Chapter 95 Taking You to a Good Place
The next morning, Jiang Wanqiu had just finished breakfast when there was another knock on the door.
It was Battalion Commander Liu's wife, Wang Xiuying, who came in carrying a small basket of frozen, hard, black lumps. As soon as she entered, she smiled warmly and said, "Wanqiu, here are a few frozen pears for you to try. Let them thaw in the house for a bit, and when they soften, you can suck on them. They're sweet!"
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're too kind. Please come in and sit down." Jiang Wanqiu quickly took the basket and ushered her into the house.
Wang Xiuying looked around the room and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law is so capable, this room is so tidy. You haven't met me yet, have you? I'm Liu Shengli's wife. Back when we were suppressing enemy agents, my husband Liu was in the same team as him. We both made contributions together. Back then, Liu always praised Wenchang, saying that he was quick-witted, skilled, and a born soldier."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Xiuying changed the subject and asked, "By the way, I heard Wenchang went on another mission recently? Did he get injured?"
"No, I'm fine," Jiang Wanqiu replied.
Wang Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest: "That's good, that's good. Did he say... roughly when is the next mission scheduled?"
Seeing the puzzled look on Jiang Wanqiu's face, she quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, my husband Lao Liu's leg has been injured for the past few years, making it difficult for him to move around and preventing him from going on missions. But he's always thinking about his former comrades and wants to ask about their situation. I'm just worrying about him unnecessarily."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu smiled gently: "Sister-in-law, you may not know Wenchang's personality. He never brings anything about his military affairs home, and he doesn't tell me a single word. Even if I want to ask, he won't tell me."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Wang Xiuying's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a warm smile: "That's right, that's right, it's just that you're confused, sister-in-law. There are rules in the army! Let's not talk about this anymore, come on, let me teach you how to eat this frozen pear..."
Another heavy snow fell without warning, falling steadily throughout the night.
The next day, when the door was opened, the entire residential compound had been transformed into a fairytale world covered in silver.
The snow was a good half-foot thick, even heavier than the last snowfall, and it crunched underfoot. Jiang Wanqiu, a girl from the south, had never seen anything like it before, and her bright almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment.
Her face flushed with excitement, and disregarding the freezing weather, she busied herself in her little yard. Rolling snowballs, building snowmen, she was having a great time. Before long, a cute little snowman was finished.
She still felt it wasn't enough, so she ran back into the house, took off her red woolen scarf, and carefully wrapped it around the snowman.
In the vast expanse of white snow, a small, exquisite snowman wearing a bright red scarf stands beside an even more charming beauty; the scene is indescribably beautiful.
Watching Jiang Wanqiu busy all morning, Li Yanhong exclaimed loudly as she saw this snowman: "Wow, Wanqiu, you're so skillful! It looks just like a painting! You're beautiful, and the snowman you made is so delicate."
These roughnecks only stick two sticks into a snowman; they can't possibly build one as exquisitely as Jiang Wanqiu.
He Xiaoman, who was pouring water out not far away, saw this scene, curled her lips in disdain, and muttered under her breath: "People from the city are just idle, they have energy but nowhere to use it."
In the evening, Zhao Wenchang returned home covered in snow and immediately spotted the snowman in the yard wearing his wife's scarf.
He paused, then looked up and saw Jiang Wanqiu behind the window, sipping a cup of hot tea.
He pushed open the door and entered the room, bringing with him a chilling blast of air.
As Zhao Wenchang brushed the snowflakes off his clothes, he said to Jiang Wanqiu, "The date for the winter fishing has been set for the day after tomorrow. Wear the thickest cotton-padded jacket and trousers I bought for you, as well as those big boots. I'll also find you a pair of woolen socks, so you won't get cold."
On the day of the winter fishing, before dawn, the entire military region was already bustling with activity.
When Jiang Wanqiu arrived at the river, she found it already bustling with activity.
The frozen river stretched out wide and boundless. Soldiers, chanting powerful slogans, used ice picks to chisel holes in the thick ice, preparing to set their nets. Meanwhile, the wives of soldiers and their children skated and had snowball fights in the designated safe area, their laughter and cheers echoing throughout.
Villagers from nearby villages also gathered during this time, asking the soldiers from the military region to help them dig a few holes so they could catch some fish to take home for the New Year and winter.
Zhao Wenchang specially made Jiang Wanqiu change into spiked shoes, and then stretched out his large hand, which was covered with a thick glove, and held her tightly.
"Hold on tight, the ice is slippery."
Jiang Wanqiu was led by him, moving carefully across the ice. Sunlight shone on the crystal-clear ice, reflecting a dazzling light, and also falling on their tightly clasped hands.
Le Yunyun and Gu Feiyan also arrived. Le Yunyun was wearing her fashionable camel-colored wool coat, her nose was red and her lips were purple from the cold in the snow, and she complained, "What's so interesting about this? It's freezing. I really don't know what my dad was thinking, making me come along to join in the fun."
She kept sniffling as she spoke, and two clear snot streamed down her face, making her look rather pitiful.
Jiang Wanqiu found it amusing, took out another spare hot water bottle from her bag and handed it over, saying with a smile, "Here, warm your hands, you're so cold."
Le Yunyun paused for a moment, then took it, muttering, "Who asked you to meddle?" but her hands honestly hugged the hot water bottle tightly.
Just then, a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd.
"The nets are in! The nets are in!"
Dozens of soldiers worked together to pull the huge fishing net. As the net was slowly pulled out of the ice hole, thousands of lively fish thrashed and leaped inside, their silver scales shimmering in the sunlight, creating a spectacular scene.
"Wenchang! Battalion Commander Zhao! Come and lend a hand, we don't have enough strength here!" someone shouted.
As the main force, Zhao Wenchang was immediately called to help close the net. He released Jiang Wanqiu's hand, and before leaving, his deep eyes were fixed on her. He solemnly instructed, "Don't wander off. Stay here and don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."
Without a man's support, Jiang Wanqiu tentatively took a few steps on the ice.
The feeling was so novel; beneath her feet was a thick, solid layer of ice, through which she could vaguely see the dark green water ripples below. This was an experience she, a girl who grew up in a water town in the south, could never have dreamed of.
As she was slowly walking alone on the ice, Le Yunyun came over.
She was clearly uninterested in the "collective brute force activity" of dozens of people shouting and pulling the large net, and complained with a pout: "It's so noisy. It's just catching a few fish, but they make it sound like they're going to war. How tacky."
As she spoke, she tugged at Jiang Wanqiu's sleeve and pointed to a spot not far away: "Come on, let's go take a look over there. It's quieter there."
Jiang Wanqiu looked in the direction she pointed and saw that there were some villagers gathered in twos and threes. They had also chiseled some small holes in the ice and were using small nets. They could catch a few fish at a time. Although it was not as spectacular as the large nets, it was still quite interesting.
As the two approached, they heard a suppressed argument.
A girl who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in thin clothes, her face sallow from the cold, was timidly tugging at the hem of a burly man's clothes. Beside the man's feet was a tattered fish basket containing about twenty lively crucian carp.
"Brother, please, I beg you, two cents, can you sell me two?" The girl's voice was weak and tearful.
Upon hearing this, the man's eyebrows furrowed, and he waved his hand impatiently: "Go away, go away, two cents? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar! I put in so much effort to cast this net, and two fish aren't even enough to cover my breathing!"
"Brother, I... I only have these two cents left..." The girl pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm a newlywed, and my in-laws have given me a strict order: I have to bring the fish home today. Otherwise... otherwise I'll get a beating when I get back..."
Upon hearing this, several onlookers quietly moved a few steps away, afraid of getting involved in this family's troubles.
The burly man scoffed, shoving her hand away: "What does your family getting beaten up have to do with me? If you don't have money, don't buy it! Go somewhere else, don't interfere with my business!"
He was strong, and the swing was extremely forceful. The girl staggered back a few steps, slipped on the ice, and her thin cotton-padded jacket sleeve was pulled up, revealing a section of her arm covered in crisscrossing bruises. The marks of old wounds layered with new ones looked particularly shocking against her pale skin.
"what's wrong with you!"
Le Yunyun couldn't stand seeing men bullying women, and her spoiled princess temper flared up instantly. She rushed forward, her eyebrows raised, and pulled a brand-new "10,000 yuan" bill from the pocket of her camel-colored wool coat, slapping it onto the burly man's fish basket.
That's ten yuan!
The burly man stared wide-eyed.
"I'll take all of these fish!" Le Yunyun gestured with her chin. "Give them all to her!"
The burly man was stunned for several seconds before he reacted, and his face immediately plastered with a fawning smile.
He was secretly delighted. He had really run into a sucker from the city today. These few pounds of crucian carp were worth at most a dollar or so.
"Oh my! Alright, alright! You're such a kind-hearted girl!" He quickly poured all the fish onto the ice.
The girl named Xiao Cui was also stunned. Looking at the fish scattered on the ground, and then at Le Yunyun, she was so excited that she almost knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, big sister! Thank you, big sister! You are truly my savior!"
"Alright, alright, stop with the act." Le Yunyun was startled by her posture and quickly took two steps back.
But when she saw the fish rolling around on the ice, emitting a strong fishy smell, her mysophobia kicked in, and her face showed undisguised disgust.
Xiao Cui looked helplessly at the pile of fish. She couldn't carry them all by herself, so she turned to Jiang Wanqiu, who seemed the most gentle and easy to talk to, for help.
"Sister..." Xiao Cui's voice was thick with nasal tone as she looked expectantly at Jiang Wanqiu's beautiful and radiant face. "Could you... could you help me? Just help me carry the fish to the roadside by the river. I made an appointment with my man; he's waiting for me by the roadside in his donkey cart."
Jiang Wanqiu looked at her pitiful appearance and then looked in the direction she was pointing. There was indeed a dirt road along the riverbank, only a few dozen steps away, not far at all.
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