Chapter 272 How Far is It From That Step?
When she arrived at the dormitory, she went to the window, where there was a square table shared by everyone in the dormitory.
She took out the pen that was filled with ink, spread out the letter paper and began to write to Lu Dongping.
How should she write? She sat there for a long time, pen in hand, not knowing how to start. She thought about them all the time, unsure how to have both now. She wanted Lu Dongping and Dandan to come to the capital, desperately, but unwilling to embarrass Lu Dongping. She could only wait, until Lu Dongping came to his senses. If he was willing to come, she could settle him down without Old Wen bothering her.
It's already the 16th day of the first lunar month. It's been eleven days since she and Lu Dongping separated. He should have gone home by now, right? He should be busy at the Armed Forces Department. The team should be planting potatoes, and Dandan should be in the fields too. What else could he be doing now? Playing in the mud with Chuyi?
He will be four years old in June. He could write several words before he left. Now there is no one to teach him, and I am afraid he will forget them all again.
She stroked the photo of their family of three, feeling incredibly sad. She said she had no regrets, but she couldn't help herself. Four years! It's only been a few days, but she's already feeling incredibly sad. Four years really feels like a long time! In another four years, Dandan will be eight years old. By the time she graduates, he might not even recognize her.
She was thinking about Lu Dongping, but Lu Dongping hadn't even returned home yet. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month had already passed, and according to the timetable, he should have returned long ago. After all, the letter of introduction was only valid for two weeks. After that, he couldn't stay in a hotel, buy train tickets, or even eat. Lu Mingjiang and his wife were extremely anxious. It was too far, and they heard the road was unsafe. They had no idea what was going on. They had clearly agreed to return after sending the person there, so he should have been back by then.
It's too far away, and no one knows what the situation is at Wen Wan's home. The last time Wen Wan's father came here, he seemed quite polite, but this time Lu Dongping is going to someone's house, and he doesn't know if he will be embarrassed.
But someone on the team was eager to watch the fun and asked Zhang Hongying, "Why hasn't your Dongping come back yet? Could it be that he's not coming back and has become a live-in son-in-law at your father-in-law's house?"
Zhang Hongying was so angry that she couldn't even express it in words.
Lu Dongping returned on the night of the 20th day of the first lunar month.
In the middle of the night, with a bag on his back, his face looked haggard, his hair was messy, his lips were dry and full of cuts, and his eyes were bloodshot.
The night was dark, blocking everything out, so no matter how confused you were, you couldn't see it.
When he got home, he didn't disturb anyone. He opened his door with his key, didn't wash up, and fell asleep.
The journey back was not very peaceful. When the train stopped at the provincial capital station, it stopped for a long time and it was so chaotic. A human trafficker got on the train and took the child away. He chased after him and did catch the child, but he missed the train.
After being delayed for a few days, his letter of introduction expired. On the way back, he finally managed to get a ride on a truck, but ran into trouble again. If he hadn't been so strong-willed, it's hard to say whether he would have been able to return.
The journey was thrilling and my nerves were tense the whole time. Now that I was home, I couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep the moment I hit the bed.
I woke up to Zhang Hongying's voice.
The weather was still cold in the first month of the year, but the team had already started work, so naturally we had to get up early in the morning.
When the people in the room got up, they didn't notice the door next to them. It was not until they had dinner and it was bright outside that they noticed that the lock on it was open.
Zhang Hongying was startled, but then she came to her senses and shouted, "Dongping, are you back?"
After shouting several times, Lu Dongping finally responded.
Zhang Hongying had already entered the house and was complaining naggingly, "Why did you come back just now? When did you fall down? Why didn't you call us?"
Lu Dong lay flat on his back and replied, "You arrived in the middle of the night. Are you going to work? Then leave Dandan at home. I'll take care of him."
"What are you bringing? We just arrived in the middle of the night. You should take a rest. I'm going to go to the fields." After saying that, he turned and left the house.
Lu Dongping sighed slightly, closed his eyes, and thought that he should get up and pack up to go to the Armed Forces Department. It was already so late, and it was really hard to say what would happen there. Unexpectedly, he fell asleep again.
When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
He got up, changed his clothes, cooked, boiled water, washed his hair, shaved, looked at the person in the mirror, and sighed slightly.
When one person is missing from the family, it seems like the whole world has changed.
He was delayed for too long this time, and he was bound to be scolded by Lin Chenghai when he arrived at the Armed Forces Department. Not only was he scolded, but he also had to write a self-criticism. For the next six months, he had no Sundays off and had to go to the Armed Forces Department to be on duty.
Lin Chenghai is impartial in his work and does not give any leeway at all.
After the incident, when he was leaving work, he called Lu Dongping. He didn't say much, just pointed at him helplessly and said, "You kid!" He really couldn't deny it. They'd gone through so much trouble to date, but now, he just let go without a second thought. He'd quietly done everything he needed to do and even sent her off to the afterlife. If it were him, Lin Chenghai didn't think he could do it. They still had a marriage certificate, but what kind of place was the capital? How could it compare to Ganling? They hadn't divorced, and she was gone. How far could they be from that?
Lu Dongping knew what he meant, but didn't want to bring it up again. He smiled and changed the subject: "Minister Lin, I heard before the New Year that you were getting married soon. When can I attend your wedding?"
Lin Chenghai had been divorced for many years, and his only child was now grown up and in junior high school. Many people had introduced him to potential partners, and after such a long delay, he finally got engaged.
Lin Chenghai smiled and said, "It will be soon. You will have plenty of wine to drink after all."
Lu Dongping walked out of the door with a smile, but when he got outside, he could no longer smile. He found a place to sit down, picked up a piece of grass and held it in his hand, looking at the blue sky, his thoughts drifting far away.
He overestimated his patience. He couldn't stand it as soon as he got home. He felt that without that person at home, everything seemed hopeless.
It was already mid-February in the lunar calendar, and the end of March in the solar calendar, when I received Wenwan's letter. The weather was getting warmer day by day, and by noon, I couldn't even wear my cotton jacket because I was sweating.
Lu Dongping works in the commune, where receiving letters is much more convenient than in the team.
Wenwan's letter, written over several days, rambled on about the beautiful sights of Huazhong University, the people in her dorm, and even what she'd eaten in the cafeteria before writing. It was all just trivia. She mentioned a child named Chunxue in the dorm and asked Lu Dongping if, by the time she graduated, Dandan would have forgotten she was her mother.
Wen Wan mentioned the idea of letting Lu Dongping go to the capital once when the two were in a stalemate and angry. Lu Dongping did not give a definite answer, but Wen Wan already understood what he meant and never mentioned it again.
Lu Dongping has his own home and things that he cannot bear to part with, just like himself.
Lu Dongping held the letter in his hand and read it over and over again. The several pages of letter paper, with densely packed words, weighed heavily on his heart, as if they weighed a thousand pounds.
As the weather gets warmer, people take off their winter coats and the girls in the school become a beautiful sight.
Wen Wan went back home on the weekend and brought back some thick clothes.
After dinner, Wen Wan went out for a walk with Wen Shihua. She thought about it all the way, and when she reached the sports field, she called out to Wen Shihua, "Dad, I want to discuss something with you."
Wen Shihua stopped and turned to look at her: "Just tell me what's going on. Dad is listening!"
Wen Wan lowered her eyes, looking at the wild grass at her feet that had just begun to revive. After a while, she finally heard her own voice: "I want to discuss something with you. If, I mean if, if Dongping is willing to bring the child here, I want him to settle down in the small courtyard left by my mother."
She knew that as long as Lu Dongping was willing to come, her father would have plenty of ways to settle him in. But she wanted to do this herself.
If Lu Dongping came here, he would have no job, and it would be difficult to change his food supply, so it would be difficult to settle down, so he could only settle down with the Wen family. However, in their local thinking, settling down with the Wen family was equivalent to marrying into the family.
Wen Wan thought about it and there was only one solution, and that was a house.
That yard belonged to her mother Xu Ruyin, and she was also the head of household. However, because she had passed away many years ago, her household registration was cancelled, so there was no household registration on the house. Once Lu Dongping settled there, he would become the head of household. She was not afraid that Lu Dongping would pretend to be Chen Shimei and take the house, but she was worried that Wen Shihua would not agree.
Wen Shihua didn't say he didn't want to. After all, he only had one child, Wen Wan. No matter whether she was his or Xu Ruyin's, in the end, she would be Wen Wan's.
He sighed and said, "I don't have any objection. It depends on what Dongping thinks. He has to be willing to come."
"To be honest, Dad doesn't have any objections to him. He even welcomes him here. Although he's not very educated, he can read and write, and he works in the armed forces. I'm still in office, so if he comes here, I can still arrange something for him. It all depends on his feelings, whether you mean enough to him to leave his hometown and come so far away. This is different from the nature of your relationship with him back then."
Wen Wan knew it was different, but with Wen Shihua's words, she felt more at ease.
The house was not far from Hua University, just across two streets. It was a small courtyard with three main rooms and a kitchen, but no toilet.
This area is full of old houses from before the liberation. A large number of people live together, and the toilet is in the alley outside, which is a public one.
The house had been rented out a long time ago. Since Wen Wan wanted to use it, she had to tell the owner and ask him to find a house and move out as soon as possible.
Wen Wan was not in a hurry. She was just making preparations. In case Lu Dongping came to his senses and was willing to come, she couldn't let him be without a place to stay.
It’s not impossible to live in the compound, but a family of three will always be more comfortable.
The house issue had not yet been settled when Mrs. Xu’s 80th birthday arrived.
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