『Rural Redemption Story』
Intellectually Impaired Beauty X Righteous and Resolute Female College Student "You're back!" Getting off the long-distance bus with my suitcase, I saw the "mushroom" originally squatting at the entrance of the village suddenly perk up and come running towards me. Dong Yue was still holding an apple in her hand, happily handing it to me: "I picked it fresh today, here's for you." Looking at Dong Yue's innocent and expectant expression, I smiled, took the apple, and said softly, "Thank you, Xiaoyue, but I need to drop my things at home first. Once I'm done, I'll come find you." In reality, Dong Yue was only two years younger than me, but her mental age was still around that of an eight-year-old girl, so I always felt like she was a little sister. Her congenital intellectual impairment made her learn everything much slower than others. Some people directly called her a fool, but I felt she wasn't foolish—she just hadn't grown up, walking at a slower pace than everyone else. She was pure and kind, as innocent and direct as a child. As Dong Yue grew older, her looks became increasingly striking. If she didn't speak and you just looked at her face, you would never guess she had an intellectual impairment. Yet as soon as she spoke, she was filled with lingering childish innocence. I returned this time because it was graduation season, coming back to put away my belongings. In truth, I mostly wanted to see Dong Yue again—the "little girl" who had clung to me since childhood—before starting my formal job. Once I started working, I feared I might only be able to come back once a year, or perhaps not at all. After putting away my luggage, I went to find Dong Yue, bringing her a bag of snacks. Having the mind of a child, she naturally loved these things too. "Thank you, Big Sister! Big Sister, let's eat together!" Dong Yue was someone who really knew how to share. Just like the apple from before, whenever she thought something was good, she would never forget to let me try it. Dong Yue opened a bag of potato chips, savoring them carefully, while not forgetting to pick up a chip and hold it to my lips. I happily accepted, enjoying this quiet moment with her. But unexpectedly, she suddenly asked me, "Big Sister, can I marry you?" I was startled for a moment, but remembering she had the mind of a child, I quickly composed myself and said warmly, "Of course you can marry me. Why did you suddenly ask that, Xiaoyue?" "Um... Dad met with Liu Er from the neighboring village a few days ago. He said he wants me to marry Liu Er, and mentioned something about 200,000 yuan." As Dong Yue said this, she pouted aggrievedly. "But I don't like Liu Er. I like Big Sister, and I want to marry Big Sister even more." I felt a sudden burst of anger. That Liu Er from the neighboring village came from a decently well-off family, but he was already in his 30s and had been married twice and divorced twice, all because of domestic violence. I used to think Dong Yue's father was somewhat responsible, not abandoning her despite her intellectual impairment, raising her to adulthood and protecting her fairly well so she didn't suffer much bullying beyond some idle gossip. Now my skin crawled. Was his so-called raising and protecting her all just to sell his daughter for a good price? And to hand her over to someone like Liu Er? While I was still seething with rage, Dong Yue pulled my hand and walked outside, pointing at a pile of stones. "Big Sister, every time you go away, it's for a very, very long time. Dad says you're going to school, so I wait for you day by day. Every day I wait for you, I put a stone on top." Looking at her innocent face and that mountain-like pile of stones, my eyes welled up with tears, and my throat choked up before I could say anything. "Big Sister, if I marry you, does that mean I can be with you every day and never be separated?"
"You, descended from the sky..."