Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 194: 192: Sansheng Bridge, Three Lives Fated Together (Part 4)

Liu Sisi felt dizzy, her feet seemed to float, her legs trembled, and her whole body shivered.

“Sisi, don’t be afraid. Although the bridge sways a lot, it’s really safe to walk on. I heard from my elders when I was young that this bridge is only 300 meters long, and each 100 meters represents a lifetime, for a total of three lifetimes. I want to take you across not only for this lifetime but also for the next and the one after that, so we can be together!”

Di Yelei’s firm words echoed in Liu Sisi’s ears, inexplicably giving her, who suffered from a fear of heights, renewed confidence.

But she stood still, distressed, raising her big watery eyes to him.

“But…my legs…they’re numb…”

Her legs were genuinely numb and still cramping! Liu Sisi couldn’t move her feet at all and could only tightly grip his arm with one hand and the iron chain with the other, not daring to let go for a moment.

“Don’t be afraid! Come, I’ll carry you across.”

As Di Yelei spoke, he suddenly bent down and directly gave her a princess-carry, holding her completely in his arms and then striding forward.

“Oh…oh!…”

Liu Sisi exclaimed, and then heard gasps from both front and back, and everyone stared at the two.

“Put me down and let me walk by myself!”

The unexpected gasps from all around made Liu Sisi blush, and she couldn’t take it anymore.

She pressed her face tightly to his chest, no longer willing to show it.

Her little face was completely on fire!

“Don’t be afraid! We are husband and wife, not strangers!”

Di Yelei didn’t feel embarrassed at all and even nodded to the surrounding crowd, “Thank you, everyone! My wife’s legs are numb, so I’m carrying her!” His matter-of-fact tone contained no hint of timidity, which quieted everyone down.

“Well done! Young man!”

Someone suddenly shouted from the side, and soon everyone began laughing.

“The young man has great strength! Not bad, not bad!”

“Good job, young man! That’s what a real man should be like, daring to do and take responsibility.”

Applause suddenly rang through the crowd, followed by continuous cheers.

“Thank you, everyone! Thank you! Please make way, everyone! We men should treat our wives well! Haha…make way, make way!”

Di Yelei’s honest face beamed with happiness; he carried Liu Sisi with big strides to the corner, locking the heart-to-heart knot and heart-connecting lock on the bridge, before continuing their journey.

Liu Sisi’s heart pounded violently, keeping her burning face pressed tightly against his shoulder, refusing to show herself.

All along, his steady breathing, the cheers of the crowd on both sides, and the sound of the iron chains rubbing against the wooden bridge intertwined.

Somehow, Liu Sisi braced herself against the shyness and quietly lifted her head to examine him.

His skin was bronze-colored, glistening with a healthy radiance under the sun. His chiseled features were especially three-dimensional; broad forehead, a pair of thick black sword-like eyebrows slanting upwards, a straight nose, and a slightly stubbled mouth corner revealing a set of shiny white teeth, smiling broadly.

It seemed that he noticed her gaze, and the scorching eyes immediately met hers, almost burning her whole person.

A surge of heat rushed to Liu Sisi’s face again and quickly spread throughout her body, making her blush and quickly retreat into his arms, leaving him to face the outside world.

“Thank you, everyone! Thank you.”

After quickly crossing the Sansheng Bridge, Di Yelei gave a hearty laugh and thanked everyone before holding her and continuing to walk towards the riverside lawn. Once they reached a grove of emerald bamboo that blocked their view from others, he finally let her go.

At the moment, Liu Sisi’s cheeks blushed with shame, spring in her gestures and glances. Seeing Di Yelei grinning, she couldn’t help but stretch out her hand and give his waist a twist.

“You still laugh! It’s all your fault! How will I ever face anyone again after this… ”

“Yes, yes, it’s your husband’s fault. You must be thirsty, right? Here, take a sip of water.”

Di Yelei didn’t seem to mind as he chuckled and took a bamboo tube from his body, handing it to Liu Sisi.

“But this is exactly what I wanted to do. Sisi, I’m greedy because I want not only your present but also your future. I may not be good at sweet-talking, but every word I say is from the bottom of my heart!”

The man in front of her spoke sincerely, his eyes shining brightly, burning Liu Sisi’s gaze as she instinctively evaded his look. Her heart blossomed like a flower.

“Who knows if the sincere words from a man’s mouth are true or false! Hmph!”

“Di Yelei never tells lies! Sisi—” As he spoke, he reached out and lightly embraced her shoulders.

“I know! Stop fooling around, it’ll be terrible if someone sees us later… ”

She gently broke away from him, turned her back, and took several sips of water, finally lowering the heat on her face.

Only then did she take in her surroundings.

Not far ahead was the Sansheng Bridge they had just crossed, beside them was a winding stream with numerous small bridges and pavilions snaking above it, garnished with various strange flowers and herbs. Looking upward, one side was a cliff, and a stream winding along the cliff faced another side densely covered with tall trees, especially numerous maples, whose fiery red leaves were a feast for the eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling came from the distance. Following the sound, several white cranes emerged from the bushes by the water, startling a pair of kingfishers nearby. They quickly skimmed the surface of the water and flew up onto the cliff. In the bushes, a few wild ducks, scared to their feet, fluttered and hid in the thick vegetation, no longer showing their heads.

Autumn wind brushed past, and nearby, persimmon trees were adorned with strings of lantern-like fruit hanging from branches, green mixed with yellow, weighing down the branches. The surrounding flowerbeds were filled with blooming flowers, such as colorful autumn chrysanthemums, Guihua flowers, begonias, rose flowers, and other unknown flowers. They were a beautiful sight to behold.

Di Yelei wasn’t looking at the scenery but was staring intently at her face as if seeing her for the first time. He couldn’t seem to get enough of looking at her, with naked desire in his eyes, comparable to a hungry wolf that wished to devour her in one bite.

“Here, eat a mooncake to fill your stomach first. When we get to the Goddess of Mercy’s temple, they have some delicious food over there for us to eat together.”

As he spoke, Di Yelei handed her a mooncake.

Liu Sisi took it casually, broke off a small piece, and handed the rest back to Di Yelei, “I’m not hungry yet, just really thirsty. I wonder where Xuan’er and YingEr are? I’ve been worried ever since YingEr followed Zhang Yun…”

Although they had only known each other for a few months, she sincerely liked the well-behaved and adorable YingEr.

Hearing her words, Di Yelei’s smile disappeared from his face. He held the mooncake, broke off a small piece, and chewed it quietly for a moment before speaking.

“Zhang Peng is a steady and reliable child. He’s an excellent hunter and will surely take good care of YingEr in the future. Although we don’t know where they are right now, they shouldn’t be far from here. Let’s continue on our way to the Black Dragon Pool and wait for them at the Goddess of Mercy’s temple there!”

Di Yelei only spoke after pondering for a moment.

Actually, the man’s inner thoughts weren’t as indifferent as he appeared.

“There’s a Goddess of Mercy’s temple here?”

Liu Sisi was quite surprised! The scenery here was indeed breathtaking!

“Of course, there’s a Goddess of Mercy’s temple. When we go there later, you must add more incense oil money and worship the Buddha sincerely.”