Chapter 22: 22. Chapter 22: Second Uncle, the Big Red Flower (2) [Revised]

Chapter 22: Second Uncle, the Big Red Flower (2) [Revised]

Ouch!

What a simple, down-to-earth image of a working person!

Shuyue held back her laughter, but then she caught sight of someone holding a camera just in front of Bai Lie, and it suddenly dawned on her.

She had been wondering what on earth Bai Lie was doing all of a sudden!

Er'ya was pulling Shuyue around, looking everywhere. When she spotted the man of the hour, she became incredibly excited. She dragged Shuyue along, running and shouting.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, the big red flower, the big red flower..."

With her short legs, how could Shuyue possibly keep up with Er'ya? She stumbled along, panting and breathless.

But just then, a warm current surged in her chest, sweeping away the fatigue from her body, and her arms and legs seemed to gain more strength.

Shuyue was stunned. When she tried to sense it again, the feeling had vanished, and it all seemed like it might have been her imagination.

Bai Lie was in the middle of striking a pose. Hearing the commotion and seeing his little daughter being dragged by Er'ya as if she were the tattered basket he often carried up the mountain, Bai Lie was terrified. "Slow down, you two!"

In his haste, he nearly swung his pitchfork right into the reporter comrade who was taking his picture.

Shuyue had already reached them. Seeing this, she couldn't care about anything else and quickly shouted, "Dad, Daddy, take it easy."

Bai Lie dropped the pitchfork, took two or three steps forward to scoop Shuyue up, unpinned the big red flower from his chest, and pinned it onto Shuyue’s clothes.

Shuyue: "..."

When had Shuyue ever worn a big red flower? Her face, which she was trying hard to keep straight, turned bright red, and she wished she could just hide herself away. However, she noticed Er'ya standing nearby with a look of pure envy on her face.

It wasn't just Er'ya; even the little brats who had come running over after hearing the sound of the gongs looked incredibly envious.

Shuyue was dazed for a moment, but she understood it in an instant.

There was a certain sentimentality in this era that was hard for someone of her generation to grasp.

It had only been a few years since the founding of the country. The whole nation was engaged in massive construction; resources were scarce and the standard of living was low, but people’s spiritual world was very rich.

Spirituality, to put it bluntly, was just something to keep people’s spirits up, but that was simply the nature of this era.

Shuyue’s first reaction to this big red flower was that it was tacky, but in the eyes of others, it was something to be envied. They saw it as an honor, something to be proud of, the most beautiful thing.

This was the main theme, the great trend of the era.

If she were to truly be unconventional, being treated as a lunatic would be the least of her worries; she could even be labeled as a counter-revolutionary, and there would be nowhere to argue her case.

Shuyue tried hard to flush her face red, pretending to be very excited. She looked at Bai Lie, who was gazing at her with anticipation, her wet, bright eyes filled with joy.

She showed him that she was truly happy.

Moreover, Shuyue knew that there was also Bai Lie’s heart in this; it was rare for a father to be willing to present his own honor to his daughter.

Not knowing what Shuyue was imagining, Bai Lie paused when he saw his daughter looking genuinely happy.

If it weren't for the fact that he was worried about the bad reputation of almost going to jail, which might make other kids look at his daughter with prejudice, and if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to use this opportunity to smuggle some things home, he really wouldn't have been willing to put on such a show.

It was like being a performing monkey!

But...

I suppose it’s fine!

As long as his daughter is happy.

He pinched her little cheek. "I'll stew some meat for you when we get back today." As he spoke, he looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were pressing down, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Fortunately, the village had finished harvesting most of the grain, and only the final tasks remained, such as stacking hay and transporting grain to the warehouse, which weren't too urgent and wouldn't be hindered.

Bai Lie greeted the team leader, who was talking to the public security officers and the photographer. Carrying Shuyue in one arm and holding the basket with the big red flower in his free hand, he prepared to head back.

Inside the basket, on top, were the 'rewards' he had received, and underneath were the things he had smuggled back.

He noticed Er'ya staring longingly at his basket.

Bai Lie paused. "Er'ya, come back and help me tend the fire. Second Uncle is going to stew pig trotters tonight."