"Not Xu Shu? My goodness... who is this? What a big shot!"
"Could it be someone Xu Shu sent to pick up his parents? Wow, what a show of force..."
"How could that be? He looks like a high-ranking official to me!"
......
Others might not know, but Li Guixiang knew whose it was.
All the smugness and joy on her face vanished; her lips trembled, and her finger pointed shakily at the newcomer:
"You...you, you're not that Chen...Chen Huaichuan, Commander Chen?! What are you doing here?"
Shen Huaichuan ignored her, not even glancing at the suspicious looks from the surrounding villagers.
He turned around, walked straight to the passenger seat, bent down slightly, and reached his hand inside.
A fair, slender hand with well-proportioned joints gently rested on his broad palm.
The next second, a figure was carefully helped out by Shen Huaichuan.
The woman wore a well-tailored off-white woolen long dress, the hem of which reached her calves, and a light camel-colored cashmere coat over it, which accentuated her slender and graceful figure.
Her jet-black hair was loosely tied into a bun at the back of her head, revealing a smooth, full forehead and a long, slender neck.
Her skin was so fair and delicate it seemed to glow, her eyes and brows were as bright as autumn water, her nose was straight and elegant, and her lips were a natural light pink.
On her feet were a pair of small brown lambskin boots, which looked out of place on the gravelly, yellow earthen ground, yet were so eye-catching that it was impossible to look away.
The villagers who came to watch the spectacle stared wide-eyed.
They had seen newlyweds wearing red jackets and educated youth from the city wearing polyester, but had they ever seen such an exquisite, elegant, and fairy-like woman who seemed to have stepped out of a New Year's painting?
They were all stunned for a moment.
Shen Huaichuan took a step without making a sound, his tall figure like a wall, blocking some of the men's staring gazes from her.
His dark gray Zhongshan suit and Zhou Qiqi's elegant woolen coat stood side by side, one strong and one gentle, yet their auras blended seamlessly, making it hard to breathe.
Just then, the woman in the blue headscarf who had just been belittling Li Guixiang and speaking up for Zhou Qiqi rubbed her eyes hard, took another half step forward, tilted her head, and stared intently at Zhou Qiqi's face.
The doubt on her face slowly turned into disbelief and shock. Her mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. She slapped her thigh and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"My God! You're Qi Qi? That Qi Qi girl from the Zhou family?!"
That cry of "Qiqi" was like a needle, piercing through Zhou Qiqi's carefully maintained composure.
Before setting foot on the land of Xujia Village, she rarely recalled this part of her original body's memories, always feeling that it was too painful.
But now, hearing that familiar call with a strong local accent, and looking at the woman's face in front of me, which showed concern mixed with kindness.
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of closeness suddenly arose within me.
This Aunt Zhang used to get along quite well with the original owner's mother. After the original owner's parents passed away, she often took care of the original owner, occasionally secretly slipping her half a cornbread or a handful of fried beans.
He's a genuinely good person.
Zhou Qiqi smiled gently at the woman in the blue headscarf who was rubbing her eyes in disbelief, her voice warm and gentle:
"Aunt Zhang, it's me, Qiqi."
"Oh my god! It really is you, Qiqi!"
Aunt Zhang was now completely certain. Excited, she slapped her thigh and her voice grew even louder.
"I thought it looked like it just now! But... but the change is too great! My auntie doesn't even recognize me!"
The surrounding villagers were in an uproar.
"What? Qiqi? That Qiqi girl from the Xu family?"
"No way! Doesn't Qiqi always wear a faded, tattered cotton-padded jacket, have a dark complexion, and look as thin as a bean sprout?"
"Exactly! This person in front of us... this isn't even the same person!"
Aunt Zhang stood with her hands on her hips, her voice tinged with pride, as if she had played a part in Qiqi's transformation:
"What do you know! Qi Qi's mother, Qi Lin, was the most beautiful girl in our village back then! How could Qi Qi be bad? She used to work every day, always covered in dirt, and she never got to eat the good stuff, so she didn't stand out!"
She pointed to her weathered face, "Just like me, if I tidy myself up, I can look like a flower!"
"Come on, Mr. Zhang! With your big face, how can you compare to Qiqi?"
Immediately, a villager interrupted with a laugh, which drew a burst of laughter.
Amid the laughter, more questions arose:
"Wait a minute! Didn't Aunt Guixiang just say that Qiqi ran off with some wild man?"
"Yes! What happened this time?"
"Who is this young man...?"
All eyes were focused on the steady, mountain-like man beside Zhou Qiqi.
Shen Huaichuan took a half step forward at the opportune moment, his tall figure protecting Zhou Qiqi even more.
He ignored the chattering villagers, his gaze fixed steadily on Aunt Zhang, and he proactively extended his hand.
"Hello, Aunt Zhang."
His voice carried a natural calmness and authority, "I am Zhou Qiqi's lover, Shen Huaichuan."
"Love...lover?"
Aunt Zhang looked at the large hand outstretched in front of her, feeling somewhat at a loss. She cautiously reached out and gently touched Shen Huaichuan's fingertips before immediately withdrawing her hand.
Her heart pounded with anxiety. This aura and demeanor were exactly like her brother-in-law's when he was in the army!
However, compared to the man in front of him, his brother-in-law's aura was like a clod of dirt meeting Mount Tai!
This is definitely a high-ranking officer in the military, no doubt about it!
She stammered, "You...you're from the military, aren't you?"
Shen Huaichuan smiled slightly and did not deny it.
This caused an uproar among the villagers.
"My God! Qiqi married a soldier?!"
"He's not just an ordinary soldier! Look at that car! And that air about him!"
"This is no wild man at all! Aunt Guixiang's mouth... she can't say anything nice!"
......
Aunt Zhang, hands on her hips, said with a smug look on her face:
"Tsk tsk tsk, what do you call this? This is called... returning home in glory! Yes! This is the real deal of returning home in glory!"
The villagers' discussions intensified, and their gazes towards Zhou Qiqi completely changed.
There was amazement, envy, and a sense of triumph for her.
When everyone looked at Li Guixiang, who was standing frozen at the gate of the courtyard with a pale and ashen face, all they could see was undisguised contempt and excitement at the spectacle.
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