Chapter 3.1

Ying Mother’s foot was recovering well. After applying the medicinal plaster for two or three days, the swelling had already gone down, though there was still a patch of bruising left. Su Ying and Ying Father were at home, and aside from going to the bathroom and washing up, Ying Mother had practically been lying in bed the entire time. Lying there so long made her whole body feel uncomfortable, and she couldn’t wait to get up and walk around a bit.

Early this morning, Su Ying removed the medicine from her mother’s foot. Ying Father brought in a washbasin, poured hot water from the thermos, mixed it with some cold water, and carefully cleaned the leftover ointment from Ying Mother’s foot.

“If I don’t get up and walk soon, my whole body will stiffen up,” Ying Mother said as she moved her foot gently along with her husband’s actions. It was much better now; she could move it freely, though there was still a bit of pain. But at least she didn’t need to keep applying medicine anymore and could finally walk around a little.

Eagerly, Ying Mother got out of bed and, with Su Ying’s support, walked a few steps.

“Alright, alright, I can walk on my own,” Ying Mother said, pushing Su Ying’s hand away after walking a couple of steps and moving forward slowly on her own. Seeing her mother recovering made Su Ying feel genuinely happy.

“Nan-nan, in about a week, the wheat in the fields will be ready to harvest. Once it’s dried and milled into flour, I’ll make you big steamed buns with flowered tops,” Ying Mother said as she planned the upcoming farm work. After walking a while, she sat down to rest.

Ying Father cleaned up the washbasin and agreed, “This year we’ll probably harvest with the combine again. With this good weather, two days of drying should be enough.”

Listening to her parents’ conversation, Su Ying realized she had the perfect short video material now. It was the most beautiful season in the wheat fields—wheat nearly ready for harvest, glowing golden in the autumn wind. The stalks swayed back and forth, rolling like waves of gold. She decided to take action right away. After saying goodbye to her parents, Su Ying grabbed her phone and headed to the village fields.

Although each family in the village had their own land, the plots were all connected, and everyone was growing wheat. From a distance, all she could see was field after field of golden wheat. Opening her phone camera, Su Ying walked while filming, capturing the beautiful scenery. Compared to staged filming locations, the village setting was far more pure. There were no decorations—just the fields, the earthen houses scattered around, and the small creek flowing in the distance.

Once Su Ying started working, she lost track of time. Before she knew it, the sun was climbing higher, and the temperature was rising. Finally, she captured the footage she wanted and headed home with her phone.

When she returned, Ying Father was already busy in the kitchen. Su Ying put her phone on charge and went in to help. Ying Father was the best cook in the family, so most of the time, he was the one who prepared meals.

He had pulled a big Chinese cabbage from the vegetable patch, rice was cooking in one pot, and eggplants and potatoes were steaming in another. The aroma of fresh ingredients filled the house. Unlike the vegetables bought from the market, their homegrown produce might not look as perfect, but it was much more flavorful.

Ying Father poked a potato with a chopstick; it went straight through. Taking out the cooked potatoes and eggplants, he put them in a big bowl and mashed them up with a rice paddle. Meanwhile, Su Ying cleaned the now-empty pot, poured in some homemade soybean oil, and cracked several eggs into a bowl. She beat them, poured them into the hot oil, and stirred with a spatula as they solidified, quickly forming fluffy egg pieces. Then she added fermented soybean paste, adjusted the saltiness, and finally sprinkled in some chopped scallions. The egg paste dish used more oil than a typical fried egg, and the aroma of the sautéed paste and scallions filled the kitchen. Su Ying tasted a bite and handed it to Ying Dad, who nodded in approval. She quickly plated the dish and rinsed the pot with water while it was still hot, so it wouldn’t get greasy later.

Ying Father mixed the rice, mashed potatoes, shredded eggplant, and freshly cooked egg paste together. He then used large cabbage leaves to wrap the mixture into hefty rice wraps that could be held in one hand.

They placed the rice wraps on a plate and carried them to the table. The family sat together, each holding a large rice wrap. Biting through the crisp cabbage leaves, the savory filling inside was perfectly balanced, the leaves cutting through the richness of the egg paste and adding a refreshing crunch.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up the table, Su Ying went back to her room, opened her laptop, and started editing the video. As the editing progressed, the sky gradually grew darker.

Ying Mother came into Su Ying’s room, seeing her daughter glued to the computer all afternoon. She couldn’t help but gently scold her, “Nan-nan, take a break. You’ve been at it all day.”

Su Ying looked up and smiled, “Okay, Mom, I’m almost done.” Ten minutes later, Su Ying stretched and leaned back. The video was finally complete. The opening transition introduced Su Ying’s hometown, with the camera slowly sweeping across the golden wheat fields full of life, swaying gently in the breeze. It also showed the stone-paved paths, the winding creek stretching beyond sight, and the rural scenery filled with a quiet, calming power.

At the end of the video, Su Ying wrote a message. Her intention was to let more people see the beauty of her hometown.

“This is my hometown. Perhaps it doesn’t have tall skyscrapers, bustling traffic, or all kinds of entertainment, but here I always find peace in my heart. Looking at these wheat fields, after so many have sown, tilled, fertilized, and watered them, we finally harvest in this autumn. I hope you can see this beauty too.”

She created a new account and named it “Little Mountain Stories.”

Su Ying scheduled the video for release and closed her laptop. Although this was her first time running an account by herself, she felt at ease. Over the past few years, she had accumulated enough savings from work, and with her resignation compensation, she didn’t have to worry about money for now. At home, she was comfortable and motivated to work on short videos. Of course, a lot depended on luck. In this era of self-media, anyone could go viral overnight.

Once the chores were done, Ying Father and Ying Mother had already prepared dinner.

After eating and tidying up, it was time to rest. Many villagers went to bed early and woke up early, and Su Ying had adjusted her routine to match theirs. As soon as she lay down, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, noise outside woke her. Groggily opening her eyes, Su Ying picked up her phone and saw it was only 7 a.m.

Since she was awake, she felt more alert. She threw on a jacket and left her room, only to find a few neighborhood aunties had come over. They had been busy in the fields these past weeks, and now that they finally had some free time, they all came by to check on Ying Mother’s foot. When they saw Su Ying awake, they smiled brightly.

“Ying Ying, you’re up!” called Aunt Qiu, who was sitting beside Ying Mother.

“Aunt Qiu, Aunt Xiang, Aunt Bai,” Su Ying greeted them obediently one by one.

Seeing her daughter awake, Ying Mother asked, “Don’t you want to go back and sleep a little longer? It’s still early. Did we wake you up?”