C16

Chapter XVI Home

Wang Hao's home was in a mountain village in the southwest. There was no railway in his hometown, so he had to take the train several times before he could get there. After going back and forth for more than three days, Wang Hao once again returned to this place where he was born and raised. There was no bustle of the city, no traffic or complicated roads. It was summer time, and the lush green rice, golden wheat, and lush mountains were all filled with the sounds of children playing by the river.

Wang Hao quickened his pace as he walked towards his house. Rows after rows of old houses made of wood and tiles appeared in front of him, because his hometown was filled with firewood. After smoking for a long time, the eaves of the houses were a bit dark.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home!" Wang Hao impatiently said as soon as he arrived at the door.

It was the voice of my brother, "Mother, my brother is back," and as he said it, a bigger young man than me came crashing down off the counter, and then he heard footsteps in the kitchen and knew it was his mother coming out of the kitchen. "You know you're back, and you don't know you're back this week for four or five years," my mother scolded him in a happy tone.

"Mom, I'm back. Where's my dad?" Wang Hao looked around but didn't see his father.

"Your dad is out feeding the cows. He's going to plow the fields in the afternoon."

The warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time filled Wang Hao's heart. It was good to be at home. A moment later came the voice of the father, "Back" — simple words, containing a thousand words of the father's, who took a drag from his cigarette and went into the house.

"Dad, this is a good wine I bought for you. I didn't buy any cigarettes, so you should cut down on your cigarettes. Drinking some wine every day is also better than smoking." Wang Hao said as he opened his bag and took out the wine he bought for his father.

His father took the wine that Wang Hao bought for him, feeling happy in his heart, knowing that his son would also buy things for him, "What are you buying for me, it's not easy for you to be alone outside, it's fine if you have the money, we're at home, we're not short on anything, the wine we make at home is not even finished yet, your mother made it," his father said with a smile.

After lunch, Wang Hao accompanied his father to plow the farmlands. Because the village was a mountainous area, there were no advanced machines, and it was an old-fashioned cattle plow. After catching up with his father, Wang Hao helped him carry the plow into the fields.

In the evening, when they heard that Wang Hao had returned, their relatives and friends all came to visit. They chatted and chatted about their family's daily life outside the house. Of course, there were relatives who asked, "Did you find a wife?" When did you bring it back for us to see "When are we getting married"? And so on and so forth. My mother would also look over at them from time to time. My father was happily discussing something with others.

The next day, when they heard that Wang Hao had returned, their good friends from before all agreed to go to the town together for a drink. After eating for a while, everyone began to chat about their changes over the years, who was going to get married, who was secretly in love with her, who was with whom, who was with whom in primary school, who was earning how much wheat, rice, etc. At the same time, they surrounded Wang Hao asking about college life, how it was like outside, how it was like in a big city, and so on.

Wang Hao had already returned home very late, and he had also drunk quite a bit. He was a bit drunk as well, and after lying in bed, he thought about himself and his family, but now, he didn't even know how much more danger he was in while waiting. Bringing his family along would only bring danger to his family, but how to arrange his family, how to tell his family about the life he wanted to live … As he thought about it, Wang Hao entered into a dreamland that he hadn't dreamt for a long time. This was because he usually meditated instead of sleeping.

At night, Wang Hao slept soundly and also had a good dream. He dreamt of living happily with his family in a secluded paradise.

In order to think more about his family before he left, Wang Hao went to the mountains to chop firewood the next morning after breakfast. In order to prepare enough firewood for his family to survive the winter. In the past, the villagers only lived in the outskirts of the forest. According to the elders, there were immortals living in the depths of the forest, as well as beasts that were raised by immortals.

His main purpose was to go to the depths of the mountain to find the legendary deities, because he knew that there might be people like him that were cultivating in the depths of the mountain. After leaving home, Wang Hao and a few others who were jumping around had already arrived at the edge of the forest, because no one would go into the mountain during the current season. Wang Hao was not afraid of others discovering that the forest was not easy to walk on. Wang Hao was basically jumping from tree branch to tree branch.

Soon, Wang Hao arrived at a place where the villagers basically never came …