Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 461 Yunlai Town (Bonus Chapter Due to Accident - Thanks to Iron Brother for the Alliance Leader)

Zhou Yi's maternal grandparents are still alive. They are genuine farmers who have spent their entire lives farming in the countryside.

The elderly couple had five children: three daughters and two sons. Zhou Yi's mother, Zhang Qiuxia, was the eldest daughter, and the other two were younger brothers and two younger sisters.

In the early days, rural areas were different from cities. Rural people cared more about having more children than city people because population meant labor force. The most traditional mindset was to have more children and cultivate more land. Families with few children would be looked down upon.

So five children in the Zhang family isn't considered a lot. Zhou Yi heard from her maternal grandmother that the most children a family in the village had was nine.

Fortunately, Zhou Yi's generation practiced family planning, otherwise that family would have had even more members.

My maternal grandmother's home is located at the foot of Yunxia Mountain, in a place called Xiaguang Village, Yunlai Town, Yunshan County.

Grandpa said that when he was a child, this place was called Xiaguang Village, which was a very nice name.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, when local people were registering information, the person in charge of the registration at the time didn't know how to write the character "霞" (xiá), so he wrote it as "下光村" (xiàguāngcūn), and that name has been used ever since.

This made Zhou Yi feel very sorry, after all, the name Xiaguang Village was so beautiful.

He told Lu Xiaoshuang about it on the way, and Lu Xiaoshuang also felt very sorry because the name Xiaguang Village was so evocative.

“It’s alright, in the countryside people value humble names so that their children are easier to raise,” Zhou Yi said.

"But I think Auntie's name is very nice, Qiuxia, the sunset in autumn."

"The rosy clouds are because of Yunxia Mountain, can you guess what autumn is because of?"

Lu Xiaoshuang thought for a moment and asked, "Spring, summer, autumn, winter? In order? That doesn't seem right. You said Auntie is the eldest daughter, so in order she should be called Chunxia."

"My aunt's name is Zhang Chunxia."

As soon as Zhou Yi said that, Lu Xiaoshuang understood: "It's based on the season. Your mother was born in the autumn, so the name is Qiuxia (Autumn Glow)."

“Clever! My mom’s name is Zhang Qiuxia, my second aunt’s name is Zhang Dongxia, and my youngest aunt’s name is Zhang Chunxia. You can tell which season they were born just by hearing their names. So they sound nice, but they’re actually just following the same logic as rural naming practices.”

"And what about your two uncles? What are their names?"

"Guess it."

Lu Xiaoshuang thought for a while and said, "If our daughter is named with the character 'Xia' (霞), then I guess our son should be named with the character 'Yun' (云)."

Zhou Yi smiled but remained silent.

Lu Xiaoshuang's confidence soared, and she continued to guess: "Since your aunt and uncles named their children after the four seasons, your uncles should follow a similar logic, right? So your two uncles might be named Zhang Qiuyun, or Zhang Yunxia, ​​or something like that?"

"Is that right?" Lu Xiaoshuang asked.

Zhou Yi smiled and shook his head: "You guessed half right. Their names do contain the character 'cloud,' but the other character has nothing to do with the seasons."

"What's it called?" Lu Xiaoshuang asked curiously.

Zhou Yi said, "My eldest uncle is named Zhang Yuncai, and my second uncle is named Zhang Yunbao."

Lu Xiaoshuang read it aloud and then burst out laughing: "So it means bringing in wealth and treasures."

"That's right, it's for bringing in wealth and treasures."

The long-distance bus soon arrived at Yunshan County, and then the two transferred to a public bus to Yunlai Town. When they arrived in town, Zhou Yi's uncle would come to pick them up in a tractor.

Zhou Yi's two maternal uncles and two aunts, except for his youngest aunt who married and moved to the provincial capital, all lived in Wuguang.

My second aunt married someone from the next village, while my eldest uncle stayed in the area to drive a tractor and haul goods, mainly bricks for the town's brick kilns.

After graduating from junior high school, my uncle went to work in the city with other villagers. Later, he got into the aquatic products business and settled down in the city.

The salted fish that Zhou Yi threw away when he moved was a gift from his second uncle.

Zhou Yi went to ask about the bus departure time, and found that the bus that passed through Xiaguang Village would not depart for another half hour.

Seeing that the sun was a bit too strong, Zhou Yi found a shady spot under a tree, put the woven bag on the ground, and let Lu Xiaoshuang sit for a while.

Lu Xiaoshuang watched him run towards the convenience store next door, and after a while, he ran back with two popsicles in his hand.

"Here, have an ice pop." Zhou Yi tore open the packaging and handed an ice pop to Lu Xiaoshuang.

Lu Xiaoshuang sat while Zhou Yi stood, enjoying the gentle breeze under the shade of a tree. Neither of them spoke, and despite the passing crowds, they felt a profound sense of peace.

After a while, Lu Xiaoshuang said, "I remembered my dad. One summer when I was little, he took a ride with someone who was passing by to town to buy something. When he came back, he brought me an ice pop. In order to prevent the ice pop from melting, he also brought an old cotton-padded coat that he wore in winter. He wrapped the ice pop inside the coat, tied it tightly with a rope, and then hid it in his clothes."

“He walked more than ten miles back under that blazing sun. When he took off his cotton-padded coat, the popsicle hadn’t melted yet.” Lu Xiaoshuang smiled slightly. “I’ve never eaten such a sweet and delicious popsicle in my life. I didn’t understand when I was a child, but I realized what that popsicle meant when I grew up.”

Lu Xiaoshuang's recounting of her childhood memories touched Zhou Yi, but it also reminded him of Xu Liu.

Everyone is born as a blank sheet of paper; the environment in which this paper is placed will determine the colors it bears.

“After we watch the sunrise, and return to Hongcheng in a couple of days, I’ll take leave to accompany you back to see your parents,” Zhou Yi said.

Lu Xiaoshuang nodded.

Amidst laughter, Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang both saw a group of young people approaching from not far away. The group consisted of both men and women, dressed in bright and stylish clothes. Compared to the simple surroundings, they seemed somewhat out of place and were clearly not locals.

They looked to be around twenty years old, so they must have come together to have fun.

Besides Yunxia Mountain, there's not much else to do here.

Although Zhou Yi would spend ten days to half a month at her maternal grandmother's house almost every summer before going to university, she had never actually climbed Yunxia Mountain.

This is mainly because the development of the Yunxia Mountain tourist area has only been around for less than five or six years.

When he was a child, Yunxia Mountain didn't have many tourists because there wasn't even a proper hiking trail. Those who would come up the mountain were usually local hunters and herb gatherers.

Later, the local government began to invest in the development of Yunxia Mountain Scenic Area, which began to gain popularity in the area, and gradually more and more people started to visit.

However, due to the limitations of the times, the Yunxia Mountain Scenic Area is still relatively primitive and simple, and has not yet formed an industrial structure.

Because more than a decade later, after information spread rapidly through the Internet, Yunxia Mountain Scenic Area quickly became a well-known tourist attraction in the province.

At the foot of the mountain, Xiaguang Village has also begun to rely on the mountain for its livelihood. The villagers no longer farm, but open small shops, homestays, sell local specialties, and so on, making a village that was almost devoid of young people prosperous again.

Zhou Yi's two uncles later made a living from this.

However, Xiaguang Village is still an ordinary rural village.

Zhou Yi saw a tall boy in the group of young people run to the station to ask for directions. He seemed to be the leader, and then came back to tell the others how to get there.

Judging from this, I guess I'll be riding in the same car as them.

Sure enough, when the train arrived at the starting station, Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang boarded first, and then the group of young people followed suit.

When they got on the bus, Zhou Yi counted them and found there were eight people.

They all sat at the very back, chattering away as soon as they got on the bus, eating snacks and gossiping.

From their conversation, Zhou Yi learned that they were students from the same university and had come to climb Yunxia Mountain together during their summer vacation.

There are two couples here, and two men and two women who are not in a romantic relationship.

But Zhou Yi couldn't tell which school it was because they didn't mention the specific school name or address.

Two single girls happened to sit behind Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang. One of the girls accidentally dropped her hair clip on the ground, which landed right next to Lu Xiaoshuang's feet.

After Lu Xiaoshuang picked up the hair clip and returned it to the other person, the other person took the initiative to chat with Lu Xiaoshuang and even handed her a small snack.

"Is this your boyfriend?" The long-haired girl sitting behind Lu Xiaoshuang asked, glancing at Zhou Yi.

Lu Xiaoshuang gave a soft "Mmm". "He's quite handsome, but he looks a bit old."

Zhou Yi hadn't originally intended to participate because these people started chatting and eating as soon as they got on the bus, making a racket that gave everyone a headache.

But the first half of the sentence was praising himself, so how did the second half turn into a dig at him?

Even if I was reborn and my mental age is a bit older, my body is definitely 23 years old. How can I be old?
The girl then asked, "Are you also going to Yunxia Mountain?"

Before Zhou Yi could speak, Lu Xiaoshuang seemed a little displeased and said indifferently, "No, we're visiting relatives."

Then he stopped paying attention to the other person.

The girl seemed to notice the change in Lu Xiaoshuang's attitude, said "oh" and then turned back to chat with her friend.

Lu Xiaoshuang leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Officer Zhou, don't listen to her nonsense. You're very young, not old at all."

A smile appeared on Zhou Yi's lips.

The bus ride from the county to the town took more than forty minutes, swaying and rattling. These college students clearly lacked life experience; they were laughing and joking for the first half of the journey and ate a lot of food. But the road was so bumpy that they became sick halfway through the trip, looking embarrassed and silent.

Two of them even couldn't help but rush to the window and vomit.

Zhou Yi shook his head helplessly. "Little brat."

After finally arriving in Yunlai Town, as soon as the ticket seller opened the door, the group of people couldn't wait to get off and breathe some fresh air.

A boy bumped into Zhou Yi, but instead of apologizing, he didn't even give her a look of remorse.

After they all got out of the car, Zhou Yi led Lu Xiaoshuang out of the car and then began to look for his uncle in the surrounding area.

At that moment, he heard the college students talking nearby.

"Yao Li, you throw up like this just from riding in a car, your health is really too poor."

"Exactly, how can you come up the mountain with us like this? Why don't you just stay at the foot of the mountain, so as not to be a burden to us later?"

A group of young people were talking to a boy who had just gotten off the bus and was vomiting so badly that his face had turned pale.

The boy was clearly embarrassed. He wiped his mouth and explained, "I ate too much on the bus, and the road was too bumpy, so I threw up."

A handsome young man said with some disdain, "Shen Chunlin ate even more than you, and she didn't throw up. You're just making excuses. We're going to climb an undeveloped area, and you'll really hold us back."

The pretty girl next to the handsome boy tried to smooth things over, telling everyone to keep quiet and ask how to get up the mountain first.

Zhou Yi looked around but couldn't find his uncle. Hearing their conversation, he couldn't help but frown.

He didn't want to get involved, but he was afraid something bad might happen later, so he walked over to the group.

"Are you guys planning to climb Yunxia Mountain?"

The handsome young man glanced at Zhou Yi and asked warily, "What?"

"I see there are many of you, so I wanted to tell you that there are professional tour guides in town who can accompany you. They provide transportation and can cover the purchase of tickets to scenic spots and accommodation—a one-stop service. You can give it a try."

Several young people responded with an "oh," but only the pretty girl said thank you.

Seeing that they remained unmoved, Zhou Yi could only remind them again: "I have a suggestion for you. When you go up the mountain, it's best to take the scenic route and avoid the undeveloped areas, as they are very dangerous."

Upon hearing this, the handsome young man immediately bristled, his face darkening as he retorted, "Hey, bro, who do you think you are? A cop? What business is it of yours to tell us what to do with each other?!"

Upon seeing their attitude, Zhou Yi immediately lost interest in them; good advice is useless against those damned devils.

He turned around and walked away.

Just then, the pretty girl caught up with them: "Um..."

Zhou Yi turned his head and asked coldly, "What, is there something else?"

"I'm sorry, my boyfriend has a bit of a temper. I apologize on his behalf."

Seeing that the girl's attitude was good, Zhou Yi's expression softened: "There's no need to apologize, but I advise you to talk to the other classmates properly. Don't do anything risky, don't use ignorance to prove your courage, and have a sense of awe for nature."

The girl bit her lip, nodded, said thank you, and turned back to the boy.

Zhou Yi could vaguely hear the boy complaining about something.

Zhou Yi returned to Lu Xiaoshuang's side, and Lu Xiaoshuang asked, "Brother Zhou, are you alright?"

Zhou Yi glanced at the group of people and said, "I hope they're alright."

"Zhou Yi! My great-nephew!" A voice suddenly rang out from afar.

Lu Xiaoshuang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a chubby, bald man running towards them with a beaming smile, shouting as he ran.

Upon seeing him, Zhou Yi immediately smiled and said, "He is my maternal uncle."

He immediately waved and called out, "Uncle!"

Zhou Yi's maternal uncle, Zhang Yuncai, was only two years younger than Zhou Yi's mother and was the second child in the Zhang family. However, due to years of hard work, his skin was dark and he was bald, making him look older than Zhang Qiuxia.

"You've been waiting anxiously, haven't you?" the eldest uncle asked with a chuckle. "Oh, so this is the girl your mother was talking about, right? Her name is... Xiao..."

"Hello, Uncle, I am Lu Xiaoshuang."

"Yes, yes, Xiaoshuang. Zhou Yi, you're so lucky. Just as you all said, you're really beautiful."

Lu Xiaoshuang smiled shyly.

“Uncle, we just arrived too, perfect timing,” Zhou Yi said.

"Come on, give me the stuff. Your grandparents got up early this morning to kill a chicken and cook." The eldest uncle said, reaching for two large bags on the ground. "What are these things? They're so heavy."

"One bag contains the things we're going to use to watch the sunrise up the mountain, and the other woven bag mainly contains the sausages and cured meats my mom asked me to bring. Uncle, let me do it."

"It's okay, it won't sink."

From Yunlai Town to Xiaguang Village, after walking along a cement road for a while, it turned into a gravel road, and then after walking for a while, it turned into a dirt road.

Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang sat in the back of the tractor, which made a "putt-putt-putt" sound, accompanied by the shaking of the vehicle.

“Nephew’s wife, although this truck is used for hauling bricks, I wiped it down before I came, so it’s not dirty,” the uncle driving in front shouted.

You can't drive a tractor without being loud, because it's so loud you have to shout at the top of your lungs.

“Uncle, it’s not dirty. My parents were sent-down youth. My home is much more remote than yours. I grew up rolling around in the dirt.” Lu Xiaoshuang said loudly.

"Good, good, a girl who can endure hardship is good, she's reliable," the uncle said with a hearty laugh.

Zhou Yi said, "When I was little, every time I came to my maternal grandparents' house, my eldest uncle would pick me up in a tractor. It was a shaky ride, and sometimes I would fall asleep in the tractor. When I opened my eyes, we would be at my grandparents' house."

Looking at the happiness on his face as he spoke, Lu Xiaoshuang felt as if she could see him as a young boy sitting on this tractor.

She began to softly hum the nursery rhymes her mother used to hum to her when she was a child.

"Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, to Grandma's bridge."

"Grandma, Grandma, Grandma smiles at me."

"Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye..."

Many years ago, on the same road, on the same tractor, a boy seemed to hear a nursery rhyme echoing...

(End of this chapter)