Haha, nobody's watching.
The mighty river rushed downstream with unstoppable force, polishing the cliffs on both banks smooth. Li Guorong and Li Xiangxi stared intently at the passing trucks. As planned, Li Xiangxi returned to Beijing, while Lin Shaocheng went into the city to return the car and took the train to Beijing.
Because Li Guorong insisted on waiting for Lin Shaocheng, Li Xiangxi thought that he couldn't be worse than Li Guorong in terms of his more than 10 years of friendship with his cousin.
Li Xiangxi, wearing a straw hat, asked, "You like my brother that much?" Li Guorong replied without hesitation, "Of course."
Li Xiangxi didn't understand all this talk of love and affection. "Why do you like my brother?"
Li Guorong couldn't understand why her gaze couldn't leave Lin Shaocheng. She had regretted Qian Mancang for 30 years in her previous life, but since Lin Shaocheng appeared, Qian Mancang's heroic aura had faded. She hadn't read many books and had mostly watched TV dramas. She experienced respect and importance, which was different from her family in her previous life. In her previous life, she seemed to be a tyrant at home, but Ye Fan rarely communicated with her, and her daughter gradually became indifferent.
Lin Shaocheng would respect her and wouldn't mind her loud voice or fierce tone. He would also praise her and wouldn't mind her tacky taste. She just liked bright and colorful things, and bright and colorful fabrics were extremely rare these days.
Li Xiangxi covered his eyes with his straw hat and said, "My brother seems to like you quite a bit, but are you going to Beijing with him? That place is much better than the village."
Li Guorong glared and said, "No matter how hard life is, it's still hard in the village. We work from dawn till dusk all year round, and we also have to gather pig feed and raise pigs. We can't eat a single bite of white rice or pork. We can only eat a bite during the New Year."
Li Xiangxi took off his straw hat and chuckled, "The village has its own difficulties, and Beijing has its own difficulties." Li Guorong didn't believe it. What place is better than Beijing? In her previous life, she had never been to Beijing's skyscrapers. She was always short of money. Her daughter could go if she earned money, but she didn't have time to take her because of work. In her previous life, she dared to marry into a family in northern Hebei. What was so scary about going to a better place like Beijing in this life?
She shouted, "If Lin Shaocheng dares to take me, I dare to go." A soft laugh broke the tense atmosphere between the two, and Li Guorong turned his head.
The man's physique was not as strong as when they first met; his lips were snow-white, and his short stubble added a touch of sexiness.
Li Guorong stood up, and the fledglings flew into Lin Shaocheng's arms.
The trucks beeped, their engines roared, those trying to pass through cursed, and the river surged—all these sounds vanished, leaving only the two of them in the world.
Red liquid dripped from the right side of Lin Shaocheng's jacket, and Li Guorong tore open Lin Shaocheng's jacket.
Li Xiangxi looked surprised and exclaimed, "Everyone's watching! Let's do this at home."
Li Guorong turned around and glared at Li Xiangxi, scolding, "Why are you being so silly? Your cousin's arm is injured, why aren't you going to get the medicine?"
Li Xiangxi then noticed the red liquid on the ground and climbed onto his own truck.
Lin Shaocheng's wound was long and deep, clearly made by an experienced hand, similar to the way a pig butcher in the village would slaughter a pig. This showed how dangerous the trip was. Li Guorong sprinkled Yunnan Baiyao on it, wrapped it with thick gauze, and wrapped his strong arm like a rice dumpling.
Lin Shaocheng tried to move his right arm, but couldn't move it at all. He couldn't help but laugh, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Li Guorong glared at him and cursed, "You're still smiling even though you're injured, you silly goose."
Li Xiangxi scratched his head, wondering how he was going to return the car in the city wrapped up like this. He asked, "Brother, did you manage to buy any cordyceps? How are you going to get home?"
Lin Shaocheng nodded, "I've already called the convoy to pick up the car. We'll take turns driving back."
Li Guorong asked angrily, "What about me? You're just going to abandon me?"
Lin Shaocheng grasped Li Guorong's hand with his intact arm, "Are you really willing to come with me? To leave your hometown?"
Li Guorong understood that it was time to make a choice. In her previous life, she dreamed of returning to her hometown to be with her first love forever. But this was not the 21st century. The long years had made her forget the poverty of her hometown. She wanted to be well-fed and clothed, she wanted to change her hometown, and most importantly, she wanted to leave.
She nodded. "I'm going with you. If you dare betray me, I'll kill you with a knife."
This deadly confession made Li Xiangxi roll his eyes, while Lin Shaocheng smiled and said, "Okay, if one day, you can just chop me up."
Lin Shaocheng took the gun from his waist and cleverly placed it in Li Guorong's backpack.
Seeing the tender scene between the two, Li Xiangxi, bored, kicked the grass repeatedly and finally couldn't help but say, "Have you two had enough? It's time to get going."
The three of them got into the car, which sped eastward, with birds singing and a refreshing breeze blowing.
In Mengshan Village, Li Guoqiang, beaming with joy, rode a borrowed bicycle with a large red flower hanging on the handlebars. Liu Hong, dressed in a red dress, had her arm around Li Guoqiang's waist.
"The bride is here! The bride is here!" Several children chattered as they chased after the bicycle. Liu Hong took out a package of candy from her bosom and scattered it into the air. The village children and old ladies frantically grabbed the candy on the ground. This was considered passing the first test.
As they approached the Li family's residence, several people blocked their way at the street corner. Li Guoqiang took out a large bag of candy from his pocket and distributed it to his relatives before they were finally allowed to pass.
Hearing the congratulatory shouts from the crossroads, Li Guojian quickly lit firecrackers. The crackling smoke broke the tranquility of the small mountain village, and everyone wore a smile.
Qian Duoduo also came to help. She had really had enough of being tormented these past few months. This Liu Hong was truly blind. After marrying into the Li family, she probably had to cut pig feed before dawn, come back to make breakfast, wash clothes after breakfast, rest for a while at noon, and then start cleaning the vegetable garden and weeding the fields. In the afternoon, she would start making lunch and then go to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs. She really didn't have a moment to spare.
She touched her rough hands, her eyes darted around, and she secretly retreated, sneaking towards the back room where Li Guojian lived.
The room reeked of sweat. She reached under the pillow and touched only the rough quilt. Her face stiffened. She clearly remembered putting it there. It wasn't in the wardrobe when she put clothes in yesterday. She opened the wardrobe and it was still the same as yesterday, untouched.
There was no wardrobe on the bed, so where was it? Tiny beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, down her hair, and onto her chin. She quickly wiped them away with her hand.
A few pairs of shoes lying haphazardly at the foot of the bed caught her attention. She squatted down to check them, but a stench made her dizzy. She pinched her nose with one hand and brushed the shoes aside with the other. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly took the thick layer of paper out of the cotton shoes with both hands. The stench, like that of a latrine, made her gag. The smell on the paper stung her eyes, but she still opened her eyes wide and looked. It was real. She hurriedly put it in her clothes.
There was a commotion outside, and she could faintly hear Li Guoliang calling her. Fortunately, she had been cleaning the Li family's house every day for the past few months and knew the way well. She quietly left through the back door like a fish swimming away.
While everyone was enjoying a wedding feast in the front yard, Li Guorong returned with her boyfriend, carrying large bags and small packages, leaving the villagers astonished.
Lin Shaocheng toasted everyone with a generous and poised demeanor. He was handsome and seemed capable, which made the village wives resent their good-for-nothing husbands, and several young women stared at him intently. This place was different from the city, where everyone was bold and would fight over anything they liked.
Li Guorong shouted loudly, "Today is my elder brother's special day, where are you all staring at?" If she hadn't been given a second chance at life, she might have been embarrassed. This was her man, and she would fight anyone who dared to take him from her.
Only after the young women and wives settled down to eat did Lin Shaocheng smile and whisper, "You're the only one in my eyes."
Li Guorong snorted, "If you dare look at others, I'll gouge your eyes out."
The eldest brother and Liu Hong were toasting each other. Both of them were honest and reserved, and they couldn't help but blush after being teased a couple of times.
Li Guorong couldn't help but sigh. He had originally thought about finding a capable wife for his elder brother, but he never expected to meet Liu Hong again. Liu Hong was good in every way, except that she was too dull and honest, and timid. For so many years, his elder brother had been the one earning money. He was lucky enough to get a job with a pension, which was enough to keep the family from starving, but not enough to enjoy life. His sister-in-law didn't dare to go out to work, and the two of them didn't dare to stand up for themselves when they were bullied.
Lin Shaocheng noticed Li Guorong's troubles and comforted him, saying, "I think your elder brother and sister-in-law are honest and upright people. They will definitely make a good living in the future."
Li Guorong said, "What's the use of being honest and upright? This era has no shortage of such people. We are about to usher in an economic wave, and only dishonest people can seize the opportunity."
Lin Shaocheng pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't there us? We can help them in the future and find them suitable jobs."
Li Guorong nodded, saying that he could simply take them to the market, as the village market was poised for decades to come.
A red double happiness symbol was pasted in the middle of the main room, and melon seeds, peanuts and candy were placed on the table. Wu Cuihua smiled, her red coat was a little faded but very clean, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were like chrysanthemums, there was a hint of water in her eyes, and there were more silver strands in her hair than a few months ago.
Li Guorong's throat tightened slightly, his eyes stung, and he threw himself into Wu Cuihua's arms, calling out, "Mom." Wu Cuihua gently patted Li Guorong's back and said, "Come with me to the inner room."
Lin Shaocheng stood to the side, straight as a pine tree, his uninjured left hand clenched into a fist, his steps involuntarily following behind Li Guorong.
Wu Cuihua glared at him, and Lin Shaocheng stopped in his tracks, looking slightly embarrassed.
In the west room, the quilts and clothes were neatly folded, just as Li Guorong had left. She clung tightly to her mother, not wanting to be separated for even a moment.
Wu Cuihua sat on the bed and said sternly, "Stand still."
Li Guorong still wanted to act cute, but at this moment he had to stand up straight and secretly look down at his mother.
Wu Cuihua's lips were flat, her eyes slightly lowered. She stretched out a willow branch from the bedside and said, "Hold out your hand." Li Guorong's eyes widened. She hadn't done anything, so why was she being beaten? Besides, she had been in charge of the household for many years in her previous life. How could she be beaten now?
Wu Cuihua's expression turned serious, and the branch struck the ground.
Li Guorong's face turned pale, and he subconsciously reached out his hand.
slap slap slap
Each slap landed on Li Guorong's palm, her face flushed red, but she didn't shed a single tear despite the pain. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she being punished? She was not convinced.
Lin Shaocheng paced back and forth at the door, raising his hand and then lowering it again. The sound of his leather shoes hitting the wooden floor was disturbing.
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