Chapter 1: Rustling of the Northern Wind (2/2)

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He could raise some chickens and ducks, plant some wheat and become completely self-sufficient.

Having finally resolved all of the perplexities within his mind, Bei Feng came to a decision. He grabbed his bag, took a step forward resolutely and disappeared into the crowd.

3 hours later, he alighted at a long-distance bus station.

Initially, Bei Feng had planned to take the high-speed rail train. However, because it was inconvenient with his numerous baggage, he ended up traveling by bus.

***

Here was Bei Feng’s hometown, Qingcheng!

A town surrounded by tall mountains, it was a place with an extremely enchanting scenery. On a cloudy day, one could only see a horizon full of clouds and the vague shapes of mountains stretching out endlessly.

”How much to go to Mt. Qing Ling?” Bei Feng asked as he walked up to a cab parked outside of the station.

”Going to Mt. Qing Ling? That’s a fair distance away. One hundred yuan.”

Bei Feng narrowed his eyes in response, turned around and immediately walked away without a word.

Did this guy really take him for a lamb to be slaughtered? Such a journey should not cost more than forty!

”Eh? Wait! Little brother, don’t go! Just name your price!”

The cab driver started to grow anxious. It was not easy to finally get a customer. How could he allow business to just slip away like that!

”Forty!” Bei Feng turned his head and said dryly.

”That’s too low! Little brother, you should increase it a little! How about this, we’ll go with seventy!” The driver said, his expression pained as though his flesh was being sliced off piece by piece.

”Forty is the best I can do. If that’s fine, we shall go right away. If not, I can look for another driver!”

Bei Feng knew the market rate and could not be bothered to quibble too much with the driver.

”Hai, alright then, forty it is.”

The driver could only wrinkle his nose disgruntledly as he sighed. After helping Bei Feng load his luggage into the trunk, they drove off, leaving behind only a plume of dust.

”Is little brother here for a vacation?” The driver asked in a friendly tone after driving for a while.

”No, I live here,” Bei Feng turned away from the window and replied with a sly smile.

‘No wonder this brat was so bright! So, it seems he’s actually a local!’ The cab driver scolded inwardly. He’d assumed the kid was coming to Mt. Qing Ling to sightsee. Unexpectedly, the boy actually lived there!

The atmosphere became a little awkward as the interior of the car fell into silence once more. But after just a short while, the chatty driver found that he could not endure the boredom any longer. It was a long drive after all! Coughing lightly, he picked another topic and attempted to engage Bei Feng in a new conversation.

***

The scenery at Mt. Qing Ling was as beautiful as a painting. Various odd stones lay about in the open areas, solitary in their loneliness. As a result of its beauty, the area was vigorously developed, and was now a triple A grade scenic area.

The number of tourists coming to this area every year was quite high, resulting in the acceleration of the development of the area. Roads were built and widened while the town at the foot of the mountain became increasingly wealthy.

Hotels of all kinds of styles were emerging in an endless stream. Two years ago, someone had even offered Bei Feng 1,500,000 yuan for the property left behind for Bei Feng after the old grandpa died. However, Bei Feng refused to sell it!

Although that period of time had been extremely hard for him, Bei Feng had never entertained the thought of selling the mansion. This old, traditional mansion was the only keepsake left for him after the old grandpa’s death.

Despite the smooth road, it still took them 40 minutes to reach the village at the foot of Mt. Qing Ling.

A row of houses with old, faded colors appeared in the distance, bringing with it the smell of ancient times. The setting sun was casting its last rays of light upon the village, causing the beautiful ancient buildings to appear as though they were draped in a layer of gold.

Bei Feng handed over the fare and, dragging two bulky trunks, stepped onto the green stone-paved path.

Numerous hawkers lined both sides of the street, selling the local delicacies. On the street, groups of tourists gathered to look at the various souvenirs.

Bei Feng noticed that some things had changed in the village compared to how it used to be two years ago. Currently, the village was more prosperous and appeared more bustling with people. There were also more Western-style bungalows erected all over the place.

Bei Feng conveniently purchased some daily necessities, vegetables and cooking ingredients as he passed by the shops.

As he walked, the buildings on the side of the street grew increasingly sparse and, gradually, gave way to muddy paths and tall trees. Bei Feng stepped off the wide, green stone pavement onto a small path which was overgrown with weeds.

After walking along the small path for over 10 minutes, a Qing-style four-block mansion finally came into view. That was his home.

Bei Feng’s true home!

ED/N: Bei Feng = 北风 = Northern Wind