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墨書 Inktalez
Under the introduction of the senior manager Duke at Slovenia National Park, Bai Yujing rented a cottage located deep in the Slodonia Mountains. This was made possible due to Bai Yujing's current fame, which garnered attention even from abroad. Duke even asked Bai Yujing for an autograph, which was unexpected for Bai Yujing.
Standing at the door of the cottage, Bai Yujing, with a backpack on, gazed into the distance. It felt almost isolated from the world; there were no buildings in sight until the horizon, only leisurely cows and sheep visible on distant hills, raised by nearby farms.
At that moment, an old farmer leading a sheep approached from Shanxia. Duke walked over and brought the farmer up, introducing him to Bai Yujing: "This is Old Alje. The large pasture over there belongs to him. His family has lived here for many generations, and it is said that his ancestors were nobles!"
Afterward, he turned to Old Alje and said, "This is Ian, your new neighbor. He will be staying here for a while!"
Old Alje put down his whip and shook hands with Bai Yujing, his rough palm covered in calluses. "If you're interested, you can come visit my farm."
Bai Yujing nodded. "Okay, I will!"
"I think you'll come to love this place after staying here for a while. Modern people can't experience this primitive lifestyle of working at sunrise and resting at sunset!" Duke said to Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing smiled. "That's exactly why I came here!"
"Then you've truly come to the right place!" Duke was quite talkative, while Old Alje was more reserved.
Not long after Duke drove away, Emma arrived in her red Ford along the dirt road leading up to the cottage, which sat atop a small hill. The road was flanked by walls, with weeds growing about a foot high at the corners.
"Puff puff! Puff puff! Puff puff!"
"Whoo whoo!"
As soon as Bethany got out of the car, she made those sounds and mimicked hooting. Bai Yujing immediately asked, "What's going on?"
Emma laughed. "I just took Bethany on a ride on the steam train outside; it was one of those old-fashioned red ones. Bethany is imitating the sound of the train!"
Bethany immediately chimed in, "The train was so slow! There were fences outside the tracks, and cows and sheep were passing us by; there was even an ugly owl sitting on a sign nearby..."
Bethany was already nine years old this year. Bai Yujing wanted to give her a hug but was rejected; she said she was already a grown-up. Well then, Bai Yujing could only introduce her to their new house.
Emma said to Bai Yujing, "You should also take a ride on that steam train sometime; it has all-wood vintage carriages and the scenery along the tracks is carefully selected—it's really nice!"
"Alright, next time we three can go together!"
The Cottage is a very old-fashioned building, with stone walls and a stone structure. The small white windows are divided into two parts, and while it looks quite old from the outside, the inside is very comfortable and equipped with modern appliances. Bai Yujing had seen it before and was quite satisfied, estimating that the external features and aged appearance were intentionally preserved.
Bethany was very excited to see the old house. Emma pushed her inside and was also amazed: "This is really nice! It has a great atmosphere and is very clean and tidy!"
The walls inside the room were all wooden, and the doors were made of raw wood, with vintage-style furniture and cabinets. The house had two floors, but each floor was somewhat low; Bai Yujing could touch the ceiling even on tiptoes. A handrail staircase led upstairs, and Bai Yujing had to crouch down to avoid hitting her head.
The kitchen was tiled, with all modern appliances including a microwave, gas stove, and refrigerator. However, Bethany seemed a bit disappointed: "I thought it would be like a haunted house on the outside!"
"Do you want to stay in a haunted house?" Bai Yujing asked.
"Of course! Bethany loves listening to her mom tell ghost stories!"
Emma went up to the second floor and opened the window at the back, only to find that behind it was a small lake. She immediately called for Bai Yujing and Bethany: "Look out back!"
"Wow! So beautiful!"
Bai Yujing was also captivated by the view: rolling green mountains surrounded a small lake nestled in the mountain valley below. She could see a flock of birds drinking water by the lake, and further back were endless mountain ranges covered in dense forests that formed large green balls, reflecting beautifully with the green lawns on the slopes!
Emma couldn't help but say, "I'll take Bethany over there to take a look!"
Bai Yujing nodded: "Okay, I'll tidy up my things first and then go next door to Old Alje's house to ask about the situation here and if I can get some local specialties!"
"Who is Old Alje?" Emma asked.
Bai Yujing pointed to a distant white house that was barely visible: "That's Old Alje's house, our new neighbor!"
After finishing her tasks, Bai Yujing drove over to Old Alje's house. Although it seemed reluctant, she had to climb several hills along the way and pass through sections of highway. After coming down from the mountain and reaching a hillside, she saw a large group of sheep.
As Bai Yujing passed by, a few mischievous sheep immediately followed her car, starting to race alongside it while bouncing along her car window, occasionally making teasing sounds. The sheep here were quite lively!
Old Alje's house was right next to the highway. Bai Yujing stopped and saw Old Alje waving at her while holding a pile of hay.
"Hello, Mr. Old Alje! I hope I'm not disturbing you!" Bai Yujing got out of the car and walked over. Next to the hillside was a large barn with its walls sealed off; however, the wall facing the road was open. Inside, rows of black-and-white cows were poking their heads out to eat from the ground materials, while several people were busy working—likely hired hands by Old Alje.
"Have you lived here for long, Mr. Old Alje?" Bai Yujing prepared for some casual conversation.
Old Alje pointed to two chairs in the yard, and they both sat down. The sunlight today was quite nice, a rare good day. Old Alje nodded and said, "This ranch has been passed down from my ancestors, but the young people nowadays are unwilling to do this kind of work. They prefer the big cities. My son and daughter are the same; I estimate that before long, I will have to transfer this ranch to someone else!"
As Old Alje spoke about this, there was a hint of melancholy in his voice. Bai Yujing chatted for a bit before asking, "Have you ever seen anything like Stonehenge around here?"
"Stonehenge? You mean the one in England? I'm very familiar with this area, but I've never seen anything like that!" Old Alje immediately shook his head. However, as he said this, it seemed he suddenly remembered something and paused for a moment.
Bai Yujing quickly noticed this detail: "Mr. Old Alje, did you remember something?"
"What? There really isn't anything like Stonehenge around here. Why do you ask?" Old Alje replied.
Bai Yujing smiled: "Just curious. I'm interested in some British legends and mysterious events. I heard that Stonehenge originated in Wales, so I thought I'd ask!"
Old Alje laughed heartily: "You young people just love to chase after these inexplicable things. But I can clearly tell you, there is indeed nothing!"
Bai Yujing then asked, "Do you know about the Sun Goddess?"
As soon as Bai Yujing mentioned this, Old Alje's expression changed slightly but quickly returned to normal: "The Sun Goddess? I don't quite understand; is she a goddess from some mythological story?"
Bai Yujing shook his head: "It's nothing much, just a casual question. Sorry for the interruption. I'm here mainly to ask if I could borrow something from you; I hope it's convenient."
Old Alje said generously: "Just tell me what you need; anything I have here can be borrowed!"
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