Chapter 42

Chapter 42

In winter, it gets dark early. After dinner, it was pitch black outside.

Everyone bundled up like snowmen and headed out. Just outside the courtyard, they ran into Auntie Qin and her family. Further out, there were even more people, all smiling and chatting as they walked, guessing what movie would be shown that night.

Shen Zhenhua was holding his younger child, while his wife, He Yingyu, held Shen Wendong's hand. The family of four, plus Shen Wenyi, were waiting at the crossroads.

"Wendong insisted on waiting here for you. I told him Xuehai had already gone to the commune, but he acted like he didn't hear me. I think he's become best friends with your kids now—Xuehai's not even in the running anymore," He Yingyu ribbed her son.

Shen Wendong smiled shyly and ran over to Lin Mian, asking, "Have you ever watched an open-air movie before?"

Lin Mian thought for a moment and shook his head. "I've been to the movies."

"Movie theaters are only in the county seat. I've only been once, and I don't really remember what it was. But open-air movies are fun too—there are so many people," Shen Wendong said.

He lowered his voice and turned to Shen Banyue. "Some people secretly sell sunflower seeds and peanuts. I brought money—we can buy some to share." The money he'd earned from collecting scrap hadn't been taken by his parents, so this time, Shen Wendong brought one yuan and fifty cents, planning to buy plenty to share with his younger siblings.

When Xiao Jie heard there would be snacks for sale, he immediately regretted it. "If I'd known, I would've brought money too."

Xiao Shitou pursed his lips and didn't say a word. He wanted to save his money.

Xiao Dizi was being carried by Shen Guoqiang. Her little face was wrapped in oversized clothes, revealing only a pair of bright, dark eyes. She kept turning her head, trying to look at her older siblings, and piped up in her little voice, "Xiao Dizi has money!"

Shen Guoqiang chuckled. "Oh, you have money?"

Xiao Dizi dug around in her clothes for a while before finally managing to pull something out. Unfortunately, it was too dark, and her clothes were in the way, making it hard for others to see what she was holding.

Shen Guoqiang looked down. "What's this?"

Shen Banyue swung the beam of her flashlight onto the little girl, and Shen Guoqiang exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, it really is money!"

Shen Banyue explained for the child. "Once when we went to the co-op, she saw a kid using money to buy soy sauce. Ever since then, she insists on keeping fifty cents in her pocket every day."

She never spent it—just carried it around. Shen Banyue didn't understand what the little one was thinking... Maybe she needed the sense of security that came with "I've got money, I can buy stuff anytime."

Shen Guoqiang laughed for a moment before coaxing Xiao Dizi to tuck the money back into her inner pocket. "You don't need to spend your money. Uncle will buy some for you later."

When the commune showed movies, people from surrounding brigades would flock over. Some even walked for hours to get there. With so many strangers around, there were always bold individuals selling homemade sunflower seeds and peanuts. Since they were homemade and in small quantities, it wasn't considered speculation, and no one would report them. The commune usually turned a blind eye.

Shen Guoqiang had already given money to Shen Guoqing earlier, telling him to buy some snacks if he saw them.

Shen Wenyi sidled over with a grin. "Looks like we've caught a chance to mooch off the deep pockets."

He gave Shen Wendong a thumbs-up. "Wendong really has foresight. If we hadn't waited, we wouldn't have this opportunity to freeload."

Of course, he was clever too—he hadn't even considered going with his older brothers, those two penny-pinchers.

They talked and laughed as they walked, which kept the cold at bay.

While walking on the village road from the brigade to the commune, it wasn't as noticeable, but as they approached, the crowd really swelled. The scene was a bit like a crowd at a modern-day concert—a sea of people stretched out before them.

Fortunately, Yunling Middle School, as the only middle school in the commune, had a large playground.

With so many people, except for Shen Wendong, who was already a young teen, the other kids were scooped up by Wang Guizhi and the others.

Shen Banyue didn't want to be carried, but she was simply too short. Walking among the crowd was like being a dwarf in a land of giants—all she could see were the "giants'" tall bodies, nothing else.

Once she was lifted up, her view immediately opened up. She could see the large screen set up ahead, almost as big as those in movie theaters. Not far in front of the screen was a projector, with the projectionist fiddling with the machine.

Shen Banyue had good eyesight. With a quick glance at the rows closest to the screen, she easily spotted Shen Guoqing and the others in the third row.

She patted Shen Wenyi's shoulder and pointed in that direction.

"Wow, your eyesight is really sharp," Shen Wenyi said, immediately worming his way through the crowd. "Excuse us! Coming through! We're going up front to find someone."

"It looks like we're short on seats," Shen Banyue reminded him.

"Didn't Guoqiang say he told Guoqing to buy sunflower seeds and peanuts? Let's go grab some first, then head to the trees in the back. Those trees are pretty big. On such a cold day, there's bound to be space," Shen Wenyi said as he walked.

Shen Banyue was at a loss for words.

If they were just getting snacks, there was no need for everyone to go—one person would be enough... But then she remembered—she was still a child, and with so many people here, Shen Wenyi was probably worried about losing her.

However, Shen Banyue was deeply exasperated about the statement, "On such a cold day, there's bound to be space."

So you also know people avoid climbing trees in such cold weather because they're afraid of the cold?

Actually, Shen Banyue wasn't afraid of the cold herself—she just disliked the feeling of being "attacked" by extreme weather. Cold, heat, strong winds, heavy rain, hail... she didn't like any of it. It was probably a lingering effect of surviving the apocalypse.

There were far too few seats. In the end, the elder Wangs took Xiao Dizi and Xiao Shitou, while He Yingyu took Shen Wenkai and sat in the seats. Shen Guoqiang, Shen Zhenhua, Shen Wenyi, along with Shen Wendong, Shen Banyue, Lin Mian, and Xiao Jie, squeezed their way back out of the crowd.

Shen Guoqing and Zhou Yaoyao had wanted to give their seats to the children, but the kids shook their heads vigorously, all saying they'd rather go to the trees.

Zhao Xuehai was sitting not far from them, whining and pleading to go to the trees with them, but he was promptly shut down by his father, Zhao Yongjun.

"Aren't you afraid of the cold? It's warmer in the crowd, all that body heat. It might be a bit cold in the trees," Shen Guoqiang said, holding Shen Banyue's hand with one hand and Xiao Jie's with the other as they walked along the edge of the crowd.

Shen Banyue smiled. "I'll be fine once I'm up the tree!"

Xiao Jie was even more excited. "I like sitting up high."

"Kids love to play. When they're having fun, they don't feel the cold," Shen Wenyi said, holding Lin Mian's hand and making a face at Shen Banyue. "Don't come crying to us if you freeze."

Shen Banyue couldn't be bothered with this joker.

Shen Wendong said, "If Xiao Yue gets too cold, she can wear my jacket."

Lin Mian glanced at Shen Banyue and pursed his lips. It seemed Sister Yue wouldn't be able to fit into his clothes.

Shen Wenyi asked Shen Wendong curiously, "If you give your jacket to Xiao Yue, what about you? Aren't you afraid of freezing to death?"

Shen Wendong gave him a "what are you, stupid?" look and said, "I can have my dad hold me. His jacket is big—he can share some with me."

Shen Zhenhua looked down at his son and laughed. "You little rascal, now you're giving orders to your old man."

There were many trees around the playground. The trees on the sides were closer to the screen but offered a poor viewing angle. The trees at the back were farther away but provided an excellent view. After discussing it, they decided to head to the trees at the back.

Sure enough, there weren't many people in the trees. Most preferred to squeeze in and stand at the front rather than climb trees and brave the cold wind.

After picking a spot, the adults were about to lift the children into the trees when the kids took off, shimmying up the trunks with surprising agility.

The adults stood there, stunned. Shen Zhenhua looked up at his son and asked in surprise, "Wait, since when did you get to be such a monkey?"

Shen Wenyi added, "You kids weren't this nimble before."

Shen Guoqiang didn't know the children as well, but he was also amazed. They had all been through the hellion age themselves. Based on the children's skills, Shen Guoqiang wondered if they practiced tree-climbing daily.

Xiao Jie laughed proudly. "We've been practicing! Sister Yue says if we get good at climbing trees, we won't have to fear wild boars in the mountains."

Shen Wendong sat on a tree branch, dangling his feet contentedly and happily saying, "Yeah, Dad, you can take me along when the militia goes into the mountains from now on. If there's any danger, I can hide myself just fine."

Shen Zhenhua: "..."

He had a feeling this kid had changed quite a bit lately—he didn't seem much like his usual by-the-book, not-so-lively son anymore.

The adults only had time to toss out a quick "be careful climbing trees" before hurriedly scrambling up nearby branches themselves.

Because the movie had already started.

Tonight's film was the iconic Chinese movie *Tunnel Warfare*, which was released in 1965. Five years after its release, it was safe to say that at least seventy percent of the audience in the playground had already seen it, but everyone still watched with great interest.

Shen Banyue had last watched this movie in her previous life. After living through two lifetimes, she had forgotten some of the plot, so she was just as engrossed, watching while cracking sunflower seeds.

Although it was a bit cold, the experience of watching a movie from a tree was quite novel.

Moreover, their perch up in the tree not only gave them a clear view of the movie screen but also a clear view of the people watching below.

At one moment, Shen Banyue caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. She shifted her gaze from the movie screen to that direction and narrowed her eyes.

That person was Zhu Juncai.

There weren't many entertainment activities in the countryside, so it wasn't strange for educated youths to come watch a movie for fun. The strange part was the woman next to Zhu Juncai—someone she didn't recognize, neither Hu Caidie nor any of the other female educated youths, and she might not even be from Xiaodun Brigade.

Shen Banyue thought for a moment, then quietly slid down from the tree and quickly climbed onto a branch close to Shen Wenyi. Shen Wenyi almost jumped: "Whoa, why didn't you make a sound when you climbed up?"

Shen Banyue put a finger to her lips and shushed him. Shen Wenyi looked at her, puzzled. Shen Banyue pointed toward the crowd ahead and whispered, "That's Educated Youth Zhu, right? Do you know the woman next to him?"

Shen Wenyi followed her pointing finger, let out a sharp hiss of breath, and said, "It's that pretty boy Zhu Juncai. The woman next to him—I don't know her. She's not from our brigade."

The two of them were standing in a rather secluded spot. Since everyone was watching the movie at the time, they probably thought no one would notice them, so they kept chatting and laughing, occasionally making a few furtive gestures. Anyone who observed carefully could easily tell that these two were together and that their relationship was unusual.

Shen Wenyi muttered, "Wasn't that pretty boy supposed to marry that female educated youth? How come he's..." He suddenly turned to Shen Banyue: "You're just a kid, why are you sticking your nose in this kind of business?"

Shen Banyue: "..."

Now he remembers she's a child.

"Didn't Uncle Zhenhua say the other day that when Little Uncle was ambushed in the private plot, it was probably Educated Youth Zhu and Educated Youth Hu who were behind it? What if Educated Youth Zhu is up to no good again?"

Although Shen Guoqing had dodged a bullet that day, it was a fact that he had been pinned down and knocked unconscious.

Hu Caidie had run out calling for him, and then he was knocked out. Among the four people present, Shen Aizhen and Zhao Yingzi could clearly be ruled out. It sure looked like the one who knocked him out should have been Zhu Juncai.

These two were clearly up to no good. However, since Shen Guoqing didn't want to get involved in their messy business, he could only say he hadn't gone to the private plot that day. But that also meant he couldn't pursue anything against Hu Caidie and Zhu Juncai.

Nevertheless, the Shen family was already very wary of these two. Even Shen Wenyi had gotten an earful from his father to stay away from them.

Shen Wenyi glared at the side of Zhu Juncai's face, thinking to himself that this guy really gave off bad vibes.

Just then, the woman next to Zhu Juncai suddenly walked out of the crowd and headed toward a row of classrooms next to the playground. Not long after she left, Zhu Juncai also squeezed out of the crowd. He looked around first, making sure there were no familiar people nearby, and then headed in the direction of the classrooms as well.

Shen Wenyi watched as they entered the narrow gap between the side of the classroom and the wall one after the other, disappearing into the night, and couldn't help but curse under his breath.

These two were definitely up to something!

Wait, what's going on? Didn't that pretty boy Zhu Juncai say he was going to marry Educated Youth Hu? How come he's carrying on with another woman?

At that moment, Shen Wenyi's curiosity went through the roof.

"I need to use the restroom. Come with me," Shen Banyue suddenly said.

"Huh?" Shen Wenyi wanted to say, how could a grown man like him take her to the restroom? He looked back—well, everyone here was a man.

"You can wait nearby for me. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might run into trouble," Shen Banyue said, pointing in the direction where Zhu Juncai had disappeared. "Isn't the restroom over there?"

Shen Wenyi: "???"

Shen Wenyi: "!!!"

"No, you're just a kid. Why do you want to watch this kind of show? I'm telling you, this isn't the kind of thing you should be seeing. I definitely won't take you..."

Shen Banyue slid down to the ground and looked up at Shen Wenyi: "You're really not going?"

Shen Wenyi was taken aback, then immediately said, "I'll go, I'll go. What an impatient child! I'm telling you, you're still a child. Cover your ears and close your eyes later—don't look at what you shouldn't see, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear..."

He kept muttering, but his body was honest as he jumped down from the tree. He casually said to Shen Guoqiang on the other side, "I'm taking Xiao Yue to the restroom."

After saying that, he quickly caught up with Shen Banyue: "Look at this kid running so fast—she must be really desperate."

Shen Banyue: "..."

You're the one who's desperate.

As she walked, Shen Banyue observed the terrain. When they reached the area, instead of heading into the narrow gap, she circled to the other side of the row of classrooms and entered from the opposite end.

Shen Wenyi was utterly shocked: "How did you know this side was connected?" He had studied here, so he was naturally familiar with the layout. He was just about to suggest they go the other way when Shen Banyue had already decisively taken action.

Shen Banyue gave him a look that said, "Isn't it obvious if you have eyes?"

Unfortunately, it was too dark, and Shen Wenyi didn't see it.

They hadn't gone far inside when Shen Banyue suddenly stopped.

"...Who told you not to believe me? I was really hurt, holding back jealousy and sadness while thinking for your sake. Who would have thought you'd still doubt me? If you had been more decisive, wouldn't you have already won over Shen Guoqing? Well, actually, it's better this way. I didn't really want you to succeed either, otherwise, I'd be the one who ends up heartbroken."

Shen Wenyi, who had just caught up: "???!!!"