Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 800 - 790: Cinema Terror (Part 1)

After dinner, the family headed to the cinema, where "The New Legend of Ah Xing" by Pearl River Film Studio was playing—a comedy, and I heard it was in color, so the tickets weren’t cheap.

Li Hongjun bought four tickets, and the family entered the cinema to wait. They soon realized that although the tickets were pricey, the movie was quite popular; at least the area around the four of them was already full. You see, the cinemas at this time were like auditoriums of later generations, with room for up to eighteen hundred people on a single floor.

"Remember to be hygienic when eating," Shen Yunfang whispered to her two children. "Keep your fruit peels and scraps of paper in one place, and take them with you when you leave later."

"Mom," Manman turned his head and saw several uncles and aunts holding bags of sunflower seeds just like his, and they were all spitting the husks onto the floor indiscriminately.

Shen Yunfang also turned her head to look and immediately continued educating her children, "Do you think what those uncles and aunties are doing is right?"

"No," Manman replied quickly, likely a product of his school’s influence. "Our teacher said that we should be young people of Five Good Habits and Four Virtues."

"Exactly, my dear," Shen Yunfang said in a low voice that wouldn’t offend others. "You know those uncles and aunties are wrong, so you shouldn’t imitate them, right? We can’t control others, but we can take care of ourselves. I hope my daughter grows up to be a young lady of Five Good Habits and Four Virtues."

It wasn’t that they were afraid of those people; they just didn’t want to spoil their leisurely outing with unnecessary trouble.

Besides, if Shen Yunfang went up to those people now and told them about maintaining personal quality, they’d look at her as if she were crazy. Their stomachs were still not full; who would elevate their needs to the spiritual level right now?

After getting her children settled, Shen Yunfang sat up straight, ready to enjoy the movie wholeheartedly. This was, after all, her first time watching a movie since arriving in this era.

Soon, the lights in the cinema dimmed, and the big screen lit up with the beginning of the film.

Although the film was a comedy, it depicted the confusion and disorder of a younger generation amid the tides of reform and opening up. The emotional conflicts portrayed on the screen evoked both laughter and reflection.

Shen Yunfang was thoroughly enjoying the film, but just a few minutes after the start, a large hand reached over and grabbed her own, kneading it ceaselessly and disrupting her focus on the movie.

Annoyed, Shen Yunfang turned and glared, but due to the darkness of the cinema, she could only discern silhouettes by the light reflected from the screen.

Li Hongjun appeared engrossed in the film, meticulously watching the screen. If Shen Yunfang had not been the one harassed, she might never have discovered the sordid thoughts hidden beneath his respectable exterior.

Enduring his advances, Shen Yunfang watched the screen distractedly. Little did she know that even this compromise wouldn’t allow her to enjoy the film in peace.

"Ahh..."

Just as everyone was laughing heartily, a sharp scream suddenly startled everyone.

"What happened, what happened?"

Instantly, the packed cinema erupted into chaos.

"Oh no, there’s a fire!" From towards the back, a blaze suddenly flared up.

"Come on, hurry outside and find the staff, let’s all help and put out the fire," a man took the initiative to stand up and called out loudly.

Li Hongjun frowned and immediately prevented his wife and children from standing up.

"Whatever happens, make sure you first ensure your own safety, then look for the right moment to head for the exit. Don’t join the commotion, understand?" Li Hongjun had a bad feeling. When he looked back, he caught a glimpse of a fleeting figure; he suspected this fire was no accident.

If it were just him, there wouldn’t be much of a problem, but he had his wife and children with him, and he felt uneasy without making proper arrangements.

"What are you doing? There are staff here, don’t try to be a hero," Shen Yunfang said, seeing him try to get up and grabbing him firmly.

"No, I just saw someone run that way after the fire started. I’m going to check," Li Hongjun explained as he fixed his gaze and dashed off.

Seeing him run off, Shen Yunfang was furious. "Your dad, always the soldier, even when he’s not, his training never goes to waste."

The two children didn’t catch the critical tone in their mother’s words and took it as a compliment to their father.

"Mom, let’s go put out the fire too," Pangpang said as he saw many uncles running to the back, but the flames were already leaping higher than people.

"Yes, yes, I want to go too," Manman excitedly wanted to join in, raring to go.

Shen Yunfang turned her head for a glance, immediately stood up, and then pulled the two children close to her.

"Pangpang, Manman, you can’t go. Mom is telling you, look at the fire: so many people are trying to put it out, and it’s not going out. Plus, the flames are getting higher, there might be something flammable over there. We won’t be of any help to them; we shouldn’t add to their burden, right?" Shen Yunfang glanced around, looking for the exit, "Come, each of you take one of Mom’s hands. We’ll walk out slowly. Once we’re outside, we’ll find the staff. They have professional firefighting equipment, which will be more effective in putting out the fire."

Though Pangpang and Manman were curious, they were sensible children and held their mother’s hands, following her steps toward the exit.

At that moment, several shouts came from the back rows.

"Oh no, why is the fire getting bigger as they try to put it out?"

"It’s no use, the fire can’t be put out."

"Who would be so wicked as to bring gasoline into a movie theater?"

"Forget it, just run for it!"

The people in the movie theater, hearing the words of the few men behind them, became anxious. Watching the fire grow increasingly fierce, they scrambled over each other, rushing toward the exits.

By the time Shen Yunfang and her children reached the aisle, people behind them were already running forward. In the darkness, it was hard to see both the way and the people. Some relied on their size and plowed through the crowd, heading for the exit.

Shen Yunfang, having good night vision, quickly pulled her children aside to avoid getting knocked into. She frowned, still pulling the children and hurried toward the exit.

The movie theater building was quite old, with those double-opening doors at the exits. In theory, those kinds of exits would be sufficient if everyone just followed an orderly line out. But the panic caused by the men’s words and the ever-higher leaping flames got the better of people, and they dashed recklessly out.

One person squeezed against another, and surprisingly they got stuck in the sizable doorway.

"What’s going on up front? Move it, hurry up," people at the back shouted, seeing others blocked at the doorway, and kept pushing forward.

"Stop pushing, you’re stepping on me," the people at the front cried out, stuck at the doorway with nobody giving way. A few smaller individuals had been pushed to the ground, about to be trampled by those coming from behind.

When Shen Yunfang arrived at the exit with her children, this was the scene she encountered.

The man who had almost barged into her was now at the back, pushing people in front of him forcefully, not caring at all that he was about to knock them over. "Move, damn it, the fire is coming! Do you all want to burn to death in here?"