Acai's Sky

Chapter 921 Taibai Village in the Morning Light

Early in the morning, just as the sun was rising, Ah Cai returned to Taibai Village. As she gazed at the crimson sun, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

Ah Cai suddenly remembered that she had brought back many commemorative items from fifty years ago, and she could go to the big restaurant to give some local specialties to several elders in the village.

Ah Cai walked into the large dining room, where many elderly people were already dining. When they saw Ah Cai come in, they all smiled with joy and greeted her warmly.

Village Chief Rong put down his chopsticks, stood up, and asked with a smile, "A Cai, are you back from your mission? I heard you arrived in the village yesterday, so why are you only out today?"

Ah Cai couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Every time she returned to the village after completing a mission, the first person to greet her was always Village Chief Rong.

She smiled and replied, "Hello, Village Chief Rong! I've been busy since I came back yesterday, so I just came out today."

Village Chief Rong nodded and continued, "Ah Cai, you're always so proactive on every mission. You're such a good kid. By the way, where did you go on this mission?"

Ah Cai briefly recounted her mission experience, then said, "After returning from this mission, I was anxious to go to school to redeem my credits. Every time I complete a mission, I dream of going to school to study and get a certificate."

At this time, Grandma Teng also stood up, took Acai's hand and asked her to sit down.

Grandma Teng said kindly, "This child has been a good student since he was young. He will definitely have a great future!"

Ah Cai smiled a little embarrassedly, then held up two fingers and said excitedly, "I got two university diplomas this time, one from the Department of Fine Arts and one from the Department of History."

Grandma Wang quickly poured Ah Cai a glass of milk and said, "Hurry up and make up for it. You must have suffered a lot. Just study hard!"

When Tong Jiajiu heard that Acai was coming to the big restaurant to eat, he couldn't help but feel happy. He knew that Acai had a big appetite, so he hurriedly brought out some easily digestible food from the kitchen and hurriedly sent it over.

"Hey, this is specially made for you," Tong Jiajiu said with a smile on his face, "I heard that you have a big appetite now, so I made some extra so you can eat more."

Ah Cai's eyes widened when she heard this, and she muttered to herself: Who is this person? How could he ruin her reputation? Her appetite is obviously normal!

However, seeing Tong Jiajiu's enthusiasm, Ah Cai didn't know what to say and could only casually respond, "Yeah, it's true that your appetite will increase significantly when you first start practicing body refining. After all, you consume too much energy!"

After saying that, Acai couldn't wait to start tasting the delicious food sent by Tongjiajiu.

She first tasted the peach gum stewed with milk, and felt that the rich milk aroma and the sweetness of the peach gum were perfectly blended, with a mellow taste that was very memorable.

Then, she scooped a spoonful of peach gum snow fungus stewed in milk. The delicate snow fungus melted in the mouth, bringing a silky and smooth feeling that made people intoxicated.

"Is there much peach gum left?" Ah Cai asked casually while eating.

Tong Jiajiu nodded quickly and replied with a smile, "There's still quite a bit left. We had a great harvest in the Peach Blossom Land. We brought back a lot of peach gum and haven't even finished a whole gourd yet."

At this time, Grandma Sun, who was sitting next to her, also picked up a celery and pork steamed dumpling, put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly.

Overhearing the conversation between Ah Cai and Tong Jiajiu, she couldn't help but interrupt, "Your chef stews this peach gum for us every day. It tastes really good, and I heard that peach gum has the effect of nourishing the skin!"

The wall clock chimed seven times, and the display screen embedded in the wall began to broadcast the morning news.

Everyone ate while watching the morning news.

Uncle Jiang explained to Doctor Hu beside him, "Tsk tsk, the foreigners are going crazy and confronting us. They're banding together to challenge us, but what's the point of their challenge?"

The international news was broadcasting foreign parliamentarians arguing at the United Nations, and the camera swept across the protest signs held in the audience.

Uncle Jiang pushed his glasses up his nose and poked his chopsticks towards the TV. "These foreigners are just too full to handle! Do they have the right to dictate what our ancestors left us?"

Doctor Hu came over with an enamel pot in hand, his glasses misted over. "That's right. Last time I met a blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner in town. He insisted that the old locust trees in our Taibai Village were the species from his hometown..."

Ah Cai was just about to put a piece of peach gum into her mouth when she heard this and laughed: "Doctor Hu, you should let him see the genealogy in our village ancestral hall. The records of the planting of locust trees alone are three pages long."

As he spoke, he scooped another spoonful of milk. The peach gum at the bottom of the bowl swayed, reflecting the sunlight outside the window, like half a piece of melted amber.

The sun outside was getting higher and higher. Children's laughter and noises could be heard from the threshing ground. A rooster from somewhere was crowing at the foot of the wall, pecking the morning light into pieces.

Tong Jiajiu brought another basket of steamed yams from the kitchen and placed it on the table while it was still steaming hot. "Eat slowly, there's more in the pot."

Ah Cai took a bite of the yam, and the dense sweetness mixed with the aroma of milk melted in her mouth. She suddenly felt that this was the taste of being home - not the delicacies from the outside, but the hustle and bustle in the big restaurant, the gossips of the elderly, and the warm sweetness of the peach gum swaying in the porcelain bowl.

The news on TV was still on. Uncle Jiang was arguing with Doctor Hu about the foreigner's "locust tree bloodline theory". Grandma Teng put the last steamed dumpling into Acai's bowl, and Grandma Wang added half a spoonful of milk to her enamel pot.

The morning light seeped in through the gaps in the wooden lattice windows, casting mottled shadows on the table, reflecting the peach gum bracelet on Acai's wrist, which was sparkling, as if the morning light of the entire Taibai Village was strung together in it.

"Tsk tsk, the foreigners are just sour grapes because they can't eat them. When they suppressed us, the faces they showed were so ugly that no one would want to not give them a fight, except for the public intellectuals." Doctor Hu curled his lips.

Ah Cai looked up at the screen. "Is this... a protest against our selfishness... Science knows no borders?"

Village Chief Rong snorted. "Our country has finally stood up again, and now they're at their wit's end. They're saying things like 'science has no borders.' Why didn't they say that when they blockaded us?"

Uncle Jiang said, "Pah!" "Our teacher once said, 'Don't trust them.' Tsk tsk, now I feel more and more that every word he said is true!"

Doctor Hu sighed with regret, "If he could have held on until now, with the [Longevity Pill] he could have continued to live. If all else fails, there's still the Lord of Forget Worry City. He's sure to have a solution!"

Grandma Teng nodded and said, "Aren't there some techniques that can prolong life?"

Village Chief Rong glared at Grandma Teng and said, "Don't spread rumors! That group of people has already been labeled a cult and has been directly eliminated by the police. We don't even have to do anything!"

Village Chief Rong snorted and gulped down the porridge in his bowl. "Don't bother with them. Living a comfortable life is more important than anything else. Cai girl, hang up your two university diplomas in the ancestral hall so the youngsters in the village can see what it means to 'live and learn'!"

Ah Cai lowered her head and picked at the peach gum, the corners of her mouth secretly curled up - that's right, in this Taibai Village, even time is like peach gum, sticky and with a warm sweetness.