Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

"We were just setting off firecrackers, it was so much fun!" Lin Hao rushed to answer.

"Oh, setting off firecrackers, that's children's favorite activity." Lin Laogen said with a smile.

"Brother Lao Gen, where are you going?" Lin Ze asked.

"I'm going to the village store to buy some things. If you have time, you can also go there and have a look. Maybe they will have snacks that you like." Li Laogen suggested.

"Okay, thank you Brother Lao Gen." Lin Hao excitedly followed Lin Ze and called him brother. This was the first time for him to have such a high seniority.

Lin Ze brought his younger brothers and sisters to the village store, which was filled with various daily necessities and some snacks, which were just stocked before the New Year.

The children excitedly picked out what they liked, and Lin Ze watched them with a smile.

After the younger brothers and sisters had chosen their items, Lin Ze was responsible for paying. The rice sticks were only a few cents or ten cents each, and the total cost was no more than fifty cents.

Even so, it is difficult for children in the village to afford it.

Li Xiuzhen and Wang Erni were cooking in the kitchen, while Liu Ying cleaned up the guest room and left it for Lin Zhengguo and Li Xiuzhen to stay in at night.

Lin Changgui, Lin Zhengguo and Lin Musheng, the two brothers sat together and chatted about random things. Most of the time, it was Lin Zhengguo and Lin Musheng who were talking, while Lin Changgui listened while smoking.

"Brother, is it easy to find a job in the city now?" Lin Musheng asked.

"It's not easy to find a job. All the big factories in the city have their own jobs. If you don't have connections, you can't get in." Lin Zhengguo lit a cigarette for Lin Musheng and himself, and acted like a brother.

Lin Changgui took a deep puff of cigarette, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Anyway, we have land at home, so we won't starve. If it really doesn't work, just stay at home and farm with me."

Lin Musheng felt a little frustrated. He was just a junior high school graduate. Was he going to be stuck in this small mountain village farming for the rest of his life? But he also knew that it would be difficult to find a good job in the city given his family's financial situation.

At this time, Li Xiuzhen and the other two prepared dinner and asked everyone to come over to eat. The family sat around the table, eating and chatting. Lin Ze looked at the happy smiles of his brothers and sisters and felt very warm in his heart.

After dinner, Lin Zhengguo and Li Xiuzhen went to rest.

Lin Musheng was also preparing to go home. He wanted to think carefully about his future path.

Lin Changgui saw them to the door and said, "If you have any problems, come to your brother, don't deal with it on your own." Lin Musheng nodded, turned and left.

Lin Ze looked at his back, thoughtfully...

In fact, it’s not that it’s hard to find a job in the city, but it’s just that you can’t find a stable job that allows you to work in a factory and be assigned a dormitory.

Lin Ze decided to help his second uncle after a while, but today after dinner and rest, he would go to find Xue Yao.

Lin Hao and Lin Wen and Lin Wu are almost the same age, so he simply slept with Lin Wen and Lin Wu.

At Uncle Lin's house, Lin Ze did not provide any bedding, so Lin Hao and the other two slept on straw at night.

Taking advantage of the bright moonlight and the fact that everyone in the yard had gone to sleep, Lin Ze quietly left his grandfather's house and headed for the back mountain.

Dongshan is relatively easy to walk on. The snow covers the dead branches and leaves, and the snow has frozen into ice, making it feel like walking on ice.

After crossing Dongshan Mountain, the road became increasingly difficult to walk on. When approaching the Hot Spring Valley, there were snow holes everywhere.

Fortunately, after entering the hot spring valley, there is no ice and snow, and we only have to deal with dead branches and leaves.

The wooden house was right in front of him. After Lin Ze walked into the wooden house, he called out, "Xueyao..."

Xueyao had already fallen asleep. She vaguely heard Lin Ze's voice, so she quickly got up from the bed and went to open the door for Lin Ze.

The door opened, and a wave of hot air rushed in. Lin Ze saw Xueyao wearing thin pajamas, with her hair scattered on her shoulders and her eyes still a little dazed.

"Why are you here so late?" Xue Yao asked softly.

"I...I missed you." Lin Ze lowered his head embarrassedly.

Xueyao was delighted, and a barely noticeable blush appeared on her face.

She took Lin Ze's hand and walked into the house. They sat by the fireplace, quietly enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

Lin Ze slowly reached out his hand, brushed Xueyao's scattered hair behind her ears, and whispered, "I don't know why, I just want to see you." Xueyao's face turned even redder, she lowered her head, and fiddled with her fingers shyly.

Seeing this, Lin Ze became bolder. He held Xueyao's hand and said, "Xueyao, I like you." Xueyao raised her head and looked into Lin Ze's eyes, her eyes full of surprise and emotion.

She said softly, "I like you too." Lin Ze smiled, he leaned over and kissed Xue Yao's forehead, then hugged her tightly.

At this time, the cold wind was howling outside, but the house was full of warmth and love.

Xueyao leaned in Lin Ze's arms, feeling his warmth. Lin Ze gently stroked her hand and said, "Xueyao, I really want to stay with you like this forever." Xueyao nodded slightly, then shook her head gently, her heart filled with happiness.

The two of them hugged each other, enjoying the tranquility and beauty. Unconsciously, time passed quickly and the sky outside the window gradually brightened.

Lin Ze looked out the window, then said to Xue Yao, "I have to go back, otherwise Grandpa and the others will be worried." Xue Yao reluctantly let go of Lin Ze and said, "Okay, be careful on the road."

Lin Ze walked out of the wooden house, looked back at Xue Yao, and then walked down the mountain. He felt particularly happy, as if everything had become beautiful.

After returning home, Lin Ze found that everyone was still sleeping.

He tiptoed back to the room, lay down, and recalled every detail of last night with Xueyao. A smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.

When he woke up again, the village was already filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. Lin Ze could even smell the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen.

At this time, bursts of firecrackers were heard outside, and the New Year atmosphere became more and more intense.

"Brother Ze, why did you sleep so long today?" Lin Wen and Lin Wu got up early, followed Lin Hao to play outside for a while, and then came to Lin Changgui's house.

They didn't expect that Lin Ze would get up so late.

Liu Ying called Lin Ze to get up and eat dumplings this morning, but Lin Ze didn't get up.

"It's nothing, what's wrong with me sleeping in?" Lin Ze stretched and climbed out of the soft quilt.

After Lin Ze got dressed and washed up, he went to the kitchen.

Li Xiuzhen was cooking dumplings. When she saw Lin Ze coming in, she smiled and said, "Come and try some freshly cooked dumplings."

Lin Ze sat down, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, "Mm, delicious."

Li Xiuzhen smiled and said, "Eat slowly, there is still a lot in the pot."

After breakfast, Lin Ze took his brother and sister out to play. They ran around the village, set off firecrackers, and had a lot of fun, which gradually attracted a group of children in the village.

Lin Ze was happy when he saw his younger brothers and sister.