country bumpkin

Chapter 199 Winter Plum Blossom

The next day, snowflakes were still falling from the sky. Everything was white, and the whole world seemed to have been meticulously sculpted by nature.

Pushing open the door, a cold wind carrying the crisp chill of snow rushed in.

The Chinese toon tree in the yard had its branches bent under the weight of snow, and snowballs occasionally slid off, making a rustling sound.

The snow underfoot was as smooth as a carpet; each step made a "crunch" sound and left a clear footprint.

The snow on the roof was piled up in layers, and icicles of varying lengths hung from the eaves, shimmering in the dim light.

The white world is pure and peaceful, and time seems to slow down, making people intoxicated by the winter snow scene.

Yunya didn't care whether it was cold outside or not. She skipped and hopped as she started getting dressed, muttering, "This is great, Grandma! Look how much snow is falling. We can definitely build a super big snowman!"

Once Yunya was dressed, she rushed out the door like a joyful little deer. The world before her was so pure that she held her breath.

The entire village was covered in snow; rooftops, woodpiles, and fences were all blanketed in thick snow, resembling a giant white fairytale world.

Yun Ya took a deep breath, and the cold air instantly entered her lungs, bringing a sharp, refreshing sensation.

She tilted her head back, and snowflakes fluttered down, landing on her face and eyelashes, cool and ticklish.

She reached out her hand, trying to catch the snowflakes, but as soon as they landed in her palm, they turned into tiny water droplets.

"Yunya, let's play together!" Caixia's voice called from behind.

Yunya turned around and saw Caixia, Liu Yanzi, Xiang Hong, and Jianjun running towards her. Their faces were red from the cold, like ripe apples.

"Let's build a snowman!" Xiang Hong shouted excitedly.

"Great! Great!" Yunya clapped her hands and cheered.

The children immediately got busy, rolling snowballs in the snow, the bigger ones for the bodies and the smaller ones for the heads.

Xiang Hong found two black pebbles and used them to make eyes for the snowman, while Cai Xia brought a carrot from home and made a long nose for the snowman.

Yunya found a broom and stuck it into the snowman's body to serve as its arms. In no time, a chubby, adorable snowman appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Haha, look at our snowman, how majestic it is!" Yunya happily circled around the snowman.

When they got tired of playing, the children lay down on the snow and looked up at the sky.

The snowflakes continued to fall, as if the whole world had fallen silent.

Yunya thought to herself, "If only things could stay like this forever, without worries or sorrows, only the endless white snow and the laughter of my friends."

Suddenly, Caixia sat up and said mysteriously, "Do you know what? My grandfather told me that there's a secret hidden in the snow. If you find it, you can have a wish granted."

"Really?" Yunya immediately became interested. "Then let's go look for it!"

The children busied themselves in the snow again, searching everywhere, hoping to find the mysterious secret. But after searching for a long time, they found nothing.

"Did your grandfather lie to us?" Yunya said with some disappointment.

“No, my grandfather never lies,” Caixia said firmly.

Just when everyone was feeling a bit discouraged, Yunya suddenly noticed that in a small courtyard not far away, a wintersweet was stretching out, with tiny flower buds blooming in the snow.

It was so beautiful and so resilient that it seemed out of place in this icy and snowy landscape.

"Look!" Yunya shouted, pointing at the winter plum blossom.

The children looked over and were all amazed by the flower. In this icy, snowy landscape, it bloomed alone, as if demonstrating the power of life.

I think that's the secret of the snow.

Xiang Hong said softly, "No matter how harsh the environment is, as long as there is hope in your heart, you will surely be able to shine with your own light."

The children all nodded, their hearts filled with emotion as they looked at the winter plum blossoms on the wall.

Xiang Hong suddenly remembered something and blurted out: "Several plum blossoms by the corner of the wall, blooming alone in the cold forest. I know from afar it is not snow, for there is a faint fragrance."

Yunya and her friends stared at Xiang Hong with bright eyes. Xiang Hong felt a little embarrassed by their stares and blushed, pretending nothing had happened.

Yunya, Caixia, and Liu Yanzi pulled Xiang Hong around in circles. Yunya praised, "Xiang Hong, you're amazing! We can't remember a single line of poetry, but you can recite the whole poem. You're incredible!"

Xiang Hong smiled slightly, "Isn't this from the new textbook? Didn't you see it? The last few pages of the textbook are all ancient poems."

Yun Ya said nonchalantly, "Oh my, who would know that? You've already finished reading the new textbooks? That's too fast!"

Xiang Hong remained noncommittal: "That's right, everyone has to preview the new textbook for the second semester. Haven't you all looked at it?"

Several people said, "None of us like studying." Xiang Hong was speechless; you really are "one family."

As night fell, the children, filled with joy and accomplishment, went home.

As Yunya lay in bed, recalling the events of the day, a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

Her biggest takeaway today is that she feels happy doing anything only when she's with her close friends.

She is also very suited to rural life; she doesn't like the city. She feels that her happiest childhood was spent at her maternal grandmother's house.

Another day passed in playful frolicking, and the weather remained gloomy and cold on the third day. The group went to the "fishpond" pit to ice skate again.

Xiang Hong was unusually quiet today, constantly looking around as if searching for someone.

Unfortunately, she didn't see the person she wanted to see even when she went home for lunch. Caixia was also absent-mindedly searching around.

Yunya, being rather silly, ran around with the younger children, not understanding anything.

After lunch, everyone went to the big pit to go ice skating. The temperature was highest at noon, and some of the ice at the very edge of the "fishpond" had melted.

Yunya stepped on it, and with a "plop," her foot plunged into the puddle. Startled, she screamed and thrashed about.

The other children saw this and started shouting anxiously. Suddenly, a large hand on the shore lifted her up.

Yunya became even more frightened and struggled even more violently. A gentle voice sounded in her ear: "Stop struggling, be quiet."

Yunya stopped struggling, turned her head and saw who it was, and immediately felt much more at ease. "Uncle Wei, it's you! Thank you, Uncle Wei." It was Kong Xiangwei.

He originally went to a friend's house to hang out, but his friend's family told him he was there to go ice skating. So Kong Xiangwei was there to visit his good friend.

What a coincidence! He saved Yunya. He looked at Yunya and said, "From now on, you're not allowed to go ice skating in the pit at noon, understand? It's too dangerous. Never go down into the pit without an adult watching you."

Yunya nodded: "I understand, Uncle Wei. I'll remember. I won't come to play at noon anymore."

Kong Xiangwei then turned and left. Yun Ya was unharmed, but her shoes were soaked, so she had to go home to change them.

Xiang Hong watched her "little uncle's" departing figure, feeling a pang of loss. Cai Xia also silently followed Kong Xiangwei's retreating figure with her eyes, becoming lost as well.

Hong and Caixia simply thought that they had lost something to amuse them. They didn't think much of it.

Kong Xiangwei treated them like children, with nothing to worry about.

What happened next was completely unexpected.