I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 414. Rural Life
At noon, my uncle and aunt returned from the factory, and the whole family sat down together for a hearty lunch.

Although today is a statutory holiday, Yao Jianjun, as the factory director, naturally does not have the right to a holiday.

After lunch, the five girls' eagerness to wash the dishes won over the two elders, and even the aunt's gaze towards Xu Qingfan changed.

In the countryside, women are responsible for washing clothes and cooking. After finishing their meal, Grandpa and Uncle sat comfortably in their recliners picking their teeth. Xu Qingfan didn't know what to say, so he took it upon himself to feed the dogs.

"Uh-huh!"

He brought out dog food mixed with leftovers, and the two dogs, who had been dozing on the ground, immediately jumped up a meter high.

There is a starfruit tree over seven meters tall planted at the entrance of the yard. The fruit at the top is turning yellow, probably because it is too difficult to pick, so it is left to hang there.

There was also a starfruit on the ground that had been smashed and bitten a few times; it looked like the work of the two dogs.

After Xu Qingfan divided the dog food among Xiaobai and Huanggou, he set his sights on the starfruit on the tree.

He doesn't actually like eating star fruit very much; it tastes unripe and astringent, like chewing on plastic soaked in vinegar. But when he sees it on a tree, he can't help but want to pick it up.

Besides, the taste is definitely different if you pick them yourself.

"Brother Qingfan!"

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi arrived hand in hand, seemingly having been "kicked" out of the kitchen by their grandmother.

"Would you like some star fruit? I'll pick some for you," Xu Qingfan said, pointing to the star fruit on the tree.

"Hehe, okay!"

"Ok!"

Lin Wanning flashed his white teeth, and Zhang Yiyi tilted her head and winked at him.

"Wait here." Xu Qingfan was even more motivated. After handing his phone over to them for safekeeping, he rubbed his hands together and started climbing the tree with his bare hands.

Xia Xiaoxiao, Wu Lingyu, and Xiao Ruanwen soon arrived in the yard, their eyes immediately drawn to Xu Qingfan climbing the tree.

"Brother Fan, are you sure you can handle this?!"

Five women stood with their hands on their hips under the tree, waiting for him to feed them. Xu Qingfan climbed to five meters but dared not climb any further, worried that the tender branches above would not be able to support his weight.

"I threw it down, and you caught it with your hands!" He sat down on the tree trunk and reached out to hook a huge starfruit.

Seeing that there was something interesting to watch, Xiao Bai finished eating all the meat in his bowl and then looked up to watch as well.

"Brother Qingfan, I'm ready!"

"Brother Fan, aim your throw more accurately!"

Seeing that all five of them had raised their hands and were ready, Xu Qingfan tossed the starfruit down in front of them, little by little.

"I caught it!" Xia Xiaoxiao, like a victor, held up the starfruit, shook it, and then temporarily placed it on the stone table beside her.

He kept tossing them down, and the five of them nimbly caught the starfruits. Soon, the stone table was covered with large, golden starfruits.

After Xu Qingfan came down, each of them took a few in their hands, and Xu Qingfan used his shirt to cover the rest.

"Starfruit ducks will still be available in October!"

"Whee!"

In the afternoon, the village was very quiet.

The villagers were almost all asleep, the sun was scorching the earth, and there wasn't a single person or dog to be seen on the road.

After taking the star fruit home, they selected a few of the best ones, cut them into five-pointed stars, and then soaked them in ice-salt water.

Lin Wanning held two slices of star fruit in front of him. The flesh was translucent under the sunlight. He put the star fruit in his mouth and found it to be sweet and sour and very delicious.

Xiao Ruanwen didn't have as much of a sense of ritual as her. She stacked the three starfruit slices together, opened her mouth wide, and swallowed them in one gulp.

"Brother Fan, when are we going to the river to roast chicken?" she asked, her words muffled as she chewed on a starfruit.

A gentle breeze blew, and a few strands of her hair brushed against her lips.

Xu Qingfan gently reached out to help her push the melon aside. Xiao Ruanwen paused in her eating, and when her eyes met Xu Qingfan's, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

"Thank you."

She shifted her gaze somewhat guiltily, put her left foot back on the steps, and instantly became a quiet and obedient girl.

Sometimes, flirting and being flirted with happen so unexpectedly.

Because it was just a very ordinary action, even Xia Xiaoxiao didn't notice anything unusual, let alone Xu Qingfan.

After withdrawing his hand, he said, "Let's talk about it at four o'clock. After we finish eating the starfruit, let's go back and have a good sleep, and then we'll have our picnic!"

"Okay!"

"Ok!"

Six people leisurely ate starfruit in a bowl under the banyan tree. Apart from the wind, it seemed as if the world had shrunk to just their little corner.

When I returned home, the living room was empty; it seemed everyone was taking a nap.

The six of them tiptoed back to their respective rooms quickly.

Xiao Ruanwen hugged her blanket, somewhat lost in thought. Yes, she was thinking about men.

[Xiao Ruanwen, you can't let Xiaoxiao down.]
Four p.m.

The six people, fully prepared, gathered in the kitchen.

“Wan Ning, you’ve wrapped the lotus leaf upside down. Use the one without the pattern.”

"Hehe, okay!"

The six people prepared food for their upcoming picnic, wrapping the chicken and ribs in lotus leaves and then in aluminum foil.

There were also cleaned taro, potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes; they quickly used up several rolls of tin foil.

My uncle and aunt went to work as soon as they woke up, my maternal grandfather went to the village committee to have tea with someone, my maternal grandmother was in the field tending to the vegetables she had planted, and my little cousin was sent away by Xu Qingfan with a tablet computer.

So when they left carrying two full baskets, only Yao Zixin was at home, engrossed in watching Ultraman Tiga.

"Zinzi, we're going out. Be a good boy and stay home. We'll bring you roasted sweet potatoes when we get back." Xu Qingfan patted his head, but Yao Zixin didn't even look up, his eyes glued to the tablet. "I know, cousin. You guys go ahead!" He was waiting for Xu Qingfan to leave so he could sneak snacks and drinks. As for roasted sweet potatoes, he could eat those every day, so what was so special about them!

Children in the countryside are raised freely, running around in the mountains and rivers from the time they can walk, so he wasn't worried about Yao Zixin having any problems at home alone.

The old tricycle is still parked at the entrance. Although we are much better off now, the older generation is frugal and will not replace it as long as it is still rideable.

Xu Qingfan pushed the tricycle out of the yard, and Lin Wanning couldn't resist sitting on it first.

"Go, Qingfan!"

Xu Qingfan turned around, smiled at her, and waved, "Come on up, everyone."

"He's here!"

It was an old vehicle after all. After all five of them were seated on it, Xu Qingfan started riding it, and the tricycle made a creaking mechanical friction sound.

Around 4 p.m., many elderly people were already sitting at the door, watching Xu Qingfan, who was carrying five girls, with longing glances.

The roads have all been paved with smooth cement, so he can ride without any effort and no longer needs to stand up and pedal like he did when he was a child.

Perhaps it's because their economic conditions have improved, but when I came to Chuxi River, apart from the occasional old man or woman carrying buckets of manure, I didn't see anyone of their age.

Xu Qingfan guessed that his childhood playmates were probably all hiding at home online, since for people their age, nothing was more attractive than the internet.

"Xiaoyu, get on and sit down." He suddenly realized that riding the bike had become easier. He looked back and saw that Wu Lingyu had jumped off the bike at some point and was helping him push it from behind.

"Okay, I understand." Wu Lingyu nodded obediently and had no choice but to get back on the tricycle.

The tricycle traveled upstream along the stream, and soon the water level was only knee-high, with small crucian carp swimming past from time to time.

Xu Qingfan stopped at a shady spot: "Let's stop here and start building the kiln for our picnic!"

He turned around and saw that the five girls had already jumped off the car and were running in the stream in their slippers.

Xu Qingfan smiled knowingly and shouted to the five people, "Go pick up some clods of dirt first, and build the kiln properly before you play!"

"Know it!"

"Brother Qingfan, come quick and catch some fish and ducks!"

Sunlight casts shimmering reflections on the stream, and the wind makes the river transparent.

Xu Qingfan stared blankly at the scene of the five people playing and frolicking in the water, wishing that time could freeze at this moment forever.

"Brother Qingfan, come play with the duck!"

"Brother Fan, what are you still standing there for!"

"Brother, come quick!"

"coming!"

Xu Qingfan snapped out of his daze, rushed toward them, and jumped into the water.

"what!"

The splashing water reached three meters high, soaking the long skirts of the group.

"Stinky Fan-ge!"

Xiao Ruanwen, who was the first to come to her senses, splashed water on him, and the four of them joined the fight after they realized what was happening.

After Xia Xiaoxiao "accidentally" injured Lin Wanning, the scene quickly turned into a six-person melee.

6:30 in the evening.

The wet clothes had dried considerably after being baked by the earth, and the six of them soaked their feet in the stream, waiting for the kiln chicken to come out of the oven.

"Ring ring ring——"

"It's ringing! Brother Qingfan's alarm clock is ringing!" As soon as the phone alarm went off, Lin Wanning excitedly shook Xu Qingfan's arm.

"Kiln-roasted chicken!"

"Finally, we can eat!"

After nearly two hours of waiting, all six of them were starving.

"Go and have a look."

Xu Qingfan stood up, and the five of them immediately followed suit, all eager to be the first to taste the food.

He picked up the shovel from the ground, and after a few shovelfuls, the tin foil buried in the soil was quickly revealed.

Xu Qingfan scooped up one of the kiln-roasted chickens and moved it to a clean place.

After slowly peeling off the two layers of tin foil, the fragrant aroma of lotus leaves wafts out.

"Is it cooked? Can we eat it now?" Xiao Ruanwen stared at the golden chicken leg and swallowed hard.

"Brother Qingfan, can we eat now?"

Xu Qingfan picked up the chopsticks that were placed aside and poked at the bottom. The chopsticks went all the way in and no blood came out. "Hmm, this time it's cooked just right. Who wants a chicken leg?"

"I want I want!"

"I want a chicken leg!"

Since everyone is so familiar with each other, there's no need to be reserved anymore. Except for Wu Lingyu, who remained silent, the four of them eagerly raised their hands and spoke.

"Then Xiaoyu and I will each have two chicken wings." Xu Qingfan smiled knowingly at Wu Lingyu and quickly cut off a whole chicken wing with scissors and handed it to her.

"Okay, thank you, Brother Fan." Wu Lingyu happily accepted the gift, but didn't eat it first; she wanted to wait for Brother Fan to eat together.

He took out roasted chicken, spare ribs, taro, and other dishes one after another. The evening breeze carried the aroma of the food, blending it with the natural surroundings.

A vast expanse of golden, fiery clouds stretched out, while the cool stream water offered respite from the heat.

The six people held up chicken legs and wings that had been gnawed down to bones, and took a precious photo on their phones.

"yeah!"

(End of this chapter)