Chapter 101: The Stone Mill is Ready
Besides the delicious food, the beautiful scenery, the gentle breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers, and the pleasant birdsongs in the distance all contributed to everyone’s cheerful mood.
Among them, the occasional "COO-KOO... COO-KOO..." sound was the most crisp, clear, and resonant.
"Finally, I’m hearing a cuckoo’s call again. Every time I hear it, I feel so close to nature," Liu Xu remarked with a sigh.
"You can hear birds chirping in the city sometimes, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard this particular call."
"It seems you can only hear this call out in the wild. My family is from the countryside too, and I used to hear it all the time back home. But I always only heard its call and never saw the bird. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one. I still have no idea what it looks like."
"Haha! Same here. It’s not just this bird, either. There are lots of birds like that. I’m so familiar with their calls, but I have no clue what they look like."
"Me too! For me, the most memorable calls, besides this ’cuckoo,’ are another one that goes ’GUO-GUO-YANG... GUO-GUO-YANG...’"
"Haha! Same here. Looks like we’re all in the same boat."
...
This topic clearly piqued everyone’s interest.
Li You smiled as well. "The bird you’re hearing is the Common Cuckoo, a species in the cuckoo family. They’re naturally timid and almost never venture into cities. Even out in the wild, they tend to stay hidden among the leaves. That’s why you don’t hear their calls in the city. And even in the mountains, you usually only hear them without ever catching a glimpse."
Everyone nodded at Li You’s explanation. At the same time, someone said in surprise, "Wait, so they’re the same bird? I never knew that!"
"Me neither! I always thought they were two different things."
Li You added, "To be precise, it’s the Common Cuckoo. There are many kinds of cuckoos, and the Common Cuckoo is just one. As for the bird that calls ’GUO-GUO-YANG,’ that’s the hawk-cuckoo. It’s a relative of the cuckoo."
Everyone nodded.
Then someone else piped up, "Speaking of cuckoos, what I remember most is that they never build their own nests or hatch their own eggs. They just lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and let them do all the work of incubating and raising the chicks. It’s pretty shameless, really."
"And the worst part is, after the cuckoo chick hatches, it uses its larger size to push the nest owner’s own chicks or eggs out! How is that just shameless? It’s basically the villain of the bird world."
Li You chuckled. "The cuckoo’s unique breeding method has certainly given it a bad reputation. But it’s really just a law of survival; we can’t judge it as good or bad. Besides, cuckoos are actually beneficial birds that primarily feed on all sorts of pests, like pine caterpillars, gypsy moths, pine lappet moths, locusts, and click beetles. They’re one of the top predators of these pests. In fact, some of the insects they eat are ones that many other birds won’t touch. You could say that a forest really needs its cuckoos."
Everyone nodded again. That was a fair point.
From the distance, the clear, resonant "COO-KOO... COO-KOO..." sound came again.
Regardless, the sound was very pleasant to the ear.
It really made one feel immersed in nature.
Everyone loved it; they even found themselves eagerly listening for it.
"You know, I’m suddenly thinking again that it was a really great choice for the boss to open his restaurant here," Liu Xu mused.
The others, including Zhou Yang and his four companions, all agreed with Liu Xu.
They all felt the same way.
In fact, they felt incredibly fortunate that the boss had opened his restaurant right here.
’In the past, they had always wondered why the boss didn’t open his restaurant in the city.’
’If it were in the city, it would be so much more convenient for them to eat there. They wouldn’t have to drive for two and a half hours.’
But now, they were all thankful he had opened it here instead.
’It has to stay here forever. It must never move to the city.’
’Not even if it opened right at the gate of their own neighborhood. That wouldn’t do either.’
This was the thought on everyone’s mind. Just then, Li You’s phone rang.
He took it out and saw it was a call from Liu Jialiang.
He answered it right away.
"Uncle Jialiang."
"Xiaoyou, the stone mill is ready. I’m getting ready to bring it over now. Is this a good time?"
Li You’s heart leaped with joy. "It is, it is! Any time is fine. Thank you for all your hard work, Uncle Jialiang."
"No need to be so formal. I’ll head over with it now, then."
"Great, great. Thanks, Uncle Jialiang."
He had asked Liu Jialiang to make a stone mill for him some time ago.
Now that it was finally ready, Li You was full of anticipation.
"What’s up, Boss? Is someone coming over?" Liu Xu asked.
The rest of the customers looked over at Li You as well.
Naturally, they had all overheard Li You’s phone conversation.
Li You nodded. "I asked one of the uncles in the village to make a stone mill for me. It’s finished now, and he’s bringing it over."
"A stone mill?" Everyone’s eyes lit up.
For them, it was an object that was both familiar and, at the same time, strangely distant.
This was true even for those who had grown up in the countryside.
Although they had seen them often as children, it had been many years since they’d last laid eyes on one.
"Boss, what are you getting a stone mill for? Are you going to grind soybeans or something?" everyone asked.
Li You nodded. "I might grind some beans from time to time, maybe make some tofu."
Hearing this, their eyes grew even brighter.
Grinding soybeans with a stone mill to make tofu—it was a very Ancient, traditional folk craft.
You hardly ever saw it anymore.
These days, everyone used machines to grind beans. Even in rural areas, machines had mostly taken over.
They never expected the boss would actually be interested in using a stone mill to grind soybeans. It was such a rare thing to see.
Everyone grew inexplicably excited, filled with anticipation for the stone mill’s arrival.
About half an hour later, a three-wheeled vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
When Li You saw it, he said, "Uncle Jialiang’s here. I’ll go help him unload."
With that, Li You headed toward the parking lot.
Liu Xu, Wei Ping, and the others all chimed in, "Come on, let’s go help too."
And just like that, the whole group of them stood up and followed behind Li You, forming a great, bustling procession.
「In the parking lot.」
When Liu Jialiang saw the spectacle on Li You’s side, he was taken aback.
’Why were there so many people here?’
’Were they all Xiaoyou’s customers?’
’Was Xiaoyou’s business really doing this well already?’
At this thought, Liu Jialiang couldn’t help but feel quite happy.
By this time, Li You and his group had drawn near.
Li You smiled. "Uncle Jialiang, thank you for your trouble."
Liu Jialiang smiled back. "It was no trouble at all. Your place is so lively today!"
Li You said, "They’re all my customers."
"Hello, Uncle Jialiang!" the customers all said in unison. The sound seemed to linger in the air.
Liu Jialiang was in his fifties. Most of the customers, aside from Wei Ping’s parents, were in their twenties or thirties, with no one over forty.
So, it was perfectly appropriate for them to follow Li You’s example and address him as "Uncle."
Liu Jialiang was delighted to hear them all call him that, and he replied repeatedly, "Hello, hello, everyone! Hello!"
...