Chapter 59 The big toys are coming!
He Hongyuan and Lin Xiang were finally reunited after being separated for almost half a month. After confirming that He Hongyuan was at least safe, Lin Xiang's heart, which had been hanging in the sky, finally fell back into her stomach. However, she was sure that the man's hand must have been injured. However, the situation was urgent and Jiang's wife was in danger, so Lin Xiang only raised her head and confirmed softly.
"Is your hand injury really not a big deal?"
He Hongyuan nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, it's really nothing. This minor injury is nothing. Let's go see Jiang's wife."
"Yes." Lin Xiang believed the man's words. Since he could talk to her normally now, she thought it was not a big problem. "Hurry up and send Instructor Sun over."
Instructor Sun Qiang was nearly swept away while rescuing people in the flood. It was He Hongyuan who was standing by and quickly rescued the person. Both of them were injured to varying degrees. Sun Qiang was injured on his right leg and was simply bandaged at the command center. He has just been sent back to the military hospital and is being examined and given a dressing change by the nurse on duty.
The injury is not light, with bones and flesh visible. It will take at least a few months to recuperate. Sun Qiang is worried about his pregnant wife. The injury cannot be hidden, especially since he has been away from home for a long time and his wife is a worrying person. It would be wise to explain it to her as soon as possible to save her from worrying.
Sun Qiang had already colluded with the nurse and said that the injury was not serious and that he just needed to rest. Only then did he allow He Hongyuan to go back and report that he was safe.
Unexpectedly, the people who returned to the military hospital were He Hongyuan and his lover Lin Xiang.
The two looked serious, with sweat on their foreheads as they hurried over. He Hongyuan spoke calmly, "Brother Sun, I have something to tell you, but don't be anxious."
When Sun Qiang heard this, he suddenly had a bad feeling: "What's wrong? Did something happen in my family?"
"Sister-in-law gave birth prematurely. She's not doing well now. You should go home and take a look." He Hongyuan said briefly, turned around and half-knelt to carry her. "I can't find a crutch in the hospital. I'll carry you there."
Premature birth? Bad situation?
Sun Qiang felt as if there was an explosion in his head, making it almost impossible for him to breathe or think.
"Instructor Sun, you stay put." Seeing that the hands of the thirty-something elders were trembling slightly, Lin Xiang tried to comfort him, "I believe that Jiang Jiezi will be able to get through this. You are the only backbone of the family now. Only if you are well, Jiang Jiezi will have the strength to get through this."
Hearing this, Sun Qiang seemed to be suddenly enlightened and came back to his senses in an instant: "Yes, you are right, I want to go see Wenfang! Quick, Hongyuan, take me there!"
He Hongyuan didn't look like he was injured at all. He was still walking briskly with Sun Qiang on his back. Lin Xiang followed closely beside him. Soon the three of them returned to the family compound. On the way, they met other military wives, who also called out anxiously: "Hurry up and check, Instructor Sun, your wife is giving birth."
......
At Instructor Sun’s home.
Jiang Wenfang looked like she had just been pulled out of the water. She was drenched in sweat. Her hair, which had been cut short after she got pregnant, was all sweaty and stuck to her ears. Her face was twisted in agony. Her eyebrows were tightly wrinkled. Her dry lips were sometimes slightly open and moaning in pain, and sometimes wide open and wailing. Her hands tightly grasped the bed sheet under her, trying to give birth to this child, but it was too difficult...
The time was not right for premature birth, and Jiang Wenfang could clearly feel her strength draining away. Even though someone fed her brown sugar and egg water to replenish her strength, the huge pain surrounded her, tore her apart, and almost swallowed her.
There seemed to be an invisible hand in the dark abyss, trying to take her away.
Jiang Wenfang murmured to the doctor in a white coat in her blurred vision, "Save my child... my child... If my grandson comes back, remember to tell him..."
Jiang Wenfang felt that she was dying and was really going to die here. The only things she couldn't let go of were her child and her husband. No matter what, she just wanted to keep the baby in her belly and have him born safely.
Meng Jing listened to Jiang Wenfang's intermittent voice, as if she was giving up and leaving her last words. Her heart suddenly tightened: "Sister-in-law Jiang, hold on, the baby will be out soon! Really! You are sure that mother and child are safe!"
Such lies are necessary to give the mother hope of imminent victory at this time.
But Jiang Wenfang seemed to have difficulty mustering the strength, her face was pale and she was trembling with her lips...
"Wenfang!" At this moment, a familiar voice came from the bedroom door, bringing Jiang Wenfang back to her senses.
Sun Qiang was brought home by He Hongyuan. He was so anxious that he wanted to get off the ground with his injured leg and rush over quickly, but the pain in his leg cruelly reminded him of the cruel fact that he could not move freely as usual.
He Hongyuan placed the man outside the wall at the bedroom door. Several military wives who were helping to induce labor were shocked to see Jiang Wenfang's husband in this state, and immediately helped Instructor Sun into the house.
Sun Qiang called out "Wenfang" with a trembling and hoarse voice. When he was close to the bed, he rushed over. He didn't even feel his injured leg hitting the bed frame. He trembled and took his lover's hand, his eyes reddened: "Wenfang, I'm back!"
Jiang Wenfang didn't know if she was dreaming. She heard her husband's familiar voice and opened and closed her eyelids tiredly. It seemed that she really saw a familiar face. She didn't know where she got the strength from. She spoke with difficulty: "You are back? Child, our child is coming out early...early...early, but I can't give birth...to it."
"Wenfang, hold on, you and the child will be safe!"
As soon as Instructor Sun came back, the room suddenly became lively. Meng Jing discussed the fetus' condition with the midwife Aunt Wang. Qiu Hongxia and Feng Li, who also had experience in giving birth, helped in the room. Zhou Yuezhu heard about Jiang Wenfang's premature birth and came to take a look, but was sent out by her mother to stay away so as not to cause any trouble.
"Luckily, Instructor Sun is back." Zhou Yuezhu saw her cousin's wife in the crowd. After a few steps, she was surprised to find that her cousin had also returned. However, she looked tired at Cangsang. "Cousin, you are back? Is my dad back?"
He Hongyuan was being pulled by his wife's right hand to unbutton his sleeves to check the wound on his arm. He replied to his cousin, "Your father is back, but he is in a meeting in the army right now. Don't worry, nothing is wrong."
Zhou Yuezhu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately went back to the house to tell her mother quietly so that she could feel at ease.
From the room came the sound of Jiang Wenfang trying hard to give birth to a child, accompanied by the voice of instructor Sun. He was encouraging his wife, saying that the medical level today is far inferior to that of later generations, and there are not many ways to deal with such a situation.
Lin Xiang felt distressed when she heard this. When she rolled up her man's sleeve, she saw that the gauze wrapped around his arm had been stained with blood, and her eyes instantly turned red.
"Is the wound serious?" Lin Xiang couldn't see the wound under the gauze, but she could anticipate the pain of blood oozing out again after the wound was torn.
"Not serious." He Hongyuan had indeed broken his bones this time. Normally, he should have put his arm in a sling for a quick recovery. However, at this critical moment of rescue, he couldn't let his right hand rest. He simply applied medicine and bandaged it before continuing with the rescue work.
They also rescued Instructor Sun who was nearly swept away by the flood, which also aggravated his injuries.
"Don't worry about me. I've been injured very badly before. This is nothing." He Hongyuan was right. When he was on the battlefield before, bullets even grazed his heart. The injury now is really a minor one.
But Lin Xiang had never seen the person closest to her so injured before, so she stopped talking immediately. In the silence, her eyes were red with tears like a spring. She sniffed, raised her hand and wanted to touch the blood-red gauze, but she didn't know where to start.
He Hongyuan lowered his eyebrows and saw his wife's eyes were red. His heart was instantly clenched. It seemed that the pain in his arm was not as painful as the pain in his heart caused by Lin Xiang's red eyes. It was like being stabbed by fine needles. It was not the pain of being cut by a knife or an axe, but it was more uncomfortable. There was a lot of noise around him. He whispered to comfort her: "It really doesn't hurt. Don't worry..."
Captain He, who had always been omnipotent, now felt helpless. He could endure the pain of the wound, but when he saw the tears in his wife's eyes, he felt the pain in his heart for the first time in his life.
Lin Xiang sniffed, closed her eyes tightly to hold back her tears, and smiled at the man, "I'm not worried anymore. I'm glad you're back safely. Please sit down. I'll go to the house to borrow some disinfectant to reapply the medicine to you."
The medical kit that Meng Jing brought had everything. Lin Xiang came out with disinfectant, cotton swabs and gauze, and pulled He Hongyuan to a stool in the living room. She carefully unwrapped the gauze and caught a glimpse of the horrific wound inside. Her heart shuddered.
However, she did not show any sign of anger. She tried to remain calm while applying the ointment to the man. She then used her bare hands to tear off a piece of gauze and simply bandaged it. "Don't move your hand anymore. When the doctors and nurses come back, I must check it out right away."
Now the conditions are limited and we can only make do with it.
He Hongyuan looked at his wife and curled his lips. He took her hand with his healthy left hand and squeezed it gently: "Okay, I'll do as you say."
The room was still busy, with Jiang Wenfang's screams of pain coming from time to time. Giving birth was long and painful, and she was a premature baby, so it was particularly difficult. Lin Xiang was unable to help. She went in to take a look halfway through, and saw that the clean basin had been stained red. She felt very sad and went out again.
Lin Xiang returned home and cooked a bowl of noodles for He Hongyuan. The man, who had hardly eaten properly in the past few days, wolfed down the simple soup noodles quickly and then asked about the situation next door.
"Why did Sister Jiang give birth prematurely?" He Hongyuan also knew that a pregnancy lasts for ten months. In addition, Brother Sun had mentioned a while ago that it would take more than a month to give birth, so this time was naturally not easy.
"It was the eldest son of Political Commissar He who bumped into Jiang's wife and almost fell, which led to her premature birth." Lin Xiang got angry when she mentioned this. "He Dabao and his three younger brothers have always been aggressive in the family compound. Everyone knows that this time they dared to bump into a pregnant woman's belly. If Jiang's wife and the child are really in trouble..."
Having said this, Lin Xiang couldn't continue. She felt uncomfortable just thinking about this possibility.
"Political Commissar He is back too. He must take care of this matter." He Hongyuan looked serious. The painful wail of Jiang's wife that he had just heard seemed to ring in his ears again. It was so heartbreaking that no one could bear to hear it. "If his child continues to get used to it, who knows what will happen."
The sky gradually darkened. More than five hours had passed since Jiang's sister-in-law gave birth. Lin Xiang and He Hongyuan stayed at Jiang's house. It was inconvenient for He Hongyuan, a grown man, to go in, so he just gave the three little girls a plate of corn cakes that Lin Xiang had steamed. It was a mess at the moment, and Lin Xiang was worried that no one would take care of them while they ate.
Lingling led her second and third sisters to thank Uncle He, then they started to eat the corn cakes, looking out the door from time to time and lying on the door to eavesdrop.
They couldn't go in either, and the adults didn't want the children to go in.
Times are tough, and many concerned neighbors are afraid that something might go wrong, big or small, until...
At around ten o'clock in the evening, a faint baby cry was suddenly heard in the house, followed by a burst of excited words.
"It's born, Wenfang, it's born!"
"Hold on! Hurry up and give Wenfang some more brown sugar water!"
Sun Qiang sat on the bed with his injured leg propped up, and tears suddenly flowed down his face, almost pinching his palms to bleed. But he finally survived!
......
Lin Xiang ran out of the house excitedly and ran to her husband: "Sister Jiang has given birth, mother and daughter are safe! No life is in danger!"
He Hongyuan also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately.
Everyone in the Jiang family's small building was jubilant, but the He family on the other side was not at peace.
At this time, He Daqing, the political commissar who had just returned to the army after supporting disaster relief, was originally in high spirits to go home to reunite with his family, but he was unexpectedly complained by his crying daughter-in-law and eldest son.
According to his daughter-in-law Yan Hongmei, Sun instructed her to rely on his own son Dabao, which made them suffer terribly. He Daqing was confused when he heard this.
"You just came back, and your wife and son are being bullied to death! Just wait and see, someone will come to you to complain, you are not allowed to help outsiders!" Yan Hongmei cried and snotted, protecting her eldest son with tears in her eyes.
He Dabao, who had been so arrogant before, was now crying loudly, saying that he was being bullied and asked his father to help him.
Political Commissar He glanced at Erbao, Sanbao, and Sibao again and said in a sharp voice, "Second, third, and fourth brother, tell me what's going on!"
He knew the personalities of his wife and his eldest brother very well, and they would never suffer any loss.
The second and third children looked at their mother and eldest brother, and just as they were about to speak, they were stopped by their mother's eyes. They pursed their lips tightly and dared not utter a word. The youngest, the fourth child, looked guilty. He had just heard that Jiang's pregnant wife might not give birth properly and would die. The four-year-old child was also a little scared and stammered, "My eldest brother hit someone and his stomach is going to collapse. He might die."
"Old Four, what nonsense are you talking about!" Yan Hongmei stepped forward and pinched Old Four's ear to scold him, "You are also an ungrateful person, and you are still turning your elbow outward, aren't you?"
"Ahhh, it hurts, it hurts." The fourth brother covered his ears and wailed.
He was shocked when he heard this. He quickly pulled his wife's hand away, saved the youngest child, and asked loudly: "Yan Hongmei, tell me clearly, what did you do?"
Yan Hongmei had never seen her man look so ferocious before. She was shocked at the moment. Her thick lips trembled twice and her eyes rolled around.
——
Not long after, there was a sudden shouting at the door of the Jiang family. It was He Daqing who came with his wife in one hand and his eldest son He Dabao in the other.
The two were thrown to the ground. Instructor Sun's home was bustling with activity. Someone was helping to examine the baby. He fed Jiang Wenfang a bowl of brown sugar eggs and let her go to sleep. Sun Qiang was sweating profusely. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard noise outside.
Everyone looked towards the living room and saw Yan Hongmei and He Dabao lying on the ground in a panic. They immediately understood what was going on.
Qiu Hongxia was the first to jump out and complain: "Political Commissar He, you have to take good care of the people in the room, otherwise someone will die today!"
She started it, and the other military wives followed suit. They all glared at the mother and son and said angrily, "You almost killed Wenfang. She was lucky to have lost two lives.
Political Commissar He just yelled at his younger son and learned the truth. It turned out that it was his eldest son who hit Instructor Sun’s lover, causing her to have a premature birth and her life is in danger!
"You bastard, I've told you so many times not to rush around, and now you dare to bump into your Aunt Jiang. How dangerous is it with a big belly?" He Daqing picked up the broom standing in the corner and hit He Dabao with it.
Although Sun Qiang and He Daqing were not in the same regiment, they were neighbors after all. They rarely saw each other in the army. His son almost put Sun Qiang's wife in danger. He was so ashamed that he almost couldn't stay there. If something really happened, he didn't know how to compensate for his life.
He Dabao was originally a cunning guy, who would never wait to be beaten, but this time his father was determined to teach him a lesson. He beat him so hard that he had nowhere to hide. He was hit all over the body and screamed in pain.
Seeing that Political Commissar He did not hold back, Lin Xiang hit him with all her might, her face flushed red as if she was really angry. Even Yan Hongmei, who rushed over to protect He Dabao, was pushed and hit twice.
This was quite a commotion. Director Qin of the Family Court saw that He Dabao had been beaten several times, so he stood up and said a few words: "Commissar He, it is right to teach children a lesson. Your He Dabao almost killed Xiao Jiang and her daughter this time. Fortunately, he survived and the mother and daughter are safe. But your children are naughty at ordinary times, and the adults at home cannot keep indulging them. No matter how busy you are at work, you still have to take care of them."
Director Qin almost named them. Yan Hongmei was so used to taking care of children that she made them into this kind of person. Especially He Dabao, he was the most lawless and hated by everyone.
Sun Qiang watched his unconscious lover in the house for a while, and confirmed with Doctor Meng and Aunt Wang again and again that he was fine and out of danger. Only then did he feel relieved. Hearing some movement outside, he frowned and stood up, then went out to take a look.
"Daqing, did you hear that? I've told you that Jiang Wenfang is fine, so why did you beat our son?" Yan Hongmei was frightened by her angry husband. She had never seen him beat his son so angrily. She couldn't stop him. But when she heard that Jiang Wenfang had given birth successfully, she straightened her back again, "It's fine now, don't beat him! He's your son!"
"I was just too used to you!" He Daqing slapped his son hard a few more times, feeling very angry.
As soon as Sun Qiang walked out of the bedroom, he saw the scene in the living room. He Dabao, who had bumped into his wife and caused her to have a premature birth, was still being stubborn. He and Yan Hongmei were shouting that it was nothing and blaming He Daqing for making a fuss.
Furious, Sun Qiang stepped forward and glared at the family. The friendship they had built up over the years was gone. "Get out of here, all of you! He Daqing, your son did this! Fortunately, Wenfang and the child are fine today. Otherwise, I would quit my military service and kill you all. Don't show your family in front of us anymore. Get out of here!"
If something really happened to his wife and child...Sun Qiang felt heartbroken whenever he thought of such a possibility, and he felt uncomfortable when he saw the He family.
"Grandson, this is our family's fault. Are your sister-in-law and the children okay? Dabao did something wrong. Come here quickly and kneel down to apologize to your uncle." He Daqing didn't know how else to deal with this brat, but he had to make his attitude clear.
He Dabao was covered in blood, and his face was covered in blood streaks from being swept with a broom. He was crying and crying heartbreakingly, but he refused to apologize: "Nothing happened to their family. I was the one who suffered. I was beaten up. I won't apologize!"
"He Daqing, look at the son you taught well!" Sun Qiang was so angry that he almost laughed. If it weren't for the fact that this child was only seven years old, he would have kicked him long ago. "He hit my wife and didn't even know he was wrong. What about you? How did you teach your child as a father and mother? I don't want your family to stay here and apologize for hitting someone. Get out. It's annoying just to watch!"
Sun Qiang is now only concerned about his wife who is still in a coma and his newborn baby who is weak due to premature birth. He has to go back to look after his wife and child, and has no time to deal with these trivial matters for the time being.
"Old grandson..." He Daqing was hit hard in the heart by Sun Qiang's scolding. Looking at his eldest son who was sitting on the ground and rolling around, and his daughter-in-law who was shouting at the top of her lungs that nothing had happened, he felt cold in his heart. He thought that he had not disciplined the child in these years, so what had Yan Hongmei done to the child?
Then he thought about how his sons were naughty all the time. He knew it, but he didn't want to bother with it. At most, he would just say a few words and leave it at that. He Daqing couldn't raise his head, so he deserved to be spanked.
"Mrs. Jiang just gave birth, so everyone should stop making a fuss here and disturb her." Seeing that the living room was in a mess, it was easy to disturb the woman in the bedroom on the first floor, so Lin Xiang hurriedly advised, "Political Commissar He, He Dabao didn't know he was wrong when he bumped into someone, and then he hit Yingzi. You should take care of the child when you have time. Fortunately, nothing happened this time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."
"This brat hit Yingzi?" He Daqing glared at his son angrily.
Yingzi was not afraid of anything and immediately spoke up: "He wanted to beat me and scolded me and my mother. My hands and legs were all injured, but Aunt Lin Xiang came out to protect me. Oh, and he also scolded Aunt Lin Xiang!"
Yingzi would not miss the opportunity to complain.
After hearing the second half of the sentence, He Hongyuan's eyes suddenly turned cold and he glared fiercely at He Dabao who was lying on the ground. His stern expression frightened the frightened child and made him shrink.
He Dabao knew He Hongyuan well. This uncle was very fierce. Whenever he saw him, He Dabao had to behave himself. No matter how naughty he was, he knew who he should not mess with.
"Political Commissar He, our military family compound is to provide protection for soldiers and their families, not to allow anything to bully them here." He Hongyuan was merciless, especially since this man dared to scold his wife. If he hadn't thought of him as a child, He Hongyuan would have taken action. "We soldiers shed blood and sweat outside, are our relatives here to be bullied by these things? Director Qin, you are in charge of the family compound, you can't let this kind of thing go on."
Qin Yuzhen is indeed in a difficult situation. Managing people is the most difficult thing, especially when there are thousands of them, all of whom are military family members. On weekdays, she has to coordinate work and deal with all kinds of trivial matters. This time it is really tricky.
Especially this time, not only the Sun and He families were involved, but other military families also spoke out. For example, Captain He is not fond of interfering with the family's affairs, and the implicit meaning of his words is that he wants severe punishment.
"The matter between Yan Hongmei and He Dabao is indeed not a small matter. It almost caused a big problem. Next, Yan Hongmei will take He Dabao to do voluntary labor in the vegetable garden of the orphanage for half a year. Working every day can be regarded as admitting one's mistakes and making contributions to the orphanage."
The family has their own vegetable plot in the courtyard, where they grow vegetables. This provides some work opportunities for the military wives on weekdays, and when the harvest is good, they can also provide vegetables for everyone.
It's certainly not easy to do voluntary labor. You have to carry out tasks such as collecting manure, watering, weeding and weeding.
Lin Xiang spoke up in the crowd: "Director Qin, what if you don't work hard and ruin the food?"
Lin Xiang's question hit the nail on the head. Don't let Yan Hongmei and her son get into trouble if they don't work hard.
"Then let them pay for it. If the crops are bad, they will pay!" He was very angry and made up his mind.
Yan Hongmei refused immediately. She had finally come from the countryside to join the army in order to get rid of the country lifestyle of working in the fields and become a city dweller. Now she had to work in the fields for half a year, which of course was not possible.
"If we don't go, why should we go? Isn't Jiang Wenfang fine?"
He Dabao was even more unwilling to work, and cried, "I don't want to work in the fields! Working in the fields is for farmers, I am a city dweller..."
With a loud slap, He Daqing was shocked by his eldest son again: "You idiot, I am from the countryside, your grandfather and your grandmother, our He family has been from the countryside for five or six generations, and you still think I am giving up!"
People around were talking about him. After all, most of the people in the family compound were from rural areas. No one would have thought that a child like He Dabao would look down on people from the countryside. It was really against the teachings.
"You are originally from the countryside, but you still dream of becoming a city dweller? Why don't you learn well at such a young age?"
"I think this kid is hopeless!"
He Hongyuan said to Political Commissar He: "Brother He, your children are still young now. If you don't straighten them out, they will grow crooked and there will be no way to change them in the future."
He Daqing seemed to be thinking about something, and the noisy voices of his wife and son were still ringing in his ears. Suddenly, as if he had lost all his strength, he said to the two people on the ground, "Let's go."
Yan Hongmei breathed a sigh of relief, protected her son, and followed the man home, thinking that the matter was finally over. She had to take her son to the hospital to get medicine, but she was heartbroken.
When she got home, she was about to get busy when she suddenly heard the man say, "Pack up and take Dabao back home."
"What?" Yan Hongmei was stunned, wondering if she had misheard. "Why are Dabao and I going back to our hometown? We're not going back!"
"This family compound can't accommodate two big Buddhas like you. You're always looking for trouble. Go back to the countryside to farm and reflect on yourself." He Daqing was really tired. "If you can't figure out what's wrong, don't come back!"
......
It was not until the next day when Lin Xiang heard the ghostly howling noises coming from the family compound that she realized that Yan Hongmei and He Dabao had been driven away by Political Commissar He.
To be precise, they were forcibly taken away by He Daqing. No matter how hard the mother and son struggled, it was useless. He Daqing grabbed one of them in each hand and carried a large bag on his back, and just walked out of the family compound.
Lin Xiang looked around for a while on the second floor, and hurriedly called her husband to come and see what was going on: "Political Commissar He has sent his wife and eldest son back home!"
The other three sons were originally considering whether to send them back to their hometown, but it was obvious that they were not as tolerant as their biological mother and eldest brother, so in order not to go back, they made promises and cried that they would change, and only then did Political Commissar He agree.
Of course, the main reason was that the three little ones could still be saved, so I quickly tried to save them while they were still young.
He Hongyuan's arm was bandaged again, and at Lin Xiang's strong request, he asked the nurse to hang his arm. Now he looked like he was recuperating. He stood on the second-floor balcony and looked down from a distance, with a smile on his face: "They should have been sent back a long time ago. Neither of them is a good person."
Lin Xiang was concerned about the man's injury, and suddenly thought of something, and asked, "You said yesterday that you wanted Political Commissar He to help the child. Did you mean to send him away as soon as possible?"
She indeed rarely saw He Hongyuan take the initiative to get involved in such parental affairs.
He Hongyuan raised his eyebrows. That was natural. The mother and son had something dirty in their mouths. They should just get rid of it.
Yan Hongmei and He Dabao were forcibly sent back to their hometown. It was five days later that Political Commissar He returned to his family compound. He went to Sun's house again to apologize. He felt very upset when he knew that his son almost killed Sun Qiang's wife and children. He bought some nourishing maltose and canned fruit egg cakes. He did not dare to say anything more when Sun Qiang coldly drove him out.
When he returned home and looked at the remaining three children, his face became even more serious.
These days, he entrusted the three little ones at home to the care of his comrades-in-arms with whom he had a good relationship. The three kids, who were usually very naughty, were surprisingly well-behaved these days, so he was worried that they would be thrown back by their biological father.
"I'll just tell you once. If you dare to act naughty, rush around and cause trouble again, you'll just go back home after you do it again." He Daqing said in a threatening manner. He didn't look like Yan Hongmei who loved her children at all. But just like that, the three kids who usually followed their big brother around to play became listless. No one dared to breathe heavily. They just nodded in agreement.
They don't want to go back to their hometown. There is nothing in the countryside. They can hardly eat meat or sugar. It's better here. Life here is too good. They don't want to go back!
If you don't go back, you have to be obedient. Everyone in the courtyard was surprised that the three children of the He family seemed to have changed their personalities. Lin Xiang met them several times in the courtyard and found that they didn't dare to run or jump, and they even avoided people when they saw them, for fear of bumping into someone. It was really magical.
"See, if adults really want to discipline and teach, they can still control their children. We have been too indulgent with these kids." When they got home, Lin Xiang checked He Hongyuan's injuries as usual. While changing his bandages, she talked about this matter in amazement. After wrapping the gauze, she mentioned the original plan to go back to Xifeng City for the New Year. "Otherwise, forget it this year. Your hand is injured. How can you travel long distances?"
He Hongyuan curled his lips, looking discontented as if he was looked down upon: "I'm not that weak, what's the big deal? Going back for the New Year is not like going to war, it's not a big deal. Let's go back as planned, otherwise mother will be very disappointed."
Lin Xiang confirmed with him again and again before agreeing.
He Hongyuan needed to recuperate from his injury, and the army happened to allow him some time to attend a meeting. All other work was handed over to Zhang Huafeng, Jiang Weijun and others. He Hongyuan actually had some free time, which was a rare occasion.
After the meal, the two of them took the stewed kelp and pork ribs soup to visit the military hospital. Jiang Wenfang, who was in poor health due to premature birth, was staying on the third floor of the hospital's inpatient department. The weak premature baby was being observed in the obstetric nursery. Sun Qiang, who was hospitalized due to a leg injury, was on the fourth floor of the inpatient department.
The three members of the family were all admitted to the hospital. It was really tragic. The neighbors came to visit them enthusiastically. Director Qin even organized unemployed military wives to take turns to help with meals and look after the children every day. When Lin Xiang and He Hongyuan came over, Jiang Wenfang had just finished dinner, and next to her was Sun Qiang, who was dragging his injured leg but still insisted on coming over on crutches.
"Brother Sun, Sister Jiang, are you feeling better?" Seeing that the two looked healthy, Lin Xiang felt relieved and joked to He Hongyuan, "Look how much Brother Sun cares about Sister Jiang. He came over to watch over her even when he was injured."
Jiang Wenfang blushed and smiled shyly. Although she felt sorry for the man coming over like this, she felt relieved in her heart: "Come and sit down. I have been too busy these days and have not had time to thank you. If Xiaolin hadn't helped to call people everywhere that day, my lady and I would have..."
"Hey, don't say that." Sun Qiang couldn't bear to hear any surprises, so he turned around and said, "Comrade Lin Xiang, I was really indebted to you and Xiao He that day. You also saved my life. Our family will remember this and will definitely treat you to a good meal after you are discharged from the hospital."
Lin Xiang smiled and became cheerful: "That's great, I hope you and your family recover soon and are discharged from the hospital soon. We are looking forward to this meal. By the way, Brother Sun, sister-in-law, Hongyuan and I made a little more soup tonight, and you injured people need some nourishment, so drink it while it's hot."
Sun Qiang would normally decline the offer, but now thinking that his wife was in poor health and needed to be nursed back to health, he immediately accepted the offer: "Thank you two for your help."
Lin Xiang and He Hongyuan came out of the military hospital and walked home under the moonlight. Lin Xiang asked about the typhoon prevention and disaster relief work a few days ago. He Hongyuan spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if no matter how difficult it was, it was not that dangerous.
This is the nature of the military, they worry that their family members are too worried and always like to make a big deal out of a small matter.
"You know, I had a nightmare during the typhoon days. I dreamed that you were almost swept away by the flood." Lin Xiang still felt scared when she mentioned this dream again. Fortunately, the man came back safely. "I was very scared, but I could only tell myself that dreams must be the opposite."
Under the quiet moonlight, He Hongyuan's face was gloomy, thinking back to the thrill of being injured that day. He was indeed almost swept away by the flood. At that moment, the people closest to him appeared in his mind, driving him to fight for survival and not to die.
"Of course it's the other way around." He Hongyuan instinctively wanted to pull his daughter-in-law's hand with his right hand, but he froze as soon as he moved. He almost forgot that his right hand was injured.
Lin Xiang was amused by the man's sudden pause. Understanding his thoughts, Lin Xiang raised her hand to pull He Hongyuan's left hand to his side, and carefully looked after his injured right hand that was hung up. She slowly leaned into his arms: "Okay, you are injured, don't move. I can hold you myself~"
He Hongyuan's right hand was inconvenient, so he could only hold his wife with his left hand. Under the moonlight, his eyebrows were soft and his mouth was smiling: "Then you have to be more self-aware in the future. Can you understand me with just one look?"
Lin Xiang withdrew from the man's embrace, and took advantage of his injury to wantonly "bully" him, pinched his waist, and said sternly: "Comrade He Hongyuan, I warn you not to push your luck! Humph~"
He Hongyuan ignored the warning. As a soldier, you have to be quick, accurate and ruthless, and it is natural for you to take advantage of the situation.
——
Lin Xiang asked for a half-month leave from the factory and prepared to leave for Xifeng City in a week to celebrate the New Year.
After packing the luggage at home, He Hongyuan was resting but couldn't rest. He quickly packed the things he wanted to take back. Lin Xiang smiled and gave him a kiss of encouragement, praising him: "You are such a good comrade."
The production of 119 has been restored. The typhoon had almost no impact on 119. The coconut juice production of the second factory continued to expand and supply the whole province. On the contrary, the coconut juice sales of the other three soft drink factories in the province followed suit and stopped.
The three factories, which have absolutely no reserves, are now finding it difficult to find suitable raw materials. The supply of coconut juice has to be temporarily suspended. In department stores in the provincial capital and surrounding cities, ordinary people still only see 119 coconut juice, and when they go to buy water, they only talk about 119 coconut juice.
As the Chinese New Year approaches this year, 119 coconut juice has become a hot commodity. Many people are planning to replace the soda at the New Year’s Eve dinner with 119 coconut juice for the sake of freshness and good taste.
The sales of coconut juice were getting better and better, but the workers in Factory 2 were suffering. Their hands were almost tired from working, and the old equipment was sputtering. It was so tiring. The old equipment had to go on strike from time to time, and Master Feng from Factory 1 had to be invited to come and inspect it. Everyone was looking forward to the new equipment more and more.
Especially since Director Huang informed us that the new equipment had arrived in our country and would be delivered at any time, the workers of the second factory would take a look at the equipment whenever they walked into the factory gate, hoping that the new equipment would save their lives!
Lin Xiang also developed a habit. These past few days, she stretched her neck to look outside every day, looking forward to the debut of the brand new equipment that she had applied for with great difficulty and purchased at great expense.
In mid-January, about ten days before the Chinese New Year, someone suddenly shouted at Factory 2: "Factory 2, your new equipment has arrived and is being unloaded!"
The workshop of the second factory is bustling with activity. Workers are rushing out as soon as they stop working. New equipment is coming! Good stuff worth tens of thousands of dollars! It’s finally here!