Starting a new chapter in life

The car drove past a peach blossom grove and stopped in front of a rather quaint little building. Assistant Director Wen explained:

"This used to be the office of the local village branch. We came here wanting to rent some place to settle down, and we didn't want to live with the local residents, so the village cleared out this building and rented it to the film crew."

Several nearby houses were also rented together. The residents of these rented houses are temporarily staying with relatives, and they will move back after filming is finished and they leave.

The production crew promised that during their stay, they would protect the house and not cause too much trouble for the original residents. Your room was reserved when you first arrived; it's the innermost room on the second floor with good natural light.

The elderly couple thanked the assistant and let him help them carry their luggage. The stairs were wooden and made a little noise when they stepped on them. When they entered the room on the second floor, the window was not small and the light shone in, making the room very bright.

The bed must be quite old, as there are even carvings on the headboard. However, with a thick mattress and quilts, it's quite comfortable to sit on.

The wardrobe wasn't very big, but it was more than enough to hold the clothes the two of them brought. The toilet was at the other end of the corridor, a bit far from their room. The room next door was said to be the female lead's room in the drama.

Jingyan wasn't interested in these actors, so she didn't ask any more questions. Her assistant put down the luggage, handed them the key to the room, and left.

Jingyan opened the window and could see the peach orchard from there. From the second floor, there were no obstructions around, and the view was indeed quite nice, being right next to the peach orchard.

Behind the peach grove should be a range of mountains, but here you can only see the outline of the mountains. Jingyan lamented that she had no talent for painting and did not bring a camera this time. Otherwise, this beautiful scenery would have been perfect to preserve.

He Zhijun walked up behind her, put his hand on her shoulder, and laughed, "You're really silly. They're filming here. If you want to take pictures, it's so easy. When they're free, just ask someone to take some pictures for us."

Jingyan turned to look at him: "Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to use public resources for private purposes?"

He Zhijun shrugged: "How about we ask Zhizhi to send us a camera? Anyway, the peach blossoms aren't in full bloom yet, so we still have plenty of time."

Jingyan agreed with the idea. He Zhijun called the children to let them know they were safe and sound, and also said that the scenery here looked pretty good so far. As for the food, they didn't know yet.

She then asked them for a camera. Zhizhi had one, but it was a professional camera, and she was a little worried that her parents had never used it before and wouldn't be able to figure it out. An'an, on the other hand, had a point-and-shoot camera.

As long as the people and scenery are within the frame, you can take a picture. No special skills are required. It's simple. Of course, the downside is that the photos will only be passable and won't look as good as professional ones.

Jingyan had also seen the so-called professional photos taken by Zhizhi, and she couldn't see any difference. She only knew that her own photos didn't look as high-end as her daughter's, but that was all. After all, she was an older person and didn't care much about the resolution.

When An'an heard that she wanted it, she promised to send it out today and that she would receive it in ten days at most. Only then did Jingyan hang up the phone and prepare to go find Shi'er.

After locking the door, the two left the small building and walked into the village. They didn't know if there were any vendors here before, but now there really were, set up on both sides of the road leading in. There were also eateries on the roadside, with signs made of traditional Chinese characters, which looked very antique.

The two randomly chose a shop and went in. The cashier at the entrance was a wooden counter. As soon as they entered, someone in the shop came up to ask what they wanted to eat.

Jing Yan pointed to the signboard outside the door: "Are all the signs here like this? They have a very vintage feel to them. If you didn't know better, you'd think you were in ancient times."

The shopkeeper laughed heartily: "We're just a village here, a village full of people. What business do we need to do? And even if we did, nobody would come to our shop."

There are people filming a TV series here, and they don't cook for themselves, so they need to eat in our village. Originally, the village chief said that they should pay for their meals, and the village would organize people to cook for them.

But that director or something, who should be the one in charge, suggested that the skilled craftsmen in our village open shops here, or set up stalls, but they would have to help with the signboard and shop layout.

The village chief figured that if they helped with the renovations, it would save him some money, so he agreed. And that's how it turned out, as you see it now.

However, the people who come here to eat are mostly from film crews. Our village only gets outsiders about twice a year, and we only make money this year.

"Once the film crew leaves, I can just renovate my house back to its original layout. The overall layout won't change, so it's relatively easy."

He Zhijun asked, "Didn't you ever think that if the film crew's movie becomes a big hit, maybe more people will know about your village, and then people will come to visit, and your shop can continue to operate?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "How could we dare to dream of such a good thing? We don't even know if the TV series will be released. Even if it is, our place is too remote and the transportation is inconvenient. Who would come here for tourism without enduring hardship? There are plenty of beautiful sights to see."

The two of them only asked one question. Indeed, it was quite frivolous to throw the hopes of an entire village at them because of a TV series. They didn't continue the topic and prepared to order food and eat.

"What is steamed chicken in a clay pot? Is it a soup or a stew?" Jingyan asked, pointing to the menu.

"This dish uses a Jianshui purple clay steamer as the cooking vessel. During the cooking process, the broth is entirely formed by condensation of steam, preserving the original flavor of the chicken and resulting in a delicious taste."

Only my eldest son knows how to make this dish. He used to be a chef at a high-end restaurant in the city, and he said it was his master's specialty. Although he only learned the basics, we all think it's delicious. If you haven't tried it, you should give it a shot.

The shop owner is a very honest person and doesn't try to embellish anything.

"Seven Spicy Sisters, is this dish very spicy?" Jingyan found the names of the dishes here quite interesting.

"There are seven different types of spiciness. Each of these spicinesses has its own merits, some are numbing and spicy with a fresh aroma, while others are fragrant and spicy with a rich flavor. If you can handle spicy food, you can give it a try. If you can't handle spicy food, you can skip this dish."

In the end, Jingyan didn't dare order the "Seven Spicy Sisters" dish, since He Zhijun wasn't very good at handling spicy food. The two of them were there to have fun, not to cleanse their stomachs. They only ordered steamed chicken in a clay pot and a braised fish, which was about enough for the two of them.

The two of them enjoyed the food quite a bit, and the portions were generous. They also received complimentary Qibao tea, which was nice. After a satisfying meal, Jingyan expressed her satisfaction with the food.

When we paid the bill, the shopkeeper asked, "You came before the mushroom picking season. If it were after June, the mushrooms here would be ready to be picked, and they would taste incredibly fresh."

"Don't you store some dried mushrooms? We harvest hazel mushrooms in Northeast China every year and dry them, so we can eat them all year round. Just soak them and stew them, and they're just as delicious." Jing Yan disagreed, saying that mushrooms are available everywhere.

"There are dried mushrooms, but they're not as delicious as fresh ones. We have hundreds of kinds of mushrooms here. The film crew here told me that we have the most varieties of mushrooms in the whole country."

They had already made a promise to us that when the mushrooms were in season, we would cook various mushroom dishes every day. They would definitely come to eat; those people are knowledgeable and they all said it was good, so I believe it must be good.” The shop owner was very confident.

He Zhijun smiled and said, "Then we probably won't have the chance to enjoy this. By June or July, we should have already gone home. We came here to see the ten-mile peach blossom forest."

The shopkeeper was surprised: "I thought you were also a film crew member. I didn't expect you to be tourists. There really are people here to see the sights."

Jing Yan shook her head: "My child came here before to film the scenery and people. It was a documentary, and I heard it was broadcast on CCTV-8. It covers the customs and culture of all over the country."

She really liked the ten-mile peach blossom forest here, so my wife and I took the opportunity of filming a movie here to come and see it. I believe that other people will come to see the peach blossom forest in the future.”

The shop owner was quite excited upon hearing this: "I know, the film crew that came here before is from the same company as this one. If that's what you're saying, our village might become a tourist attraction in the future!"

If it really works out, the young men and women in the village won't have to leave their homes to work in the city. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could work right at their doorstep? I just wonder how long it will take to develop to that point.

He Zhijun also smiled and said, "Take it slow, there will always be opportunities. More and more people have spare money now, so more and more people want to travel around, see the beautiful scenery, and eat delicious food. Maybe this place will be able to be developed someday. There is always hope."

The shop owner was very happy. "Yes, there is always hope. Even if it doesn't work out, at least our village can make money during this period, which is already very good."

In the days that followed, the elderly couple spent their time exploring the ancient village and enjoying local specialties, living a very peaceful life. As for the film crew, they didn't join in the fun.

They've been to Zhizhi's film crew before, so there's nothing new in them. And although the actors are all good-looking, they're not their own people. No matter how much they admire them, they can't bring them home, so it's better not to watch them at all.

In less than a week, the point-and-shoot camera arrived by mail. He Zhijun and Jing Yan tried taking a few pictures and felt they were pretty good. With the camera in hand, the peach blossoms in the peach grove were also beginning to bloom, and the elderly couple finally had something to do.

Every day I would go for a stroll in the peach blossom forest. It was really beautiful, especially the forest, which was so big, almost ten miles long. This reminded Jingyan of the Peach Blossom Spring she had once memorized.

“Zhijun, you said that if we walk out of this peach grove, we’ll enter a village. Doesn’t it look like the peaceful and happy village described in the Peach Blossom Spring?” Jingyan pointed to the outside of the peach grove and laughed.

He Zhijun tapped her forehead: "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

Jing Yan shrugged: "It just came to mind suddenly. I remember that the interpretation of the ancient poem was that it used Peach Blossom Spring to reflect the hope for a simple, beautiful and peaceful world. However, it is said that there is another interpretation."

Jing Yan kept everyone in suspense, and He Zhijun chimed in, "Oh? Is there anything else to say?"

"Another, more chilling explanation is that this person mistakenly entered another world, which is actually what the ancients often referred to as the underworld."

They were all deceased, so there was nothing to argue about, and everything was peaceful. This person, however, hadn't reached the end of his lifespan and had only stumbled into this place by chance, so he couldn't find his way out afterward. Which one do you prefer?" Jing Yan asked.

He Zhijun smiled and said, "Of course we prefer the first one. 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' In Tao Yuanming's time, productivity was low, and the pressure of various taxes was considerable."

For ordinary people, not having to worry about food, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, and having enough to eat and wear—that's the ideal life. Of course, China today has almost achieved this expectation, and our generation is a very lucky and happy one.

Jing Yan pursed her lips: "Yes, our generation is indeed happier than the older generation, but I think each generation should be happier than the last. But look at the young people today, they are really working hard."

"It's good that we don't have to work hard. When they get old, they won't have to work hard anymore. This place is really beautiful. It's a pity that the peach blossoms only bloom for a short time, just over half a month."

"Beautiful scenery is fleeting. The best and rarest things don't last long. Have you ever seen a night-blooming cereus? I've heard that night-blooming cereus is very beautiful, but it always blooms at midnight and withers at dawn. It seems to bloom only for itself and doesn't easily show itself to others." Jingyan suddenly thought of this. She had only heard of it but had never actually seen it.

He Zhijun looked at her blankly: "Epiphyllum? Is it a kind of flower? I've never heard of it before. I don't know many flowers. I've seen a lot of wildflowers before, but I didn't know their names."

"It was during this time here that I got to know roses, Chinese roses, lilies, carnations, oh, I knew chrysanthemums and orchids before, so they don't count here." He Zhijun remained very honest.

Jingyan was too lazy to talk to the straight man anymore, so she grabbed his arm and continued to stroll through the peach grove. The undeveloped scenery was indeed beautiful, but they didn't go deeper into the grove, as the film crew was shooting scenes deep within it.

Finally, the peach blossoms were in full bloom. The script had several scenes set in a peach grove, so they filmed them all at once, afraid of missing anything. They couldn't wait a year to reshoot.

When Jingyan and the others came out, some villagers were also looking around and chatting. One villager complained to the village chief: "Look at those actors, they even climbed the trees to film, shaking our peach blossoms all over the ground. This year's peach harvest is going to be reduced."

The village chief sighed, "They paid us. The area they filmed was about two or three acres of peach orchard. They promised to compensate us for the shortfall this year based on the peach yield of previous years. We won't lose money, so let them do whatever they want."

When the villagers heard that they would receive compensation, they stopped talking. Those who were curious about the filming went to watch from the perimeter, which also helped to determine the area of ​​damage.

Director Wen saw the villagers' behavior but simply laughed it off. This peach orchard was the village's most important source of income, so it was understandable that they were concerned about it.

Even if the money is enough, as a farmer, he will still feel the pain of the loss in yield. He understands this and says that as long as they don't cause trouble, they can watch if they want.