Chapter 30 She had only one goal—to open the box…
The blinding beam of the flashlight shone on the two of them. Shu Ran and Xu Junjun stood there, unsure whether to stay or run.
Chen Yuanjiang seemed to have just come from inspecting another area. He was holding an object wrapped in a cloth cover in his hand, and his boots were covered with mud and grass clippings.
"Who?" Chen Yuanjiang's question was full of pressure.
Xu Junjun was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt down. She was only able to stand up because Shu Ran held her arm tightly.
Shu Ran forced herself to face the blinding light. "It's...it's us, Officer Chen. I'm Shu Ran, Shu Ran from Qiming Elementary School. This is medic Xu Junjun." She had to identify herself immediately to dispel any suspicion of being a spy.
"What are you holding in your hand?" Chen Yuanjiang asked coldly.
“…Water.” Shu Ran managed to utter a single word, “It was…scooped from that depression over there.” She dared not mention the spring.
"Water?" Chen Yuanjiang's tone was skeptical. He walked up to the two of them, so close that Shu Ran could smell... the smell of gunpowder on him? Shu Ran immediately became wary.
Chen Yuanjiang turned off the flashlight, stretched out his hand, and gestured with his eyes to the enamel basin.
Shu Ran stiffly handed the basin over a little, allowing the water surface to be exposed to her gaze.
Chen Yuanjiang leaned down slightly and looked at the water in the enamel basin with the light of his flashlight. Sand grains were suspended on the surface of the water.
Finally, he looked up at the two still-shaken girls in front of him and said, "This little bit of water isn't enough for a bath."
Shu Ran's face flushed, half with embarrassment and half with fear. She couldn't refute it.
“Running to the company border in the dead of night,” Chen Yuanjiang’s voice deepened, “Do you know how far this place is from the border? Do you know that enemy agents have been active in this area recently?”
Xu Junjun was so frightened that she almost cried.
Shu Ran met Chen Yuanjiang's gaze, her voice sincere: "I'm sorry, Officer Chen! We...we didn't know the situation was so serious! We were just...we were just too dirty, and we heard there was some water seepage here, so we wanted to get some water to wipe ourselves off...we absolutely didn't mean anything by it! We'll go back right now! We promise it won't happen again!"
She admitted her mistake readily and sincerely.
Chen Yuanjiang's gaze lingered on her face for more than ten seconds. Shu Ran could feel Xu Junjun trembling like a leaf beside her.
Finally, Chen Yuanjiang withdrew his gaze, moved the flashlight beam slightly away, and stepped aside to clear the path in front of them.
He ignored them and turned back into the darkness, quickly disappearing into the night.
Only when the beam of the flashlight completely disappeared, and the sound of horses' hooves receding into the distance, did the two breathe a sigh of relief.
“He…he knows…he knows everything…” Xu Junjun was somewhat incoherent.
Shu Ran nodded, holding the basin of muddy water. Yes, he knew. He knew they were looking for water, knew they wanted to bathe, and might even have guessed the existence of the spring. But he didn't reveal it, nor did he pursue the matter.
Shu Ran and Xu Junjun looked at each other, filled with surprise and lingering fear as they walked towards the company.
When Shu Ran returned to the entrance of the female workers' dormitory carrying the enamel basin, the atmosphere inside was very oppressive.
The kerosene lamp was turned up much brighter than usual. Zhou Qiaozhen stood in the middle of the floor with her hands on her hips. Beside her stood two young men in old military uniforms with serious expressions—the company's security officers! Sister Wang and Li Xiulan were also awakened and sat on the edge of their bunks, looking at Shu Ran with worried expressions.
"Hey! Our clean-loving teacher Shu is back?" Zhou Qiaozhen's tone was filled with the excitement of finally catching someone red-handed. "Where have you been working in the middle of the night, covered in dirt and water?"
Before Shu Ran could answer, she immediately turned to the two security officers and began to complain rapidly: "Officer Liu, Officer Wang! Look at this! I told you there was something wrong with her! She always smells of soap, and she's out in the middle of the night. Who knows if she has some other way to get water? Maybe she's stealing the company's water supply! Otherwise, where would she get water to bathe?"
As she spoke, she deliberately leaned closer to Shu Ran and sniffed, then exaggeratedly frowned, "Look! It's wet! And there's sand! Sneaky!"
Shu Ran was initially terrified, but seeing Zhou Qiaozhen's impatient expression, she calmed down instead.
She put down the enamel basin so that everyone could see her clearly: her hair was covered in sand and hadn't been washed; her face and neck were dry, but her trousers and shoes were covered in wet mud and sand.
Anyone with eyes can see that she didn't take a shower at all.
“Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen,” Shu Ran’s voice was calm, “where I go and what I do doesn’t seem to require me to report to you. As for stealing water? What evidence do you have? This little bit of muddy water in my basin was scooped from the low-lying area to the west. Do you want to check it?”
She pointed to the enamel basin on the ground, which was very murky, with mud and sand clinging to the sides.
Zhou Qiaozhen choked for a moment, and was also stunned when she saw the murky water in the basin; it was clearly not what she had expected. But she immediately turned her attention to Shu Ran's treasured camphor wood chest, her voice even sharper: "Fine! Even if you didn't catch her red-handed with the water! What about this? Who knows what kind of shady things are hidden in that precious chest of hers! Otherwise, why would she treat it so preciously? Locked up every day? I... I suspect she's hiding dangerous items! My things are missing! She might have taken them and hidden them inside!"
She had only one goal—to open the box and inspect it!
Sister Wang couldn't help but speak up: "Qiaozhen! What nonsense are you talking about! What could Teacher Shu have in her box? She teaches children every day..."
"Sister Wang!" Zhou Qiaozhen interrupted her sharply, "Don't be fooled by her! How can a capitalist's daughter have a pure mind? Officer Liu, Officer Wang, for the safety of the company, I request to check her suitcase! Let's see what shady things are hidden inside! Li Xiulan, you tell me! Is there that kind of...that kind of nightgown in her suitcase?" She tried to get Li Xiulan to testify.
All eyes were on Li Xiulan. Li Xiulan's face was pale, her lips trembling. She looked at the aggressive Zhou Qiaozhen, then at the calm Shu Ran, and then at the two security officers.
“I…I don’t know…” Li Xiulan lowered her head, “Teacher Shu’s things, I…I didn’t look at them carefully…”
"You!" Zhou Qiaozhen was so angry she almost jumped up and down.
Just then, the curtain was lifted again. Chen Yuanjiang walked in.
Shu Ran looked at him, wondering how this guy got here so quickly.
His gaze quickly swept across the room, then lingered on Shu Ran's face for a moment before landing on the camphor wood box.
"What's going on?" Chen Yuanjiang's voice was cold and hard.
"Officer Chen!" Zhou Qiaozhen exclaimed as if she had seen a savior. "Shu Ran didn't come home late at night, and her behavior is suspicious! I suspect she stole water, and I also suspect she hid contraband in her suitcase! My things are missing, and they're very likely in her suitcase! I request an inspection! It just so happens that you're someone from above, and you're in charge of important matters, so I called you here to judge this!"
Chen Yuanjiang looked at Shu Ran with a questioning gaze.
Shu Ran took a deep breath and pulled her key from her pocket. She knew there was no escaping this moment. She walked to the camphor wood chest and, under everyone's gaze, clicked the lock open.
The lid of the box was opened.
There were no outdated clothes or books as I had imagined. On the top shelf were two books: a dark green "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" and a yellowish-brown "Key Techniques of Cotton Cultivation." The covers were somewhat worn, but they were arranged neatly.
Underneath the box were several neatly folded but faded old clothes, as well as some chalk stubs and scraps of paper used in teaching.
It's clear at a glance.
Zhou Qiaozhen stared wide-eyed in disbelief and exclaimed, "Impossible! Where's her pajamas? The silk ones..." She realized her mistake as soon as she said it and immediately stopped talking.
Everyone's eyes instinctively focused on the box again, as if trying to see through the old clothes and find something.
Chen Yuanjiang looked at the camphor wood box
Shu Ran's heart was pounding. She didn't dare to look at Chen Yuanjiang. He had seen that silk nightgown before, and he must remember it!
However, Chen Yuanjiang did not speak, but simply watched in silence.
Sister Wang observed the situation for a moment and immediately shouted, "Look! Officer Chen, Officer Liu, Officer Wang! What's in Teacher Shu's suitcase? It's all proper books! All teaching and work supplies! Where are the pajamas? Zhou Qiaozhen... she's slandering us! She's always looking for trouble with Teacher Shu!"
Li Xiulan also mustered up her courage and said, "Teacher Shu... Teacher Shu is a good person, she teaches children very seriously. As for those pajamas... I... I've never seen them before."
Zhou Qiaozhen's face flushed red and then paled, her lips trembling as she pointed at Shu Ran: "You...you've hidden yourself! You must have hidden yourself! Officer Chen! She..."
"Enough!" A sleepy and disgruntled voice rang out from the doorway.
Company Commander Ma Zhanshan walked in, wearing an overcoat. "What's all the noise about in the middle of the night! Zhou Qiaozhen! It's you again!"
Ma Zhanshan surveyed the scene: two security officers looking at each other in bewilderment, Chen Yuanjiang with a serious expression, Zhou Qiaozhen with a wronged look, Shu Ran holding an enamel basin and looking disheveled, and an open camphor wood box.
"Inspect the boxes?" Ma Zhanshan frowned, looking at the security officer. "What did they find?"
Officer Liu shook his head: "Reporting to the company commander, there are only two books and some clothing and supplies. There are no contraband items."
Ma Zhanshan then looked at Chen Yuanjiang. Chen Yuanjiang shook his head slightly, remaining silent.
Ma Zhanshan had a rough idea of what was going on. He waved his hand irritably: "Nonsense! Zhou Qiaozhen, you're starting to suspect your comrades just because you lost something? And you even made the company's security officer come! I think you're just too idle!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping between Zhou Qiaozhen and Shu Ran, clearly fed up with Zhou Qiaozhen's constant tattling.
"Alright! The dormitory is a place to rest, not a battlefield! Zhou Qiaozhen, pack your things tomorrow and move to the women's dormitory over in the third row! There's an empty bed there! Everyone, just shut up!"
Zhou Qiaozhen's face turned deathly pale instantly. Moving out? This meant she had completely lost face in front of everyone, and she had lost her authority to manage Shu Ran in the dormitory! She still wanted to argue, "Company Commander! I..."
"It's settled then!" Ma Zhanshan interrupted her impatiently. "Move in tomorrow! Everyone disperse! Go to sleep!" After he finished speaking, he yawned and left without looking back.
The two officers from the company also left.
Chen Yuanjiang glanced at Shu Ran, said nothing, and then turned and disappeared out the door.
Only four women remained in the dormitory.
Zhou Qiaozhen slumped down on her bunk, her eyes filled with resentment.
Sister Wang and Li Xiulan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to help Shu Ran put the enamel basin in the corner.
Shu Ran silently closed the camphor wood box, locking it with a click. Only then did the cold sweat slowly seep out from her back.
She glanced at the distraught Zhou Qiaozhen, then at the basin of murky water, and a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
Tonight, she guarded the box and saw Zhou Qiaozhen off, but that little spring seemed even further away from her now.
Chen Yuanjiang's all-knowing yet silent gaze was like a thorn stuck in her heart.
A note from the author:
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