Chapter 40 Chapter 40 I thought the rainstorm was coming...
I thought the rainstorm would go away quickly, but it has been raining for two days and there is no sign of it stopping.
The river embankment, which was reinforced this spring, has continued to collapse due to the erosion of heavy rains. The water level has approached the warning line and the river bank is in danger.
This is not just a matter of reduced grain production. If the river embankment collapses, the consequences will be disastrous.
The brigade held a meeting and asked every family to send a man to guard the riverbank, while the young and middle-aged men carried sand to reinforce the riverbank.
Cheng Lei is the only male in the Cheng family now, and he also has to guard the riverbank.
Cheng Cunzhi caught a cold in the rain while guarding the river bank in the spring. He didn't take it seriously and it turned into chronic pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago.
Cheng Xin and her mother strongly opposed letting Cheng Lei guard the riverbank.
When the brigade formed a hunting team, their family was excluded because Cheng Lei was a child and was not allowed to participate. Now, her younger brother is asked to be on duty to guard the river bank, and Xiao Lei is only fourteen years old.
After seeing the shift list, Cheng Xin ran to find Wang Fugui to argue.
She straightened her back and stood firmly at the entrance of the brigade.
Cheng Xin subconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes with both hands, but her voice was steady and powerful, and she looked at Wang Fugui firmly, "Captain, my father is in the hospital in the county. We have not mentioned the word "difficult" to the team these days because of the difficulties at home. We have been gritting our teeth and bearing it all by ourselves."
"My brother is only fourteen years old. He is still a child and knows nothing about guarding the river bank. Letting him go will only cause trouble. If the brigade thinks that my family must send someone, then let me do it. I can swim and I am strong, so I can definitely do a good job of guarding the river bank."
Xu Fengxia followed closely behind her daughter, her eyes full of anxiety and worry, and she tried hard not to hold her daughter back.
She reached out and pulled Cheng Xin's arm, then looked at Wang Fugui, her voice trembling as she tried to stay calm: "Captain, you know the current situation of our family. My husband is in the hospital, and I am really worried about letting Xiaolei go to the river to watch over him. Although I am a woman, I can do the work that a man can do, so let me go."
Wang Xiuping came up to help and said, "Fugui, I looked at the shift schedule. Each family takes turns to work, so the second family doesn't need any extra people. Their family is already in this situation, so can't they be flexible?"
Wang Fugui put his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, and spoke slowly: "I understand you, but we have to be fair in collective affairs. You see, every household has sent people, but your family doesn't. Isn't this breaking the rules?"
"Who doesn't want to stay comfortably at home? The riverbank is related to the safety of everyone in the brigade, and everyone has to do their part. Don't worry, I'm just asking your Xiaolei to watch over it, not to do any heavy work, so what can go wrong?"
After saying that, he waved his hand and was about to leave.
Cheng Xin's eyes were sharp, and she met Wang Fugui's gaze without flinching, and her tone became more serious, "Captain, Xiaolei is young and his body is still growing. My father fell ill because of guarding the river bank. Our family cannot afford this risk."
"And you also know that if he goes, the effect he can have is minimal. Instead of letting him go, it's better for me to come. This will be good for the group and our family."
Xu Fengxia's body, which had been pretending to be calm, swayed slightly. She took a deep breath to pluck up her courage and said, "Captain, everyone in the team knows my family's situation. At first, the hunting team didn't allow Xiaolei to join because he was too young, and now they're asking him to guard the riverbank. Where's the fairness in this?"
"My husband is sick and in the hospital because of the collective. It's not that we don't want to contribute to the collective, but Xiaolei is really not suitable. Let me go, I promise I won't let you down."
As Xu Fengxia spoke, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, her eyes full of anticipation.
Wang Fugui's face darkened, and a trace of impatience flashed in his eyes: "Why? Others can go, but your family is special? This is for the good of the collective and for everyone. If you continue to make trouble, things will be hard to say about the team in the future."
Xu Fengxia's body swayed, and Cheng Xin supported her. Her voice trembled: "Captain, we are not being unreasonable, we really are in trouble... We are trying to cooperate, we just want to replace Xiaolei." After saying that, she stood side by side with her daughter. Although there was helplessness in her eyes, she still revealed persistence.
Suddenly, Chen Ying appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed Cheng Xin's arm anxiously and tried to pull her away, muttering in a low voice:
"Sister, it's already this late, let's not worry about it. I'll take you to ask Wang Jiangang for help. He's the captain's son and he'll definitely be able to help! Xiaolei's problem might be solved once he shows up."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xin frowned, her eyes full of disgust. She struggled to free herself from Chen Ying's hand, "Yingying, stop messing around! Wang Jiangang and I can't, and will never, go to him for something like this. Captain, it's really wrong for you to deliberately embarrass our family because of this."
In an instant, she realized that the captain was making things difficult for her family because Wang Jiangang was rejected by her.
Wang Fugui's face flushed red. He was furious when his selfishness was exposed. He took a step forward, pointed his finger at Cheng Xin, and raised his voice a few notches: "You girl, don't spit blood! When have I ever been partial to anyone because of personal matters in my position as the captain? Whether your family is here or not, you have to follow the rules for today's matter!"
His eyes were filled with anger, without any trace of his previous hypocrisy.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but Cheng Xin’s grandparents showed up. They heard that Cheng Xin and Xu Fengxia were causing trouble in the brigade and rushed over immediately.
Old Lady Cheng stepped forward and took Cheng Xin's hand, "You didn't listen to the old man, and now you're suffering. If you had listened to me, why would Xiao Lei have to suffer now? Although Wang Jiangang is divorced and has children, his family is well-off, and his father is the team leader. If you follow him, your life will be much easier in the future, and he can help with any difficulties at home. For example, Xiao Lei's matter of guarding the riverbank, he might be able to solve it with just one word, think about it again."
Old Man Cheng echoed, "Listen to your grandmother and don't be confused. This is for the good of you and your family." Although the two did not speak in a scolding tone, there was a sense of oppression that could not be refuted.
Cheng Xin's eyes were red, she was angry and anxious, and she shook off her grandmother's hand: "Grandpa and grandma, how can you say that? Wang Jiangang is divorced and has children, how can I agree to him? Besides, the captain's arrangement is not reasonable. Do I have to give up my feelings and put myself in a difficult position for this little convenience?"
Xu Fengxia quickly protected Cheng Xin behind her and said to her parents-in-law, "Mom and Dad, this is not Cheng Xin's fault. Captain, if you really want to do good for the collective, you should reconsider the arrangement. It is really not appropriate for Xiaolei to guard the riverbank."
Wang Fugui snorted coldly, "Not suitable? I think you don't want to cooperate and want to leave the mass organization! If your family doesn't send someone, your family won't be able to take advantage of the brigade's dividends and job arrangements in the future!"
He folded his arms across his chest in a tough stance.
Just as the quarrel broke out, the members who had not yet dispersed from the meeting gradually gathered around and began to discuss in low voices.
Someone whispered, "It's not easy for the Cheng family either. The second son of Cheng hasn't been able to work in the fields for half a year. He keeps coughing when he goes to weed. The captain is going too far."
Others echoed: "That's right, you can't embarrass someone else's daughter just because of your own son's affairs."
"Alas, there must be a man who can speak in the family, otherwise the orphans and widows will be easily bullied."
Everyone in the team knew that Wang Jiangang had a crush on Cheng Xin, and maybe he wanted to make things difficult for the Cheng family just because of this accident.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
