Chapter 78: Is this your wedding candy with Sister Li?

Xia Li was right; Zhou Qiman really did have those issues.

With Zhou Qiman being the only grandson of the Zhou family, they naturally sought medical help. They managed to treat him after a lot of effort, but he still had flare-ups from time to time, making it impossible to completely cure him.

The Zhou family was heartbroken over Zhou Qiman’s illness, so they spoiled him, raising him like a little tyrant, which only made him more unruly.

Although Zhou Qiman was the king of the kids in the village, he was very sensitive and irritable about his condition, and he absolutely wouldn’t allow his family to mention it.

His domineering mindset of bullying weaker children stemmed from his own issues and the boundless indulgence from his family.

Now that he was so bluntly exposed in front of everyone, he couldn’t take it anymore.

He rushed home, starting to tear things apart and yelling at his mother, looking nothing like a boy of just over ten years old.

The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law was at her wit’s end and couldn’t help but complain about her brother-in-law, blaming him for not standing up for his nephew on the spot.

Zhou Zhengbin lazily walked past the main room, munching on an apple, glancing at the young girl’s pale face without even looking at her.

He spat out the skin with a “pfft.”

Amused, he reached out to his sister-in-law, “I’m out of cigarettes; give me some money.”

The Zhou sister-in-law felt a lump in her throat, nearly grabbing a broom to chase him away.

But in the end, she didn’t dare; Zhou Zhengbin was a troublesome person, carefree and unpredictable.

She had seen how ruthless he could be when he got angry; she could scold him but didn’t dare to truly provoke him.

Reluctantly, the Zhou sister-in-law took out ten yuan from the public funds, and before she could hand it to him, she hesitated and said, “How did that girl know about Qiman’s illness? She spoke so convincingly…”

“Binzi, you didn’t go around talking about it, did you?”

Zhou Zhengbin quickly pulled out two crumpled bills, and in his sister-in-law’s pained gaze, he lightly crumpled them into a ball and stuffed them into his pocket, saying coldly, “Qiman is your nephew; how could I make things up?”

“Where is that girl from? She bullied my nephew; I have to go teach her a lesson and show her some consequences.”

Over there, Wei Xiaojuan, after all the commotion, decided to let go and no longer cared about face or reputation.

After all, people always looked down on her as a young widow, pointing fingers at her. She had endured and avoided it in the past, but now that the incident had blown up, people knew she wasn’t someone to mess with, which made things much clearer.

She seriously instructed her mother not to go help relatives with farming for a few cents anymore. For now, she would stay home and take care of Sui, while she would handle making money.

This incident caused quite a stir in their village and set a grudge with the Zhou family.

Wei Xiaojuan wasn’t worried about herself; she regretted her impulsiveness in dragging Xia Li into the trouble, fearing it would tarnish her reputation.

Xia Li didn’t worry at all.

She hadn’t missed the Zhou family’s anxious expressions at that time.

Who knows, the Zhou family might come to seek her help one day in the future.

After the busy autumn harvest season, the piles of harvested rice formed small mountains, and the villagers in Shinian Village were bustling with excitement.

Once the grain was all harvested, the village planned to invite a projectionist from the county to set up a screen and show a movie to celebrate the autumn harvest and liven things up.

Everywhere along the road, villagers hung up with smiles, discussing their abundant harvest, along with men carrying empty burlap sacks after selling their grain.

“After a whole year of hard work, we can finally relax a bit!”

“Hey, Gen Zhu, did you sell everything? Isn’t your wife going to scold you? What if you have to pay the grain tax at night, haha…”

“I’ll pay your ancestors! I have a pocket full of grain taxes with nowhere to use it; if you’re short, I can throw in your wife’s share too!”

The men joked and laughed, their banter filled with joy, mixed with a few crude remarks that would make outsiders shake their heads.

The children curiously looked at the white screen set up on the village square: “What kind of movie is that?”

“I heard it’s about people living in frames, and it’s the kind that moves.”

“Living in frames? How can you live in frames? That’s so pitiful!” the child exclaimed.

The chubby boy Tian Dun’er proudly put his hands on his hips and said, “My uncle took me to the city to watch a movie last month. We sat in a dark square, and the people in the movie were amazing! They wore such beautiful clothes! Red and green!”

“My uncle even bought us peanut candy to eat while watching. Hey, you guys have never seen a movie, right?”

The little kids were envious, chattering, “Tian Dun is so impressive, he actually watched a movie…”

“Is the peanut candy delicious?”

“What’s so great about it? It’s just a movie! Soon everyone in the village will be able to watch it! Hmph! If you have the ability, then give each of us a peanut candy, and then we’ll praise you!”

Tian Dun’er puffed out his chest and loudly declared with his round face, “If you give it, I’ll take it! What’s so great about it! Baowa, you just wait!”

After saying that, he raised his head and ran into the house with his short legs, stomping away.

Unfortunately, he ran right into a pair of long legs.

“Ouch!” He looked up and saw a towering, intimidating face that could scare a child into tears.

Tian Dun’er, with eyes like black beans, stared at the man in front of him and suddenly grinned widely.

“Captain! It’s you!”

He peeked between the man’s legs and saw a charming girl in a red velvet coat walking towards them.

With long hair, a fair face, and eyes sparkling like two clear streams in spring, she looked bright and cheerful.

Tian Dun’er quickly ducked down and squeezed through the man’s legs, rushing to Xia Li with curiosity and excitement: “Sister Li, did you come to watch the movie too?!”

Xia Li had run into the chubby boy a few times in the village and remembered him.

Seeing his antics made her smile, while the man beside her looked surprised and turned his head away, appearing a bit awkward. She held back her laughter and nodded, “Yes, just came to join the fun.”

As she spoke, two dimples appeared on her cheeks.

She had been busy lately, but today, with the village setting up a movie screening, she had a chance to relax and was curious to see what movies looked like in this era.

The other kids also ran over, but they didn’t dare to squeeze through the man’s legs. Instead, they cautiously circled around before getting closer.

They looked up curiously at Xia Li’s outfit but were too shy to stare directly, their little faces bright with excitement.

Xia Li had indeed dressed up more elaborately today.

Thinking of going out to watch a movie as a way to unwind, she changed from her usual dusty look from running around the market and wore her newly bought velvet coat and skirt.

She wore a dark red velvet coat with a collar, of moderate thickness, tucked into a high-waisted navy blue A-line skirt that accentuated her slim waist.

Her hair was not tied up but fell over her shoulders, with a blue checkered silk scarf used as a headband, wrapped around her head and tied in a butterfly knot behind her ear, looking quite suitable.

In fact, the young girls in the village were not without trendy outfits, but Xia Li was used to dressing casually. When she dressed up seriously, it highlighted her fair skin and black hair, making her delicate features stand out even more.

Walking down the road, her graceful figure was particularly slender and well-proportioned, drawing people’s eyes wherever she went.

Jiang Cheng noticed her being surrounded by a group of kids and felt his heart sink with displeasure.

Why were there so many people coming over to greet her?

Annoying.

Speaking of which, since the last time they had that secret encounter, they hadn’t had a proper conversation for a long time.

Xia Li was busy coming and going, and Jiang Cheng was also going up and down the mountain every day.

He felt stifled and a bit dejected.

Was his little wife avoiding him? Did she dislike him?

He didn’t want to think about it.

Just when he could no longer hold back and wanted to take the initiative to find Li Zi, the loudspeaker at the village entrance broadcasted throughout the entire village, announcing that to celebrate the successful end of the busy farming season, everyone in the village was invited to come and watch a movie tonight.

Xia Li was surrounded by the children, chattering away, each taking turns to speak.

Some were curious about what she was wearing on her head and wanted to touch it.

Others blushed as they praised her new clothes, saying her long hair was beautiful and asking if she was a fairy.

These kids had such sweet mouths, their innocent voices filled with sincerity, making Xia Li’s heart blossom with joy, utterly charmed by them.

She took out the snacks she had prepared for the movie later that evening and shared some milk candies and biscuits with the children, which earned her a chorus of happy cheers.

Tian Dun’er also received some, his eyes shining; this was a White Rabbit candy!

It was much fancier than the peanut candy his uncle had bought for him!

The chubby boy happily stuffed them into his bag, covering it with his hands to prevent anyone from snatching it away.

Each of the kids got two pieces of White Rabbit candy, and they were super excited, some eagerly unwrapping the candy and starting to lick it.

Suddenly, Tian Dun’er realized something and looked between Sister Li and the handsome uncle with a cold expression beside her.

He glanced at both of them and curiously asked in his childish voice, “Captain, is this your wedding candy with Sister Li?”

Xia Li, who was about to pop a piece of candy into her mouth, almost choked.

She instinctively glanced at the man and quickly explained to Tian Dun’er, “Chubby Dun, don’t talk nonsense! This isn’t wedding candy; if you keep saying that, I’ll take it back!”

Tian Dun’er continued to whisper to the nearby kids, “Sister Li gave us wedding candy, White Rabbit! I’ve only had it once before, when my uncle got married.”

Ni Ni exclaimed, “Wow, it’s wedding candy…”

Baowa added, “Wedding candy is only given at weddings.”

Jun Zi chimed in, “So that means they got married.”

Gou Dan said, “So shy!”

A bunch of kids blinked their eyes, one after another, quickly spreading the news.

Xia Li thought, “…”

She clenched her fists, “There is no such thing!”

“There’s no marriage! You kids shouldn’t talk nonsense.”

The man beside her slowly glanced at her.

With a serious expression, he casually reminded her, “Let’s go, the movie is about to start.”

Xia Li glared at him.

What’s with the red ears?

And he pretended not to hear her.

Tsk.

After whispering among themselves, Tian Dun’er shook his head and said to them, “Hey, Sister Li, what’s there to be shy about? It’s just like that when you get married.”

He looked at the man, “Right, Captain?”

Ni Ni enviously watched Xia Li’s retreating figure, her sweet voice muffled around the candy in her mouth, “When I grow up, I want to get married too, many times, then I can have lots and lots of White Rabbit candies to eat!”

---

After dusk.

The sky gradually darkened to a deep blue, like clear ink staining the heavens, layers of dreamy night colors seeping through.

The usually quiet village was particularly lively tonight.

People who had finished dinner early brought their families and benches towards the movie screen.

Those who arrived early could secure good spots; the first few rows were already packed tightly with people, young and old gathered together, creating a bustling atmosphere from afar.

Jiang Cheng carried a long bench, set it down, dusted it off, and with his rolled-up sleeves revealing strong arms, said in a low voice, “Sit.”

Xia Li smiled and sat down.

He sat down on the other side, his tall and sturdy frame blocking the view of the people behind him.

All she could hear was a murmur from the back, “Is he really that tall?”

With that, the person moved to the other side to sit.

Xia Li found it amusing and quickly glanced at the man.

He seemed to know what she was thinking, as if he hadn’t noticed anything at all. When he finally caught her gaze, he raised his head in confusion, his serious face instinctively blinking at her in a daze.

Leaning closer, he earnestly asked, “Wife, what’s wrong?”

His dark eyes were fixed on her.

In the deep blue of the night, his features appeared sharp and striking, with a bright depth in his gaze.

Xia Li withdrew her gaze and shook her head, sitting up straight. “It’s nothing. By the way… do you know what movie is playing later?”

The man was taken aback.

He actually did know.

His expression suddenly became a bit stiff.

He quickly turned his head towards the person sitting on the other side and lowered his voice, looking serious as if interrogating for information. “What movie is playing today?”

The young man looked a bit confused; he had come over from the neighboring village to join the fun.

He stammered, “I think… I think it’s Red Peony…”

Before the young man could finish, the man turned back, changing his expression to one of indifference, clearing his throat, and speaking to Xia Li in a calm and assured tone, “Red Peony.”

“Oh.” Xia Li nodded.

In the hazy night, the village exuded a tranquil atmosphere mixed with the scent of dry earth and light rice fragrance.

The sounds around them were a blend of chatter and laughter.

Jiang Cheng leaned heavily on the long bench, keeping his head down and silent, but his peripheral vision was fixed on Xia Li.

He was just about to shift his body to move closer when Xia Li suddenly raised her face and pointed ahead, exclaiming, “Fireflies!”

In the distance, among the clumps of grass, a few green glimmers of light flickered.

Jiang Cheng followed her gaze and stood up immediately. “I’ll go catch…”

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud crack!

The long bench tipped up on one side with his movement, causing Xia Li to almost topple over onto the ground!

In the next second, the man barely caught her shoulder.

Xia Li was pulled tightly against him, her face crashing into his chest, her heart racing wildly. It took her a moment to regain her composure.

Really, sitting on such a long bench made it easy for situations like this to happen.

As one person stood up, the others sitting on the opposite side acted like a seesaw, sending someone tumbling over.

She awkwardly laughed and raised her eyes, only to see a tense, serious face staring back at her.

The man’s brows were tightly furrowed, his arms holding her particularly close, his grip strong.

His deep voice was tight as he asked, “…Wife, are you okay?”