The old lady thought for a moment and said, "There are many stones in our village, but I have never heard of the 'return stone' you mentioned..."
"I've been in Stone Village for so many years, but I've never heard of the stone you're talking about."
The grandson that the old lady was holding suddenly looked up and said, "Sister, what kind of stone are you looking for? Da Zhuang and I often look for stones to play with!"
The old lady lowered her head and scolded: "Big brothers and big sisters are doing serious things, not fooling around with you guys playing with stones. Have you finished writing the three calligraphy copies assigned by the teacher?"
The little grandson pouted instantly and turned away in frustration: "You only know how to use homework to criticize me. Da Zhuang and Er Yan haven't finished their homework yet, why do you only pick on me? You bad grandma!"
The old lady raised her head, a bit embarrassed on her face: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Meng Yao's eyes moved slightly: "The child is very cute, what's his name?"
The old lady smiled and said, "His full name is Liu Jiaxuan. To make it easier to address him, we gave him a nickname, Shitou!"
Meng Yao unconsciously looked at the angry child and paused: "Is his name Shitou?"
The old lady explained: "I didn't think too much about giving him a nickname that's easy to call, so I just called him Stone. I hope that no matter how far he goes in the future, he can always come back to Stone Village to visit!"
Meng Yao nodded and thought for a moment.
It seems that the "return stone" may be a definition given by the program team, and other villagers in the village do not know the existence of such an object. And the program team said that the "return stone" is real, so is this return stone a literal stone or other objects or... a person
The tour guide had said that he had given a hint before, and Meng Yao tried desperately to think about what the tour guide had said at that time.
She had a good memory and remembered most of what happened that day, but perhaps she was born without the ability to reason, so after thinking for a while, she still had no clear idea.
Meng Yao regained her thoughts and tried to soften her voice: "Shi Tou, where do you and Da Zhuang often find stones to play with?"
Shitou turned around instantly and saw that it was a beautiful older sister asking questions. All the frustration on his face disappeared.
"There are so many stones in the village. There are stones everywhere! There are stones in the wheat fields, by the ponds, and in the pits!"
After saying this, Shitou bent down again, groped on the ground, and then stood up again.
He spread out his palms and looked at Meng Yao with sparkling eyes: "Look, big sister, there are stones here too!"
"Our Stone Village is full of stones!"
Stone Village is full of stones...
Meng Yao rubbed her temples and sincerely thanked the child in front of her: "Thank you, Shitou."
After being praised, Shi Tou couldn't help but smile.
The old lady sighed and said, "What does he know as a child? I just hope he won't delay your mission."
"How can there be any delay? The stone has given me a lot of inspiration."
Shitou fumbled in his pocket for a while, and finally took out a beautiful and clear pebble: "Sister, this is the most beautiful gem in my collection, I give it to you! Dazhuang has been competing with me for a long time, but he has never won!"
Then he laughed again.
Meng Yao did not take it, but looked at him with a slight smile: "Since you have kept it for a long time, then this gift is very valuable."
Shitou shook his head and said, "It's not safe for you to stay with me anymore. Dazhuang will ask me to leave sooner or later!"
Meng Yao was amused by his serious look. She took the "gem" from his hand and rubbed his slightly rough and straight hair.
"Thanks."
The old lady was a little amused when she saw this: "It's a good thing you played with him. Shitou is usually very naughty. Yesterday he went to climb a tree with a group of monkeys and wore out his pants! Those were newly bought for him by his mother. What do you think of this naughty boy!"
When Shitou heard the scolding, he couldn't stay still. He broke free from the old lady's hand and started running forward, shouting as he ran: "I was saving sparrows!"
The old lady sighed: "Why is he so naughty? I can't control him..."
The old lady nodded after thinking about it.
"By the way, where do you live now?"
Meng Yao accurately gave the address relying on her memory.
The old lady frowned fiercely: "Isn't that the Zhang family's house? It has been abandoned for many years. Is it still habitable?"
"It's much cleaner after cleaning up."
The old lady's eyes revealed a bit of heartache: "I'm really putting you in a difficult position. You've never lived in a house like that, have you?"
"It's not bad to live in after cleaning it up."
"It's a pity that I didn't go to pick vegetables today, ah..."
Her eyes suddenly lit up: "There is a supermarket nearby, I'll go buy some for you."
"No need, Auntie." Meng Yao held her hand: "No need to be so troublesome."
"What's the trouble? Whoever is in trouble should lend a hand. How does the saying go... ah, help each other, help each other!"
The old lady finally handed a big bag of bread to Meng Yao and the others. The colorful food packaging was eye-catching.
Meng Yao was stunned for a second, then thanked him sincerely.
After experiencing so many cruel worlds, the law of "survival of the fittest" that I originally believed in has been completely worn down in this world.
She couldn't deny that this was a very humane world.
Shitou Village is also a very warm village.
"Don't be so polite, little girl. I live across the street. There's a small supermarket next to it. It's easy to spot! Come and see me if you need anything!"
After watching the old lady leave, Meng Yao and Han Mei started their "exploration journey" again.
After a long search, we got very few clues about the "return stone", but various fruits and vegetables were found continuously.
"Thank you, sir."
The old man responded with a smile and walked forward carrying his hoe.
"How about... we go home first?"
Han Mei had several baskets of fruits and eggs in his hands, and Meng Yao also had a lot of work to do.
"Good." He murmured, "The people here are really welcoming. I never thought the food problem would be so easy to solve."
Meng Yao nodded.
Several cameramen looked over and at the food in their hands.
Meng Yao was very sensitive to this kind of look: "Can't you accept food from the villagers?"
“No…” The cameraman’s eyes looked a little complicated.
The program team must have considered the guests' meals, but they originally planned that the guests would try every possible way to exchange food from the villagers. But who knew that Meng Yao's group could get food so easily, and they returned with a full load after just a casual walk.
[Chundong: Which village is this? The villagers seem so warm and honest. I want to go there if I have a chance!]
(End of this chapter)