The moonlight was faint, Suizi lowered her head, as the night wind made her feel cold inside.
Yu Jingting came out of the supply and marketing cooperative, handing out sweets to Yang Baobao who had "made a great contribution".
The child jumped up in excitement.
Suizi watched the child's radiant smile with envy. If only she also had such simple joy.
Yu Jingting came over and pulled out a candy from his pocket, the same kind as the one he gave to the child.
"This is your reward, continue to kick if you fight in the future."
The candy looked just like a cigarette, the white maltose wrapped around a sesame seed was sweet and crunchy.
Suizi shook her head, not in the mood to eat.
"Open your mouth." Yu Jingting placed the candy against her lips, but Suizi turned her head away.
"I really don't need it."
"Is it too small for you?" Yu Jingting placed the candy in his mouth, looking playful as an old smoker, "I'll get you a bigger one when we go home."
Suizi, who had been immersed in melancholy, looked up at him unbelievingly.
The 50-watt light from the supply and marketing cooperative shone on her white little face, shocked she forgot to close her mouth, blushing red in her pale face.
"Wha-, wha- are you saying?!" Suizi looked around.
Her guilty demeanor made Yu Jingting laugh, he hugged her in his embrace and Suizi couldn't push him away.
"Isn't this a good look? You shouldn't look so gloomy all the time."
Her small face reddened, appearing much better than her just now lost look.
His thumb slid onto her lips. They're really small, pale in the coldness, but looked good.
However, he prefers the look of her lips turned red from his kisses, with the addition of her teary eyes, cute demeanour could steal half his soul away.
"Don't misbehave in public!" Suizi was scared of being seen.
Once the village gate was closed, who knew what chaos lay within?
Just like Wang Fenfang and her mother, everyone knew they slept around but it was their own business—a domestic affair.
When the door opened, all those sullied affairs disappeared. Even holding hands in public was considered bad manners.
"I've had a bad reputation for a long time, who cares?"
"Hey boys, why aren't you at home yet?"
"My wife sprained her ankle. I'm helping her to look at it." The man who boasted not caring suddenly pretended to be considerate, "Suizi, I'll carry you back."
Suizi was unwilling and stood there without moving.
"Hurry up, do you want people to think that we are fooling around in public?" He whispered in her ear.
Suizi thought to herself that he was indeed a fool; did he need to act it out?
Cool earlobe, a brief pain, a feeling spreading like electric shock.
Yu Jingting nibbled on her round earlobe.
Thankfully, the 50-watt bulb didn't shine far.
No one saw her blushing.
Caught between blending with the fool and the "sprained ankle", she had no choice.
Resignedly, she leaned on his shoulder, letting him carry her away.
"Such a pretty maiden like Suizi has been taken by him. If Suizi's mother was still around, would she have let him have her?"
"Mom! Uncle is a good man; he really did buy me candy!" Yang Baobao came bouncing over, showing off his candy.
"Giving you candy makes him good? Stay away from that loafer from the Yu family! You might be crying in the middle of the night, he could snatch you away! Throw you into the mountains to feed blind bears!"
Not only in Yang Village, but the nearby villages also used Yu Jingting to frighten their own children who cry at night.
"I don't mind being taken away if I could eat candy every day, mom, our teacher said, you shouldn't say bad things about others behind their back, you can't say bad things about uncle, he bought me candy."
Baobao's mother slapped him on the back of his head: "You talk too much!"
"He'll take you away." The words drifted with the wind into Yu Jingting's ears.
He'd already grown accustomed to the villagers' disdain, as they've been mocking him behind his back using him to scare their children for quite some time.
Having heard it all, he no longer cared.
But his wife was lying on his back, and Yu Jingting felt the tiny body clinging tightly to him, the legs gripping so strongly they weren't soft anymore.
"Are you scared of me?" His voice was profound as he asked.
She's been too kind to him today, so kind that he almost forgot how much this lass feared him. Surely, hearing people talk about him that way, she must be thinking something.
"Put me down." Suizi's muffled voice came from behind him.
"No!" He held onto her legs stubbornly, not loosening his grip for anything, not even if it killed him!
"I'm so heavy, what if you hurt your back?!" Suizi, on the verge of collapse, punched his shoulder with her small fist, "I'm 140 pounds! Do you know what 140 pounds feel like? It's like a bag of rice plus a bag of potatoes!"
Yu Jingting froze. Was that why she was stiff as a stone?
Was it not because she was scared of him?
"140 pounds?" he queried.
The small figure once again stiffened behind him.
Her voice went even lower.
"Maybe a bit more, like 141, 2, 3... what's the big deal about gaining weight while pregnant?!"
Suizi was both shy and irritated, must he scrutinize everything?
As a child, Suizi was short and petite amongst her peers. Her mother somehow came across a herbal medicine recipe and after taking it for a while, she shot up in height. Standing at 165, she was considered tall among the village girls, and her weight gradually increased as well.
She had a small build and didn't appear fat when dressed, but once she removed her clothes, her chubby figure was evident.
After she left in her previous life, she managed to lose weight due to being constantly on the move and stressing over things. But now, back in this life at her fattest point, pregnant and unable to diet...
From the moment Yu Jingting lifted her on his back, Suizi began to panic.
She didn't dare to breathe too hard, fearing she would crush him under her weight.
His body shook slightly while he unabashedly burst out laughing from behind her.
"Hahaha! A sack of rice plus a bag of potatoes, you're going to kill me with laughter!"
Suizi was so infuriated her lips began to tremble, that jerk!
"Put me down! When you had to work in the production team, you claimed that your family has a three-generational history of lumbar disc herniation and couldn't carry heavy loads. Whoever worsens your back has to let you lie on their kang bed and you won't leave!"
To escape labour, he had as many excuses as a sow's udders, one after another!
Yu Jingting just laughed even more.
His laughter echoed far into the distance, embarrassing Suizi. She quickly covered his mouth with her hand, which tickled — he was actually licking her palm!
Suizi swiftly withdrew her plump hand, feeling utterly defeated as a cultured person facing a street brat.
"I won't carry a sack of rice, but I can definitely carry a wife who weighs a hundred plus pounds—if you crush my waist, I'll just lay on the kang and have you serve me in every possible way!"
He then sneakily glanced at the places she should be serving.
Suizi's face turned hot enough to roast potatoes.
"Yu, Jing, Ting!!!"
Even cultured people can roar when provoked.
"Hahaha!" He laughed even more victoriously.
With such a fuss, Suizi's sadness faded away.
Being with a man who's shameless to this degree, who has the time to be heartbroken? She barely even had time to breathe.
"What was with your grieving face just now?" Sensing her tightened body finally relaxing, he finally asked.
The incident at the Chen's did not harm them.
By tomorrow, the entire Yang Village would be buzzing with Wang Fenfang and her mother's misdeeds; Lun Lamei would have a hard time staying here.
They should be happy for having achieved a great victory, yet she appeared distressed.
Suizi took a deep breath, ready to voice the dark secret she had buried in her heart for two lifetimes.
"Do you think... I really bring misfortune to those around me?"