September 15, 2023, Friday, sunny, 19~29℃.
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In the morning, on the path along the paddy fields, surrounded by layers of terraced fields, the rice ears drooping, the air filled with the moist scent of soil and a faint smell of cooking smoke.
Qiuqiu ran along the road.
From afar came the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, mixed with casual chatter in the local dialect.
"Little sister, what are you cooking today?" "Steamed corn bread!"
The familiar village lay ahead, yet she couldn't reach it no matter how hard she tried.
An anxious expression spread across her face, and sweat dripped steadily.
The familiar scenery quickly turned eerie.
The once golden rice fields gradually lost color, turning grayish, like scenes in old photographs that had lost their vitality.
Just then, a hunched figure slowly walked over from the path in the fields, hair silvered, and wrinkles etched deep across the face.
