How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

The potato bobbing in the boiling water looked like a round exclamation mark.

The entire threshing ground fell into a brief silence, followed by bursts of laughter.

Xu An held up his phone, the camera almost shoving into the potato's face.

His lips twitched twice; his social anxiety instincts made him want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

But looking at the faces around me, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

He suddenly realized that the situation wasn't so awkward after all.

"that……"

Xu An picked up the strainer, which was bigger than his face, and carefully scooped up the "depth bomb".

The potato skins had cracked from being boiled, revealing the sandy yellow flesh inside.

Steaming hot.

"This doesn't look like a potato."

"Was this 'sea-stabilizing needle' fed to us by some celestial being?"

Xu An made a comment and looked at the man wearing sunglasses who had been peeling garlic.

The older brother pulled his sunglasses down a bit, revealing a pair of eyes that were red from the spiciness of the scallions.

Don't look at me.

"I just accidentally touched it."

"But I figured, since we're already in the pot, it must be fate."

"This is what you call...reunion!"

"Yes! Reunion!"

The people around started making a fuss.

Xu An shook his head helplessly and placed the cooked potato in the enamel basin next to him.

I poked it with chopsticks.

It's soft and mushy, and has a sandy texture.

"Alright."

"Since it's cooked, then it's a dish."

"Whoever grabs this 'Reunion' star later won't have to wash the dishes for this meal."

The live stream chat was instantly flooded with comments.

[ID: Starch Head]: I'm a potato person! Let go of that potato and let me have it!

[ID Dark Cuisine World]: It tastes best when cooked whole! Original flavor! This guy knows his stuff!

[ID Wants Dumplings]: Forget about the potatoes! The dumplings are floating! Quick, scoop them out!

indeed.

In that large pot, which was 1.5 meters in diameter, thousands of dumplings of various shapes had already floated to the surface.

It's white, chubby, and plump.

As the boiling water churns, it looks like a flock of cheerful little white geese.

The simple smell of scallions was gone from the air.

Instead, you get the aroma of pork fat mixed with the sweet fragrance of cooked scallions.

That's the most primal temptation for human genes when carbohydrates and fats combine.

"Dinner's ready!"

Li Daguo somehow acquired a bronze gong.

It was knocked with a "bang".

This sound is much more effective than the microphone used by company leaders for meetings.

Hundreds of people instantly formed a long queue.

They were holding stainless steel lunch boxes and disposable paper bowls.

One guy even brought out a camping cookware set.

Xu An handed her phone to the man next to her, then picked up a strainer and became the food server.

But his hands didn't shake.

One spoonful, and it's overflowing, at least twenty.

Is that enough?

"That's enough! Teacher Xu, keep your hand steady!"

"A little more soup, please! The soup will help digest the food!"

The first thing everyone did after receiving the bowl wasn't to look for a table.

There aren't that many tables in this threshing ground.

Whether they're wearing Arc'teryx or The North Face.

It doesn't matter whether you're a multi-millionaire business owner or a college student still paying off your Alipay bills.

Everyone did the same thing in perfect unison.

Find a spot against a wall.

Or find a stone mill nearby.

If all else fails, just squat on the haystack.

Tuck the hem of your down jacket between your legs.

Squat down.

This is an amazing pose.

The so-called "Asian squat".

In this posture, there are no classes, no rich or poor.

Only with a devotion to food.

As Xu An watched this scene, the tension in his heart suddenly eased.

He even felt...

This is far better than those scenes in grand hotels where people are dressed in suits and ties, holding wine glasses.

It looks much better.

"Family members."

Xu An took his phone back and pointed the camera at the spectacular "thousands of people squatting to eat" scene.

"Look carefully now."

"That's the charm of Shandong scallions and Henan pork."

Even if you are the King of Heaven.

"When we got to this bowl of dumplings..."

"It tastes better when you're squatting down to eat."

It was noon.

The warm winter sun of the Taihang Mountains shines down on everyone without reservation.

The wind stopped.

The only sounds were the slurping noises and the crisp sound of biting into a dumpling.

Xu An was also hungry.

He was holding his own enamel mug.

There were fifteen dumplings inside, each with a thin skin and a generous filling.

That was a batch that Aunt Wu specially saved for him; it was the most perfectly shaped one.

He didn't care about table manners.

I picked one up and dipped it in a little aged vinegar and chili oil.

Take a bite.

"Sizzle—"

The scalding hot broth exploded in my mouth.

The spiciness of the scallions has completely transformed into sweetness, which neutralizes the greasiness of the pork.

That feeling of satisfaction slid down the esophagus into the stomach.

It makes you want to sigh.

"handy."

Xu An spoke two words indistinctly to the camera.

In the live stream, hundreds of thousands of online viewers were completely overwhelmed.

[ID Late Night Food Porn]: I called the police! This is psychological abuse! Suddenly my takeout doesn't taste good anymore!

[ID Missing Home]: These dumplings look exactly like the ones my mom makes! The thin skin, the generous filling, and the burst of juice in every bite... Waaaaah.

[ID Electronics Guy]: Hey streamer, listen to this sound! Hundreds of people are slurping together! What kind of symphony is this?!

[ID Huixian Culture and Tourism]: @Xu An, eat slowly, don't burn yourself. Also, just a heads up, the county's garbage truck is on its way. After you finish eating, let's clean up and be responsible, civilized people.

Xu An swallowed the dumpling in his mouth and glanced at the comments section.

Number of followers: 268 million.

The increase wasn't particularly rapid, but behind each of these numbers lies a story.

They might all be souls drooling over a screen.

"that……"

"That guy who just topped the charts said he wanted to eat it."

"This really can't be sent."

"Dumplings are meant to be made, cooked, and eaten fresh."

"Those frozen ones have no soul."

"and."

Xu An glanced at the second uncle squatting next to him.

Uncle Erda was holding a bowl of dumplings, with a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) next to him.

Take a bite of dumpling, then a sip of wine.

His face was full of wrinkles, but he was smiling.

"And these dumplings are delicious."

"It's not because I'm good at cooking."

"It's because these scallions were a gift from a man from Shandong."

"This meat was given to me by Old Liu from the market."

"This firewood was collected by everyone from the back mountain."

"This water comes from a spring in the Taihang Mountains."

"It tastes just like this."

"It has a human touch."

Xu An spoke these words in a calm and unhurried manner.

There are no fancy words.

Just like this bowl of dumplings, it's simple, even a bit rustic.

But it accurately struck a chord with those who were adrift in big cities in the live stream.

[ID tearful]: Human touch... In big cities, this is more expensive than luxury goods.

【ID Wants to Go Back to the Countryside】: Xu An, can you please stop using the most cowardly tone to say the most hurtful things?

[ID Followed]: I'm a fan just for that touch of humanity!

Just then.

The guy who managed to grab the "whole potato" was holding up the potato, which had already been bitten in half.

He stood up.

His face showed a look of fearlessness in the face of death.

"Brothers!"

"I hereby declare!"

"These potatoes are stewed in dumpling soup."

"Absolutely amazing!"

"This is a tribute from starch to starch!"

"This is a hymn of carbohydrates to carbohydrates!"

The people around burst into laughter again.

The atmosphere was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

Xu An smiled too.

He squatted by the millstone, looking at the group of people who were complete strangers yesterday.

At this moment, they acted like old friends, passing each other bottles of vinegar and sharing cloves of garlic.

He suddenly understood.

Grandpa is right.

If the road is blocked, it can be repaired.

People have arrived, and they can stay.

As long as your heart is sincere.

There is no social anxiety in this world that even a bowl of dumplings cannot solve.

If there is.

Then add another cooked potato.

After lunch.

The sun was setting a little further west.

The threshing floor was not as messy as one might have imagined.

The garbage truck that Director Wang arranged hasn't arrived yet.

The tourists had already started moving on their own.

The guy wearing Arc'teryx put the disposable bowls and chopsticks into his own trash bag.

That girl who used to complain that green onions stung her eyes.

He was holding a wet wipe, carefully wiping away the oil stains on the stone mill.

There was no one in charge.

No one complained.

Everyone acted as if they were cleaning their own dining table.

Xu An wanted to help.

As a result, she was pushed away by several middle-aged women.

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Your hands are for live streaming, not for this kind of rough work!"

"Go and rest!"

"Sing us a song would be fine too!"

Xu An was pushed and staggered two steps, still clutching the Huawei Extraordinary Master device tightly in his hand.

Singing a song?

That is absolutely impossible.

Never in this lifetime.

This is terrible!

He quickly changed the subject.

The camera was pointed at the road at the entrance of the village.

There.

Li Daguo and his engineering team had just finished eating dumplings and hadn't even wiped their mouths yet.

They had already climbed back up the scaffolding.

The main structure of the cafeteria is now complete.

The speed is frighteningly fast.

"Family members."

"See that?"

"After eating our dumplings, we have more energy to work."

"This is our cafeteria."

"after."

"Fifth Aunt, Second Uncle, and Third Grandmother."

"I'm not afraid of wind or rain anymore."

Xu An's voice was very soft.

But as he looked at the steel frame, there was an unprecedented light in his eyes.

That was the light of hope.

It is also the light of responsibility.

Just then.

A special private message suddenly popped up on my phone screen.

This isn't a request for more updates, nor is it a request to promote products.

It was an unfamiliar ID, and the profile picture was of a golden wheat field.

[ID Walking Through Mountains and Rivers]: Teacher Xu, I was deeply moved after watching your live stream. I work in the charity of finding missing relatives. If you were willing to leave Xujia Village, even just to take a picture of the people on the roadside with your phone, perhaps... you could help more people like you who are waiting for a letter.

Xu An's heart skipped a beat.

Waiting for a letter.

These four words are like a needle.

It pierced the softest layer of skin in his heart.

He subconsciously touched the inside of his chest pocket.

There was no letter there.

There was only one card that his grandfather had secretly slipped to him.

That was a copy of the last money order my parents sent back that year.

The address above is blurry and unclear.

Only a few words could be vaguely discerned:

...Southwest...Teaching in rural areas...

Xu An raised his head.

Looking at the rolling Taihang Mountains in the distance.

What's on the other side of the mountain?

Is it a bustling metropolis?

Is it an endless sea of ​​people?

still is……

The answer he had always been afraid to touch?

"Xu An!"

His grandfather's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The old man was standing at the gate of the courtyard, holding the empty enamel basin in his hand.

"What are you staring at?"

"Come back quickly."

"My fifth aunt just said that."

"That black cat named 'Er Gouzi' seems to be about to give birth."

"I'm sending you to be a midwife's assistant!"

"Take your phone with you too."

"Let these country bumpkins who've never seen the world see this."

"What does the continuation of life mean?"

Xu An was stunned for a moment.

Then, he flashed that signature, slightly naive smile.

"middle!"

"Coming right away!"

Since we're not ready to go far away yet.

Let's welcome this litter of new life that's about to arrive.

after all.

Every new life.

These are all the most anticipated foreshadowing moments in this world.