The next morning, Liu Meiyu packed her backpack and two quilts and left the art troupe.
Song Hongying cried and insisted on sending her to the door.
"Hurry up and rehearse. If you keep crying, the Great Wall will collapse."
Liu Meiyu was helpless. In just a few steps, Song Hongying cried as if she had died heroically.
"Comrade Liu Meiyun!"
After finally reaching the door, Liu Meiyu saw the boy with a strong rural accent from yesterday standing at the door looking at them.
"It's you." Liu Meiyu walked over and greeted him with a smile.
"Yes, it's me." The boy smiled innocently and handed over a package he had prepared long ago. He looked nervous and said, "This is the herbal medicine I picked in the mountains during training. It's the one I told you about yesterday. I can keep it for a long time after drying it. It's not only effective for bruises, but also for knees and waists. Just soak it in water and apply it on your body."
"So many, all for me?" When Liu Meiyu saw the big bag full of sincere gifts in the package, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Well, it's just some dry grass. It's not heavy. I'll help you hang it up." After saying that, he put the package on Liu Meiyu's marching bag.
It’s not heavy, but I feel wobbly when I walk, and my heart is heavy.
"Thank you, I don't even know your name?" asked Liu Meiyu.
"My name is Li Tiedan." The boy touched the back of his head out of habit and grinned, revealing a mouthful of big white teeth.
Okay, Comrade Tiedan.
Liu Meiyun took out the book she had memorized from her backpack and handed it to him: "Comrade Li Tiedan, this is for you."
Li Tiedan took one look and quickly took two steps back, shaking his head: "No, I can't take it."
Li Tiedan could barely read, but he treasured books very much. The gift Liu Meiyu gave him was too valuable to him. Even if he exchanged it for a sack of herbs, it would not be enough.
"If you don't want it, then I can't accept your gift." As he said this, he was about to take off the hay on his back.
"Hey" Li Tiedan wanted to stop it, but he didn't know what to say. He was so embarrassed that his eyebrows were almost wrinkled into one.
"Comrade Li Tiedan, I have memorized all the content in this book. Now I am just giving it to someone who needs it more. If you have nothing to do, besides listening to the radio to improve your accent, you can also learn from other comrades and learn a few more words."
When he heard about learning and recognizing words, Li Tiedan's eyes lit up instantly.
While he was wavering, Liu Meiyun stuffed the book into his hands and said, "Study hard and make progress every day."
After finally sending Li Tiedan away, I looked back and saw Song Hongying still crying there, not as hard as before, but still sobbing.
Liu Meiyu really suspected that what was in her eyes was not tears but sea water.
"If you keep crying, just come with me and retire from the army. I will take you home and make you my mother's goddaughter."
"No, I have to save allowance for my brother." Song Hongying was sad, but she was still rational and did not forget that she had a younger brother.
Song Hongying stopped crying and took off the red scarf around her neck.
"What are you doing? I don't want it!" Liu Meiyu stepped back, but she was carrying luggage and her movements were not as agile as Song Hongying.
Song Hongying was stronger than Liu Meiyun. She grabbed the girl and swiftly wrapped the red scarf around her neck. She said stubbornly, "Meiyun, you are my best friend. I don't know if we will meet again in the future. I want to give you my most precious gift so that you will remember me forever."
The girl was dressed in a military green uniform, with baby fat on her face and a few crystal tears on her long, curled eyelashes. She pouted, smiled and waved goodbye to Liu Meiyu, and now she ran away like a gust of wind, having been unable to move forward before.
Liu Meiyu, wearing a red scarf, stood at the entrance of the art troupe. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground. The cold wind blew on her face like ice knives. Her feet were obviously numb from the cold, but her heart felt unprecedented warmth.
Standing at the entrance of the railway station, Lu Changzheng was like a "wife-looking stone", wishing he could take a look at all the girls who came into the station with their luggage.
In the winter, everyone is wrapped up warmly, and with their hats covering their faces, it is hard to tell who is who at a glance.
Lu Changzheng saw a hint of red in the distance and his eyes were attracted. When he saw the pair of bright black eyes, he was delighted and rushed through the crowd quickly.
"Meiyun!"
Liu Meiyu raised her head and saw Lu Changzheng standing in front of her with a smile and a burning gaze.
"Comrade Lu Changzheng," she called him with a smile, and then asked, "Aren't you cold standing outside?"
There was a waiting room in the train station, and she thought she would meet Lu Changzheng in the waiting room, but she didn't expect to meet him outside.
"It's not cold. Give me your luggage." Lu Changzheng took the backpack from her back and put it on his own shoulders without giving her permission, then turned around and tried to snatch the one in her hand.
Liu Meiyun refused, "I can take these myself."
Thinking that he had stored his luggage at the security office, Lu Changzheng no longer insisted. He took her to pick up his luggage first, and then checked his ticket to enter the station.
The first time Liu Meiyu saw a train station in the 1960s, all she saw was a sea of black heads and dark blue coarse cloth clothes, with occasional hints of military green like her and Lu Changzheng.
When I entered the waiting room, it was crowded and even scarier than outside. Not to mention a seat, it was hard to even find an open space.
The ground was filled with people. Every few steps she took, she would feel luggage or other people's legs under her feet. Her ears were filled with accents from various places. She had to shout to hear Lu Changzheng when she spoke. The most unpleasant thing was the smell. Liu Meiyu was glad that she had not eaten anything in the morning.
After finally finding a palm-sized space, Lu Changzheng unloaded his luggage. Seeing that Liu Meiyun didn't look very well, he looked worried and said, "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you want to eat something? I have some cookies baked by my comrades in my backpack."
Liu Meiyun shook her head. When she heard the word "eat", she just wanted to vomit.
"If you don't want to eat cakes, I'll go to the state-owned store and buy you some." Lu Changzheng thought she didn't want to eat cakes, so he went to the state-owned store outside the train station to buy her something delicious. Anyway, the train still had nearly two hours before it left.
Liu Meiyu grabbed him and said weakly, "I can't eat. I just feel a little dizzy. I'll be fine after a rest."
What delicious food could be found in the state-owned stores at this time? Besides, her home was in Shanghai, where supplies were much richer than in Yulin. Although Liu Meiyu had money in her pocket, she didn't buy anything on this trip home. Not only was it inconvenient to carry the money, but the supplies were not as complete as in Shanghai.
Seeing her pale face, Lu Changzheng felt anxious. He suddenly remembered the things his aunt had stuffed into his hands before he left. His eyes lit up and he quickly went to look through his luggage.
"Try this. It won't work."
Liu Meiyu looked up and saw a small bottle of cooling oil. It said it was produced by a pharmaceutical factory in Shanghai. The smell was pungent and refreshing. After using just a few drops, she felt much better and the nausea in her stomach gradually faded away.
“Yeah, it works!”
Finally, the complexion on Liu Meiyu's face gradually recovered, and under the big red scarf, her eyes like black grapes became bright again.
"Why do you have this on you?" Liu Meiyu asked curiously.
"It was my aunt who put it there."
Seeing that she had the strength to speak, Lu Changzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will take care of you whenever you go on a long journey in the future."
That look, don't mention how genuine it is.
Liu Meiyun was touched unexpectedly. Just when she was about to say that she was not that coquettish, the lady who had been watching the excitement suddenly laughed and said, "Girl, your man is so good to you."
"Yeah," Liu Meiyu nodded with a smile. Anyway, the marriage report had been issued, and they just needed a certificate. They were too lazy to explain to others that they were not married yet.
Liu Meiyu thought that the nod was meaningless, but Lu Changzheng blushed in frustration. He wished he could fly to Shanghai right now to get the marriage certificate with Liu Meiyu and become her legitimate man.
"Girl, you are so pretty, there must be a lot of guys who like you, it's only natural that he treats you well..."
Once the old lady started talking, she couldn't stop. She kept talking to them non-stop, praising Liu Meiyu and Lu Changzheng. After that, she started chatting about family matters and asking questions about all sorts of things.
Liu Meiyu was so uncomfortable that she didn't want to talk at all. Lu Changzheng's attention was all on Liu Meiyu, and he didn't care about anything else. The old lady talked like a bunch of beans, endlessly, and didn't mind the silence at all.
The old lady was not from Yushi, but came here to visit relatives. She had a son serving in the army here and could not go home for the New Year, so she came alone, carrying a package, to visit her son.
After seeing his son, he took the train back to his hometown by himself. His hometown was in a rural village below Shanghai. When he learned that they would also get off in Shanghai, his eyes lit up immediately. He grabbed Lu Changzheng's hand and asked, "Young man, did you buy a sleeper berth?"
Lu Changzheng pulled his hand back uncomfortably and was about to answer when Liu Meiyun gently kicked him and said, "It's a standing ticket. How can a sleeper ticket be so easy to buy? We bought it too late and couldn't even buy a hard seat ticket."
These days, if you want to buy a sleeper berth ticket you have to have a job, and even that might not be possible.
"I see your husband is a military officer. How come he can't buy a sleeper ticket?" The old lady was a little unconvinced.
"Auntie, sleeper tickets are expensive, 22 yuan each. We just got married and have many other things to spend money on, so how can we afford to buy a sleeper ticket? I would be satisfied if I could buy a hard seat." Liu Meiyu looked at the middle-aged woman with a melancholy face, and continued: "Unfortunately, I injured my leg some time ago. I have to stand for two days to go back. I am afraid that the injury will recur. I am worried just thinking about it. By the way, Auntie, what ticket did you buy?"
"Standing ticket!" a sharp voice blurted out.
The woman originally had some thoughts in mind, but after hearing what Liu Meiyu said, she gave up all the ideas, especially when she saw Liu Meiyu staring at the ticket stub in her pocket with her big round eyes. She quickly found an excuse and dragged her luggage away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
