Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Shortly after the group sat down, they were not only holding candied hawthorns with dates that were no longer frozen solid after entering the venue, but also passing around snacks such as melon seeds and candies that they had brought from home.

Seeing that Xu Juan was holding a candied hawthorn in her left hand and cracking a handful of melon seeds in her right, Zhou Qingwan had no choice but to temporarily stuff the White Rabbit milk candy into her pocket.

Then he called out to Xu Bei next to him, "Brother Xu, here you go."

Xu Bei was naturally delighted to receive Zhou Qingwan's offer of food.

He immediately stepped past his sister, who was leaning back in her chair with a smile on her face, and reached out to take it while saying thank you.

Unexpectedly, whether it was because the winter was too dry or because of the material of the clothes he was wearing, the moment his fingertips touched Zhou Qingwan's palm,

A very subtle yet crisp sound rang out between the two of them.

Immediately following was a tingling, stinging sensation.

"Ouch!" Zhou Qingwan recoiled as if burned, and the White Rabbit candy rolled into the gap under the seat.

She stared wide-eyed at Xu Bei, rubbing her hand that had just been electrocuted, looking at him with a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

Xu Bei was also taken aback by the sudden static electricity.

Seeing Zhou Qingwan's startled yet adorable appearance, he felt both heartache and amusement, and asked in a low voice, "Did I shock you? Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

A thin blush rose on Zhou Qingwan's cheeks. She felt the tingling static electricity from her fingertips travel up her arm to her heart. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt, it's just... just a little numb."

She gently shook her hand, which had just been shocked, and muttered softly, "It must be because it's too dry and has static electricity."

Xu Bei echoed the little girl's words, saying, "Yes, it's too easy for it to generate static electricity."

Then, feigning to change the subject, she looked down and asked, "Where did the candy go?"

Zhou Qingwan hurriedly stopped him, "Don't worry about where it fell, Brother Xu, there's still some here."

Xu Bei naturally wouldn't actually bend down for a piece of candy, but to avoid the two of them getting hit by static electricity again, he chose Xu Juan as the hub for the transfer.

The handover was finally completed smoothly.

Xu Bei and Zhou Qingwan smiled at each other across the distance.

After he unwrapped the candy and put it in his mouth, he found that the White Rabbit milk candy was exceptionally sweet.

The static electricity that occurred between the two as they were giving each other candy was observed by the other three onlookers, who each had their own judgment and thoughts.

However, they probably hesitated to start a conversation about it because they were concerned about the inconvenience of speaking.

Just then, the lights went out completely, plunging the entire venue into complete darkness.

Soon, a cone-shaped beam of light shot out from the projection window, and the dust particles flying in the air were clearly visible in the beam.

People who watched movies in the 1980s may know that before the main feature, there was usually a newsreel, educational film, or animated film, which were called "extra films".

Xu Bei and his team live in a forest area, and sometimes they even show short films that specifically reflect forestry development.

For example, works such as "Spring in the Lesser Khingan Mountains" and "Busy Timber Transportation" showcase the indomitable spirit of forestry workers.

However, perhaps because of the Lunar New Year, today they skipped all the lengthy bonus clips and went straight to the main movie.

On the screen, there was a clear blue sky, with several wild geese flying in neat formation towards the distant, rolling Lushan Mountains.

Immediately following, a beautiful, refreshing, and deeply moving prelude flowed out, the theme song of Lushan Love, "Flying to the Distant Hometown".

The noise in the movie theater instantly became much quieter, followed by a buzzing sound.

"I hate watching those crappy pornographic films the most."

"That's right, just hurry up and show the movie, why bother with all this unnecessary stuff."

"Chinese New Year is still the best."

"You can argue with that. It would be even better if it were like this all the time."

"That's wishful thinking..."

Xu Bei, along with his mother, sister, Zhou Qingwan, and Liang Huihui, were also somewhat surprised and delighted, whispering among themselves as they shared their thoughts.

After all, if given a choice, who would want to waste their precious time sitting in a movie theater watching something unrelated to the film?

Xu Bei also keenly noticed that Zhou Qingwan had been glancing at him from time to time since the static electricity incident.

When he looked over as if he sensed something, even in the dim light and with his younger sister in between, he could still see her evasiveness and slightly flushed face.

She couldn't help but think to herself, "What a coincidence that we met on the first day of the new year, and even sat together to watch a movie, and then got a spark with a piece of candy. All these signs seem to indicate that there's something going on between us."

After watching a movie, even though most people are rewatching it and it's not their first time, there are still moments when the film reaches its most exciting parts, and the audience can't help but let out a series of exclamations and sighs.

Especially the scene where the male and female leads are wearing swimsuits, and the two of them sharing a light kiss on the cheeks.

The movie theater erupted in chaos, with some young people even whistling and making a fuss.

Xu Bei looked past his sister, who was covering her face but peeking through her fingers, and saw Zhou Qingwan, who also lowered her head shyly.

Because of this pose, her fair swan neck is exposed, and her ear tips are slightly red from the reflection of the screen, making her even more endearing and causing one's lips to involuntarily curl upwards.

Liang Huihui, sitting next to Zhou Qingwan, didn't react with much shyness, even exchanging glances with Xu Bei who was looking over, and sizing him up.

Xu Bei had long noticed that Zhou Qingwan's cousin was somewhat arrogant and had a sense of superiority, but she was a nice person and he generously let her look at him.

Instead, Liang Huihui felt uncomfortable and looked away first, quickly adjusting her posture.

Xu Bei smiled and shook his head, not taking it seriously, and continued watching the movie and looking at the person he liked.

After the movie ended, the group didn't separate at the cinema entrance because they were going the same way.

They walked together for a while longer, chatting about the movie's plot.

During this time, the occasional sound of firecrackers being set off by families who had eaten early served as background noise, forcing us to temporarily stop talking and chatting.

They rode to a T-junction, where the two groups waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan, who had been holding back their words for a long time, immediately started talking non-stop, like a tap that had been turned on.

"Son, what I'm saying is that it's fate that you two met. Otherwise, out of so many people going to the street, how come we were the only ones who ran into each other while buying candied hawthorns?"

"I think so too. But it's a good thing I went out, otherwise I would have run into you anywhere at home. Bro, I noticed you were secretly smiling. Did you feel pretty after getting a static shock?"

Xu Bei rode his bike through the chilly air thick with the smell of firecrackers and sulfur, and admitted with a smile, "Of course it's beautiful. Nothing happened between you two, only the two of us had static electricity, there's something mysterious about it."

Unlike the mother and her two children who were chatting and laughing, Zhou Qingwan and Liang Huihui were rather somber.

Zhou Qingwan gripped the handlebars tightly and asked cautiously, "Sis, what's wrong? Why have you become so silent now that it's just the two of us?"

Liang Huihui turned to look at her, "Wanwan, I'm processing what I just found out. I never imagined that you and Xu Bei weren't just unrequited love; not only does he like you, but you're also a little bit interested in him."

Zhou Qingwan's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm and composed. "Sister, I didn't."

Liang Huihui sighed softly, "Alright, if you say no, then no. But as your older sister who's been with you for a few more years, I still have to remind you, your future isn't here. Even in a big city like Haicheng, it's still your dad..."

Even though Zhou Qingwan knew her cousin meant well, she didn't want her to continue, so she interrupted her directly, saying, "Sister, I'm not young anymore. I have ideas about where I should go in the future, but I just don't want to talk about it."

Actually, I prefer this place or Beijing to that place, and the money I earn from submitting articles is enough for me to live comfortably without having to rely on people who never cared about me before but are now desperately trying to make amends…”

The next day.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when many people return to their maternal home.

Xu Li, who was pregnant, returned with four boxes of gifts and some other items, accompanied by Zhu Wenliang.

Seeing his sister's radiant face, Xu Bei knew that she was having a good time celebrating the New Year at her in-laws' house, and he was very happy too.

When Xu Li heard about watching the movie together yesterday, she patted Xu Bei's arm vigorously and exclaimed that their fate was quite deep.

With two more people in the house, it immediately became much livelier.

Finally, they managed to gather enough people, and they even set up a table and started playing mahjong.

During the halftime break, Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang went to the outside toilet to clean it.

Zhu Wenliang couldn't help but quietly mention his father-in-law, "Brother, I wonder if Dad has sent those people back to our hometown yet."

Xu Bei glanced at his brother-in-law indifferently, thinking to himself that this man was even more concerned than he, as his son, and casually replied, "It's been a few days, it should have been delivered by now."