Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 223 Bai Yueguang

The alley was very narrow and the car could not get in, so it was parked in the open space outside.

Turned off the engine, turned off the lights, and got out of the car.

My eyes adjusted to the light in the dark, and I found that I could see everything clearly.

Xu Chen looked up and understood the meaning of the four words "bright moon".

White moonlight.

There was almost no light in the village at around eleven o'clock in the evening, but the roads, ditches and walls of the houses could be clearly seen.

Xu Chen thought about it and felt that he had not seen such a quiet rural night scene for many years.

The noise of modern city lights, I don’t know if it is destroying the moonlight, or poisoning my eyes...

Xie Bingran was walking in front, but he seemed to hesitate suddenly:
"The conditions at home... are relatively poor."

Xu Chen smiled and said, "I am also a kid from the village."

Xie Bingran said "Oh", and the two of them walked towards the old house of the Xie family.

Arriving in front of the black door, Xie Bingran took a step back and looked up.

Red flowers and red cloth were hung above the gate, which was obviously the arrangement of the village committee.

She squatted down, removed a blue brick from the corner of the wall, and then took out a key from it.

Xu Chen was speechless as he watched Xie Bingran insert the key into the keyhole, turn the lock to unlock it, and then pull the bolt.

He pushed the door open with a creaky sound and Xu Chen followed him in.

The yard was clean and bright, and even under the moonlight it was clear that it was empty.

Xie Bingran turned around, closed the door and put up the wooden bolt.

He then walked into the main room, skillfully found a pull-cord switch, and with a "click", turned on a dim incandescent lamp in the yard.

Xu Chen looked up and saw that the main room did seem to have been renovated.

The last time I attended my grandmother's funeral, the eaves were still broken.

Xie Bingran also came over and looked up.

"The village repaired it. They told me about it over the phone."

Xu Chen: "Can they enter your yard?"

Xie Bingran: "Grandma gave me the key...

Our family is the poorest in the village, and nothing would get lost even if the door was left open.”

"..."

Xie Bingran walked to a corner of the yard, where there were water tanks and water pumps.

She picked up a ladle made of half a gourd, scooped a few spoonfuls of water and poured it into the water press, then pressed it several times, and cool water gushed out.

"Please help me get the big basin!" As she said this, she pressed water and pointed to the kitchen.

Xu Chen responded, walked to the wall of the kitchen, and dragged the huge wooden basin over.

The clear well water filled the large basin in a short while.

The bright moon in the sky was also brought into the yard through the basin.

Xie Bingran said:

"I can only take a cold shower."

Xu Chen smiled and said, "That's great! I loved doing this when I was a kid!"

Xie Bingran turned and entered the main room, first arranged a table and chairs for Xu Chen to sit down and rest.

She turned and went to the inner room...

Xu Chen sat obediently for a while. Seeing the iron kettle and thermos on the table, he went to the water pump to get some clear well water to boil a kettle of hot water.

But I was troubled again when I brought the kettle back.

There was a small stove in the corner of the main room, and a long chimney led to the roof. Xu Chen lifted the lid and took a look, but did not see any firewood or coal.

"Do you want to boil water?" Xie Bingran came out.

"Yes, I want to boil some well water to drink... I remember the well water I drank when I was a child was very sweet."

Xie Bingran took a small iron basket and turned to go to the yard.

Xu Chen followed her and saw her picking up some black coal from the corner next to the kitchen, as well as some dry firewood.

She got a box of matches from somewhere. In the village at that time, the old people still called them "foreign matches".

The match ignited the dry wood, and when the fire started, a few small pieces of black coal were added.

The edge of the coal was glowing red, so we could add another layer. Then we squatted on top of it with a huge kettle filled with water...

Xu Chen looked at Xie Bingran squatting there, doing these things very skillfully, and his mood was still a little complicated.

Perhaps she had already mastered these life and even survival skills when she was a teenager or even a few years old.

Xie Bingran patted his hands which were covered with charcoal dust:
"Wait a moment and it will open."

She stood up, washed her hands in the basin beside her, and said:
"There's no air conditioning at home, and I'm worried you'll get too hot when you sleep."

Xu Chen smiled and said, "It's okay."

Xie Bingran was silent for a while, then spoke again:

"I shouldn't have asked you to come. The conditions at home are not good, the bed is not comfortable, and you can't sleep well...

I shouldn’t let you suffer with me…”

Her face was not clearly visible under the dim incandescent light.

Xu Chen walked forward and gently held Xie Bingran's still wet hand, but did not say anything.

Xie Bingran looked up outside and said:
"Or, we can sleep on the roof, it will be cooler."

Xu Chen: "Roof?"

In local rural houses in the north, the roofs of the south rooms are all flat, which is also convenient for drying grain.

Xie Bingran said:

"Just put it on the roof, spread out a mat, and use a bamboo pole to hold up the mosquito net."

She paused: "But it will be very hard, and you still won't be able to sleep well..."

Xu Chen thought about it and showed excitement:
"Then can I sleep while looking at the moon?"

Xie Bingran: "When I was a kid, I couldn't sleep because of the heat, so my grandma took me to the roof..."

Xu Chen: "Great! It sounds very pleasant!"

Xie Bingran finally smiled: "Then come and help me!"

……

Xu Chen followed Xie Bingran to a back room.

It looked like a storage room, with a few old cabinets filled with neatly stacked items.

Xie Bingran opened a cupboard and pulled out a bundle of mats. Xu Chen quickly reached out to take it.

At the moment of handing over, Xie Bingran hesitated again.

Xu Chen: "What's wrong?"

Xie Bingran showed a trace of embarrassment: "There is only one mat at home."

Xu Chen thought about it and understood the abruptness and ambiguity in it.

But he still smiled and said in a joking tone:
"Are you afraid that I will bully you?"

Xie Bingran deliberately showed a cold look: "Just don't be afraid of death!"

As she spoke, she unrolled the rolled mat and pulled out a large mosquito net from under the cupboard.

……

……

Following the narrow stone stairs, the two came to the flat roof of the south room.

There was naturally no light on the roof, but the moonlight was still clear.

Xu Chen looked around and could actually see the river not far away.

The night wind blew, carrying fresh water vapor and the chirping of frogs and insects...

Xie Bingran: "Help me get the bamboo pole!"

Xu Chen followed him down the stairs.

Xie Bingran walked around the yard a few times, found a few long bamboo poles in the corner of the south room, and handed them to Xu Chenxian.

I went to the kitchen and got a broom. I guess I need to sweep the roof again.

A few small iron clips were found in the drawer of the main room.

She looked at Xu Chen and smiled innocently:
“I’ve found them all!”

……

(End of this chapter)