A couple born in the 1980s rented a 500-sq-m old house on an island, and everyone envies their simple life

Dense high-rise buildings, an endless stream of traffic, and standing in the middle of it all, you feel as if your whole life is being swallowed up!

Having lived in such a city for too long, have you ever thought about living another kind of simple, natural life?

Xiaohuasheng, from Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Her profession is an elementary school English teacher

In her spare time

She likes taking photos and tinkering in the kitchen

All kinds of delicious food

Out of her love for food

Her biggest dream

Is to have a vegetable garden of her own

This vegetable garden does not need to be very big

But being able to harvest ingredients she grew herself

Is already enough

But Xiaohuasheng also knows

Living in a city where land is as precious as gold

Wanting to realize such a dream is simply a fool's dream

Until she encountered Qidu Island -

Qidu Island is not big, and there are not many people on the island either

Originally, the way to reach the small island

Was only by boat

Now, with the completion of the bridge connecting it to the city

Coming to this small island from the city

Takes less than thirty minutes

Such a convenient mode of transportation made Xiaohuasheng's heart stir

Under Xiaohuasheng's "encouragement"

She and her husband Mr. Z came to this small island

After wandering around for quite a few rounds

They took a fancy to this old house

The old house has an area of 250 sq m,

And also comes with 1002 of farmland and a 150-sq-m large garden.

The rice paddies and flowing water full of the breath of nature

Make it impossible for anyone to look away after one glance

Although the rent for houses on the island is not high

They are not a high-income class either

So before renting it

The two still hesitated for a long time

But looking at the breathtaking pastoral scenery before their eyes

They ultimately decided to rent it

As soon as the house was secured,

The couple began the renovation project.

The fish pond in front of the yard

Although the old house is big

Because it had been uninhabited for years

The yard and the pond were both overgrown with weeds

But thinking that soon they could have

A garden and vegetable plot of their own

Xiaohuasheng and her husband started to get to work

If you want results, you must first put in sweat

The renovation process was busy and time-consuming

And also very tiring

But Xiaohuasheng can always, from life

Find a bit of joy

For example, painting a charmingly naive Totoro on the wall

Every time she sees it

Her mood instantly becomes beautiful too

Repainting the house

Xiaohuasheng wanted to break convention and try different paints

Blue doors and windows

At a glance, they add a bit more quietness and artistic flair

Xiaohuasheng loves food

Mr. Z likes reading

So

I prepare a baking room for you

You create a reading space for me

But thinking that the rent had already cost a large sum of money

During the renovation

They still upheld the principle of saving wherever possible

Many of the tables and chairs at home

Were converted from old wooden doors no longer used at Grandma's house

The two flower stands beside the wooden table in the yard

Mr. Z spent a whole afternoon

Before he got them assembled

After finishing, he was completely exhausted

This scale full of a sense of the era

Was picked up by the couple at a flea market

It only cost 15 yuan

When they harvest the fruits

They like to weigh how heavy these "children" are

Just thinking about it makes them happy

They also built a small chicken coop

Although it does not look very pretty

But when the chicks move in

Sheltering them from wind and rain is no problem

Their little days can still be lived vigorously

"Surely they will lay a few more eggs too"

Xiaohuasheng said with a mischievous smile

The discarded stool moved over from Grandma's house

Placed beside the bed

As an ornamental object

Its rough texture instantly becomes full of style too

Through the two people's unremitting efforts

The originally worn and old house, at a glance

Took on a completely new look

Full of warmth

And all of this cost only 50,000 yuan

Looking back on the renovation process

Busy and sometimes especially hard

But now, facing this brand-new home before their eyes

This heartfelt pride and anticipation

Instantly drove away

The exhaustion they had previously gone through

In the city before, what she heard

Was the sound of mahjong downstairs and car horns on the street

Now on this small island

What she hears is neighbors asking after one another

And all the music that belongs to nature

Wind blowing through leaves

Birds chirping, and little butterflies flitting about...

Sitting alone in the small yard

Feeling the sea breeze on the small island pass by

Its salty breath

Xiaohuasheng feels a kind of happiness from the bottom of her heart

And what makes Xiaohuasheng feel even happier

Is that in front of and behind the house

That 100-sq-m farmland and 150-sq-m garden

After the renovation was finished and they moved in

Xiaohuasheng and her husband began pondering, in the small yard

What flowers and vegetables would be best to plant

Once they had made up their minds

they began to tidy up this plot of land that had gone untended for years

Turning the soil, shoveling dirt, planting

Dirty hands and feet, yet close to the scent of the earth

The two of them never used pesticides on the vegetables they grew

When weeds grew, they pulled them out

The fertilizer they used was cow dung and chicken manure

There were no paths in the garden

So the couple laid a brick path

Strolling along it

Sometimes they would squat down to look at the flowers and plants

With a large patch of land

All you need to do is scatter flower seeds casually

By the time spring arrives

The flowers will naturally climb all over the walls

"When you truly experience it

you'll find that farm life is very different from what's described online

and from what you imagined before

Labor takes up almost all of our spare time."

But seeing the small courtyard's vegetable patch

with its thriving vegetables and fruits

all this effort is worth it

Golden persimmons

Hold one in your hand and sniff it, and the fragrance rushes to your nose

Eggplants, melons, baby bok choy

The flavor is very authentic

Little cucumbers, eaten raw in summer or served cold

are both just right

Freshly picked vegetables and fruits

After washing them, they cook them right in the courtyard

Food made with vegetables you grew yourself

is still incredibly delicious

Every bite yields a crisp, sweet happiness

Egg noodles

If you want to add some side ingredients, they're right there in the vegetable garden

No scallions? Wait a minute for me

Just grab the scissors and go cut a handful from the field

Fragrant scallion pancakes

One look and you want to take a bite

With a baking studio of their own

Little Peanut can finally show off her skills

Handmade bread

It smells of the fresh fragrance of wheat

The macarons she researched for a long time

Made by the skillful Little Peanut, they look absolutely stunning

Don't throw away the husks of the cape gooseberry

Add cape gooseberries to a plain mousse

and somehow it gives people a feeling of warmth

Besides the joy of reading

Sometimes, while eating the baked goods Little Peanut made

Mr. Z would also come over to learn a thing or two

Ordinary days

also need a little romance now and then

On Mr. Z's birthday

Little Peanut prepared a candlelit dinner

and also made a birthday cake

Sometimes Little Peanut stays up too late preparing her lessons

and Mr. Z will get up early

pick some fresh vegetables from the field

and make a hearty breakfast

This wordless love moved Little Peanut deeply

Sometimes, when the weather is nice

they invite some relatives and friends

and hold a small party in the courtyard

More often than not

it is time alone just for Mr. Z and Little Peanut

Work hasn't fallen behind either

Although the commute to work is longer

the time on the island is very quiet

The two of them go to bed early and get up early

and can also make breakfast along the way

Besides growing flowers and vegetables

the two of them sometimes also wander around the island

go to the seaside to take a look

feel the sea breeze, gaze at the ocean

Though the days are plain

the heart is full

Although they left the city

with another person by your side

there is also a sense of peace

Perhaps the life of Little Peanut and Mr. Z

isn't suited to every one of us

but I hope we can all live out

that life we yearn for, that comfortable version of ourselves