A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 40 Zhang Ting Arrives

The National Day Golden Week holiday had quietly arrived, and two nights ago, Zhang Ting called. She said she and two other girls were planning to come to his place for a relaxing getaway. She added that they were getting a bit tired of traveling all the time, so they decided to come to the mountain village. She also asked Zhang Niu to prepare a place to stay. Then she hung up.

Zhang Niu was a little surprised to hear the news. He thought they were joking last time. He didn't expect them to actually be planning to come. He was also glad that he had just built his bamboo house, otherwise finding a place to stay would have been a real problem. Since three people were coming, he needed to prepare. It was a bit chilly to sleep on early autumn nights, so he needed to prepare several thick fleece blankets. He only remembered halfway through transporting the things on his tricycle. He was still missing something that the girls often used—a mirror. The ones he used at home were all small and not suitable for the girls. He went back to the village's general store and bought a long mirror for thirty yuan, which was just the right size to show his whole body.

The glass mirror was fragile and couldn't be ridden; the tricycle had to be dragged up the mountain by hand. The mountain path was uneven, so Zhang Niu had to constantly watch the mirror. He was sweating profusely. The mirror was placed inside the bamboo house, its size just right. Thin bamboo strips were used to line all four sides, creating a unique and charming look.

On the morning of October 1st, Zhang Niu, who was changing the water in the small pond in the front yard, received a call from Zhang Ting, saying that she and her group had arrived at the village entrance and asking him to come out and meet them. He could also hear dogs barking through the receiver.

They came really fast. After changing the old water in the pond, Zhang Niu caught a few small wild turtles that were still crawling around outside and put them in the pond on the sand. The turtles were small. He was worried that someone might step on them and they wouldn't be able to get on them.

I washed the mud and sand off my hands in the water. I picked up a bucket and broom and went outside. I changed my clothes. Then, I took a comb and vigorously smoothed out my messy hair. That's the downside of being lazy. At home, you can do whatever you want. I looked at myself in the small mirror a few times and felt it looked okay. Only then did I go out.

I got on the tricycle and rode down the mountain.

Riding to the village entrance, Zhang Niu saw three striking figures, quite eye-catching. A group of children were watching nearby. As he got closer, Zhang Niu noticed that besides Zhang Ting, there was a tall, round-faced girl and a square-faced girl with tousled hair. Both were wearing white T-shirts and tight jeans, highlighting their long, beautiful legs. They were also carrying small bags.

"You didn't have to wait long, did you?" Zhang Niu stopped his tricycle and walked towards them.

"You finally made it. We've been waiting for so long," Fang MM said, stepping aside. Large and small bags appeared behind them. It seemed Zhang Niu would need to help load them onto the tricycle.

Looking at the things you brought, Zhang Niu said, "Are you really here for a vacation? Judging from what you've brought, it feels like you're coming to stay for a long time."

"You talk too much, why don't you come and move your things?" The charming voice of the round girl came from the room.

They had a lot of stuff, mostly snacks and clothes, just enough to fit in the tricycle. The four of them had no choice but to drag the tricycle towards Happy Little House. However, Zhang Niu, looking at their high heels, wondered if the girls wearing them could even walk properly.

Along the way, it would happily call out to any flock of ducks walking by the roadside. Their high-pitched calls were indeed quite loud.

When they saw the four characters "Happy Abode" on the boulder, Fang MM's voice rang out, "You don't actually call this place Happy Abode, do you?"

"Yeah, the name is a bit tacky. But I feel like it's a name that resonates with people's hearts," Zhang Niu said, earning him eye rolls from the girls.

Zhang Ting, on the other hand, took out a digital camera from her white bag and started snapping photos of the boulder.

By the time they reached the boulder, the girls were exhausted. They kept complaining that Zhang Niu hadn't done a proper job of paving the mountain path with cement. Zhang Niu shrugged and spread his hands—he had no money.

Arriving at the bamboo house by the pond, all three girls exclaimed "Ah!" Their high notes truly showed potential for singing high notes. Ignoring their fatigue, they ran up the bamboo ladder into the house. They hadn't had the energy to walk just moments before, but seeing the bamboo house made them seem effortless again. No wonder the girls were out shopping, while the boys behind them were the only ones suffering.

The girls who entered the house really liked the bamboo house in front of them. Although the room was still too empty, the layout looked even better.

"Yuanyuan, what do you think of this bamboo? I never thought I'd have the chance to see a bamboo house with Yunnan architectural features," Zhang Ting said to the other two people next to her.

"I didn't expect your classmate's place to actually look like a resort. You'd better take lots of pictures for me this time. When we get back, those guys who didn't come will be so envious. Just thinking about their stunned expressions makes me laugh." She covered her mouth and chuckled. If Zhang Niu saw this, he'd blush.

"Go downstairs. Don't keep your classmate waiting," Fang MM said.

"What's the rush? My legs are still sore. Tingting, don't you think so?"

Zhang Ting knew they had been up for a while. "Alright then. Let's go down." The three of them had just stepped out the door when they saw Zhang Niu carrying their luggage up.

"How about you stay in this bamboo house for the next few days? It's simple, but the sheets and everything else are all prepared."

"Thank you, my dear Zhang." Round-faced girl always wanted to flirt with Zhang Niu whenever they met. She felt this was too small a gesture from him.

As Zhang Niu was moving his luggage, he said, "I'll let you in on a little secret. You're the first guests at Happy Little Abode, including those in the bamboo house."

The three girls were overjoyed to hear the news. In their minds, rural areas weren't very nice; they were often chaotic. However, upon seeing the bamboo house in Zhangniu's village, all their previous worries about the countryside vanished.

There were many rooms in the bamboo house, just enough for one person per room. They carried a whole bunch of snacks and other things upstairs, and even whispered to Zhang Ting, "Why did you bring so much stuff?"

Zhang Ting rolled her eyes at Zhang Niu. "We were afraid there wouldn't be anything good to eat here. It would be a sin for us beautiful ladies to go hungry, so we brought food in from outside. Look at what you're thinking."

After moving all the luggage and stuff up to the bamboo house, I took the girls to the front yard. They said the big wild boar was there.

This was the second time they had heard the word "wild boar." They had heard him mention it before, back in the county town. Now, it was at his Happy Little Abode. Walking along the path, the three girls saw large white ducks swimming in the pond. Several ducklings, unafraid, quacked and ran towards them. One duckling showed interest in the high heels, gently pecking at them a few times. Zhang Niu's ducklings were generally very clean, unlike other people's ducks, which often had rotten feathers on their bellies.

The little white duck was incredibly cute in the eyes of the girls. They crouched down and stroked its white feathers. The duck stood there motionless, seemingly enjoying itself, occasionally quacking. Zhang Niu, watching from the side, was rather annoyed. "Goodness," he thought, "so young and already knows how to charm the girls. Next time, I'll definitely eat you first."

When Zhang Niu said, "This is the fairy duck," he was met with disdain from the girls. They even said, "Why would you eat such a beautiful duck?"

But for some reason, the duck just kept following the girl around, swaggering along, showing no intention of going back to the pond. Zhang Niu, after trying to shoo it away several times, said to the girl in exasperation, "This duck is really sticking to you."

The second update will be released tonight, and we'll be aiming for the top of the charts again. Please vote and add to your favorites! Also, thank you to "Phantom Dance," "Under the Bright Moon," and reader 15210748 for their generous donations today. I, Corn, thank you all.