Chapter 74
The wall of the yard was very low, and an adult man could jump in. Su Ying was worried that it would not be safe even if the gate of the yard was locked, so she urged Jiang Huihan to take Jiang Leyun upstairs to stay in the room and not come out. The door of the room should also be closed tightly, while she stayed in the living room on the first floor to guard.
Not only was the door of the living room locked from the inside, but a heavy cabinet was moved from the utility room and placed behind the door. My mother-in-law held a stick in her left hand and a kitchen knife in her right hand, staring at the door in front of her with sharp eyes, not daring to relax for a moment.
Jiang Suihan felt so tired for her mother-in-law. She didn't think the matter was serious at first, but after her mother-in-law did this, the atmosphere became extremely tense.
Su Ying felt her eyelids tired from keeping them open. She couldn't help but blink. Seeing Jiang Huihan still standing aside, she hurriedly said, "Go up quickly. I'll just watch from here. You're still pregnant and Lele is still young. You two can't help much here and you're in the way. Go upstairs quickly."
Knowing that what her mother-in-law said made sense, even though Jiang Suihan was very worried about her mother-in-law being alone downstairs, she had no choice but to go upstairs, close the room, and she and her brother sat on the bed facing each other.
Jiang Leyun had never experienced this before. Her face was filled with confusion and fear. She couldn't help but whispered, "Sister."
Jiang Suihan rubbed her brother's head, not knowing whether she was comforting him or herself: "It's okay, don't worry."
It was the middle of the night and everyone was very sleepy. Lele's little head was nodding, and he couldn't stand the call of Zhou Gong. He tilted his body and fell on the bed, snoring soundly.
Jiang Suihan covered her mouth and yawned, shaking her head to make herself more awake. In the past, she would have gone to bed at this time, but now the situation was unclear and she had something on her mind, so how could she sleep? As a child, she didn't have anything to worry about, so she went to sleep when she was sleepy.
She covered her brother with the quilt and tucked the corners of the quilt to prevent the cold air from entering the quilt.
Jiang Suihan wanted to go downstairs to take a look, but she was afraid that her mother-in-law would worry and have to distract herself from taking care of her. She had to suppress the urge to go downstairs, tried to keep her eyes wide open, and sat on the bed waiting.
When she was drowsy, she heard a noise coming from downstairs. She was startled and all the sleepiness disappeared at once. She tiptoed to the door and put her ear to it.
The sound was getting closer and closer, and she could hear her own heartbeat going very fast, pounding against her eardrums.
Su Ying clenched the weapon in his hand, walked behind the door, and was ready to take the enemy's life by surprise.
"Mom, open the door, it's me." Xu Zhao raised his hand and knocked on the door three times.
The voice sounded like her son's, but the enemy was cunning and crafty. Perhaps he just had a similar voice to trick her into opening the door, so she was not so easily fooled.
Su Ying cleared her throat and asked loudly, "You said you were my son, so let me ask you, when you were seven years old, which family in the yard did you and your group of friends steal fruit from?"
Outside the door, the corners of Xu Zhao's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. His mother still remembered the old trivial matters. It would have been fine if he just remembered them, but he even brought them up.
Is this the memory and nagging ability of a middle-aged woman?
"Aunt Cai's house." The tone revealed a hint of helplessness and embarrassment.
Su Ying nodded, and the answer was correct, but she couldn't let her guard down yet, so she asked again, "What fruit was stolen?"
Xu Zhao was speechless and rubbed his forehead: "Persimmon."
Correct answer!
It's a son.
Su Ying hurriedly pushed the cabinet open with force. God knows how she managed to move this heavy cabinet. Maybe it was because she had just finished her meal and had strength. Now she has digested the food and is hungry and has no strength left.
"Wait a moment, I'll move this cabinet first, it's too heavy."
There was a cold wind outside, making people shiver.
Xu Zhao continued to remain silent.
Finally, the cabinet was moved aside. Su Ying opened the door and a cold wind blew in. She shivered and sneezed, "Come in quickly."
He quickly walked to the table, picked up the thermos and poured a cup of hot water for Xu Zhao.
It was really cold after being outside for so long. Xu Zhao drank half a glass of water and warmed up a little before asking, "Where are the two of them?"
Su Ying brought the thermos over and poured him some more water: "She's upstairs, maybe she's asleep. Is everything alright?"
Xu Zhao didn't want to reveal too much: "A few thieves who sneaked in were caught."
Can someone who dares to come to the army to steal things be called a thief?
Su Ying knew that she couldn't ask any more questions. She wouldn't get any results if she continued to ask. She wasn't that curious either. She couldn't help but yawn twice and said, "I'm so sleepy. I'm going to sleep now."
Xu Zhao finished the water in the cup and went upstairs. He was not surprised to see the door was locked. He knocked twice: "Sui Sui, it's me."
Jiang Suihan heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the familiar voice. She quickly got up, opened the door, looked at him happily and surprisedly and said, "You're back!"
Xu Zhao noticed from the corner of his eye that she was not wearing shoes, only a pair of white socks walking on the floor. He frowned, bent down, picked her up and walked to the bed. Just as he was about to put her down, he saw a small bulge on the bed.
My brother-in-law was sleeping in their big bed, snoring loudly.
The adults in the family were all worried and anxious tonight, but the children were carefree and slept soundly.
Jiang Suihan sat down on the bed, feeling a little guilty: "I was in a hurry just now and forgot to put on my shoes."
Then she changed the subject and asked him, "Is everything settled?"
Xu Zhao answered while taking off his clothes: "We have caught the people, and there are special people in the army who will take care of the rest."
They caught the man and left the interrogation to professionals.
What happened tonight is simple, not complicated. It's just a few thieves who committed crimes in their hometown and fled here. They gathered together and wanted to smuggle into another country, but they had no guns and did not dare to take risks. One of them accidentally learned that there was a troop nearby, so they planned to make a big move.
It was just a coincidence. The army originally planned to organize the soldiers and their families who stayed in the army to celebrate a happy New Year tonight. The program and other food were all arranged. However, something unexpected happened in the middle. The ordered pork could not be delivered on time and would not arrive until tomorrow, so the plan had to be postponed.
The news those people got was that the troops were having a dinner party tonight, and the people outside didn't know about the delay of the party yet. They searched for two days and found a place with relatively weak guards. They prepared to climb over the wall from here as planned, anticipating that everyone would be in a good mood during the New Year, and the troops would gather together, so the guards would definitely relax their vigilance. So they would sneak in first and then slowly look for an opportunity.
The plan was not very rigorous. If they wanted to have a higher chance of success, they would have waited until late at night when everyone was asleep. However, they did not wear enough thick clothes and the weather was too cold to resist the biting chill that penetrated their skin, so they moved the plan forward. Anyway, everyone was in the cafeteria and no one would notice that they dared to do anything under their noses.
One of them did sneak in, but he was not very skilled. When he was climbing over the wall, his feet slipped and he didn't hold the flashlight firmly, so it shook a few times.
What bad luck! As luck would have it, Jiang Huihan wanted to go out for a walk and happened to look in that direction.
Xu Zhao changed into his pajamas and turned to Jiang Suihan and said, "You have made the greatest contribution tonight. The political commissar said that after the matter is investigated clearly, he will help you apply for a reward from the army."
Jiang Suihan's eyes lit up: "What reward? Reward money?"
Xu Zhao tapped her forehead: "Material rewards."
When she heard that there was no money, Jiang Suihan curled her lips and said "oh" lightly.
Xu Zhao raised his lips slightly and added slowly, "I have money."
Jiang Suihan was instantly happy again: "Money is the most real thing. Please thank the political commissar for me."
Xu Zhao walked forward, lifted the quilt, picked up his brother-in-law and walked out of the bedroom, sent the child to his own room, and considerately helped him cover the quilt and adjust the position of the pillow.
Jiang Suihan saw that he wanted to lift the quilt and get on the bed, so she stopped him quickly: "Don't come up, you haven't washed your feet yet."
It’s cold in winter, and it’s not realistic to take a shower every day. It’s easy to catch a cold. Besides, there’s not enough firewood at home, and it’s not enough to burn so much firewood every day.
She can barely accept not taking a shower every one or two days, but she really can't accept going to bed without washing her feet. Her feet will become smelly from being wrapped in shoes all day. Don't tell her that winter is different from summer and that she won't smell if she doesn't sweat.
Xu Zhao really forgot that he was usually very clean, but that was compared to those smelly men in the army. He was famous for his cleanliness in their previous dormitory. The training was so tiring every day, and there was not enough time to eat and rest, so how could he have extra time to clean himself? His roommates also wanted to wash their hair and feet before going to bed every day, but they were powerless. Seeing Xu Zhao dress himself up clean and handsome, he was a beautiful scenery when walking on the road. They were jealous, but they still did not take action.
Jiang Suihan has a lot of requirements. She must wash her feet before going to bed, wash her hands before and after eating, scald the dishes and chopsticks with boiling water before eating, and never wear socks for more than one day. If conditions permit, she wants to take a bath and wash her hair every day. In short, she has a lot of requirements, and she will be angry if you don't do as she says.
Xu Zhao silently let go. Fortunately, there was half a bottle of hot water in the thermos, so he washed his face and feet. When he had tidied himself up and returned to the bedroom, he saw the person on the bed sleeping with a sweet face and a curved mouth, as if she had dreamed of something that made her happy.
When I woke up the next day, the New Year atmosphere was still very strong, with laughter and New Year greetings everywhere. But if you look closely, you will find that there is something else mixed in with everyone's smiles.
My mother-in-law prepared a lot of candies. Whenever children came to pay New Year's greetings, she would give them two candies and a few peanuts. Every child came with full anticipation, and left happily with their pockets full.
Some children are very sweet and will say to people in a nice way: "Happy New Year, Grandma. Happy New Year, Auntie."
Su Ying was so happy that she gave him one or two more candies.
Xixi smiled so happily that the small pocket of her clothes could no longer hold anything. She turned her head and looked at her mother helplessly.
Wu Guihua was about to ask to help her daughter hold it, but Zhao Xiaojun unexpectedly reached out from the side and grabbed it: "Second brother will help you eat it."
Then he turned around and ran away.
Xixi looked at her brother's back as he ran away, blinked her eyes, looked down at the only candy left in her hand, blinked again, and then cried with a loud cry, feeling very aggrieved.
"My second brother took my candy, wow wow wow..."
Jiang Suihan covered her ears while laughing. She was not at all surprised that Zhao Xiaojun would do this. That kid was indeed very naughty.
Wu Guihua quickly picked up her daughter and coaxed her: "Don't cry, mom will help you fight back and give your second brother a good beating later."
When Xixi heard that her mother was going to give her second brother a good beating, her second brother's butt would not be saved, she showed an expression of reluctance on her face and said with a pursed mouth, "Don't hit my second brother."
Wu Guihua was speechless: "Okay, you two brothers and sisters have a good relationship, I won't get involved."
Youyou walked up to Xixi, handed her a candy, and said in a baby voice, "Here."
Dai Jia couldn't help but hold her forehead with her hand, laughing so hard: "Mom took a bite of your candy, and you pouted your lips to look at mom. Now no one asked anyone to give you candy, but you took the initiative to give it to her. Do you want to play with your sister?"
Wu Guihua was also happy: "Youyou is such a good kid. Sister has candy to eat, and Youyou eats it by himself."
Youyou looked at the adults blankly and saw them smiling at him. His little head couldn't understand what was going on, so he threw himself forward and buried himself shyly in his mother's arms.
Then the adults laughed even more happily and louder.
Dai Jia hugged her son, her shoulders shaking with laughter: "Are you still shy?"
Jiang Suihan grabbed a handful of candies and shared them with the two children. It was New Year's Day, and Dai Jia and Wu Guihua didn't want to restrict the children from eating candies, so they let them do whatever they wanted. In the past, they didn't have any candies even when they wanted to, but there were more delicious foods at home in the past few days. The children kept eating, and except for the few cents in the red envelopes, the rest of their pockets were all food.
Dai Jia's family is better off. She and Zhang Xiangqian have only one son, and there is no burden from their hometown. Her mother occasionally secretly subsidizes her daughter. In fact, Youyou is not short of sugar, but his mother doesn't let him eat too much sugar.
Several people sat together, warming themselves by the fire and eating peanuts.
Dai Jia suddenly asked, "Have you heard about what happened last night?"
Jiang Huihan didn't comment. As soon as she saw Dai Jia's expression, she knew that she couldn't hide the truth.
Wu Guihua threw the peanut shells in her hand into the fire and asked meaningfully, "Which one are you referring to?"
Jiang Suihan was confused. Could it be that more than one big thing happened last night?
Dai Jia raised her eyebrows, looking excited to share some gossip: "Wang Lijuan came back yesterday, and we all thought she went back to her hometown. The incident happened suddenly last night. We all hid at home when we heard the alarm. Who would have thought that Wang Lijuan was stupid enough to run out of the house in the cold weather and was caught and held hostage? Fortunately, your Xu Zhao is a good shooter and shot the man holding the gun, so Wang Lijuan saved her life."
"Do you think she is sick? The weather is so cold, but she didn't stay at home at night. She ran out and offered herself to be a hostage. Is she the kind of person who would betray her own people? My family and Wang Liying's family live in the same building. Last night, the army searched her house overnight. Wang Liying and her two children stood at the door shivering, their faces pale. Captain Li was also taken away and hasn't come back yet this morning. It's really unlucky for Captain Li to have such a sister-in-law."
The amount of information is a bit overwhelming, and Jiang Huihan said she needs some time to read it.
She looked at Dai Jia and briefly extracted the information from his words: "You mean that a thief sneaked into the army last night and tried to steal something, but was discovered. The thief ran into the family compound, and then Wang Lijuan ran away from home for some reason. She was caught by the thief and used as a hostage to threaten the army. Is that right?"
Jiang Suihan thought that Wang Lijuan had disappeared from her life, but she didn't expect to hear her name again two or three months later. She felt like she was in a different world.
Dai Jia nodded, her expression indescribable. She racked her brains to figure out why Wang Lijuan did this. Some people in the family compound were saying that Wang Lijuan was mentally ill, but she didn't know if it was true.
Jiang Suihan thought for a moment and asked again: "Do you know who she is going to find when she goes out? Or in other words, which direction is she going?"
Dai Jia thought about it and was not sure: "The direction the thief ran away seemed to be towards your house."
So, Wang Lijuan came to find her, or Xu Zhao?
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