Spirit of the Mountain

Chapter 1 Mountain Village, Girl and Elf

This is a remote mountain village. This is a peaceful mountain village. Like many villages, this is also an ordinary mountain village.

Now, this mountain village is bathed in the golden color of the setting sun.

In the soft sunset, a girl with a long ponytail sat quietly in the attic with a yellow dog.

The girl sat quietly on an old square stool, her knees together, her arms folded and her hands clasped in front of her knees. Her body swayed slightly back and forth. She raised her head and looked quietly at the golden mountain village, pointing her fingers Turning unconsciously.

Accompanying the girl was an ordinary yellow native dog about one or two years old. The yellow dog looked very quiet at this time, but from the way the yellow dog's eyes kept swaying with the girl, it could be seen that it was not quiet inside now, or maybe it was not used to the dull atmosphere at this time, or maybe it He was very naughty to begin with, and the momentary silence was just an appearance.

After a long time, the girl came back to her senses. It was already getting dark, and the village that had lost its golden plating was obviously much more ordinary.

Sighing softly, she looked at the yellow elf who had been accompanying her at her feet. The girl's empty eyes were finally a little lively, with a little smile and a little care. The girl reached out and touched the dog's head and said softly:

"Ale, are you hungry? Apu is thinking about something and has forgotten the time. He is going to make something to eat right away. You should eat more. It has been almost two years and you are still skinny and small. How can you protect me like this..."

Being gently caressed by the familiar little hands, Ah Le felt the joy coming from the girl. He habitually turned over and lay down and asked for belly rubs, but the girl grabbed his ears and shook them gently a few times, with a smile. reproached:

"It's getting dark. Let's rub your belly tomorrow. Aren't you hungry yet? It's time for us to eat." After saying that, the girl rubbed the furry yellow dog's head hard several times, rejecting Ale's desire to be rubbed. At the local request, he took it down to the attic.

Dinner is very simple. There are still a lot of leftovers from lunch. You can heat them up and mix them with a few mountain cucumbers picked in the fields all morning. It will be a simple and comfortable dinner.

Ah Le's dinner is even simpler. Apu only needs to remove the spicy condiments from the dishes, give Ah Le a little of each, and then pour some vegetable soup and mix it with rice. Apu has always thought that Ah Le is a good person. A very good puppy.

At night, accompanied by the puppy, and eating the vegetables he had grown so hard, Apu felt very happy, because Apu had found the long-awaited tranquility here.

It has been almost two years since she came to this small mountain village. Apu still clearly remembers that at that time, she wanted to escape the hustle and bustle, wandering aimlessly in the land of her motherland, searching for the way forward in confusion.

Once I heard a friend recommend me to go to a remote county to see if there was anything I was looking for, so I went there with a small bag.

After arriving, Apu's first impression of this ancient but somewhat dilapidated county was very good.

Although it is a bit dilapidated and backward, it is very clean. It feels like when I was a child, my mother held my hand and walked on the small road in my hometown.

Apu was immersed in the memories of the past, always wanting to find something here or recall something, and he didn't even notice the change in the weather. Unconsciously, the sky gradually darkened, and soon it started to rain.

The cool rain brought Apu back to reality.

The rain gradually became heavier. In order to avoid the rain, Apu, who had no special purpose, followed several villagers and got into a car parked on the roadside waiting for guests.

There were not many people on the bus, and it was very quiet. Six or seven villagers sat sparsely, each with their luggage. Maybe they came to the city to buy things to take home. They talked to each other. It's also very light. Apu found a seat by the window where there was no one around, and then sat quietly watching the rain, people, and this charming little town.

After a while, the car started, but no one came to ask about buying tickets. There were still the same few people in the front of the car, everyone was sitting quietly, and no one paid for tickets. There was no conductor in the car, only a middle-aged uncle who was in low spirits was driving.

Although some strange thoughts about the car flashed through Apu's mind, he still didn't ask anything, because the moving scenery outside the window in the heavy rain attracted most of Apu's attention. Everything under the rain seemed to be clean.

The car didn't stop during the journey. It didn't slow down until it reached the end of the cement road in front of an archway. After sliding slowly, it finally stopped in the dojo in front of the archway.

Looking from a distance, this is a small mountain village. The entire village is located in a mountain col, and a stream passes around the village in front of the mountain. In the gradually thinning rain, smoke rises from the roofs of several houses, bringing some artistic conception and entanglement to this small mountain village, giving it a painterly feeling.

The people in the car began to move, packing up their things and preparing to get off. The driver's uncle also slowly stood up from the driving seat and walked to the door. The seat at the door had been empty, and the uncle sat here. Come down.

Then he took out half a pack of cheap cigarettes from the pocket of his frayed work jacket and lit one. They seemed to be very familiar with each other, and there were no unnecessary words. Everyone paid and got off the bus in an orderly manner. The most exchanges were smiles and the handing over of five-yuan bills.

Apu was the last one to get off the bus. The arrival of a stranger made him sober. The driver looked a little strange. He looked at Apu and seemed to want to say something, but in the end, what came out of his mouth was still a faint of a sentence:

"Girl, we're at the station. The bus can only go here. The fare is five yuan."

"Thank you, uncle, for giving you the money."

Apu handed over the five yuan change that he had prepared.

After getting out of the car, Apu wandered around the place and began to look around carefully.

There is no debris in the spacious cement dojo, which is flat and clean. There are only a few simple fitness facilities and a modern public toilet in the corner near the archway. There are two giant panda-style green trash cans next to the bus that just got off. . These look very new, probably built not long ago.

The rain is still falling, although it is not heavy, but it always makes people feel cold to the bones when ironing it. There is no platform here, and there is no shelter from the rain. The uncle driver is still paying attention to this place. After seeing Apu looking around, Looking back at this place again, the uncle waved from a distance, probably asking Apu to come over.

"Uncle driver, did you call me?"

As Apu walked over, he felt that this was an uncle with a story, and he also felt that he was kind to him, just like an elder. He felt kindness in his heart, and he unconsciously used honorifics in his words.

The uncle driver sitting at the door of the car did not answer immediately. He looked at the cigarette in his hand, then looked at Apu in front of him, stood up and made way for him:

"Girl, come up and tell me. Foreigners are not used to the rain here."

"Thank you, uncle."

After getting in the car, Apu obviously felt a hint of warmth. He didn't know whether it was because of the lack of rain, or because he heard the caring words, so he hurriedly thanked him.

Seeing Apu find a seat and sit down, the driver took a few puffs on his almost-burnt cigarette, then leaned over to find a puddle to put out the butt of his cigarette, then turned around and threw it into the trash can next to the car.

"My...my daughter should be about the same age as you. She didn't like me smoking before."

There was a hint of darkness in his eyes. When the driver saw Apu staring at him strangely, he carefully considered his words to explain.

"It's okay, uncle, I don't hate the smell of smoke."

Apu told a lie, but she felt like she should.

The driver's eyes flickered a little, and he stared at Apu deeper. The sparse beard on his chin trembled several times and finally calmed down.

"She is a foreigner, right? What's the matter in our valley?" the driver asked.

"Uncle, I came here by chance. I was just tired and wanted to look around." Apu replied calmly, as if touching the past in his heart.

"Does the girl know anyone here?"

"No, it's my first time here. Uncle, is there a hotel in the village? I want to find a place to stay first."

Although the rain has gradually lightened up a lot, the clouds are still thick and dense. The scene at only two or three o'clock in the afternoon makes people feel that it is already evening. Apu wants to find a place to settle down first.

After closing the car door, the uncle driver took Apu and walked towards the village chief.

Sometimes the relationship between people is so wonderful. After a simple conversation in the car, the two seemed to have some tacit understanding, breaking the barrier, and gaining a lot of trust in each other.

On the way, the uncle driver was no longer as dull as before. He muttered in detail and asked about Apu. Apu did not resent this kind of care belonging to a middle-aged uncle, and responded to the uncle one by one with narrowed eyebrows, far away. It looks like an "old" father welcoming his daughter home from home in the drizzle.

It looked like the village was not far from the main road, but the driver and Apu had walked for a long time.

During the conversation along the way, Apu answered a lot of questions and learned a lot. He even asked some questions about the driver.

Apu learned that his uncle's surname was Jiang, which is now a rare surname in the village. There used to be many people there, but starting from the uncle's grandfather's generation, most people moved away, leaving only a dozen or so families staying here.

Uncle Jiang is a demobilized soldier from the army. After returning to the village, he was assigned to do grassroots work in the village. Now he is the village secretary.

Because the village is located in a remote area, the roads were only recently built. In the past few years, after the conditions in the town improved, many people moved out. At least, there were only six households in the village, and until the beginning of last year, there were only more than 30 households. Families who were relocated outdoors were resettled. By the way, the infrastructure in the village has also been improved a lot, and the facilities have also been improved.

The newly resettled people are divided into two major surnames, more than half are surnamed Zhang, and the rest are surnamed Liu. Before moving here, they were from two neighboring villages and were familiar with each other, and many of them were "smart" people, so they were called They are placed here together.

Since then, things in the village have become much more complicated and noisy. Uncle Jiang, who was originally idle, had to take up the responsibility and face these family members carefully.

There used to be only two village cadres in the village, Uncle Jiang, the village party secretary, and accountant Jiang Jiefang (Uncle Jiang’s third uncle), but now there is obviously a shortage of staff. At first, there were plans to add more cadre candidates, but then there was no movement. I heard that they were waiting for more cadres. It will be decided next year when the election is held.

Under this circumstance, Uncle Jiang, a young member of the cadres, had to take up many positions, such as the current position of long-distance bus driver.

After getting to know each other a lot, Apu settled down with the help of Uncle Jiang, and then settled down in this peaceful mountain village with the help of Uncle Jiang.

Uncle Jiang contacted the rental house, and the enthusiastic landlord helped sort out the idle old house: it was an old multi-story wooden house in the countryside with a yard.

The enthusiastic neighbor saw that Apu was a girl living alone. In order to express his welcome to Apu, he specially gave Apu a newly weaned puppy to keep him company. Apu named the puppy: Lele. .

After Apu settled down, the enthusiastic Uncle Jiang divided a small vegetable plot for Apu. Apu, who had some farming experience, liked this small vegetable plot very much. In Apu's eyes, it was fertile and flat. The land has not been abandoned, and a little cultivation can yield a full harvest.

Finally, Apu settled down with satisfaction, having a home in this small village in the mountains, and an elf accompanying her.