What was wrong with wanting to ride with her new sister-in-law?
Xie Jingzhou ignored her and urged Song Siyi to hurry up.
Song Siyi chuckled, feeling a twinge of envy. The bond between the Xie siblings was truly heartwarming.
The four of them arrived in the county town just in time for lunch. Xie Jingzhou took them to a state-run restaurant for a meal before they parted ways.
Spotting a photo studio by the roadside, Song Siyi naturally reached out and tugged at Xie Jingzhou’s sleeve. “Let’s go take a few photos.”
Xie Jingzhou agreed without hesitation, and the two walked into the studio.
When it was time to sit for the photo, Xie Jingzhou sat stiffly upright, his expression serious. The photographer glanced at them with a smile.
“You two must be newlyweds, right? Comrade, there’s no need to be so tense. Just relax.”
“Comrade, move a little closer to your husband. Yes, that’s it, perfect.”
With a click, the moment was captured.
Song Siyi took a few solo shots and even persuaded Xie Jingzhou to take some individual photos as well.
In those days, taking photos was still considered a luxury. The shop owner was overjoyed to receive such a large order all at once.
After arranging to pick up the photos in five days, the owner personally escorted them out of the studio.
Next, they went to collect their marriage certificate. Song Siyi stared at the two certificate-like documents in her hand, momentarily dazed.
Xie Jingzhou took the marriage certificates and carefully tucked them away, as if afraid of losing them.
He looked down at Song Siyi, his eyes gentle. “Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
As soon as they returned to the brigade, they heard that something had happened by the river, and it involved two military officers.
Hearing this, Xie Jingzhou and Song Siyi exchanged glances. Xie Jingzhou wanted to ride his bicycle, but Song Siyi, concerned about his leg, stopped him.
She pedaled quickly, carrying him toward the river.
In less than five minutes, they arrived at the riverside.
A crowd had already gathered by the water, and Song Siyi could only see a sea of heads.
As she stood on tiptoe, trying to peer through the crowd, someone suddenly called out to her.
“Siyi, girl! Siyi!”
Song Siyi turned toward the voice, scanning the area before finally looking up to see several people perched on the trunk of a tree behind her.
Aunty Cuihua patted the spot beside her. “Come up here! You’ll get a better view.”
Song Siyi glanced at Xie Jingzhou, who flashed a faint smile. “Go ahead. I’ll go see what’s happening.”
“Alright, then hurry.”
Zhou Xun and Shen Zhiheng had come specifically to attend their wedding. If something really had happened to them, it would be terrible.
Song Siyi turned and walked to the base of the large tree, climbing up effortlessly.
Besides Aunty Cuihua, three other aunties were sitting on the tree. Song Siyi smiled politely at them.
“Siyi, come over here quickly!”
Aunty Cuihua pulled her down to sit and eagerly began recounting what had happened.
“You have no idea how dramatic it was just now.”
Song Siyi looked intrigued. “What happened?”
She hadn’t heard about this incident in her previous life, but then again, Zhou Xun and Shen Zhiheng hadn’t attended Xie Jingzhou’s wedding back then either.
Aunty Cuihua slapped her thigh. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe it! Accountant He’s daughter, He Fangfang, fell into the water.”
Song Siyi’s mouth fell open. Fell into the water again?
“He Fangfang saw the two young officers coming, and plop—she fell right into the water. Just as she started shouting for help, that educated youth Wu from the Educated Youth Point also plopped into the water. The way the two of them were screaming for help in the river was downright hilarious.”
“Do they think everyone else is a fool?”
"If those two officers couldn't tell something fishy was going on, they'd be fools. So the two of them slipped away and ran off."
"He Fangfang and Educated Youth Wu were both dumbfounded by this. Each blamed the other for ruining their plan, and they started fighting right there in the water."
"As they fought, they nearly drowned for real. At that critical moment, Er Lai, who had been hiding in the shadows, jumped into the water and saved them both."
When the two women saw that their rescuer was Er Lai from Widow Zhang's family, they were outraged. They immediately started berating him.
But as luck would have it, the villagers the children had called for arrived just then and saw everything.
Er Lai was a scoundrel himself. He insisted that since he had already touched and kissed He Fangfang and Educated Youth Wu, he was determined to marry them both.
How could He Fangfang and Wu Nan possibly agree? They stubbornly accused Zhou Xun and Shen Zhiheng of refusing to save them, even threatening to report them to the military unit. That's how things escalated to this point.
Aunt Cuihua recounted the story vividly, leaving Song Siyi utterly astonished.
Song Siyi couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Cuihua, how do you know so much?"
Aunt Cuihua looked smug. "Goudan and the others were hiding in the grass behind them at the time. They saw everything clearly. As soon as I asked, they told me everything."
Song Siyi gave her a thumbs-up, making Aunt Cuihua even prouder.
Song Siyi grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the cloth bag she carried and shared them with Aunt Cuihua and the other aunties before looking down below.
He Fangfang and Wu Nan were both soaked through, now draped in someone's clothes.
He Fangfang looked pitifully at Zhou Xun and Xie Jingzhou. "Comrades, you saw me fall into the water. Why didn't you save me? Were you just going to watch me drown?"
"Are you even fit to be soldiers?"
Zhou Xun and Shen Zhiheng's expressions darkened. No wonder their comrades-in-arms had repeatedly warned them not to go near the river before they set out.
Just then, Xie Jingzhou pushed through the crowd and walked in. As soon as the two men saw him, they seemed to find their backbone.
Upon closer look, there was even a hint of grievance on their faces.
Zhou Xun quickly approached Xie Jingzhou. "Brother Xie, you're finally here."
Xie Jingzhou spoke sternly, "Whether they are fit to be soldiers is not for you to decide."
"But you, slandering and spreading rumors about military comrades—that's a matter for the military court."
He Fangfang and Wu Nan trembled at his words, but He Fangfang still stiffened her neck and retorted, "I'm telling the truth. They refused to save me. I'm not afraid even if it goes to the military court."
Zhou Xun was furious. "You clearly jumped into the water on purpose. Otherwise, with the path so wide, how could you possibly have fallen in?"
He Fangfang wiped her tears, looking utterly pitiful. "Who would joke with their own life? Comrade soldier, are you slandering me because you want me to die?"
Xie Jingzhou remained expressionless, his gaze sharp. "Since both sides have their arguments, let's report this to the public security bureau now. The truth will be uncovered by the authorities."
At the mention of reporting to the public security bureau, He Fangfang and Wu Nan's faces changed.
He Fangfang no longer dared to drag the two men into it.
She muttered softly, "Maybe I was mistaken. Perhaps the two comrades didn't see anything after all."
Zhou Xun and Shen Zhiheng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they weren't being implicated, it was fine.
Still, encountering such a situation was frustrating. There was nothing they could do—they certainly didn't want to marry some troublesome person.
Of course, the two of them hadn't gone far at the time. If those two had truly been in mortal danger, they would have stepped in to help.
At that moment, Er Laizi stepped forward, pointing at He Fangfang and saying, "What do you mean by that? I was the one who saved you. Why are you dragging the soldier comrade into this?"