Chapter 75
Shu Shouyi stayed at the Pang family's house and knew that Shu Wanxiu had gone to cause trouble with the people who were diverting the water, so he had long lost the desire to play with his friends.
He was very worried. When he saw everyone return, he immediately looked for Shu Wanxiu and rushed over.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Auntie isn't hurt." Her tone was as gentle and patient as ever.
Now that they had entered the village, everyone naturally dispersed and went home with their families.
Chen Sanhe walked to the side, asked Chen Lian a few questions, and then returned to Shu Wanxiu's side.
Without saying a word, she took Shu Wanxiu's hand and said, "Let's go home with your aunt for dinner."
Even the most stubborn person will lose the strength to resist when they are starving and weak to a certain extent.
Chen Sanhe had immense strength, and the starving Shu Wanxiu couldn't resist him at all.
After most of the people around had left, Pang Qingshui put his hand on Xun Yi's shoulder and said, "There's no one home at your house. What are you going to do if you go back to eat in an empty house? Just come to my house and have dinner with me!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
Xun Yi wasn't powerless to resist, but he had just witnessed Shu Wanxiu being dragged home by Chen Sanhe...
This morning, after Lin Xinghua came down from the barren mountain, she went to his shop to report back to him, saying that Shu Wanxiu had neither agreed to nor refused the marriage proposal, and would give her a reply in a few days.
Back then, when Xun Yi went up the mountain to explain the rumor, although he only hoped that Shu Wanxiu wouldn't refuse outright when he asked someone to propose marriage, he was still very uneasy when he received an ambiguous answer.
He was like a cat on a hot tin roof all day, extremely anxious, not knowing whether he would be hit with a blow.
During the day, Shu Wanxiu guarded the water, and his gaze followed her figure as she moved through the fields.
When the water flow was cut off at dusk, he immediately went with everyone to trace the source.
Despite not exchanging a single word or even making eye contact all day.
But as long as Shu Wanxiu was by his side or within his sight, his anxiety would be relieved.
For a moment or two, Xun Yi felt as if he had been poisoned.
Shu Wanxiu is the only antidote in this world.
In short, Xun Yi reluctantly accepted Pang Qingshui's invitation.
He lagged far behind Shu Wanxiu, watching her figure as she arrived at the Pang family's residence.
They were able to come and have this meal thanks to the clever Chen Lian.
Besides taking care of the children, she also had to cook at home.
While cooking, she remembered that Shu Shouyi was there, so she added an extra half bowl of rice. After rinsing the rice and preparing to put it in the pot, she added a portion of Shu Wanxiu's rice as well.
Later, when they started putting firewood into the stove, they remembered Xun Yi again.
Logically, someone who doesn't rely on the harvest from the land for a living shouldn't need to get involved in dealing with something like a water diversion.
But he went anyway.
Chen Lian thought to herself, Xun Yi had done his part for the village, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law treated him like their own son. How could they let him face the cold stove and cold pot alone when he came back late at night?
For various reasons, Chen Lian ended up cooking a really big pot of rice.
Chen Sanhe and Pang Qingshui led their respective invited guests into the main hall one after the other.
There was only one square dining table in the main room of the Pang family.
Chen Sanhe had Shu Wanxiu sit on the left side of the table, while Pang Qingshui helped Xun Yi sit on the right side of the table.
There weren't many guests, and they were all juniors to Pang Zhishan and Chen Sanhe.
Since this was just a makeshift meal, the Pang family didn't follow the custom of separating men and women at separate tables. Instead, they ate together like any other family member, bringing out the food and dishes and having everyone eat and share.
Shu Wanxiu had been seeing the Pang family quite often these days, but this was the first time she had been invited by Chen Sanhe to have dinner at their home.
She still remembered that on her first day in Wupai Village, the meal she and Shu Shouyi ate was delivered by Chen Sanhe.
She still remembers the taste of white rice served with a dish of pickled radish leaves—it was absolutely delicious! It was the best pickled dish she had ever eaten in her life.
There's another dish of pickled vegetables on the table today, but it's made from the root and stem of radishes.
After taking a bite of rice from her bowl, Shu Wanxiu reached for the pickled radish with her chopsticks.
Unexpectedly, the chopsticks picked up the same piece of food.
Shu Wanxiu looked up at the source of the chopsticks, and her face suddenly turned red.
Xun Yi's fingers trembled slightly, and he could barely hold the chopsticks.
"You eat."
He put down his chopsticks.
Shu Wanxiu hesitated for two seconds before picking up the hot potato-like radish with her chopsticks and putting it into her bowl.
It's just sitting there, not knowing whether to eat it or not.
"Eat your food, eat your food! There's a dish of dried smoked rabbit meat here. Why are you all fighting over the pickles?"
Chen Sanhe broke the deadlock with a smile, picked up a pair of untouched chopsticks, and served Xun Yi, Shu Wanxiu, and Shu Shouyi several large pieces of rabbit meat with plenty of meat and few bones each.
Startled, Shu Wanxiu reached out to cover the bowl, "Auntie, I've had enough, please don't put any more food in my bowl."
Her rice bowl was already full of rice, and when she put a few pieces of rabbit meat on top, it was really wobbly and could fall to the ground at any moment.
“Alright,” Chen Sanhe obediently put down his chopsticks, then smiled with narrowed eyes, “Try it and see how it tastes. This rabbit was sent by Xun Yi last year.”
“He hunted a lot of prey that time, and sent over five skinned wild rabbits at once. We smoked the ones that we didn’t finish, and after half a year, we only had this one left.”
When Chen Sanhe chatted about everyday things, he would talk about old stories, most of which were related to Xun Yi. He was like a recorder, sharing his past records with another person for free.
Smoked rabbit meat is twice as chewy, and it can be softened by simmering it in water for a while after stir-frying. However, Chen Lian clearly did not handle the cooking of rabbit meat well this time.
So much so that the rabbit meat was almost too tough to chew when it was served.
Shu Wanxiu's movements were very small, like a small animal, using her front teeth to gently bite off the meat and then chewing it with her back teeth.
As various old stories about Xun Yi kept replaying in her ears, Shu Wanxiu relaxed and even unconsciously put the piece of pickled vegetable that she had argued about into her mouth, slowly chewing and swallowing it.
Just as fortune changes, the one who was embarrassed transformed into Xun Yi.
The meal was quite enjoyable.
Both adults and children are very satisfied.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Farmers have their own things to do every day. Shu Wanxiu will still have to guard the water during the day tomorrow, and Pang Zhishan and the others also have their own things to do.
Be careful on the road.
Pang Zhishan lit two torches and handed one to Shu Wanxiu and the other to Xun Yi.
Both families lived in the village, so the torches they lit this time didn't burn as long as the kind used for long journeys.
Shu Wanxiu thanked and said goodbye in a hurry after receiving the torch, afraid that it would go out of flame halfway through and she would have to walk in the dark for the rest of the way.
Xun Yi, however, was unhurried and seemed to be avoiding suspicion, waiting until Shu Wanxiu had been gone for a while before stepping out of the courtyard.
However, once he reached a place where no one could see him, he watched the torches burn and suddenly started running.
Shu Wanxiu led the drowsy Shu Shouyi, and even at her fastest pace, they could only go so fast.
Before they even crossed the stream, Xun Yi had already caught up with them.
"call--"
Running fast, Xun Yi let out a long breath.
The torch in his hand was blown out by the wind as he ran, so he simply threw it onto the open ground to the side.
When children are sleepy, their curiosity decreases significantly. When Shu Shouyi heard footsteps approaching, he squinted and didn't bother to turn his head to take another look.
After confirming that no one was around, Xun Yi said in a low voice, "I'll see you off."
This isn't the first time he's embracing Shu Shouyi.
Xun Yi skillfully scooped the person into his arms, strode past Shu Wanxiu, and walked ahead to clear the way.
The torch was almost completely burned out, and all around were dark woods and thickets of wild grass.
Shu Wanxiu had no choice but to accept this situation.
She followed Xun Yi across the wooden plank bridge with large strides, and the air seemed to fall silent.
The torches went out completely, and Xun Yi went from taking large strides to taking small ones.
Under the serene moonlight, a tall, strong man held a child nestled on his shoulder, while a slender, elegant woman followed closely behind him.
Who wouldn't think this is a family of three?
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