Chapter 54 A Village Girl in the 1970s

Because of the need for a follow-up investigation, Yao Yunzhen and her companion stayed in Beijing for a few more days before preparing to return home.

During this time, Lu Jiaxing never appeared again. It wasn't until Yao Yunzhen entered the train compartment that she suddenly absorbed a familiar wisp of erotic power.

The amount of love and desire that each person provides is slightly different. Once you've met them, even if you never see them again, Yao Yunzhen can still distinguish them by their love and desire.

Yao Yunzhen knew that Lu Jiaxing was on the same train as them at that moment.

However, as long as he doesn't appear in front of her, she won't ask any questions or interfere.

Actually, Lu Jiaxing wasn't doing anything special. He just... wanted to see her one more time and escort her on this journey together.

That conversation made him finally realize his arrogance and pride.

Regardless of who his fiancée is or how the engagement was arranged, once it's made, he should take on the corresponding responsibilities instead of ignoring her and leaving her to fend for herself.

Although initially, he planned to find a suitable time to gracefully annul the engagement and give the woman appropriate compensation so that both parties could end things with dignity.

Looking back now, he could have acted much earlier, instead of delaying it for so many years.

Even worse, he actually had many opportunities to try to understand and get to know the other person, but he chose the worst path, which pushed his beloved away from him forever.

So now, he no longer has the face to approach Yao Yunzhen, and he has retreated to his original position.

However, he thought that he would probably never forget such a person in his entire life, and he would never fall in love with any other woman again.

She was like a dazzling light, stunning his time and his soul.

From now on, he will not ask for anything more. As long as he knows that she is living a smooth and happy life, and that she occasionally looks up at the same blue sky, he will feel a sense of peace and happiness.

Even if they cannot accompany each other for the rest of their lives, this distant watch over each other is enough for him.

...

Upon returning to Huaixin City, Xie Jingyue quickly got busy.

Because of his outstanding performance in completing the mission, he has now been promoted to the position of regimental commander.

It is worth mentioning that Wang Weiguo was ultimately implicated by Wang Qianqian. He was not only demoted by half a rank, but also transferred out of Huaixin City.

No sooner had Yao Yunzhen left than the military region formally arrested Wang Qianqian.

However, after investigation, no collusion between her and any private forces was found, consistent with the observations made during this period.

As for knowing about Xie Jingyue's serious injuries and near death, she attributed it to nonsense.

Out of jealousy towards Yao Yunzhen, she deliberately spread rumors, causing Yao Yunzhen to live in fear. Little did she know that she would accidentally come true.

She even distanced herself completely from any involvement in Wang Weiguo's decisions.

She was simply worried about Lu Jiaxing out of love, and complained to her uncle a few times, but he misunderstood her.

Wang Qianqian had thought it through very clearly: her precognitive dreams were her biggest trump card, and she absolutely could not reveal them.

She can no longer catch up with Lu Jiaxing now. Two years of hard work have been ruined in an instant, which is a pity. But she still has advantages that others cannot match. One day, she will rise again!

Ultimately, since no concrete evidence of her deliberate plot could be found, and her past two years of relentless pursuit served as a pretext, and her background was beyond reproach, Wang Qianqian was acquitted.

Of course, she could no longer stay in the Huaixin Military Region, and the cultural troupe also decided to expel her, so she could only leave in disgrace.

Wang Weiguo, on the other hand, was thus branded as someone who misjudged people and couldn't distinguish between public and private matters. After discussion, it was decided that he would first be transferred from his position as division commander to the logistics department for two years of observation and training. Once his ideological awareness had returned to the required level, he would be considered for important responsibilities.

It can be said that Wang Weiguo's years of hard work and management have been destroyed after Wang Qianqian's incident.

Even though she was his own niece, he hated her terribly.

When he left Huaixin City, he did not take Wang Qianqian, who had nowhere else to go, with him, but left her to fend for herself.

Of course, Wang Qianqian had another option: to go to the countryside.

With her skills, she'll definitely thrive in the countryside, though it will be a bit tough.

Yao Yunzhen didn't care about Wang Weiguo and Wang Qianqian's fate, but she truly couldn't bear to see Xu Manxiang leave.

When Wang Weiguo was transferred, Xu Manxiang, as his partner, naturally had to go with him, even though she was now successful in her career and doing very well in the family affairs office.

But that's just how this era is; it's difficult for women to have their own independent careers. Their life trajectories and values ​​are mostly closely linked to the men around them.

Wherever their husbands went, they could only follow closely behind. Their personal ideals and pursuits were often quietly submerged in this drifting along, losing the opportunity to shine on their own.

When Xu Manxiang left, Yao Yunzhen saw her off, and packed some local specialties she brought back from Beijing and dried goods sent from her hometown.

After seeing the person off, Yao Yunzhen felt somewhat lost.

Xu Manxiang was the first friend she made after arriving at the military region. Her temperament was quite similar to Miao Cuilan's, and she also got along very well with Yao Yunzhen.

But now that we've parted, who knows when we'll meet again.

Xie Jingyue couldn't bear to see Yao Yunzhen looking so listless, and couldn't help but say, "Zhenzhen, shall we go back to Baiyang Brigade for the New Year this year?"

He had originally planned to surprise her with the news later, but now, in order to make his wife happy, he didn't care about that anymore.

"Really? You still have vacation time?"

He has wasted a lot of time in recent months.

"Don't worry, I definitely have time. I've never taken a vacation before, so I've saved up a lot of vacation days."

"That's great!"

Yao Yunzhen grew up in the Baiyang Brigade since she could remember, and she truly regarded the Yao family as her own. After not seeing them for so long, she really missed them.

After the couple made their decision, time seemed to fly by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.

Before heading back, Yao Yunzhen made a phone call, so when she got off the bus in Anyuan County, she saw Yao Sheng and Yao Liuzhi waiting outside the station.

Yao Yunzhen is always the most eye-catching person wherever she goes; she seems born to draw attention. She had just gotten out of the car…

No matter where she is, Yao Yunzhen is always the most eye-catching one; she possesses an innate charm that draws attention.

With her around, everything else pales in comparison.

As soon as she got out of the car, Yao Sheng and the other man saw her without her even looking for her.

While the people around them were still stunned, Yao Sheng and Yao Liuzhi quickly went to greet them.

“Zhenzhen, Jingyue.”

Yao Yunzhen waved with a smile, her eyes sparkling: "Dad, Aunt, we're back."

Xie Jingyue also greeted them, "Dad, Aunt, I've brought Zhenzhen back for the New Year."

Yao Sheng was extremely excited, and his eyes were slightly red.

"Okay, okay, let's go out first."

He then reached out to take the luggage from Xie Jingyue's hands.

Xie Jingyue quickly stepped aside: "No need, Dad, I can carry it, don't tire yourself out."

The group walked past the stunned crowd and out of the station. Yao Liuzhi asked with concern, "Jingyue, Zhenzhen, are you hungry? Why don't you go to the state-run restaurant to grab a bite?"

"We ate on the train before we got off. Did you and Dad eat?"

Yao Liuzhi smiled and said, "We've eaten too, we were just thinking that you wouldn't go hungry."

Yao Sheng made the decision: "Then let's go straight back. Your mother and grandparents are probably getting anxious. Let's not keep them waiting."

He couldn't wait to bring his daughter home.

He has doted on this daughter since she was a child, and he misses her terribly after not seeing her for so long.

Yao Sheng arrived by bicycle, and Yao Liuzhi also brought her own bicycle to lend to them for their journey home, so that the three of them wouldn't have to squeeze onto one bicycle.

On the way back, Yao Sheng carried the luggage, while Xie Jingyue carried Yao Yunzhen. The two cars drove away from Anyuan County one after the other and returned to Baiyang Brigade.

It was already past the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, and the team had long since run out of work. The team members were also idle, and many of them liked to gather at the village entrance to chat.

They sat in a circle with a pile of firewood in the middle, and even the cold wind blowing down their necks did not diminish their enthusiasm.

While they were chatting, someone with sharp eyes spotted two bicycles speeding towards them from afar.

Nowadays, the only people in the village with bicycles besides the village head's family are the Yao family. Many people saw Yao Sheng riding his bicycle out of the village, and they all realized that Yao Sheng had returned with his daughter and son-in-law.

Everyone looked over curiously.

"That girl from the Yao family used to be notoriously lazy in the village, but I never expected her to be so lucky now! I heard that the man she married is now a regimental commander, in charge of one or two thousand people. He's a real high-ranking official."

Someone in the crowd blurted out this sarcastic remark.

As soon as he said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

That's right. Because of this, Miao Cuilan showed off in the brigade all day long, her chin practically pointing to the sky, which made everyone feel uneasy.

Now that the main character has returned, everyone wants to take a good look and find out if this man has really been promoted to a high-ranking official as Miao Cuilan boasted.

If she's bragging...

Then just wait and see, for the next whole year, the village will have plenty of laughs about her!

As the bicycle drew closer, everyone prepared their questions.

When the words reached their lips, no one could utter a sound. They were all stunned, forgetting what day it was.

It was Xie Jingyue driving Yao Yunzhen past everyone at high speed that stunned them with a fleeting glimpse, leaving them captivated for a long time.

Yao Sheng, riding behind, smiled smugly, feeling quite triumphant.

Don't think he didn't know these people were gossiping about his daughter behind her back; they just wanted her to keep a low profile, which is why they didn't come knocking on his door.

Now that I've seen Zhenzhen's true face, and remembering all the nonsense I said before, I wonder if they'll blush!

Only after the bicycle disappeared from sight did someone ask in astonishment, "Who was that little girl just now?"

"Since Yao's son-in-law is driving her, that must be Zhen'er, right?"

"What?! That's Zhen?!"

Someone suddenly realized: "No wonder the Yao family hid that girl so well. If my daughter looked like that, I would also hide her well and find her a high-ranking official as a son-in-law."

"Dream on! With your daughter's beady eyes and sausage lips, do you really need to hide her?"

“Hey, my daughter is better than your child no matter what. Look at your son, he’s only ten years old but he’s as fat as a pig. People who don’t know him would think that a pig from some pigsty stole clothes and ran to your house.”

Reason returned, and those who didn't get along subconsciously started arguing.

Some people started speculating wildly: "Hey, you know, we all live in the same village, so how come the Yao family can produce such a beautiful daughter? Yao Sheng and Miao Cuilan aren't that good-looking either. Could it be that their family has a better land foundation? Or that their ancestral graves are better?"

Upon hearing this, many people showed thoughtful expressions, and then they all started running home.

The Lunar New Year is approaching, and according to old customs, we should pay respects to our ancestors. I heard that the Yao family secretly goes to pay respects every year, so we can't fall behind. Let's start preparing the offerings.

When the time comes, it wouldn't be too much to quietly ask our ancestors for blessings, would it?

There's also an empty plot of land next to the Yao family cemetery. We need to ask the brigade leader to reserve it in advance so that someone in the family can be buried there when they pass away.

Yao Yunzhen was unaware that after meeting her, the villagers had already embarked on the path of ancestor worship and ancestral inquiry, and had even chosen a burial site in advance.

She was enjoying the care of Miao Cuilan and Tan Guihua, who held her in their arms and kept calling her "good grandson" and "good daughter," while using their rough hands to tidy her wind-blown hair.

Yao Daqiang and his son Yao Sheng could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Yang Erni and Yao Hai smiled at Xie Jingyue and even offered to serve him tea and water.

"Nephew-in-law, come and sit down. You must be tired from your journey. Here, have some tea to warm yourself up."

This guy became a regimental commander at such a young age; his future is bound to be limitless. Then their precious son will have a strong backer.

Xie Jingyue smiled politely: "Thank you very much, Second Uncle and Second Aunt."

The rest of the Yao family are all fine, but the second branch of the family is truly a bit hard to describe.

In his view, the couple deserves much credit for Yao Meimei's extreme personality.

Therefore, Xie Jingyue really didn't like these two.

Fortunately, he knew that these two people held a limited place in Zhenzhen's heart, so he didn't need to be too considerate of them for Zhenzhen's sake.

Only after they had kissed her enough did Miao Cuilan and Tan Guihua finally release Yao Yunzhen and begin to inquire about her life over the past six months, asking if she had suffered any grievances.

Yao Yunzhen naturally recounted her daily life without any ambiguity. In any case, she was living a carefree life, and telling the truth was enough.

Miao Cuilan and Tan Guihua laughed so hard their eyes disappeared, but they kept saying:

"You lazy girl, why are you so good at shirking your responsibilities? You should lend a hand and help Jingyue out more often. Jingyue, Zhenzhen has been spoiled by us since she was little. If she does anything wrong, please bear with her."

"Mom, Grandma, please don't say that. Zhenzhen is fine as she is, and there's nothing wrong with her."

Miao Cuilan's smile grew even wider, almost revealing her teeth.

"We won't interfere too much in how you young people live your lives."