Thirty people each received ten taels of silver. The special prize alone cost three hundred taels, but Bai Sheng had more than enough money in her spatial dimension. The wealth she had "fleeced" from the Empress and the Crown Prince would last a lifetime, and it was only right to spend some of it on her household staff.
These lower-ranking servants performed strenuous labor without any pay. Rewarding them with ten taels of silver was a form of appreciation.
Tian Guihua and her spirited performance with the spatula, along with Du Min and Feng Pingyuan's duet, jointly won first prize.
Another group, comprising the lower-ranking servants, the Huang Gou Sheng family, and the old best friends group, secured third prize.
In terms of singing, the Gou Sheng family wouldn't have won any awards, but Gou Sheng brought the most joy to everyone, so he received the most votes.
Lu Huo, Lu Yin, and others received participation prizes.
The evening party concluded with everyone having a thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling time. Many villagers approached Lu Ye, asking, "Village Chief, can our village also hold a New Year's Eve party next year?"
Lu Ye smiled and replied, "Of course. If I can't make it back next year, Deputy Village Chief Zhao will surely make arrangements."
Lu Ye had long wanted to pass on the position of "Village Chief" to Zhao Dazhuang.
"That's wonderful! Our village will definitely be even more lively next year!"
Hearing the Village Chief say this, the villagers cheered enthusiastically.
As they prepared to retire to their rooms, it was already the hour of the Ox. Lu Ye pushed the crib containing the four infants, humming a cheerful tune as he walked.
The four infants had been overly excited that night and had played quite vigorously. They were now fast asleep.
At first, Bai Sheng didn't pay attention to what Lu Ye was humming, assuming it was a tune he had made up himself. However, the more she listened, the more familiar the melody became. She linked her arm through Lu Ye's and said softly, "Husband, the song you're humming is very beautiful. Can you sing it for me?"
Lu Ye chuckled, "Actually, I don't sing very well. I only know a few lines."
"I'd love to hear even a few lines," Bai Sheng said, looking at him with anticipation.
Lu Ye's deep eyes sparkled as he looked at Bai Sheng with profound affection and began to hum softly, "Love until death, no satisfaction without intensity, only this much affection can truly be expressed."
Bai Sheng's eyes gradually welled up with tears, her expression turning desolate.
This song had always been buried deep in her heart. She swore she had never hummed it in front of Lu Ye. This was a song by the band Xin Yue Tuan from the 21st century, and it was Bai Sheng's favorite song in her modern life. How could Lu Ye possibly know it?
Seeing Bai Sheng suddenly appear so sad, Lu Ye became flustered. "My dear, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Bai Sheng threw herself into Lu Ye's arms and choked out, "Husband, tell me the truth. Why... why do you know this song?"
Lu Ye paused, gently stroking Bai Sheng's back and saying softly, "Alright, let's go into the spatial dimension, and I'll tell you everything."
"Tell me everything?" Bai Sheng sensed that Lu Ye seemed to be hiding something from her. She had only asked him why he knew the song 'Love Until Death.'
"I'll tell you in the spatial dimension. It's related to this song," Lu Ye said, looking at her with gentle eyes.
"Okay," Bai Sheng nodded. Lu Ye turned and bolted the room door from the inside.
Once inside the spatial dimension, Lu Ye placed the infants' crib in the adjacent room and then, holding Bai Sheng's hand, led her to the bamboo forest behind the wooden house.
The bamboo in the forest was lush and vibrant, with stalks towering into the clouds, a sight that soothed the eyes and spirit. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound.
The two sat down on a stone bed.
Lu Ye embraced Bai Sheng and said, "My dear, I learned this song in a dream."
"In a dream?" Bai Sheng was slightly surprised.
Lu Ye smiled and nodded. "My dear, do you remember the dream I told you about before?"
"Yes, I remember," Bai Sheng nodded. "You and a girl fell into a strange underground cave, and then you... had physical intimacy. In the dream, you loved that girl very much, which is why you couldn't accept me. Later, you went to the county town to consult a high monk. The monk told you that it might be memories from your past life, which is why you decided to accept me. When we consummated our marriage, you finally saw clearly that the girl in your dream, apart from her attire, looked exactly like me. You believed that the girl you loved in your past life was me."
Lu Ye chuckled and playfully pinched Bai Sheng's nose, cupping her face and kissing her. "You remember it quite clearly."
"I remember everything related to my husband very clearly," Bai Sheng smiled through her tears.
At the time, Bai Sheng had felt a profound sense of familiarity with the cave Lu Ye had described, and she had also been wearing a red dress then.
Lu Ye rubbed her head. "This song was sung by that girl in the dream. After... after that, she lay in my arms and taught me this song, saying it was her favorite and would be our love song."
Bai Sheng's tears could no longer be held back. It was because after being intimate with Qin Zheng, she had also lain in his arms and taught him this song, telling him it was her favorite and would be their love song.
There were indeed many coincidences in this world, but never to the extent that two pairs of individuals would fall into identical underground caves, have intimacy, and then the girl would teach the boy the same song, telling him it was her favorite and would be their love song...
It was like there couldn't be two essays in this world written identically, down to the punctuation.
At this moment, Bai Sheng could be certain that the mysteriously disappeared special forces soldier "Qin Zheng" in the present world was the Lu Ye before her, and the two of them were likely the same person.
Bai Sheng had time-traveled ten years after Qin Zheng's disappearance. When Bai Sheng transmigrated, Lu Ye was exactly seventeen years old. Lu Ye had been an imbecile before the age of seven, meaning he likely had no soul at that time. Ten years ago, the soul of "Qin Zheng" returned to the imbecile Lu Ye, which is why he suddenly regained his senses.
It fit. It all fit. It must be like this!
Bai Sheng had always found the timing inconsistent before because she had overlooked the fact that Lu Ye had been an imbecile before the age of seven. According to Lu Ye's account, before the age of seven, he couldn't speak, think, cry, or laugh. He was like a puppet, possibly just a physical body without any soul. This continued until "Qin Zheng" returned ten years ago.
However, Bai Sheng couldn't understand why such a thing had happened, why "Qin Zheng" had appeared so promptly to save her, why she had transmigrated here, and coincidentally become Lu Ye's wife. It was as if some mysterious force was controlling everything. Was it the will of heaven?
Seeing Bai Sheng's silence, Lu Ye thought she was angry about the mention of that girl. He then embraced her and whispered in her ear, "My dear, the girl in the dream is you. There's no mistake. Because... the feeling I have with her is exactly the same as the feeling I have with you."
"Yes, husband, I also believe I am that girl," Bai Sheng tightened her embrace around Lu Ye. She fully believed Lu Ye's words, because the feeling she had when she was intimate with Lu Ye was identical to the feeling she had when she was intimate with Qin Zheng.