This is a nameless continent, on a cloudless, windless day.
The blazing sun in the sky cast endless rays of light, as if trying to scorch the entire continent. Suddenly, in the sky, a faint glimmer appeared abruptly, accompanied by a mysterious circle ring.
It was unknown where this circle ring came from or where it was going, appearing so abruptly, as if it had just passed through the void and through time and space. With an indescribable speed, it shot towards the mountain peak below, making a strange "whoosh" sound, short and faint.
On ordinary days, objects flying in from the outer space would all have thick smoke trails behind them, roaring loudly as they arrived, as if to let the whole continent witness their arrival.
However, this object today was different, making a brief noise for just a short moment before "puffing" deeply into the stone of the mountain peak, vanishing without a trace. This moment was so short that it didn't trigger any reactions, not even the nearby birds had time to take flight.
The belated birds took to the sky in alarm, only to circle briefly around before landing again, minding their own business, not knowing that the continent now had an additional mysterious thing.
Many years had passed since then, seas turned into mulberry fields, things changed, and people changed. The mountain peak gradually sank into a slope, and many places turned into flat land. Slowly, people began to settle around the slope, but what interesting stories could this mysterious circle ring bring? No one knows! Until this day, a skinny little person stood nearby the slope...
Zhang Xiaohua felt very happy, standing on the slope with a happy expression on his face.
His eyes stared passionately at the barren land before him, as if it were a piece of fragrant pork belly.
In fact, to call it barren land was more of an exaggeration; it was a hillside, only about a quarter of an acre in size and with a gentle slope. But even this small piece of land was something Zhang Xiaohua's father had tirelessly pursued for nearly two months before finally obtaining. Zhang Xiaohua also knew that the village was surrounded by many barren mountains, but there was little land suitable for farming. Thus, everyone was looking for additional arable land outside their existing territory.
The other villagers mostly sought barren land near the riverside, while his family, due to lack of money to bribe the clan chief, had to look further afield, searching for unwanted land and eventually settling on this plot.
The village where Zhang Xiaohua lived was called Guo Village, which was approximately four miles in circumference and surrounded by mountains on two sides. The mountains weren't tall, so it was more appropriate to call them hills. A large river flowed through the village, with a small bridge on it connecting the path to the neighboring village.
There were about forty households in Guo Village, half of them surnamed Guo, forming a small clan. People with the Guo surname lived in the center of the village, and the others were scattered around its perimeter. Rural people are simple but practical, and most of the affairs in Guo Village were presided over by the Guo family's clan chief. Although they lived in the same village, there were clear distinctions based on the families' surnames. The clan chief inevitably favored his own people in dealing with affairs. The best houses and arable land outside the village were mostly held by villagers surnamed Guo. However, everyone in the village still felt that they were living a peaceful life reminiscent of the Peach Blossom Spring.
Zhang Xiaohua's mother, Guo Sufei, was a member of the Guo clan in the village. Her family had once been prosperous but had declined by the time she was born. Aside from Guo Sufei, her family had no sons, and Zhang Xiaohua's maternal grandfather, Guo Shan, had no male heirs either. Zhang Cai, Zhang Xiaohua's father, married into the Guo family to support his wife's parents in their old age.
Although Zhang Cai had married into the family, Guo Shan had always regarded him with a different perspective. He even allowed Zhang Cai's descendants to continue using their father's surname without any bargaining. As such, Zhang Cai was deeply devoted to the Guo family.
In rural areas, the wealth of a family was mostly related to the labor in the household. Guo Shan had no sons and had planned to adopt a boy from a relative, but various issues prevented this from happening. Thus, Guo Shan singlehandedly supported the family, and their poverty was apparent. Zhang Cai, on the other hand, was diligent and skilled in farming after joining the Guo family. His ability to contribute to the family's labor force far exceeded that of his father-in-law. A year after their marriage, Guo Sufei became pregnant and gave birth to their first child, Zhang Xiaolong, much to Guo Shan's delight.
However, just as the family was looking forward to a bright future, Guo Shan fell severely ill from overwork and never recovered…
Illness was a disaster for a poor family. To treat his father-in-law, Zhang Cai sold all their valuable belongings, but it still wasn't enough to save Guo Shan's fading life. Guo Shan passed away when Zhang Xiaolong was just over two years old. The only consolation for Guo Shan before his death was that his second grandson or granddaughter would soon be born. As a result, Guo Shan named the unborn child before passing away, calling the boy Zhang Xiaohu and the girl Zhang Xiaohua. After Guo Shan's death, Zhang Cai's mother-in-law's health also declined but seeing the birth of Zhang Xiaohu, the elderly woman's sorrow was slightly alleviated, allowing the family to continue their peaceful life.