Chapter 58 Three Updates in One

The typhoon that passed through again after many years was as powerful as ever, and was even more powerful than before.

This was Lin Xiang's first time experiencing a typhoon, but Feng Li and Zhou Yuezhu, mother and daughter, had been on the island for many years. They got up in the middle of the night and went to Lin Xiang's room, listening to the howling of ghosts and wolves in the wind outside, the banging of doors and windows, and it sounded like someone was pulling violently, almost tearing the house apart.

"Mom, is this typhoon scarier than the previous ones?" Zhou Yuezhu remembered that the previous typhoons were not this scary.

Feng Li is more experienced at her age, especially at a time like this when she has to take on the responsibility of being the backbone of the family. She just comforted the two children: "It looks like the wind is going to be stronger, but don't worry too much, just stay home, we'll be safe."

They were able to stay safe at home from the typhoon, but they didn't know if their two grandfathers were okay outside.

As military dependents, the three people in the room thought of this at the same time and fell silent instantly.

I was woken up in the middle of the night. It was stormy outside, so how could I sleep? Lin Xiang simply asked Aunt Feng and Yuezhu to lie on the bed, and the three of them talked together under the thick cotton quilt.

"After the typhoon passes and they all come back, let's go out for a walk and then go into the city. We can have a good meal at a state-owned hotel, watch a movie, and then go to the department store to buy cloth to make clothes and prepare for the New Year!" Zhou Yuezhu has been very busy recently. There is a lot of work to do at the end of the year and many accounts that need to be checked. In addition, she was found out by her parents when she was secretly dating someone, and they are still in a tug-of-war. She hasn't been to the city to enjoy a comfortable and leisurely life for a long time. She is busy and exhausted every day.

Now think about it, in such a terrible typhoon, all those things are put aside for the time being. Nothing is important. The best thing is that my family is safe and healthy.

It is indeed easy for people to think about all sorts of things in such an environment. Lin Xiang misses He Hongyuan the most at this moment. There are thunder and lightning outside, and the wind and clouds are rolling. It seems that a fierce devil is coming. She doesn't know how the man is doing, or whether he has hidden well. Soldiers have engraved the duty of saving the dying and the wounded on their military uniforms, but as a military family member, they are most worried about their relatives.

"Wait until it's over quickly, and it will be Chinese New Year." Chinese New Year is everyone's best expectation.

Lin Xiang fell into a drowsy sleep at night. When she woke up again, only Yuezhu was by her side. Aunt Feng was nowhere to be seen.

Without waking Yuezhu, Lin Xiang put on a thin cotton jacket, got out of bed, opened the curtains and took a quick look outside. It was difficult to tell whether it was morning or afternoon by the sky. Through the glass window, all he could see was a grayish color. The beautiful island in Lin Xiang's memory was no longer the same as it used to be. Broken palm trees lay across the road, with many coconut leaves scattered around. Many coconut fruits were blown down from the sky and smashed to pieces. Some family-grown vegetables in the family yard seemed to have been uprooted, with soil and leek leaves mixed together and flying dozens of meters away. A bicycle that had not been put away at home in time was blown to the ground, and even one of the wheels fell off.

A military wife was struggling to move forward despite the temporarily subsided typhoon, and she carried the bicycle frame and wheels back home.

The typhoon was getting stronger and she was almost blown away. Fortunately, she ran two steps faster and went home to close the door.

It was thrilling outside, but Lin Xiang let down the curtains and the room was quiet and warm.

In the kitchen downstairs, Aunt Feng was cooking peanut porridge. The hot water in the pot was boiling, bubbling. The white and soft rice grains were swelling and floating in the water that was dyed red by the boiled peanuts.

Beside the stove, Aunt Feng was mixing shredded radish. She also took out the Spanish mackerel sauce that Lin Xiang had prepared and sent over last time. She opened the lid of the pot and took a look at the cornmeal buns that were almost done steaming. The fragrant, soft and golden cornmeal buns were emitting hot steam.

"Aunt Feng, how early did you get up?" Lin Xianggang glanced at his watch. It was half past eight in the morning.

"Old people can't sleep for too long, unlike Yuezhu, who can sleep until noon if she is not asked." Aunt Feng scooped two bowls of porridge and said with a smile, "Don't worry about her, let's eat first."

"The little girl likes to sleep." Lin Xiang helped to bring breakfast to the table, lowered her head and took a sip of the sweet peanut porridge. The warm feeling instantly spread from her mouth to every part of her body. The cornmeal steamed bun was soft and delicious, and it was even more delicious when dipped in some Spanish mackerel sauce or shredded radish. A mouthful of steamed bun and a mouthful of porridge was a rare peace after the typhoon passed.

After dinner, Aunt Feng filled the large water tank under the stove at home with water, and replenished it as needed without delay: "In the past, when a typhoon came, there was a high probability that the water and electricity would be cut off, so we had to be fully prepared."

Lin Xiang pulled the kitchen wires to take a look, and the overhead light bulb lit up. Everything was fine for the moment.

Zhou Yuezhu slept until almost ten o'clock. After having breakfast, she lay by the window and looked at the terrible scene outside, feeling worried: "Oh, everyone's vegetable garden is in trouble!"

There is really nothing we can do about the vegetable garden. All the vegetables that can be harvested have been harvested in advance, and the remaining ones cannot withstand the typhoon.

Lin Xiang thought it was a pity that her mother-in-law had taken such great care of the vegetable garden. She must not tell her about this, otherwise it would be too upsetting.

When the typhoon was raging, people were relatively safe staying at home. After all, the houses were located in a typhoon-prone area, and the materials used when they were built were solid and careful, so they have strong typhoon-resistant capabilities.

In the evening, the sky was as dark as midnight, and dark clouds were hanging over the sky. Amid the howling wind, the family compound was plunged into darkness.

The power is off.

Feng Li, who had made preparations in advance, asked her daughter to find the candles and light them. The military flashlights kept at home could also come in handy at critical moments.

"Aunt Feng, you are really well prepared." Lin Xiang felt that Aunt Feng had prepared a treasure box with everything ready to deal with various critical moments.

"You'll understand after you've experienced more." The candles were lit on the table, gathering a warm yellow glow. Feng Li and the two little girls tidied up and lay down on the bed. With the strong wind blowing outside the window, she said slowly, "The conditions were tough before, and we didn't have so many things prepared. We just persevered and got through it."

When talking about the past, the difficult times always come to mind. Zhou Yuezhu is curious: "Mom, what happened between Dad and Jianming's father in the past? Why was their relationship so bad?"

My father and my partner's father are sworn enemies, how can I seek justice?

Especially since her parents didn't explain clearly what was going on, Zhou Yuezhu felt confused and extremely curious.

Lin Xiang knew that Yuezhu was in a dilemma, so she agreed, "Aunt Feng, is this a serious matter? Is there no way to reconcile? Otherwise, it would be so uncomfortable for Yuezhu and Comrade Shen Jianming, two younger generations, to bear all this."

Feng Li glanced at the two of them in the dim candlelight, sighed softly, and then said: "Your father and Shen Jianming's father Shen Liqun were recruits in the same batch in their early years. They joined the army together and fought in the war. They have known each other for many years, but they have not gotten along well since they were young. They both have bad tempers and often love to fight. They would not give in to each other when arguing about military operations. They quarreled like this for many years, until Shen Liqun was transferred, and the two hadn't seen each other for a long time. Until a few years ago..."

Lin Xiang and Zhou Yuezhu asked in unison: "What happened a few years ago?"

"The situation was not good a few years ago. The old leader who had led them for several years and was similar to the second father was investigated and questioned. Your father was running around trying to find a way to get Shen Liqun to work in his military region." Feng Li's words were calm, but there were undercurrents and crises in her brief words. "Shen Liqun didn't stand up at that time. Maybe he was afraid of being implicated and wanted to protect himself. Anyway, your father was not very happy. People said he had no conscience. The old leader was finally criticized and demoted. Your father secretly used his connections to arrange a less bad place for him."

so it is.

Zhou Yuezhu listened to her mother talking about the past, and then she understood why her father was so dissatisfied with the Shen family. It was just that period was special, and many people were indeed worried about getting into trouble.

"Uncle Zhou misses his old leader and is willing to help more. Perhaps Comrade Shen Jianming's father is worried about implicating himself and his family." It is difficult to say whether this kind of thing is right or wrong. After all, there are indeed cases where people helped people who were investigated during the Great Movement and ended up getting burned by the incident themselves. This is not a trivial matter and it is very likely that their lives will be ruined.

Shen Liqun undoubtedly chose a stable path, but in Zhou Shenghuai's eyes, he was heartless and did not live up to his old leader. In Zhou Shenghuai's heart, he felt inferior and was despised and looked down upon.

As a result, she looked down on Shen Liqun's son and did not want her daughter to marry into such a family.

"So Dad and Jianming's dad never met again?" Zhou Yuezhu asked weakly.

"Later, we met during the military exercise in the Capital Military Region, and he was very sarcastic." Feng Li still wanted to persuade her husband, but Zhou Shenghuai almost treated the old leader as his second father. The old leader tried his best to lead the troops, especially the two most outstanding recruits, Zhou Shenghuai and Shen Liqun. He knew that they all came from the countryside with difficult conditions, and they were taken care of in all kinds of ways in life. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were his sons. Even though he understood that avoiding and severing ties in such a dangerous time was a stopgap measure, Zhou Shenghuai still had resentment, "So your job is difficult. Your father doesn't look favorably upon the Shen family now."

Zhou Yuezhu sighed and said, "What is going on?"

Lin Xiang squeezed Yue Zhu's palm under the quilt and comforted her: "Maybe the two of them can talk about it and reconcile in the future? Then it would be great if the old leader can survive the demotion and come back."

Feng Li felt even more troubled when she thought about this: "I'm afraid it's difficult. There is something wrong with my ideological line. I have been criticized several times. I don't know if I can come back in the future. Not to mention returning to the military region to resume my post, it would be good if I can spend my old age in peace."

Lin Xiang really wanted to tell them that the great movement would end in more than two years, and that the whole country would probably start redressing grievances earlier. She hoped that the old leader could also wait for the day of redress.

——

One day after the power outage in the family compound, the water also stopped. Lin Xiang often fiddled with the radio, but no longer received any signal. The typhoon had destroyed everything, and some electric poles had been blown down. The only source of information from the outside world was the loudspeaker.

Qin Yuzhen, director of the family home, went to the radio station to make a report during a brief lull in the typhoon, encouraging everyone to fight hard and resist the typhoon, and notified all comrades at home who had urgent needs to report immediately and request support.

The Zhou family had stockpiled a lot of supplies, including grain, oil, rice, flour, meat and vegetables, enough to last for more than half a month. They also had candles and a large jar of clean water, so their basic living needs were not a problem.

We were trapped in the house like this and endured a difficult week. Finally, the typhoon subsided and the crisis was resolved.

The family compound was in shambles after the typhoon passed through. When people walked out of their homes and saw the light of day again, they felt as if they were in another world and were not used to it.

The wives of soldiers were busy cleaning up the mess at home. Even the best protection could not withstand the typhoon. Director Qin led people to inspect the construction everywhere. With the help of some soldiers from the garrison troops, they repaired the water and electricity as soon as possible and strived to resume production and life as soon as possible.

Lin Xiang and Aunt Feng Yuezhu cleaned up Zhou's house first. They also knocked down a small piece of the kitchen window and prepared to replace it with a new one. After finishing this, the three of them returned to Lin Xiang's house. No one had lived there for a long time, and the house felt stuffy. After opening the doors and windows for ventilation, Lin Xiang checked everywhere and found that the toilet window was blown to pieces all over the floor. She hurriedly used a broom to sweep it into a pile. In addition, some rain water had flowed into the balcony upstairs, making it wet.

After a busy day of cleaning, all the houses were finally tidied up, and everyone went to help other houses, especially those with the elderly, the weak, women and children at home, who had difficulty moving and it was naturally more difficult.

"Everyone should unite and help each other. If you can, help." Director Yuan had just returned from inspecting the water pipes that the soldiers were repairing. "The water pipes are almost repaired. It is estimated that water will be restored tonight or tomorrow. As for the power poles, we have to report to the power supply bureau. However, the road is blocked and we can't drive now. The waterway is also unsafe. We have to wait a little longer. Everyone wait patiently. If anyone is short of candles, please report and receive them, but don't waste them."

There were more than a thousand people in the family compound. Military wives were busy with their children, some were repairing the houses, some were fixing glass windows, and some were repairing doors that were blown crooked. They were all helping each other and talking, lamenting how terrible this typhoon was.

"I've been on the island for many years and have never seen such strong winds."

"I always feel like the roof is about to fall off my house."

"Fortunately, the house in our courtyard is well built. If it were the thatched house in my hometown, the roof and the house would have been blown away."

Lin Xiang went to see how Song Qingya was doing. The educated youth who came to stay with her were helping her to restore her family. It was not a big deal. The two talked for a while, and their words were full of worry.

"We are still safe here, but I am worried about the guards." Song Qingya, like Lin Xiang, is a new military wife. They have only been married for a few months. This is the first time for her to face a man who needs to go on a mission in such a harsh environment. She can't help but feel nervous.

"Trust them, everything will be fine!" Lin Xiang said to comfort them, but she was actually unsure in her heart. That was a ruthless typhoon, and it had the power to destroy everything in its path when it blew over Langhua Island. Soldiers are also mortal bodies, so how can they resist? She just hoped that everyone would be safe.

On the way back to their own building, there were many broken trees along the way. The soldiers helped carry the broken trees away and clear the road. Everyone was busy and sweating. Lin Xiang also helped clear the road.

It was not easy to resume production and life. The army sent soldiers to support the family compound, and the military families rolled up their sleeves and worked hard. It took three or four days to resume basic life.

During this period, Lin Xiang went back to the food factory to take a look. Because the workshop and office building were built solidly, the damage to the factory was not serious. Only some doors and windows were deformed by the typhoon, and they were replaced in the past two days.

"The road outside has not been restored yet, so we can't go out for the time being, but the power supply bureau has sent people to repair the power line first." Zhao Jianjun was overwhelmed with emotions, especially when he saw some broken coconut trees and a lot of fallen coconuts, he was even more heartbroken. "Fortunately, we took precautions in advance, so we really escaped a disaster!"

If Lin Xiang hadn't suddenly thought of some loopholes in the production chain and borrowed a factory's warehouse to store a batch of coconuts in advance, the production would not have been able to resume in a short time.

"A lot of coconut trees have fallen here. It's so scary." Qiu Hongxia has never seen such a strong typhoon. After all, typhoons in previous years rarely blew down coconut trees. "It's scarier than before. Many coconuts fell to the ground and broke. It's heartbreaking to see."

I didn’t think much of it before, because the wild coconuts on the trees had nothing to do with me. But now that I’ve started producing coconut juice, I feel different. I always feel like it’s a waste, and I feel sad.

"Sister Guihua, there's nothing we can do about this. Fortunately, the plantation where we buy is not here." Lin Xiang had also heard this on the way here. "It seems that the damage in Wudaogou is not serious?"

"Yes! I called today to ask about the situation." Zhao Jianjun slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "We are lucky. We just found coconuts in Wudaogou. Lao Qian was right. The typhoon blew here and only blew a little bit over them. It's not a big problem. In addition, we went there last time to pick coconuts in advance and gave a notice. At that time, the radio notified us that the typhoon was coming. Lao Qian is also a real person. He organized members to reinforce the doors and windows of each household. After stockpiling supplies, he organized people to reinforce the coconut trees and coconuts. Just now on the phone, he was still very proud and said that there was nothing wrong, not a single coconut fell, and the coconut trees were fine!"

Hearing this, the workers at Factory 2 couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were safe and sound!

The damage to the troops here was not too serious in any aspect, and they were working intensively to restore production and construction. Lin Xiang counted the days and found that he had not seen He Hongyuan for more than ten days.

Lin Xiang, who was helping his neighbors repair their windows and was being helped to till his land by his sister Guihua, saw several soldiers passing by his door. He hurried forward to ask, "Comrades, have you heard where Commander He Hongyuan is now?"

"I'm not sure about that. Captain He should have led the group out to provide support." The soldiers assigned to stay on the island always have better information than the military families. "Many places have been affected by disasters after the typhoon, and some places have even been flooded. The comrades have all gone out to provide support. Don't worry, they will be back after the support is completed."

Lin Xiang became even more worried after hearing this. She thanked him and continued to help. However, she woke up from a nightmare at night.

The weather was still not good after the typhoon. The night was dark and gloomy, and a drizzle was falling, dampening Lin Xiang's dreams.

In the dream, Lin Xiang saw the flood caused by the typhoon submerging the village. The soldiers were carrying sandbags to fight the flood, and at the same time, they organized people to rescue the villagers who were trapped by the flood with great difficulty.

He Hongyuan was also among them.

He Hongyuan, who had not been seen for more than ten days, was drenched in sweat, as if he had been soaked in a turbid flood for a long time, and was participating in the rescue.

Lin Xiang saw a villager floating on a wooden board being swept away by the flood. He was about to be swept away by the current, and his life was in danger. In a flash, He Hongyuan swam out and grabbed the man tightly. He put the rope on the limp and cold villager, and shouted to his comrades to pull the rope. When he was about to return together with his comrades, a strong wave hit him and he was almost swept away...

"Hongyuan!" Lin Xiang anxiously called out to the man in her dream. When she woke up, her pillowcase was soaked with sweat. The last scene in the dream was that He Hongyuan was almost swept away by the flood and was in great danger.

......

"Don't worry, cousin, I'm sure he'll be fine." When they met the next day, Zhou Yuezhu comforted Lin Xiang, "Dreams are always the opposite of reality, don't believe it!"

Lin Xiang could only comfort herself like this: "Yes, dreams are always the opposite of what they actually are. They can't be trusted. They will definitely be fine."

Lin Xiang was feeling very anxious and was looking forward to her man's return soon. In the past, she had never felt the dangerous nature of He Hongyuan's soldiers. They were people who put their heads on their belts and were always the first to go to the front in times of danger. Now that they were facing a real natural disaster and were resisting it with their ordinary bodies, how could they not be worried?

Lin Xiang had trouble sleeping at night for two days in a row, and now she couldn't contact the outside world much. She asked Aunt Feng and Director Yuan for help, and also went to the melon seed sister in the factory to inquire about the situation.

The more I listened, the more worried I became.

"Yes, I heard that Phnom Penh was the most affected by the typhoon this time. Some villages were submerged and flooded. Many people were swept away and their bodies could not be found." Qiu Hongxia has been on the island for many years and can talk to anyone. She is good at getting information. "Not only the villagers were swept away, but I heard that two soldiers from the Peace Commune who went to rescue were also swept away. Alas."

With a clang, the enamel cup shattered into pieces on the ground.

Qiu Hongxia was startled. She looked carefully and saw that it was Xiaolin who came over: "What's going on? Xiaolin, come over and sit down."

Now the 119 Food Factory is gradually resuming production, but it is still not as good as before the typhoon. It has basically only recovered halfway and the workers are also working in shifts.

"Sister Guihua, are there really soldiers who were swept away by the flood?" Lin Xiang became more and more worried, especially when she thought of that terrible dream.

"Yes, I heard that he was rescued and sent to the hospital immediately." Qiu Hongxia saw that Lin Xiang looked unhappy and immediately understood what she was worried about. "Don't worry, it's definitely not Captain He. Look how scared you are! I won't talk about this anymore, don't scare you to death."

The bluestone road leading to the outside world on Langhua Island was finally cleared by the soldiers stationed on the island, allowing traffic to pass smoothly and the pier to be navigated normally. The communication path between Langhua Island and the outside world was opened again.

In the family compound, military families were eagerly waiting for their families. Soldiers who had participated in the rescue came back one after another. The compound suddenly became lively with the joy of family reunion.

Lin Xiang finally saw many figures in white military uniforms in the family compound. The tired soldiers finally relaxed and had a good rest after returning home. Many people were injured during the rescue process and were sent to the military hospital for bandaging.

Lin Xiang asked the soldiers who had returned to the hospital about He Hongyuan's situation. Several soldiers had seen He Hongyuan on the rescue line seven or eight days ago, but later everyone went on their own missions and never saw him again.

I wanted to know if He Hongyuan was injured or safe, but no one knew. In the chaos, it was difficult for anyone to pay much attention.

But no news is the best news.

——

Factory 2 resumed production using coconuts stored in Factory 1’s warehouse. Bottles of coconut juice were loaded onto trucks and driven away from Langhua Island to be supplied throughout the province. This time the typhoon did not affect their production. Factory 1’s canned shrimp sauce was also ready to be shipped to supply the entire province.

The shrimp sauce production of Shiwei Food Factory is also back on track. After the typhoon, the trucks loaded with canned Shiwei shrimp sauce and the shrimp sauce trucks of the 119 Factory were driving side by side on the road.

“Then the coconut juice from Factory 119 No. 2 has been produced and is being supplied today?” Qiu Xiuping knew that a typhoon would make landfall in Phnom Penh this month, and she had made preparations in advance at the Food and Flavor Factory. There would be no delays in production, especially since the raw materials for shrimp sauce are easy to refrigerate and will not go bad even if left for a long time, so the operation is not difficult.

But coconut juice is different. Coconuts grow outside and are blown away by typhoons.

But it has only been a short time since the typhoon ended. How could the 119 Plant 2 resume production? The coconuts of all sizes in Phnom Penh have suffered serious damage.

"Secretary Yang, did you hear it wrong?" Qiu Xiuping didn't quite believe it. She originally thought that this time the typhoon would hit 119 hard, and the coconut juice they had just started would have to stop production for a long time, or even fail.

"Yes, we're going to load two trucks today." Secretary Yang said as he handed the factory director a letter. "Director, this is a letter from over there."

Qiu Xiuping murmured in shock: "This shouldn't be the case. Where do they get coconuts to make coconut juice? This is really weird."

"Give it to him." Director Qiu opened the envelope and read it quickly. He winked at his secretary and answered his niece's questions. "I don't know why the 119 Second Factory suddenly made preparations in advance. They said they borrowed a warehouse from the first factory and prepared a lot of coconuts for slow use. More importantly, they don't seem to be collecting wild coconuts now. It seems that they have found a place to collect them. You heard the old man say that there might be strong winds and asked you to pay more attention. Could it be that 119 also knew about it?"

"Collecting coconuts together?" Qiu Xiuping frowned in surprise. "Could it be that they have set up a coconut plantation? That's impossible!"

Fruits like oranges are common, but there is no such thing as coconuts.

"I don't know exactly what happened." Director Qiu actually didn't care much about coconut juice. He just mentioned it casually, "This time our factory's canned shrimp sauce is supplied throughout the province, and we must compete with 119's canned shrimp sauce in one fell swoop! Now 119 is also watching us and is ready to compete with us. We have to take this matter seriously..."

Qiu Xiuping listened to her uncle absentmindedly, her eyes fell on the envelope behind him, and suddenly asked, "Uncle, how do you know so much about 119?"

"What kind of wall is impenetrable?" Factory Director Qiu laughed twice. "Okay, let's have a meeting to discuss the canned shrimp sauce issue. We must defeat 119!"

——

119 Food Factory.

Lin Xiang was also on shift. After all, the production of 119 had not been fully restored. In her spare time, she was always daydreaming. She encouraged herself to calm down. After all, no one brought bad news, which was the best news.

After checking the latest two truckloads of coconut juice sent to the provincial capital, Lin Xiang ticked the boxes in the checklist and packed up to go home after get off work.

Recently, Lin Xiang basically ate at Zhou's house. Aunt Feng thought that Hongyuan had not come back yet, and Lin Xiang felt lonely eating alone at home, so she asked the three of them to share the meal. She was originally planning to let her live here as well, but Lin Xiang insisted on going back.

She was worried that if she lived in Zhou's house, He Hongyuan might suddenly come back one night without her knowing.

She had to see him first.

After dinner, Lin Xiang left Zhou's house with her bag on her back and went to her own small building. Seeing that some nearby families had already reunited, she couldn't help but feel envious.

The small red brick building of his home always stood in front of him, as still as a mountain in Lin Xiang's sight. Unfortunately, it was now pitch black and no one had returned.

Just as she was about to reach her home, when Lin Xiang passed by her next-door neighbor Jiang Saozi's house, the door suddenly opened. Accompanied by a few faint groans of pain, Jiang Saozi's eldest daughter Lingling rushed out and was about to run away in a hurry.

"Lingling, what's wrong?" Lin Xiang looked a little uneasy.

"Aunt Lin Xiang, my mom was hit by He Dabao and now she says she has a stomachache. Let me find someone to take a look!"

Lin Xiang was startled. Jiang's sister-in-law was already eight or nine months pregnant. She couldn't stand the shock. She might be about to give birth. "I'll go and take a look."

In the room, Jiang Wenfang was lying on the bed, clutching the bed sheet with a painful look on her face, sweating profusely. Seeing Lin Xiang coming in, she hurriedly said, "Xiao Lin, I'm... afraid I'm going to give birth early... uh..."

There is still more than a month before Jiang Wenfang's due date. Isn't this premature birth?

Lin Xiang had never experienced such a thing before, so she quickly said to comfort him: "Sister Jiang, wait a minute, I'll go get a doctor."

After running out of the house, Lin Xiang told the three girls in the house: "Lingling, come with me. Yingzi and Xiaofang stay in the house to look after your mother. If anything happens, one of you should go out and look for Aunt Feng of Brigade Commander Zhou. But you can't all go. One of you should stay at home."

"I know!" The three girls were very young and were frightened to death. But when Aunt Lin Xiang came, they finally felt relieved.

Lin Xiang took Lingling to see Aunt Feng and briefly explained the situation. She also notified the kind-hearted Sister Guihua to go over and help, and then she went to the military hospital again.

Sister Guihua loved to chat everywhere in the courtyard and she knew everyone. When she heard that Jiang Wenfang was going to give birth more than a month in advance, she slapped her thigh and said bad things happened. She hurried to find the mother of Deputy Director Wang in the courtyard. Aunt Wang had delivered many young wives in the countryside before and had some skills. Now she could only ask someone to go over and take a look at the situation.

Lin Xiang went straight to the military hospital and wanted to ask a doctor to come to her house to check on her. Jiang Wenfang's amniotic fluid seemed to have broken and she was in so much pain that she couldn't move.

However, in order to support the areas affected by the typhoon, doctors and nurses from the military hospital were also dispatched. At this moment, except for a few on duty, there was no one else there.

"Nurse, is there no doctor here now? There is a military wife in our hospital who is about to give birth prematurely."

"The doctors are out supporting disaster relief, so..." The nurse saw Dr. Meng coming out of the corridor after her shift and pointed at her and said, "Dr. Meng is here, but she is not from the obstetrics department."

Meng Jing went to the disaster area with her colleagues in the hospital to provide treatment. After shift changes, she was withdrawn. Just as she had finished bandaging the wounds of the soldiers at the military hospital and was about to take off her white coat and go home to rest for a while, she was "caught" by Lin Xiang.

"Comrade Lin Xiang, I'm not from the obstetrics department, I don't know how to deliver a baby." Every profession has its specialties, and Meng Jing really couldn't do that.

"There are no obstetricians in the hospital. Doctor Meng, can you go over there and give them some sterilized instruments to help? The main thing is that Jiang's stomach can't wait any longer."

Meng Jing bit her lip. It was time to hire someone, so she couldn't care less. "Wait a moment, I'll pack and come back."

Meng Jing packed a medical kit and followed Lin Xiang to Jiang Wenfang's house. Several military wives were already crowded in the house. Aunt Wang was checking the fetal position: "It looks like premature birth. Why are you so scared? This is difficult."

Premature birth is painful for both the mother and the fetus, but no one can prevent it.

Qiu Hongxia was busy boiling water, Lin Xiang tore off the Jiang family's clean towel and prepared to use it. The people in the room were mainly Meng Jing, a non-obstetrician, and Aunt Wang, a midwife who had delivered babies in the countryside before.

Lin Xiang sat on a stool fanning the fire while Qiu Hongxia boiled a large pot of water, ready to be used at any time. Both of them looked worried: "Will this premature birth be a big risk?"

It might be difficult to deal with it in the future, not to mention that it is the 1970s when medical technology is still in its infancy. Lin Xiang can't help but worry. What's more frightening is that Instructor Sun is still out there helping with disaster relief and has no idea that his wife and children are in danger at home.

"It's hard to say." Qiu Hongxia didn't dare to scare Lin Xiang this time. She had seen it before. In the past, there were young daughters-in-law in the village who died because of premature birth. What a sin. "But Xiao Jiang is in good health, so he should be fine."

Feng Li notified the director of the family home, Yuan Yuzhen, to come over. After all, it was a military wife in the home who had an accident. Coincidentally, the man of the family was not at home. If something really went wrong, how could she explain it to Instructor Sun?

"Doctor Meng, Aunt Wang, can you guys tell me if the baby is safe? Little Jiang and the baby must be safe."

Although Meng Jing is not an obstetrician, she still has some basic knowledge. Seeing that Jiang Wenfang was born prematurely and the fetus was a little too big, it must have been difficult.

Aunt Wang was much more straightforward. She walked out of the house and said to Director Yuan, "It's difficult. It must be difficult to give birth! But it's already this late. What else can we do? We can only give birth!"

Hot water and clean towels were brought into the house. Lin Xiang looked at the door and saw Aunt Wang and Meng Jing helping Jiang's mother to open her womb. Jiang's usually gentle and kind face was twisted in pain, and she was howling in pain, which was heartbreaking.

The eldest and third child in the family, Lingling and Xiaofang, were accompanying their mother with tears in their eyes. They were reluctant to leave when Qiu Hongxia coaxed them to be taken away.

"Lingling, Xiaofang, your mother is giving birth to a younger brother, you should go out and stay here." This kind of scene must not be seen by children, otherwise they would be scared.

"Auntie Guihua, can my mom give birth to a baby smoothly?" Lingling tilted her little face up, her expression full of worry.

"Of course you can. Lingling, you are the eldest sister, and you are outside with two younger sisters."

Lin Xiang went out to inquire about the situation of Instructor Sun. At this time, the family needed him as a backbone. However, the soldiers who returned around did not know when Instructor Sun would come back. All they could do was wait.

——"You bad guy!"

Just as Lin Xiang went to the next door to inquire about the situation, there was a sudden noise of children quarreling nearby. Lin Xiang turned around and saw that it was the third daughter of Jiang Saozi and the eldest son of Political Commissar He.

Yingzi, the second daughter of Jiang Saozi, who was two heads shorter than He Dabao, was grabbing his arm with one hand and lowering her head to bite it.

He Dabao is three years older than Yingzi. He cried out in pain when the little girl bit him, swearing at him. He then threw the girl out with his hand.

"Yingzi!" Lin Xiang rushed over and half caught Yingzi. The little girl's left leg scraped against the ground, and her knee was instantly scratched and bleeding. She still glared at He Dabao fiercely, "You bad guy, you hit my mother!"

"Your mother walked without paying attention! And you blame me?" He Dabao is seven years old this year. He is tall and strong. He is the eldest child in Political Commissar He's family and the most beloved child of Political Commissar He's wife. He has a very domineering temper and likes to rush around in the family yard on weekdays.

Seeing that He Dabao was still trying to hit someone, Lin Xiang grabbed his wrist and angrily shouted, "He Dabao, you hit Aunt Jiang and caused her to have a premature birth, and you think you're right? And now you want to hit Yingzi?"

No matter how aggressive He Dabao is, he is just a seven-year-old child. He can bully children younger than him, but it will be difficult for him to escape from the adult Lin Xiang.

"Let me go, you little bitch, why don't you let go!" All kinds of dirty words came out of this person's mouth, which really shocked Lin Xiang.

"What do you learn every day?" Lin Xiang held Yingzi in one hand and He Dabao in the other and walked to the side of the road, where they ran into Director Yuan who was coming out of the Jiang family.

"What's wrong?" Director Yuan had never seen Lin Xiang so angry before, especially when she caught the most naughty boss of the He family.

"Director Yuan, it was He Dabao who bumped into Jiang's wife, causing her to have a premature birth. He has no idea how to repent after making a mistake, and he was even going to beat Yingzi." Lin Xiang pushed He Dabao in front of Director Yuan and said coldly, "Although he is only seven years old, the things he did have have nothing to do with age. He must be properly disciplined and punished!"

"Who dares to punish my son!" He Dabao's mother Yan Hongmei rushed over cursing when she heard the noise, with her hands on her hips and glaring, "Dabao, come here quickly!"

Pulling her son to her side and protecting him, Yan Hongmei chuckled, "Jiang Wenfang almost fell because she didn't stand steadily. Can she blame my son for having a premature birth? I think Instructor Sun's family really wants to bully others."

"You're talking nonsense!" Yingzi was almost dying of anxiety. She stammered, "It was he who bumped into my mother. He suddenly rushed out and scared my mother. She almost fell down. As a result, not long after we got home, my mother said her stomach hurt..."

Now the mother is giving birth to a younger brother or sister in the house. Yingzi just secretly heard the aunts say that this is a premature birth and very dangerous. She was so angry that she wanted to seek revenge on He Dabao. As a result, He Dabao strangled her and cursed herself and her mother. Yingzi grabbed his arm and bit it, biting it hard and refusing to let go.

"Bullshit! Don't think you can bully me just because my man is not at home. This matter has nothing to do with our Dabao. Jiang Wenfang can't blame us for her premature birth!" Yan Hongmei was in a domineering manner, looking more arrogant than anyone else. He Dabao, who was standing next to her, was also arrogant and didn't feel that he was wrong at all.

"That's right, what does it have to do with me!" He Dabao was more confident now.

When he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged over just now, he was really scared for a moment, but it was only for a moment. Now that his mother is by his side, he is naturally not afraid anymore.

Director Qin was troubled by the noise. She managed a large number of military dependents, most of whom obeyed orders and the organization's arrangements. However, there were all kinds of people in the world, and it was inevitable that some of them were rude and unreasonable, such as the people in Political Commissar He's family.

It is said that those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. The more rude and ferocious they are, the more likely others who are reasonable and respectable will suffer, while these people get the upper hand.

Seeing the unreasonable behavior of the mother and son, Lin Xiang was immediately amused: "Then wait for Political Commissar He to come back and let him judge. I believe that Political Commissar He is fair and will punish those who are wrong."

"You!" Yan Hongmei couldn't stand the enchanting Lin Xiang, who was so beautiful that she liked to meddle in other people's business. She stiffened her neck and said, "Why should I ask you to meddle in other people's business? Director Qin didn't even say anything."

"Yan Hongmei!" Director Qin was really shocked by the mother and son. Regardless of whether they cared about their neighbors or not, the key point was that Jiang Wenfang, who was in labor, was in labor because He Dabao frightened her and she went into premature labor. None of them felt guilty. "I'll settle the score with you after the labor is over!"

Hearing this, Yan Hongmei's heart trembled, but she still stood still to comfort her son: "Dabao, it's okay, they can't do anything to us! Giving birth to a child is a big deal, really..."

Lin Xiang didn't bother to pay attention to them. She went into the house to borrow the disinfectant that Meng Jing brought, and applied the disinfectant to Yingzi's knees, calves, palms and arms that were bruised from falling to the ground.

"Aunt Lin Xiang, is my mother okay?" Yingzi's eyes were filled with tears, making them look bright and clear.

Lin Xiang comforted her: "No, it definitely won't happen!"

The four-year-old girl asked again: "Will He Dabao be spanked?"

This was the punishment Yingzi knew about: children would be spanked if they made mistakes.

Lin Xiang looked into those bright and clear eyes, unwilling to let the light in them go out: "Yes, I will definitely be punished. If you do something wrong, there will be punishment."

"Hmm!" Yingzi sniffed and felt no pain on her body. "Then I will go with my mother and my newborn brother or sister to watch him get spanked!"

Lin Xiang was amused by the childish words and touched Yingzi's head lovingly. When she felt a little relieved, she heard the creaking sound of the bedroom door being opened.

"It's bad. I'm afraid it's going to be difficult to give birth. Is Instructor Sun here?" Aunt Wang rushed out to find someone. "If something goes wrong, I don't know if I can save the big one or the small one."

Lin Xiang was suddenly startled and stood up: "Auntie Wang, is it so dangerous? We can't both..."

"It's hard to say." Aunt Wang hurriedly asked Lin Xiang to find someone, "Little Jiang's husband must be here at this time, otherwise there is no one in charge at home. Has Instructor Sun come back?"

"I'll go ask again." Lin Xiang was almost unable to breathe. A huge fear came over her in an instant. Mrs. Jiang was such a kind person and she was looking forward to the baby in her belly. If something really happened... the fear of the unknown almost overwhelmed her. At this time, who could bear any mishap? She couldn't let the soldiers be out supporting disaster relief while something happened to their family members. How disheartening that would be.

Lin Xiang rushed out of Jiang's house and didn't know where to find anyone for a moment. Forcing herself to calm down, Lin Xiang thought quickly and suddenly remembered that the 119th Army should have an emergency contact method. Now that Instructor Sun's wife and child are in danger, he must be called back.

She can go to the army to apply for emergency contact!

She ran as hard as she could, the cold wind seemed to blow into the bones. Lin Xiang, who was shivering all over, suddenly saw a white figure in the hazy night. It seemed so familiar from a distance, and it was this one glance that made her feel suddenly at ease.

A tall, majestic man in a wolfish outfit was walking towards them with big strides.

"Hongyuan!" Lin Xiang's eyes lit up, emitting a dazzling light. She seemed to have strength instantly. She rushed over and threw herself into the man's arms, "You're back!"

He Hongyuan had never expected to run into his wife here. He held Lin Xiang tightly with his left hand for a moment, and then immediately asked, "Is Sister-in-law Jiang at home?"

"Where is Instructor Sun?" Lin Xiang asked anxiously.

He Hongyuan noticed that something was wrong with his daughter-in-law and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Mrs. Jiang gave birth prematurely and is in very bad condition. Hurry up and call Instructor Sun back!" Lin Xiang anxiously grabbed the man's arm and shook it.

"Hiss..." He Hongyuan frowned and his face darkened, "Brother Sun was injured and is in the hospital. I originally came to look for Sister Jiang."

"How could this happen!" Lin Xiang's heart sank. She listened to the man's fleeting groan and saw that his brows were furrowed. His right hand was always at his side. She immediately let go of his hand: "Are you hurt?"

He Hongyuan hid his right hand behind his body and said, "I'm fine. Let Brother Sun go and see Sister-in-law Jiang first!"