Wei Aiguo's letter was filled with joy; he had been officially appointed platoon leader and granted the rank of officer, albeit the lowest, second lieutenant. This signified a new beginning. Moreover, Wei Aiguo's rapid promotion was considered exceptional within the military.
The letter from Xu Liangsheng and the other two was mailed in an envelope.
Qiu Jiang's recovery speed was astonishing, and Qiu Hai thanked him profusely.
Xu Liangsheng's mother can now actually do housework, and sometimes she can even go for a walk. The hospital test results show that all her indicators are improving. Several test reports were tucked into the letter.
Deputy Commander Wang's knee condition had improved significantly. He thought his knee was just like that for the rest of his life, and he'd just have to endure it. An old comrade-in-arms of his had similar symptoms. He asked if he could try the medicine.
The common thread in all three letters is their high praise for the items Song Yan mailed, especially the dried fish.
Song Yan replied to each letter. She was worried about Wei Aiguo and hoped he would be careful.
A letter to Song Ma, instructing her to take good care of herself during her pregnancy!
The letter to Xu Liangsheng and the others was merely a greeting. Song Yan told Deputy Commander Wang that the ointment he mailed could treat joint pain caused by cold and dampness. He suggested using the ointment every summer solstice for three consecutive years, hoping it would restore normal joint function.
Song Yan also went to the county to see Han Yu, and she was doing well.
…
Life began to pass peacefully and warmly.
Old Shen and Secretary Fang were delighted to receive Song Yan's gifts.
Old Zeng was also happy; he knew Old Shen had suffered all these years…
Xiao Hu spends his free time whispering to Wei Ping and Wei An. The adults in the family don't say much, but they always cook a little extra when they're cooking.
After the meal, either Xiao Hu or Wei An would take the leftover food away.
Xiaochun is such a pitiful child, what else can we do?
…
When new educated youth arrive, according to the old custom, all the educated youth in the village will gather together for a meal.
These days, the last round of weeding in the fields has been finished. You could say there's a short rest period. Then comes the wheat harvest, and after that, the autumn harvest.
This is in the north where there is only one harvest a year, and there is no need to grow autumn wheat, so we can do much less work.
When Shen Hanyang discovered she was pregnant, Pan Bo and Grandma Wang were overjoyed. Pan Bo then arranged for the educated youth to have a get-together at his house.
Grandma Wang is used to having people at home now and isn't bothered by the noise. She doesn't object to gatherings at her house.
Huang Guoqing and his wife, along with Li Yuanzhao, delivered all the grain from the educated youth settlement to Huang Guoqing's home. They also pooled their money to buy meat.
Song Yan said that she and Xiaoxiao wouldn't contribute money.
When Fang Jinghua heard about this, she was very curious: was Song Yan not going, or was he going empty-handed to freeload?
Fang Jinghua quietly asked Gao Weijie.
Gao Weijie looked at Fang Jinghua with disdain, "You've been in the brigade for a while now. Have you heard that Song Yan is this kind of person?"
We're having lunch today, and the literacy class is on holiday this afternoon.
Xiaoxiao went to help with the cooking.
Song Yan asked Xiao Chun, who was going home, to stay and do some chores for him.
One minute they'd ask Xiaochun to deliver a rabbit, the next they'd ask her to deliver some vegetables.
Song Yan went fishing by the river. He also asked Xiao Chun to bring him the fish he caught.
Xiaochun went to deliver the fish, but Xiaoxiao and Li Yuanzhao kept him there to help. When the meal was ready, Xiaoxiao and Li Yuanzhao refused to let Xiaochun go home.
There was fish, pork, and rabbit on the table; the dishes looked so delicious they made my mouth water.
Fang Jinghua also swallowed hard. Song Yan didn't contribute; he took everything for himself.
Song Yan said she was beaten and that she had to listen to her mother-in-law; she was lying. Fang Jinghua angrily took a big bite of the rabbit meat. Wow! It smells so good!
Fang Jinghua, lacking any ambition, put aside everything else and focused solely on the food on the table.
Xiaochun ate her meat, but her heart was not at peace. She hadn't eaten at the table for months. Her sister-in-law always bossed her around.
Big brother, big brother can't see anything.
It's been two days, and my sister-in-law hasn't let her eat a single bite.
As Xiaochun ate, her eyes started to sting.
Everyone knows why Xiaochun was chosen.
Gao Weijie spoke the truth, "Xiaochun is doing alright now. With everyone's help, she won't starve. I'm just worried that her brother will just find her any family to marry into in order to collect the bride price."
Xiaochun couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.
"Can't you just stay silent? Nobody thinks you're mute," Fang Jinghua said.
“I may be blunt, but it’s the truth! Everyone talks about freedom of marriage, but in rural areas, it’s still the family that makes the decisions,” Gao Weijie said.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat first, and we can think of a solution for this later," Song Yan said.
This is really frustrating. It would have been better if Ji Xiaochun had just been an orphan; that would have saved us a lot of trouble.
Fang Jinghua seemed a little evasive when facing Song Yan, and Song Yan didn't want to talk to her either. Fang Jinghua was now quite tanned, like a country girl, and sometimes her hair was messy and difficult to comb. She was a far cry from the glamorous woman she used to be, wearing long skirts and leather shoes.
Everything went well during the meal.
The unusual thing happened at night.
Song Yan and Wei An were about to go to sleep when Chang Xiaohu forcibly dragged Ji Xiaochun, whose face was covered in tears, into Song Yan's room.
Song Yan: "What happened?"
Chang Xiaohu was both agitated and angry. "You'd better tell my second sister-in-law the truth. She's more capable than any of us. Maybe she can find a solution!"
Ji Xiaochun lowered her head and remained silent.
“Aren’t you going to tell me? If you do it, you’re finished too,” Chang Xiaohu said.
Song Yan asked softly, "What does Xiaochun want to do?"
Ji Xiaochun's hands were clenched tightly.
Song Yan had a bad feeling.
Seeing that Ji Xiaochun remained silent, Chang Xiaohu grabbed her hand and began to pull things out of her grasp. In the ensuing struggle, a package of paper spilled onto the ground…
Looking at the red wheat grains on the ground, Song Yan felt a pang of pain in his heart. This was rat poison issued by the brigade. Was it what he had suspected?
Song Yan led Xiao Chun to sit down. She then asked Xiao Hu to take Wei An and Wei Ping to Xiao Xiao's room.
"What are you trying to do? What are you thinking? Tell me. I know this time, and I'll definitely stop you. If you don't want to change your mind, I can't stop you next time. I can't watch you every day, can I?"
And I don't intend to tell anyone what you did.
So you told me, it won't affect anything.
Xiaoxiao walked in, unaware of what had happened, and stood quietly to one side with Xiaohu.
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