Chapter 11 (Next Chapter is V-Day)

Chapter 11

Upon hearing this, Meng Yingying burst into tears.

Her father was alive and thinking of her.

Even after death, he was still thinking of her.

*

After Zhao Yueru returned home, her mother came over and asked her, "How did it go?"

"You didn't come back all night. You said you were at the hospital taking care of Comrade Zhou?"

Zhao Yueru blushed slightly and mumbled, "It's alright. Comrade Zhou is a very nice person. The surgery was successful today, and he will regain his sight."

"I'm planning to take him home from the hospital tomorrow so we can go back to his hometown for a visit."

Zhao's mother was surprised that her daughter was making such a quick progress. She immediately became happy and said, "We should go and bring some gifts. It would be awkward to visit empty-handed on the first visit."

Zhao Yueru was rebellious. Upon hearing this, she immediately retorted, "I'm already being generous by sending him back to his hometown, let alone buying him gifts. Mom, are you trying to make me spend money on you?"

"People will think I'm worthless."

It looked like the mother and daughter were about to start arguing because they couldn't agree on anything.

Zhao's father, still wearing a polyester shirt, stepped in to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, Yue Ru, didn't you ask me to keep an eye on the phone for you?"

"Your good friend Meng Yingying hasn't called all day today."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yueru immediately forgot about the argument. She frowned with worry, "Could something have happened to her?"

Zhao Yueru lost interest in arguing with her mother and turned to the telephone to call the Mengjiatun brigade headquarters where Meng Yingying was located.

But no one answered the phone for three consecutive times.

Zhao's mother then said, "The brigade headquarters is closed at this time, so no one will answer if you call now."

Zhao Yueru still felt something was wrong, so she stubbornly made a phone call, but the phone kept ringing.

"wrong."

She stood up abruptly, her right eyelid twitching incessantly. It dawned on her: "Yingying is in trouble."

She stood there pacing anxiously, repeating over and over, "Yingying must have had an accident."

After saying this, she tried to rush out, but was stopped by Zhao's father, who shouted angrily, "Zhao Yueru, Meng Yingying is in trouble right now, how are you going to get there?"

Seeing his own daughter become obsessed.

Mr. Zhao hurriedly grabbed her, trying to wake her up. "Yueru, our car has been confiscated. It's almost 30 li from the city to the town and then to Mengjiatun. Tell me in the middle of the night, how are you going to get there?"

Zhao Yueru broke free from her father and ran outside, saying, "If there's no car, I'll find a bicycle."

Seeing that Zhao's father was about to stop her, she immediately pushed him back and stubbornly said, "Dad, Yingying is in trouble. I'm going to crawl over there."

"Don't stop me! If you keep stopping me, I'll disown you as my father!"

At that moment, Zhao Yueru forgot all about her fear of the dark, her reluctance to go out, and her filial piety towards her elders.

All she knew was that something had happened to her best friend.

She's going to see her.

Go and keep her company.

I was there for her during her most difficult time.

Otherwise, how difficult it would be for her Yingying to endure such a life.

*

At the Meng family home, Meng Yingying hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. She held Meng Baichuan's urn, lost in thought.

Meng Yingying didn't understand.

How could Meng Baichuan, who was once so tall and imposing, possibly live in such a small box?

So small that she could carry it away in her hands.

Uncle Meng brought in a bowl of cornmeal porridge. "Drink this, so you'll have the strength to carry the coffin up the mountain tomorrow morning."

Meng Yingying couldn't drink it. Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with sorrow. She didn't know how she got through the day.

The scene before her father's death played like a movie in her mind over and over again.

The more I recall it, the more painful it becomes.

Seeing her like this, Uncle Meng forcibly shoved the rough porcelain bowl into her hands, saying, "If you don't drink, you won't win that tough battle tomorrow."

He raised his voice, suddenly emphasizing, "Meng Yingying, now is not the time for you to wallow in self-pity."

"Since you didn't choose to leave the moment your father passed away."

"You know that."

Uncle Meng looked down at Meng Yingying and said, "You will have to face these evil people alone."

"What? You're planning to use your fancy but ineffective martial arts to deal with this?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yingying closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her expression was more resolute. She snatched the bowl of rice porridge from her hand.

He drank it down in front of Uncle Meng, sip by sip.

He drank too quickly and too forcefully, so much so that he choked and his chubby, round face turned bright red.

Uncle Meng simply watched without making a move.

After finishing her cornmeal porridge, Meng Yingying mustered her spirits and began to make arrangements for the funeral, asking, "Who will carry the coffin tomorrow?"

Meng Baichuan's coffin was prepared well in advance; it was made of the finest wood and was very heavy.

“Me, and the rest of the Meng family.”

Meng Yingying was exceptionally clear-headed at this moment, and she subconsciously said, "Third Uncle, the rest of the Meng family won't help us."

Uncle Meng didn't believe it. He hesitated and said, "Your father is a member of the Meng family."

In fact, in the eyes of Uncle San and Meng Baichuan, since they were members of the Meng family, the Meng clan would naturally take care of their funeral arrangements after their deaths.

This was something that almost every male member of the Meng family tacitly agreed to.

Meng Yingying's face was deathly pale, but her mind was exceptionally clear. "Third Uncle, this is the only chance my eldest uncle has to manipulate me."

Uncle Meng slammed his hammer on the table. "If he really uses the matter of Second Brother carrying the coffin to make things difficult for you, then he's no human being."

Meng Yingying thought to herself, "He wasn't even human to begin with."

Her mind was already racing. "Third Uncle, go to the village and find people to carry the coffin. Don't hire anyone with the surname Meng."

Uncle Meng frowned slightly, "The coffin bearers are all family members."

"What if family members don't help carry it?"

Meng Yingying looked at Uncle Meng with her red and swollen eyes. Her eyes, which had just been crying, were clear and clean, like a lake, able to see all the filth and depravity in the world.

Uncle Meng didn't dare to meet her gaze, and finally gave in, saying, "I'll go find it now."

Meng Yingying cheered herself up and said, "I'll go with you."

We arrived at the door.

Uncle Meng pointed to the houses outside. Even at this hour, several houses still had their kerosene lamps lit. He suddenly said, "See? Usually, these people are asleep, but today their kerosene lamps are still on. Do you know why?"

Meng Yingying pursed her lips and said, "I know."

“My father died, and I became an orphan. I left behind a two-story building, which is like a piece of Tang Monk's flesh in the whole Mengjiatun. Everyone wants to take a bite.”

Everyone knows that marrying Meng Yingying is equivalent to inheriting the legacy left to her by Meng Baichuan.

The two-story house on the surface, not to mention the compensation his father received when he was discharged from the army years ago, and how much he earned from butchering pigs all his life.

These are all properties that those people covet.

In the countryside, an orphan girl is tantamount to being exploited and left without any descendants.

Seeing that she was conscious, Uncle Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her pale and broken appearance, his heart softened and he comforted her, "It's good that you know. You can't fall down. You have to be conscious so that your father can leave with dignity."

Meng Yingying nodded and went to the homes of six neighbors with different surnames under the cover of night, but in the end only three of them agreed to help.

Uncle Meng wanted to continue searching, but Meng Yingying refused, saying, "Uncle, these families are enough."

"If we keep searching, we'll alert them."

Looking at Meng Yingying, who was clear-headed, calm, and even able to analyze things for him, Uncle Meng sighed and sent her home. "Go to sleep."

"Your third uncle will take you into a tough battle tomorrow."

"Third Uncle, what about you?"

"I'll stand guard at the door."

Uncle Meng, with a gleaming pig-slaughtering knife tucked into his arms, stood deliberately at the door and shouted loudly, "Whoever dares to come in tonight will have to walk on my knife."

The sound wasn't low, but it was loud enough to carry.

But the kerosene lamps that were lit in the homes of those who heard it were instantly blown out.

Seeing this scene, Meng Yingying finally understood the significance of her father, Meng Baichuan, taking her to find her third uncle despite his serious illness.

Even though her father is dead, he is still protecting her.

Just like before.

Thinking of this, Meng Yingying felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She tried to force herself to sleep, but she couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Meng Baichuan's voice and image.

Her father passed away.

But her father seems to still be there, and he's everywhere.

On the other side, Zhao Yueru rode her 26-inch single-bar bicycle for a full 30 li (approximately 15 kilometers), starting at 9 p.m. and continuing until 3 a.m., finally arriving at Mengjiatun.

She knocked on the Meng family's door, looking exhausted.

Her movements immediately startled Uncle Meng, who instinctively gripped the knife in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Zhao Yueru was so frightened that she took several steps back. She subconsciously explained, "I am Yingying's best friend. I was worried that something might have happened to her, so I came to check on her."

Uncle Meng frowned slightly, before he could even go inside to find Meng Yingying to confirm.

Unable to sleep, Meng Yingying ran out barefoot.

Under the moonlight, her hair was loose on both sides, and she wore only a loose cotton dress, revealing a section of her slender, white, jade-like legs, beautiful yet fragile.

However, upon seeing Zhao Yueru's tired and dirty face, Meng Yingying could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.

She murmured, "Yueru, I don't have a father anymore."

"I no longer have a father."

The voice was soft and low, tinged with sobs and fear.

Zhao Yueru felt extremely distressed. She stepped forward and hugged Meng Yingying tightly. "I still have my father, Yingying. If you don't mind that my father is a capitalist, how about I give him to you?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yingying burst into tears.

Even if it were given to her father, he wouldn't be her father anymore.

Meng Yingying has the best father in the world.

His name is Meng Baichuan.

Zhao Yueru understood what she meant, so she stopped trying to persuade her and instead put her arm around her shoulder and cried along with her.

She kept repeating it.

"Yingying, don't be afraid, I'm with you, I will always be with you."

When they were in the propaganda team, they squeezed into one dormitory, shared one bed, and covered one blanket.

We also had late-night talks by candlelight.

At that time, they made a vow that they would never get married in their lives.

They will stay together for a lifetime.

But now it seems that wish was somewhat naive and simple.

Now, both she and Meng Yingying are at a crossroads in their lives.

They were powerless against their fate.

All we can do is be there for each other during their most difficult times.

That's all.

They went inside.

Uncle Meng continued to sleep in the recliner. As the recliner rocked, he gazed at the starry sky and thought, "Second Brother, was this how you used to watch over Yingying?"

day to day.

It has never stopped.

At that moment, Uncle Meng seemed to understand his second brother's last wish. He murmured, "Second brother, don't worry. Even if you're gone, I will take care of Yingying for you during these days in Mengjiatun."

*

Hospital.

After being discharged from the hospital, Zhou Jingsong waited at the hospital entrance for a long time, from 7:00 to 8:30, but he never heard the footsteps that he was so familiar with.

He felt an indescribable sense of loss. Finally, as time ticked by, he said to Qi Donghan, "Old Qi, let's go. She probably won't be coming."

He said that women's jokes shouldn't be taken seriously.

Qi Donghan turned around and glanced back, his voice calm and collected, "You're waiting for that woman?"

He asked directly, which made Zhou Jingsong a little embarrassed. He nodded.

"You like her?"

Qi Donghan's question was even more direct.

Zhou Jingsong paused for a moment, "It's not exactly love, but after I went blind, she was one of the few female comrades who didn't mind."

"I should have some appreciation and affection for her."

When a man faces a life-or-death situation and a crucial decision, he receives the companionship of a woman.

This is a fatal temptation for the other party.

Zhou Jingsong was no exception.

Qi Donghan thought for a moment, "I'll take you back to Mengjiatun first, and then I'll go find her for you."

*

The next morning, Meng Yingying got up at a little after four o'clock. She changed into mourning clothes and wore mourning attire.

As soon as I came out, the courtyard was packed with people.

"Yingying, your father is going to have his coffin carried up the mountain today. What have you thought about it?"

“Your uncle’s intention is for you to marry Dunzi. Then you’ll be one of our Meng family members. We’ll definitely help you carry this coffin today.”

Meng Yingying wanted nothing more than to tear these people's faces apart, even though she knew there was going to be a tough battle ahead.

She still felt something was amiss, "If I don't marry Dunzi, then you won't carry the coffin, right?"

She walked up to Uncle Meng and pointed to the coffin behind him. "Uncle, do you know who is lying in this coffin?"

Uncle Meng knew, of course, but he didn't answer.

Meng Yingying's face turned pale. "He's not only my father, but also your younger brother!"

"What, your own brother's body is barely cold, and you're already using this coffin-carrying incident to force this orphan to her death?"

"You want me to marry Dunzi? And then what? You'll just openly take over these two-story houses, won't you?"

Meng Yingying exposed all of Uncle Meng's schemes to the public.

Uncle Meng was embarrassed. He didn't dare to look Meng Yingying in the eye and immediately scolded her, "Yingying, we're doing this for your own good. You're a young lady, it doesn't matter who you marry."

"Instead of marrying someone from another village and giving away the house your father left you for free, wouldn't it be better to give it to us for free?"

"Besides, now that you've married Dunzi, you're one of our own. From now on, we'll not only be your uncles, but also your parents-in-law. Of course, we'll treat you well."

Meng Yingying sneered and remained silent.

When Uncle Meng saw that she wouldn't listen to this reason, he changed his excuse.

“Your father had no sons, only you, a married woman. From any perspective, the house your father left behind should belong to the Meng family clan.”

He even offered Meng Yingying advice.

"Actually, this is easy to do today. As long as you agree to marry Dunzi, look behind me, there are seven of your uncles and six of your cousins. They will form two groups, and we will take turns carrying your father's coffin."

Even I, as the eldest brother, will be carrying your father's coffin. I'm just asking you, is that enough of a burden?

Even Meng Yingying, who is usually mild-mannered, couldn't help but sneer when she heard this.

“You’ll eat me once you carry my coffin, and then you’ll eat the house behind me. Uncle, you really have a good plan.”

"What a pity," Meng Yingying said sarcastically, "I can't afford your coffin-carrying service."

"The price is too high. I can't afford to take advantage of two women at once."

After saying this, she turned to look at the three families in the crowd who had already made arrangements yesterday, "Thank you for your help. Anyone who comes out to help will receive one yuan."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only those three families, but also other people who wanted to join in the fun, immediately wanted to make money from it.

They pay ten yuan for each time a coffin is carried, which is equivalent to more than half a month's income. Who could resist that?

When Uncle Meng saw that these people were about to turn against him, he couldn't help but shout a threat, "Meng Yingying is a member of my Meng family. Do you dare to spend the money she gave you?"

"You've probably forgotten, this is Mengjiatun."

"Anyone who stands up to help Meng Yingying today is an enemy of my entire Meng family."

At certain times, clan is above all else.

Even the police.

In Mengjiatun, where the surname is Meng, even if the police come, they can't find fault with anyone.

Those who had originally planned to come out and help carry the coffin also stopped.

Everyone stood there, deliberating for a long time.

It's unclear who spoke first, but someone said, "Yingying, it's not that we don't want to help, it's just that we can't."

These people helped out today, so just wait and see if Uncle Meng and his gang will make things difficult for them.

Even the three neighbors who had agreed last night have turned against him and have no choice but to side with Uncle Meng.

Meng Yingying had not expected this situation at all.

Her face immediately turned red with anger. "You, surnamed Meng, have gone too far!!"

Uncle Meng, however, was not ashamed at all. “Niece, it’s best for the Meng family to handle its own affairs. Don’t involve outsiders.”

He seemed impatient and issued an ultimatum, "Choose one: be a dutiful daughter, marry Dunzi, and our entire Meng family will help carry your coffin."

"If you become an unfilial daughter, your father won't be able to have his funeral today!"

He smiled dismissively, seemingly confident of victory. "My dear niece, what will you choose?!"

A note from the author:

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