130: Chapter 130 The Root of the Fruit
After Old Zhou left that blue fruit for Eric, he rode away on his bike. The chain jingled, and he rode slowly but steadily. He did not know that the seed he had taken away had already grown into a tree at the entrance of the Coffee Shop. He also did not know that Eric would plant that bitten fruit in the soil of Millfield.
Eric did not eat the fruit. He took the bitten blue fruit home, placed it on the table, and looked at it for a long time. The fruit was still blue and shiny, and the bitten part revealed transparent flesh, with a few faint filaments visible inside. He cut the fruit open and took out the seed. There was only one, small, black, and round, exactly the same as the one Old Zhou gave to Molly. He took the seed, walked to the farm, squatted beside the mushroom rack, dug a small hole with his finger, put the seed in, covered it with soil, and watered it a little. He stood up and looked at the freshly turned soil. Sarah walked over and squatted beside him. "What did you plant?" Eric said: "A tree. A tree that will bear sweet fruit." Sarah looked at the patch of soil for a long time. "Will it grow?" Eric nodded. "It will."
When Old Zhou rode to Greenfield, he handed the letter to Martha and pulled out the bitten blue fruit from his pocket—it was already very small, with only a little bit left. He handed that piece of fruit over, and Martha ate it, remembering the day she first gave the broken string to Old Zhou. After she finished eating, she spat out a seed, small, black, and round. She held the seed in her palm and looked at it for a long time. Then she stood up, walked to the church entrance, squatted beside that old tree, dug a small hole with her finger, put the seed in, covered it with soil, and watered it a little. She stood up and looked at the freshly turned soil. The wind blew, and the leaves rustled. She smiled. "It will grow," she said.
When the news reached Millfield, Sarah was watering. She went to look at that patch of soil every day; there was no movement on the first day, still no movement on the second, and on the third day, the soil cracked open. She leaned in to look, and there was a bit of green in the crack, very small, as thin as a needle tip. She reached out, but didn't touch it, just watched. Eric walked over and squatted beside her. "It's alive," he said. Sarah nodded. "It's alive."
On the fourth day, the sprout grew out. Two leaves, small and thin, exactly the same as the one at the entrance of the Coffee Shop. The leaves were heart-shaped, bright green, and glistening in the sunlight. Sarah squatted nearby, reached out, and gently touched a leaf. The leaf swayed, as if saying hello to her. Eric also reached out and touched it gently, and the leaf swayed again. He smiled. "It will grow with the mushrooms." Sarah asked: "How tall will it grow?" Eric thought for a moment. "I don't know. But it will grow up to the sky." Sarah looked up at the sky, then looked back down at the little seedling. She smiled.
On the fifth day, the sprout grew into a small tree. The trunk was thin but straight, thinner than Sarah's arm. The crown was not large, with only a few branches, but every branch was covered with leaves. The leaves were heart-shaped, bright green, and swaying gently in the wind. Eric drew a bucket of water from the well and poured it on the roots. The water seeped into the soil, the little tree drank its fill, and stood even straighter. Sarah squatted beside the roots, looking at those leaves. She remembered the first time she came to Millfield; it was a spring just like this, with wildflowers blooming on both sides of the road. She planted mushrooms here, and now she had planted a tree. She didn't know what this tree would grow into, but she knew it would keep growing.
When the news reached Greenfield, Martha was playing the guitar. She went to look at that patch of soil every day; there was no movement on the first day, still no movement on the second, and on the third day, the soil cracked open. She leaned in to look, and there was a bit of green in the crack, very small, as thin as a needle tip. She put down the guitar, squatted beside that old tree, and looked at the crack. The wind blew, and the leaves rustled. She smiled. "It's here."
On the fourth day, the sprout grew out. Two leaves, small and thin, exactly the same as the one at the entrance of the Coffee Shop. The leaves were heart-shaped, bright green, and glistening in the sunlight. Martha squatted nearby, reached out, and gently touched a leaf. The leaf swayed, as if saying hello to her. She remembered the first time she played the guitar; it was just like this, her fingers gently plucked the strings, the strings vibrated, and sound came out. She smiled. She stood up, picked up the guitar, sat beside the little seedling, and played a very soft tune. The leaves trembled gently with the music, as if listening.
On the fifth day, the sprout grew into a small tree. The trunk was thin but straight, thinner than Martha's arm. The crown was not large, with only a few branches, but every branch was covered with leaves. The leaves were heart-shaped, bright green, and swaying gently in the wind. Martha brought a cup of water from the house and poured it on the roots. The water seeped into the soil, the little tree drank its fill, and stood even straighter. She squatted beside the roots, looking at those leaves. She remembered the day she wrote her first letter; it was just like this, the paper was white, the characters were black, and she wrote very slowly, thinking for a long time for every word. Now she had planted a tree; the tree couldn't speak, but it would grow. She didn't know what it would grow into, but she knew it would keep growing.
When the news reached Xinfeng Town, Lin Xiaohe was watering the little tree at the entrance of the Coffee Shop. Molly brought a cup of water out from the shop and handed it to Lin Xiaohe, who took it and poured it on the roots. The water seeped into the soil, the little tree drank its fill, and stood even straighter. The cat squatted beside the roots and swatted at a fallen leaf on the ground with its paw; the leaf flipped over, revealing the fuzz on the back. The cat swatted it again, and the leaf floated up and landed on its head. It shook its head, the leaf fell off, and it swatted it again, as if playing with the leaf. Lin Xiaohe squatted down and looked at the little tree. She remembered the day she first wrote the character "Listen" on the wall; it was just like this, the chalk was white, the wall was gray, and she wrote a "Listen" character, crooked and twisted. Now the wall was still there, the door was still there, the road was still there, and the tree was there too. She didn't know how long this tree would grow, but she knew it would keep growing.
That night, Lin Feng was squatting under the old locust tree. Margaret brought a plate of mushrooms over and squatted beside him.
"Lin Feng, Millfield has grown a tree, and Greenfield has grown a tree too. Exactly the same as the one at the entrance of the Coffee Shop."
Lin Feng took the mushrooms and ate a piece. "The fruit will spread. The tree will grow. Wherever it spreads, it will grow."
Margaret looked at him. "Then will Xinfeng Town turn into a forest?"
Lin Feng chewed the mushrooms. "It will. But no need to rush. Let it grow slowly."
Margaret looked at him and smiled. "When did you learn to say things like that?"
Lin Feng said: "When I was biting on a straw."
The next morning, Old Zhou came to deliver letters. He rode to Millfield and saw Eric standing at the entrance of the town waiting for him, holding a white mushroom in his hand. Old Zhou handed him the letter and saw a small tree behind Eric, thin and straight, with leaves that were bright green. He paused for a moment. "This tree..." Eric smiled. "It was planted from the fruit you brought. The seed was planted, and it grew." Old Zhou squatted down and looked at the little tree. The trunk was very thin but straight, and the leaves were heart-shaped, swaying gently in the wind. He reached out and gently touched a leaf, and the leaf swayed, as if saying hello to him. He smiled. "It will grow big." He stood up, got on his bike, and continued on.
He rode to Greenfield and saw Martha sitting at the entrance playing the guitar, and there was also a small tree behind her, thin and straight, with leaves that were bright green. He paused for a moment. "This tree..." Martha stopped and smiled. "It was planted from the fruit you brought. The seed was planted, and it grew." Old Zhou squatted down and looked at the little tree. The leaves were heart-shaped, swaying gently in the wind, trembling slightly with the music. He reached out and gently touched a leaf, and the leaf swayed, as if saying hello to him. He smiled. "It will grow big." He stood up, got on his bike, and continued on.
He rode to Xinfeng Town and saw there was also a small tree at the entrance of the Coffee Shop, taller than the ones in Millfield and Greenfield, with denser leaves. The cat was squatting beside the roots, with the tip of its tail swaying gently. Molly brought a cup of water out from the shop and poured it on the roots. The water seeped into the soil, the little tree drank its fill, and stood even straighter. Old Zhou parked his bike at the entrance, squatted down, and looked at the little tree. He remembered the day he first put that blue fruit into his mouth, riding to the tree carved with "Li Xiaojun was here," sitting on the roots, and taking a bite. It was sweet. Now the seed of that fruit had grown into three trees. One in Millfield, one in Greenfield, and one in Xinfeng Town. He stood up, took the letter out of his bag, and stuck it on the wall. After sticking it, he stood in front of the little tree for a long time. Then he got on his bike and continued riding forward. The chain jingled, and he rode slowly but steadily.
He thought of those trees, those fruits, those seeds. They came from the door, from under the wall, from the entrance of the Coffee Shop, from Millfield, from Greenfield. They would go to more places. He smiled and continued riding forward.
[Chapter 130 End]