Chapter 3: Bracelet_1

By now, it was past noon and the sun was hanging high in the sky. However, since the well had been dug deep, they couldn't see things at the bottom of the well, relying solely on an oil lamp they brought down. Under the flickering light, Zhang Xiaohua couldn't make a firm decision. After pondering for a moment, he raised the hoe and dug in one direction. "Dang, dang..." The sound went on, and after trying several other directions, the same thing happened. What shall they do? It seemed they had reached a dead end.

Zhang Xiaohua started to think about giving up. Perhaps he should come up first, and wait for the well to be enlarged later. But his mother hadn't brought any food yet, so why not dig from the bottom first? Eventually, he didn't stop and continued digging from in front of him, at waist-depth, searching for a direction. Suddenly, he heard a "clang" sound, and Xiao Hua couldn't help but be startled. Was it another rock? But after that, there was no more sound. Zhang Xiaohua wondered but didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was just a small stone, as long as it wasn't a huge rock. Digging about a step further, he tried to dig down again, hoping not to hear that annoying sound, but there was little comfort. Underneath, in that direction, there was that same rock.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to take a break and try another direction, Zhang Xiaolong's voice came from above, "Xiao Hua, come up and have some food. Mom brought the meal." Zhang Xiaohua was pulled up from the well by his big brother. Seeing his face, Zhang Xiaolong didn't ask more questions, just brought him some food and watched as he wolfed it down. He then reassured him, "It's fine, Xiao Hua. If this place doesn't work, we'll try another spot. There must be some place on this slope where we can dig a well."

After eating, Zhang Xiaohua's complexion improved significantly, no longer seeming gloomy. Seeing someone go back down the well, he laughed and said to Zhang Xiaolong, "I know, big brother. I'll go check the field and come back later." Zhang Xiaolong patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder and said nothing, then walked away with an empty basket.

Zhang Xiaohua carried his hoe up the slope and arrived at his neatly planted field. He sat down on the edge of the field, feeling helpless as he gazed at the land that couldn't be watered, wondering if he would have to carry water from the river in the future. When his eyes fell on the hoe, he saw that there was a clump of mud on it, probably brought up from digging in the well. Zhang Xiaohua rubbed the mud off with his foot, but it didn't come off. He picked up the hoe and cleaned off the mud with his hands, discovering a mysterious Circle Ring tightly wedged on the hoe. He guessed the "clang" sound he'd heard earlier was probably when the hoe hit the Circle Ring. No wonder there was no other sound after that; it had gotten stuck on the hoe. Zhang Xiaohua tried to remove the Circle Ring from the hoe using a tree branch and tapping it with a stone, but it didn't work. Maybe if he hit it hard against the stone, it might come off, but there was a chance it could break. Feeling helpless, Zhang Xiaohua finally steeled himself and used half of his strength to raise the hoe, striking it against the stone. He heard a "clang" sound, but the Circle Ring didn't break or come off. He then used his full strength, hitting it several times until it finally came off. Surprisingly, the mysterious Circle Ring didn't break and seemed quite sturdy.

Zhang Xiaohua picked up the Circle Ring and wiped the mud off with his clothes, finally seeing that it was a bracelet, about two fingers wide, black and flat, with no patterns and made of an unknown material. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he heard Zhang Xiaolong's joyful voice from below the slope, "Xiao Hua, come quickly, there's hope!" Zhang Xiaohua jumped up excitedly, forgetting about the bracelet he had just found. He pocketed it, picked up his hoe, and hurried down the slope, unaware of the light and floating feeling he had just felt holding the bracelet.

When Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the bottom of the slope, he saw the smiling faces of Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu, as well as Zhang Cai with a slightly bitter face. According to Zhang Xiaolong, it turned out that there wasn't a layer of rock at the bottom of the well, and the rock wasn't too large. As long as they expanded the well opening, they could remove the rock, but they would need to enlarge it by at least three steps. With a larger opening, there would be a larger amount of soil to be dug out, taking more time and costing more money. However, at least they didn't have to choose a new location and start digging a new well, and they wouldn't have to carry water to irrigate their land. This was a good outcome. Seeing the happy looks on the three children's faces, only Zhang Cai worried silently, hoping that such rocks would not appear again. If this happened a few more times, they wouldn't need to dig the well anymore.

The work in the afternoon was relatively simple. The well-diggers, according to the size of the rocks, re-measured the well opening and planned how to expand it before continuing to dig the soil. After this little upheaval, everyone went back to work efficiently.

In the evening, after returning home, having dinner, and getting ready for bed, Zhang Xiaohua completely forgot about the bracelet in his pocket. However, when he took off his clothes, it fell out, and he finally remembered it. But after a long day, he was exhausted and didn't think much of it. Casually, he tucked it under his pillow and fell into a deep sleep.