sunset mountains

Chapter 1

When leaving the dreamland, Xiao Yanwei's first thought was that the winter here seems to be longer than other places.

It was only November and the windows were fogging up.

There are no curtains in the bedroom, and the sunlight shines directly on the eyes through the glass with window grilles, which is a bit harsh.

Xiao Yan felt for a while with his eyes open, and felt that his heart seemed to have not woken up from a dream, and his heart beat a little fast.

He turned around and looked at the thick, exposed, dark beams on the roof without blinking.

The room used as his bedroom was not small, and the interior furnishings were very simple, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was shabby.

From the east wall to the west wall, there is an earth kang, the kind built with bricks. It is said that when the fire is cooked in the outhouse, the heat will pass through the bottom, which looks very warm.

But Xiao Yanwei is not very yearning, firstly he can't cook, and secondly he can't light a fire, so the kang can only be called "bed" for short.

The quilt on the bed was new. Yesterday the landlord brought over the dowry quilt that his daughter hadn’t brought with him when he got married. The bright red wedding quilt was embroidered with mandarin ducks and peonies. It was very lively.

Xiao Yanwei's shoulders felt a little sore from lying down, so he changed his position and lay half prone on the bed, buried his head in the pillow, feeling a slight suffocation.

When the brain is starved of oxygen, it will become blank, there is no need to think about anything, and the nightmare cannot penetrate. Xiao Yanwei likes this feeling, it makes him feel safe.

Not long after, there was a knock on the courtyard door.

Xiao Yan didn't close his eyes and listened for a while. It was indeed his own door knocking. He pulled his clothes from the pillow and put them on. He pulled his shoes and walked out, "Here we come!"

The yard is full of weeds more than half a foot high, and it is very difficult to walk.

Before Xiao Yan reached the door, he almost lost his shoes. He pulled the latch, and saw the landlord's grandson, Yao Dabao, grinning at him outside, with a missing front tooth.

The children in the village were not raised delicately, and Yao Dabao was completely different from those city children that Xiao Yan didn't know, neither delicate nor delicate.

He wore a dark gray cotton jacket that was modified from an adult's clothes, and the trousers were filled with cotton, and the two trouser legs were a little different in length, "Brother Xiao, the meal is ready."

"Uncle." Xiao Yan didn't say anything.

Yao Dabao wasn't afraid of him at all, he spoke in a fluttering manner, and refused to change after repeated admonitions, "Brother Xiao, let's go."

This child is not afraid of life, cute and tight, he shakes his head when he speaks, his eyes are bright, blinking and blinking at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yanwei lowered his head and glanced at him, he had no choice but to say, "You go first, I just got up."

"I'll be waiting for you." Yao Dabao walked past him into the yard, moved a bench from under the eaves and sat down with his knees tightly together, looking cute.

"Then just wait a while." Xiao Yanwei took his slippers into the room and changed, then came out with a tooth cup and squatted on the steps to brush his teeth.

The toothpaste was bought at a small shop at the entrance of the village. He had never used this brand before. It was a bit spicy, but it was rich in foam.

He was foaming, Yao Dabao stood up and ran to squat beside him, hesitant to speak, as if he was curious about something but didn't dare to ask.

Xiao Yan didn't glance at him, but said vaguely, "What do you want to ask?"

Yao Dabao hugged his knees and his eyes lit up, "Brother, my grandfather said you came from the capital."

"En." Xiao Yanwei rinsed his mouth, filled a basin of water in the big tank and washed his face.

The temperature in November is already very low, and the water in the big tank is cool.

Yao Dabao ran behind him like an idiot, and almost stepped on Xiao Yanwei's heels, "How is the capital?"

"It's not as good as here," Xiao Yanwei said as he walked into the room, put the toothbrush and cup on the shelf, pressed his head and rubbed it vigorously, "is it fun to have relatives?"

Yao Dabao went to stay at his aunt's house in another village for a few days, and he just came back last night.

"It's fun." Seeing that Xiao Yan hadn't finished changing his shoes, Yao Dabao ran out first and stood under the steps waiting.

Xiao Yan greeted Yao Dabao before changing his shoes, "Let's go."

After the two closed the courtyard door, Yao Dabao caught up again, apparently not believing what he said just now, shaking his head, "It's a lie, the capital must be good."

Xiao Yan didn't listen to the music anymore, "You haven't been there, how do you know?"

"I'll go there in the future," Yao Dabao was bouncing around, looking very happy, swinging his arms back and forth, "I'm going to go to college there."

"Well, let's go." Xiao Yanwei said perfunctorily.

"My grandpa said that I will go to school this year," Yao Dabao said, pulling his small face down again, "but my parents work in the south and never come back, so why do they have to move there? My grandpa doesn't understand."

Xiao Yan didn't think about it halfway, and finally realized what kind of affiliation it was, "You mean student affiliation?"

"Yes, student status." Yao Dabao was very distressed, shaking his head, "My grandpa said that I was disobedient and asked me to feed the sheep with Brother Erma."

Xiao Yan didn't know who he was talking about, Brother Erma. He had only been here for more than half a month, and he couldn't recognize all the people in the village. Yao Dabao and Yao Dabao's grandfather were the ones he was familiar with.

I had to hum twice when I heard it.

When children aged 6 or 7 are chattering, Xiao Yan can talk for a long time without ignoring him.

"I'm not going to feed the sheep with Erma." Yao Dabao picked up some unknown grass from Xiao Yanwei from the side path and shook it, "I'm going to school, I want to be like Brother Wei Chi."

Xiao Yan didn't take the grass from his hand to take it as his own, but also shook it, "Who is Brother Wei Chi?"

"University student!" Yao Dabao became excited when he heard this, and wanted to jump around again, but Xiao Yanwei pinned his forehead.

"University student," Xiao Yanwei said softly, then smiled again, and said perfunctorily, "It's amazing."

Yao Dabao nodded, then talked about other things, and Xiao Yanwei didn't hear him.

Everyone in the village got up early, and it was just after seven o'clock when Yao Dabao came to knock on the door. Now it was less than 07:30, and there were many people on the road.

Several fellow villagers walked by with big rattan baskets on their backs, and greeted Xiao Yanwei when they met him.

They called him Teacher Xiao.

Xiao Yan waved his hands and said with a smile, "I'm not a teacher."

The fellow has a loud voice, and the voice can be heard from the east of the village to the west of the village, "Everyone who comes from the city is called a teacher!"

Xiao Yanwei was quite helpless, he was not qualified for this honorable position, but there was no other way, he raised his finger and pointed at the fellow's basket, "Are you going to the field?"

"Go to the field?" The fellow laughed and shook his head, "I'm all back now!"

Xiao Yanwei was stunned for a moment, thinking that it was so early.

"It's past seven o'clock," the fellow shook the basket, "the sun is out."

Xiao Yanwei looked under the fellow's feet, and saw that he had just returned from the field, half of his trouser legs were wet with dew, and his black cloth shoes were covered with mud.

Xiao Yan didn't nod his head, didn't ask any more questions, and continued to follow Yao Dabao.

The two met some neighbors on the way. Everyone looked at Xiao Yanwei like some rare animal that came out of the zoo, and they all came up to say hello to him. There was also a little girl who was embarrassed to come over to talk, and the cat was watching him from behind the tree.

Xiao Yanwei accepted the fact that he was viewed as a cherished animal, so he squinted his eyes and smiled.

As soon as the two of them entered the courtyard, Lao Yao came out with a bowl. When he saw him coming, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

After thinking about the messy dream of half night yesterday, Xiao Yan nodded not against his will, "Sleep well."

"I knew it," Lao Yao heard him say that he slept well, and happily put the bowl on the table, "I just dried those quilts of yours the day before."

After he finished speaking, he sent Yao Dabao to wash his hands, "Let's eat."

The dining table is placed on the kang in the house, and there is an old-fashioned rice cooker on the table, with a pot of cooked porridge in it.

Before Xiao Yan finished washing his hands, took off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the kang, he took a bowl from the table and filled it up and handed it to Lao Yao, "Don't be too busy."

Lao Yao took the bowl, sat down along the edge of the kang without taking off his shoes, sipped the porridge by the side of the bowl, "How long have you lived here?"

Xiao Yan didn't shake his head, took some vegetables with his chopsticks and stirred them into the porridge, "I don't know."

"The mountains are also clean." Lao Yao was an open-minded person who didn't ask too many questions. "It's good for people like you to cultivate themselves here."

Xiao Yanwei smiled while holding the bowl, "What kind of people are we?"

Lao Yao glanced at him, "It's hard to say."

He pushed the food on the table towards Xiao Yanwei, and smiled, "Anyway, it's different from us."

While the two were talking, Yao Dabao ran over and sat down next to Grandpa.

"If you're bored," Lao Yao rubbed Yao Dabao's head twice, "Let him take you to the mountains to have a look, it's clean, and you'll feel better after seeing it."

Xiao Yanwei was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head to drink the porridge, "I won't go to the mountains."

"Are you going to sketch in the mountains?" Old Yao asked.

Xiao Yan didn't shake his head, just said, "I'm in a good mood."

Lao Yao glanced at him, didn't continue talking, gave Yao Dabao a bowl of porridge and watched him eat.

Several people were eating when the wooden door of the outer room rang.

Lao Yao put down his bowl and was about to see who it was, when a voice came over, "Uncle Yao, are you at home?"

Lao Yao rushed to meet him, "When did you come back?"

"I arrived last night." A young man opened half the curtain and came in. "I want you to borrow a shovel."

The man was tall, his hair was cut very short, and he didn't look very old. Xiao Yan didn't put down the bowl, but he instinctively told him that this was the college student in the village, "Brother Wei Chi".

Sure enough, Yao Dabao jumped up and ran over to hug his thigh, calling Wei Chi brother affectionately.

Wei Chi tapped on Yao Dabao's forehead, "It's not big or small."

Xiao Yan didn't sit in the back, Wei Chi looked up and saw that there was only one person there, obviously stunned for a moment.

But he reacted quickly, and after a few seconds of looking at Xiao Yan, he smiled politely.

Wei Chi looks tough, with single eyelids and a high nose bridge, thin lips, and short hair that makes him look a bit fierce, but when he smiles, it makes people feel that this person is easy to touch.

Xiao Yanwei looked at him calmly, and then nodded his head as a greeting.

Wei Chi still looked at Xiao Yanwei, "Hi, I'm Wei Chi."

Before Xiao Yan opened his mouth, he wondered if he should also introduce himself, but he didn't know what to say when the words came to his mouth, he said he was a guest, he was not related to anyone.

Just when he was in trouble, Lao Yao said for him, "Xiao Yanwei, I came to sketch from the city."

Wei Chi nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He seemed to be leaving, but before turning around, he looked back at Xiao Yanwei.

Although Xiao Yanwei said that he was surrounded by people every day since then, he was the first one to be so blatant and undisguised.

Is it so new to come from the city, Xiao Yanwei thought.

However, he was not good at reading people's gaze, so he retracted his gaze and picked up the bowl to continue drinking porridge.

Lao Yao didn't see anything wrong, so he left Wei Chi here for dinner.

Wei Chi shook his head, "I have to go home and clean up, you guys eat."

Lao Yao seemed to want to keep him more, but he seemed to be afraid that Xiao Yanwei would be uncomfortable, so he only said to come over when he had time.

Wei Chi responded, said hello and left.

After Wei Chi left, Lao Yao sat down again and told Xiao Yanwei, "He lives in the courtyard next to him, and he didn't come back a while ago, saying that he has something to do at school."

"Yeah," Xiao Yanwei would come to Lao Yao's place every day at lunch time, and he really didn't notice that there were people living in the yard next to him, but he didn't care too much, "Dabao mentioned it to me in the morning."

Lao Yao glanced at Yao Dabao, shook his head and said with a smile, "Dabao just likes him."

Xiao Yanwei was facing the window in the house, looked up and looked out, Wei Chi had already entered his yard, he didn't see him again, but directly looked at a little girl.

The little girl was taken aback, and Sa Yazi ran away.

Lao Yao almost choked on the porridge in joy, and wiped his chin with his hand, "In the past, the little girls all circled around Wei Chi, but now they have to circle around you."

Thinking of Wei Chi's face, Xiao Yan nodded dispensably, "He looks like he's very attractive to young girls."