"Xiao Long, you're really impressive, just a few tries and there's water flowing."
"Hehe, then I will do it faster."
"It's coming... it's coming, move aside, it's going to spray out..."
As Li Qiao'er tenderly called out, the clear pool water gushed from the iron pipe, flooding into the long-parched cornfield.
Xiao Xi Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has little water resources.
Apart from relying on the heavens for a good harvest, the only option was to count on the storage pond by the mountain.
But recently, the water pressure valve next to the storage pond broke, and Li Qiao'er, a woman who could scarcely exert force, had failed to divert the water after much effort.
It was lucky that she ran into her neighbor Wang Xiaolong, or the drought-stricken corn would have surely withered away.
Watching the water flow into the field, Li Qiao'er was overjoyed.
But when she looked up at Wang Xiaolong, her beautiful eyes were filled with regret and compassion.
Wang Xiaolong was once the first university student to graduate from the village.
After graduation, he was assigned a position at the township health center and had a promising future.
His fiancee, however, citing his low salary, urged him to work in the coal mine in the neighboring village.
Wang Xiaolong was raised by his grandfather, and his dying wish was to see a granddaughter-in-law. In order to fulfill the old man's wish, he went to the coal mine.
He finally saved enough for a dowry and built a new house, but on the wedding day, his bride-to-be ran away with the money and another man.
The sudden turn of events left the old man bedridden, passing away not long after.
Wang Xiaolong, now bereft of both money and family, was overcome with fury that left him foolish.
The village's pride was reduced to simple-mindedness overnight, and he had endured cold stares and mockery for over a year.
Li Qiao'er was his neighbor, and tears flowed unrestrained as she recalled all this.
Her crying immediately distressed Wang Xiaolong.
Though simple-minded, his nature was pure-hearted. He had survived the past two years thanks to Li Qiao'er's help.
Thinking that it was the sprinkled water on Li Qiao'er's clothes that made her cry, he hurriedly reached out to strip her clothes, saying, "Qiao'er sister-in-law, don't cry, I will hang up your clothes to dry for you."
Li Qiao'er's life was also harsh. Her husband was an electrician who died from electrocution years ago while fixing the village's electric lines.
Because she was beautiful and famously charming within ten miles, becoming a widow only made her more of a target for the older men seeking to climb through her windows.
At that moment, she was wearing a light-colored blouse, which became semi-transparent after getting wet.
The roundness beneath was tantalizingly visible, and with Wang Xiaolong's tugging, it seemed ready to burst forth.
About to be stripped off, Li Qiao'er hastily said, "I... I'm not mad at you."
"Then why are you crying?" Wang Xiaolong looked bewildered, then suddenly said, "Eat my candy stick, they say you won't cry if you eat a candy stick."
Seeing his naive manner, Li Qiao'er couldn't help but smile through her tears.
With her clothes in such disarray now, any other man would have pounced on her by this point.
Wang Xiaolong was the first man not to take advantage of her situation proactively.
"You go and play, I must hurry to water the fields."
Li Qiao'er smiled, picked up a shovel, and headed down to the ridge, but the soil, already wet from the water, was slippery. The moment she set foot, she slid straight into the water channel.
Suddenly, her whole body was covered in mud.
Village women don't like overly restrictive underwear, some don't even wear bras.
Now soaked through, the thin clothes clung tightly to her body.
Her fullness in front became more pronounced, and her curvy behind was outlined with a proud arch.
Wang Xiaolong, upon seeing this alluring scene, not only had his eyes glued but also felt a restless stirring within him.
"Xiao Long, come help me."
Li Qiao'er had fallen hard and was in pain, so she hurriedly called out for help.
But after a long while, Wang Xiaolong didn't come. When she looked up, she met his intense gaze.
Seeing Wang Xiaolong's instinctual male reaction, Li Qiao'er's eyes flickered with a coy sparkle.
Before she had married into the village, she had already heard about Wang Xiaolong.
Not only was he a good student, but when he bathed in the reservoir as a teenager, he could stand tall in front of a crowd of old men.
Now, upon seeing him, it was indeed true.
Furthermore, at that moment, Wang Xiaolong had already taken off his wet T-shirt, exposing his dark skin that gleamed in the open air, and the protruding muscles were well-defined, brimming with masculinity.
This scene caused Qiao'er to stare in a daze.
When women reach a certain age, they all yearn for a man's pity.
Qiao'er was no exception, especially after having been a widow for years, she always felt a sense of emptiness.
Seeing Wang Xiaolong now stirred ripples in her heart.
He was a simpleton, so even if something were to happen, it should be alright, shouldn't it?
Qiao'er pursed her red lips, "Xiao Long, come here."
Wang Xiaolong came over with a naive smile.
"Do I look pretty?"
"Pretty."
"Do you want to hug me?"
"Yes."
Wang Xiaolong directly jumped down to the field ridge and embraced Qiao'er.
Though simple-minded, he was still a normal man.
Embraced in his arms, Qiao'er's bold idea grew even stronger.
But just as she was about to say something else, Wang Xiaolong suddenly let go and started to take off his pants.
Seeing this, Qiao'er made up her mind and also slipped off her pants.
Instantly, a pair of slender, alluring legs were exposed to the air.
However, Wang Xiaolong did not do what Qiao'er had imagined; instead, he handed his pants to her: "Sister-in-law, your pants are dirty. Wear mine. I'm a man; I'm not embarrassed."
"I…"
Qiao'er's rising hand suddenly paused; although Wang Xiaolong had a man's instincts, his eyes were clear as crystal.
It made her almost laugh and cry: "I really don't know if you're truly foolish or just pretending."
Her muddy pants were indeed unwearable, so she had no choice but to put on Wang Xiaolong's.
But the field was teeming with bugs, and she couldn't just leave Wang Xiaolong there, so she said, "You hurry back home and change your clothes, and also bring me a long-sleeved jacket, otherwise the corn leaves will scratch my arms and it'll hurt."
"Okay!"
Wang Xiaolong smiled simply and turned to run toward the village.
Watching his retreating figure, Qiao'er felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.
But after a short while, she suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh no, I shouldn't have let Xiao Long go back to the village."
Wang Xiaolong became mentally disabled on his wedding day.
Usually, he showed no symptoms, except that his mental faculties were not completely sound.
But whenever he saw someone else getting married, he would lose control and inevitably cause a commotion.
What's more, whenever he saw a bride in her wedding dress, he would mistake her for his runaway bride.
At first, he would just throw himself on her, hugging and holding her, but later, he would simply pick up the bride and start running home with her.
Many times, Wang Xiaolong had been beaten up because of these incidents.
After all, the villagers didn't care whether he was mentally disabled or not.
And today was the joyous wedding day of Liu Erleng's son.
Liu Erleng was a notorious bully in Xiao Xi Village, living in the west yard of Wang Xiaolong's house, and at this moment, Xiao Long was bound to run into him.
If Wang Xiaolong caused trouble in his condition, with Liu Erleng's temper, he would probably beat him to death.
With this thought, Qiao'er no longer cared about the water in the field and hurried toward the village.