Chapter 43: Rubbing the Belly. On the day of Jin Yan's wedding, Song...

On the day of Jin Yan's wedding, Song Qingshu accompanied He Feng. On the one-dollar wedding account book, He Feng and Song Qingshu's names were written very close together, and the amount under them was one dollar more than the others.

During the lunch banquet, Song Qingshu was even more excited than the little boy at the next table.

He Feng's eyes filled with love as he watched him like this. Song Qingshu's eyes were darting around, watching the hustle and bustle. Li Xia and her husband were completely overwhelmed. Mrs. Liu brought in some young and older women to help, and a few older men also joined in the cooking.

He Feng explained that they were hired to cook when there were events in the village, and they knew how to make menus and the process.

Song Qingshu stared curiously at the large pot, which was preparing food for over a dozen tables. It was a grand rural feast, something Song Qingshu had never experienced before.

Although Old Jin was old, he had been an accountant in the village his entire life. His grown-up children were all successful and sent money home every month, so he had money on hand. Zhao Yuanhui was a son- in-law who married into the family.

There was an alley not far from Old Zhao's house, and they were planning to build a small courtyard there. It didn't need to be too big, just enough for the young couple to live in. Going back to her parents' home was just a few steps away. 

Song Qingshu, still a little confused, leaned against He Feng's shoulder. The warm breath against his ear made He Feng's scalp tighten. He heard him whisper, "Brother, is Old Jin in his sixties?" 

He Feng nodded. "Two or three years younger than my dad, he'll be seventy next year." 

"But Teacher Jin Yan is only nineteen," Song Qingshu muttered. 

They weren't sitting at a table filled exclusively with men. Also sitting there were Wang Qunshui, Wang Shun, and his wife, Liu Fengling. Song Qingshu didn't really recognize the others. 

He knew them by face, but he couldn't place their names. 

Wang Qunshui had good ears and happened to hear, "Hey, Teacher Song, let me tell you, Jin Yan'er was brought up by Old Jin." 

"Her biological parents are from the neighboring Hou village. They gave birth to four girls and wanted to keep a father, so they insisted on having a boy." 

"As soon as they saw it was a girl, they said they didn't want her anymore." 

"They asked all over the village if anyone wanted a child. Originally, there was a family in their Hou village who couldn't have a baby, and they wanted to take the child away." 

He spoke very proudly, his tone full of criticism, like a storyteller, but his voice was low, and with many people sitting next to him, the noise was so loud that only one table could hear it. 

"Who would have thought that the bastard would ask for money as soon as he saw that people really wanted her." 

Wang Qunshui held up three fingers and curled his lips, "He said he wanted thirty yuan!" 

"It doesn't seem like much now, right? How could ordinary people afford it at that time? Besides, seeing how skinny Jin Yan was when she was born, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to raise her if he took her home, so 

he didn't want her." "He made such a fuss in the village that other families didn't dare to take the baby away even if they knew about it. He had no choice but to stop feeding her." 

" Later, he found the noise annoying, so he took the baby to Nan Daqiao and threw her into the river to drown." 

Song Qingshu was stunned by what he said, wondering if there was any artistic processing involved. 

"It's true, you won't believe it, my wife is the girl from that village." He nudged his wife with his elbow. "Fengling, tell me." 

Fengling looked fine, though her lips were a little pale. "Yes, back then, we could hear the baby crying day and night. My parents couldn't stand it, so they asked Old Man Hou to feed the baby." 

"He refused to feed the baby and just pointed at the baby and scolded him. What's a loser to eat?" 

Everyone else at the table grinned and continued listening, listening intently to Fengling's words. "It was my mother who brought a bowl of thin rice soup and asked me to secretly pass it to her. Her mother fed the baby." 

He Feng nodded and continued, "Well, then, Lao Jin saw him walking towards the river with the baby in his arms. He couldn't bear it. Since we only had two sons, we decided to bring the baby home and raise her as a daughter." 

As he finished speaking, the sound of a car was heard outside. A square-faced man in a military uniform got out. It was Lao Jin's eldest son, Jin Weiguo. 

The other one worked at the Municipal Education Bureau and said he was on his way back as well. 

Wang Qunshui tutted his words. "Look, Jin Yan was lucky to be brought home. She was born into this family through a womb. She was destined to be part of this family." 

He then looked at his young son beside him and patted his shoulder. "Son, Daddy doesn't ask for you to be a big shot. We can all join the army someday." 

Wang Shun smiled, his teeth showing, his voice clear. "Dad, I want to go to college!" 

"Oh, good son!" 

Feng Ling, standing beside him, smiled, her eyes almost overflowing with happiness. 

Song Qingshu sighed at this. He used to think rural life was simple, a simple routine of working from sunrise to sunset. 

He hadn't expected so much gossip to be discussed daily. 

It all shocked Song Qingshu. 

He Feng saw him with his eyes downcast, unsure of what to think. He leaned over and pinched his ear, saying soothingly, "At least she's doing well now." 

Song Qingshu nodded and gave him a smile. The dimples on his face looked adorable. He Feng wanted to reach out and poke at his sunken dimples, but he didn't dare, being outside. 

After the banquet started, Jin Yan, who was wearing a bright red cheongsam-style wedding dress, embraced Zhao Jinhui, who was wearing a Zhongshan suit with a big red flower pinned to his chest. He changed his glasses, and the frames sparkled in the sun. 

Old Jin came over to serve wine to each table. It was white wine produced by the city's winery, pure grain. He also changed his glasses, and the temples were no longer made of tattered thick ropes. 

"Eat and drink well, everyone." Two suona players were also invited to accompany the young couple. They had to toast at each table, and the sound of the suona was deafening when they came over. 

He Feng knew they were coming over and directly covered their ears and shoved them into his arms. His action was so fast that he forgot that they were having a banquet outside. 

He was afraid that the noise would hurt Song Qingshu's ears. 

"Young Master." Jin Yan smiled and hugged Zhao Jinhui. He must not be able to drink much, and now his originally calm face was a little red. 

In fact, their family was not from Hejia Village, and Old Jin hadn't argued with He Feng about seniority. He Feng thought he was his father's friend, but Jin Yan had followed the villagers in calling him "Little Master" since she was a child, and she refused to change even when she was asked to. 

He Feng only let go of Song Qingshu after the suona stopped playing, adding, "He's not feeling well, don't let him get shaken." 

Jin Yan blinked, noncommittal. "Come on, Teacher Song, Little Master, let's have a drink." 

She and Zhao Jinhui stood in the sun, a newlywed couple dressed in formal, festive clothes, married in front of the entire village. 

Song Qingshu blinked and stood up at the same time as He Feng. Their clothes were similar colors, and their cloth shoes were the same style. They stood face to face. 

Jin Yan clinked her glass against Song Qingshu's, and Zhao Yuanhui touched He Feng's quilt. The four of them tilted their heads back and drank the wine at the same time, performing the formal ceremony under the sun and white clouds. 

The transparent, slightly yellowish grain wine had a mellow and fragrant taste. Locals who could drink it, like He Feng, considered it sweet. 

But Song Qingshu still clucked his tongue from the spiciness. Just then, his favorite grape fish arrived. "What is this? I've never seen it before." 

"It's a new dish from Li Xia. Try it," He Feng explained.

"Then you guys eat and enjoy your meal. I'll go to the next table!" Jin Yan smiled and pulled the dazed Zhao Yuanhui away. He had such a personality that he was not as cheerful as Jin Yan. When he met people, he would just smile and shout.

Most of the time he was silent, sitting in his seat doing things, occasionally looking up and taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

This was Song Qingshu's impression of Zhao Yuanhui. He had a sense of elegance about him. People would not be bored by his silence. Instead, they would feel that he was always in deep thought.

But such a person would smile non-stop when he saw Jin Yan, talk to her, and chat with her.

This is a manifestation of love.

Song Qingshu stuffed the raisins in the grape fish into his mouth. It was a little sour, but it could suppress the spiciness of the white wine just now.

"Is it spicy?" He Feng pinched his palm with his left hand. Song Qingshu's eyes welled up, and he shook his head, "No."

He Feng didn't expose his remorse. Instead, he curled his lips and offered him another piece of fish. "Eat quickly."

After a feast of eighteen dishes, Song Qingshu, despite his best efforts, still burped from the fullness. Back home, He Feng placed his hand on his swollen belly and rubbed it.

"Brother, were you so cool in your uniform?"

He Feng wasn't quite sure. "What do you mean by cool? No wonder you've been staring at Jin Weiguo all day, looking at his clothes."

"Cool means handsome. Uh, I was just praising you for being handsome. I was definitely looking at his clothes. He's not as handsome as you!" Her lips were as sweet as honey.

The soft touch and familiar, slightly raised curve under his palm made He Feng's Adam's apple roll, and his eyes darkened instantly.

As soon as he saw him like that, Song Qingshu knew what he was about to do. He quickly pushed him away, then smiled and kissed He Feng on the lips, "No, it's broad daylight."

And then there was He Feng's sheer energy.

He usually sat at the brigade, but when he had nothing else to do, he'd go to the vegetable garden to check on the vegetables, weed, fertilize, and loosen the soil. These past two days, he'd been digging the ground, carrying a rake and heading out every day, returning only for dinner.

Others would be so busy they'd want to rest or sleep when they got home, but He Feng had time to clean the yard and hand-weave brooms from some unknown source.

His hands seemed to possess magical powers; they could nail benches, repair tile roofs, work in the fields, ride a bicycle, and now, weave brooms.

Even then, he still had the energy to torment Song Qingshu at night. He knew to hold back his strength, but when the pleasure overwhelmed his reason, he'd go wild and uncontrollably move.

And it wasn't enough just once. He Feng said he never dared to do it before, and wouldn't let him. So, was it okay even if he took a break?

Song Qingshu stared into his dark eyes, unable to refuse He Feng's request. He let the burning kisses fall all over his body, the sticky and slippery tongue burrowing into his mouth.

Every time Song Qingshu was teased, he cried until his eyes were wet, and the hair at the corners of his eyes clung together, which He Feng parted with his fingers.

He Feng even had time to comment, saying that his hair had grown long and he needed to find time to get a haircut.

He Feng still felt a little regretful at being rejected, "Okay."

"Let's go get a haircut later? Do you want to tie it back when it grows long?"

Song Qingshu blinked. "Okay, let's go after we wake up from our nap."

He Feng held him in his arms and laid on the bed, letting Song Qingshu hold him as he slept. Otherwise, Song Qingshu would curl up in a corner like a shrimp after a short sleep.

He Feng couldn't bear to see him in that state, and would force him back, holding him tightly in his arms.

He also found that if he stayed overnight, Song Qingshu would not run away in the middle of the night. A good boy was a good boy.

He patted Song Qingshu's back gently, and the movement of rubbing his belly with his hands was much slower. He even hummed some tuneless music, and it was impossible to tell what it was. Xiao Hei and

Xiao Hua, who were outside, had just run to the banquet area and had a big meal. They ate and took away the food, and buried the bones in the ground before happily running back with the two of them.

Now they were also huddled under the shade of the tree, two round balls, one big and one small, sleeping soundly.