Chapter 24

Jian Lu quickly opened the envelope and sat aside to read ten lines at a glance.

This letter was written by her third brother-in-law Meng Fan. Jian Xin could not write or recognize many words now, so she asked her husband to write for her. The letter mainly talked about the situation at home, especially the results of the struggle between the He family and Jian's father Jian Hualin.

Originally, when the He family and Jian Hualin were taken to the commune, the commune cadres were very angry when they heard that such feudal ideas were rampant and the feudal cancer remained. Wasn't this a clear violation of the policy from above?

A criticism and struggle meeting was organized immediately. Not everyone could participate in this struggle meeting. From the elders with high moral character to the outstanding Red Guards, everyone sent representatives. The struggle lasted for a week, followed by ideological transformation education. After all the ordeals, half a month had passed since Jian Lu left.

The He family and Jian Hualin were criticized and persecuted. After more than a week of ideological reform education, they were released one after another. Jian Hualin never expected that after he went in, the world had changed when he came out. Not only was his little daughter engaged to Cheng Zheng, but she had actually passed away. C City and H City were thousands of miles apart, and he couldn't catch up even if his legs were weak. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

Just when the He family was about to be released, they were suddenly detained by the Public Security Bureau.

I don't know where the news came from, but the He family was exposed for stealing grain from the commune during the famine years. Ten years ago, it was a famine year, and many people in the village starved to death, and many survived by eating Guanyin soil and chewing tree bark.

At that time, the commune had just been established and the jurisdiction was not too strict. We finally got a batch of rations and were about to share them among everyone, but we found out the next day that they had been stolen.

At that time, everyone searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of him. Because of this, a group of people went hungry and some even died.

This time, no one knew where the Public Security Bureau got the information, but a young man actually came forward and said that he had seen the He family sneaking into the granary. However, he was afraid at the time and did not dare to say anything more.

What was the concept of stealing everyone's food during the famine? It's not an exaggeration to say that there was a blood feud. Many families in the commune had relatives who died of hunger or became ill during that time. How could they not be angry when they saw the He family now?

The third brother-in-law wrote briefly in the letter, saying only that everyone was very excited and surrounded the He family and beat them up, and then demanded that the commune give an explanation. I heard that the matter had been reported to the public security bureau.

When the team leader was chatting with everyone, he mentioned that it was estimated that He Guangxiang and Jiang Yan, as well as the eldest and second sons of the He family who had also participated in stealing grain at the time, would all go to jail.

As for the third, fourth and fifth sons who were still young at that time, nothing happened to them. It was just that the fifth son of the He family went to the Jian family several times. Jian Xin specifically asked Meng Fan to write down her guess here. She suspected that the fifth son of the He family wanted to take the initiative to inherit the Jian family.

As for Jian Hualin, he was frightened because the He family was arrested again. Fortunately, he had not committed any crime in these years. Except for the fact that he wanted to exchange his daughter for his son but failed, he was a good person in other aspects.

Jian Lu was shocked by the huge amount of information in the letter. She didn't expect the He family to be arrested again. She didn't know which kind-hearted person reported them. As for the last thing mentioned by the third sister, the fifth child of the He family took the initiative to contact Jian Hualin and wanted to live in Jian's family and become his son, Jian Lu was happy to hear it.

It is not known whether it would be a blessing or a curse if Jian Hualin really agreed. After all, Jian Lu remembered that it was written in the original book that the fifth child of the He family was the biggest ungrateful person in the He family. He didn't even care about the lives of his own father, mother, and brothers. He was the first to run away when something happened. Could he fulfill his duties and responsibilities to take care of Jian Hualin until his old age?

I’m afraid he wants to empty the Jian family’s assets!

Now that’s great, let’s torture each other!

After reading the letter, Jian Lu was in a good mood. She only noticed the frequent glances from Sister-in-law Feng. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

"Sister Lulu, you've made such rapid progress in your studies?" Feng Xiuhui was very surprised. She heard that Jian Lu had only been in the literacy class for less than half a month, and she could already read a letter? And it was such a long letter!

Oops!

Jian Lu almost forgot her illiterate personality. She smiled shyly and pretended to be embarrassed. "No, I just guessed. Sister-in-law, you know that I can't recognize a few words at my age. I'm embarrassed to ask others. It's a bit embarrassing."

"Hey, so that's what it is. What are you afraid of? My sister-in-law can't even read a single word. I'm not ashamed. If you don't want to go out and ask those educated people, why don't you ask Dunzi? After all, Dunzi went to school and can recognize a few words. Let him teach you."

Jian Lu: “…?”

This is not good, is she going to recognize a little brat as her teacher? It seems even more embarrassing!

After hearing his mother's praise, Dunzi puffed out his chest proudly. Being a teacher is such a sacred thing. He is proud and proud!

"Aunt Lulu, then you can learn from me. In the future, if I learn a word, you will learn a word. We are good partners in the revolution. Let's learn and progress together!"

Listening to Dunzi's impassioned speech, Jian Lu felt like crying, she was so terribly downgraded now!

——

For dinner tonight, Jian Lu, who was in a good mood, fried spicy crab.

The ginger, scallions, garlic and dried chilies are stir-fried in the pot until fragrant, and then served with the fresh crab meat. The first taste is the salty aroma that stimulates the taste buds, and the tenderness of the crab meat can be tasted after it enters the mouth. After eating the original flavor of steamed big crab, occasionally tasting a spicy bite makes you unable to stop eating.

At the dinner table that night, Feng Xiuhui told the man who had just returned from work about this. Political Commissar Liang ate the food with big mouthfuls, licking the crab meat cleanly. His appetite was greatly improved, and he then praised, "There will be no problem with Lao Cheng's work."

"Old Cheng?" Feng Xiuhui suddenly put down her chopsticks while holding her rice bowl. Even Jian Lu beside her looked at Political Commissar Liang, "Does this have anything to do with Captain Cheng?"

"Of course not."

Putting down the crab shell, Political Commissar Liang told the people at the table about what happened a while ago. "Old Cheng specifically asked me what happened at the time, especially the incident at Jian Lu's family. He asked about the He family's name and even went to find the captain of your Hongqi County Public Security Bureau. That man is a retired comrade from our army. The He family was arrested again. It must be that Old Cheng asked someone to find out the family's faults."

"Captain Cheng is thoughtful and has been thinking about this matter." Seeing that everyone at the table had finished their meal, Feng Xiuhui quickly cleaned up the dishes and went to the kitchen, praising Cheng Zheng as she walked.

Jian Lu was helping Mrs. Feng clear the table. She was feeling very upset. She had never expected that Cheng Zheng had done all these things secretly without letting anyone know.

Somehow, she suddenly felt that the crab meat was a little sweet. It was obviously a spicy crab, so why did it taste sweet?

=

Two days passed quickly, and Jian Lu went to the beach again and picked up some shells and conchs, and strung four shell bracelets.

The colorful shells fit tightly to the wrist, making it look childish and beautiful.

Even the little boy Dunzi asked for a string, but Political Commissar Liang said it was for girls to play with, and Dunzi started arguing with his father.

Showing off the beautiful shell bracelet on her wrist, she gently shakes it and you can hear a clattering sound, which is crisp and pleasant to the ears.

"Why can't boys play? We can play all kinds of games. Uncle Zhu's daughter downstairs can play everything too!"

Jian Lu didn't expect that Dunzi, who was so young, was quite thoughtful. He agreed, "Dunzi is right. There is no game or toy that can only be played by boys or girls."

"That's right!" Dunzi stuck out his tongue at his father and ran downstairs again.

There are many military families in the family building, and naturally there are many children. A group of children of similar age can play together, either throwing sandbags or playing hide-and-seek. The family building is filled with children's laughter.

Jian Lu was also not idle. She heard from Political Commissar Liang that Cheng Zheng would be back soon, so she had to put her plan of attack on him on the agenda and make a piece of clothing for him as a gift first.

Of course, she thought that if she gave clothes directly to Cheng Zheng, he might not be willing to accept them. After all, his character in the original book was ruthless, but she had an excuse.

Thank him for helping to solve the He family problem. What a perfect reason. Comrade Cheng Zheng would not refuse, right? !

With this in mind, Jian Lu went directly to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy five feet of cloth, and humbly asked Feng Xiuhui how to make clothes and how to use a sewing machine. She also asked Political Commissar Liang to help her find out how Cheng Zheng measured clothes when he was in the army.

It’s true that she has never made her own clothes, let alone used a sewing machine from the 1970s, but fortunately she still has aesthetic taste!

"It's actually very simple. You are young and smart, so you will learn it in no time."

Feng Xiuhui taught with great care, and Jian Lu really understood immediately. After a short while, she had mastered the basic techniques. She worked hard and made a white shirt in more than a day.

While admiring her masterpiece, Jian Lu discovered that something seemed to be wrong!

There seemed to be something wrong with the seams on the waist. Oops, it was her first time, she didn’t mark it well, and it was sewn crookedly.

As for the shoulder-neck line, it is still somewhat asymmetrical.

"Haha, it's like this. It's your first time and you're not very skilled. You just need to practice more." Feng Xiuhui comforted her with a smile and saw her removing the stitches and preparing to re-sew her left shoulder.

Jian Lu found that her mind understood, but her hands were not obeying her.

She and Feng Xiuhui have slightly different skills. Feng Xiuhui's talent is in making clothes, but her cooking skills are average. As for Jian Lu, she is an excellent cook and can make clothes at the level of a baby.

After struggling for a while, the novice Jian Lu felt a little frustrated. She really needed to practice more!

Looking at Dunzi next to her, Jian Lu blinked her eyes and said, "Sister-in-law, how about I make one for Dunzi? It's a bit difficult to make one for Team Leader Cheng."

"No! This is such good cloth. It's such a waste to give it to a naughty boy." Feng Xiuhui felt sorry for the good cloth. The child was growing so fast. There was no need to make so many clothes. Besides, cloth coupons were very precious. Feng Xiuhui hurriedly stopped her.

"No, as long as Dunzi doesn't mind the clothes I made for her." After all, children's requirements are not that high, and it is convenient for her to express herself freely!

Dunzi jumped for joy when he knew that Aunt Lulu was going to make clothes for him.

"Thank you, Aunt Lulu! Uncle Cheng is too tall and big, so he would waste fabric. I'm small, so I don't need to waste fabric!" Dunzi feels that he has many advantages over Uncle Cheng!

The cloth I gave Uncle Cheng could only make one piece of clothing, but I could make myself a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts!

Cheng Zheng, who was far away at sea, had no idea that he had been "beaten" by a little kid for no apparent reason! He even lost a piece of clothing for no apparent reason.

Just when Jian Lu was busy with her clothing-making plan, a quarrel suddenly came from downstairs.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?" Jian Lu seemed to hear someone scolding her daughter-in-law and saying something bad about the mother-in-law.

Putting down their clothes, Feng Xiuhui and Jian Lu hurried to the corridor, standing in the corridor on the third floor and sticking their heads out to look down.

My goodness, it turned out that Captain Li’s mother, Aunt Wei, and his wife Cheng Hehua, who lived on the first floor, had a quarrel. Neither of them would give in. Cheng Hehua had tear marks on her face and looked very sad.

"Captain Li's mother has a bad temper. I knew that they would cause trouble sooner or later." Feng Xiuhui took a look and found it not unexpected.

"Really? What happened?" Jian Lu didn't have a deep impression of either of them. She only remembered that Captain Li's mother said some unpleasant things behind her back that day, and she heard it. As for Captain Li's wife, she looked like a very kind person.

"They were both impatient before." Feng Xiuhui called Jian Lu downstairs to take a look and tried to persuade them, "It's mainly because his mother likes to slander her daughter-in-law."

Dunzi arrived downstairs earlier than his mother. When he heard the quarrel downstairs, he immediately rushed downstairs. When he passed the second floor, he grabbed Hengheng and brought him down with him.

The two kids were quite considerate and stood farther away to watch the excitement so as to avoid getting hurt accidentally.

"I won't live with you! Your son can live with whoever he wants!"

"Cheng Hehua, hello! You were disrespectful to me at home, and now you're complaining. When has our Li family ever treated you badly? You really have the nerve to do that!"

"Yes, your family has done nothing wrong to me, but you always criticize me and meddle in my affairs. You even have an opinion if I scoop rice for your son one minute late!" Cheng Hehua's eyes were filled with tears. She felt very uncomfortable and it seemed as if she wanted to pour out all the depression she had experienced in the past few years.

"You're talking nonsense! You eat my son's food, wear my son's clothes, and use my son's things. Shouldn't you serve him well? Do you think I'm right when I say a few words to you?" Old Mrs. Wei yelled in a shrill voice, asking everyone to come and see. "Tell me, is there any daughter-in-law like this? Bah!"

"Auntie Wei, why are you so angry with your daughter-in-law?"

"We are all family, there is no need to make such a fuss."

"Captain Li is out on a mission. He can't come back and find his wife gone. Everyone calm down."

The family members and the people in the building tried to persuade him one by one.

Cheng Hehua pushed everyone away, her eyes red, "There's nothing more to say, I've had enough! I can't live like this anymore."

Hearing her daughter-in-law being so disrespectful, Aunt Wei narrowed her triangular eyes, and the shrewdness and harshness on her face became more obvious, "Then forget it. My son is the battalion commander. If you divorce him, he can find a city girl! Don't come back crying and beg us when the time comes!"

Jian Lu listened to the quarrel between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the more she listened, the more familiar it sounded. Wasn't this the tragic supporting family in the original book?

——

On the white boat, regiment commander Cheng Zhenggang led his soldiers to carry out the mission, and they will be able to dock and return to the island this evening.

When we left, we were very serious and tense, but when we came back, we were much more relaxed. After being at sea for so long, it was a blessing to step on the land.

Only one person looked worried and was distracted frequently.

"Li Nianhe, what's going on?" Cheng Zheng looked at the second battalion commander under him and asked seriously.

No matter what problems the soldiers under your command have in their thoughts, work, or life, you have to take care of them.

"Report to the commander, everything is fine." Li Nianhe replied while saluting.

"I'll ask you again, what happened? You were not in the right state to carry out the mission this time. If you encounter any difficulties, please tell me. This is not just your problem. The lives of every comrade are closely related to you! Tell me, what happened!"

Li Nianhe was too embarrassed to open his teeth and spoke with difficulty, "Report to the group leader, this is my family matter."

"What happened at home?"

"My mother and my wife can't get along every now and then. It gives me a headache."