Chapter 123 Qiao Xingyue is a lucky star
Qiao Xingyue looked at the dark-skinned cadre Liu, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
It's often said that having connections makes things easier, and this holds true in any era.
Just moments ago, Officer Liu had a serious and cold expression, and his tone was harsh and confrontational. But now, upon seeing her, he flashed a bright smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Officer Liu quickly went around to the front, grasped Qiao Xingyue's hand, and said excitedly, "Dr. Qiao, I didn't expect to see you here again. What brings you here?"
The two shook hands and then let go.
Besides excitement, Officer Liu's eyes also showed gratitude.
Everyone around looked at Qiao Xingyue with confusion, then at Officer Liu. Huang Guilan spoke first, "Xingyue, do you know this Officer Liu?"
Upon hearing this, Officer Liu frowned in confusion. "Dr. Qiao, you know this group of people who were sent down to the countryside. In that case, I'll look after you from now on."
"Officer Liu, to be honest, I was also sent down for reform through labor. This is my grandmother, my mother-in-law, this is my eldest sister-in-law, my second sister-in-law, several nephews, and Aunt Wang. An'an and Ningning are my daughters, you've met them before."
Two years ago, Qiao Xingyue worked as a barefoot doctor in Shantang Town, but her reputation spread to the Tuanjie Brigade in the neighboring town.
Officer Liu's elderly mother fell seriously ill and could not be cured at the provincial hospital. Hearing that there was a female doctor in Shantang Town who was comparable to Hua Tuo in human form, he traveled for a day and a night to Shantang Town and asked Qiao Xingyue to treat his mother.
That disease was a stubborn ailment, requiring acupuncture every three days.
Every time, Qiao Xingyue would carry her twin daughters on her back, traveling for a day and a night from Shantang Town to Tuanjie Brigade to give her mother acupuncture.
Officer Liu's gaze fell on Qiao Xingyue's two daughters, and he couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "An'an and Ningning have grown so tall! They must be almost five years old this year!"
"Yes, it will be five years old this fall."
Officer Liu recalled how, two years ago, she had traveled through the night, carrying one child in front and another on her back, to give her mother acupuncture. Once, when she arrived at their village, Dr. Qiao and the two children were covered in injuries from falling down a hillside.
Even with such difficulties, Dr. Qiao still went to the Tuanjie Brigade to give his mother acupuncture for three consecutive months, and his mother's illness miraculously improved.
Such immense kindness was something Liu would never forget for the rest of his life. He was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. "Dr. Qiao, I will always remember your great kindness to our Liu family. But... how did I end up being sent down to the countryside?"
Qiao Xingyue explained her situation to Officer Liu.
Then she added, "My in-laws were also wrongly accused. As you know, there are many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice these days..."
"Don't worry, my dad is now the production team leader of the Tuanjie Brigade. We will definitely take care of your two families during this re-education process. However, since your two families are under the joint supervision of the Tuanjie Brigade and the militia, we are worried that the militia might have something to hide, so the proper procedures must still be followed. You will still have to work hard in the fields, but when we record your work points, we will know what to do and will definitely not deduct any points from your work."
Qiao Xingyue breathed a sigh of relief. "Officer Liu, as long as we don't have our work points deducted without cause, the Xie and Chen families will work hard and won't make things difficult for you!"
In those days, some production brigades held prejudices and were harsh towards those who were sent down for reform.
Because the atmosphere of class struggle was there at that time.
Qiao Xingyue was afraid that she would be deliberately made difficult after going to the countryside. In her impression, Liu, the cadre, was an honest and kind person. However, before she came forward, his attitude towards his mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, was quite serious and harsh. One sentence from him made people feel cold. In production and labor, he would definitely be deliberately made difficult because of class struggle.
After she stepped in, Officer Liu's attitude completely changed.
This is not Liu's fault; it is the general atmosphere of class struggle in history.
Qiao Xingyue took the lead, registered her information in the office, and then introduced everyone around her to Officer Liu.
Finally, Chen Jiahui was introduced. "Officer Liu, this is Chen Jiahui. She's not here for re-education through labor; she is..."
"Comrade Chen Jiahui, right? The literary and artistic worker sent by Jincheng, I know her." Officer Liu reached out and grasped Chen Jiahui's slender, fair fingertips.
His hands were rather rough; he shook them politely, then quickly let go. "Comrade Chen Jiahui, welcome!"
Literary and artistic workers were not educated youth or reformers, and were not subject to the supervision of production brigades and militia teams.
After the introduction, Officer Liu specifically called over his father, Liu Zhongqiang, and explained the situation.
Liu Zhongqiang, with his gray hair and kind face, looked at the dozen or so people from the Xie and Huang families one by one. He first expressed his gratitude to Qiao Xingyue again, and then vowed that as long as they did not break the rules, he would definitely take care of their two families in the future.
“Dr. Qiao, I’ll go to the farm machinery station to borrow a tractor to take you into the mountains. It’s another three or four hours’ walk on this mountain road. With all of you, young and old, it might be too late to get into the mountains before dark.”
Qiao Xingyue knew that they had originally been sent down for reform and were not qualified to ride tractors into the mountains.
Having an oxcart is already a good thing.
Captain Liu was only taking such good care of them out of consideration for past favors.
“That’s great. The children don’t mind, but my grandma really has trouble walking.”
Liu Zhongqiang, the father of the clerk, lowered his voice and said cautiously, "But don't say that I came here specifically to take you into the mountains. I just picked up a few bags of fertilizer on the way and said I was giving them to you. That way, we won't have too many people talking."
Qiao Xingyue nodded, "I understand, Uncle Liu. Don't worry, I will keep this a secret."
"Dr. Qiao, please wait a moment, I'll go to the agricultural machinery station and bring the tractor over."
As Liu Zhongqiang, whose hair was gray, spoke, he quickly instructed his son Liu Dabing, who was standing next to him, "Dabing, quickly pour some water for Dr. Qiao and the others."
"Okay!" Seeing so many people and not enough enamel cups, Liu Dabing quickly went outside to get bowls and water.
The father and son walked out of the commune's simple office one after the other.
Huang Guilan held Qiao Xingyue's hand and breathed a sigh of relief. "Xingyue, you are simply our lucky star. What would we do without you?"
“Mom, this is called ‘the righteous will find many helpers, while the unrighteous will find few.’ I once saved Officer Liu’s mother. Back then, I took An’an and Ningning from Shantang Town to Tuanjie Brigade for a house call. Each trip took a day and a night, and my feet were covered in blisters. The Liu family remembers this kindness!”
A short while later, Liu Dabing brought over a dozen ceramic bowls and poured water for everyone.
After waiting for about half an hour, the clanging sound of a tractor came from outside the commune office.
Liu Zhongqiang, with his gray hair, sat in front of the tractor. He braked, but the tractor's rumbling oil noise continued. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dabing, hurry up and help Dr. Qiao and the others carry their things up here."
"Alright!" Liu Dabing, the clerk inside, quickly helped Qiao Xingyue and the others with their backpacks.
Qiao Xingyue and the others quickly followed them out.
That tractor was new, a Dongfanghong brand, which had just been assigned to the Tuanjie Production Brigade's agricultural machinery station. It had a large trailer and could carry about twenty people.
Qiao Xingyue led everyone to sit down on the pile of fertilizer, which they sat on.
Liu Zhongqiang drove his tractor from the courtyard outside the commune to the dirt road that the villagers had cleared.
"Dr. Qiao, please make sure everyone is seated properly, and help the elderly person to hold on tight as well."
Clang! Clang!
A tractor carrying more than ten people bumped along the mountain road.
The area is flanked by mountains and water, boasting beautiful scenery.
Qiao Xingyue sat to the left of Huang Guilan and to the right of the old lady Chen Suying. An An and Ning Ning nestled in front of their older brother Xie Zhiyuan across from them. The midsummer afternoon sun, around four o'clock, dappled sunlight filtered through the dense branches of the trees on both sides.
Tractors weave through the shade of trees and the sunlight.
Qiao Xingyue looked at An Anning, who was accompanied by several of her brothers, and felt incredibly peaceful. At least she had her closest relatives by her side. Her only concern was for Xie's father and son and Uncle Chen, whose trial results were still pending.
The car suddenly stopped amidst a jolt.
Someone ahead waved to Liu Zhongqiang. It was a dark-skinned mother and daughter, along with a six or seven-year-old boy. Liu Zhongqiang frowned when he saw the three of them.
"Father-in-law, why did you bring a whole tractor full of people? What are they doing in the village?"
The person speaking was a woman in her fifties or sixties with buck teeth, and there was still some chives stuck to her teeth.
She glanced at the people on the tractor and noticed that they were wearing clothes in styles she had never seen before, and they were very fashionable. Their shoes were also spotless, without a speck of mud on them.
The buck-toothed woman suddenly realized, "In-law, these people wouldn't happen to be those sent to the countryside for reform through labor from Jincheng, would they? Why did you use a tractor to transport them? Why didn't you let them get off and walk themselves? They're sent to the countryside for reform through labor, and they're acting all high and mighty now."
Liu Zhongqiang looked at the mother and daughter, his voice stiff, "Mother-in-law, don't talk nonsense. I'm not taking them to the village. I'm delivering some bags of fertilizer to the village. I saw that they have elderly people and children, so I gave them a ride along the way. Get in the car, I'll give you a ride too."
The buck-toothed woman glared at the group of people on the bus. "It's so crowded, how can we possibly fit? Father-in-law, they're being sent to the countryside for reform, let them get off."
“My dear in-law, the commune held a meeting the day before yesterday to convey the central idea from above: to unite all forces that can be united. Although they were sent down for reform, they are also here to help our brigade with land reclamation and construction. You can’t look at them with prejudice. If you’re going to come up, hurry up, or I’ll drive you away.”
Qiao Xingyue remembered the buck-toothed woman from the Unity Brigade.
The woman next to her and the six- or seven-year-old boy with a buzz cut were her daughter and grandson. This daughter of hers had caused the deaths of several husbands.
Why is Liu Zhongqiang called his father-in-law?
Uncle Liu has two sons: one works as a village official, Liu Dabing, who just received them; and the other is Liu Xiaobing.
Neither of them is married.
Who is it that wants to marry this widow who has caused the deaths of several men?
There must be something fishy about this marriage.
Qiao Xingyue could hear the dissatisfaction Liu Zhongqiang felt towards the buck-toothed woman in his harsh tone.
Could it be a forced marriage?
Is this the same tactic Zeng Xiuzhu used to force Xie Zhongming to mate with breeding drugs?
Qiao Xingyue planned to ask again later, since the buck-toothed grandfather and his two grandsons didn't look like good people at all.
Once the three of them got on the tractor, the buck-toothed woman, with her fat, round buttocks, squeezed in front of Qiao Xingyue and said, "Get out of my way, you reactionary who's been sent down for reform, how dare you ride a tractor?"
Why did you push my wife?
The one who spoke up for Qiao Xingyue was Huang Guilan.
Bucktooth shoved Qiao Xingyue, and Huang Guilan shoved Bucktooth back.
"Hey, you reactionaries dare to hit people?" The buck-toothed woman rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.
Qiao Xingyue grabbed the other person's wrist. "First, our family is not a reactionary group. Second, if you dare to touch my mother, I dare to cripple your hand."
The tractor was still roaring.
The buck-toothed woman yelled at the top of her lungs, "Father-in-law, look! The reactionaries are beating people!"
The tractor was so noisy that Liu Zhongqiang, who was driving it, couldn't hear the argument coming from the trailer behind.
Seeing that his plea for help was fruitless, the buck-toothed man had no choice but to admit defeat.
Qiao Xingyue then released the other person's hand. She had just been pressing the other person's acupoints, which could cause excruciating pain with a single touch.
Now that she's let go, her eyes are full of warning, "If you ever dare to bully any of my family members, you'll be in big trouble."
The buck-toothed woman glared at Qiao Xingyue. Although she had become docile, there was still a fierce look in her eyes. "Let me tell you, the production brigade leader is my father-in-law. If he doesn't give you work points, you won't get any grain and you'll starve to death."
Qiao Xingyue snorted, "We'll see!"
At this moment, a six or seven-year-old boy next to the buck-toothed woman stared at the tin frog in Ningning's hand and said domineeringly, "You, let me play with the frog in your hand."
Ningning was too scared to speak and hid in her older brother Xie Zhiyuan's arms.
As the six- or seven-year-old boy reached out to snatch Ningning's frog, another hand grabbed his wrist. "You dare to take my sister's toy?"
"You'll have to get past us first if you try to steal my sister's toy." Then, Mingyuan, Chengyuan, and Boyuan stood in front of An'an and Ningning, glaring at the other girl, who burst into tears.
"You lot, are you bullying people just because you outnumber me?" At this moment, it was the boy's mother who spoke. She was the widow in Qiao Xingyue's memory, who was about thirty years old, but she looked like she was forty because of her dark skin.
I wonder which of Captain Liu's sons is going to marry her. It's a pity that both of Uncle Liu's sons are handsome and well-mannered. Why would they want to marry this widow?
As soon as the boy cried, the buck-toothed woman and her widowed daughter rushed forward to snatch him away.
Before Qiao Xingyue could make a move, Shen Liping, Sun Xiuxiu, and the four boys in the family pushed the mother and daughter away.
Just then, the tractor stopped in front of an old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Squad leader Liu Zhongqiang turned off the engine, and the rumbling sound of the tractor gradually subsided, finally stopping completely with a muffled thud.
The buck-toothed woman shoved her grandson, and the six or seven-year-old boy immediately joined in, bursting into loud sobs. The cries were deafening, yet not a single tear was shed.
It's obviously fake crying; she's trying to extort money from people.
Upon hearing the crying, Liu Zhongqiang jumped off the tractor and, seeing the six or seven-year-old boy, asked with a worried expression, "What's wrong with your Xiaoguang again?"
“Dad.” The one who spoke was the widowed daughter of the buck-toothed woman. She slapped her thigh and cried, “These reactionaries are bullying my Xiaoguang because they outnumber him.”
Liu Zhongqiang glanced at the boy named Xiaoguang with a headache, "It's good enough that he doesn't bully people."
"Dad, why are you siding with outsiders?"
"Don't call me Dad, your wedding with my Xiaobing hasn't happened yet."
“But when I was taking a shower, your Xiaoguang saw my body naked, and your family promised to marry me.”
Qiao Xingyue finally understood that this might be a honey trap, and Uncle Liu's youngest son had definitely been tricked.
No wonder Uncle Liu was so stressed!
Qiao Xingyue jumped off the tractor, and then Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu helped the old lady down as well. Only then did Qiao Xingyue explain to Liu Zhongqiang, "Uncle Liu, as soon as they got on the tractor, they pushed me. Her grandson even snatched my daughter's tin frog. We only gave them a verbal warning, but they started crying instead."
Qiao Xingyue knew that if it weren't for the fact that she had saved Uncle Liu's wife before, her whole family would have been in serious trouble just because of what happened on the tractor today, given that they had been sent down for reform and were now carrying the identity of their class background.
Fortunately, I ran into an old acquaintance.
Liu Zhongqiang believed her without a doubt and glared at the three of them, saying, "The wicked are the ones who complain first."
Upon seeing this, the buck-toothed woman's face fell. "Liu Zhongqiang, what's wrong? Do you think these women who have been sent down for reform are pretty or something? Why are you speaking up for them like this? Do you have something going on with them?"
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