In the main hall, Yang Lian comforted Feng Ru for a while. When Feng Ru's mood improved a little, Feng Ru continued, "Xiao Feng, as long as you're okay, that's all. As long as you're alive, there's hope!"
Wu Zhong also continued, "Xiao Feng, take it easy. Don't let Hongwen and the others worry. Hongwen even secretly asked me to bring you something!"
"What is that!" Feng Ru wiped her face, looked up and asked in a crying voice.
Wu Zhong took out a piece of letter paper from his pocket and handed it to Feng Ru. Feng Ru took it and opened the letter paper. It read:
My beloved wife Feng Ru:
I, Lin Hongwen, broke my promise. I'm sorry! You must take good care of yourself.
After reading the two hastily scribbled lines of words written by Lin Hongwen on the letter, Feng Ru cried even louder.
Wu Zhong saw that Feng Ru was crying even harder, looking at Yang Lian and Han Chen for help. Han Chen thought for a moment and said loudly, "Sister-in-law, crying now won't solve the problem! We have to find out where my brother and the others are now!"
After Han Chen finished speaking, Feng Ru started crying and they both looked at Wu Zhong eagerly.
Wu Zhong clenched his fist and answered truthfully, "I only found out that they were exiled to the Northwest. I haven't figured out their exact location yet!"
Yang Lian looked at Feng Ru and Han Chen's frustrated and anxious expressions and added, "Xiao Feng, don't worry. This time, your uncle Wu and I are leaving Jing City and we don't plan to go back. Your uncle and I applied to participate in the construction of the Greater Western Region, and we've been assigned to work in a corps in the Northwest. Your uncle has been transferred to become the brigade commander there. We can then slowly find out where your parents are assigned!"
"Uncle and aunt, thank you!" Feng Ru said gratefully.
Yang Lian held Feng Ru's hands and said, "Child, let's not be so polite between our two families. This time, our family didn't suffer any hardship because Hongwen asked us to withdraw in time.
The struggles in Beijing are so intense right now that your uncle and I don't want to join either faction. But staying in Beijing is inevitable; we can't be neutral. We decided to go to the Northwest to participate in the construction efforts, also to avoid trouble. At least Beijing can't stop us from building our country. Your uncle and I just want to do more practical work for our country and our people while we're still able to.
Your parents, Hongwen, and the old man are all upright people who care about the people and the country. I believe that the country will not abandon them forever. They will come back one day!
"Will there be such a day? I just hope they are safe now and not hurt!" Feng Ru said with a bitter face.
"Xiao Feng, this day will come. If you don't believe your aunt, you should at least believe me!" Wu Zhong said firmly.
"Sister-in-law, I think so too. So, we have to wait for brother and the others to come back! You have to take good care of yourself and relax." Han Chen persuaded.
Feng Ru nodded weakly. Yang Lian looked at Feng Ru like this, touched Feng Ru's head with heartache, and then said: "Your uncle Wu and I know that Hongwen has arranged for you three in advance. Lele, her mother's side, moved out of your house last month. I heard that her mother's side found a temporary job for her. Then, your parents got into trouble, and she published a statement in the newspaper saying that she had nothing to do with your parents and she had severed ties with Lele!
My uncle and I thought, you're already tired of taking care of the two brothers, Xiaojin, so why don't we take Lele over there? Although the conditions there aren't very good, my job isn't big. I'm only responsible for teaching everyone, so I can take care of Lele the whole time!
Feng Ru refused without a second thought, "Uncle, Aunt, no, I promised Mom and Dad that I would take good care of Lele. Lele will stay with us in Liujia Village, right?"
"Uncle, aunt, just do as my sister-in-law says! Lele is Xuemei and I's goddaughter. These days, Xuemei and I have treated her as our own daughter. In our hearts, Lele is the same as An'an! Besides, when I brought Lele back, my aunt gave me a thousand yuan and a lot of tickets. Don't worry, Xuemei and I will spend all this on Lele." Han Chen said anxiously.
Wu Zhong wanted to say something, but Yang Lian pulled her hand and said, "Okay, then stay here. If you need anything in the future, just send us a letter!"
Wu Zhong and his two companions stayed at the Liu family's house for one night. Wu Zhong and his wife saw that everyone in the Liu family treated Lele very well, treating him like their own child. Lele was just six months old now, and he weighed over 20 pounds when held in his arms. He was plump and cuddly, and it was obvious that he was well cared for.
The next morning, Wu Zhong and his two companions had breakfast and left, leaving behind two bags of malted milk, a bag of milk powder, and some nationally valid tickets. Liu's father and mother packed some dry goods and a few pieces of bacon and asked Wu Zhong and his two companions to take them with them.
After Wu Zhong and his wife left, Feng Ru fell ill that night with a high fever. That night, they went to Wu Yuezhu's house and asked her to come over to get some antipyretics. The next morning, her condition did not improve, so Liu's mother took Feng Ru to the commune hospital for treatment. Later, she took a week's sick leave from the school, stayed in the county hospital for three days, and then went home to rest for a few days before she recovered and her energy and spirit gradually recovered.
After Feng Ru recovered from her illness, she discussed with everyone about registering Lele's household registration. Because it was very troublesome to register Feng Ru's household registration, and they had to go back to Beijing to get a certificate, so after everyone's discussion, they decided to register Lele's household registration at Xuemei and Han Chen's house. He would be the same age as An An, and his full name would be Lin Nian, which represented everyone's remembrance of Lin Hongzhi, as well as their longing for Lin Jianye and the other three, and they also hoped to meet Lin Jianye and the others soon.
With Feng Ru's illness and Lin Hongwen and the others' mishap, Lin Jin became much more sensible. After school, she rarely went out to play. Instead, she stayed at home with her younger brother to look after her two younger sisters, or went up the mountain with the other children in the village to collect firewood. Both Liu's father and mother felt sorry for Lin Jin, who had suddenly grown up.
After Lele turned six months old, Xuemei and Han Chen began adding complementary foods to An'an and Lele. They used rice cereal mixed with boiled water, ground in a clay pot with a hammer. So, except for a quick bottle of milk at noon and in the morning, and Xuemei's nighttime feeding before bed, An'an and Lele ate rice cereal or drank the powdered milk and malted milk that Wu Zhong and his wife had left behind.
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