Before the excitement of Xing Yi's wedding had even subsided, an even more exciting piece of news spread from the family compound.
We're going to show a movie in the open space soon.
But everyone knows that behind this seemingly simple act of showing a movie lies a lot of difficulty.
The most time-consuming part was setting up the projection booth.
First, two thick wooden poles need to be erected in the open space as a frame, and then a white cloth is stretched out to form a screen.
Several young soldiers helped the projectionist climb up the ladder to secure the rope.
When the wind blew, the white cloth swayed violently.
Several people stood on the wooden pole and stood there in the sun for two hours before they finally stretched the screen flat.
Gu Mingyue was looking forward to the movie screening in the family compound, and three days in advance she started thinking about what food to eat to satisfy her cravings.
I rummaged through drawers and found half a bag of corn kernels, a handful of dried sweet potatoes, and sunflower seeds that I hadn't finished eating during the Chinese New Year.
These three items together make a perfect little snack for watching movies.
Early the next morning, she first processed the sweet potatoes, washing the skin clean, cutting them into even strips with a knife, arranging them on a bamboo sieve, and taking them to the yard to dry.
The sun was warming her up, and she would stir the sweet potato fries every now and then to make sure they were evenly dried.
In the evening, move them to the eaves to air dry in the shade. This way, the dried sweet potatoes will be chewy and retain their sweetness.
The simplest way to cook sunflower seeds is to stir-fry them in a pan like you would stir-fry vegetables, then sprinkle on seasonings. If you like them sweet, add sugar; if you like them salty, add salt.
On the morning of the movie, she was the last to make popcorn.
Drain the corn kernels that have been soaked for 15 minutes, pour half a spoonful of cottonseed oil into a small iron pot, and after the oil is hot, put in the corn kernels and quickly cover the pot with the lid.
With one hand holding the lid down and the other gripping the handle, the pot was turned continuously, and soon a crackling sound came from inside.
She quickly removed the pot from the heat and continued to turn it to cool it down. When the popping gradually subsided, she lifted the lid and a pot full of golden popcorn popped out. She sprinkled a pinch of white sugar on it and stirred it well, and the sweet aroma filled her nostrils.
Gu Mingyue had just let the popcorn she had fried cool when the courtyard gate was pushed open.
Xia Qinghe walked in carrying a bamboo basket, calling out, "Mingyue, hurry up and get ready, let's go get some seats! If we're late, we won't even be able to get a bench in the corner."
At this time, there was no distinction between seats; it was first-come, first-served, and people would bring their own stools to reserve a spot in advance.
Some children arrived as early as an afternoon in order to secure a good spot.
Lu Mingyue smiled and agreed, then turned around and took out three cloth bags from the house, stuffing one into Xia Qinghe's bamboo basket: "These contain popcorn, dried sweet potatoes, and freshly roasted melon seeds. Take these first, and don't let the children snatch them on the way."
Xia Qinghe weighed the bamboo basket in her hand, smelled the sweet aroma inside, and her eyes lit up: "You're so skillful! This tastes even more authentic than what's sold in town!"
Just as she was about to thank her, she handed the water bottle to her: "Don't just give me food, my husband has been busy too. He made some sugar water. Try it first, and you can drink it when you're thirsty during the movie."
On her way to the screening venue in the evening, Gu Mingyue packed popcorn and dried sweet potatoes into two coarse cloth bags, and fried melon seeds into a small bundle wrapped in newspaper. She then stuffed all of these into her cloth bag and held it tightly.
She found a bench in a corner and sat down. As soon as Lu Lin sat down next to her, she quietly handed him a handful of sunflower seeds: "Don't let anyone see, let's enjoy them ourselves."
We didn't prepare much; it was enough for a few close friends to share, but anything more would be too much.
After the movie started, Gu Mingyue took advantage of the fact that everyone around her was engrossed in watching, secretly took out a piece of dried sweet potato and chewed it, then grabbed a few popcorn kernels and stuffed them into her mouth. The crisp sweetness mixed with the aroma of sweet potato, along with the crackling sound of sunflower seeds, was more comfortable than anything else.
Lu Lin leaned over to grab the popcorn, and she quickly hid the bag behind her back, but couldn't help but laugh out loud.
These snacks I'd been saving up for days, paired with a lively movie, finally made life taste sweet.
As the movie began and the narration started, she was secretly stuffing popcorn into her mouth.
The crisp, crunchy bits released a sweet aroma between her teeth. She then took out a dried sweet potato and chewed it slowly, not even paying much attention to the camera switching on the screen.
Lu Lin leaned over to grab some sunflower seeds, but she pettily slapped his hand away, tucked the newspaper bag into her bosom, and kept her eyes fixed on the unfinished snacks in the cloth bag.
But as she watched, Gu Mingyue's movements slowed down.
As the villagers on screen crawled into the tunnels and used their wits to outmaneuver the Japanese soldiers, she forgot to chew the dried sweet potato in her mouth, her eyes glued to the screen.
Seeing the Japanese soldiers being tormented and disoriented by the traps in the tunnels, she couldn't help but clench her fists.
When she saw the old village chief sacrifice himself to cover everyone's death, she quietly wiped her eyes, not even noticing that two kernels of popcorn she was holding had spilled onto the ground.
Later, when the song played on the screen and the villagers worked together to drive the Japanese devils out, Gu Mingyue clenched her fists and cheered along with the people around her, dropping sunflower seed shells all over the ground.
It wasn't until the movie ended that she came to her senses and realized that most of the popcorn in her bag was still left, and she had only eaten two sweet potato chips. However, she and Lu Lin had unknowingly finished the roasted sunflower seeds.
"I was so engrossed in watching that I forgot to eat." Gu Mingyue smiled as she touched the empty sunflower seed bag, but her heart was warm.
Lu Lin helped her pick up the popcorn on the ground and said with a smile, "This movie is often shown, but it always makes me feel uplifted."
Gu Mingyue nodded, watching the crowd gradually disperse, and suddenly felt that the snacks she hadn't had time to eat weren't so important anymore.
The days passed by at a leisurely pace.
That day, Lu Mingyue received another letter from home.
Besides some local specialties from Beijing, there was also a letter in which Lu Wanwan said she wanted to come visit her.
She was naturally happy to welcome Lu Wanwan, but the suddenness of her visit suggested she had likely had a falling out with her family.
Gu Mingyue tightened her grip on the letter, the smile on her lips still lingering, but a thought was quietly swirling in her mind.
She carefully put the Beijing specialties into the cabinet, turned around and walked towards the kitchen, but lost the desire to make desserts.
As I added water to the pot, I couldn't help but recall what my mother-in-law had mentioned in a letter a while ago: that Wanwan refused to meet her blind date as arranged by the family, had a fight with them, and cried in her room for half the night.
Gu Mingyue tried to persuade her mother-in-law several times, and her mother-in-law finally agreed. However, they were far away on an island and didn't know the specifics of the situation.
"What are you thinking about? The water's already boiled." Lu Lin came in to scoop water and, seeing her staring blankly at the pot, leaned over to ask.
Gu Mingyue voiced her thoughts, and Lu Lin paused for a moment before laughing, "It's good that you're here. Let her stay for a while and relax with you. If there's anything really going on at home, we can help persuade her once she's calmed down."
Things turned out pretty much as they expected. Lu Wanwan did indeed have a conflict with her family over blind dates. She felt that she was still young and her family didn't need to be in such a hurry.
Since I can't stay at home anyway, I might as well take this time to go out and relax. My work schedule has already been adjusted.
She secretly bought a train ticket to the island, and by the time her family discovered she was missing, she was already on the train.
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