Chapter 148: Living in the County
Xia Juanjuan couldn't help but feel a sore nose when she heard the three little kids crying so sadly.
It wasn't impossible to move them in to the county town, but she couldn't just not make any preparations.
Moreover, Lin Yuru is now distracted by Xia Shuangshan’s matter. I’m afraid I can’t even take care of her, let alone three little guys.
We can only wait until Xia Shuangshan is released after a while, and then let Li Jie send them over.
Xia Juanjuan asked Li Jie to drive the ox cart to the house she bought in the county town.
She told Li Jie and Lin Yuru that this was a telegram she had sent to Li Zhan, telling her that she wanted to give birth in the county hospital. Li Zhan asked his comrades in the county to help rent a place for her, which cost ten yuan a month, twenty yuan for two months. The key and address had been sent to her a few days ago.
Li Jie and Lin Yu Ru had no doubts either.
After the door was opened, the three of them went in. Li Jie and Lin Yuru were both stunned by this quaint courtyard.
There is a moon-shaped door in the yard, carved windows, and a two-story building made of pure wood, covered with glazed tiles that were only found in the houses of wealthy families in the old days. There are crabapple trees and roses planted in the yard—these were planted by Xia Juanjuan in the spring. Although she put her business of buying supplies on hold after she became pregnant, she would still come here regularly to water the flowers and fertilize them, so the flowers and trees in the yard are lush and green, without any signs of decay.
By this time, the crabapple blossoms had long passed their blooming period, leaving only lush branches and leaves. The roses were still in full bloom, with bowl-sized flowers that were pink, pale white, and yellow, delicate and unrestrained.
There is also an old peach tree, which has always been in the yard. At this time, the tree is full of big, red peaches, which are very pleasing to the eye.
Li Jie and Lin Yuru opened their mouths, shocked and unable to utter a word for a long time.
After a while, Lin Yuru asked anxiously, "Juanjuan, is this house that my aunt's comrade-in-arms borrowed really only ten yuan a month?"
In the countryside, work points are exchanged for food, so it is difficult to make money. Ten yuan may last for half a year, but for workers in the county, ten yuan is nothing.
Apart from other things, just renting a house in the county town would cost at least five yuan a month. Moreover, this is a two-story building with a courtyard, with six rooms upstairs and downstairs, two private rooms and a kitchen.
If this were turned into a large compound, it would be spacious enough for six or seven families to live in!
But now, only Xia Juanjuan and Lin Yuru live here.
Lin Yuru has never lived in such a spacious house in her life!
Xia Juanjuan said calmly, "Of course it's true. Li Zhan's comrades said that this house usually costs at least fifty yuan to rent for a month. However, the owner of the house is now in Beijing, and he wanted to rent it to someone to live in, to increase its popularity and save the house from being empty and decaying. So it's basically free to live in, and the ten yuan is just a token of his appreciation."
This is half true.
At that time, Grandma Luo half-sold and half-gave the house to her in order to keep some popularity in the house.
However, although she came here regularly to clean the house, this was the first time she actually lived here.
After hearing this, Lin Yuru believed it.
At that moment, Li Jie helped to move the food brought from the ox cart, some bacon and vegetables, as well as homemade sauerkraut and the like into the house and put them away.
The ox cart had been traveling for the whole morning and it was almost noon.
Li Jie said, "I'll go to the police station and ask about Uncle Shuang Shan's situation."
It would definitely be inappropriate to ask Xia Juanjuan and Lin Yuru to ask about such a matter that would require them to go to the police station and show up in public.
Xia Juanjuan hurriedly stopped him and said, "Third brother, it's almost noon now. The police officers also need to eat and rest. Let's eat first. Then my mother and I will go with you to show our courage."
After hearing this, Li Jie also thought it made sense.
When Lin Yuru heard Li Jie say that they were going to Xia Shuangshan, she lifted the corner of her clothes to wipe her tears. After hearing what Xia Juanjuan said, she also forced a smile and said, "Yes. You see, I am so anxious that I am confused. The food, vegetables, meat and eggs are all ready. I will quickly cook and we will go together after eating!"
As Lin Yuru said this, she hurried to the kitchen.
Xia Juanjuan had already taken out some dry firewood from the space and placed it in the kitchen. If anyone asked, she would say that it was left by the previous owner. Anyway, the firewood could be stored.
The water tank is empty.
However, there was a well in the yard, so Li Jie simply drew water from the well and filled the water tank.
Lin Yuru kneaded the dough, rolled out the noodles, fried the bacon with green peppers, and cooked the tomato and egg in tea. The meal was ready in no time. Lin Yuru had one bowl, while Xia Juanjuan and Li Jie each had two bowls of noodles, topped with two kinds of toppings, and they were full.
While Lin Yuru was preparing lunch, Xia Juanjuan asked Li Jie to pick dozens of peaches from the peach tree, wash a few of them first, and after dinner, each of them got a peach.
Lin Yuru couldn't eat her own piece either. She said sadly, "Alas... keep this for your father when he comes out. Give it to him. But I don't know when he will come out..."
Xia Juanjuan tried to persuade him, saying that there were still so many peaches on the tree, and the owner said that they could all be picked and eaten. Her father would definitely be able to eat some.
However, Lin Yuru was worried and no matter how she tried to persuade him, she didn't eat the peach.
After dinner, the three of them went to the police station.
The police station didn't take them seriously because they were dressed like country folk and found a young policeman named Xiao Li to receive them.
Li Jie is usually dull, and it was his first time in such a place, so he stuttered when he spoke. Lin Yuru was even worse. Seeing everyone coming in and out in uniform, she was so scared that her legs went weak and she could only wipe away her tears.
Xiao Li waited patiently for a while, and Li Jie, with a red face, finally explained what he wanted to ask about Xia Shuangshan's case.
Xiao Li flipped through the records and said, "Oh, the man from Xiajia Village in Zishan Town who beat his mother and eldest brother? This is a big deal. The eldest brother came to report the case, saying that Xia Shuangshan didn't want to support his mother, so he deliberately pushed the man down and knocked him down on the rock. He is suspected of intentional homicide. The key is that when we went to the hospital to arrest him, the old lady also said the same thing. We still need to investigate it in detail!"
Li Jie was shocked when he heard this.
Isn't this just a case of a fight between brothers? How did it suddenly become a murder?
He was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do next!
When Lin Yuru heard this, she burst into tears and said in despair: "Juan'er, what should we do? Your father was fine, how could he become a murderer? Aren't your grandma and your uncle both fine? Your uncle also punched your father several times, and your grandma was also hit by your uncle, so how can it become all your father's fault? If anything happens to your father, how can we live! Wuwuwuwuwu..."
Xia Juanjuan had no choice but to comfort Lin Yuru softly. She also felt that the incident was unexpected. She originally thought that it was just a fight at most. She would be detained for a few days, educated, and then released.
Unexpectedly, Li Cuihua and Xia Dazhuang were so cruel and heartless that they planned to send her father directly to jail to spend the rest of his life!
The sentences at that time were all heavy. If he was really sentenced to intentional homicide, even if it was an attempt, and the person he wanted to "murder" was Li Cuihua, I'm afraid even if it wasn't the death penalty, he would be sentenced to life imprisonment!
Xia Juanjuan forced herself to calm down, looked up at Xiao Li, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner:
"Comrade, my mother was there when the incident happened the night before yesterday. My grandmother and my uncle came to the door of my parents' house to make trouble, and my uncle pushed my mother to the ground. My father hit him back, but my uncle also fought back. As for my grandmother, my mother can testify that it was my uncle who was too impatient and knocked my grandmother down. My father had nothing to do with it! Comrade, this is really my uncle who filed the complaint first. You must investigate it thoroughly and give my father justice!"
Little Li looked up at Xia Juanjuan and was somewhat surprised that the young wife was not panicked at all in the face of such a situation. She did not stutter when speaking and explained the matter concisely. She was even calmer and more capable than the farmer just now!
Moreover, he is really handsome!
"Ah... I know you're anxious. But we have other cases to investigate, and to handle your case, we have to send police officers to the countryside to record confessions and testimonies. How can it be done so quickly? Don't worry, we won't wrongly accuse a good person, and we will definitely find out the truth. I can only trouble you to go back and wait patiently..."
Although he felt bad about it, it was the fact and as a small police officer he really couldn't do much to help.
Lin Yuru and Li Jie both looked at Xia Juanjuan somewhat helplessly.
Xia Juanjuan knew there was nothing she could do. They had no power and influence now. Even though they were just peasants from the countryside, it was impossible for them to be in a hurry to handle her case. She could only wait.
"Let's go back first and come back to ask tomorrow. If there is no progress in a day, we will come again for another day. There will always be progress." Xia Juanjuan said softly.
If I wait a few more days and there is really no progress, or if things develop in the worst direction, then I can't care about anything else but to tell Li Zhan and see if he has any way to help me...
After hearing this, Li Jie and Lin Yuru had no choice but to return.
Lin Yuru seemed as if half of her soul had been taken away, and she walked in a light and unsteady manner.
When Xia Juanjuan saw this, she could only try her best to pull her back to prevent her from walking into the middle of the road and colliding with other cyclists.
After returning to the residence, Li Jie sat there blankly for a while, but since he could not help, he stood up and said he wanted to go back.
If the borrowed ox cart is not returned, farm work will be delayed, which is definitely not acceptable.
After hearing this, Xia Juanjuan quickly put all the peaches that Li Jie had picked on the ox cart and asked him to take them back and put a bag in the bags for the kids.
Li Jie quickly refused. At that time, even food was in short supply, and fruits and the like were out of the question.
Such big, sweet, and red peaches were sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives, but they cost 20 to 30 cents per pound, or had to be exchanged for an equal amount of grain. Who could afford to eat them? They were all just angry.
Xia Juanjuan didn't allow him to refuse: "Third brother, our three little ones are still at your house. If you take them back, they can also eat them, right? If you don't take them back, I will feel even worse. Besides, there are so many on this tree. If you don't pick them, they will rot after a while..."
After hearing this, Li Jie accepted it.
Then he said, "You have to buy everything here. I will send you some vegetables from the garden in a few days. Don't waste money."
After hearing this, Xia Juanjuan nodded gratefully.
Li Jie went back, and the mother and daughter lived here temporarily.
The house was big enough for sleeping, and the paving was all new stuff that Xia Juanjuan had taken out from the space before. She said it was left by the owner for her to use as she pleased.
Lin Yuru was no longer in the mood to figure out these things, so she responded in a daze.
However, when it was time to cook or something, Lin Yuru still remembered that her daughter was heavy and was about to give birth, so she was able to concentrate on cooking for a while.
Xia Juanjuan knew that it was useless to persuade her. She could only try her best to pay attention to her and prevent her from getting into trouble.
The mother and daughter lived in the westernmost of the three main rooms on the first floor.
After dinner the next day, Xia Juanjuan said something to Lin Yuru and went to the police station again.