Chapter 26
Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi squeezed through the crowd and successfully arrived at the waiting room at the back. It was also packed. Those who didn't have a seat sat on the ground, while those who cared sat on their luggage.
But they didn't need to find a seat. After standing for a while, a staff member in a dark blue uniform shouted at the top of his voice that the bus to the county town was about to depart, and asked those going to the county town to follow him.
Meng Wanqiu and the other person followed the man and passed through a small iron gate. They saw a bus parked outside. It was green on the top and white on the bottom, but the white part was covered with yellow mud spots.
The ticket inspector was standing at the door of the train. He watched the people in front of him check their tickets with the conductor, and Meng Wanqiu followed suit.
However, when it was their turn, the ticket inspector raised his eyelids and glanced at them. Meng Wanqiu didn't understand why and looked down at herself. She felt normal, so why was he looking at her like that?
After getting on the bus, Meng Wanqiu sat down by the window, still thinking about the look in the ticket inspector's eyes. How should I put it? It felt a bit funny, a bit playful, and a bit admiring, all weird.
When encountering something she didn't understand, Meng Wanqiu subconsciously looked at Pei Xingzhi and found that Pei Xingzhi's lips were pursed, as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.
"What's wrong with you? Why is that ticket collector looking at us like that?"
Pei Xingzhi finally couldn't help himself and chuckled. He raised his left hand and said with a smile, "You held my hand all the way. Who else but the ticket inspector is this Tiger Girl? You're so brave, holding my hand in front of so many people. I admire you."
After saying that, he buried his head in Meng Wanqiu's neck and laughed so hard that his shoulders shook.
Pei Xingzhi had been enduring all the way, but Meng Wanqiu didn't realize that she was actually very nervous. She held Pei Xingzhi's hand tightly and stared at the movements of the person in front of her. When she handed the ticket to the ticket inspector, she was also in a hurry, as if she was looking for a fight.
Meng Wanqiu lowered her head to see their clenched hands, then looked up at Pei Xingzhi like this, angrily let go of Pei Xingzhi, turned her head to look out the window, not wanting to pay any attention to Pei Xingzhi.
Pei Xingzhi raised his eyes and looked at Meng Wanqiu's profile. The baby fat was still very stubborn and did not disappear along with Meng Wanqiu's weight. It was now bulging. One could imagine Meng Wanqiu's mood at this moment.
Pei Xingzhi curled the corners of his lips, and the doting in his eyes almost overflowed. He looked at Meng Wanqiu quietly for a while, and the sleepiness from waking up early came back, and he slowly closed his eyes.
After a while, Meng Wanqiu turned around and noticed that Pei Xingzhi was sleeping with his head tilted to the side. She sat a little closer, pressed Pei Xingzhi's head onto her shoulder, and continued to look out the window.
The bus stopped and started along the way, and many people got on and off. After about an hour, they arrived at the county.
Pei Xingzhi woke up when he was about to reach the county town. He realized that he had been leaning against Meng Wanqiu all the way and was massaging her shoulders.
There was a small incident in the middle. When the two were whispering to each other, the auntie sitting next to them kept looking at them with disgust. Later, she became more and more presumptuous. Pei Xingzhi just looked at her coldly and said, "We are husband and wife."
The aunt was frightened by Pei Xingzhi's eyes and muttered, "Even if they are a couple, why didn't you say so earlier? Besides, even if they are a couple, they can't be so blatant..."
Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu ignored her. They had no desire to say a word to such an unreasonable person.
I've never heard of two people announcing their marriage. Besides, who are you and why should I tell you? You're just a guy with nothing better to do.
The bus entered the bus station in the county town, which was even larger than the bus station in the town. It covered an area twice the size of the Hongshan Bus Station and had more buses.
As soon as the car stopped, everyone in the car carried their luggage and rushed out. Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi were not in a hurry and waited until everyone had left before getting off.
Meng Wanqiu also noticed that the aunt they mentioned just now was pushed down and stepped on several times when she was getting off the bus because she was squeezed with others. She was still cursing loudly. Because her curses were too dirty, the people who wanted to help stopped. Finally, the station staff couldn't bear it anymore and took her away, fearing that she would block the door and affect others.
After leaving the station, Pei Xingzhi took Meng Wanqiu to the bus stop, paid two cents and got on the bus. The county town's construction facilities were much better than Hongshan Town. The buildings were three or four stories high, and some were even five or six stories high. The electric wires crisscrossed the electric poles on the side of the road and extended into every household.
"I wonder when we can have electricity in our village?" Although they are only a few dozen kilometers apart and live under the same sky, they are two worlds in sharp contrast.
Pei Xingzhi also sighed, "The country is still groping forward, and everything has to be done slowly, but I think this day will not be far away."
Meng Wanqiu nodded. She had heard from Grandma Meng that when she was young, most of Shencheng had electricity. However, after the war, the country's development stagnated and it was only in recent years that it recovered slightly.
I heard that people are not allowed to do business now. Meng Wanqiu feels that this is not a long-term solution. The development of a country is inseparable from the economy. She feels that all this is temporary.
"Let's go, don't think about this anymore, I'll take you to the movies."
Pei Xingzhi smoothed Meng Wanqiu's unconsciously frowned brow. There were some things they were powerless to change, and they could only hope that this haze would end soon.
The bus stopped at an intersection where the cinema was. The two walked in. Meng Wanqiu looked around curiously. There were many posters at the entrance of the cinema, including "White Haired Girl", "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", etc.
Pei Xingzhi went to buy two tickets. At this time, the only show left was "Red Lantern". Pei Xingzhi was not picky, and Meng Wanqiu had even less objection. She had finally made the trip, so she was interested in everything.
Two movie tickets cost thirty cents, and Pei Xingzhi also bought a small bag of melon seeds to kill time while waiting to get in.
There were also people buying drinks, but they were just ordinary sour plum soup, but Meng Wanqiu was still very interested and drank it with a sizzling sound.
Seeing Meng Wanqiu drinking happily, Pei Xingzhi also felt happy and felt that this trip was worth it.
When the time came, the two followed the crowd in. Meng Wanqiu found that they were all a man and a woman like them, but after thinking about it carefully, she was not surprised. Apart from these young people, who else would come to watch a movie in the middle of the day?
Just like in the previous life, men and women of marriageable age always try to find ways to stay together and express their feelings to each other. Even just a glance can make people blush.
However, nowadays, the restrictions on women are much less, and no one gossips about girls when they go out alone. People all value freedom of marriage and do not care about the orders of parents or matchmakers.
But Meng Wanqiu felt that what her parents said made sense. If a girl really wanted to marry just anyone, she guessed that girl's parents would probably be crazy.
There were neatly arranged wooden chairs in the cinema, but with cushions on top, they were quite comfortable to sit on.
The projectionist went behind the screen to show the movie, and Meng Wanqiu noticed that many people sneaked in from the side.
Pei Xingzhi sat next to her and explained softly, "These are people who don't have money to buy tickets but want to see the movie. They sneak in when no one is around."
Meng Wanqiu's eyes widened. "What if we get discovered?"
Pei Xingzhi said, "They are young. Even if they are caught, they will just be scolded and their parents will be called to arrest them. They will also have to pay the ticket money. It won't hurt them at all."
Meng Wanqiu nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly noticed that after Pei Xingzhi finished speaking, he moved closer to her, leaving a full person's space between the two of them.
Meng Wanqiu frowned, unhappy, "What are you doing, do you dislike me?"
Pei Xingzhi smiled helplessly and explained patiently: "How dare I? Look at others."
It was hard to explain, but Meng Wanqiu only then noticed that whenever a man and a woman came in together, there was always a wide distance between them, and they were quite close to each other.
Knowing her doubts, Pei Xingzhi continued, "You don't see it in the cinema, but there are always people who can't help but want to be intimate. I heard that several couples were caught by the Hong guards before, and they were all put up with signs."
When Meng Wanqiu heard this, she immediately moved to the side, and the distance between them became even greater.
Pei Xing was stunned, then he held his forehead and smiled. In terms of knowledge and prudence, he was probably not as good as Meng Wanqiu.
Meng Wanqiu stopped looking at Pei Xingzhi. If it weren't for the melon seeds placed between them, she would have thought they were strangers.
As the saying goes, the people should not fight against the officials. Meng Wanqiu knew that she was just a powerless commoner, and those wearing red armbands were officials who were currently powerful and could not be caught in a fight.
After the movie started, Meng Wanqiu no longer had time to think about these things. She was completely immersed in the movie and didn't even eat the snacks she bought.
The movie "Red Lantern" tells the story of three generations of the Li family, underground workers, who fought bravely against the Japanese invaders without fear of sacrifice.
The play also includes dramas that Meng Wanqiu is familiar with. She would occasionally sing a passage in her spare time in her previous life. Li Tiemei is a descendant of a martyr and was raised by the Li family. When she sang the line "The grace of seventeen years of education is as deep as the ocean", it stirred a little ripple in Meng Wanqiu's heart.
Seeing that Grandma Li and Li Yuhe chose to die in order to protect their granddaughter Li Tiemei, Meng Wanqiu frowned and felt a little emotional. If it were in her previous life, she would be alone and would definitely not understand such emotions.
However, she has parents and relatives in this life, and their love has taught her little by little. Even now, she feels vaguely touched when watching a movie.
Pei Xingzhi felt a little emotional, but did not put any more effort into it. Seeing Meng Wanqiu staring in a daze, he let go of the handkerchief in advance.
After the movie ended, the fluctuation in Meng Wanqiu's heart also dissipated. After all, she was different from the protagonists. They had responsibilities, but she was just an ordinary selfish person. In her heart, family was the most important, and she could not live without them.
Meng Wanqiu vaguely realized that she was deeply dependent on her family, even more than her husband Pei Xingzhi. If one day she had to choose between the two, she would choose her family without hesitation.
Noticing Pei Xingzhi's worried look, Meng Wanqiu secretly despised herself. She was really going backwards in life. She could even think of herself when watching a movie.
She couldn't be like the protagonist in the movie, watching her loved ones die. If her family was in danger one day, she would pick up the knife that she had put down long ago without hesitation.
"Where are we going next?"
Seeing that Meng Wanqiu had adjusted herself, Pei Xingzhi said no more, "Are you hungry? If you are, go to the state-owned restaurant for dinner. If you are not hungry, go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county to buy something."
Meng Wanqiu was not hungry yet, so the two of them went to the supply and marketing cooperative.
The supply and marketing cooperative in the county town is incomparable to the one in Hongshan Commune. It is two stories high. Meng Wanqiu can imagine how big it is and how many types of goods it has before even entering.
Just as the two were about to go in, Pei Xingzhi noticed the white building across the street. He didn't know what he thought of, his ears started to feel hot, and he stopped.
"What's wrong?" After taking two steps and realizing that there was no one around, Meng Wanqiu turned around and asked.
Pei Xingzhi touched his nose and said, "Well, I remember I need to buy something. Wanwan, can you wait for me here for a while?"
'Wanwan' was what Pei Xingzhi called Meng Wanqiu when they were alone. At first, Meng Wanqiu was a little uncomfortable, but after hearing it many times, she got used to it. However, she wasn't so corny, she just called Pei Xingzhi's name in a rigid way.
She even refused to call the Meng family "Xingzhi", always feeling that it was a bit strange.
"Okay, go ahead and come back early." Meng Wanqiu waved at Pei Xingzhi.
Pei Xingzhi was a little worried and gave some of his money to Meng Wanqiu, "Don't run around. If you don't want to wait, just go in and look around first."
"I know, I know. Go ahead." Really, he always treated her like a child. She had been to countless places alone in her previous life, and nothing had ever happened to her.
This county town is so small. She has even been to the capital where the emperor is. That is a big city with a population of millions, but it has no effect on her at all.
Pei Xingzhi walked away looking back every few steps. Meng Wanqiu became impatient and thought this man was really slow.
When Pei Xingzhi disappeared from view, Meng Wanqiu looked up at the tall white building and muttered, "Gucheng Health Center? Why go to the health center? Is he sick? That's impossible. I check his pulse every day and don't find anything wrong."
Meng Wanqiu is not as concerned as she was when they first got married. She suspects that Pei Xingzhi is in poor health, but she still cares about his health and prepares nourishing medicinal food for her family every month.
Pei Xingzhi's minor health ailments had been almost cured by her. Meng Wanqiu shook her head and decided not to think about these things anymore. She would just ask him directly when Pei Xingzhi came back.
Meng Wanqiu was kicking her legs out of boredom in front of the supply and marketing cooperative and looking around. Then, she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye and looked closely.
It really is her, Meng Wanqiu was surprised.
Jiang Xiuxiu hasn't returned to the village for a long time.
Jiang Xiuxiu walked across the street from Meng Wanqiu, looking a little flustered, glancing back from time to time. Meng Wanqiu noticed that Jiang Xiuxiu was wearing a light yellow shirt, the hem of which was tucked into her trousers. The trousers were not the usual loose-fitting ones, but were made of a light blue, somewhat stiff fabric, with the trouser legs tightened, which highlighted Jiang Xiuxiu's youthful and attractive curves.
She was not wearing cloth shoes, but leather shoes that were several centimeters high. Meng Wanqiu didn't know what kind of shoes they were, but she felt they looked good and made Jiang Xiuxiu's legs look very long.
Jiang Xiuxiu, like this, walked along the street, attracting countless people's attention.
Meng Wanqiu didn't want to meddle in other people's business at first, but when she saw the two men appearing behind Jiang Xiuxiu, she changed her mind.
The two men were neither too close nor too far from Jiang Xiuxiu, and their expressions were calm and natural, as if they were just out for a walk.
But Meng Wanqiu could not hide the truth from these two people. She did not miss the malice hidden in their eyes. In her previous life, Meng Wanqiu had seen all kinds of people, and naturally there were many bad people. The leader of the killer organization she belonged to was a first-class villain.
Meng Wanqiu didn't like Jiang Xiuxiu, but she also didn't want Jiang Xiuxiu to be ruined by these people.
Seeing Jiang Xiuxiu actually walking into the alley and the two men following closely behind her, Meng Wanqiu didn't care about anything else and hurriedly chased after her.
This alley leads to many places. This was Meng Wanqiu's first time entering and she began to use the skills from her previous life to quickly make marks that only she could identify.
Seeing the two men disappear, Meng Wanqiu quickened her pace and followed closely behind them.
After walking for about four or five minutes, Meng Wanqiu suddenly heard a scream, and then it disappeared.
Meng Wanqiu realized that Jiang Xiuxiu had been caught by the two men, and hurriedly chased after her. After turning a corner, Jiang Xiuxiu and the two men appeared in front of Meng Wanqiu.
Jiang Xiuxiu was thrown to the ground, her collar was torn open, revealing a bright white. A man covered her mouth from behind, and another man sat on Jiang Xiuxiu, grabbed her resisting hands, and smiled lewdly.
Seeing Meng Wanqiu suddenly appear, the man who covered Jiang Xiuxiu's mouth was stunned for a moment, then laughed fiercely, "Another beautiful girl has come, we are blessed now."
Jiang Xiuxiu noticed that the person who came was Meng Wanqiu, and a trace of despair flashed in her eyes. Why was it her? Could it be that she, Jiang Xiuxiu, was going to fall here today and be ravaged by these two beasts?
The man on top of Jiang Xiuxiu glanced back at Meng Wanqiu, his eyes lighting up as he impatiently said, "Baldy, catch that woman underground. I like this. Let me deal with this newcomer."
After saying that, the other man who was holding Jiang Xiuxiu tightly and called Baldy got up from the ground and said, "My little beauty, you like me so much that you actually came to me on your own initiative. Don't worry, I will definitely be gentle with you later - ah."
A hint of coldness flashed in Meng Wanqiu's eyes. Without saying anything more to the disgusting man, she quickly stepped forward, took advantage of the momentum, leaped into the air, and kicked the man hard in the chest. The man fell to the ground off guard, holding his chest and wailing twice.
The man who was holding Jiang Xiuxiu from behind saw this and realized that Meng Wanqiu was a martial artist. He showed deep malice in his eyes and reminded the man who fell to the ground, "Heihu, use a knife. This girl has practiced it before."
Jiang Xiuxiu was a little surprised. She didn't expect that Meng Wanqiu knew kung fu. Was she saved?
The man took out a dagger from his waist and walked towards Meng Wanqiu. "You stinky bitch, you dare to hit your brother Tiger? If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink a penalty. I'll teach you a lesson today."
Meng Wanqiu remained calm, noting that the man's movements were unstructured and untrained, and that he was merely slightly stronger than the others. However, she remained vigilant. In her past life, she had survived against opponents with deep internal energy and powerful martial arts skills precisely because of her cautiousness.
After exchanging a few moves with the man, Meng Wanqiu found his opponent's weakness. The man's left knee was obviously half a beat slower, and it seemed that he had a hidden injury. Meng Wanqiu gathered his strength and found an opportunity to kick the man's left kneecap hard. There was a crisp "crack" sound, and the man immediately hugged his leg and lay down. His face flushed and his neck thickened with pain, and the wailing was suppressed in his throat.
In order to take advantage of his weakness, Meng Wanqiu jumped above the man, clenched her fists and hit him hard in the face until he was unconscious and had no strength to resist.
The man named Baldy, seeing how powerful Meng Wanqiu was, suddenly wanted to retreat. He wanted to take out the knife from his waist and take Jiang Xiuxiu away as a hostage.
Jiang Xiuxiu was not stupid either. She felt the man's little movement and bit his wrist hard.
The bald man felt the sharp pain in his wrist and cursed, "Bitch, let go."
Jiang Xiuxiu still had some backbone at this time. Even when the man hit her on the head, she did not let go. She kept biting into the flesh and tasted the blood before being thrown against the wall by the bald man.
Meng Wanqiu noticed this and left the man named Heihu and walked towards the bald man.
The bald man didn't care about his wrist that was bleeding, and turned around to run away, but there was no way he could escape. He was successfully knocked unconscious by Meng Wanqiu.
Jiang Xiuxiu leaned against the wall, her hair disheveled and her face bruised. Her originally clean and beautiful clothes were now dirty, and she looked in a dishevel.
Looking at Meng Wanqiu, Jiang Xiuxiu felt very complicated. The person she hated actually saved her. Jiang Xiuxiu really didn't know how to face Meng Wanqiu. After thinking about it, she only asked this question: "Who are you? Are you the real Meng Wanqiu?"
Meng Wanqiu was stunned. "Are you sick? I'm not Meng Wanqiu, who are you?"
Jiang Xiuxiu's face darkened. She really still hated Meng Wanqiu. "Forget it, why am I telling you all this? No matter who you are, I owe you a favor for what happened today. From now on, we'll keep our distance."
Jiang Xiuxiu remembered that those two people not only wanted to abuse her, but also wanted to buy her. If Meng Wanqiu had not appeared, her life would have been over.
Meng Wanqiu didn't understand what Jiang Xiuxiu was saying and simply ignored her. "Come on, think about what to do now."
When Jiang Xiuxiu saw the two men faint, disgust flashed in her eyes and she looked away in disgust. "What are you going to do?"
Meng Wanqiu: "I was thinking, one of us should stay and watch over them, while the other goes to call the police. Do you want to stay or go to the police?"
Jiang Xiuxiu chose the latter without hesitation, and said fearfully, "Of course I called the police. Otherwise, if these two bastards woke up mid-sentence, I'd be screwed."
Meng Wanqiu thought about it and said, "Then go quickly and come back quickly."
In fact, Meng Wanqiu was worried about Pei Xingzhi. She had been gone for so long, and she didn't know how anxious he would be if he couldn't find her.
"By the way, after you walk out of the alley, see if Pei Xingzhi is at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative. If you see him, tell him where I am."
Jiang Xiuxiu curled her lips, feeling inexplicably like she had been fed a mouthful of dog food. "Got it. I'm leaving then."
Meng Wanqiu waved her hand.
At this time, at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, Pei Xingzhi stood under the electric pole, holding the condom he bought at the health center in his hand. The regret in his heart was about to overwhelm him.
God knows, when he came out of the health center and didn't see Meng Wanqiu, and searched everywhere in the supply and marketing cooperative but couldn't find anyone, Pei Xingzhi felt like he was struck by lightning, his limbs were cold and stiff, and he stood there stupidly.
If someone hadn't kindly told Pei Xingzhi that the girl in pink clothes who was standing here had left on her own initiative, Pei Xingzhi would have really gone crazy.
Pei Xingzhi regained his senses and knew that Meng Wanqiu was a smart person. She left without saying goodbye for no reason. Something must have happened, which was why she left on her own initiative.
Therefore, Pei Xingzhi's best option right now was to stay put and wait for Meng Wanqiu to return. While understandable, doing nothing but waiting here was excruciating. He began to recall clips from "Red Lantern," where the protagonist, Li Tiemei, was surrounded by Japanese invaders and faced various dangers...
"Oh, it's really here."
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears. Pei Xingzhi looked over and the next second, his eyes widened. "How did you get into this state?"
After a while, the wounds on Jiang Xiuxiu's face began to become swollen and her pretty face became strange.
Jiang Xiuxiu gently touched the swollen area, hissed, and said impatiently: "Meng Wanqiu is fine. Come with me to the police station first, and I will take you to find someone later."
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