Chapter 5

The few women also smiled at the lotus flowers, exchanged glances, and made ambiguous expressions with raised eyebrows and pouted lips. The lotus felt a sense of frustration but could only pretend not to see and walked home with Changsheng.

Zhang Sheng seemed to be deaf to everything, still swinging his fists at Feng Quezi as if he truly intended to beat him to death. He Hua, frightened, shouted, "Enough, Zhang Sheng, stop hitting!" Seeing that he did not relent, she hurriedly ran over and grabbed his arm, saying, "Stop it, Zhang Sheng! Zhang Sheng!"

Lotus sat beside him, watching as he swung the hoe to till the land. He had taken off his shirt and tied it around his waist, revealing his strong chest and shoulders, dark-skinned like all farmers. Beads of sweat trickled down his neck, glistening in the sunlight, and at first glance, he did not appear to be a fool at all. Moreover, he was tall and robust, surpassing many men in the village; he truly resembled a mountain of a man. Lotus thought that if Changsheng were not a fool, countless young women would be willing to marry him, and she would not stand a chance. She imagined a scene where a group of young women rushed to Changsheng's home, vying to be his bride, and found it amusing, chuckling softly as she continued her work.

Changsheng pointed to the shadow of a tree nearby and said, "The shadow has reached that stone."

Seeing this, Hehua feared that it might truly lead to a loss of life, and thus said, "Forget it, Changsheng, let this scoundrel go this time."

"You are late, later than ever," Changsheng replied. "The shadow has already passed the big rock, and you still haven't arrived. You never reach the big rock on time."

Changsheng nodded

It seems that there is something going on, and after thinking for a moment, Fourth Grandma did not pursue the matter further, reasoning that a young couple having a little secret is probably not a bad thing

"How did you come here?" After the two entered the mountain, Hehua finally asked.

After thinking for a while, he nodded again

Changsheng was panting heavily, seemingly unwilling to let go of Feng Quezi. Hehua saw that Changsheng's fists were covered in Feng Quezi's blood, and quickly used her sleeve to wipe it clean. She then helped him straighten his clothes, took his arm, and coaxed him like a child, saying: "Let's go, let's go eat."

Fourth Grandma did not respond, but she felt that something must be amiss today. She turned to look at Changsheng, only to see him immediately lower his head and avoid her gaze, his mouth tightly shut.

Although it is no longer the peak season, the midday sun still makes one feel quite restless. He Hua and Chang Sheng found a shady spot under a tree to sit down and took out their food. The small dishes had all spilled into the basket and were basically inedible. He Hua only picked up a few cakes that had not fallen to the ground, dipped them in the vegetable soup from the bowl, and handed them to Chang Sheng. She herself picked up a cake that had gotten dirty, blew it clean, and scraped off the soiled parts. The water in the jar had mostly run out, leaving only a little at the bottom, which He Hua handed to Chang Sheng. Chang Sheng took it, looked at it, took a sip, and then returned it to He Hua. Seeing that there was still a little left, she covered it and set it aside. Turning back, she saw Chang Sheng gazing at her eagerly, knowing that he had intentionally saved it for her. She felt a bit touched and took a sip.

Oh. The lotus flower responded and said, "Don't tell Grandma about this matter today."

The lotus flower seemed somewhat dazed, and in that moment, she felt as if she had truly married a man. Yet, she had no time to be moved, for she had never seen Changsheng looking so furious. At this moment, she felt a bit frightened and hurriedly said, "Let us not bicker with this scoundrel; it is time to eat, and we still have work to do this afternoon"

After finishing the meal, one cannot rest; Changsheng must get up to work. He Lian urged him, saying: "Rest a bit before continuing."

For her, it would be a lie to say that she is completely indifferent to this; such a blatant change is unbearable for anyone. In the first few days, she did not dare to lift her head to look at others, wishing only to avoid going out if it were not necessary. After these two months, she has somewhat gotten used to it, managing to largely ignore the strange looks and tones from others. However, there are times when she sees the aunts gossiping together, and when she passes by, they all tacitly fall silent. This obvious feeling of being talked about still makes her both angry and aggrieved. After these two months, she has somewhat gotten used to it, managing to largely ignore the strange looks and tones from others. However, there are times when she sees the aunts gossiping together, and when she passes by, they all tacitly fall silent. This obvious feeling of being talked about still makes her both angry and aggrieved.

"Um... Grandma... please... uh..." Feng Quezi was beaten until his face was covered in blood, and he did not know how many teeth he had lost, already unable to speak coherently

In the past, Changsheng would always respond with a grunt, not even looking at her. Today, however, upon hearing her speak those words, he immediately straightened his back, put on his clothes, walked over, and grasped her hand tightly, saying nervously: "Let's go together"

After working for an entire afternoon, seeing that it was about time, He Hua stopped, tidied up the basket, and, as usual, called out to Chang Sheng: "I will go back to cook now, don't work too late."

The lotus flower is tightly bound: "Everything is ready, just wait to go back and cook it up."

Changsheng completely ignored her, only responding with a smile, "Isn't it getting dark early? So I came back a bit earlier."

Fourth Grandma handed the bamboo basket to Changsheng while asking Hehua, "Why have you come today? Have you prepared dinner?"

Lotus Road: "We do not call this lying, we simply do not speak. If grandmother finds out about this matter, she will definitely be angry, and when she gets angry, she will fall ill. You do not want grandmother to fall ill, do you?"

However, Feng the Lame was so frightened that he was dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, he had mustered some courage from the alcohol, but now, after being struck and thrown down, he was completely sober. As he saw Changsheng, tall and strong like a mountain, approaching him, he was so scared that he nearly wet his pants. He hurriedly said, "Big brother, it's a misunderstanding! It's your wife who is being unruly, dragging me here against my will. I, I, I had no intention of doing anything..."

Lotus knew their thoughts. Since the day she married Changsheng, the villagers looked at her differently; there was curiosity, disdain, sympathy, and even amusement, as if Changsheng's foolishness were contagious, and she too had become a figure whom the villagers regarded with both respect and distance. In short, she was no longer the previous Li Hehua; she was now the wife of the fool Changsheng

The lotus flower, feeling relieved, shouted: "I'll beat you to death, you stinking dog poop! Let's see if you dare to bully your great-aunt again! Beat him to death! Changsheng! Beat this bastard to death!"

The lotus flower sighed, no longer stopping him. After tidying up everything, she followed him to move stones, clear weeds, and cultivate the land. When tired, she would sit on a nearby stone to rest. However, Changsheng did not pause for even a moment, seemingly oblivious to fatigue as he worked diligently.

Changsheng halted his hand, his face flushed and eyes wide open, his fists clenched like stones, with every muscle in his body tensed.

At dusk, Fourth Aunt returned from outside and saw Changsheng and Hehua sitting together on a large stone at the village entrance, waiting for her from a distance. The two of them had their heads down, and Hehua was mumbling something while Changsheng kept nodding vigorously. She found it somewhat strange, and as she approached, the two of them noticed her and came over to greet her

Lotus led Changsheng out of the woods and walked back for a while. She saw that the food basket was still on the ground, with the water jug lying inside, water spilled everywhere, and several pancakes rolling to the side. Lotus felt distressed and picked them up one by one, patting them gently, and then placed the water jug and the nearby kitchen knife back into the basket.

Lotus Flower Road: "Today, we are having dinner a bit late, let's rest a little longer, it won't make much difference in the grand scheme of things"

Lotus Road: "Therefore, it cannot be said, do you understand?"

Longevity Path: "No, the shadow will have to start working once it reaches that stone." After saying this, he stood up and walked out of the shade of the tree

Feng Quezi felt his head spin, as if his brain had been smashed and tilted to one side. Before he could recover from the shock, the second and third punches came down in succession. Feng Quezi was certain he would be beaten to death, terrified and desperately waving his hands to plead for mercy, repeatedly calling out "Big Brother" and "Sir." However, Changsheng paid him no mind, glaring as if he hadn't heard, delivering punch after punch.

Changsheng looked at the lotus flower and said, "Grandmother once said, one must not lie"

When Hehua was first taken by Changsheng's hand, she felt somewhat strange. She secretly glanced at him and saw that he still seemed to be angry. As they passed through the small grove, he subconsciously tightened his grip on her hand. Hehua felt a warmth in her heart, thinking that it didn't matter if he was foolish or not. Although he might not truly care for her as a wife, at least he recognized her as one of his own and knew to protect her when it mattered. With this thought, the incident of him pulling her blanket early in the morning seemed trivial.

As the two passed by the well surrounded by a group of aunts and grandmothers, He Hua noticed from a distance that they were whispering about them. As they approached, one of the women smiled and greeted them in a seemingly warm manner: "Oh, Changsheng, why are you back with your wife today? Not farming anymore?"

The lotus flower had just finished dressing and stood up, hearing Feng the Lame's words made her tremble with anger, and she spat, "Bah! You filthy bastard, how dare you spew such nonsense! Just wait until I beat you to death!" While cursing, she looked around for a stick. However, before she could find a weapon, Changsheng had already taken a few steps forward and grabbed Feng the Lame, swinging his fist to strike.

Upon seeing Feng the Lame planting in the grass beside him, He Hua turned his head and saw that the person was indeed Chang Sheng, and he let out a sigh of relief in great joy

Changsheng stood silently by the side. Once Hehua had finished tidying everything up, he picked up the basket and together with Hehua, they headed up the mountain

The lotus paused for a moment, feeling a warmth in her heart, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow

Changsheng carried a hoe while Hehua held a bamboo basket, and the two walked hand in hand down the mountain towards home. It was not until they entered the village that Changsheng finally felt at ease and released Hehua's hand. Upon seeing the two of them return together, some villagers could not help but turn their heads to take a look at them.