Back then, San Gong would tease Xiao Mei, asking how someone so young could already be thinking about retirement.
"As long as you like it, I was worried you wouldn't adapt after coming here. This is the countryside, after all," Shen Zizhen said with a gentle smile.
Although Su Xiaotian was a country child, she had lived in the capital for several years and was accustomed to city life.
It's hard for anyone to adapt to a difficult living situation after getting used to a comfortable one.
"The air here feels very comfortable!"
Perhaps it was because she had been in the car for too long that she felt the air here was especially fresh!
The pure, unpolluted air even carried faint wisps of rice flower fragrance.
There was also a faint, unknown scent that Su Xiaotian couldn't quite describe.
But the feeling this place gave Su Xiaotian could be summed up in two words: comfortable!
Su Xiaotian felt that this trip was worthwhile; living in such a place for a while was a good choice.
She even started to wonder if she should come again during the holidays.
Or perhaps find a way to get a house here.
This place seemed very suitable for recuperation. Her grandparents were getting old, and they could retire here in the future.
But such thoughts flashed by in an instant.
Her grandparents probably wouldn't want to come here.
For the elderly, no matter how bad their hometown was, it was irreplaceable.
If her grandparents didn't stay in the capital in the future, they would most likely return to Nanling Village.
As her grandfather put it, people always return to their roots!
The reason they were willing to be outside now was, frankly, for the sake of their children's future.
Otherwise, Su Xiaotian firmly believed that her grandparents would much rather stay in their old home and live off their few acres of land.
Never mind, it was too early to think about these things now.
Moreover, it didn't seem possible to buy property here privately.
While she was thinking, Su Xiaotian and the others had already arrived at the research base.
It was called a research base, but it was actually just a large, square compound.
Behind the courtyard were neat rice fields.
Su Xiaotian recognized at a glance that the rice fields behind the courtyard were the experimental fields.
It was evident that these experimental fields were well-maintained.
Through the gate of the iron fence, one could see a small building in the courtyard, with a row of bungalows next to it, about seven or eight rooms.
Su Xiaotian speculated that the small building was likely where experiments were conducted.
And these bungalows were probably dormitories, kitchens, or the like.
"Xiaotian, we're here," Shen Zizhen said, knocking on the gate.
Were there other people here?
Su Xiaotian thought this.
But then she immediately realized that there must be people here. Uncle Shen only came a few times a year, and someone had to look after these experimental fields daily.
Soon, a man walked out from the bungalow in the furthest corner and headed straight for the gate.
When he saw who was standing at the gate, he hurried over.
He was a middle-aged man, around forty years old.
The man looked very honest and grinned when he saw Shen Zizhen, clearly pleased.
"Teacher Shen, you're here? Three days earlier than scheduled!"
His Mandarin, with a rustic accent, was a bit awkward but understandable.
The man was very respectful to Shen Zizhen, and his attitude conveyed this respect.
Seeing the luggage at Shen Zizhen's feet, the middle-aged man quickly stepped forward to help carry it.
"Yes, has everything been alright here recently?"
Shen Zizhen didn't stand on ceremony.
The luggage wasn't heavy, but he was truly exhausted from the journey.
San Gong was already carrying a lot of luggage, and he couldn't bring himself to ask Su San Gong to help with his own.
As for Xiaotian, Shen Zizhen certainly wouldn't give his luggage to a young girl.
"Xiaotian, let me introduce you. This is An Ronghua; you can call him Uncle An. When we're not here, his family helps manage the fields." Shen Zizhen paused and then asked, "Isn't Xiao Mao here?"
Xiao Mao?
Why was this name so casual?
Just as Su Xiaotian was wondering who Xiao Mao was, she heard An Ronghua speak.
"Comrade Mao went out; he said he'll be back tonight," An Ronghua replied immediately. However, Su Xiaotian felt that An Ronghua seemed to have something else to say.
Shen Zizhen was tired and just wanted to rest for a while, so he didn't notice An Ronghua's subtle change in expression.
"Xiaotian, this is my dorm. To your left is your third brother's, and to your right is your sister Xiao Mei's. You can stay in your sister Xiao Mei's room!"
Su Xiaotian agreed and said, "Okay."
"My wife just sun-dried the bedding today. The weather forecast says the next two days will be cloudy, and only today is sunny," An Ronghua said, a little nervously.
Su Xiaotian had initially worried that the climate here was humid and that the bedding might be uncomfortable to sleep on if it hadn't been sun-dried. To her surprise, An Ronghua's wife was a considerate person.
"Thank you very much. It's also thanks to you for helping us manage things; otherwise, it wouldn't be convenient for us when we arrived," Shen Zizhen said with a smile, expressing his gratitude. "I brought gifts for your two children from the capital. I'll unpack them later and have them come to collect them themselves."
Clearly, Shen Zizhen had a very good relationship with An Ronghua's family, and he seemed to like them very much.
"How can we accept this? We're just doing what we're supposed to do, and you've paid us."
"We've been traveling for several days and are hungry. Ask your wife to cook us some food," Shen Zizhen said, cutting off An Ronghua's polite refusal and directly requesting a meal.
An Ronghua patted his head and said, "I'll go right away. You must not have eaten well on your journey. I'll ask the child's mother to make something good."
After placing the luggage at Shen Zizhen's door, An Ronghua hurried towards the bungalow in the corner.
Shen Zizhen shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Xiaotian, San Gong, you two rest and wash up first. After dinner, we'll all get some good rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll be busy."
The siblings quickly agreed.
Su Xiaotian pushed open the door to the room, and the interior was clear at a glance.
The room was not large, about sixteen or seventeen square meters, a simple single room dormitory.
By the window, there was a desk and two wooden stools.
The desk was wiped clean, with a bottle of ink and a stack of manuscript paper on it; no books were visible.
Su Xiaotian guessed that the books were probably carried by her sister Xiao Mei.
After all, in this era, books were the most precious.
At the innermost part of the room was a single bed, and next to it was a large wooden cabinet.
Next to the cabinet was a washbasin stand, with a enamel basin on it. The white basin had a large red peony printed on it.
Next to the washbasin stand were a thermos and a water bucket, and the water bucket had a gourd ladle.
The small room was compact but had everything one needed, and Su Xiaotian liked it very much.