Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 42

The next morning, Zhao Da'e washed his face with hot water, prepared breakfast, and then hurriedly ran to the back of the yard.

Follow a short slope and walk in, and you'll find the ancient well.

It is said that this ancient well used to be covered by a pavilion, but it fell into disrepair over the years and the pavilion collapsed, leaving only a few wooden pillars, which were then carried home by the villagers to build houses.

Next to the well, there is now only half a broken stele with inscriptions. Zhao Da'e looked closely: it was indeed a Kangxi Spring.

The following section explains the origin of the name. Many, many years ago, Emperor Kangxi returned to Shengjing to pay homage to his ancestors. He passed through Dongtaizi Village, drank some water from this ancient well, and praised the water as "incredibly delicious." Of course, the record states that Kangxi said: "Very sweet and delicious."

Later, the locals renamed the ancient well "Kangxi Spring".

It is said that in the beginning, people were sent to protect and guard it, but after the Qing Dynasty was over, this ancient well fell into disuse.

Today, apart from the ancient well still emitting steam in this cold winter, there seems to be no other sign that reveals its former status.

Next to the ancient well is a vegetable garden of about two-tenths of an acre, which was cultivated by Zhao Da'e's mother, Cheng Jinxiang, but there are no vegetables left now.

Even in the dead of winter, the water from the ancient well slowly seeps out, forming a large patch of ice over the vegetable garden.

Zhao Da'e reached out, cupped a handful of Kangxi Spring water, and tasted it. It seemed a little better than the well water at home, but he didn't find it particularly special. After all, Zhao Da'e was used to drinking it, so he thought it was just average.

She surveyed the surrounding terrain and found it was indeed quite suitable for building a house. She would then speak with the village chief about reserving the land for her family's housing.

Zhao Tiesheng is already in his thirties and should have separated from his family long ago. It's perfectly reasonable for the village to allocate some land and houses to its residents. All he needs to do is apply for a homestead in the village.

After observing the surroundings, Zhao Da'e made a simple measurement with his steps, but no matter how he measured, the well was still difficult to find in that square courtyard.

Moreover, there are too many weeds and trees nearby, which will indeed be very troublesome to deal with.

However, one must take things one step at a time, and one must eat one bite at a time. Since we can't rush things, these small troubles can probably be resolved in the future.

Then Zhao Da'e leisurely walked back home, and just as he arrived at his doorstep...

Of course, Zhao Da'e's house doesn't have a door now. There's a path running through the low earthen wall; let's just pretend there's a door at the end of that path.

After all, the family was extremely poor, with only a cow about to give birth, tied outside Grandpa and Grandma Zhao's window, making it too much trouble to get rid of it.

At that moment, a white, old-fashioned Santana was parked outside the courtyard, with a badge on it. As soon as Zhao Da'e saw the badge, he knew that his aunt Zhao Chunqin and uncle Li Qingmin had returned.

"Why is she going back to her parents' house again? It's not a holiday, and today is Thursday. Isn't it a workday? Is it just because it's the beginning of winter that she's going back to her parents' house to have dumplings?"

Zhao Da'e was puzzled, but didn't think much of it and went back to the house to check on his mother, Cheng Jinxiang.

"My aunt and her family are back again. It's never good. Mom, be prepared."

Cheng Jinxiang shook her head: "It should be nothing. I heard them talking outside that your grandma sprained her ankle, and there seemed to be some hidden story. So, the two of them brought some things back to check on her."

Zhao Da'e squinted his eyes: "Hehe. Then I'll go join in the fun."