That Rare Farmer

This is a slow-burn story, something like A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality, but with a little more humor.

“My dad farms, and so does my mom, so I’m a farmer.”

“What’s wrong with being a farmer? Everyone in these mountains farms. If I went to the city, I wouldn’t even run into anyone I know. It’d be truly miserable to die with nobody around to collect my body.”

“Ah, Tian Xiaomei went to the city and forgot all about me. When she came back last time, she wouldn’t even let me touch her hand. I used to kiss her on the lips and feel her…”

“Ah, there’s no point in living. A man like me can plow two mu of land in a day, yet I can’t even find a wife. What’s the point of living?”

“Hey, why are you always so quiet? Can’t you say a couple of words?”

“Go on, say something…”

“Woof, woof!” The big yellow dog barked twice. It neither agreed nor disagreed, but just kept barking.

“Forget it.” With a chuckle, Yi Yao, a simple, honest seventeen-year-old, patted the big yellow dog on the head and fell silent.

Humming a tune, he lay in the grass on the mountainside. A breeze swept through, bending the green grass and stirring the leaves in the trees.