Chapter 36 Open-air Cinema A pale, strong hand grips the bell tightly…

After the autumn harvest, there was another grain delivery, and the two months of non-stop, fast-paced, and highly efficient labor finally came to a temporary end.

As the weather turns cooler, people go from wearing a single spring/autumn shirt to wearing two layers. Families who are more well-off start wearing a double layer of inner clothing.

After the newly planted wheat seedlings emerge, in addition to routine weeding and fertilization, they need to be thoroughly watered before the soil freezes. This is called "winter watering" to ensure that the wheat roots have enough moisture to safely overwinter and prevent frost damage.

In short, as temperatures drop, the pace of life for people in the fields gradually slows down.

Zhong Ying sat on a small stool, leaning against the wall in the courtyard. The two front legs of the stool dangled in the air, with only the two back legs supporting her weight. She leisurely crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the crisp autumn air and the utter silence. Time seemed to slow down in this space and at this moment.

So slowly that Zhong Ying could clearly feel the breeze brushing her cheeks, smell the unique rural aroma of cooking fires, and hear the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the courtyard wall...

Zhong Ying was wearing a plaid jacket. The outer fabric was made two years ago and had been carefully washed only three times, so it was still considered new. The lining was made from old fabric salvaged from old clothes. However, there was nothing wrong with old fabric. It had been washed many times and had become very soft, making it comfortable to be in direct contact with the skin.

Underneath the plaid jacket was a pair of black coarse cloth trousers—very rustic, the kind of outfit a country bumpkin would wear.

Even so, Zhong Ying didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. After the autumn harvest, when she went to the commune to distribute grain, the outside world had become a world of "green" and "yellow," and only in the countryside could one still see some different colors. However, now some men in the production team had started to wear green military uniforms like people outside.

Next to her was little Zhong Guoqiang, who was imitating her, also leaning against the wall with his legs crossed, just like his aunt.

Deng Xia came out of the kitchen and looked at the two children, one big and one small, who were leisurely and happy. Her head was throbbing.

Wasn't this girl anxious about getting married before? Why is she becoming less and less concerned about it now?

Deng Xia was extremely worried. Her daughter didn't seem to be the type to be a wife at all. If she continued to let things go like this, how would she ever get married?

“Yingnier,” Deng Xia hardened her heart and called to her daughter, “Come on, you’ll make lunch today.”

Miao Suyun, who was pumping water at the well in the yard, immediately said upon hearing the sound, "Mom, I'll do it after you're done pumping the water."

Once water is drawn from this type of well, it cannot be stopped; if it is stopped, it requires several strong presses to draw water up again.

Deng Xia looked at her diligent daughter-in-law, then at her lazy daughter, gritted her teeth, and said, "No way, Yingni will cook today!"

With the stool's two front legs touching the ground, Zhong Ying had no choice but to stand up somewhat bewildered and walk towards the kitchen.

Zhong Ying herself doesn't know how to cook. Originally, she could only say that she had tried cooking a handful of times.

Zhong Ying's mother loathed being a housewife, so she told her daughter not to get involved in any of these things, believing that lazy people have their own kind of luck and that if she couldn't do housework, she could just find a man who could.

Deng Xia grew up in a typical rural family with feudal traditions. Like most girls at that time, she helped with housework from a young age and suffered a lot of grievances. So after she ran away from her parents' home and started her own family, Deng Xia secretly vowed that she would never let her daughter live the kind of hard life she had experienced.

So Zhong Ying used to do chores at home, but not much. After all, her father, her brother, and her younger brother all had to do chores. With the chores divided, there wasn't much work left for each person, unlike in Deng Xia's previous family where all the work fell on the girls.

Seeing that her mother was determined to stand aside and supervise, Zhong Ying had no choice but to follow her memory and clumsily began to stuff firewood under the stove to start a fire. It took her a long time to heat up the pot.

The large pot on the stove had already been washed clean by Deng Xia. The steam in the pot had been evaporated by the burning firewood. Zhong Ying hurriedly added a small spoonful of white lard, chopped green onions, and vegetables into it.

She got her eyes smeared by smoke twice and splattered with oil four times while cooking. It was a lot of hard work to finally make a slightly burnt stir-fried green bean dish. Zhong Ying couldn't help but look at her mother next to her, her eyes asking if she should continue cooking.

Deng Xia felt a pang of sadness. Her daughter's face, which she had finally managed to lighten a little, was covered in patches of ash, making her look like a kitten that had rolled around in a furnace. Even the fiercest mother wouldn't want to see her child like that, but what woman doesn't go through that after getting married? Deng Xia couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow.

“My poor daughter, it’s all my fault. I only thought about making sure you suffered less while you were at home. But now that you’re married, you’ll probably suffer even more.”

Zhong Ying was hugged by her mother, looking completely bewildered.

Deng Xia cried out in distress, “Once you’re someone’s wife, you can’t be like a daughter at home anymore. You have to be diligent, do more housework, wash clothes, cook—these are women’s chores. If you don’t do enough at home, you can’t do that after you get married. Your husband will be unhappy, and your in-laws will look down on you…”

Zhong Ying almost cried when she heard this. This wasn't getting married; it was like going to be a nanny!

The thought of marrying a man of this era next year and living the life of a nanny overwhelmed Zhong Ying with sorrow, and she burst into tears.

Miao Suyun rushed over upon hearing the crying, but stood helplessly to the side, unsure of how to comfort her.

Zhong Chunsheng returned home from the fields, and without thinking, rushed into the kitchen. Seeing the mother and daughter sobbing uncontrollably, he was at a loss. "If she has to suffer hardship if she marries into another family, then my daughter won't get married—"

Zhong Ying immediately looked up at her father, her eyes, washed by tears, shining brightly. Could she do it?!

"No way!" Deng Xia wiped away her tears, turned and glared at her husband, "What nonsense are you talking about! It's not like my daughter can't get married!"

That's how people think nowadays. There's no such thing as someone who doesn't want to get married, only someone who can't. For example, it's common for lazy bachelors in production teams to be laughed at behind their backs.

Influenced by this environment and mindset, even though Deng Xia felt sorry for her daughter who might suffer after marriage, she never considered the possibility of her not getting married.

“A woman only has someone to rely on when she gets old after she gets married,” Deng Xia glared at Zhong Chunsheng. “Can we stay with her for the rest of our lives?!”

Zhong Ying sighed. Even in modern times, some parents would still say such things; mindsets are the hardest to change. Besides, Deng Xia wasn't even from the stubborn grandmother generation, but rather from the great-grandmother generation.

"Then let's pick a good young man, someone who can endure less hardship," Zhong Chunsheng said, trying to appease his wife.

Deng Xia then let him go.

Zhong Chunsheng glanced at the food in the pot and then brought up another matter, "We need to eat quickly at noon, because there will be a movie showing in Liwangou tonight, and everyone in the team is planning to go there early this afternoon to reserve a good spot."

Upon hearing this, Deng Xia immediately perked up. "Showing movies? It's already Liwangou's turn? Then it'll be our production team's turn in a couple of days!"

"We need to eat quickly and go get a seat!" Deng Xia said anxiously, pushing her daughter out of the way and taking over the cooking.

Zhong Ying asked curiously, "Since it's our production team's turn in a couple of days, why do we still need to go to Lawangou to check?"

"Why not watch it twice if you can watch it twice?" Deng Xia replied without looking up.

"Alright," Zhong Ying said silently, forgetting that people had very few entertainment options at this time, and watching a movie was a rare treat.

At this time, the movies that people in the countryside watched were open-air movies. It was only to encourage or reward the villagers that the projection team would go to the countryside to show a movie to the people in the production team. This movie screening after the autumn harvest was a reward and relaxation for the commune members who had worked hard all autumn.

After lunch, people from several production teams near and far gathered one after another at the threshing ground of the Liwangou production team, carrying their own stools. Excited children chased and played among the crowd, and some mischievous boys even threw stones into the two deep pits dug in the ground.

The commune projectionist turned around and was furious. He had dug those two holes specifically to insert bamboo poles, and the screen would be hung high on those two bamboo poles.

Zhong Ni and her brother Zhong Shuanzhu also arrived early to reserve seats. When they saw their second uncle's family, they carried their stools over and sat down next to them.

"Sis, do you want some broad beans? I fried them myself," Zhong Ni asked, already stuffing a handful of snacks into Zhong Ying's hand.

Zhong Ying was a little embarrassed, "I didn't bring any food."

Zhong Ni shook her head. The amount her cousin had given her was far more than just a handful of broad beans. She then turned around and gave a handful to each of her second uncle, second aunt, cousin's wife, cousin, and nephew. The cloth bag, which had been fairly full, was now deflated after being distributed.

Even Deng Xia felt embarrassed now, saying, "You've already given it all to us, and your dad will scold you again."

Zhong Ni smiled and said, "My dad doesn't go into the kitchen, so he wouldn't know."

Now she's also learning to be more "flexible".

Deng Xia laughed, "Okay, I'll go home and roast some melon seeds later, and bring them over tonight for you kids to share!"

Zhong Shuanzhu came over and stuffed the broad beans from his pocket into his sister's cloth pocket. Upon hearing this, the siblings nodded happily.

Fearing that others might quietly push their reserved seats back, most people who come in the afternoon won't leave. They'll eat something, chat, and wait until the movie starts in the evening.

As soon as it got dark, the two projectionists, who had been treated to a meal at the production team leader's house, finally arrived. Under the eager gazes of everyone, they adjusted the projection equipment, set up the generator, and hung up the screen...

When a beam of light shone on the curtain in the darkness, some excited children couldn't help but cheer.

The people sitting close together became restless.

"Hey you in front, look down, you're blocking the view!"

"Squeeze in, you? Didn't you release it in your Yuqianwa yesterday? Why are you coming to our Lawangou again today?"

"Hey, don't hold my shoulder, stand up on the stool yourself..."

After waiting for a while, a magnificent and inspiring movie prologue appeared on the screen, signifying the start of the film. The crowd immediately quieted down and focused intently on the screen.

"Fire one shot and move to another location; no blank shots allowed..."

In the quiet night, only the characters in the movie are talking.

Zhong Ying's gaze shifted from the black-and-white film being shown to the people around her. The flickering light shone on their faces, and they were all completely absorbed and engrossed in the film.

The light projected from the projector was not just the light of the movie, but also a ray of light in their barren lives.

People eagerly experienced the "light".

Halfway through the movie, just as everyone was engrossed in watching, the weather suddenly turned against them. A torrential downpour began, and in the blink of an eye, several loud popping sounds were heard, and the screen went completely black.

People startled by the explosion and those seeking shelter from the rain were thrown into chaos in the darkness, unable to see each other clearly, just constantly getting up and pushing forward.

"Hurry! It's raining!"

"The wires are sparking! The projector is going to explode!"

"Stop pushing, someone has fallen!"

Someone is shouting this loudly.

Zhong Ying was so jostled by the crowd that her feet couldn't even touch the ground. She stepped on soft things, one foot on the left and one on the right. She was anxious to pull Zhong Ni, who was sitting next to her, but instead pulled on a woman's hand with large, bony knuckles.

This is bad! Zhong Ying panicked because the movie was being shown in Liwangou, and her aunt couldn't come with Zhong Ni.

She looked left and right, but couldn't make out faces in the darkness and chaos. Not only Zhong Ni, but the rest of her family members had also been squeezed out of sight.

People from three or four surrounding production teams came to watch the movie, and the spacious threshing ground was full. As things got chaotic, no one knew who had been pushed and fallen. Zhong Ying was worried and kept looking back around.

Zhong Ying could only shout, "Everyone, don't panic! Don't push! If you keep pushing, people will be trampled to death!"

Even if people heard the shouts, it was useless. No one could stop in their tracks amidst such commotion. Everyone was like a leaf in a whirlpool, swept and pushed forward by the crowd.

Zhong Ying became increasingly anxious; such a stampede could really kill people!

Among the crowd, a short woman with a furrowed brow took advantage of the darkness to burrow into the ground.

The person who was still pushing forward suddenly took a big step forward and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

A hand frequently reached out from the ground, grabbing the feet of those about to fall and stabilizing their out-of-control bodies.

Zhong Ying was worried about her family members who had been separated from her. The people behind her were pushing and shoving, and she stumbled, her legs buckled, and she was about to fall forward.

A pale, strong hand gripped Zhong Ying's shoulder tightly, almost dragging her forward.

After finally squeezing out of the crowd, someone grabbed Zhong Ying's wrist, and almost at the same time, the hand that had been holding her shoulder from behind disappeared.

Zhong Xin wiped the rain from his face, his expression a mixture of anxiety and relief. "Thank goodness, Sis, you're alright! Dad, Mom, and Sister-in-law all came out first and were looking for you anxiously! Let's go over there quickly!"

Zhong Ying nodded and jogged ahead with her younger brother. Then she noticed he was barefoot on one foot. "Where's your shoe?" she asked.

“I got pushed out,” Zhong Xin said dismissively. “I’ll go back and pick it up when everyone’s gone.”

Zhong Ying then asked, "Did your sister-in-law and Guoqiang get jostled around? Have Ni'er and Shuanzhu come out yet?"

“My sister-in-law and Guoqiang are fine,” Zhong Xin said. “My cousin hasn’t come out yet; Brother Shuanzhu went to look for her.”

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Author's Note: The male lead makes a brief appearance.