountain, at least wait until the spring is here.”
Changsheng explained to Yan Huan. It was not that he disapproved of her from leaving, but she was unable to leave at all. She could have fallen and died if there was an accident, and she might even bring troubles to other people.
Yan Huan understood. Although it made her feel terrible, there was no other choice. It appeared that she would have to wait until the spring. Alright, there’s no rush. I’ve managed to make it through for such a long time anyway, it’s just a few more months. Regardless of anything, this is much better than the place she lived outside the village before, right?
Yan Huan asked Changsheng to bring along the eggs when he went out with the villagers. Changsheng certainly knew how to avoid breaking the eggs during the journey as he grew up in the mountains.
Nonetheless, there were really a lot of eggs this time. The prices of goods at the foot of the mountain were cheap, he should have no problem shopping for Spring Festival after selling all the eggs.
Changsheng left the mountain with the rest of the people, laughing and chatting. They were all young fellows with strong bodies and the ability to walk fast. Thus, they would be able to return in just a day as expected. Yan Huan touched her leg while thinking that Changsheng was right. She might not even make it after taking a few steps, not to mention going down the mountain.
She put on her worn clothes again as she wanted to go out and collect some firewood. She would go no matter how cold and freezing it was out there, because this was all she could do now, letting the Northern wind blow away her feeling of helplessness far away. She could not bear any negativity as she still wanted to go home. She had to stay positive and maintain her anticipation to go home.
She picked up bundles and bundles of wood. She had forgotten how many trips she made during the day. Every time she came back, she could see Changsheng’s mother standing at the village entrance, waiting for Changsheng to return. Yan Huan could tell that she was obviously in low spirits and feeling anxious at the same time.
Yan Huan could not understand the reason behind Changsheng’s mother’s worries. After pondering for a while, she figured it was because of the geographical location of this village. The journey must be really difficult, otherwise, Changsheng would not have stopped her from leaving. It was better to have more people to look after each other and help with buying goods. It did not make sense that only the young adults could go and none of the elderly and women in the village followed them.
She had been collecting firewood for the whole day while Changsheng’s mother waited for him at the entrance. Changsheng’s mother came back for a meal after Yan Huan finished cooking. She looked feeble, even when she was smiling, her mind seemed to be occupied with other things. Most probably she was thinking and worrying about Changsheng.
Thinking that Changsheng had yet eaten, Yan Huan left a portion of dishes for him and added a fried egg on top of his rice. She put the dishes in the pot to keep it warm, so that it would be ready for Changsheng to eat when he returns later. She wondered when exactly they would return.
