Chapter 58
When Yang Qiujin returned home, it was already around nine o'clock in the evening.
The day and night in the border areas in winter are somewhat different from those in the mainland. It gets dark around 8 o'clock in the evening and it doesn't get light until around 9 o'clock.
When Yang Qiujin returned home, it was already completely dark.
The border was very dangerous in winter. Many wild animals kept approaching the farm in search of food. Yang Qiujin always carried gas and a gun when she went to and from work, and today was no exception.
As soon as she rode into the yard, the lights came on and Chen Tianyou ran out of the house, "Mom."
Chen Shengqing followed behind him, holding a flashlight in one hand and a thick military jacket in the other. He strode to Yang Qiujin, put the jacket on her, and then took the things from her hands. "You came back so late today. What did you buy?"
"It's your birthday today, and I was afraid that you two would be hungry, so I bought some good wine and food before the state-owned hotel closed." Yang Qiujin, wrapped in a thick military coat, followed the father and son into the house.
The house had been heated up long ago, making it warm and cozy, but the cold chill chilled her to the bone as she rode along.
A small oil lamp was on in the living room. Next to the dim light, some simple dishes were placed on the table, including stir-fried cabbage, cold radish shreds, stir-fried potato shreds, and a basket of corn cobs, which were emitting the aroma of the food.
Chen Tianyou was the first to run into the living room. He stood beside the dining table and looked at Yang Qiujin expectantly. "Mom, guess who cooked today's meal?"
Yang Qiujin chuckled, guessed what was going on, and deliberately said, "It wasn't your father who cooked the meal, could it be that the snail girl did?"
"It's not the snail girl, it's me!" Chen Tianyou couldn't hide his true feelings at all, and said hurriedly: "Today is Dad's birthday, I wanted to give him a surprise, I washed the cabbage, peeled the potatoes, and helped Dad with the radish shreds and corn cobs, and I also washed the clothes at home!"
"Wow, our Tian Tyou is so sensible and obedient now?" Yang Qiujin couldn't believe that her devil had suddenly become so sensible, but she was extremely relieved and even wanted to cry.
After enduring for so many years, has she finally seen the moon through the clouds?
"Our son has really grown up." Chen Shengqing closed the door of the living room and turned around to say, "Don't go to the state-owned hotel to buy food for my birthday in the future. Let's just have a simple meal. The nights in the border are very unsafe. I'm afraid you'll get lost in the snow and encounter bears and wolves that you won't be able to deal with."
Yang Qiujin knew that he was telling the truth and did not refute him. "I'll go heat up the dishes. They should be cold by now."
She was about to pick up the food on the table and go to the kitchen when Chen Shengqing pulled her back and said, "I'm going to heat it up. I feel bad for you for having to work right after get off work and before you even have a chance to catch your breath."
As he spoke, he gave Chen Tianyou a look, and the father and son quickly took the food on the table, as well as the specially purchased braised pork, braised pork trotters, and braised fish fillets by Yang Qiujin, to the kitchen to heat them up, and then the family sat down at the table to eat.
Today is Chen Shengqing's birthday. Yang Qiujin specially bought some wine that is a specialty of the border area. After the wine was served, everyone was poured a glass of it, even Chen Tianyou was no exception.
Yang Qiujin raised her glass and said, "Come on, let's wish our comrade Chen a happy 29th birthday. Let's drink!"
"Cheers!" Chen Tianyou raised the small bowl of wine, clinked glasses with his parents, and took a sip of the wine. It tasted sweet and sour, with a special smell of alcohol from fermented grapes.
It wasn't bad to drink. On the contrary, Chen Tianyou liked it very much. He held the bowl and gulped it down. He drank it all and put the empty bowl in front of Yang Qiujin, "Mom, I want more."
Yang Qiujin shook her head and said, "This is wine, not soda. If you drink too much, you will get drunk and go crazy."
"I won't get drunk, but I will drink." Chen Tianyou started to act like a rogue.
Chen Shengqing picked up the small jar of wine and, under Yang Qiujin's disapproving gaze, poured the wine into Chen Tianyou's bowl. He said gently, "Let him drink. Let him drink more. When his stomach is full, we can eat all the delicious meat."
When Chen Tianyou heard this, he immediately forgot about drinking wine and turned his chopsticks to the greasy braised pork rice box on the table. Before eating himself, he remembered to pick up a piece for his father and mother.
Yang Qiujin gave Chen Shengqing a look and said, "You are really awesome. You convinced this guy with just a few words."
Chen Shengqing put a piece of soft and chewy pig's trotter into her bowl and asked, "Where did you buy this pork from?"
"We have a state-owned hotel on our farm. We imported a few pigs from other places, apparently to welcome a leader who was coming from Kyoto for an inspection. For some reason, the higher-ups canceled the plan and he didn't come, so we sold them to the outside," said Yang Qiujin, gnawing on a pig's trotter with rich sauce.
Chen Shengqing nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more. The family ate quietly.
After eating, washing the dishes, and boiling water for steaming their feet, the family sat on the kang bed in the living room and chatted.
Maybe it was because of the wine, but Chen Tianyou, who had never drunk alcohol before, had a flushed face and his head kept drooping as he dozed off. Chen Shengqing then carried him back to his little room to sleep.
When I returned to the master bedroom after covering the child with a quilt, Yang Qiujin was already lying on the bed, covered with a quilt.
She threw her clothes on the ground and left one side of the kang bed for him. When she saw him coming back, she stretched out her white and slender arms and patted the empty space, "Come up."
Her face was the same as Chen Tianyou's, rosy and puffy like a ripe red apple, with a pair of watery eyes sparkling. When she looked at him, there was a faint smile on her pretty face, which was particularly charming. No matter how you looked at her, you felt that she was a little drunk.
Chen Shengqing looked down at her, his eyes deep, and teased her deliberately, "It's my birthday today, I don't want to take off my coat by myself, you help me take it off."
Yang Qiujin felt puzzled and looked up at him, wanting to confirm whether he was joking.
The man's expression was very serious. There was a dark light in his deep eyes and his thin lips were slightly pursed. He looked like he would not come up unless you help me.
Yang Qiujin was fascinated by the man's handsome face. After taking a closer look at him, she muttered, "Okay, who called you my man?"
She was half covered with a blanket and stood up to unbutton the man's clothes.
In this way, the beautiful scenery in front of her was fully displayed in front of the man.
The man's breathing quickened, and when she raised her hand to unbutton the first button of his military coat, he reached out for the quilt to wrap her up into a ball, and at the same time unbuttoned his coat with his hands.
At night, it started snowing outside, but it was warm as spring inside the house.
The woman cried and begged the man, "Put it on."
The man breathed rapidly and stretched out his strong arms to search everywhere: "It's gone."
“You didn’t buy it?”
“I thought you would buy it.”
"Aren't all the condoms bought by you gay men? Why do you always rely on a woman like me to buy them? People will say I'm so hungry. Go find the ones that have been used before and are drying them."
"I didn't see it. I guess your son flipped it over when he came into the house and played with it like a balloon. Let's stop today and try again tomorrow."
"No, the arrow is on the string and has to be shot. You are about to shoot it, but if you hold it back, what if you hurt the root?"
"I can't just ignore your body without a condom."
"It's just once in a while, I don't think I'll get caught."
In the darkness, the man was silent for a while and said, "What should I do if I get caught this time?"
Yang Qiujin recalled that they had had sex with Chen Tianyou seven years ago, and she was afraid. But she was more afraid that the man would hold back and become bad. So she hugged the man and said, "If you are really pregnant, then have the baby."
It is impossible for her to have only Chen Tianyou as a child in her life. If she is really successful, it is her destiny. She can accept having another child.
The man hesitated again and again, but in the end he could not resist the temptation of the drunk woman...
Without that layer of restraint, the man was very excited. Yang Qiujin could hardly bear his passion and chased him and shouted, "Are you done yet? We agreed to do it only once. How many times has this happened?"
The man leaned against her shoulder blades, relaxed his body and said, "One last time."
......
The next day, when Yang Qiujin woke up, it was already daylight outside and she saw that it was almost nine o'clock.
She got up in a hurry, but found that her whole body was covered with bruises from last night's exercise. When she moved, her body felt as if it had been run over by a car wheel and she felt very tired.
As she was getting dressed, she secretly sighed that she should not drink so much in the future. She clearly felt that she was not drunk last night, but she did things that were not controlled by alcohol. She was not like herself last night when she took the initiative.
When she was feeling frustrated in the room, the door was pushed open and Chen Shengqing walked in.
Yang Qiujin buttoned up her clothes, glanced at him and asked, "Where's Tianyou?"
"It's the weekend today, Tianyou got up at dawn and went to play snowballs with Wang Songyang next door and several children of Deputy Commander Li. I'm going to patrol the border after I finish my work in the army these two days. I may not be back until the end of the year. I have already agreed with Zhao's wife that when you and I are not around, let Tianyou go to their house and let her take care of Tianyou for us. I have already given her ten yuan as a ride fee."
"You're going to be gone for so long." Yang Qiujin felt reluctant to let him go when she heard that he was going on patrol again.
"Every winter, snowstorms are very likely to occur along the border. In addition to patrolling the border to guard against spies, counter-insurgency elements and insurgency elements that may enter the country in large numbers during this time, we also have to help nomadic peoples who are unable to migrate in time and rescue and recover their livestock."
Chen Shengqing was reluctant to leave her and the child, but he had to serve in the military and the border had to be guarded. As an officer in the border defense department, his responsibilities were greater than his family.
He bent down and kissed Yang Qiujin's forehead. "Don't be depressed. I should be able to come back before the New Year. Thank you for taking care of Tianyou while I'm away."
"You have to be careful. Don't worry about me and Tianyou." Yang Qiujin knew how dangerous it was for him to guard the border. After saying this, she suddenly thought of something and said, "Wait for me." She turned around and rummaged through the drawers.
After a while, she took out a triangular light yellow amulet and smiled at Chen Shengqing: "This amulet was obtained by my mother from an old monk in the mountains when I was having a difficult birth. I don't know if it was a psychological effect, but when I wore it into the delivery room, I was saved. I didn't wear it these years because I was afraid of being accused of feudal superstition. I kept it at the bottom of the box. Now I'll give it to you. There is a coin inside the amulet. There are no other feudal remnants. Even if someone finds you wearing it, it won't be a problem."
Yang Qiujin put the amulet into the left chest pocket of Chen Shengqing's military uniform, saying, "Have a safe journey and come back soon. Don't dislike it and don't not wear it."
"I won't mind." Chen Shengqing lowered his eyes and gently squeezed her hand, "As long as it's something you give me, I like it."
Eh~ Yang Qiujin felt annoyed when she heard this, but she gave the man face and said nothing more. She helped the man pack his luggage, and seeing that it was getting late, she rode her horse to work at the farm regardless of wind or rain.
Half a month later, Yang Qiujin brought Chen Tianyou to attend the wedding of Ren Ying and Han Yongxin.
The wedding was held in the evening, and everyone went there after work, including the bride and groom.
The difference is that when the bride and groom get home from get off work, the first thing they do is to take a shower and change into wedding clothes to welcome guests.
It is called wedding dress, but actually it is just a new set of clothes. The colors are mainly blue, gray and black. The main reason is that the current situation is tense, and people dare not wear other brightly colored clothes for fear of being caught by the Red Guards.
When Yang Qiujin arrived at the home of veterinarian Ye in Tuanli, Ren Ying was being dressed up by the veterinarian's family. When she saw her coming, Ren Ying waved to her happily: "Sister Yang, you are here."
"Xiao Ren, you look very beautiful today." Yang Qiujin walked into the veterinarian's room and saw a middle-aged woman braiding her hair into two pigtails. Another younger female comrade held a piece of red paper in her hand and asked Ren Ying to lick it. After she licked it, her little mouth was rosy and she was indeed much more beautiful than without any makeup.
Ren Ying blushed at her compliment. She saw Chen Tianyou following behind her and said, "Tianyou, come here and have some candy. I haven't seen you for a long time. You've grown taller and stronger now."
Chen Tianyou received a bag of candy and said sweetly, "Sister Ren, long time no see. You are so beautiful today. When the groom sees you, he will surely cherish you like my father cherishes my mother."
"Hey, Director Yang, your son is quite good at talking." Everyone around laughed.
After Ren Ying had dressed up, in addition to Yang Qiujin, there came several female educated youth who were usually on good terms with Ren Ying to act as her family members. They were the ones who had shared hardships with Ren Ying and Yang Qiujin during the previous performances, including Long Yanli, Su Hong and others.
When they met, they couldn't help but exchange a few daily greetings. Seeing that it was getting late, a group of people helped Ren Ying carry her few dowry items, such as a new quilt, a pair of pillows with red patterns, some clothes, a big red bucket with a wedding character written on it, etc., and they laughed and went to the house where Han Yongxin lived.
Han Yongxin is now the deputy director of the farm's armed forces department, a cadre-level position. He lives in a 15-square-meter red brick tube-shaped building allocated by the regiment. It has one bedroom and one living room, no toilet or kitchen, and they cook on a stove in the corridor. The toilet is crowded with four families on one floor.
The furnishings in the house were also very simple. There was a square table and a few benches and chairs in the living room. There was only a wooden bed in the room, but no kang. However, there were brand new wardrobes, a dressing table, and a new mattress, which showed that Han Yongxin, the groom, had put a lot of thought into it.
As soon as the bride arrived at the bridal chamber, the room was filled with Han Yongxin's comrades-in-arms, relatives and friends who were all having fun. They were singing, dancing, and some were even reciting poems, creating a lively atmosphere.
The room was dark and crowded with people. The air was very stuffy. Yang Qiujin stood in the room for a while, then pulled Chen Tianyou to stand outside, waiting for the people inside to finish their party and start the feast.
Long Yanli, who used to be at odds with her but had been saved by her from Cao Jun, also came out and stood beside her, whispering to her, "I really envy Ren Ying. She married a capable man who didn't despise her, and she can live in such a nice house."
Yang Qiujin looked at her in surprise. She had not expected that she would take the initiative to talk to her. After thinking for a while, she said, "You will also meet a responsible and capable man who will marry you."
"Me?" Long Yanli smiled sadly. "When Cao Jun attacked us, even though I repeatedly said I was innocent, no one believed me. There were many young people in the group who were interested in me and they always tried to find out if I had been attacked."
At this point, she sneered, "I tried so hard to explain it at first, but now I'm too lazy to explain it. Love whoever you want. Anyway, I can live well on my own."
Yang Qiujin was silent for a long time before she comforted her: "As female comrades, we don't have to get married to realize our self-worth. I heard that you have taken over my position and are now doing the statistical work of the Second Company. As long as you work hard and steadily, you will be able to make a name for yourself one day."
Long Yanli sighed, "Yeah, I think the same thing. Director Yang, you know, you are my role model now. I hope that one day, I can become a director like you and build my own business."
Yang Qiujin smiled and said some words to encourage her. After everyone had a good time in the bridal chamber, they called for the feast to begin downstairs.
Everybody went downstairs. The so-called banquet was for the chefs from the company canteen who were invited to cook several large pots of cabbage noodle soup, in which some mutton and mutton offal cut into small pieces were put, as well as some vermicelli and radish. Each person scooped a large bowl of the soup, and had a steamed bun bigger than their face. There were about fifty people attending the wedding, and everyone ate very happily.
After Yang Qiujin and her son finished their wedding banquet, a group of young people were still clamoring to go back to the bridal chamber to make a scene. Chen Tianyou also wanted to go, but Yang Qiujin stopped him and said, "You are just a little kid, why are you making a scene in the bridal chamber? Come home with me."
"I'm already a big boy, I know what a wedding night prank is." Chen Tianyou muttered unconvinced, "A wedding night prank is when a couple does this and that, and then they have a baby."
Yang Qiujin was about to mount her horse, but she almost slipped and fell off the horse. She looked at her son in disbelief: "Chen Tianyou, were you eavesdropping on Mom's conversation at night?"
"No." Chen Tianyou said while sitting on the horse in front of her, "These were all told to me by Li Dadan. When night falls at his house, his father bullies his mother and keeps yelling ah ah oh oh. Not long after, he has new brothers and sisters born."
Yang Qiujin was speechless. She hugged him and rode in the direction of the troops. "It's understandable for you boys to know these things. After all, you will have to face these things when you grow up. But mom hopes you won't mention these things to others casually, especially to girls. It's very rude. In layman's terms, it's hooliganism."
Chen Tianyou seemed to understand, "So Li Dadan is being rude to me by telling me these things?"
Yang Qiujin: ...
Her head hurts a bit. It would be great if Chen Shengqing were here. As for matters concerning men and women, she thinks Chen Shengqing, as a father, can explain these things to his children better than she can.
Two months later, as the New Year was coming to an end and the day to go home was getting closer, heavy rain and snow suddenly hit northern Xinjiang, causing a township called Tieke, located at the westernmost part of the Tianshan Mountains, with an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, to suffer from the snow disaster.
This township is close to a national port with the Soviet Union. There is a highland pasture on the border. In summer, the mountains are green and grassy, flowers are blooming all over the mountains, and there are piles of felt tents. But in winter, this township is often hit by snowstorms.
There were only two squads of soldiers stationed at the port outpost closest to Tieke Township. They had to work in two shifts to guard the port and were unable to leave to help the villagers in Tieke Township retrieve their disaster-stricken cattle and sheep. So, as in previous years, they asked for help from the Border Defense Headquarters.
The people who came to help were Chen Shengqing's cavalry battalion who were patrolling the border.
Logically speaking, now that Chen Shengqing is at the deputy regimental level and his border patrol mission is over, he can hand over to the third battalion commander and return to the unit to have a good rest.
But after receiving the order from the commander-in-chief of the border defense department, he still did not hesitate and led a cavalry company to Tieke Township overnight to carry out disaster relief.
The weather was bad, especially on winter nights when visibility was very poor. In order to prevent the troops' horses from falling into snow holes and breaking their legs, they had to dismount and march laboriously towards Tieke Township in waist-deep snow, braving the heavy wind and sleet.
However, when they trekked for eight hours and finally reached the mountain where Tieke Township was located, they found that the main road to Tieke Township was blocked by an avalanche.
The signalman in charge of road survey came back and said, "Deputy Commander Chen, the situation is not good. All roads leading to Tieke Township are blocked by large areas of snow. If we insist on climbing the road to Tieke Township, it will easily cause a second avalanche."
Chen Shengqing frowned and took out a march map with a stern face, trying to find the best route to the Tieke Township bypass.
The commander of the third battalion and two company commanders came over and pointed to a route and said, "We are now at this location. Tieke Township is located here. If we want to reach Tieke Township as quickly as possible, we can go from this mountain. However, the mountain is too steep and the road is very narrow. If we go through here, we will easily be blown off the cliff by the storm."
The consequence of being blown off a cliff is that you will be crippled if not dead.
Chen Shengqing thought for a moment and gave the order: "Divide the company into two. One part will follow the original road and try to clear the snow, while the other part will follow me to the peak."
In fact, they could also wait until the weather was a little better before going to Tieke Township, but the people of Tieke Township are a nomadic people, and their cattle and sheep are their means of survival. In case of bad weather, the longer they delay, the greater their losses will be. And if they ask the Border Defense Department for help, it is impossible for the Border Defense Department to delay and not provide rescue.
The third battalion commander understood this and immediately said, "I'll go with you."
Other officers below the company level also spoke up: "Deputy Commander Chen, we'll go too."
Chen Shengqing looked around at them and finally selected fifty warriors who were strong and had wives and children or many brothers and sisters at home to climb the peak with him.
If something happens to them, since they have children in the family and they are not the only ones, it won't be so hard for their family members to forget them.
After they spent another three hours climbing up the mountainside with great difficulty, they stopped at a narrow road that was just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Chen Shengqing, who was walking in the front and charging forward to blaze a trail for everyone, suddenly realized something was wrong and made a gesture to everyone behind him, asking them to stop.
"What's wrong, Deputy Commander Chen?" The third battalion commander who was following behind him asked, panting.
"There are people lying in ambush ahead." Chen Shengqing looked at the white peaks around him with a cold gaze. "Although they hid their tracks very well, I have already found their footprints from halfway up the mountain."
"Where is it?" The third battalion commander was shocked and looked around.
The snowstorm was so strong that it only took half an hour to cover up all the footprints they had walked. As they walked along, they didn't even notice any traces of other people's footsteps ahead of them.
The third battalion commander looked around, but saw nothing except the glaring snowy mountains.
"Don't look at it anymore. Tell the brothers to find cover and prepare for battle." Chen Shengqing said in a low voice.
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