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

Xu An was woken up early the next morning by the smell.

It's not the smell of smoke from a heated kang (a traditional Chinese stove).

It didn't have that musty, stale smell either.

Instead, it has a strong, pungent scallion flavor that hits you right in the head and makes your eyes water.

The smell seemed to have grown legs, sneaking into the bed through the cracks in the door and windows.

Xu An opened his eyes groggily, feeling as if he had been marinating in a dish of stir-fried green onions and vinegar all night.

"Achoo!"

A sneeze woke me up completely.

He subconsciously touched the inner pocket of his chest.

The remittance slip is still there, warm to the touch, its hard corners digging into my skin.

Xu An let out a long breath and stuffed it in a little more.

Some things can't be rushed.

Just like Grandpa said, you have to walk one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time.

The most important task now is to set up that cafeteria.

Xu An put on the faded military overcoat and pushed open the door.

"Wow!"

As soon as he stepped outside, he was stunned by the sight before him.

The clothesline in the yard was neatly hung with... scallions.

This was definitely Grandpa's doing.

The old man hung up the remaining scallions to dry like cured meat, creating a truly spectacular scene.

"woke up?"

Grandpa was squatting by the well brushing his teeth, his mouth full of white foam.

"Hurry up and wash your face, then go check out the construction site."

"That madman Li Daguo didn't seem to sleep last night."

Xu An was taken aback.

Not asleep?

In the dead of winter, even iron can freeze brittle; how can a person survive without sleeping?

He wiped his face haphazardly; the cold water stung his skin, but it also made him feel much more refreshed.

With his Huawei MasterBook in hand, Xu An hunched over and headed out the door.

Xu An's steps froze on the spot as soon as he turned past the old locust tree at the village entrance.

His mouth was slightly open, and he didn't close it for a long time.

"Is this...is this magic?"

Yesterday it was just a foundation pit.

At this moment, a steel behemoth-like frame stands prominently in the morning light.

The red steel beams crisscross, like a giant skeleton, supporting the skyline of Xujia Village.

Although it hasn't been topped out yet, its size and imposing presence are already impressive.

If you didn't know better, you'd think a high-speed rail station was going to be built in this remote mountain valley.

On the construction site, the roar of machinery was even louder than yesterday.

The crane's boom swung in mid-air, as if conducting a silent symphony.

Dozens of workers, dressed in matching orange vests, moved about on the steel beams like industrious worker ants.

Sparks from the welding torch rained down from mid-air, denser than fireworks during the Lunar New Year.

"Teacher Xu!"

A loud shout broke Xu An's daze.

Li Daguo, sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes and holding a walkie-talkie, crawled out from a pile of steel bars.

Although he looked haggard, his eyes were frighteningly bright.

That's the excitement of the infrastructure powerhouse seeing the progress of its projects.

"How is it?"

"Is this speed acceptable?"

Xu An gave a thumbs up and exclaimed sincerely.

"middle."

"That's perfect."

"Dean Li, have you guys taken some kind of super-stretch gum? You just can't stop eating it!"

Li Daguo grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Hey, it's mainly because I ate too many dumplings yesterday."

"The brothers are full of energy, and they have nowhere to use it but tightening screws."

"At this rate, the main structure will be topped out tonight, and the walls can be built tomorrow!"

Xu An felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this the legendary "Huixian speed"?

He took out his phone, turned it on skillfully, and logged in.

Since everyone is working so hard, we have to let the whole internet see these lovely people.

"that……"

Good morning, family.

"Don't ask me why my eyes are puffy, it's because of the smell of scallions."

As soon as the live stream started, the number of viewers skyrocketed.

Although it was early in the morning, the number of online users had already steadily exceeded 300,000.

These netizens' biological clocks are now completely aligned with Xu An's.

【ID Cloud Supervisor 001】: Holy crap! Is this house photoshopped in? I only slept for six hours last night, and it's already this tall?

[ID Civil Engineering Dog]: This is Chinese infrastructure! It's so moving, I'm almost moved to tears. This steel-structure prefabricated building is incredibly efficient!

【ID: Full of Onion Flavor】: Blogger, I can smell the onion flavor on you even through the screen, hahaha!

[ID Wants Dumplings]: Are there any dumplings left from last night? I want to eat pan-fried dumplings!

Xu An pointed his camera at the busy construction site.

"See that?"

"This is our cafeteria."

"Dean Li said that the roof will be completed tonight."

"This isn't building a canteen, it's sending the village's elderly to heaven!"

As they were talking, a hunched figure slowly moved to Xu An's side.

It's Uncle Gen from the west end of the village.

Uncle Gen is over eighty years old this year. He is an old man without children, having never had any children in his life.

They usually live on a minimum living allowance, and their meals are always makeshift; they often eat the same pot of sweet potato porridge for three days straight.

At this moment, Uncle Gen was leaning on a stick, craning his neck, looking at the huge steel beam.

His cloudy old eyes were filled with confusion.

"An Wazi..."

Uncle Gen tugged at Xu An's sleeve.

His voice was hoarse and slightly lisping.

"What... what's going on here?"

"Is this huge iron frame for a theatrical performance?"

"That's great! I haven't heard Henan Opera in over ten years."

Xu An felt a lump in his throat.

He quickly helped Uncle Gen up, leaned close to the old man's ear, and shouted loudly.

"Uncle Gen!"

"This isn't a theatrical performance!"

"It's the cafeteria!"

"A place to eat!"

Uncle Gen paused for a moment, clearly not understanding the word "canteen".

In his mind, eating is done on your own stove; there's no such thing as building a big house just for eating.

"Have a meal?"

"Would everyone like to eat?"

Do you need food coupons?

The moment those three words were uttered, the chat in the live stream went silent.

【ID岁月如歌】: I'm moved to tears. The old man still remembers the food coupons.

[ID Cares for the Elderly]: People from their generation were afraid of going hungry and having nothing to eat.

[Fan of ID Xu An]: This is the meaning of building a canteen! It's not just about feeding them, it's about letting them know that the world has improved and they don't need to be afraid anymore!

Xu An held Uncle Gen's hand, which was as hard as withered tree bark, and felt a heavy weight in his heart.

"No tickets required!"

"And it's free!"

"From now on, whenever you don't feel like cooking, just come here."

"There are hot steamed buns, meat and vegetables, and a big color TV to watch movies!"

Uncle Gen understood.

The old man's lips slowly parted into a smile, revealing an innocent, childlike grin.

"That's great..."

"That's great..."

"Anwa has made something of himself and brought honor to his parents."

Xu An's body stiffened.

Parents.

These two words are taboo in Xujia Village, and everyone avoids mentioning them.

But when Uncle Gen said it, it sounded so natural.

Xu An didn't speak, but simply squeezed the old man's hand tightly.

"that……"

"Dean Li!"

Xu An suddenly shouted up.

"Leave the cafeteria door a little wider for me!"

"From now on, Uncle Gen and the others need to be able to push the wheelchair in and out smoothly!"

Li Daguo above gave an OK sign.

Don't worry!

"All accessibility features are barrier-free!"

"These blueprints were personally reviewed and approved by Academician Zhang!"

After settling Uncle Gen in, Xu An started wandering around the construction site again.

He originally wanted to go up and lend a hand, even just handing over a brick or a bottle of water would have been helpful.

As soon as he reached out, his fifth aunt intercepted him.

Aunt Wu wasn't wearing her dark blue smock today; she was wearing a dark red padded jacket instead.

It looks festive, but its aura remains powerful.

Several village women followed behind, each carrying tools.

Some were carrying brooms, some were carrying rags, and some were even carrying feather dusters.

This looks like they're going to participate in a major cleaning competition.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Fifth Aunt pushed Xu An aside with a look of disgust.

"Is this place yours?"

"That's steel bars, that's cement. What if it roughens your hands?"

"Your hand is 'insured'."

Xu An was completely bewildered.

"Purchase insurance? When did I buy insurance?"

Aunt Wu rolled her eyes and pointed to the phone in his hand.

"Those millions of netizens are watching."

"If you got a cut on your hand, wouldn't those young girls be heartbroken?"

"If everyone spat on us, it could flood our entire village!"

"Get back to live streaming now!"

"We'll take care of all the cleaning and logistics!"

After saying that, Aunt Wu waved her hand.

"Sisters! Let's go!"

Those aunties and grandmas who usually never even danced in the square suddenly unleashed an astonishing fighting spirit.

They rushed into the temporary living area on the edge of the construction site.

Some people are cleaning up the trash, while others are boiling water.

There was even an old lady who somehow got hold of a basin of hot water and insisted on washing Li Daguo's face, which was covered in ash.

Li Daguo was so frightened that he ran all over the construction site with a walkie-talkie.

"Auntie! No! Please!"

"My face is wearing smoky makeup! It's trendy!"

In the live stream, hundreds of thousands of netizens laughed until their stomachs hurt.

[ID's Strongest Support Group]: Hahahaha! Is this the violent version of the legendary "A loving mother's thread in her hand, a traveler's clothes on his back"?

[ID wants to have his face washed]: Even Dean Li has his day!

[ID: Reality of Humanity]: Xu An's current status in the family: mascot. Fifth Aunt is the real boss!

Xu An sighed helplessly as he watched this scene.

Fine.

If you're going to use it as a mascot, then so be it.

As long as this canteen can be built, as long as Uncle Gen can have a hot meal.

Let alone being a mascot.

He'd be happy to be a stone lion at the gate.

"that……"

"Family members."

"It seems I can't get involved."

"Since everyone is so enthusiastic..."

"Then I can't just sit idly by."

Xu An glanced in the direction behind the village.

That's the road leading to the back mountain, the same direction mentioned in yesterday's private message from "Walking Through Mountains and Rivers".

Maybe.

Except for Uncle Gen.

In these mountains, there are many more people waiting for a hot meal or a letter.

"Shall we go for a walk in the back mountain?"

"I remember there was an old educated youth over there who planted apple trees all his life."

"By now, the apples should all be picked. I wonder if they've been sold yet."

The comments section was filled with cheers.

[ID: I'm waiting for you in the back hill]: Let's go! Let's go take a look!

[ID Farmers' Assistance Team]: We'll buy everything from Xujia Village!

[ID Searching for Stories]: Xu An, take us to see the real winter in these mountains.

Xu An tightened his collar.

She gave the camera a signature, slightly shy smile.

"Let's go then."

"But let's make this clear first."

"What if we encounter a wild boar?"

"You guys run first, I'll cover the rear."

"after all……"

Xu An patted his military overcoat.

"My gear provides relatively high defense."

The wind blows through the folds of the Taihang Mountains.

It carries the aroma of scallions, the chill of steel, and a certain...

Hope is breaking through the soil.

P.S.: Thank you all for your love and support. I've read all the book reviews, and I'll try to avoid rambling details in the later plot, focusing on avoiding urban elements. I hope you'll give me lots of positive reviews and free gifts! If you're still looking for more, you can check out my other book, a war-themed one—I guarantee it'll make you cry, hehe!