Chapter 49: Fengzhu Ridge
“Little… Little what?”
“Little Round Circle.”
Little Round Circle!
Not something cute like Dotty or Dottie, nor something majestic and domineering like General or Black Tiger at first hearing, but such a weird Little Round Circle!
Fu Jiaming looked left and right; this little black dog was so skinny all over that it seemed like only its skin was left, and even its eyes weren’t round and plump. How did it match this name at all?
“Hehe, you~ as long as you like it, um, pretty good.”
Su Ning, feeling pretty good about herself too, nodded in agreement and adjusted Little Round Circle into a more comfortable position in her arms. “Aren’t you going to buy food for Comrade Yan?”
“Smack! Oh no!”
He forcefully smacked his forehead, and only then did Fu Jiaming remember his brother waiting at the hospital. “Su Ning, I’m heading out first. We’ll chat later!”
The leg in the plaster cast limped along surprisingly quickly.
Without waiting for her to reply, he had already walked away. Su Ning slowly closed her lips: It wasn’t that I didn’t want to remind you, but you didn’t give me the opportunity.
She shook her head with a smile, silently mourning for one second for Yan Bei, the patient waiting at the hospital, who had such an not-so-smart brother.
Holding Little Round Circle, she walked in the direction he had left until the two met again without any accidents.
Fu Jiaming pointed at her with trembling fingers, his face showing a constipated expression as if he didn’t know what to say, so he could only leave a sentence saying they’d talk next time and hurried away again.
“Hehehe~”
Unable to hold back, she burst out laughing. Su Ning stroked Little Round Circle’s head. “You sure have courage to follow such a road idiot.”
Luckily, the town wasn’t big with only one main road, which was probably the main reason Yan Bei felt assured letting him go out alone.
……
Bringing Little Round Circle back to the guesthouse room, Su Ning looked down at it. “Little guy, you have to wish hard.”
First time bringing a live animal into the Peach Blossom Spring Space; she didn’t know if it would succeed.
Smelling the familiar fresh fragrance, and feeling a warm lump still in her hand with her eyes closed, she let out a big sigh of relief.
“Little Round Circle, come recognize your new home first.”
“Woof woof~”
As soon as its paws touched the ground, it couldn’t wait to run around. Little Round Circle wasn’t afraid; on the contrary, it felt particularly curious about the unfamiliar environment.
It happily looked here and there, even coming to the wall of the small courtyard to leave a mark.
But in the time it took to turn its head, the mark was purified clean by the land, with no trace left to smell.
“Woof~ Woof woof?”
For some reason, Little Round Circle’s first formal encounter with the Peach Blossom Spring turned into a standoff.
She lit a fire in the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water, fetched a new wooden basin, filled it with water, and added a few scoops of cold water.
Su Ning tested the temperature with her hand, carried the wooden basin with both hands to the courtyard, and only then discovered that the little guy was still leaning against the wall on one leg.
“Little Round Circle, come over and wash!”
Little Round Circle, unable to pee a drop, heard its owner’s call and could only admit defeat, hanging its head dejectedly as it ran over.
It obediently let her scrub and clean it thoroughly.
“Good boy, I’ll reward you with a big bone later!”
“Woof~”
Understanding, Little Round Circle let out an excited milky bark and licked her palm flatteringly with its tongue.
Sure enough, at dinnertime, the owner kept her word and gave it a big bone still with meat on it, making its short legs spin around happily without stopping.
To get a big meat bone for the little one, Su Ning specially chose rice soaked in big bone soup. She didn’t notice that after getting Little Round Circle, the smile in her eyes had become much more genuine, also dispelling much of the cold and lonely aura on her body.
……
The next day, before dawn had fully broken, Su Ning had already checked out and was waiting at the inquired-about road junction.
Because she needed to arrive early at the place agreed with Tan Dafeng and the others, she had asked the guesthouse staff last night how to get to Fengzhu Ridge.
From the town to Fengzhu Ridge, there was only one route bus in the morning every day.
This route bus had no fixed time; whether early or late, it wouldn’t depart until more than half the seats were filled.
After waiting over twenty minutes, she saw a route bus called a water gourd by the locals: a cab in front and a half-enclosed, half-open shed in the back covered with large oilcloth.
There were two long stools placed on both sides in the carriage. She struggled to climb up and sat by the vent at the back.
The ticket seller kindly reminded her that the rear swayed and bumped badly and one could be flung out if not careful, so the girl had better sit near the front.
But since she was prone to carsickness, she could only smile and refuse, gripping the nearby railing tightly with both hands.
This journey could be described as thrilling. Su Ning, riding this kind of bus for the first time, couldn’t even care about her carsickness and only feared being shaken off. After getting off, her legs were still soft and she recovered for a while.
Only then did she understand what the person at the guesthouse meant by that hesitant expression and saying it would be a rare experience.
Speeding along the narrow mountain road, with high mountains on one side and cliffs on the other—turning a bend, one’s butt could leave the stool and fly high enough to see the cliff bottom!
This stimulus was so intense that her soul almost scared out of her body. How could it not be a rare experience?
Thinking that she couldn’t hold back on the bus and let out bursts of screams, Su Ning covered her face; her palms were burning hot.
The people around, accustomed to it, laughed good-naturedly, but it still made her feel very embarrassed.
“Girl, where you headed? Wanna come with us?”
Half dialect, half standard Mandarin. Su Ning understood her meaning by guessing along with what she could make out. “I’m going to Fengzhu Ridge.”
“Oh, not far, just over that hilltop!”
Looking in the direction Big Aunt pointed, there was a flash of surprise in her eyes, but it vanished instantly without a trace as she thanked her and said she wanted to rest a bit more at this main road junction.
Until this fellow passenger and fellow alighter Big Aunt kept turning back to look at her, slowly leaving the bend and her figure gradually disappearing into the mountain valley path.
Only then did Su Ning quickly run in the direction the ticket seller had indicated, leaving the original spot.
She remembered clearly: the ticket seller said after getting off at this main road junction, there would be three roads, and to go to Fengzhu Ridge, take the western one; in about half an hour, one would see patches of wind bamboo all over the hillside.
That was Fengzhu Ridge, and right behind it adjoining the highway was the Fengzhu Tunnel.
As for why that Big Aunt pointed her to the opposite road…
She would never maliciously speculate about others, but she wouldn’t be foolish enough to not distinguish true from false, good from bad.
Arriving nonstop at the foot of Fengzhu Ridge, Su Ning climbed while paying attention to observe the surroundings.
Once on the hilltop and seeing the highway not far on the other side, she felt relieved and selected a spot.
After confirming a safe place, she quickly entered the Peach Blossom Spring and chose to wait for the appointed time inside the space.
Meanwhile, the Big Aunt who had sneaked into hiding in the dark and waited a long time without seeing her figure, had a face full of anger and could only unwillingly turn into the village path to truly leave.
……
In the space, there were plenty of things to pass the time. It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and the time had quietly arrived at the appointed moment.
Su Ning stroked Little Round Circle rolling happily at her feet, flashed out of the space, and quickly arrived at the previously selected spot.
Just as she moved all the supplies prepared earlier on the space’s open ground out, she heard the call from the hillside.
“Ning Ning?”
“It’s me, Uncle Tan, over here!”
Tan Dafeng thought it over and still felt that for a girl like her who was injured, coming to this wilderness-like place to hand over goods was too dangerous.
Uneasy, he arrived early at the spot and only relaxed with a sigh of relief when he saw her standing there perfectly fine.
The two who came with him this time were his younger brother Tan Dacang and Tan Dacang’s son, his nephew Tan Guangzong.
“Uncle Tan, Brother Guangzong!”
“Hey, Ning Wa.” “Ning Ning.”
Tan Dacang smiled until his face was full of wrinkles in response, and Tan Guangzong, who looked just like his father, also smiled until his eyes disappeared.
They had all heard from their older brother/uncle that Ning Wa/Ning Ning was good-hearted, and this time she specially found them to help deliver good jobs to their family.
Twenty yuan per person!
Just for hauling goods, giving such a large sum—wasn’t it a good job specially delivered to their hands?
Which countryside man didn’t have strength in his arms? Whoever they found, it would be the same.
So the father and son’s gratitude toward her in their hearts, like their good feeling toward her, shot up rapidly.
Just like older brother/uncle said, Ning Wa/Ning Ning was their Tan Family’s adopted niece/daughter/younger sister!
Not only did they have to do this job well with full effort, but exceed expectations, and as for confidentiality, they wouldn’t even mention half a word to their own old ladies and wives!
Unaware of the rich inner activities of this father and son duo, Su Ning greeted them and led the way to the place where the goods were stored.
This spot was not only close to the place agreed with the factory transport team’s driver by the highway, but the surroundings were also very hidden; unless one walked in and parted the thatch, no one would know there was such a spacious depression.
“Uncle Tan, did you borrow the team’s big scale?”
“Rest assured, of course I borrowed it. It’s on the ox cart down the slope.”
Tomorrow is my birthday so I can take leave to rest, hmm, hahaha, just thinking about it, but there might be a delay in posting, hope the big and small cuties can be more tolerant tomorrow, thank you for warming me~ Thanks for everyone’s votes~ Heart
