DGNTT chapter 62

Chapter 62

 

In the time that followed, Wu Chun’s whole being seemed as if it had been fast-forwarded. In the eyes of others, Wu Chun appeared tireless, as if all he did every day was work and only work.

 

After repairing the main road in the village, the villagers saw Wu Chun dive headfirst into the fields.

 

A year and a half later, Wu Chun’s small silkworm house yielded its first harvest of silkworms. Overall, it was quite a success. Wu Chun calculated the profits, and just the revenue from these few silkworm houses exceeded the annual income of a single farming household in the village.

 

Not to mention that silkworms could be raised twice a year, generally in spring and early autumn. In the remaining time, other work could be done to earn more money.

 

Overall, it was more profitable than purely farming.

 

The demonstration by Wu Chun worked well, and gradually the villagers began to follow suit.

 

In a short time, the once-cropland-only lands saw an increasing number of silkworm houses, and large fields of mulberries began to appear.

 

The mulberries in the fields were not sold. The entire mulberry field was open, and once the season arrived, groups of children carrying bags would dash into the mulberry fields, emerging stained purple from head to toe.

 

In the second year of large-scale mulberry planting, Wu Chun once again applied for funding from above. This time, he intended to extend the road to the doorstep of every household.

 

Perhaps due to the need for business exchanges, the village responded enthusiastically to this road repair project. Almost on the first day, the entire village had paid the required amount, and the construction began shortly after.

 

Some trees had to be cut down to widen the road.

 

When the trees fell, Wu Chun felt a strange feeling he couldn’t describe. He had lived so long that he was deeply connected to trees.

 

His acquaintance, bond, and love with Xu Shi Yao were all inseparable from the word “tree.”

 

In recent years, life in the village has improved. Most households could afford to burn coal in the winter, and the days of secretly cutting down trees for firewood had long passed.

 

The villagers were very warm to Wu Chun, and this warmth was especially reflected in their eagerness to matchmake him.

 

In their eyes, Wu Chun was nearing 30 and still single, often too busy to even eat a hot meal. As a grown man, it was hard for him to take good care of himself. There was a time when up to ten or more matchmakers would come knocking on his door every day.

 

In the end, Wu Chun could no longer withstand this “enthusiasm” and retreated to the Shili mountain for a few days.

 

After his grandfather passed away, Wu Chun had been living alone at home. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about going to Ten Miles Mountain, but in his current position, there were some things that couldn’t be resolved just by wanting to leave.

 

Some villagers would come knocking on his door late at night with trivial matters.

 

Although Wu Chun couldn’t go up the mountain, Xu Shi Yao could come down.

 

Even though this made things difficult for Xu Shi Yao, as he had to return every half hour, Wu Chun never saw any signs of fatigue on Xu Shi Yao’s face. It was as if Xu Shi Yao had the ability to heal Wu Chun’s bitterness and carry the weight of his hardships without complaint.

 

Over the past few years, with Wu Chun running on “fast-forward,” he felt guilty about his relationship with Xu Shi Yao.

 

Wu Chun had overestimated himself. Human energy is limited; if too much of it is given to one thing, it is bound to reduce the energy available for something else.

 

Looking back over the past three or four years, Wu Chun realized that each time he came home, he would collapse onto Xu Shi Yao. In the beginning, he could force himself to chat with Xu Shi Yao for a bit, but as the work piled up and Wu Chun grew more exhausted, he would fall asleep as soon as he rested against Xu Shi Yao’s embrace.

 

Wu Chun couldn’t imagine how many times Xu Shi Yao had to travel back and forth between Ten Miles Mountain and their home during those nights when he was fast asleep. Nor could he imagine how Xu Shi Yao, who had spent the whole day in the trees, finally made it to the evening only to spend it watching him sleep.

 

It wasn’t just Wu Chun who carried the burden of fatigue and hardship—Xu Shi Yao bore his share too, but he never asked Wu Chun to slow down.

 

Wu Chun had once asked Xu Shi Yao about this and still remembered his response.

 

“The things that need doing are there. I want you to finish them while you’re still young and have the energy.”

 

However, when Wu Chun became too tired, Xu Shi Yao would sometimes scold him.

 

Wu Chun was like that—he would accumulate exhaustion all day, then return home to the warmest embrace.

 

But in the eyes of those who didn’t know better, it looked like Wu Chun was pitiful and all alone.

 

Unable to bear it any longer, Wu Chun took Xu Shi Yao back to Ten Miles Mountain.

 

Wu Chun didn’t care; as long as he had Xu Shi Yao, he could sleep anywhere and sleep peacefully. But after just a few days on the mountain, the old village chief came looking for him.

 

Wu Chun, enjoying a rare day off, leaned idly against a pine tree, holding a book.

 

“Haven’t been sleeping at home these days?”

 

Wu Chun opened his eyes and, upon seeing who it was, chuckled softly and teased, “That place isn’t home anymore—it’s a tourist attraction. Do you know how many people visit every day?”

 

The old village chief couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“But it’s true, you’re not getting any younger. It’s about time you found a wife.”

 

Wu Chun shrugged helplessly.

 

At first, Xu Shi Yao didn’t know what matchmaking meant, but after Wu Chun explained it, Xu Shi Yao’s face changed faster than flipping a book.

 

As expected, for some men, possessiveness is ingrained in their soul. Even after Wu Chun explained that the villagers were simply worried because he was always alone, Xu Shi Yao still cared deeply.

 

It wasn’t their fault—after all, no one knew Xu Shi Yao existed.

 

But Xu Shi Yao, for the first time, was so petty.

 

Wu Chun didn’t dwell on those days. He jumped down from the tree, glanced at the tree behind him, and sighed.

 

“What’s wrong?” the old village chief asked.

 

Wu Chun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, “Stop trying to matchmake me. I’m doing just fine, really.”

 

The old village chief smiled and dropped the topic. Together, they stood looking at the village below, which had undergone a near-total transformation.

 

It turned out that changing a place wasn’t as hard as it seemed—or perhaps it was because someone had taken on the difficulty.

 

“I was right about you. These past few years have been exhausting, haven’t they?”

 

“Not too bad. Occasionally a bit tired,” Wu Chun replied with a smile.

 

“What are your plans next?”

 

“Two more things,” Wu Chun replied without hesitation. “After that, I’ll retire.”

 

“Retire?”

 

“Yeah.” Wu Chun exhaled softly. “I’ve done just about everything I set out to do, like you said. My abilities have reached their limit. Selfishly, I want to leave some time for myself.”

 

…

 

However, even with just two tasks, Wu Chun took nearly five years to complete them.

 

First, he planned the village’s land, determining what could be grown in certain areas and introducing some commercially valuable fruits and crops. Just this task took Wu Chun three years.

 

For the remaining two years, Wu Chun focused on one thing: introducing small processing points into the village.

 

Wu Chun realized that whatever was done was seasonal; after the busy season, the men in the village would typically go out to work while the women stayed home.

 

He had heard them say more than once how nice it would be if there were things to do during that time.

 

Thus, Wu Chun devised this plan. Two years later, he introduced a small paper packaging processing factory to the village. Lacking space, he used the village committee’s courtyard.

 

Though the wages weren’t high, it helped cover the family’s living expenses.

 

Almost every household in the village built red brick houses, and the whole village moved upward, leaving behind the old, dilapidated houses at the bottom.

 

More than once, someone mentioned clearing that area for some use.

 

The land needed to be cleared, but Wu Chun felt a bit emotional about it.

 

The earthen houses in his memory, the big tree in front, and the narrow dirt road—what he once hated and wanted to change would one day become something he missed.

 

As the village grew newer, it meant that Wu Chun and the others were growing older.

 

Wu Chun had always lived in the old house left by his grandfather. Whenever it rained, water would leak from the corners of the roof. People often urged him to rebuild, and each time, Wu Chun would respond with a smile, “I will build one.”

 

Then, amidst everyone’s confusion, Wu Chun built a modest house on the mountain.

 

While everyone was puzzled, Wu Chun did something that shocked everyone.

 

He resigned from the position of village chief.

 

Wu Chun explained that after years of overexertion, he could no longer handle the job and assured the villagers that they could still come to him for help if needed.

 

Although the villagers were reluctant, they chose to respect Wu Chun’s decision.

 

With more free time, Wu Chun began to cultivate flowers and vegetables on the mountain.

 

Others were puzzled about what was so great about the place on the mountain; not only was the road difficult to traverse, but the land was also uneven.

 

In response to this confusion, Wu Chun just smiled.

 

He remembered the night he made his decision, standing with Xu Shi Yao, looking at the brightly lit village.

 

Xu Shi Yao asked him, “Have you made up your mind?”

 

“Mm.” Wu Chun nodded. “I can only do this much. The village needs more advanced ideas and talents in the future; I’ve fallen behind.” As he spoke, Wu Chun turned to Xu Shi Yao and smiled gently.

 

“I can now devote all my energy to you, but…” Wu Chun paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was somewhat subdued, “I’m old.”

 

Especially in recent years, Wu Chun felt he was aging particularly quickly.

 

At not yet forty, a third of his hair had turned white, and he looked more like an uncle than ever.

 

In contrast, Xu Shi Yao still looked the same as when Wu Chun first saw him at eighteen.

 

Xu Shi Yao reached out and gently pulled Wu Chun into his embrace. He hadn’t yet spoken when he heard Wu Chun laugh softly.

 

“But this also means I’m getting closer to you.”

 

“Hmm?” Xu Shi Yao was momentarily taken aback until he heard Wu Chun explain, “Aging brings one closer to death. I’m not afraid of death at all; in fact, death is like a sword to me, slicing through the barriers between us.”

 

Wu Chun leaned against Xu Shi Yao’s chest and quietly asked, “Do you think I’ll forget you after I die?”

 

Wu Chun was not afraid of death; rather, he feared the things he could not control afterward.

 

The first thing one does after death is confront their attachments in life. Wu Chun glanced at Xu Shi Yao, his attachment being Xu Shi Yao himself. He raised his hand and gently caressed the other’s cheek.

 

“Attachments shouldn’t be forgotten, right? So I will remember you, won’t I?”

 

“It’s okay.” Xu Shi Yao smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on Wu Chun’s forehead, saying tenderly, “I will remember.”