Chapter 129 What did the telegram say?
Chen Jiahui stood in front of the pork stall at the food station, looking at the middle-aged man who was shirtless and wearing a black apron. Although he was a bit big and burly, the smile on his face was very friendly and simple.
The other person smiled, tightened his grip on the knife, and said, "Comrade Chen Jiahui, I've seen your photo. Our town mayor gave it to me, saying you're an artist from Jincheng."
This photo was sent to the town by Xiao Songhua. He specifically asked the town mayor to take care of his wife's cultural work in the countryside, especially when purchasing supplies. He hoped the mayor could do him a favor.
However, Chen Jiahui was unaware of this.
Originally, she was not allowed to cut off five pounds of meat, but the other party agreed without hesitation.
The butcher wielded his knife with swift, precise strokes, the tip landing precisely on the hind leg meat. With a flick of his wrist, the knife sliced along the grain of the meat, taking a large piece of marbled fat and lean meat with it.
He hung the meat on the hook of the scale, and the scale slid twice before coming to a steady stop at five and a half pounds.
Then he put away the scale, wrapped the large piece of hind leg meat in yellow straw paper, tied it tightly with thin hemp rope, and handed it to Chen Jiahui.
The aroma of meat mixed with a faint smell of blood wafted over. Even though Chen Jiahui had eaten rabbit meat the night before, she couldn't help but swallow hard. She quickly and carefully held the meat in her arms. Even though it was wrapped in yellow straw paper, some oil still seeped out. But she wasn't afraid of getting the oil on her body. She held it tightly to her chest, afraid of rubbing off even a drop of oil, and then carefully put it into her basket.
With her basket on her back, she smiled at the butcher and asked, "Brother, what's your surname?"
"My surname is Wan." Although the other person looked rough, his smile was very simple and honest.
"Brother Wan, thank you."
Chen Jiahui thanked them, then bought a basket of eggs, followed by walnut shortbread, egg pancakes, and the whistle candy that An An and Ning Ning had been eagerly anticipating, along with some seasonings.
Finally, after some searching, she found a place selling chicks, ducklings, and goslings. Using the method Xingyue had taught her, she picked out some chicks, ducklings, and goslings, put them in a basket, and then covered them with a blanket.
Unity Brigade was just a small commune without a post office.
Chen Jiahui inquired further and found the town's post office.
Qiao Xingyue and her family were being sent down for reform through labor. Receiving telegrams would be restricted, and they would be allowed to view the contents of the telegrams, plus the procedures would be complicated. Therefore, before the transfer, the two families agreed that Chen Jiahui would be the one to receive any telegrams from the city.
It was almost noon, and the sun was scorching.
Clutching the letter of introduction, Chen Jiahui stepped onto the sun-warmed dirt road and into the post office.
This post office was the only communication point in town. It was just a brick and tile house with a faded wooden sign hanging above the door. The door was not closed and creaked when the wind blew.
A green mailbox with peeling paint sat by the door, covered in a layer of dust, revealing patches of rust.
As soon as Chen Jiahui entered, a strong smell of ink mixed with paper hit her. The room was small, with only two staff members. In front of them were two wooden tables with broken legs, piled high with letters and newspapers, and an old-fashioned telegraph machine with intermittent beeping.
The middle-aged man sitting at the table, wearing a blue cloth hat, was about forty years old. His face was deeply wrinkled, as if etched by a knife. When he saw her arrive, he looked up and asked, "Comrade, what can I do for you?"
Chen Jiahui handed over the letter of introduction and the telegram collection voucher, saying, "I'm from the Tuanjie Brigade..."
Before she could finish speaking, the other person looked her up and down and said, "Oh, you're Comrade Chen, the new cultural worker from the Unity Brigade, right?"
This is really strange for Chen Jiahui.
When she went to the food station to buy meat, Master Wan, who was cutting the meat, recognized her.
She came to the post office to pick up a telegram, and the staff recognized her?
Even if Qiao Xingyue has acquaintances here, it's impossible for her to have acquaintances everywhere. Could it be Xiao Songhua?
Besides Xiao Songhua, who else would have made prior arrangements with the staff to take care of her?
The moment she opened her mouth, the other person knew her surname was Chen. Someone must have made arrangements beforehand, and that person must be Xiao Songhua. She hadn't expected that he, so far away in Jincheng, could still help her smooth things over with the Tuanjie Brigade.
The other person opened the metal cabinet, pulled out a telegram with red checkered patterns, and handed it to her across the counter. "Comrade Chen, this is a telegram from Jincheng. It just arrived yesterday. I was planning to deliver it to you at the Tuanjie Brigade today. A regimental commander surnamed Xiao from Jincheng sent a telegram to our post office before, saying that you are an artist from the city and his wife, and asked us to take good care of you."
Just as Chen Jiahui had predicted.
Now, both Xie and Chen's families have been sent down to the Tuanjie Brigade, and their only means of communication is by telegram.
If the post office causes some trouble and they can't get the telegram, the members of the Unity Brigade will be extremely anxious, not knowing what the situation is with the security department.
Xiao Songhua was the most thoughtful.
At that moment, Chen Jiahui felt a sudden warmth in her heart, as if she had a warm roasted sweet potato in her pocket.
Xiao Songhua was a tough guy on the outside, with a rough voice, not fond of talking, and not good with words. He never said any sweet words, but he secretly asked someone to smooth things over with the Tuanjie Brigade and avoid the difficulties she would encounter in the countryside.
She filled out the form, pressed her fingerprint, clutched the telegram, said thank you, and then walked out.
The wind brushed against my cheeks. Just moments ago it felt hot and humid, but now I could only smell the faint scent of grass in the wind. The smell was comforting. I touched the telegram in my hand, and the corners of my mouth couldn't help but turn up.
Xiao Songhua seems like a rough and careless man, but I never expected him to be so thoughtful. How come I never noticed before?
Perhaps she had focused all her attention on Xie Zhongming before, which is why she hadn't noticed that Xiao Songhua was such a considerate and thoughtful person.
The sunlight shone on her blue cloth dress, making her eyes and brows appear bright.
Walking on the scorching dirt road, Chen Jiahui suddenly felt that life in the countryside wasn't so bad after all.
The tractor driver from the Tuanjie Brigade's agricultural machinery station had arranged to meet everyone at the pond in town. Fearing she would be late, Chen Jiahui quickened her pace.
Then, riding a tractor, he returned to the Tuanjie Brigade with the villagers.
It was already noon when we got back.
Chen Jiahui boiled fourteen eggs, keeping three for An'an, Ningning, and the old lady, and the remaining eleven were to be taken to the fields to improve everyone's meals.
The extra one is for Xingyue, so she can have two eggs.
The old lady handed her egg to Chen Jia Hui, saying, "Jia Hui, when you go to work, give this egg to Xing Yue. She's pregnant and needs to nourish herself."
Chen Jiahui pushed the warm egg from the old lady's hand towards her, saying, "Grandma Xie, keep it for yourself, don't be stingy. You're getting old, you need to supplement your nutrition. I know Xingyue is pregnant, so I specially cooked an extra egg for her."
Chen Jiahui thought to herself, Xingyue has had it so tough.
When she was pregnant with An An and Ning Ning, she was kicked out of her home by her own mother, Zeng Xiuzhu. When she gave birth to her two children, she had no one by her side and wandered around begging for food with her two children. She went from weighing more than 200 pounds to her current weight.
She had finally reunited with the Xie family and just got her marriage certificate with Xie Zhongming. Before she could even settle down, she was sent down to the Tuanjie Brigade along with the Xie family. Now she's pregnant with her second child, and Xie Zhongming is still not by her side.
As she spoke, Chen Jiahui showed the boiled eggs in the enamel bowl to Chen Suying. "Grandma Xie, look, there are eleven eggs in total. I'll make sure Xingyue eats one more egg, so don't worry."
As she spoke, she shook the green military water bottle and said with a smile, "I also made some sugar water for Xingyue to replenish her energy."
Chen Suying counted: one, two, three... eleven.
There really were eleven eggs.
There are ten people working in the fields, so Xingyue can indeed eat one more.
Only then did Chen Suying stop forcing the eggs in her hand onto Chen Jiahui. Looking at Jiahui's smiling face, she said with relief, "Jiahui, our Xie family owes a lot to you, and also to that boy Songhua."
Jia Hui used to have a crush on her fourth son.
Songhua also liked Jiahui.
Logically speaking, Xingyue is Jia Hui's rival in love, and Zhongming is Songhua's rival in love.
However, Jia Hui and Xing Yue became best friends, and Song Hua and Zhong Ming became best buddies who could risk their lives for each other. These two friendships are rare and precious.
"Good boy, be careful on the way when you go to the fields. There are many stones and potholes in the fields, so be careful when you walk."
Don't worry.
As she spoke, Chen Jiahui patted An Anning's head.
The two children were clutching the freshly boiled eggs in their hands, reluctant to eat them.
Chen Jiahui said, "An'an and Ningning, you and your great-grandmother should quickly peel and eat the eggs while they're still warm."
An An and Ning Ning knew that if they ate such delicious eggs today, they wouldn't be able to eat them tomorrow, so even if they were craving them, they couldn't bear to part with them.
Chen Jiahui knew what the two children were thinking. They were probably planning to keep the eggs until tomorrow and then give them to their great-grandmother, or their two grandmothers, or save them for Xingyue.
Jia Hui knew perfectly well how sensible her two children were.
She pointed to the chicks, ducklings, and goslings chirping inside the fence, then patted the two children's heads. "Look, those chickens, ducks, and geese will lay eggs in winter. We can collect eggs every day then. Don't be stingy with them; they're growing, so eat the eggs quickly, that's good."
Chen Suying pulled An'an and Ningning to sit on the long bench of the long table, took the eggs from the two children's hands, and cracked them on the table a few times.
The eggshell broke.
Chen Suying carefully peeled the egg with her wrinkled hands.
A perfectly smooth egg was quickly placed in An'an's hand, followed by another white egg in Ningning's hand.
"Sweetie, eat quickly."
"Great-grandmother eats too."
An'an peeled an egg for Chen Suying and handed it to her.
Chen Jiahui felt a warm glow in her heart as she watched this heartwarming scene.
Later, when she returns to the city, if Xiao Songhua doesn't mind her past and is still willing to be with her, what if she and Xiao Songhua have a child? Will the child be as well-behaved and sensible as An'an and Ningning? She also likes girls; if only she could give Xiao Songhua a daughter…
Look... what is she thinking?
For no apparent reason, my cheeks suddenly felt hot.
Sharp-eyed An'an noticed that Chen Jiahui's cheeks suddenly turned red, and couldn't help but tilt her head and ask, "Auntie Hui, why is your face so red? What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"No, no, Aunt Hui is perfectly healthy, how could she be sick?" Chen Jia Hui's heart pounded, and she quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead. "It's probably just too hot. By the way..."
Her gaze fell on Chen Suying, and she took out a brown paper envelope from her pocket, quickly changing the subject, "Grandma Xie, a telegram has arrived from Jincheng, would you like to take a look first?"
Rushing back home, Chen Jiahui didn't even have time to read what the telegram said.
"Is there any news about your dad and Uncle Xie?" Chen Suying looked at her, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"I haven't had a chance to look at it either, let me take a look first."
Chen Jiahui quickly took the telegram out of the manila envelope, unfolded the neatly folded telegram, and said with a smile, "It must be good news. My father, Uncle Xie, and the Xie brothers must have made progress."
Chen Suying also hoped that Xie Jiang, Chen Shenghua, and her grandsons would not have to go to jail or suffer the punishment of being sentenced. She also watched with longing as she unfolded the telegram.
Chen Jiahui unfolded the telegram, held her breath, and quickly scanned its contents line by line, her fingertips trembling.
She stared intently at the paper, her smile initially so bright it seemed to melt away, as if she were covered in honey, even her eyebrows beaming with joy.
She looked at the telegram, while Chen Suying looked at her.
But as I watched, the smile on her face faded little by little, like clouds scattered by a gust of wind.
His lips slowly drooped, and then the light in his eyes dimmed little by little, as if it were covered by dark clouds.
Her hand gripped the telegram tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white. The telegram was crumpled and crumpled, making a soft rustling sound.
The sound was like countless needles piercing Chen Suying's heart.
The weather in August and September was still hot, with heat waves in the air, but the atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and even the cicadas outside became incredibly noisy.
Chen Suying couldn't help but ask, "Jiahui, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Chen Jiahui remained silent, standing there blankly, staring at the telegram in her hand. Her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word.
The excitement I felt just now vanished completely, like the tide receding.
A heavy sorrow settled over her face, making it difficult for her to even breathe.
Chen Suying quickly snatched the telegram away.
Just as Chen Suying was about to snatch the telegram away, Chen Jiahui gripped it tightly and pulled it in front of her.
"Jiahui, let Grandma take a look." Chen Suying also held the telegram tightly.
Chen Jiahui felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles, yet she gripped the telegram tightly.
Both of them gripped the thin sheet of paper tightly with their hands, pulling and tugging until the thin red-lined paper was stretched taut and made a soft hissing sound.
"Jiahui, what exactly did the telegram say? Let Grandma take a look quickly." The old lady's voice was filled with urgency, worry, and deep sorrow, instantly freezing the atmosphere in the cowshed. Even An'an and Ningning, who were eating eggs, stopped eating.
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