Xu Zifan knew how to use his ingenuity; he could find a trick to everything. He didn't feel particularly tired after finishing the pig feed, though he was covered in sweat, and his clothes were damp and uncomfortable. He called Yang Wanyun to help him deliver the pig feed; there was some left for his two pigs. At that time, raising two pigs meant selling one to the commune; you could only keep one, and slaughtering was only allowed during the New Year—there were quite a few restrictions. Fortunately, the slogan of "cutting off the capitalist tail" was disappearing, so he didn't have to be so constrained.
After Xu Zifan and Yang Wanyun left the crowd, he went straight to the riverbank and began sharpening tree branches. Yang Wanyun asked suspiciously, "What are you planning to do? You're not going to catch fish with this, are you?"
Xu Zifan nodded and said, "Use this to spear the fish."
"You should at least fish or use a bamboo basket. Can you even catch fish with a stick? Don't prick your foot, then you'll have to raise them again. If you're really craving them, I'll take you to catch a couple of sparrows. Let's skip this." With no one else around, Yang Wanyun wasn't very polite when speaking to him. Ever since she found out what he thought of her, she really couldn't be polite at all.
Xu Zifan frowned and glanced at her. "Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't. It's like you said I can't do the work, but didn't I just do it?"
After he finished speaking, he took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs high, and walked into the river, staring intently at the fish beneath the surface. Yang Wanyun was still a little worried and couldn't help but walk over and ask, "Aren't you scared standing in the water?"
Xu Zifan shook his head, gripped the branch tightly, and thrust it downwards, already spearing a fish! He tossed the fish onto the shore, raised his chin, and said, "Quickly put it away, don't let anyone see." Only then did he answer her question, "When you encounter difficulties, you solve them. What's there to be afraid of? Not only am I not afraid, I'm also going to learn to swim and completely overcome this obstacle."
Yang Wanyun quickly stuffed the fish into her basket, covered it with dry branches and leaves, and looked at him in surprise. She suddenly realized that she didn't know him at all. This man was quite proud. How come she had never noticed before?
Xu Zifan speared three more fish, went ashore to wipe the sweat from his brow, and said, "One fish each is just right. Let's find a place to grill them. The smell won't be too strong when we take them back, and no one will know."
Yang Wanyun blinked, surprised that she and her parents were included in this, and she was a little confused about Xu Zifan's intentions. Did he dislike them, or not? Did he want to live as a family, or not?
Xu Zifan glanced at her sideways and said, "Don't say that I only eat and drink at your house. I can work and cook for you. I'm not a good-for-nothing."
Yang Wanyun's heart skipped a beat, and she laughed, "I didn't know you were so capable! But this is nothing, just cutting pig feed and spearing a fish. I can do that too. You think you're so great? If you're so capable, go get a pheasant to nourish Mom and Dad, or some rabbits or roe deer to add some meat to the family..."
Xu Zifan pulled down his trousers and put on his shoes. Hearing her still talking, he stepped forward, took her basket, looked down at her, and smiled. "You think you're asking for the moon with such a small request? You'll see if I can handle it."
Xu Zifan slung his basket over his shoulder and strode forward. Yang Wanyun was stunned for a moment. Thinking about how close he had been to her and how handsome he had been, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Then she cursed inwardly, "This guy is such a menace. Why is he laughing like that for no reason?"
Xu Zifan led Yang Wanyun into the mountains. Along the way, he made a slingshot. At first, his aim was poor, and he missed everything after more than a dozen shots, much to Yang Wanyun's amusement. Later, Xu Zifan adjusted the slingshot, practiced more, and hit the target every time. He shot down more than a dozen sparrows and even unexpectedly stole a nest of bird eggs.
Upon seeing the pheasant, Xu Zifan gave Yang Wanyun a wink and whispered, "Go and chase it over here, I'll catch it."
Having just been slapped in the face several times, Yang Wanyun had learned to remain silent. Even if she felt he couldn't catch her, she would only mutter to herself and follow his instructions to chase the pheasants. The Yang family also raised chickens, so she was very skilled at chasing them. Xu Zifan seized the moment when the pheasant was startled and about to fly away, then pounced, grabbing the pheasant's tail with both hands and pinning it down!
Dust covered his face. He coughed a few times with his eyes closed, then hugged the pheasant tightly as he got up. He gave Yang Wanyun a smug look and said, "Catching a pheasant is nothing. Who do you think you are?"
Yang Wanyun had just seen his extraordinary appearance that morning, and now seeing him all disheveled, covered in dust, with chicken feathers stuck in his hair, she burst out laughing, and the laughter grew louder and louder, and she couldn't stop.
Xu Zifan walked over with a dark face, shoved the pheasant into her arms, and wiped her face with dirt.
Yang Wanyun, disregarding whether it was rustic or not, was so startled that she took several steps back, her face flushed, and scolded, "What are you doing!"
Xu Zifan said with a half-smile, "What did I do? Aren't you my wife?"
"You, you scoundrel!"
"Shouldn't you be happy? Didn't you insist on marrying me no matter what?" Xu Zifan said fearlessly.
Sure enough, Yang Wanyun's face immediately turned ashen. She slammed the pheasant into his face and roared, "Xu Zifan! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'll beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"
After Yang Wanyun finished speaking, she picked up a thick tree branch and swung it at Xu Zifan, causing the pheasant to run away. Xu Zifan dodged as he spoke, "You still won't admit it? Su Qing told me she wasn't feeling well that day and didn't want to go to the river, but you insisted on dragging her there. Once we got there, you said I'd fallen into the water and you had to save me immediately, clinging to me and pulling me ashore. Do you think I'm stupid? If you hadn't set me up, would you have done this?"
Yang Wanyun's eyes reddened with anger, and she slapped him twice hard. "You..."
"You're such an idiot! You believe everything she says? That day, she clearly said she wanted to take a shortcut to dig for wild vegetables, and I followed her. And you have the nerve to say I clung to you? You were the one who was scared and clung to me so tightly you almost dragged me into the river! I was just trying to help you, and you're accusing me because of a couple of words from someone else? Xu Zifan, were you out of your mind in the river?!"
Xu Zifan grabbed the tree branch and looked at her, saying, "You said she told you to go that way? Then why did she say it was you who insisted on going? That doesn't make any sense!"
Yang Wanyun tugged at the branch, but couldn't budge it, so she let go. She smoothed her hair and said sarcastically, "Who knows? Didn't she have her eye on you? Maybe she's just unhappy that you're going to marry someone else, so she said those things on purpose. Look at you, giving us the cold shoulder every day for the past month. Our family hasn't felt this oppressive in years. And she succeeded! Sowing discord!"
Xu Zifan shook his head. "That's impossible. Su Qing is just an ordinary girl. How could she be so bad?"
Yang Wanyun glared at him, "What do you mean? She can't be that bad, but I can, right? You just believe her and not me, right? Why? Because you've fallen for her? Why didn't you say you two were a couple back then? If you had, I would have said Su Qing asked me to save you, wouldn't that have been enough? You can't be worse than this, you've ruined my life!"
Yang Wanyun was furious, feeling all the blood rush to her head. Her eyes were bloodshot as she grabbed Xu Zifan's wrist and said, "You're coming with me to find Su Qing, right now! I have to ask her what she's up to, why she's talking about me behind my back."
Xu Zifan hesitated and refused to leave, saying, "She's still working right now, how can we ask her? We'll find her separately and ask her after work, otherwise it won't look good."
"If it's bad, it's bad. I'm going to make this clear in front of everyone. Are you coming or not? You're a grown man, why are you dawdling like this! Oh, I see, you still have feelings for her and don't want me to cause her trouble, right? Xu Zifan, do you have any conscience?"
Xu Zifan compromised at the opportune moment, "Fine, I'll go. It'll be a good opportunity for the truth to come out, so your mom won't scold me every day."
The two walked to the other side of the field, and Yang Wanyun stormed towards Su Qing, demanding, "Su Qing! You better explain yourself! Did you go to see Xu Zifan on my wedding day? What did you say to him?"
Yang Wanyun, who usually speaks softly, was surprisingly loud this time, causing many people to stop what they were doing and look over, some even gathering around. What Yang Wanyun was saying was quite interesting. Didn't Su Qing used to help Xu Zifan with his work? And she even went to talk to him at his wedding? What was she saying? Was there something going on?
Su Qing's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Xu Zifan and frowned, saying, "Wanyun, have you misunderstood something?"
Yang Wanyun said directly, "I didn't misunderstand. You told him that the day I saved him, I dragged you to the riverbank, didn't you? You even implied that I set him up to fall into the river, didn't you? I was wondering why he suddenly changed his attitude on our wedding day. It turns out it was you who was behind it all. Su Qing, I'm asking you, what were you thinking? What have I, Yang Wanyun, done to wrong you?"
The crowd erupted in uproar, and the Su family members all looked grim. Su's mother even tugged at Su Qing twice, urging her to explain. Just as Su Qing was about to speak, Xu Zifan stepped forward and said, "Su Qing, don't be afraid. Even if she is the village chief's daughter, she can't bully others. Just repeat what you told me that day and expose her true colors. So many elders and villagers are backing you up; no one can cause you trouble afterward."
This clearly means that Yang Wanyun's words were all true. Some people who love to watch the drama started shouting, "Yes, that's right, Su Qing, just tell us what the secrets and truths are, and let everyone know."
Su Qing waved her hands anxiously, explaining incoherently, "I didn't mean that, I didn't imply anything. I haven't seen you since you got married, how could I be at ease? You've really misunderstood, I didn't say anything..."
Xu Zifan frowned and interrupted her, "Su Qing, didn't you tell me that you weren't feeling well that day, and Yang Wanyun insisted on dragging you to the riverbank, and as soon as you got there you jumped into the water to save me? Doesn't that seem strange? You also said that when you girls were chatting together, you heard that Yang Wanyun had taken a liking to me and was very confident that she could marry me. Isn't that what you said?"
Yang Wanyun said angrily, "Su Qing, that day you clearly said you had something to do at home and wanted to go back early, so you asked me to walk the path with you to dig for wild vegetables. How did it become that I insisted on dragging you there? Also, who told you that I was going to marry Xu Zifan? Bring that person out here!"
The girl next door to Su Qing, who didn't get along with Su Qing, chimed in, "Yeah, we also want to know, which girl did Su Qing talk to and overhear this? How come I didn't know?"
"I don't know either."
"Never heard of it."
"So what really happened? Did Su Qing make this up?"
Su Qing's face flushed crimson with anxiety. She never imagined Xu Zifan would tell Yang Wanyun these things, and even come with Yang Wanyun to confront her. That day—that day at their wedding—she had cried for a while after telling Xu Zifan everything. Xu Zifan was clearly very upset then, saying he wished she were the bride. Didn't Xu Zifan like her? Why did he betray her in front of Yang Wanyun?
Seeing that her daughter's reputation was about to be ruined, Su's mother quickly stepped forward and said, "Xu Zhiqing, Wanyun, what are you two doing? Don't take advantage of my Su Qing's honesty and frame her like this. What evidence do you have for all this?"
She nudged Su Qing and urged, "Su Qing, you need to explain to everyone quickly. You can't let people misunderstand you; this is no small matter."
At this moment, Yang Yongqing and Feng Yuying, who had also heard the news, arrived. Feng Yuying exploded upon hearing this, "You know this isn't a small matter? What was your daughter thinking when she was spouting nonsense to my son-in-law? I think she's just jealous because she can't marry Xu Zifan, otherwise why would she make up lies to harm my daughter?"