Chapter 78 Marriage

Liu Zhixia ran all the way home.

As soon as Zhang Xiuying saw her, she grabbed a stick, ready to hit her, but then put it down with a pained expression, leaving only scolding: "You brat! You've gotten so bold! Running off into the mountains alone in the middle of the night! Aren't you afraid of being carried off by wolves!"

Liu Zhixia laughed and snuggled into her mother's arms, acting coquettishly: "Mom, I know I was wrong! Don't be angry anymore, everyone in the village has arrived, let's hurry up and greet the guests!"

"Alright, alright," Zhang Xiuying had no choice but to give her a piece of her mind. "Go change your clothes! It'll be time for the wedding ceremony when your husband comes back!"

Just then, Shen Hongmei rushed over: "Mother, something bad has happened! There are too many people here today, and we might not have enough vegetables and meat!"

Zhang Xiuying frowned: "What about the supply and marketing cooperative?"

Zhou Juan snorted coldly: "The Lu family probably caused trouble; they didn't even open the door today!"

"What should we do?" Shen Hongmei paced anxiously. "We can't just let the guests wait on an empty stomach, can we?"

"Don't worry," Liu Zhixia said easily. "Have you forgotten? I also grow vegetables in the mountains."

“Your few vegetables aren’t enough for so many people!” Zhang Xiuying grabbed her arm.

Liu Zhixia smiled mysteriously: "Whether it's enough or not, you'll find out in a bit. Big brother, second brother, come pick me up at the foot of the mountain later."

After saying that, she turned around and ran up the mountain again.

Before long, Liu Xiangyang and Liu Weidong saw two large baskets full of fresh, juicy vegetables at the foot of the mountain!

"My God!" Liu Weidong exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Little sister, this mountain is a treasure trove! These vegetables are growing so well!"

Liu Xiangyang, however, seemed unsurprised: "My little sister planted them secretly, don't make a fuss. Let's go, take them back first."

The two lifted the baskets on their backs, only to find that Liu Zhixia hadn't moved.

"Big brother, second brother, you go back first, I still have some things here."

"This amount of food is definitely enough!"

“It’s not vegetables,” Liu Zhixia shook her head and dropped another bombshell, “I also raise some chickens and ducks in the mountains. Today is the perfect day to catch them all!”

"What?!" Liu Weidong slipped and almost fell. "You... you've settled down in the mountains?!"

Liu Zhixia winked playfully: "That's because I'm afraid of being discovered and having it confiscated!"

Liu Xiangyang laughed heartily: "Alright! Be careful then, we're heading back now!"

"good!"

As soon as the two brothers left, Liu Zhixia immediately slipped into her spatial dimension.

She deftly grabbed all the plump chickens and ducks, stuffed them into her basket, and collected half of the newly laid eggs and duck eggs.

She also scooped up more than a dozen big, fat fish that were jumping around in the pond, each weighing five or six pounds!

After doing all this, she carried the heavy basket on her back and quietly slipped back home through the back door.

When the family saw the basket full of lively chickens, ducks, and fish, they were all dumbfounded.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Zhang Xiuying was the first to react. She pulled Liu Zhixia to the corner and asked in a low voice, both nervous and excited, "Daughter! Tell your mother the truth, where did you get all of this...?"

Liu Zhixia had already prepared her explanation. She whispered, "I bought them from the next brigade. They were all secretly raised by the locals. You mustn't tell anyone!"

"Oh dear!" Zhang Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then slapped her thigh, her face full of praise. "My daughter is so clever! How come we didn't think of that!"

Liu Zhixia smiled and handed the basket to her: "Mom, I'm leaving these to you. I need to go change my clothes quickly!"

Liu Zhixia changed into a brand new wedding dress and sat quietly by the bed, waiting for her groom.

The courtyard was filled with the joyful laughter of relatives and friends; inside the house, the air was filled with festive red decorations.

Her heart finally settled down completely.

In this life, the dust has settled.

"Crackling and popping—!"

Suddenly, a deafening sound of firecrackers rang out outside!

He's back!

Liu Zhixia's heart skipped a beat. Then, the door was pushed open, and a group of people crowded around Shen Yi, laughing and joking as they rushed in.

Shen Yi stood in the center of the crowd, dressed in a crisp military uniform, holding a bouquet of bright wildflowers in his hands, his gaze fixed intently on her.

"daughter in law……"

"Eh."

Liu Zhixia responded softly, and the cheers from the surrounding crowd instantly grew louder!

Someone shouted "Give me a kiss!" and Xu Zhigang even shoved Shen Yi from behind!

Shen Yi stumbled and came right in front of her.

Their eyes met, and a sweet awkwardness filled the air.

The next second, under everyone's gaze, Liu Zhixia tiptoed and took the initiative to place a light kiss on Shen Yi's lips.

Shen Yi's body stiffened abruptly, and then he pulled her tightly into his arms, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

He lowered his head and whispered a solemn promise in her ear, a promise only the two of them could hear:

"I, Chen Yi, will never let you down in this lifetime!"

Liu Zhixia's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice became hoarse: "I believe you."

"oh!"

The young people inside the room became even more boisterous.

Push-ups, pull-ups... all sorts of exercises were put to the test, keeping the groom busy.

However, all of this was a piece of cake for Shen Yi. He completed all the challenges with ease, and his agile skills and strong physique made the young men in the village extremely envious. Some of them even had the idea of ​​joining the army on the spot!

At this moment, many people in the brigade were still rushing excitedly towards the Liu family's house.

On the way, someone excitedly shouted, "Have you heard? The Liu family has prepared all kinds of chicken, duck, fish, and meat today! The groom even brought several cartloads of meat back from the city just now!"

Not far away, Li Xuemei stared fiercely in the direction of the Liu family, her eyes practically spitting fire.

"Where did the Liu family get their money? It's like they became rich overnight!"

Having just recovered, Lu Jianping sat on the ground and weakly snorted, "His son-in-law is a battalion commander, how could he not have money?"

"Bullshit!" Li Xuemei glared at him. "The Liu family had already started eating meat at every meal before his son-in-law even arrived!"

She leaned closer warily and lowered her voice: "You mean... what your mother said, could it be true? Did that old woman really leave some treasure for the Liu family?"

"Ha," Lu Jianping scoffed, "If there really was such a treasure, how could that old woman have died of illness? How could the Liu family have been left with such a mountain of debt?"

No sooner had they finished speaking than a group of people in work clothes walked aggressively toward them.

"Excuse me, where is the Liu family's residence?"

The couple were startled by the scene and instinctively pointed in the direction.

"Could it be... debt collectors?" Li Xuemei guessed in a low voice.

Just as Lu Jianping was about to deny it, another man with a gloomy face walked over and asked in the same tone, "Where is the Liu family?"

The two were so frightened they didn't dare say a word, and pointed it out again.

"Thank you," the man said coldly, then quickly followed after them with his men.

"They're definitely debt collectors!" Lu Jianping's eyes lit up instantly, and he jumped up from the ground. "Let's go! Let's watch the show! If those soldiers find out that the Liu family is drowning in debt, they might be so scared that they won't even have time to perform the wedding ceremony and will run away overnight!"

"Then... what about our son?"

Lu Jianping's smile vanished, and he glared at him: "I don't want to deal with him right now! If he's so capable of marrying this young lady, then he can handle it himself!"

Seeing Lu Jianping head towards the Liu family without looking back, Li Xuemei panicked: "That's your own son!"

Li Xuemei paused for a moment, then realized what she meant and laughed, "That's right! If that soldier gets scared away and Liu Zhixia can't get married, my son can take her place! That way, we can distance ourselves from that jinx!"