Chapter 64
Li Yan was stunned. She stood there in a daze. The driver who came out to take out the garbage also stood there in a daze, looking at the slop mixed with sour and smelly offal and peanut shells on his hands. After two seconds, Li Yan finally reacted. She screamed and turned around and ran out of the state-owned restaurant.
Seeing her hurried look, I didn't know whether she was looking for a faucet to wash her hands or a rag to wipe her watch.
Chu Jiujiu, Chu Shao and Han Shengyi, the three of them watched Li Yan together. From the time she went in to the time she came out, it was only five seconds. She came and went like the wind.
Li Yan is a very annoying person, but it's hard to hate her. There's no way around it, she's just too stupid. Every time she has a conflict with others, she's the one who gets in trouble. Just like now, she came here to show off, but ended up losing her own watch.
I don’t know if watches have waterproof functions these days. If not, Li Yan would definitely cry to death today.
Chu Jiujiu would say whatever she thought of. She was just about to ask whether watches nowadays are waterproof, and then Wen Xiuwei and the others arrived. Not only Wen Xiuwei, but also Ding Boyun and the others came here.
There were five educated youth from Xujiawan and five from Qingzhu Village. Ding Boyun and Luo Shuyang were chatting. Wen Xiuwei had greeted them in advance and walked straight towards Chu Jiujiu and the others. Chu Jiujiu was amazed at the huge group of educated youth behind them, "Why did you come with them?"
Wen Xiuwei explained, "Luo Zhiqing knew Ding Zhiqing. They both came to the countryside. Since they met, they decided to eat together. It's okay. I've already told Luo Shuyang. Let's go. Don't worry about them."
Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu didn't care about the people behind her and hurried in to grab a seat. Aside from mushrooms, Chu Jiujiu wasn't picky about food. The town's state-owned restaurant had excellent cooking skills and everything was delicious, so it didn't matter what she ordered. Wen Xiuwei and Chu Shao went to the front to order. Chu Jiujiu sat on a stool, curiously watching what everyone else was eating while Han Shengyi helped everyone set the chopsticks.
As they were watching, Ma Wenjuan and Du Shuting came over. She asked Chu Jiujiu, "Jiujiu, you came early. Have you seen Li Yan here? She said she would meet us here today, but I haven't seen her."
Chu Jiujiu raised her head and said, "Li Zhiqing came here, but left again."
Ma Wenjuan was stunned for a moment, "Leaving again, why?"
Thinking of Li Yan's silly look when her hand fell into the trash can, her expression became a little pitiful. "Something happened, so she had to leave first. You should ask Li Zhiqing herself for the details."
It was no choice but to do so. When she went back with Du Shuting, she was still saying to Du Shuting, "You haven't seen Li Yan. After she married and moved to the city, she never returned to Qingzhu Village. I thought she took the initiative to see us this time because she was living a very good life and wanted to show off to us. I don't know what happened to her. I'll ask her next time I see her."
Chu Jiujiu held her chopsticks in silence. Han Shengyi sat next to her and asked her, "Why didn't you tell Ma Wenjuan about this?"
Chu Jiujiu shrugged. "It's better for her to say it herself. If I say it, she will definitely hate me even more."
Han Shengyi: "If you don't tell her and just see it, she will hate you even more."
Thinking about it, this is the truth, but Chu Jiujiu's thoughts did not change. "Then let her do whatever she wants. With her kind of person, no matter what I do, it will be wrong in her eyes."
The weather was perfect for an outing—neither too hot nor too cold. Sitting by the wide-open windows of the state-owned restaurant, one could feel the cool spring breeze. Chu Jiujiu had changed into the dress Wen Xiuwei had given her. The brick-red plaid skirt looked elegant. When Grandma Han saw her in it, she praised Wen Zhiqing. Chu Jiujiu usually tied her hair herself, but Grandma Han would help her style it when she felt like it.
Chu Jiujiu's hairstyle today was done by Grandma Han. It was a rather complicated double ponytail. It was braided from the scalp into a fishbone braid, tightly attached to the back of the head, and then tied under the neck with a leather rope that cost only one cent to form layers, until the end, there were two loose ponytails.
This hairstyle is quiet and elegant. After combing it, Chu Jiujiu looks like a female student in the Republic of China period. She feels very beautiful. Chu Jiujiu sits on the stool, her legs shaking constantly.
Wen Xiuwei and Chu Shao stood at the window to order food. The thing she had the most was food coupons, so she bought four white flour buns and four bowls of hot and sour soup. Chu Shao ordered a plate of pickled cabbage and a plate of stir-fried beans. Wen Xiuwei took out a soy product coupon and bought a plate of mapo tofu.
After ordering these, Wen Xiuwei was ready to pay, and then Chu Shao suddenly remembered that every time Chu Jiujiu came, she had to order one of the special dishes, no matter what they were, otherwise she felt she was wasting money. Chu Shao looked up and glanced at the blackboard of special dishes, and found that there were two special dishes today: mixed vegetables and old vinegar peanuts.
There were also peanuts in the mixed vegetable dish. It seemed that the peanuts in the state-owned restaurant were unsaleable again. Chu Shao lowered his head and saw that Wen Xiuwei had already taken out the money. He hurriedly said, "Wen Zhiqing, order another mixed vegetable dish for Jiujiu."
When he said this, he raised his hand, as if he wanted to hold her arm reflexively, but he felt it was inappropriate halfway and put his hand down again.
Wen Xiuwei raised an eyebrow. She also ordered the assorted vegetables and handed over the money and receipt. When she walked out of the window, Wen Xiuwei looked at Chu Shao with amusement: "Are you nervous talking to me?"
Chu Shao straightened his hands and shook his head, "I'm not nervous."
Wen Xiuwei pursed her lips and motioned him to look at her hands, "Don't be nervous yet. Lying is not a good thing."
Chu Shao followed the direction she pointed and looked at his hands. His ears turned red again. He stretched out his five fingers and relaxed his hands. When he looked up again, Chu Shao didn't meet Wen Xiuwei's eyes. He looked at the soup left on the table beside him and defended himself, "I'm not a child."
Wen Xiuwei also has bad intentions. When she is not familiar with others, she is a lady from a noble family, but once she gets familiar with them, she doesn't care about those things anymore. She took two steps towards Chu Shao, tilted her head, and moved closer to Chu Shao to see his expression.
"You're not a child, why don't you dare look at me?"
She smiled and teased Chu Shao, but Chu Shao was so angry that he was about to fume. It was the waiter who saved him.
"Four steamed buns, four bowls of hot and sour soup, pickled cabbage, mixed vegetables, and mapo tofu! The stir-fried beans will be out soon!"
Chu Shao went to serve the dishes. Everyone who was queuing to order was looking at him. This was very normal in state-owned restaurants. No matter what you ordered, those who were queuing up would definitely look at what others had ordered before they could buy their dishes. If their orders were better than theirs, they would be envious. If their orders were worse than theirs, they would feel satisfied.
The educated youth were also ordering. There were so many of them, some didn't want to spend so much, while others just wanted a good meal. So after a long discussion, they finally came to order. Everyone knew Wen Xiuwei was treating the children to a meal, and when people like Lu Wanhua heard the waiter announce the order, they thought she was being too generous. Just a few children, was it really necessary to order four dishes? Even though they were all vegetarian, it still cost quite a bit.
As for Luo Shuyang, she calculated in her mind how much money Wen Xiuwei spent today, and once again gained a new understanding of her financial resources and character.
As for Sun Yuqin, she felt proud after hearing that there were four vegetarian dishes. What was the point of being beautiful if she couldn't even afford meat? As everyone knows, meat is a must when entertaining guests. How shabby it would be without a single meat dish.
The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. So, when Luo Shuyang was halfway through ordering the dishes, she said with great pride, "Order two more braised pork dishes, and they'll be mine. I'll treat everyone."
Luo Shuyang looked at her in surprise, and then, without waiting for Sun Yuqin to regret, she directly told the waiter to bring two more braised porks.
Just kidding, Sun Yuqin targets her in the dormitory every day. Today, she has to treat her to these two dishes of braised pork whether she wants to or not. This will let her know what it means to cause trouble with the mouth.
Hearing that there was meat to eat, the educated youth from Xujiawan and Qingzhu Village all became friendly to Sun Yuqin. They all thanked Sun Yuqin. Some of them were so sweet-mouthed that they praised her for being generous and kind. Sun Yuqin was so flattered that she waved her hand and ordered a tomato egg drop soup for everyone.
Ding Yiming looked at Sun Yuqin enjoying the flattery of the crowd. He chuckled, squeezed through the others and came directly to Sun Yuqin. After finding out Sun Yuqin's age, he called her Sister Yuqin all the time and didn't even call her Sun Zhiqing anymore.
Ding Boyun was ordering food with Luo Shuyang. When he heard Ding Yiming's enthusiastic voice, he turned his head to take a look, then turned his head back again.
Sun Yuqin invited everyone to eat braised pork, half because she wanted Wen Xiuwei to see it, and the other half because she wanted to outdo Luo Shuyang. She always felt that being excluded in the dormitory had nothing to do with her personality, but was just because Luo Shuyang was the monitor of the educated youth class and a teacher at Xujiawan Primary School. She had more prestige than herself, so every time they quarreled, she could not win the argument with her, and others were unwilling to help her.
As the saying goes, if you take advantage of others, you will be soft-hearted and will be grateful for their help. Isn't that prestige? She can also strive for it, treat people to many meals and spend a lot of money. She just doesn't believe that no one will help her.
If she treated others to meals every day, her prestige would definitely increase instantly. However, Sun Yuqin couldn't do that. She had just enjoyed the attention for three minutes, and then Luo Shuyang asked her for money.
"Two pounds of meat tickets, three dollars and fifty cents."
Sun Yuqin's eyes widened. Her monthly living expenses were only eight yuan, and that included government subsidies. She had many children, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom, so even if her father earned more, he couldn't give her much more. Three yuan and a half... a meal, and that took up nearly half her monthly living expenses?!
Sun Yuqin froze in place. Suddenly, Luo Shuyang stretched out his hand again and said, "Forget it. You don't have to give it to me now."
Sun Yuqin just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Luo Shuyang smiling at her again, "We haven't shared the rest of the food yet. After we finish eating, you can give me the rest after sharing. Don't worry, it's nothing to you, only four dollars."
Sun Yuqin: “…”
Only four dollars?! How come you, a poor bastard, are richer than me?
Of course Luo Shuyang was furious because she was not the one who was going to bleed profusely.
…
The educated youth were bustling with activity, but Wen Xiuwei's side was quiet. They didn't make loud noises outside, but sat at a table and spoke only loud enough for each other to hear. Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi were chatting, while Chu Shao lowered his head to eat. Wen Xiuwei watched the two people opposite her talking with a smile on her face. After listening for a while, she picked up the chopsticks and picked up some dishes for Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi. Then, she turned around with a bowl of water and picked up a piece of tofu for Chu Shao.
She said gently, "Eat more tofu and you will grow taller."
Her theory was the same as Chu Jiujiu's. Chu Shao looked at the tofu cubes on the plate silently, and finally picked some up and ate them.
When Chu Jiujiu saw this scene, she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips. She didn't even hear Han Shengyi talking to her. It was only when Han Shengyi called her name that she reacted.
The four of them ate by the window, and no one noticed that two men had appeared diagonally across from them. One was Xu Jie, whom Wen Xiuwei had met before, and the other was a short man with tan skin and many pockmarks on his face. He also lived in Xujiawan, but as soon as he woke up, he would run around everywhere and rarely stayed in Xujiawan, only returning home to sleep at night. He was an orphan, the only one left in the family. Because he had been away from home since he was a child, the villagers had forgotten his name and called him Er Mazi.
Xu Jie squatted beside a tree, staring intently at the windows of the state-owned restaurant. Finally, he saw Wen Xiuwei sitting by the window. He quickly asked Er Mazi to look with him, "The third window, the one in the white shirt, do you see it?"
Ermazi's eyesight was not very good. He looked for a long time but did not see the person Xu Jie mentioned. Finally, he stood up and took two steps towards the state-owned hotel before he saw Wen Xiuwei's appearance.
After seeing clearly, he immediately whistled, "Great, you are so lucky, such a beautiful girl came to the village as an educated youth, oh my, those men in the village will go crazy."
Xu Jie: "They? They have the will but not the guts. They're a bunch of cowards."
Er Mazi laughed, "What about you? Did you do it?"
When this was mentioned, Xu Jie became angry. "I would like to, but my father won't let me. He said the dam will be closed soon, and at this critical moment, he won't let me mess with the educated youth."
Er Mazi asked in confusion, "What does the dam closure have to do with the educated youth? Why don't I understand what your father is saying?"
Xu Jie: "I didn't understand either. He said something like, 'The director said if I made any noise, they'd send me to a labor camp.'"
Xu Jie feared nothing except his father, who whipped him at every turn. Er Mazi, a childhood friend of his, knew his character and said nonchalantly, "Then wait until the dam is closed, then you can take action. Anyway, this young educated youth will stay in our village and can't go anywhere. It's like they say you can escape the nun, but you can't escape the nunnery, hehehe."
Er Mazi's words were extremely vulgar, and Xu Jie felt itchy. However, after a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and said, "No, I can't wait that long. It will take several months for the whole thing to be completed!"
Hearing this, Er Mazi hooked his arm around Xu Jie's shoulders and said, "How about I find you a girl?"
Er Mazi didn't know where he learned the words, but he kept calling "Niuniuer". Xu Jie was a little tempted. If he couldn't eat a swan, he could eat a goose. However, he still couldn't bear to give up the swan.
Looking into the window again, Xu Jie stared at Wen Xiuwei: "I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my life, I..."
When he said this, Ermazi looked toward the window with him. Halfway through, he suddenly stopped. Ermazi felt strange and turned around to ask, "What's wrong with you? Tell me, what are you looking at?"
Xu Jie was still staring into the window, but this time, his expression was even more fanatical, as if he had seen something extraordinary. Even his face was trembling, showing how excited he was.
Er Mazi frowned. He walked past Xu Jie and got a little closer. This time, he saw the person who made Xu Jie so excited, a "little swan" who had a face exactly like Wen Xiuwei but was much younger than Wen Xiuwei.
Xu Jie has a lot of shortcomings, but Ermazi doesn't mind. After all, neither of them is a good person, so there is no need to dislike each other because of these things. But on this point, Ermazi can never understand Xu Jie.
Having that kind of thought about a child is so fucking perverted...
With his back to Xu Jie, Er Mazi made a vomiting gesture. Turning around, he was Xu Jie's good brother again. "I've never heard that educated youth can bring their own family members to the countryside. Is that her sister?"
Xu Jie had no idea that his eyes had already fallen on Chu Jiujiu. Han Shengyi was sitting next to her. Feeling as if someone was watching them, he suddenly raised his head and looked straight towards the big tree. Xu Jie was startled, but fortunately he had enough experience in peeping, so he moved his gaze back in a second and looked at Ermazi, pretending that they were chatting.
Han Shengyi had never seen Xu Jie before, so he looked out the window and found nothing unusual, so he withdrew his gaze. On the other side, Xu Jie breathed a sigh of relief and then cursed, "You son of a bitch, you almost scared me to death."
Er Mazi didn't want to waste time here anymore. He put his arm around Xu Jie's shoulders and said, "Alright, alright. If you keep looking, people will find out. Let's go. What's the point of just looking? You might as well go back and think about what to do."
Xu Jie: "What should I do?"
Er Mazi: "Your father won't let you get close to the educated youth, so you have to think about what to do?"
Xu Jie: "But I don't want to get close to the educated youth now. These days, my father has been keeping me at home. But I heard that there's a kid who's very close to Wen Xiuwei. Her name is Jiujiu. She's not from our village, but from Qingzhu Village. Since she's not an educated youth and doesn't live in Xujiawan, so far from the dam, my father can't control her."
Ermazi: "...What do you want to do?"
Xu Jie turned around and took one last reluctant look at the state-owned restaurant. He gave a very disgusting smile and said, "Then just forget about it."
——
The vegetarian dishes were well-cooked and delicious when stir-fried. After Chu Jiujiu had eaten and drunk her fill, she returned with Chu Shao and the others. Wen Xiuwei remained with Luo Shuyang and the others. On the way back, the educated youth from the two villages continued to travel together. Sun Yuqin kept chatting and laughing with Ding Yiming. Only when the two groups separated did her face suddenly lengthen.
She just went to the town to have a meal, and her half-month living expenses were gone. Moreover, she saw clearly that the people who ate the most braised pork were not herself or Ding Yiming, but Lu Wanhua and Ren Shengli!
These two people are unclear about their affairs every day. They don't spend much money, but they never get enough of taking advantage of others. She feels very upset when she thinks about how they took her two dollars today.
Why isn't there an educated youth like Ding Yiming in Xujiawan? Look at him, he's handsome, good at talking, and unlike others, he doesn't keep hanging around Luo Shuyang and Wen Xiuwei. Ahhhh, I'm so annoyed. Why don't they assign her to Qingzhu Village? It's better than Xujiawan in every way!
After returning to the dormitory, Sun Yuqin went to bed angrily. On the other side, Ding Yiming, who was praised by her, was making fun of her with Ding Boyun.
"She has a little money in her hand, but she's just pretending to be rich. It makes me laugh to death. You didn't see the expression on her face when she took out the money. This person is so interesting. If you just say a few words to her, she will take out all her money. Oh, what a pity! It would be great if she was in Qingzhu Village. Then I wouldn't have to pay for my own meals anymore."
When he first arrived in Qingzhu Village, Ding Yiming wanted to act like a good guy, so he acted politely in front of everyone. Later, he couldn't act like a good guy anymore, and his true colors were revealed in front of Ding Boyun. Later, even in front of Yu Jianqing, he couldn't act like a good guy anymore. When he opened the dormitory door, he was a promising and progressive young man in Qingzhu Village. But when he closed the door, he was a little hooligan with his bare feet on the table.
Fortunately, Yu Jianqing doesn't care about these things, and he won't tell anyone about them. But looking at Ding Yiming's appearance, there is no need for Yu Jianqing to tell anyone. It won't be long before he will expose his true nature to the whole village.
Ding Yiming laughed at Sun Yuqin cheerfully. Ding Boyun looked at him for a moment, then unfolded his notebook and said, "You're different from others. When others see the educated youth from Xujiawan, the first people they see are Wen and Luo. After all, they're both good-looking."
Ding Yiming took off his shoes and socks and put his smelly feet on the head of the bed. He was unhygienic and the stench quickly spread throughout the dormitory, but he didn't notice it at all.
"Oh, such a beautiful girl, how could I not see her? But beauty can't be eaten."
At this point, he sighed, "How come Xujiawan is so lucky? Both beauties were assigned there. Although Sun Yuqin is not beautiful, she is a sucker. Going to the countryside with her can save a lot of money and tickets. I want to go to Xujiawan too."
Ding Boyun said casually, "Don't even think about it. Unless you can exchange with the educated youth from Xujiawan, you'll just have to stay in Qingzhu Village."
Ding Yiming just said this. He naturally knew how difficult it was to exchange educated youth. Just as he dismissed the idea and was about to take a nap, Ding Boyun suddenly walked up to him and scolded him: "Put on your shoes! This is a public area. From now on, you must wear shoes except when sleeping!"
When Ding Yiming heard this, he immediately sat up in dissatisfaction, "Why? You control me in the dormitory and even forbid me from taking off my shoes. Are you a fascist?"
Ding Boyun: "I'm not a fascist, I'm your squad leader. Do you want to wear it or not? If not, get out!"
Ding Yiming was bewildered, unable to understand why Ding Boyun was so arbitrary. But Ding Boyun was right; he was the squad leader, and theoretically, he should have obeyed him. Resentment welled up in his heart, but Ding Yiming didn't dare to confront him openly, so he squatted down and put his socks and shoes back on.
Then, he lay back on the bed, his back to Ding Boyun, with a look of dissatisfaction and indignation on his face.
He's crazy, so I'll just leave him alone!
——
After a while, the weather gradually became warmer and the cotton-padded clothes were put away. Chu Jiujiu had several sets of long-sleeved clothes for spring and autumn, but the ones tailored for her last year were now a little small and could only be worn as three-quarter sleeves. By next year, they would probably be completely unfit for her.
In the morning, Chu Shao went to work. He is now running back and forth. Today he works in Qingzhu Village, and tomorrow he will go to Xujiawan to help Wen Xiuwei with work. Wen Xiuwei is not Chu Jiujiu. She has been learning for nearly two months, and now she is becoming more and more efficient at work. She is very happy about herself, but Chu Jiujiu always holds her hand and sighs.
How can such a pair of slender fingers have calluses!
Sitting at the small desk, Chu Jiujiu read yesterday's newspaper for a while. Thinking of the thin yellowish calluses that had grown on Wen Xiuwei's hands, she felt very melancholy.
Her family's life is now on track. She and her grandfather no longer have to rely on farming for a living, but her grandmother is still an educated youth, and if nothing unexpected happens, she will be an educated youth for the rest of her life.
Thinking of this, Chu Jiujiu tapped her temples with the tip of a pencil. It was strange. Weren't they told that educated youth couldn't return to the city? How come Grandpa and Grandma met in another city later?
If there is a policy change, when did it start?
Chu Jiujiu scratched her head. She was really not interested in politics. When she was at home, she would listen to her parents watching TV. Unfortunately, her parents, one of them was addicted to TV dramas of various themes every day, and the other was an avid fan of documentaries and movies about World War I and World War II. They had not watched the news broadcast since a few years before Chu Jiujiu was born.
Look, this is the disadvantage of not watching the news. Even if your daughter traveled through time, you still can’t know the direction of history in the next few years!
…
After thinking for a long time, Chu Jiujiu really couldn't think of any clues about these years. In the end, she simply stopped thinking about it.
Even if the social environment changes in a few years, that's still a few years away! She wanted to bring her grandmother home now. Ever since she came into this world, everything has been subtly changing. Just like Grandpa Song said, this is called the butterfly effect. She was really afraid that she, a little butterfly, would flap her wings and blow away her grandparents' love.
What if they knew each other too well because they knew each other earlier in life and couldn't bring themselves to harm each other? Oh my god, wouldn't her father never be born?!
Chu Jiujiu looked terrified. She just wanted to change her father's diaper!
…
Putting away the newspaper, Chu Jiujiu decided to go out and play for a while. As soon as she stayed at home, she started brainstorming, and as she thought, she got herself into trouble. She might as well go out and enjoy the beauty of spring. After all, summer will be here soon.
Alas, summer, this annoying little goblin.
As she got older, Chu Jiujiu's mind became more active. She could recall things she hadn't understood before, including those internet slangs she had previously considered bizarre. She plucked a piece of dogtail grass from the roadside and brushed her chin with the furry part. Her steps were brisk. She wanted to go to the vegetable garden to find Han Shengyi, but as she passed Han's house, Grandma Han happened to be washing clothes at the door and called out to her.
"Jiujiu, go get me a bottle of soy sauce."
Every time she ran errands for Grandma Han, she would give Chu Jiujiu a few cents as a fee, sometimes one cent, sometimes three cents. When the amount was enough, Chu Jiujiu could buy herself some snacks when she went to town.
Therefore, she especially liked running errands. She ran to Grandma Han in an instant and stood there obediently. She stretched out her little hand with her palm facing up. Grandma Han saw that she was so happy to ask for money and wanted to hit her, but her hands were wet, so she had to give up the idea and took out a dime from her pocket. Grandma Han told her: "Take two taels and come back after you're done. Don't wander around outside."
Chu Jiujiu took the money and the bottle and ran away quickly. No one could see her anymore, but her cheerful voice could still be heard.
"I know~"
Grandma Han laughed and scolded, then continued to wash the clothes in the hands.
When she arrived at the small supply and marketing cooperative, Chu Jiujiu found that the pineapples she bought last time were still available. Nowadays, everything grown is in season, and there is no such thing as off-season. If they are sold out, she can only wait until next year.
This kind of pineapple is different from the big pineapple Chu Jiujiu had eaten before. This one is very small and the taste is not juicy and sweet, but a bit sticky. When Chu Jiujiu first tasted it, she didn’t like it very much, but the more she ate, the more delicious it became.
She thought they were all sold out, but found that there were still a few left. In addition to the soy sauce that Grandma Han wanted, she also bought a pineapple and prepared to take it back to eat with Chu Shao.
Holding the soy sauce bottle and the pineapple, Chu Jiujiu walked back slowly. When she was not in a hurry, she always walked very slowly. Occasionally, someone walked by her. If she knew them, she would call out to them. If she didn't know them, she would just walk past them without looking away. She walked slowly, but it made the people behind her very anxious.
Xu Jie has been wandering on this road these days, because whether it is to go to the commune or to Xujiawan, this road is the preferred road for the people of Qingzhu Village, and children will not go to the city alone, so Xu Jie gave up the road to the town.
The last few times he saw Chu Jiujiu, there was always someone around her. Today, there was finally no one around. Xu Jie was ready to rush out as soon as all the passers-by disappeared. But Chu Jiujiu walked too slowly. It had been such a long time, and she could still see the commune if she turned back!
Xu Jie was extremely anxious, but Chu Jiujiu naturally didn't know. When she saw a flower, she would stop to admire it. When she met someone she knew, she would also stop to chat with them for a while. Finally, they came to a relatively desolate section of the road. There was no one in front, behind, or around, and the roadside was overgrown with weeds, and there were bamboos growing in the grass. They were mixed together and grew taller than people.
That's it.
This is the easiest place to start!
Xu Jie's blood boiled with passion. He had been following from a distance, and since he had done this more than once, it was difficult for the person being followed to notice him. He quietly followed Chu Jiujiu, originally ten meters away from her. Gradually, it became five meters, and then slowly, it became two meters. When he was one meter away, Xu Jie became excited. Just two more steps forward, he would be able to catch Chu Jiujiu. But at this moment, Chu Jiujiu turned her head.
She felt a little uncomfortable, as if something was pricking her. Just as she was about to turn around to see what was going on, suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her ribs, lifted her up, and ran away.
Chu Jiujiu: “……???”
Xu Jie, who was intercepted, said: “…???”
Xu Jie stood there in a daze, not understanding what was going on. Before he could reach out, a woman suddenly jumped out from the bushes next to him, acting stealthily, picked up Chu Jiujiu and ran away.
Hey, kidnapping has competitors these days?!
…
Chu Jiujiu was startled. She pressed the woman's body and was about to jump down, but the woman was very strong. She held Chu Jiujiu and repeated over and over again, "Don't be afraid, mother will protect you. Cuicui, don't be afraid. The bad guys have been chased away by mother. Let's go find your father now."
Chu Jiujiu looked at her in surprise, and then she realized that this woman was dressed neatly and looked well-groomed, but her eyes were dull and her behavior was stiff. It was an appearance that was difficult to describe in words. In short, just one look would reveal that she was different from normal people.
She was not running out of the village, but back to the village. Moreover, the further she ran, the more densely populated the area was. Human traffickers would never do that.
Qingzhu Village was too vast. Chu Jiujiu had seen some of the people there, but she had never been to their place. Ever since she realized she was running in that direction, she wasn't afraid anymore. She kept staring at the woman, and the woman couldn't hold her like that any longer. Noticing she had no strength left and Chu Jiujiu wasn't struggling anymore, she let her go. Then, holding Chu Jiujiu's hand tightly, she looked around warily, "Cuicui, follow your mother closely. Don't make any noise."
Chu Jiujiu didn't say anything, but she seemed to know who this person was.
The crazy woman in the village, the eldest daughter of the old branch secretary, that miserable person.
Chu Jiujiu didn't know how to deal with mentally ill people. She was afraid that she would irritate her, and some mentally ill people had aggressive tendencies. She didn't know what type this woman was. She didn't dare to disobey her and could only follow her, like a thief, walking along the wall.
It was quite lively here. Several people were gathered at the door talking. They looked anxious, but also helpless. Chu Jiujiu and the woman hid behind a pile of firewood and could just hear what they were saying.
"He ran away again. Everyone, please help find him."
"If it were you, I'd say we should tie her up. The old Party Secretary is old, and we can't let her keep making trouble like this. Don't think I'm being harsh, but Aunt Xue is already confused. Even if you tie her up, she won't understand anything. Tying her up is good for the old Party Secretary, for Aunt Xue, and for us. Otherwise, if she runs away again one day and we can't find her, and if she's seen by human traffickers, Aunt Xue won't have a good end."
Chu Jiujiu was completely stunned. Aunt Xue? The Aunt Xue from Fu Wenpei?
…
The people over there were still talking, but the woman acted as if she didn't hear them. Or rather, she heard them, but their words were automatically translated into another meaning in her ears, so she felt that those people were bad people and not the villagers she knew at all.
"Stop giving her such bad advice. The more you tie her up, the worse it gets. Wasn't she lucid for a while two years ago? Doctor Huang said she just has a problem, and maybe she'll get better someday."
"Okay, there's no point in talking about this. Let's find the person first. Let's go."
After these people left, the woman called "Auntie Xue" moved. She held Chu Jiujiu's hand, watched the movements around her, and pushed her forward.
After confirming the woman's identity, Chu Jiujiu was no longer afraid. As early as when she heard the woman's story, she felt that she was very pitiful. Now looking at her, she must have mistaken her for her dead daughter, so she wanted to take her back to her home. This was a good thing. By sending her home, those people outside wouldn't have to look for her.
After being pushed obediently for a while, she saw the woman's destination, a large house that was considered impressive in the village. She remembered what her third aunt had said before: the old branch secretary's son was very promising. The first thing he did when he returned home was to build a spacious and bright brick house for his father. Knowing that this was the old branch secretary's home, Chu Jiujiu changed her previous obedient behavior. She turned around and said to the woman, "Mom, go in first. We're at the door now. There won't be any bad people around."
The woman was originally looking at the distance alertly, but when she heard her speak, she was stunned, "Cui Cui, why does your voice become like this?"
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
You can't tell if the face has changed, but you can recognize it immediately if the voice has changed!
After a moment of silence, Chu Jiujiu smiled, revealing her small white teeth, and evaded the question, "Mom, Dad is waiting for you in the room, why don't you go in and find him?"
The woman turned her head and looked at the big iron gate of her house. "Your father... is back?"
Chu Jiujiu: "Yes, he's back. He's been looking for you. You can't keep him waiting any longer."
The woman was dazed, looking at Chu Jiujiu's serious expression. She turned around, pushed open the door, and stepped over the threshold. The old branch secretary was sitting silently in the yard. His daughter would sneak out every few days, but he was old and his legs were not good, so it was always his second son and a few neighbors who helped to find her. But going on like this was not a solution. As the saying goes, there is no filial son by the bedside of a long-term patient. What's more, it is the neighbors who are in trouble. Sooner or later, people's sympathy for his daughter will be exhausted, and so will their respect for him. By then, he will be old and weak, what will he do?
The old branch secretary's mood hit rock bottom, and he hung his head gloomily. Suddenly, the door opened, and for the first time in history, his daughter actually came back by herself!
The old Party Secretary stood up excitedly, "Yuanxue, are you okay?"
The woman ignored him and walked straight inside to find her "husband".
The old Party Secretary was stunned for a moment. Only then did he notice a little girl with red lips and white teeth outside the door. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Chu Jiujiu."
The old Party secretary rarely went out, but he knew everything that had happened in the village. His expression became clear. He stood up and limped out, holding onto the door panel of his house. He asked, "You are the daughter of old Zhang's Juanzi, right? Did you send Yuanxue back?"
The old Party Secretary's surname was Chen, so the woman's name was Chen Yuanxue. Chu Jiujiu instantly remembered that this was someone her Third Aunt had told her about. Her Third Aunt called her "Auntie." Chu Jiujiu calculated her generation and was silent for a second before she smiled again. "Yes, I ran into Grandma Yuanxue on the road, so I sent her back."
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