On the way back, Zhao Chuchu carried Lin Jie'er on her back, and Zhang Xiuyuan carried Wen Ge'er on his back down the mountain.
The two little ones cried so hard and were so sad that they could hardly stand up.
Zhang Xiuyuan looked calm throughout and didn't seem to be very sad.
It was already dawn when the group went down the mountain.
The villagers knew that Mrs. Zhang was going to be buried today, but they didn't expect Zhao Chuchu to go.
Zhao Chuchu carried Lin Jie'er back to Zhang's house and left.
After crying for a while and being exhausted, Zhang Xiuwen and Zhang Xiulin fell asleep.
Inside the room, Zhang Xiuyuan sat at the head of the bed, opened his bag, and took out a stuffed tiger from it.
The stuffed tiger is only the size of a palm. Perhaps because it has been there for a long time, the fabric is old, but it is very clean. It is obvious that the owner has kept it very well.
Zhang Xiuyuan's fingertips gently stroked the stuffed tiger, and the scene of his fifth birthday was still vaguely in his mind.
This was the first birthday gift his mother gave him on his fifth birthday.
He liked it very much and kept it carefully. Even when his younger brother and sister saw it later, he was reluctant to let them play with it.
Now, my mother is gone...
Hot tears dripped onto the stuffed tiger, and Zhang Xiuyuan wiped them away hastily, as if afraid of dirtying it.
She tilted her head back, forcing the tears back, leaving only red eyes.
Zhang Xiuyuan reluctantly put the tiger puppet back into his bag.
Zhang Xiuyuan knew that he had to be strong. He had to take care of his father and his younger brothers and sisters, so he couldn't cry or be fragile.
Mother, don't worry, I will do my best to make every day that belongs to us better.
On the small bed not far away, Zhang Xiuwen, who should have been asleep, quietly opened his eyes and looked at everything in front of him. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and buried his wet face in the pillow.
-
On the third day after Mrs. Zhang was buried, Zhang Xiuyuan took the initiative to find Zhao Chuchu. At that time, Zhao Chuchu was digging a hole with a shovel in a corner of the yard, and someone was repairing the roof.
It rained last night. I heard a "dripping" sound next to me in the middle of the night, and then I found that the roof was leaking. A large area of the quilt was wet. I got up early to check and found that there were leaks in several places.
When Zhao Chuchu saw the young man she liked, she immediately put down the shovel in her hand and clapped her hands, "Brother Yuan."
Zhang Xiuyuan looked at the roof.
Zhao Chuchu immediately explained: "This house has not been lived in for a long time. The roof is not solid and it leaks. I asked someone to fix it." However, it was a bit embarrassing to let his soon-to-be "daughter-in-law" see his dilapidated house.
When modern people get married, they pay attention to betrothal gifts, houses and cars.
Although she gave fifty taels of silver as a betrothal gift, her house was dilapidated and she had no car.
She was afraid that Zhang Xiuyuan would dislike her.
Fortunately, Zhang Xiuyuan's expression didn't change. His eyes fell on a seedling next to the pit. He slowly squatted down, picked it up, looked it over, and said with certainty, "Is this a crabapple tree seedling?"
Zhao Chuchu squatted down next to him, her eyes lit up, "Yes, you actually saw it."
Zhang Xiuyuan turned his head to look at him, "Are you going to plant a crabapple tree?"
Zhao Chuchu nodded. "Yes, I heard Sister Lin say yesterday that you like crabapple flowers, so I thought of planting some here so you can see them in the future."
Zhang Xiuyuan widened his eyes slightly. He didn't expect that Zhao Chuchu planted the crabapple tree because of him.
Zhao Chuchu's eyes were too gentle. Zhang Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then he looked away and lowered his eyes.
"Since you are here, why don't we plant it together?" Zhao Chuchu suggested.
Zhang Xiuyuan said "hmm" and took the shovel.
The hole Zhao Chuchu had dug was almost done, so Zhang Xiuyuan planted the seedlings and covered it with soil again.
Zhao Chuchu asked casually: "By the way, do you have anything to talk to me about today?"
After saying that, she brought out a basin of water for Zhang Xiuyuan to wash his hands.
The clear water shimmered under the sunlight. The young man's wet hands were slender and well-defined. If you looked closely, you could see a thin layer of calluses on his fingertips and palms, which were left by constant labor.
Zhao Chuchu stared at the hand in a daze. She thought that when Zhang Xiuyuan got married, she would definitely share the work and let Zhang Xiuyuan rest more. When she had money, she would buy him hand cream or something like that.
A person as cheerful and kind as Zhang Xiuyuan should be held in his heart, pampered and protected.
Zhang Xiuyuan noticed Zhao Chuchu's gaze and felt his hands getting hot for some unknown reason. He remembered the purpose of coming here today.
"I'm here to go to the government office with you to get the marriage certificate and register."
With a "clang", Zhao Chuchu, who had finished washing and was holding the basin to pour out the water, paused and the basin fell to the ground, and the water flowed out.
Zhao Chuchu ignored the basin and ran to Zhang Xiuyuan, with an uncontrollable look of ecstasy on her face and her eyes so bright that they seemed to be able to burn people's hearts.
"Brother Yuan, are you serious? Are you willing to marry me?"
Zhang Xiuyuan was frightened by his ecstasy and felt as if she was about to pounce on him, so he subconsciously took a step back.
Zhao Chuchu quickly restrained himself, "Brother Yuan, I, I am just too happy, don't be afraid of me." His anxious look just now scared Brother Yuan.
The person in front of him was delighted but also carefully considered his feelings. Zhang Xiuyuan stared at her for two seconds and shook his head, "It's okay."
"I'm glad you're not afraid of me. Then, let's go now. I'll contact Uncle Lin and we'll go by ox cart."
"Oh, right. Let's register first. After you've finished your one-year mourning period, we'll officially get married and hold a wedding banquet."
"Brother Yuan, I will work hard to earn money to support our family and give them a good life."
“…”
On the ox cart, Zhao Chuchu kept chattering about her plans for the future, and her brows couldn't be hidden from her words.
Zhao Chuchu is pretty, with bright features, like the most beautiful and eye-catching flower in spring, and as brilliant as the sunshine in summer. She is a passionate girl who makes people want to get close to her and absorb her warmth.
Zhang Xiuyuan watched as his calm heart was stirred unconsciously.
The two went to the county government office in the morning and returned in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, Zhao Chuchu kept grinning foolishly.
She and her good friend Yuan have registered their marriage, which in modern times is equivalent to getting a marriage certificate. It's great that the person she fell in love with at first sight has become her husband. Just thinking about it makes her happy.
After returning home, Zhao Chuchu went to see the crabapple tree seedling first. She placed her index finger above the root of the seedling. Suddenly, a few drops of water flowed out from her fingertips and the water seeped into the soil.
Soon, Zhao Chuchu withdrew her fingers and the water disappeared. If the soil had not been a little moist, one would have thought that the scene just now was an illusion.
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but the seedlings that were a little wilted seemed to be more energetic.
Zhao Chuchu's stomach growled, and she immediately felt hungry. She covered her stomach and said, "Sure enough, this side effect is still there."
In modern times, the end of the world is coming. Some people are infected with the virus. Those who can't survive it become zombies, and those who survive it become people with super powers.
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