Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 391: Holding hands and getting married? You old rascal!
At this moment, the moonlight is shining and the cool breeze is blowing.

Sun Lianfang hugged her shoulders and felt a little cold. She didn't wear much when she went out. She only wore a small cotton jacket, a thin sweater and an autumn shirt inside, and a small bellyband.

A cool breeze blew, and Guan Lei tightened his cotton-padded jacket. Although he noticed Sun Lianfang's shivering body, he did not give her the jacket immediately because he was very cold when he just got up. Moreover, he had been weak and sick since he was a child, and he was most afraid of catching a cold...

The two of them stared at each other, without much affection in their eyes, only confusion could be seen in each other's eyes.

Sun Lianfang's coming to see Guan Lei was not an impulse, she had planned it long ago, but she hadn't thought about where to live or what to eat after meeting Guan Lei...

Guan Lei was confused. He didn't know how to arrange for Sun Lianfang. Bringing her to the shack was definitely not an option!
After a long silence, Guan Lei handed her the cotton jacket he was wearing.

When Sun Lianfang saw the cotton-padded jacket handed over, her eyes lit up and she curled her lips and said, "You have a conscience!"

After she put on her cotton-padded jacket, she stared at Guan Lei with her sparkling eyes.

Guan Lei didn't respond to her words, but crossed his arms and said, "We have to go down the mountain to find my brother."

Sun Lianfang was stunned, tilted her head and asked in confusion: "Why are you looking for him?"

Guan Lei frowned and said unhappily, "Why? You ran away from home secretly, so you must have found a way to contact your family first and report that you are safe!"

"Oh……"

Although there was nothing wrong with what Guan Lei said, Sun Lianfang still felt a little sad. She stood on tiptoe and pouted, saying, "Why do you listen to him so much?"

Guan Lei was too lazy to explain to her. He glared at her and said, "I'm happy to do that! Do you want to go?"

"Let's go. I'm here for you anyway. I'll go wherever you go."

When Guan Lei saw how obedient and well-behaved she was, he suddenly felt something strange. She was completely different from the Sun Lianfang he knew.

He walked towards the door of the shack, and after taking two steps he turned around and said, "Wait here, I'll get some clothes and come out."

"Yes!" Sun Lianfang nodded heavily.

Guan Lei walked quickly to the door of the shack and heard Yang Jun and Old Man Yang whispering, suggesting that they might be preparing for a wedding banquet.

He did not hesitate, lifted the door curtain and entered the house. Yang Jun turned his head and looked at him, holding his cigarette, and said with a smile: "This girl is really good, Lei Zi, you have to hurry up."

Old Grandpa Yang said: "That's right. In my entire life, this is the first time I've seen a girl so brave that she dares to drive into the mountains alone in the middle of the night. Huh..."

Guan Lei was both happy and sad when he heard this. He rubbed his eye sockets and said, "I didn't think she could come... Oh! Brother Jun, I have to go down the mountain."

Yang Jun was stunned: "Now?"

"Well, I have to go talk to my brother about what to do. She didn't tell her family when she came out."

Old Uncle Yang asked dully, "Did you sneak out?"

"kindness."

Old Mr. Yang gave a fair evaluation, "Oh my god, this girl is really a heroine..."

Yang Jun smiled, stretched out his hand to pull the cotton jacket from under his feet, took out a wad of change from his pocket, found several five-yuan, two-yuan, one-yuan and fifty-cent bills, and collected fifty yuan.

"You need to have some money in your pocket. I'll give you fifty first, and you don't have to pay it back... I'll just deduct it from your salary when the time comes."

"Okay, thank you, Jun."

"Why are you being so polite to me? This is what I should do. Okay, go ahead."

"Eh!"

Guan Lei then took the money, took a clean cotton jacket from the kang, put it on, and put the money into the inner pocket of the jacket.

He waved to the two of them, then turned and walked out. Seeing Sun Lianfang squatting in her cotton jacket, Guan Lei felt a sudden shock in his heart, as if a heavy object was pressing on his chest, and his breathing became a little rapid.

Sun Lianfang looked up at him, her big eyes fluttering. Guan Lei bent down and pulled her up, then took her arm and walked towards Dongfeng 140 without saying a word...

She looked down at Guan Lei's hand. Although it was separated by the sleeve of her cotton-padded jacket, Sun Lianfang was still very happy and her mood gradually became joyful.

When they reached the front of the car, Guan Lei let go of her hand. Sun Lianfang curled her lips and kicked the front of the car lightly, as if complaining why it was parked so close.
The two got into the car. Guan Lei held the steering wheel with both hands and started the car while saying, "If you are sleepy, take a nap. I will call you when we get to the place."

Sun Lianfang shook her head firmly: "Not sleepy!"

Guan Lei did not continue to persuade him. His principle was: good things should not be said twice.

He just looked at her helplessly, then looked away and drove the car out of the place.

On the way, Guan Lei did not take the initiative to find a topic, and Sun Lianfang was also silent. She leaned on the back of the passenger seat, tilted her head and stared at his profile. She felt that Guan Lei's thin face was full of strength.

When they reached the winding mountain road of the forest farm, Sun Lianfang raised her red lips and asked, "Why do you have to look for your brother?"

Guan Lei frowned and said, "Where is the phone in Lengchang? You have to go down the mountain to the village to get a phone. You ran away secretly, and your family must be very worried now. What if they get angry? What should I do?"

Sun Lianfang didn't care, "It's okay to get angry..."

"What do you mean it's okay? I hate this the most! Why do you take the love of your family for granted? They deserve it."

When Guan Lei said this, his emotions were a little unstable, or as the Northeastern dialect says, he was very anxious.

This has to do with his experience. His parents died when he was young. Although he has his older sister Guan Mei and his younger sister Guan Hua, as well as the love of Wu Zhouquan and Han Fang, this is different from having his parents around.

To be honest, Guan Lei was actually a little jealous of Sun Lianfang. He felt that the people in the Sun family did not love or pamper Sun Lianfang, but rather spoiled her too much!
Regardless of right or wrong, good or bad, people basically went along with her and protected her in everything. Sun Lianfang never fell into a mud pit and had no idea how deep it was.

She sensed that Guan Lei was in a bad mood, and said softly, "I didn't say it was natural. I was thinking that it was so late, your brother's family must be asleep. Would it bother him if I went to look for him now?"

Guan Lei felt like a cold wind was blowing into his body and it was chilling him when he heard her tone!
"My brother doesn't mind me being a bother... Just talk to me properly, don't make those noises!"

Sun Lianfang suddenly stood up, puffed up her chest towards Guan Lei, and glared at him, "You!... Well, you don't want to drink the toast, but drink the penalty wine! You don't want the mallet, but you insist on chewing the carrot!"

Guan Lei smiled and said, "It sounds much better this time."

People are sometimes so weird. Although Sun Lianfang didn't give Guan Lei a very good first impression, she also gave him a brainwash last time at Old Xu's house. After getting used to bickering with her, when she suddenly became gentle, he felt that she was being sarcastic and it was uncomfortable to listen to her.

Sun Lianfang hugged her shoulders and tilted her head, "You're sick!"

She looked at the dark night, saw the shadows of the trees whizzing by, and felt a little creepy.

The shock brought her dizzy head back to normal. At this moment, she had completely forgotten how she drove alone from Dahe Village in Sandahe Forest Area to Qing'an No. 17 Lengchang.

What was she thinking about during the trip? She had forgotten, but she remembered that Guan Lei's face kept appearing in her mind, and she imagined how excited he would be when he saw her.

However, the reality was completely different from what she had imagined. Guan Lei was indeed shocked to see her, but he did not show too much excitement. He was just stunned for a moment, and then asked as if blurting out: Why are you here?

This was not what Sun Lianfang wanted to hear, so she felt a little uncomfortable...

But thinking back carefully on their interaction just now, it was quite natural. There was no sense of strangeness at all. They were more like old friends who had known each other for many years. They were arguing and noisy, and neither of them was giving in to the other. Even in silence, they didn't feel awkward.

Sun Lianfang looked down at the cloth bag at her feet, then she leaned forward and bent over to lift the bag onto her legs. The bag contained more than 30 packs of cigarettes, of various brands, such as Daqianmen, Grape, Great Harvest, Warrior, and Shilin...

These cigarettes were what Sun Lianfang had saved up recently. At first, she bought them for herself. Later, when her younger brother Sun Lianjun asked her why she bought the cigarettes, she could only say that she bought them for her father. In this way, she lost two packs of cigarettes.

Later, she went to gambling dens to watch and show off. If anyone won, Sun Lianfang would applaud, and then the other party would give her a small red envelope. However, Sun Lianfang did not ask for money, but asked the other party to buy a pack of cigarettes.

The reason why she didn't dare touch the cigarettes at home was because she was afraid that Sun Jiwei would become suspicious.

She casually took out a pack of Shilin from her cloth bag, tore open the package, popped out a cigarette and handed it to Guan Lei's mouth.

Guan Lei was slightly stunned, and leaned forward with his head holding the cigarette holder. Before he could recover, Sun Lianfang had already struck a match. A little light came on in the car, making the two people's faces turn yellow.

Then, the two of them quickly came to their senses and returned to their seats.

Guan Lei pinched the cigarette in his left hand, exhaled the smoke, and said, "How did you get out?"

Sun Lianfang said: "I really drove away by myself. I had just finished dinner and went to the place where they played for money to steal eyes as usual. When it was getting dark, I drove away directly."

"Where are the car keys?"

"My third uncle never took out the car keys. No one dared to touch the car when it was left in the village."

"How did you find me?"

Sun Lianfang told the truth: "I've been here once before, and I made a note of it then."

Guan Lei turned around and asked, "Is that when you chose me?"

"Right... bullshit! Nonsense! Who picked you?"

"If you don't like me, why are you looking for me?"

"Is it not okay to play with you?"

"No, I still have to earn money to save up for my little sister's dowry. I really don't have time to play with you."

Sun Lianfang was silent for a moment, then said, "If it doesn't work, forget it... You don't fancy me anyway."

Guan Lei said bluntly: "It's not that I don't like you, but your family is well-off, and mine is too poor. We are not a good match, and your parents will never agree, understand?"

"So you like me?" Sun Lianfang asked.

"...Well, I guess so."

"What do you mean by 'I think so'? Just tell me whether you like it or not?"

Guan Lei threw away the cigarette butt, turned around and said, "So do you like me?"

"Of course I like you! Otherwise why would I come all the way here to find you? Are you Tang Monk? You are so stubborn..."

Sun Lianfang was a little anxious, so her words were a bit blunt.

Guan Lei shook his head and said, "I am not confident. Over the years... In short, we are not a good match. Our conditions are too different."

"What's there to be afraid of? As long as you love me, my family will agree!"

Guan Lei asked: "Don't you think I'm too thin?"

"It's okay. Even though you look thin, you still have some flesh on your body."

This is because Guan Lei has built up muscles from working in the field before and after the New Year. Otherwise, he would still be skinny. Now he has more muscles.

Guan Lei rubbed his forehead and said, "I have to discuss this with my brother. Whether we can succeed depends on what happens in the future..."

"You and your brother have a good relationship. How long have you known each other?"

"Not long. We met before the New Year, and it's been less than five months."

Sun Lianfang was surprised and asked, "Why is the relationship so deep?"

"I don't know either. Anyway, my brother treats me very well. Grandpa and aunt are also very nice to me. When I stay at my brother's house, I feel like a family member. I don't feel any pressure or embarrassment at all..."

"Oh."

Did Sun Lianfang feel jealous? Yes, she often heard her parents talk about brothers fighting over fishing boats, mountain products, and land, and even hitting each other on the head with shovels. But now after hearing Guan Lei talk about him and Xu Ning, Sun Lianfang felt a little strange. She wondered if there were really such good people? How could they get along so well after knowing each other for just a few months, even like brothers?
"As long as your brother agrees, our relationship will be successful?"

Guan Lei nodded: "Almost."

At this moment, the car has reached the east entrance of Qingantun.

Guan Lei stretched out his right hand and said, "Put your hand in my palm."

"What are you doing?"

Sun Lianfang asked suspiciously. She thought Guan Lei was busy, so she put her hand in his without thinking too much. Guan Lei held it and said with a smile, "It's a tradition among us buddies that if we like each other, we hold hands first to cultivate feelings."

"Oh my god! You guys...why do you look like gangsters to me?"

"Haha, like a gangster? My brother used to be one! Who are you insulting here?"

Sun Lianfang rolled her eyes, clenched her hands, and said, "How many people's hands have you held?"

"You are the first one. Someone did introduce me to someone before, but they all thought I was too thin. Their family members said a lot of unpleasant things about me. So I asked you just now if you thought I was too thin."

"Don't mind! They know nothing. You're just a clothes rack. Look how broad your shoulders are!"

Guan Lei let go of her hand and said, "Stop talking nonsense. My shoulders are as broad as my sister's. I was just a willow bud a little while ago, and now I'm just a grown weeping willow at most..."

"You're talking nonsense! I said I don't mind it, so I don't mind it... Then why do you just stand there and do nothing?"

"Well, my brother would sometimes ask me to go down the mountain to hunt with him. In fact, he just wanted me to get a share and make some money for free. Last time at Snail Shell, didn't you buy a bear head? I got 10 yuan. Later, you bought leopard bones and jackal meat, and I got 200 yuan..."

"Your brother gets two shares, and the three of you get one share each? That's not a small share... Logically speaking, he is the leader, and he won't give you any money for leading a green hand like you into the mountains. All the heavy work is your responsibility."

Guan Lei nodded: "Yes, the round-faced one is my future brother-in-law, Wang Hu, and the older one is my brother's sworn brother, so I have to call him Brother Qiang. They are all very nice to me."

As they were almost at Old Xu's door, he turned around and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"A little bit. I didn't eat much at night, and I was afraid that I would have to go to the toilet halfway after eating too much."

She had to get off the bus halfway to go to the toilet, squatting in the dark wilderness to use the toilet, which was a very creepy feeling...

"Yeah." Guan Lei responded, indicating that he understood.

Sun Lianfang pouted and said, "I can go hiking with you in the future. I'm quite good at hiking and have killed many black bears! Let me put it this way, I've killed more black bears than you've ever seen."

(End of this chapter)