Fang Yi performed the full kowtow ritual, tacitly accepting Huizi and her husband as his parents. Even so, he was still unable to view them as his biological parents just yet.
After spending a few days in the picturesque village of Qingzhou, Fang Yi began to understand a few things. Qingzhou Village was originally a settlement for immigrants; every household in the village bore a different surname, which made it rather similar to Baijia Village. However, the villagers had long since grown accustomed to the lifestyle of the mountains, gradually becoming assimilated by the local customs and turning into people of Jiangnan, even though some still retained certain traditions from their respective hometowns.
The people living here were exceptionally industrious, busy from dawn to dusk. They climbed mountains to fell trees, pick tea leaves, gather medicinal herbs, and harvest mushrooms; they went down to the rivers to catch fish and prawns, and trap soft-shelled turtles. From farm labor and vegetable garden maintenance to orchard management, it seemed there was an endless stream of chores every day. Yet every working person approached their tasks with boundless vigor, their faces invariably wreathed in smiles. Compared to Baijia Village, this place was simply worlds apart.
Chapter 66