Back home, the big red mule had already finished eating the fresh grass.
Li Yi immediately hitched it to the wooden cart and set off with Tang Xue toward the back mountain!
They passed quite a few villagers along the way, and upon seeing Li Yi and Tang Xue, everyone broke into a friendly, warm smile!
Tang Xue had grown somewhat accustomed to this now. Although she still didn’t quite dare to greet these villagers, she no longer acted like an ostrich, burying her head in the sand whenever she encountered them, as she had before.
When they reached the back mountain, only a few children were by the embankment; the rest hadn’t returned yet.
Li Yi wasn’t in a hurry. He untied the big red mule and let it graze nearby on its own.
He took Tang Xue’s hand and began strolling around the reservoir.
With Li Yi holding her hand like this, Tang Xue’s heart couldn’t help but race a little faster. She whispered, “You’re such a tease—what if someone sees us?”
Li Yi chuckled and said, “What’s so bad about it? I’m just holding my wife’s hand—I’m not cheating on anyone!”
Hearing Li Yi speak so boldly, Tang Xue felt a bit helpless. She shot him a look and said, “You’re being a total jerk!”
“Well, do you like it?”
Tang Xue didn’t answer that question. Instead, she lowered her head and said, “Why do you always have to pick on me?”
“Take the ‘bullying’ out of it!”
“Take it out?”
“Hmm!”
Tang Xue thought about it carefully. If she took out the “bullying,” wouldn’t that leave only “liking”? She couldn’t help but laugh—this guy really had a sense of humor!
Watching the girl’s gentle smile, Li Yi was truly captivated.
Tang Xue wasn’t the type to take your breath away at first glance. Her skin was fair and smooth, her features delicate, and her large, watery eyes were particularly captivating.
However, she was somewhat slender, and her clothes were simply too worn—not only were they bleached white from repeated washing, but they were also covered in patch upon patch, so at first glance, she didn’t appear particularly striking.
Yet there was something about her that grew on you—the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Feeling Li Yi’s intense gaze, Tang Xue grew flustered and blurted out.
“You’re beautiful!”
Tang Xue had heard this so many times she was already immune to it, and she immediately retorted, “There are so many beautiful people out there—do you just stare at everyone like that?”
“Haha, let’s not even get into whether there’s a woman in the world more beautiful than my wife—and even if there were, what’s it got to do with me?”
Li Yi continued, “No matter how beautiful someone else is, she belongs to someone else. I only have eyes for my own!”
Women just can’t stand hearing a man say things like that!
On top of that, Tang Xue didn’t have much dating experience to begin with. Hearing Li Yi say this, she instantly felt as if she’d been doused in honey, her delight clearly written all over her face.
“You’ve got such a way with words—I bet you’ve charmed countless young girls!”
“Hahaha, you’re the first—and the last!”
“Then you’d better treat me well from now on, or else…”
“Or else what?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“Then I’ll die right in front of you!”
Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression changed drastically.
He recalled how, in his previous life, this girl had taken her own life by jumping into a river in a moment of despair, her entire life frozen in the bloom of youth.
Her death had not only taken the lives of himself and their child, but also stolen Li Yi’s heart, shattered his third sister Li Na’s spirit, and claimed the life of his father, Li Shankui.
At this thought, Li Yi pulled Tang Xue into his arms, clutching her frail body tightly, and said with a choked voice, “I swear on my own life: if I ever treat you even a fraction badly, may I be struck by five bolts of lightning, may I be cast into hell after death, and may I never be reborn for all eternity!”
Tang Xue hadn’t expected that a casual remark of hers would provoke such a strong reaction from Li Yi; she was momentarily taken aback.
Once she came to her senses, she hurriedly said, “I was just joking—you actually took me seriously!”
“You can’t say that. You shouldn’t even think about such things! No matter what happens in the future, I’ve got your back. You must never do anything reckless!” Li Yi said.
“I know. I’m not as fragile as you think…”
“No, you have to promise me—no matter what, you must never think about those terrible things!” Li Yi said earnestly.
“Fine, fine, I promise you—no matter what, I won’t take my own life!” Tang Xue said helplessly.
“Mm-hmm! Honey, you’re my whole world. I can’t live without you!” Li Yi said, his voice tinged with emotion.
Seeing how deeply Li Yi cared for her, Tang Xue was deeply moved.
Just moments ago, she had truly sensed the confusion and helplessness in Li Yi’s heart, as well as the fear emanating from his very soul.
He was afraid of losing her—he truly loved her!
Thinking about their seemingly absurd relationship, Tang Xue suddenly felt that perhaps what had happened wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Maybe this was Yue Lao intentionally bringing them together.
Since fate had already brought them together, and this man loved her so deeply, she shouldn’t run away!
With that thought, Tang Xue seemed to have made up her mind. She spoke softly, “Don’t worry. As long as you treat me well, I’ll never leave you! In life, I’m yours, Li Yi; in death, I’ll be your ghost!”
This was the first time Tang Xue had ever said such words, in either her past or present life, and Li Yi’s tears instantly began to fall.
He didn’t know what kind of emotions he was feeling right now; he just wanted to hold his wife close and let it all out.
But he forced himself to hold it back—he was afraid he might scare her!
After a long while, Li Yi let go of Tang Xue and asked, his eyes red-rimmed, “My dear, do you feel wronged by marrying me?”
Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “I did used to feel that way. After all, I’d already received my transfer order back to the city, but now I have to stay in this village and be a farmer for the rest of my life. It really does feel like a sacrifice!”
“But after spending time with you, I don’t feel quite so wronged anymore!”
“Why?”
“First of all, you’re not the jerk everyone says you are. They only talk about you that way because they don’t know you!”
Before she could finish, Li Yi couldn’t help but ask, “So you do understand me?”
“Yes. The person I’ve seen is someone who’s ambitious, capable, kind-hearted, and has a strong sense of justice. More importantly, you’re good to me—really, really good!”
At this point, Tang Xue looked up at Li Yi, then continued, “A woman’s life is full of hardships. To meet someone who truly loves you—and whom you don’t dislike in return—is a gift from heaven!”
“I can’t say I’m head over heels for you yet, but I’ll try to get to know you better and work on falling in love with you!”
Seeing the young woman’s sincere expression, Li Yi was deeply moved.
“Hmm, I won’t let you down, and I believe you’ll fall in love with me too!”
Li Yi continued, “And I won’t keep you stuck in the village as a housewife forever. You’ll have a much broader stage to shine on, and I’ll be your strongest support!”
“Thank you!”
……..