Chapter 2 Rebirth

  "Nan Nan......Nan Nan......are you okay? Don't scare me!" An anxious old man called out, picking up the child and gently stroking them, carefully checking them over.

  Fang Mo Nan closed his eyes, as if he heard Grandma's voice. How is this possible? Grandma has been dead for more than eight years. Ah! She seemed to have died too, originally Grandma hadn't reincarnated yet! He thought with a bad taste.

  Fang Mo Nan opened his eyes, stunned. The person in front of him was indeed Grandma, but she looked much younger. He was being held in her arms, and he wondered how someone so big could be held by Grandma. She raised her hand, "Ah..." How small it was, like a child's hand. What was going on? Did people shrink after they died?

  "Does it hurt a lot?" Grandma asked, stroking her occipital bone. "Hoo... hoo... It doesn't hurt anymore, the pain has flown away," she said while blowing on it.

  "Ah... ah..." The real pain, memories came back, she was stabbed in the neck by a kidnapper, reached out to touch her neck, it's fine, no scars. The back of her head, seemed to have a big bump. She secretly pinched her own hand again, it really hurt.

  She got down from grandma's back, "It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Grandma, how old am I this year?" she asked, looking at her own height.

  "Oh! Almost three years old." Although I was very curious how my granddaughter thought of asking about age, I still told the truth.

  "Is it almost three years? Is this a dream? The pain feels so real, I hear the cicada's cry, the stifling heat in the air, it's obviously summer. The scene doesn't have that vague yellowish blur, everything is so vivid and alive."

  She was reborn, but how did this happen. Just as Fang Mo Nan was still pondering what was going on, he was interrupted by someone else.

  "Sorry, big sister!" The woman standing beside apologized to Grandma, then "slap", "You little brat, I told you to take care of your little sister, but instead, you let her fall into the ditch in the field!" She slapped the back of the head of the little boy standing beside her.

  His eyes were filled with tears, and he defended himself by saying "I didn't do it on purpose, we were all playing in the fields, who knew she would fall from the ridge into the ditch, who made her be so careless"

  "Ah! You still dare to argue!" Just as another slap is about to land.

  She wanted to hit him again when her grandmother stopped her, "It's okay, it's okay. Children at home, who can't bump into each other? It's just a bruise, no broken skin or bleeding. A fall makes children grow stronger, why beat them?" Grandma said as she pulled the boy behind her and blocked the woman with her hand.

  "Alright, it's fine now. Nannan is awake and not crying anymore, let's get back to work!" Grandma said as she pulled her towards the fields, "While the sky is still bright, hurry up and pick some more wheat ears." She then turned around to the children and said: "Shitou, take your sister under the tree, it's cooler there, wait for us for a while before leaving. This time you can't run away again."

  The stone watched the two old men return to the ground, thinking about what had just happened. It was estimated that today would be a quiet day, watching the delicate girl in this county town, reluctantly pulling her under the big tree.

  But he still felt a little discontented, and harrumphed. He ran to the back of the big tree and said: "You'd better behave, or I'll dig up some worms to scare you." Unable to play with the other kids, he continued his bug-hunting journey under the tree, poking around with a small stick.

  Fang Mo Nan stared blankly as he disappeared before her eyes, then obediently sat down on the goose egg stone under the tree, which was probably used by others to cool off, its surface smooth and bright. She supported her cheek with her hand, thinking about her own affairs, she didn't have the mood to care about anything else, spreading out her hands, soft and small, delicate and tender.

  "Huh…… what is this." Fang Mo Nan stared at his hand in surprise, it wasn't there just now, but suddenly appeared on his right middle finger. There was a ring with a dark color, neither gold nor jade, and an unknown material. Upon closer inspection, there was a purple glow rotating on its surface. Its width was similar to the thimble mother used when making quilts. He raised his hand in front of his eyes to examine it carefully, huh! It seemed familiar, where had he seen it before?

  "Ah...... it...... it...... is gone." It suddenly disappeared from her hand, leaving only a faint purple mark on her fingers. This scared her so much that she anxiously muttered to herself, "Come out...... come out......"

  "Ah......" It's appeared again, what is this, it's too mysterious.

  Fang Mo Nan wanted to pull it out and observe it carefully, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it out. It seemed to be growing on his hand, so he could only hold his hand in front of his eyes and look at it from left to right.

  She stared at it with her eyes wide open, 'Ah... another new discovery', and then she saw a large farm estate. As soon as her excited mood relaxed, the ring disappeared.

  Ah! Fang Mo Nan suddenly remembered where he had seen this ring before. It was left behind by his grandfather. It's said that his grandfather's ancestors were once a wealthy landlord, but later because of his grandfather's father's opium addiction, the family went bankrupt. Only this ring was left, because it was black and not valuable, so nobody wanted it, which is why it was preserved.

  It was something from our ancestors, so Grandfather kept it as a memento. It was black and ugly, nobody thought it could be sold for a high price. After Grandma passed away, others thought it didn't look good, and finally it ended up in Fang Mernan's hands. Was it you who saved me?

  Fang Mo Nan strongly suppressed the curiosity in his heart, this...this...it's better to study it at night, it's too unsafe outside.

  It's still a while before evening, and Fang Mo Nan is leisurely gazing at the rural scenery with a carefree air. The wheat in the fields has already been harvested, and in the distance, his grandma is squatting on the ground, with a towel draped over her neck to wipe away sweat. As he watches her painstakingly picking up the scattered grains of wheat, Fang Mo Nan's eyes become moist - it's great that they can still be alive! It's great that he can still see his grandma!

  She spent her childhood growing up with her grandmother, and most of the memories have become blurred, only vaguely remembering that her grandmother had relatives in the countryside, because she was too young at the time, and some were even forgotten.

  Grandma is really young! She has a bobbed haircut. Oh, at that time, most women wore this kind of outfit. She wears a short-sleeved, slightly yellowed white blouse made of thick cotton fabric, and grayish-blue canvas pants with patches on the knees. The fabric is durable and wear-resistant. She carries a large wicker basket in her hand, walking slowly and laboriously. It's very hard work, as there was no mechanization for harvesting wheat at that time, everything relied on human power.

  Another woman who also calls her "big sister" looks very similar to Grandma. Fang Mernan should call her "Auntie Grandma", with a similar hairstyle as Grandma, but instead of short hair, she has long hair tied up in a bun. She is also picking wheat ears, and during the difficult times when food was scarce, it's likely that she had to search thoroughly, not letting go of a single grain of rice.

  The sun sets in the west, and the red clouds that fill the sky are gradually disappearing, indicating that tomorrow will be a good day.

  "Let's go, we've done enough for today. We don't need to come back tomorrow, do we? We've searched this area at least three times." Grandma stood up straight, patted her back, and slung the full basket over her arm.

  "Hmm! Today's harvest is pretty good. Let's go!" Grandma looked at the basket and said

  The two of them came under the tree, calling out to the two little kids, "Go on, go home and eat. Your mom should have dinner ready by now." Auntie smiled at the little ones, very pleased with their performance just now.

  "Ah! Great, let's go home for dinner!" Shi Tou patted his butt and ran towards home without looking back.

  "This little rascal is probably starving!" Grandma smiled as she watched her little grandson walk away.

  Grandma walked to Fang Mo Nan's side, put down the basket, squatted down, and patted his back. "Nan Nan, come onto Grandma's back, we're going home for dinner."

  She looked at the big basket, estimating that she could fit in it with her legs tucked in, and now it was full of wheat ears, which were not light in weight. Could she still move around with it on her back? "I have legs, I can walk myself. I'm grown up." She patted her chest, held her head high and walked towards the direction of the stone.

  Grandma looked at her serious little face and chuckled, shaking her head. "Tired? I'll carry you on my back."

  Come on! Fang Mengnan is already so big, still piggybacking, three people walking on the small rural road.

  "Hehe! Big sister, Nannan has grown up and knows how to be considerate of others." Auntie's face was full of admiration. "Unlike my little grandson, who only thinks of himself." She had been doing farm work for a long time, walking with a basket slung over her arm, her steps were light and easy, but she couldn't bear the long distance. Before long, she was panting and puffing, carrying the basket with her hip supporting the bottom of it, walking with difficulty.

  "Hehe...... Your grandson is quite good too. Look, Da Chengzi has come to pick you up." Grandma said with a smile.

  They saw from afar two young men running over, "Mother, aunt, I'm here." They took the baskets from their hands and walked forward with ease.

  "How did you get here?" asked Grandma.

  "Hehe! Shi Tou ran back home," one of them said with a silly grin.

  "The wheat has all been harvested and is drying in the sun, it's a light workload." Another one added. "The corn still needs two more days."

  "Come on, little south, come and let grandma hold you." Grandma's basket was taken away by them.

  "Good" Fang Mo Nan is not the time to dawdle now, she forgot that she's just a kid, having walked such a long way, and is also getting a bit exhausted. Not far ahead, smoke from cooking can be seen, it won't be long before they arrive home.

  "Hey! Little Nannan, are you being good today? Today your aunt has steamed some white buns made from freshly milled flour, and they smell so delicious. We'll be able to eat them soon. Isn't that great!" Dachengzi teased her. This year's harvest is good, let's have a taste of something fresh, normally we can't even get this kind of food."

  "Hmm! Uncle will eat too." Fang Mo Nan said with a sweet mouth, but in her heart she despised herself for being hypocritical. She leaned on Grandma's body and looked at the two rural young men, who had been working in the fields for a long time, their skin was darkened by the sun, making them look older than they actually were. From their words and actions, it could be seen that they were very simple-minded.

  As I walked into the village, most of the houses on both sides of the road were low and made of earth, it was still lively in the late afternoon, old men were all bare-chested, wearing big pants and cloth shoes. Everyone held a large bowl, inside which were some cold mixed salty vegetables, scooping up a white steamed bun or a yellow corn bun with their hands, squatting on the ground to eat, occasionally chatting for a few sentences. The children also joined in the fun, only the bowls were much smaller, from the smiles on their faces and the conversation content, mostly this year's weather was good, the wheat harvest was not bad.

  As they walked by, everyone enthusiastically greeted Da Chengzi loudly, asking how the work in the field was going and if they needed any help. With a smile, Da Chengzi politely declined, saying that the work in the field was almost done.

  Leave them, continue to move forward, turn a corner and arrive home. Walk in, the yard is very large, the main house faces south and north, with blue bricks, earth walls, and glazed tiles. The three rooms are very old, and you can see that some of the bricks on the wall have fallen off halfway, and the mud in the brick seams has been washed away by the rain to a great depth. In front of the house, there is a tall Chinese parasol tree on either side, with its canopy covering the main house just right.

  The east house and west house each have two small earthen buildings. Looking at the west house, smoke is rising from it, so there should be a kitchen inside. The door of the east house is open, and a young woman walks out from inside, calling out to them: "Mother, big aunt, you're back! Father is waiting for you in the house!" She says this as she leads them towards the main house, turning her head to say to Da Cheng: "Stonehead's father, put the basket in the west house and wash your hands before eating."

  "Stones, go get some water for Grandma and your grandma." She dispatched them neatly.

  Everyone simply washed up and went into the main house.

  Fang Mernan was put on a small wooden stool by her grandmother, in front of her was a coarse and square dinner table set with steamed buns, a bowl of scallion flower and fermented soybean soup, and a plate of pickled yellow cucumber.

  She took a glance around, the house was very clean, the floor was made of hardened stone powder, and there was no dust. On the wall opposite the door hung a painting of one of the ten great marshals, below which on a long wooden table stood a white porcelain half-body statue, in front of which was placed a small incense burner. Every household had this setup, it was the standard style for this era.

  In front of us was a slightly larger octagonal table, on which sat a large iron pot, emitting wave after wave of enticing aromas.

  She looked up, the roof was very high, and the thick wooden beams were clearly visible without any ceiling. The walls were painted white with earth ash, giving off a yellow hue, seemingly done by herself. On one wall hung a calendar as big as a palm, the kind that you tear off one sheet per day. Clearly written on it was "1981", 30 years ago, and Fang Mo Nan's eyes narrowed slightly, reminding her once again of the fact of her rebirth.

  "Come... come... eat." The elder uncle sitting in the main seat said a few words, and everyone started eating.

  "Come on, Nannan, have some first." Grandma broke off a small piece of steamed bun and stuffed it into Fang Mernan's mouth.

  Fang Mo Nan savored it happily, having not eaten such natural food for a long time. It was fragrant, sweet and had the clear scent of wheat.

  After swallowing the bun, she looked at her grandmother's outstretched hand and quickly said: "No, I want to eat by myself, no need for grandma to feed me, I want to drink soup first." She clearly expressed her own wishes. As the saying goes: drinking soup before meals is healthy and slimming. This was her personal habit, which she wouldn't easily change.

  "Just right, I have a small bowl, I'll scoop some for her." Auntie quickly got up, scooped the bowl, walked to the edge of the Eight Immortals table, opened the lid, and scooped out a ladle. Although it was just one ladle, it was really big, and the small bowl was full, what a bargain! "Drink slowly, don't burn yourself."

  Fang Mo Nan stood up and saw the bowl being put down. He smiled politely and said: "Thank you, Aunt."

  "Uh... uh... hehe..." Auntie was somewhat at a loss, being treated so seriously by such a young child.

  "Yes! Just now in the field, she said that she has grown up." Grandma looked at her with surprise, seeing that her behavior and actions were clearly different from usual.

  "My aunt sneered and said, 'People from the city are just different.'"

  She said that, and the other party's unusual behavior seemed to have found a reasonable explanation.

  "Heh heh...... conditioned reflex, it's become a habit. To avoid being suspected, I'd better be more careful from now on." She reminded herself secretly in her heart.

  Everyone thought she was fine and didn't stare at her anymore. Only Grandma herself gnawed on a steamed bun, occasionally carefully looking at her, afraid of scalding her.

  The farm family's dinner table isn't so particular, no such thing as not speaking while eating, they chat while eating, the men discuss things about the fields and arrange tomorrow's affairs, of course there are also women who gossip about this and that.

  Coarse tea and plain rice are very warm, with a faint happiness lingering in the air.

  Fang Mo Nan found that no one was looking at her, so she felt relieved and held the bowl with both hands, taking a small sip. The soup was savory and delicious, and she couldn't help but praise it. At this time, all the dishes were homemade, with very little use of chemical fertilizers, mostly using natural fertilizer, and the vegetables were all fresh and original. Then, she slowly drank the whole bowl of soup without spilling a single drop, only to find that she was a bit full afterwards.

  "Mom, I've finished eating. I'm going out to play." Shi Tou gobbled up his meal and wiped his mouth with his hand as he got up and ran outside.

  "Hey! You've finished your homework, and the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is almost over." His aunt called out from behind him.

  In rural areas, holidays are given during wheat harvest and autumn harvest. Poor children take charge of the household early, so even half-grown kids can do some chores that they can handle for their families.

  "Tomorrow, tomorrow write" The voice came in from the gate, and the person was no longer visible.

  After dinner, before it gets dark, after cleaning up, the men go out to visit neighbors, while the women at home take advantage of the remaining light to mend shoes, weave coarse cloth, and chat about trivial matters.

  Fang Monan was thinking about the magical ring, but she couldn't go see it immediately because her grandmother was watching her closely. When the sky had completely darkened, Fang Monan looked at her grandmother who was lying in the mosquito net with her after washing up, speechless, and thought that she might as well sleep first and talk about it later. She thought she would be too excited to fall asleep, but unexpectedly, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.