Chapter 83

“That’s good enough!” Lu Yuanzheng praised from the bottom of his heart

Seemingly feeling that this compliment was a bit perfunctory, Xu asked, and added, “It’s really unimaginable that there can be a car that doesn’t use oil and only relies on batteries to get around Daughter-in-law, you’re amazing!”

Although occasionally, Xu Wen would describe the high-tech life in the future to him, but listening is one thing, seeing is another

Even if this car is just a small glimpse of the future

Xu Wen knocked on the edge of the bucket, “This will only be at the level of a toy car in a few decades”

Indeed, it was something for DIY self-indulgence

But now, it became a particularly awesome invention

Lu Yuanzheng drove Xu Man’s mother and son to the beach to test drive the car as well

After a while of word of mouth, everyone had realized the uniqueness of this strange car, and came up to watch

Lu Yuanzheng was a much better driver than Xu Man

The family of three became the most eye-catching scenery on the beach

However, after only a short while, the car went on strike and stopped on the beach, no matter how Lu Yuanzheng stepped on the pedals, it didn’t move

Mr Lu frowned, “Is it malfunctioning?”

Xu Wen pondered, “I think the probability is that the battery is dead”

“It can only be used for a short while?” How much work can it do then? Lu Yuanzheng rubbed his chin, which made it a bit of a chicken

“Go home and add a little more battery capacity, and I’ll look into the batteries again as well”

The three members of the family came in an incomparable splendor, and left with a cart when they walked back

Although they weren’t in a sorry state, there was a big difference between the scenery on their way here and the one they had on their way back

Of course, this is only Xu Man’s feeling, for others, they were just stunned

Xu Man was very annoyed: “We still need to add the stirrups again There’s no battery indicator, so if the battery runs out halfway, you can still pedal twice, it’s better than pushing it!”

Lu Yuanzheng didn’t object and encouraged her, “This is good enough for the first time! Let’s slowly perfect the rest”

“Okay, I’ll go back and study it right away”

“There’s no hurry, the sympathy show will start soon, let’s watch the show first and talk about it tomorrow”

Dongsheng said he didn’t want to go, he wanted to play with the kids

Xu Wen wondered if Dongsheng was interested in such a rare entertainment activity

Dongsheng glanced at Lu Yuanzheng and swallowed, “I’ll go find the new kids, I’ll take them if they want to go and watch”

Lu Yuanzheng looked down at him with knowing eyes, but he didn’t say anything, only instructing him to be safe

Although Xu Man didn’t know why, he knew that Dongsheng wasn’t telling the truth, it wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in the rendezvous, he just didn’t want to go for some reason

The two held hands and sent the four-wheeled bucket truck back to the wooden house to recharge the battery, and then held hands again and walked toward the stage

Halfway to the stage, they saw the clerk who hurriedly ran here

When the clerk saw Lu Yuanzheng standing properly, he slightly calmed his breathing and spoke, “Lu Battalion, Captain Song has arrived, the instructor has already gone to pick him up, do you think you should go to pick him up or go to the stage first?”

Lu Yuanzheng thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll go over to the stage to take a look, you go and receive it for me”

With so many comrades and students of the Civilian Troupe, he and Shi Lei had to leave one to keep an eye on them

Clerks answered and trotted away

“What’s Uncle Song doing here at this hour?”

“He’ll have to speak a speech later on as well” Lu Yuanzheng was very used to it, “The process is pretty much the same every year”

The camp was sort of on a hill, although the hill wasn’t high at all

The overall layout was a not-so-regular parallelogram

The stage was located in the right-hand corner above the parallelogram

The makeshift stage was about a meter high, and a layer of felt had been laid down in order to prevent it from being slippery

The background is a large army-green canvas, on which is affixed a red banner that reads: Celebrate the National Day Rainbow Island Literary Performance

Below also a few lines of small words to explain the organizers and co-organizers

The audience was originally a weed field, recently cleaned up and covered with a thick layer of sand

When Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen arrived, each company was preparing to enter the auditorium with their teams

Apart from the daily morning and evening drills, Xu Man saw most of them resting, a bit like students at school, in groups of three to five, laughing and joking as companions back to their classes or to the commissary

Only they weren’t disheveled, and they didn’t hook up with each other

They wear the same clothes, from a distance or from behind, basically can not tell who is who, almost the same size and height almost the same walking posture

Since going to the island rare to see them in formation

As often seen on TV, a row and a column, left and right, stand at attention, at ease, marching and running, neat as a mold carved out

Xu Wen curious to see a few more eyes, but unfortunately the sky is already dark to see not too clear

The brightest is the stage area, got two searchlights to the stage to play light

Lu Yuanzheng told her to wait for him at the side first, he had to go to the actors’ waiting area to take a look, so she didn’t run around

Xu asked, Lu Yuanzheng also pulled out a handful of fresh mint leaves from his pocket and stuffed them into her hand, “Rub it on your arms and legs to save mosquitoes from biting you”

This should be the one that Lu Yuanzheng picked from his own flower pot just now, to prevent her from being bitten by mosquitoes again like when she was talking to Wang Ying

In fact, there weren’t many mosquitoes here, and Xu Man noticed that the perimeter of this area was lit with mugwort leaves to smoke the mosquitoes

Xu Man picked a high ground with a good view and stood

Each company had already entered with a team, each person carrying a matzah in his hand, about one line per squad, from left to right to the audience stand in order

There was one instructor and one company commander in front of and one behind each company, usually the company commander was near the end of the stage, and the order to sit down was given only after the speeches had been made

Still in unison with a unified movement, open the mazar put down the mazar, unified seat, sit down with a straight back, hands on the knees

Xu Man thought and wondered how long this cultural performance would take It’s also quite difficult to maintain this sitting position all the time, right?

No wonder Dongsheng refused to come, Lu Yuanzheng is often with a small soldier like with Dongsheng, I guess in the past not a lot of let him sit like this to watch the show

How can a child sit still? No wonder Dongsheng refused to come to the show

However, Xu Man guessed that he would sneak over with the kids later

Family members arrived one after another as the soldiers entered the arena, either standing or sitting in Xu Man’s neighborhood

They greeted each other with smiles and discussed the cultural performance

In a time when entertainment was extremely scarce and watching movies was a rarity, such a live cultural performance was indeed as lively as New Year’s Eve

Even if the stage was very simple, there was no decent choreography, and the officers and soldiers of the cultural troupe didn’t have such fancy performance costumes

The army’s cultural performances are not like the local In the local said eight often really start then have to eight thirty, here said what time is what time, even a second does not bring difference

Xu Wen listened to the host’s opening and swept her eyes around

The man she had been waiting for, Lu Yuanzheng, had not yet returned

The stage was bright, but the audience area and its surroundings were dark, especially since they were all wearing the same clothes and the same hats, and it was quite difficult to find someone when the line of sight wasn’t good either

But Xu Wen still saw Lu Yuanzheng at a glance

He was standing on the side of the stage, half in the dark and half in the light, looking like he was also going to speak on stage later

A lesbian came out from the dressing room to his side

Lu Yuanzheng turned his head sideways to talk to her, and should have known her

Xu Wen didn’t think much of it, and was about to withdraw his gaze when he saw the girl grab Lu Yuanzheng’s arm, seemingly a little agitated

She raised an eyebrow and took a few steps in Lu Yuanzheng’s direction, seeing him pull out his arm, take a step back, and fall back

After only a few minutes of silence he began to make small talk with the sisters-in-law around him

Mostly the ones Xu Man didn’t recognize; she wasn’t exactly an introvert, she’d just been busy with her electric car lately and had been going out less

Usually, she was closest to Mrs Li, but at the moment, she couldn’t come because she had to look after the commissary

She swept her eyes around, and most of the people standing around her were the new sisters-in-law on the island

The sisters-in-law who came to the island before are those who lived in the compound with the army earlier, and they are more familiar with the cultural performances, and they basically come at the right time, standing at the back of the room

Among the surrounding people, Xu Wen was familiar with Jiang Yi Yi and Wang Ling Ling

These two people always contrasted sharply every time they were together

Jiang Yi Yi was particularly beautifully dressed today, wearing a white knee-length dress, and under the dim light, she could tell that she was wearing makeup, which made her even more colorful

Xu Man fell towards her feet, thinking that this cultural performance does not know how long it lasts, wearing such high shoes is not tired?

Moreover, there is no decent road on this island, and it takes a lot of courage to walk over here with such a thin heel

Jiang Yi Yi didn’t pay attention to Xu Wen’s line of sight, she was busy greeting and chatting with her sisters-in-law with a smile on her face

She was busy greeting and chatting with her sisters-in-law, asking them where they were from, who they were with, and of course not forgetting to introduce herself and her platoon leader Li

In contrast, Wang Lingling was as quiet as a green leaf

She wore a simple flower short-sleeve, a pair of worker’s blue pants underneath, and a pair of self-made cloth sandals on her feet

Her dusty face was vaguely glistening with oil

She hung her head low, her eyes occasionally glancing at Jiang Yi Yi and the others or at the stage, all the while trying to cower

Curious and inferior

Xu Man took the initiative to open his mouth to greet her, “Sister-in-law, you’re here too!”

Wang Lingling didn’t expect Xu Man to take the initiative to speak to her, ah, a bit unable to react, nodding after a few seconds, “Uh-huh”

She looked up at Xu Wen, seemingly wanting to say something but not saying it

Jiang Yi Yi heard Xu Wen’s voice and turned back to look at her, speaking with a look of adoration and self-consciousness, “Wow! Sister in law, that car you rode on the beach is so cool! How did you manage to make it go without pedaling or using gas? It’s amazing! No wonder Li Mao and the others are praising you Now I know why they admire you so much! Sister-in-law, you’re amazing! From today onwards, I’ll start worshipping you too!”

Xu Wen thought to himself, this gap between people is really big, compared to Wang Lingling who still maintained the constriction of Liu Lou Lou, Jiang Yi Yi adapted very well A few days ago, she was still rejecting people calling her sister-in-law, but now she’s already following the customary customs and calling her sister-in-law with an unparalleled warmth

Thinking about it, Xu Wen smiled and said, “Battery-driven, almost the same reason as a motorcycle, one uses oil and the other uses electricity” He then complimented her, “You’re so pretty today!”

Jiang Yi Yi didn’t squirm, both hands pulled up the hem of her skirt and waved it in a small range, smiling graciously, “Is that so? I dressed up on purpose Thank you, sister-in-law, for complimenting me”

Xu Wen felt that if it wasn’t for the fact that there were too many people in the neighborhood without enough space, Jiang YiYi would be able to spin around in place twice to show her

At once, she felt a bit emotional, also in her twenties, Jiang YiYi is lively and energetic, she seems to be too mature and stable, to put it bluntly, she is old

Jiang Yi Yi quickly put down his hand, some small injustice, hummed: “I deliberately dress half a day to sister-in-law you stand in front of or green leaf”

Xu asked, “”

This kind of complaint on the surface is more like pampering, so that people can’t get angry and just take it as a joke

Xu Man looked down at the slippers on her feet, the plain cotton undershirt and seven-minute pants on her body, and let out an ah, not understanding how she looked like a saffron

It’s not that she doesn’t pay attention to her image, she just thinks about how to transform the electric car and forgets to change her clothes

Halfway to the road, she remembered, but was too lazy to go back and change, thinking that no one could see anyone in the dark anyway

Jiang Yi Yi looked Xu Man up and down and complimented her, “Don’t look at it! You look better in a sack than we do dressed up! You’re beautiful and have a good temperament, so we’ve all become accompaniments” She let out a long sigh, “I wouldn’t have dressed up if I had known it was useless”

“How can it be so exaggerated? You’re the flower here” Xu Man shook his head

Wang Lingling suddenly spoke up, “Ask sister-in-law if she does look good”

Xu Man really didn’t expect her to open her mouth, and looked over in surprise, Wang Lingling lowered her head again, as if the sentence she just said had used up all her courage

The others, even though they didn’t know Xu Man very well, also complimented her, and Xu Man’s car in the afternoon managed to make everyone remember her, but of course, her looks were eye-catching as well

Xu Man wasn’t as open as Jiang Yi Yi and was embarrassed by the compliments, trying to change the subject, “The show is about to start!”

The show hadn’t started yet, and the next one was Lu Yuanzheng’s speech on stage Xu Man saw the girl stomping her feet when Lu Yuanzheng walked on stage

Xu Man raised an eyebrow

It was clear that Lu Yuanzheng’s character must have nothing to do with her, but it didn’t stop her from being unhappy

At this time, a few warriors, carrying matzahs in their hands, came over and distributed matzahs to everyone, allowing them to sit

Xu Qi thanked them and took them

Lu Yuanzheng only said a few words before giving the microphone to the host

Xu Wenjia realized that his gaze swept this way before he stepped off the stage, about looking for her

The show officially started, and the first program was a song and dance

The girl who had just pulled Lu Yuanzheng was the lead dancer, so Xu took a closer look at her

The stage makeup was on the thick side, very colorful, and she should be good-looking herself

Everyone quieted down and performed earnestly

Xu Man was also watching, and had the feeling of watching a retro movie, which was kinda refreshing

Even though the songs were really old and the costumes were really rustic

After another short while, the soldiers with families slipped over, parting to accompany their wives and children

According to the regulations, this is not allowed, but the family just came to the island, cadres have turned a blind eye

Not only turn a blind eye but also took the lead, Lu Yuanzheng also found over

However, he is here, the other soldiers are not comfortable, and again re-raised their heads and chests, sitting in a disciplined manner

Xu Wen thought about pulling him away from the crowd, far away to a corner

Lu Yuanzheng came to take her hand, but she slapped it away

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Wen didn’t return, planning to go home and ask him about the girl

Lu Yuanzheng was still about to follow up when Dongsheng and a couple of young boys about his age ran over to him

“Dad! Ma Ma!” Dongsheng jumped in front of Xu Man and hugged her legs, mercilessly abandoning his little friends

Lu Yuanzheng tugged at his collar and lifted him away from Xu Man, “Stand properly!”

Dongsheng skimmed his lips and stood properly

As soon as Lu Yuanzheng let go of him, he dabbled and ran behind Xu Man, poking out half of his little head, retorting, “Dad, you didn’t even stand properly yourself”

Lu Yuanzheng: “”

He raised his hand to knock Dongsheng, who shrank back behind Xu Man

Xu asked, “I think Dongsheng is right! If you want to educate your children you have to set an example first”

Lu Yuanzheng: “”

Xu Wen seems probably angry with him?

Why?

After only half of the show, Xu Man’s family of three went back to the cabin

Dongsheng was about tired from running around during the day and fell asleep leaning on Xu Man without watching more than a few shows

Lu Yuanzheng picked up Dongsheng and wanted to send him home first, but Xu Man didn’t feel comfortable with Dongsheng being at home by himself, so he followed along

“It’s not easy to watch a bit of fun, so you won’t watch for a while?”

Xu Man shook her head, “The child is important”

Lu Yuanzheng glanced at her, “Who messed with you? You don’t look too happy”

“No!”

Lu Yuanzheng asked again, “Did I mess with you?”

Xu Wen didn’t reply and only said, “You pay attention to your feet! Don’t drop the child”

Lu Yuanzheng asked grudgingly, “Just drop me?”

Xu Wen was silent again

He didn’t pay attention to him for a few moments until he got home

After arriving home, Lu Yuanzheng put Dongsheng on the bed and took off his extra clothes

Xu Man fetched a basin of water and came back, washed a towel and wiped Dongsheng’s face as well as his hands and feet

Lu Yuanzheng watched Xu Wen bend down and work in front of Dongsheng’s bed, frowned and called out to her, “Daughter-in-law”