Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 6

Mid-Autumn Festival

The early morning air, carrying a slight chill, was mixed with the sweet scent of osmanthus, lending a subtle sweetness even to the white congee. An Le finished his bowl and leaned back contentedly in his chair.

Light breeze, white clouds, clear water, bright woods—how pleasant. This must be the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming.

“It’s a decent place to retire,” An Le said, swinging his legs. “Maybe staying here wouldn’t be so bad.”

When he finished speaking, An Xiaoyu showed no reaction. An Le glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, seeing An Xiaoyu staring down, seemingly lost in thought.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” An Le asked.

An Xiaoyu snapped out of it, his gaze dim as he looked at An Le. He moved his lips but made no sound, looking as if he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t.

“What is it?” An Le felt curious and pressed him.

An Xiaoyu shook his head and said faintly, “It’s nothing. I was thinking about leaving. The deadline the Village Chief gave me is almost up. He called me over this morning and asked when I plan to depart.”

“Any progress?”

They occasionally exchanged information these days. Calling it an exchange was generous; mostly, An Le listened to An Xiaoyu. An Le had already told An Xiaoyu every piece of information he knew about Longyin Village. Since An Le was inherently lazy, An Xiaoyu did almost all the intelligence gathering.

In five days, it would be An Xiaoyu’s final deadline to leave, yet they had found no clues regarding the map. An Le had almost given up hope on the map. Unexpectedly, An Xiaoyu nodded: “In the past few days, I’ve observed that they use iron plows, iron hoes, and sickles for farming, but I haven’t seen any place in the village for forging iron.”

“You mean they got them from outside?” An Le suddenly sat up straight, surprised.

An Xiaoyu shook his head. “No, at least they claim not. According to the villagers, these tools were passed down from their ancestors.”

“They can still be used after two hundred years?” An Le was puzzled. He had always lived in the city and didn’t know much about farm tools, but he knew that iron rusts and corrodes, and its lifespan wouldn’t be excessively long, especially in this backward village where tools are frequently used. The lifespan of iron plows and hoes should be even shorter. Ten years? Or twenty?

As expected, An Xiaoyu shook his head. “Even with meticulous maintenance, the lifespan wouldn’t exceed ten years. But they say their ancestors considered this when they moved here and stockpiled a large number of farm tools, which are managed centrally by the village.”

An Le frowned slightly. “But they will run out eventually. Longyin Village hasn’t truly achieved self-sufficiency; they are only maintaining the appearance of it using their ancestors’ reserves. Once these non-renewable resources are exhausted, they will either have to go out to sea to purchase new supplies or regress to the Stone Age.”

“Yes, the Longyin villagers wouldn’t have failed to consider this when they moved here, and the Village Chief, who manages the village’s public resources, couldn’t possibly be unaware of this. They will have to go out to sea someday,” An Xiaoyu said, looking intently at An Le, his tone certain. “Therefore, Longyin Village absolutely would not have lost the map.”

In other words, the map is real!

“Not bad, An Xiaoyu!” In his delight, An Le leaned sideways, wrapped an arm around An Xiaoyu’s shoulder, and chuckled flippantly. “I knew it was right to send you to gather information. That face of yours is a magnet for girls. Hey, the Village Chief’s youngest granddaughter, An Linmian, isn’t married yet, and the Village Chief’s granddaughter must know more.” An Le smiled mischievously and winked at An Xiaoyu. “An Linmian seems quite interested in you. She’s been asking me about you a lot lately. If you ask me, you should sell some charm and start with the Village Chief’s granddaughter. Maybe you’ll get the map directly.”

After spending several days together, An Xiaoyu was used to An Le’s lack of seriousness. He calmly glanced at An Le and retorted, “You’re quite popular with women too. Why don’t you go?”

“Ah, how could I?” An Le’s smile didn’t fade. “I’m a Longyin villager. Why would she give the map to…” Before he could finish, he saw An Xiaoyu turn his head and stare directly at him, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

“Wha—what’s wrong? Are you angry? I was just joking,” An Le’s smile gradually disappeared, and he explained awkwardly.

“Are you really a Longyin villager?” An Xiaoyu’s voice suddenly turned cold.

An Le froze, then immediately pulled away from An Xiaoyu and said flatly, “What do you mean by that?”

An Xiaoyu continued to stare unblinkingly at An Le. “What is an elevator?”

An Le shifted his gaze. “Didn’t Su Su tell you? An elevator is a special kind of staircase.”

“Longyin Village doesn’t have elevators. How do you know about them?”

“I read about it in a book.”

“What book?” An Le shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

“You can read?”

“Naturally,” An Le replied smoothly.

An Xiaoyu chuckled softly. “These past few days, I haven’t just been gathering information about Longyin Village; I’ve also asked about you. Your simple-mindedness started in childhood. It wasn’t obvious then—you were just a bit slow to react, slower than others in sitting, standing, and walking. But after the age of seven, as your peers grew up, your simple-mindedness became more pronounced. Since then, your behavior and intelligence have been like that of a five or six-year-old child. That is, until half a year ago, when you accidentally fell into the sea and were fortunately rescued by a villager who was fishing early. You woke up after three days in a coma, but miraculously, your simple-mindedness was cured. Your behavior, demeanor, and intelligence are now indistinguishable from a normal person, and even…” An Xiaoyu paused, examining An Le.

“And even what?” An Le asked nonchalantly.

“And even smarter than your peers,” An Xiaoyu continued. “Not many people in Longyin Village are literate. You never learned to read all these years, yet suddenly you can read, and you can even do arithmetic to help the Village Chief keep accounts. No one in the village taught you. How did you learn these things?”

An Le suddenly tilted his head, resting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin with a half-clenched hand. He smiled slightly and asked, “If I’m not a Longyin villager, where do you think I came from?”

An Xiaoyu remained silent.

An Le had expected this.

He wasn’t An Le. Even if he shouted that in front of all the Longyin villagers, no one would believe him; they would likely think his simple-mindedness had returned and he was speaking nonsense. He hadn’t intended to hide his origins, but how could anyone believe the story of transmigration? It was better to use An Le’s identity, which also made it more convenient for him to act.

“I once thought,” An Xiaoyu suddenly spoke, “that perhaps you, like me, drifted here. It just so happens that you look very much like An Le. After An Le fell into the sea, you were rescued, and by some strange twist of fate, you exchanged identities.”

“Hmm…” An Le stared unblinkingly into An Xiaoyu’s eyes and slowly said, “You guessed correctly. I am not An Le. I sank him to the bottom of the sea and took his place.”

An Xiaoyu’s pupils contracted sharply, his mouth slightly agape. A look of disbelief spread across his face as he stared at An Le in shock.

After a long silence, An Xiaoyu moved his lips, muttering as if to himself, “How is that possible?”

An Le withdrew his gaze, leaning back in his chair with a casual smile. “Why is it impossible? If you can drift across the ocean to this isolated little island, why can’t I?”

“But if you aren’t An Le, how could the villagers not notice? How could An Le’s parents not recognize their son?”

“Because I look exactly like him,” An Le said, crossing his legs and touching the tear mole beneath his eye, his tone casual. “Even this tear mole is exactly the same, not a single difference.”

“How is that possible?! Even twins wouldn’t look exactly alike to the point where their parents couldn’t tell them apart, and Aunt Ye said she didn’t give birth to twins!” An Xiaoyu’s tone carried a strange urgency, as if he was desperately trying to deny An Le’s statement.

An Le clicked his tongue and laughed. “I told you, but you don’t believe me. Forget it, I won’t talk to you anymore. It’s rare for it to be so lively today; let’s go join the fun.”

With that, An Le stood up and was about to leave when he felt his wrist tighten.

An Xiaoyu grabbed An Le’s wrist, his dark pupils sharply focused on him. “Then who are you? What is your name? Where are you from?”

An Le turned around, thought for a moment, and curved his lips. “I’ll tell you once you find the map.”

An Xiaoyu frowned, his grip tightening. He said in a low voice, “Where is Su Su’s brother?”

Hearing this, An Le’s smile froze. He looked back at An Xiaoyu, and the two stared at each other in silence. The pressure on his wrist gradually increased. Just as An Le was about to speak, he suddenly heard Su Su’s cheerful voice.

“Brother~”

As the light footsteps approached, the force on his wrist suddenly vanished.

An Su Su arrived beside them in a flash, and An Xiaoyu had already resumed his gentle expression.

An Su Su was wearing a goose-yellow cotton and linen cross-collared ruqun, her hair tied into twin buns with red string. She hugged An Le’s arm, looked up with an innocent smile, and curved her eyes. “It’s so lively by the sea. Mom and the aunties made lots of little cakes, and Dad is making lanterns for us. Mom said Brother would definitely like it. Brother, let’s go play by the sea.”

The seaside was bustling. Although it wasn’t yet evening, when the main celebrations would begin, quite a few people had already gathered, and the air was filled with the laughter of children playing and chasing each other. Many tables and chairs were set up on the flat, wide beach, covered with various pastries and wild fruits. In one corner, Father An and several village men were using bamboo strips to weave various lantern frames. Nearby, there were many finished fish lanterns covered with colored paper.

Seeing An Su Su leading An Le over, Father An asked with a beaming smile, “Where is Xiaoyu? Why didn’t he come?”

“Sister-in-law Xiaoyu said she’ll come after tidying up the kitchen,” An Su Su replied.

A man next to Father An, about the same age, laughed and teased, “Changchuan, this daughter-in-law Su Su picked for you is really good. Not only is he handsome, but he’s also quick with chores. I think our Le Le will be able to enjoy a comfortable life in the future.”

Father An laughed. “It’s just children joking around. Why are you joining in the fun? Xiaoyu is a grateful child and wants to do more work for the village to repay our kindness. Le Le’s mother and I have told him not to worry about it, but he won’t listen and always rushes to do the work.”

The man said, “Hey, are you really not going to take him as a daughter-in-law? I’m telling you, if you don’t want him, I will. My daughter talks about Xiaoyu all day and even asked me to invite him to stay at our house.”

Father An chuckled. “I have no objection, but that depends on whether Xiaoyu is willing.”

“No! Dad!” An Su Su suddenly put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, looking fierce like a cat protecting its food. “Sister-in-law Xiaoyu is already Brother’s wife! He can’t be someone else’s wife!”

The man deliberately tried to tease An Su Su. “Xiaoyu hasn’t married Le Le yet. How is he Le Le’s wife?”

An Su Su refused to back down, declaring in her childish voice, “Brother and Sister-in-law Xiaoyu sleep together every night, so Sister-in-law Xiaoyu is definitely Brother’s wife!”

The man laughed a few times, then lowered his voice meaningfully and asked, “Then, Su Su, do you know what Brother and Sister-in-law do when they sleep every night?”

“Cough, cough—” An Le’s eyebrows twitched at the sound. Even though he considered himself a modern person with an open mind among these traditionally minded ancients, and unlike An Xiaoyu, he wasn’t easily embarrassed by teasing, he couldn’t remain calm at this moment.

“Dad, I’m taking Su Su to find Mom,” An Le said, his cheeks flushed.

“Stop saying such inappropriate things in front of children,” Father An playfully scolded the man, then told An Le, “Go ahead, go ahead. Oh, right, what kind of lantern do you want this year? A rabbit?”

“Changchuan, Le Le is all grown up. He wouldn’t like those childish things anymore,” the man next to Father An interjected with a chuckle.

An Le smiled faintly. “Anything is fine. I like whatever Dad makes.”

“Then I’ll still make you a rabbit lantern. You like that one the most.”

“Dad, Su Su wants a mermaid lantern,” An Su Su said in a sweet, childish voice.

“Oh dear, Su Su, that’s a tough one for Dad,” Father An rubbed An Su Su’s head. “Dad has never seen a mermaid.”

“Ah.” An Su Su looked disappointed. Seeing this, An Le suddenly curved his lips and said, “Su Su, go find your mermaid sister-in-law to make it for you.”

“Make what?” Just as the words fell, An Xiaoyu’s voice sounded from behind them.

An Le turned around and smiled sweetly. “Your savior wants a mermaid lantern. You wouldn’t refuse her, would you?”

The phrase “your savior” was a fatal blow to An Xiaoyu. An Le had deeply realized from this textbook ancient person what it meant to repay a drop of kindness with a waterfall.

An Xiaoyu: “…”

An Xiaoyu looked down. An Su Su was looking up at him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

An Xiaoyu looked up. An Le was watching him with a cunning smile that made no attempt to hide his deliberate manipulation.

“Sister-in-law Xiaoyu~” An Su Su called out in a coaxing tone.

“Fine, I’ll make it!” An Xiaoyu spat out the words one by one, his gaze fixed on An Le, sounding quite exasperated.