After being bought by seven rough men and taken to the deep mountains, I was pampered.

After the smoke from the battle cleared up on the back mountain, the twins were ordered to write a three-thousand-word self-criticism on the ruins and, sporting two fashionable "afro" hairstyles, went off to repair the house while crying.

Although the process was brutal, the earth-shattering explosion thoroughly established the reputation of Qin Family Academy.

Winter Solstice has arrived in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Langya Village was in an uproar. Not only the students' parents, but also the county magistrate, local gentry and celebrities, and even the headmaster of Guigu Academy who had always been unconvinced, all wrapped in thick cotton-padded clothes and crowded onto the playground early in the morning.

Everyone wanted to see what kind of results this self-taught academy, known as the "best in the Northwest," would produce in its first major exam. Would it be rote memorization? Or the writing of the eight-legged essay?

However, when the red curtain was drawn back, everyone was stunned.

There were no desks or chairs, no exam papers, and no swaying voices reciting lessons. Instead, a banner hung prominently on the massive red-brick platform: "[Wanxiang Academy's First Winter Solstice Performance]"

……

First match: Martial Arts - When the youth are strong, the nation is strong!

"Kill—!!!" A childish yet bloodthirsty roar instantly tore through the cold winter morning wind!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums beat, making people's hearts tremble.

Qin Meng, the third brother, was dressed in a tight-fitting black martial arts uniform, waving a command flag in his hand. His bare arms, bulging with muscles, steamed in the cold wind. Behind him, two hundred students in "Qingyun" school uniforms, wielding wooden swords, moved in perfect unison!

"Chop!" The wooden sword slashed through the air, the neat whistling sound like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath! "Thrust!" His eyes were like a wolf's, carrying a ruthlessness that came from the very bones!

These are hardly weak scholars who only know how to read books by rote! This is clearly a fierce and disciplined army that obeys orders without question!

The parents in the audience were moved to tears, slapping their thighs with excitement: "Is that my Gou Dan? He used to hide from everyone, but now he's like a little tiger!" "Good! That's true manhood! That's the backbone of our Great Wei!"

Qin Lie, the leader who had been watching from the sidelines with his sword, looked at these transformed children, a rare smile playing on his usually stern lips. He glanced at Su Wan, who was directing the entire event not far away, his eyes filled with pride. Jiao Jiao was right. A scholar shouldn't be a useless piece of trash, unable to even kill a chicken.

……

Act Two: Investigation of Things and Magical Tricks!

Just as the martial arts scene ended, a mysterious plume of white smoke rose. The twins, sporting explosive hairstyles (now the trendiest hairstyle in the academy), made a dazzling entrance.

"Fellow villagers! Open your eyes wide and look carefully!" Fifth Brother Qin Feng held a clear glass flask filled with a colorless liquid. He exclaimed mysteriously, "This is—[Creating Something from Nothing]!"

He poured in a drop of an unknown potion. "Boom—!" The water in the bottle instantly turned blood red, then emerald green! Finally, purple smoke billowed out, condensing in the air into the shape of a butterfly!

"Wow—!" The entire audience gasped in shock! Master Guigu was so frightened his beard trembled, and he pointed at the stage, shaking, "This...this is alchemy?! This is sorcery?!"

Qin Yun, the sixth brother, proudly tossed his curly hair and loudly proclaimed, "No! This is—chemistry!" "Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you'll be able to go anywhere in the world without fear!"

……

The grand finale: The play "The Legend of the White Snake" - Borrowing an Umbrella at the Broken Bridge

If the first two matches were shocking, then this last one was a **"critical hit"**.

This is a script personally adapted by Su Wan, and it is also a "dog food feast" that she presents to the people of the whole county.

Originally, she only wanted to direct from behind the scenes, but unfortunately, no one but her could pull off the "pure and lustful" aura of the "White Snake Lady" character.

As for the male lead "Xu Xian"... On the day of the casting, a fight almost broke out at the Qin family's backstage.

The third son is too strong, he looks like Fahai;

The fourth son is too flamboyant, like Ximen Qing; the twins are too young, like pageboys.

The eldest brother... his fierce aura was so strong that he could scare the White Snake Lady into revealing her true form on the spot when he played Xu Xian.

In the end, the second brother, Qin Mo, won the role by virtue of being the only scholar in the family and by making the shameless declaration that "my sister-in-law and I are the perfect match."

At this moment, on the stage, the set is a replica of a broken bridge.

The twins have a specially designed sprinkler system installed above them, and fine "rain threads" fall down, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere reminiscent of the Jiangnan region in the rain.

Music begins. Su Wan, dressed in pristine white, her hair piled high and adorned only with a single jade hairpin, runs frantically through the rain, her swaying figure and tear-filled eyes making her appear like a true enchantress.

"The rain is so heavy... what should we do?" Her soft sigh was so sweet it touched the very core of my being.

The thousands of grown men in the audience felt their bones lighten, and they wished they could rush up and give her an umbrella.

Just then, a tall and slender figure, holding an oil-paper umbrella, slowly walked from the bridgehead.

Qin Mo. Today, he wasn't wearing his usual dark long robe, but instead wore a light blue scholar's robe.

Most strikingly, he was still wearing those gold-rimmed glasses. Rain dampened his hair, and a thin layer of mist clung to the lenses. Refined, aloof, and ascetic. But those eyes hidden behind the lenses… were like a flame, stubbornly fixed on Su Wan.

"My wife." Qin Mo stepped forward, his voice resounding throughout the room through a specially made amplified bamboo tube. It was deep, magnetic, and carried a gentleness that made one's legs go weak.

He tilted the umbrella towards Su Wan, covering most of her head with it. His own shoulder, however, remained exposed to the rain.

Rainwater slid down his chin and dripped onto his bobbing Adam's apple.

This scene is so beautiful. It's like a painting.

"My lord... your clothes are wet." Su Wan recited her lines from the script, her eyes darting away. Because Qin Mo was too close.

She was so close she could smell the sandalwood scent mixed with the smell of rain on him. So close... she could feel the heat emanating from him.

"It's alright." Qin Mo lowered his head slightly, instantly closing the distance between them. "As long as my wife doesn't get wet... that's fine."

This line wasn't in the script! And his pronunciation of the word "wet" was extremely heavy, carrying a kind of ambiguity that only adults could understand!

Su Wan blushed and glared at him fiercely.

Qin Mo laughed. A laugh that suggested a refined scoundrel.

He suddenly reached out, in front of everyone, under the gaze of thousands of eyes, and very naturally... took Su Wan's hand, which was hanging by her side.

Su Wan was startled and tried to pull her hand away, but found that Qin Mo's strength was frightening. He not only held her hand, but also tucked it into his wide sleeve.

"My dear, your hands are cold." He looked at her, his eyes glazed over, his voice low and hoarse: "Keep them warm."

"It's hot inside my sleeve."

Boom! The audience erupted! "Ahhh! This scholar is so good at flirting!"

"This is so sweet! Is this what love is?!"

"That look...that movement...I know it's acting, but it really doesn't seem like acting!"

Only Su Wan knew what was happening inside her sleeve at that moment.

Qin Mo's large, burning hot hand was tightly clasping her fingers. His fingertips were calloused.

He gently stroked and circled the most sensitive spot on her palm. Once, then again. It was like flirting, or perhaps a subtle hint.

"Qin Mo! Are you crazy! Big brother is watching from below the stage!" Su Wan gritted her teeth, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"So what if I look?" Qin Mo's lips curled slightly as he leaned forward. The oil-paper umbrella in his hand was lowered even further, so low that it blocked most of the audience's view.

Under the umbrella, a private space was created that belonged only to the two of them.

"Sister-in-law." He no longer called her "wife." He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down her spine: "Lower the umbrella a little more..."

"They can't see... I want to kiss you."

"You dare!" Su Wan's eyes widened, her heart pounding like a drum.

Qin Mo chuckled softly, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. He didn't actually dare to kiss him (after all, Qin Lie's Tang sword was no joke). But he made an even more daring move.

He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing against Su Wan's temple. He tucked a stray strand of rain-dampened hair behind her ear with utmost slowness and tenderness.

His fingers slid down her earlobe and gently pinched it.

That look in his eyes. So deep it was almost overwhelming, yet so intense it was terrifying. It was like looking at a treasured possession he'd cherished his whole life, wanting to devour it, hide it away, and never let anyone see it.

"My wife."

"If this rain never stops..."

"I will hold an umbrella for you for the rest of my life."

At this moment, Qin Lie, sitting below the stage, had white knuckles on his fingers gripping the hilt of his sword, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

The fourth brother, Qin Yue, snapped the folding fan in his hand with a "crack." The third brother, Qin Meng, bent the flagpole in his hand.

Qin An, the seventh brother, stared grimly at the stage, the silver needle in his hand already embedded in the wooden pillar beside him.

The entire room fell silent...

Then, thunderous applause erupted! "Bravo! Well done!" "This is what a perfect couple looks like! I'm so moved I'm crying!"

Only Su Wan knew. Under the umbrella's cover, Qin Mo's hand, hidden in his sleeve, had already traced her wrist and felt her pulse. He was feeling her heartbeat.

That was a heartbeat as intense and out of control as his.

……

take a bow.

"Whoosh—Crack!!!" A huge firework exploded in the night sky!

Those were the twins' improved "black powder" fireworks, colorful and illuminating the entire Wolf Fang Town.

Su Wan stood on the stage, watching the fireworks fill the sky, her cheeks burning.

Qin Mo stood beside her, still holding her hand tightly, refusing to let go. The other five brothers also rushed onto the stage.

Seven men surrounded her like stars around the moon.

"Sister-in-law, does it look good?"

"Sister-in-law, let's make something even bigger next year!"

"Sister-in-law, did Second Brother take advantage of you just now? I'm going to beat him up when we get back!"

Su Wan looked at those young, passionate, and loving faces. In this cold winter night, her heart was warmer than the floor heating.

She took Qin Mo's hand in return, then pulled Qin Lie, who was standing beside her, his face flushed with jealousy, wanting to lash out but holding back. Facing the fireworks, she flashed a smile even more radiant than the fireworks themselves:

"It's beautiful." "With you all here...every day is beautiful."

……

Below the stage, the magistrate wiped away tears of emotion and turned to his clerk, saying, "Quick! Write it down!"

"Wanxiang Academy's Winter Solstice Grand Examination—A Test of Literary and Martial Arts Skills, Deep Affection and Loyalty!"

"This isn't just an academy; it's clearly... the future hope of the Great Wei!"