Volume One, Chapter 12: Snap, It Fell Down

Although Jiang Yuan was plump, fortunately, Lu Xiuyi was tall and sturdy, so standing beside her, he did not get overshadowed.

When they arrived at the village entrance dam, the projectionist was still fiddling with the projector. The front seats were already packed tightly, with small groups chatting here and there.

Jiang Yuan glanced around for a spot, frowning—there really wasn’t any space for them to squeeze in.

Lu Xiuyi, however, remained indifferent and naturally placed a stool at the back row.

“Hey, look who it is! Cousin, you’re late,” Li Qingmei said with a smile, linking arms with Liu Fendou as she approached, dressed in red.

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Yuan rolled her eyes inwardly, impatiently scratching her ear, pretending not to hear.

“Cousin, Fendou came early to save seats. There’s still room in front, do you want to move up?” Li Qingmei said this with apparent kindness, secretly showing off how well her man treated her.

Jiang Yuan cast her a sidelong glance, not believing Li Qingmei’s generosity for a second.

“Cousin, do you want to sit up there?”

Li Qingmei persisted.

“Qingmei, ignore her. We’ll go on our own. I’ll crack some sunflower seeds for you later,” Liu Fendou said, quickly pulling Li Qingmei away to stop her from meddling further.

Jiang Yuan thought: “Why won’t this person just leave me alone?”

Seeing this, Li Qingmei reluctantly shrugged at Jiang Yuan and said helplessly, “Well, I have no choice. Your cousin really cares about me—he doesn’t want me to stand too long.”

“Unlike you, cousin, you’re really suffering. I’ll have to endure it for you,” she added, giving a meaningful look toward the man near Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan watched her self-directed performance with a forced smile, her lips tight.

“Take care, no seeing you off,” she said.

Li Qingmei didn’t believe Jiang Yuan wasn’t upset deep down; she was just putting up a brave front as she left triumphantly.

Finally, the surroundings quieted down. Jiang Yuan sat down where Lu Xiuyi had placed the stool.

As the movie began, she watched helplessly as the crowd in front of her quickly filled in, blocking her view completely.

Frustrated, she stepped onto the stool, trying to lean forward to peek. But she wasn’t the only one thinking this; people behind her also stood on their stools.

Her view was instantly blocked again. Jiang Yuan placed one hand on her hip, brows furrowed, turning to the silent Lu Xiuyi beside her.

Lu Xiuyi raised a brow, suddenly wary of her strange gesture.

What was she trying to do?

Jiang Yuan squinted, scanning him from head to toe: broad shoulders, slim waist, firm hips, and strong long legs. She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

She was considering how likely it was that this man could lift her.

“Husband, squat down,” she said.

“Huh?” Lu Xiuyi didn’t understand her intention.

Jiang Yuan blinked and pointed to a man next to them carrying a child on his shoulders, making her meaning clear.

Lu Xiuyi’s face darkened, and he straightened his back.

“Is that not allowed?”

Jiang Yuan wasn’t giving up yet; she wanted to negotiate.

This time, Lu Xiuyi didn’t even glance at her; his eyes turned cold.

“Fine,” Jiang Yuan pouted and kept quiet, as she hadn’t truly expected him to agree anyway.

Sigh, she’d have to rely on herself. She had already picked the old locust tree at the village entrance—close by and no one else wanted that spot.

Lu Xiuyi caught a glimpse of Jiang Yuan getting up, unsure what she was up to again.

Jiang Yuan circled around the crowd alone and climbed awkwardly up the old locust tree until she was settled.

The spot was quite good and cool, but it strained her neck since the projector was behind her; she had to twist her head to watch.

In the front row, Li Qingmei enjoyed having her sunflower seeds cracked by her man, feeling quite comfortable until she suddenly thought of Jiang Yuan.

She looked back—hmm? Jiang Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

But Lu Xiuyi was still nearby, so Jiang Yuan hadn’t left.

Li Qingmei looked around and noticed Lu Xiuyi’s gaze fixed on a certain spot.

Following his eyes, she saw the plump girl in the old locust tree—who else could it be?

A sneer crossed Li Qingmei’s mind, and a plan formed.

“Fendou, I drank too much water, I need to use the restroom,” Li Qingmei said, clutching her stomach.

“Okay, go ahead, but come back quickly,” Liu Fendou replied.

Leaving the crowd, Li Qingmei sneaked behind Jiang Yuan, holding a long bamboo pole she had brought. Before Jiang Yuan noticed her, she poked it against her bottom.

Jiang Yuan was engrossed in the movie when a sudden sharp pain shot through her rear. Reflexively, she leaned forward but forgot she was still perched in the tree—she fell with a “smack.”

“Ah…ouch!” Jiang Yuan clutched her bottom, nearly split in two from the fall.

Li Qingmei covered her mouth, chuckling quietly and quickly hiding after accomplishing her mischief.

“Who’s there?” Jiang Yuan asked after recovering, but the darkness revealed no one.

She could only blame her bad luck. “Ow,” she groaned, standing up and pulling at her sore bottom, limping as she walked.

Lu Xiuyi turned just in time to see Jiang Yuan putting her hand on her waist, walking slowly with a puzzled look.

Jiang Yuan caught his gaze but had no choice; she couldn’t walk around holding her bottom, though she desperately wanted to.

“Let’s go back,” she said with a drooping head, helpless.

The movie was clearly over for her; she just wanted to lie down.

Lu Xiuyi nodded without objection.

“Xiuyi, take this medicinal wine inside and use it on Yuan. Rub it in and she’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Lu Lianhua said at the door.

Inside, Jiang Yuan, lying on the bed, flinched at Lu Lianhua’s words, her ears turning red. No way... the image that conjured made her want to spit.

“Okay, Mother,” Lu Xiuyi said at the door, taking the medicinal wine.

Like his mother, he believed Jiang Yuan’s excuse—that she had accidentally hurt her waist.

Jiang Yuan buried her face in the pillow, thinking, “God, who will save me?” She could barely look at the bottle of medicinal wine in Lu Xiuyi’s hand.

With a “thud,” Lu Xiuyi placed the bottle on the wooden table, so Jiang Yuan could use it if needed.

“Okay, okay,” Jiang Yuan stammered, her cheeks still flushed with heat, struggling to speak clearly.

Lu Xiuyi’s eyes brimmed with curiosity. From the moment he brought in the medicinal wine, Jiang Yuan’s gaze toward him had been strange.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Jiang Yuan quickly shook her head, calming her breath. After a while, her heartbeat gradually slowed.

Lu Xiuyi’s surprise lingered in his eyes, but since Jiang Yuan answered, he didn’t press further.

After lying down for a bit, Jiang Yuan felt parched and got up to find some water.

When she came out of the kitchen, she saw Lu Xiuyi standing in the courtyard under the faint moonlight, his posture tall and cold, radiating a chilling aura.

Sensing the man’s loneliness, Jiang Yuan stepped forward, reaching out a small hand to tug his sleeve.

But he brushed her away sharply, his sharp eyes piercing straight into hers, filled with hostility.