The next morning, Liu Meiyu was going to follow the main force back to the regiment.
Before leaving, Lu Wanjun came to see her off and gave her a package.
"Changzheng was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. He got up before dawn this morning to prepare these for you. Take them with you if you're hungry on the road."
"I don't need it." Liu Meiyu didn't answer.
It was only after the blind date with Lu Changzheng yesterday that she realized that the woman with extraordinary temperament in front of her was Lu Changzheng's sister-in-law.
Lu Changzheng's parents died gloriously while on missions when he was very young. It can be said that Lu Changzheng was raised by Lu Wanjun alone.
"Here," Lu Wanjun forcefully stuffed the package into her arms, "I also put a box of vanishing cream in it, for applying on your face when it's cold."
Liu Meiyun couldn't refuse, so she had to accept it.
The more Lu Wanjun looked at her, the more she felt that Liu Meiyu was a good girl. She was polite, knew when to advance and when to retreat, and there was no greed in her eyes.
"Originally, Changzheng was going to come and see you off, but I scolded him back."
Lu Wanjun looked at the little girl's red face and said directly, "Meiyun, you can call me Aunt Lu. We may still be a family in the future. I will just say it straight."
Seeing that Lu Wanjun looked serious, Liu Meiyun nodded obediently and listened attentively with her ears tilted up.
"You are several years younger than Changzheng, but Aunt Lu can see that you are a kind and sensible child. Your marriage to Changzheng may be a little hasty because Changzheng cannot take you back to Beijing to meet the old man for some other reasons."
"But don't worry. I sent a telegram to Grandpa yesterday. As Changzheng's aunt, I have always been in charge of Changzheng's affairs. I like you, Changzheng likes you, and Grandpa will definitely like you too. After you get married, you two can live your own lives. Don't worry about anything else."
Although Lu Wanjun's words were ambiguous, Liu Meiyun still understood them.
Given Lu Changzheng's qualifications, there must be some other reasons for him to be able to go on a blind date with her and get married. But Liu Meiyun didn't care, as long as there was nothing wrong with Lu Changzheng himself.
Who said she had "impure motives"? As long as both parties are satisfied, it's good for each to get what they want.
"Don't worry, Aunt Lu. I don't care about anything else." Liu Meiyun lowered her head, pretending to be a shy little girl who had fallen in love, and said softly, "I will definitely live a good life with Comrade Lu in the future!"
Lu Wanjun was very pleased with Liu Meiyun's "consideration". It was rare for Lu Changzheng to like such a girl who was so pleasing to her. They just met yesterday and he couldn't sleep after returning home. If she hadn't stopped him, he would have reported the marriage overnight.
Lu Wanjun had never seen Lu Changzheng so impatient before.
Seeing her again today, I found that the little girl was in love with her nephew. I immediately felt that the future of these two people would be sweeter than honey.
"When your discharge application is approved, the plaster cast on Changzheng's arm can be removed. Then let him take you home."
When Lu Wanjun suggested that she be arranged for Liu Meiyun, there was no way Liu Meiyun would disagree.
"Aunt Lu, thank you. I will just follow your and Comrade Changzheng's arrangements." Liu Meiyu nodded obediently, her heart already filled with joy.
The original owner's home is in Shanghai, and it takes two days to get there by train from Yulin Province, not to mention the delays on the road. She is a person with unsteady legs and it would be painful enough for her to travel without someone to help her.
Now, Lu Changzheng helped her solve another problem.
After bidding farewell to Lu Wanjun, Liu Meiyun, with the help of her comrades, boarded the military truck back to the Yushi Art Troupe.
It takes at least half a day to get back to the city from the Yulin Military Region by truck, and the strong wind along the way is enough to make the whole car suffer.
Liu Meiyu and Song Hongying sat together, both fully armed.
Song Hongying has a big red scarf made of wool, which is beautiful and warm, and people around her are envious of it. Nowadays, families who are willing to spend money on wool must be well-off.
Liu Meiyun wore a Lei Feng hat, a military coat wrapped tightly, and a pair of military gloves on her hands, but she was still so cold that she couldn't help shivering.
"Meiyun, let's split it in half." Song Hongying gave her half of her big red scarf. This was how they came here.
"Why don't we just forget it?" Liu Meiyu saw that she was also very cold and felt embarrassed to accept it.
"Why are you suddenly being polite to me?" Song Hongying frowned and said angrily, "If you don't want it, then I won't surround you either!"
As she said this, she was about to take off her red scarf.
"Don't do that," Liu Meiyun hurriedly stopped him, quickly wrapping the remaining half of the scarf around her neck, leaving only her eyes exposed, "Let's wrap it together."
"That's right!" Song Hongying curled her lips, and her brows finally relaxed.
"Meiyun, you have such beautiful eyes."
When Song Hongying saw Liu Meiyu's big, bright eyes, she felt envious, especially when they were set off by the red scarf, which made them even more beautiful and charming.
"Yeah, I wish my eyes could be bigger." The girl sitting opposite them looked at Liu Meiyu with envy.
Liu Meiyu made a few humble remarks and then praised them again as a courtesy. The carriage was suddenly filled with laughter, and it seemed that even the cold wind was not so biting anymore.
"Look, isn't that Qin Xiaoyue and her boyfriend?"
I don't know who shouted this, but several girls gathered together and climbed along the side of the truck to find out what was going on.
When Liu Meiyu heard the name Qin Xiaoyue, she looked over reflexively.
Outside the base, Qin Xiaoyue was seen standing with a young man in military uniform. The two were talking about something. Qin Xiaoyue's face was red but she was smiling brightly.
Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that Qin Xiaoyue likes him.
"I told you that Qin Xiaoyue usually writes letters to her boyfriend, but you didn't believe me. She sends several every month." A girl who shared a dormitory with Qin Xiaoyue said enviously in the carriage.
"Her boyfriend is really handsome," someone agreed.
Liu Meiyu took a look and found that the man had a handsome face, a tall figure and fair skin. If such a look were to appear in later generations, it would have set off an aesthetic craze in the entertainment industry. In the 1960s, it was even more stunning.
Maybe because she has seen too many celebrity faces like this in later generations, Liu Meiyun is not that impressed.
She prefers men like Lu Changzheng, who have strong features, thick brows and deep eyes, and who always exude a passionate aura.
When she thought of Lu's Long March, Liu Meiyu felt less cold physically, and her heart felt warm.
When Liu Meiyun looked away, Chen Qingyang happened to glance over and saw a pair of stunningly beautiful eyes under the red scarf.
I couldn't help but look at her twice more, but unfortunately, those beautiful eyes had disappeared, leaving only a red landscape line.
"Brother Qingyang, what are you looking at?" Qin Xiaoyue was a little unhappy.
"Nothing," Chen Qingyang replied casually, "The car is about to leave, you should hurry back."
"Then remember to reply to my letter! I'll come to see you when I'm on vacation!"
Qin Xiaoyue reluctantly said goodbye to the man, and finally got on the truck after turning back every three steps. Someone immediately asked, "Xiaoyue, is that your partner?"
Qin Xiaoyue blushed and nodded, admitting openly: "Yes, we grew up together, and our families arranged a marriage for us."
"Childhood sweethearts!"
"You two are such a perfect match!"
Qin Xiaoyue smiled particularly brightly amid the envy of everyone. Even when her eyes caught sight of the annoying Liu Meiyu, she did not glare at her, but raised her chin with a proud look.
The truck was bumpy all the way, the cold wind was blowing hard, and everything in sight was white.
Liu Meiyun was so shocked by the natural snow scene of the 1960s that she was speechless.
In her previous life, she was from the south and had never seen such a spectacular snow scene. Passing by some villages, she saw the smoke rising from cooking fires and a few dark-skinned children with slugs hanging from their noses chasing after their trucks and cheering with clear and bright voices.
I will take root in such an environment in the future. No 996, no overtime all night long, no mortgage or car loan repayments, no frequent travel, no drinking until gastric bleeding just to complete an order...
Liu Meiyun breathed in the cold air of the 1960s, and her anxious heart finally settled down.
The group had a day off that day, and the girls made an appointment to go to the post office early to send letters to their families.
Liu Meiyu and Song Hongying were the only ones who didn't go to the dormitory.
Liu Meiyun's leg injury has not yet healed, and since returning to the group, she has been lying in bed most of the time.
She can sleep all day long.
I wish I could make up for all the sleep I lost in my previous life because I died suddenly from staying up late.
"What, you want to retire?"
When Song Hongying heard Liu Meiyu say that she had already applied for discharge from the army, she was so surprised that she could fit an egg in her mouth.
"Why? Is it because of your leg injury?" Song Hongying didn't understand. The doctor said that her legs would be able to dance normally in half a year. The worst that could happen was that she could just do odd jobs in the troupe during this period, or obey the arrangements and temporarily help in the logistics department. There had been such examples before.
Moreover, Liu Meiyun was the best dancer in the troupe. They had finally joined the art troupe, but once they were discharged from the army, they were back to their original state.
When Liu Meiyu explained her reasons, Song Hongying suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, he spoke with red eyes, "My brother also went to the countryside as an educated youth."
Liu Meiyu was stunned. She knew the situation at Song Hongying's home.
Both her parents were cadres in the factory. Song Hongying was the second of three siblings in her family. She had an older sister who was two years older than her. She was unlucky. The year she was taking the college entrance examination, the country had just cancelled it.
If we go by the novels that Liu Meiyu read, then in those days, men were generally favored over women. If it were another family, it would definitely be Song Hongying's eldest sister who would go to the countryside.
But Song Hongying's parents were different. They loved their son and their daughter as well. This could be seen from Song Hongying's cheerful and straightforward character and the big red scarf that she had always treasured.
"My dad said that my sister, as a girl, couldn't endure that kind of hardship, and she was also at the age where she needed to get engaged. If she went to the countryside, she might never come back."
Song Hongying cried until she was out of breath. She and her younger brother had always had the best relationship since childhood. Although she was reluctant to let her brother go to the countryside, she knew in her heart that her sister could not go either.
"Don't be sad. You still have your allowance. You can save it and send it to your brother in the countryside where he lives. This will make his life easier. You can also write letters."
Liu Meiyun was not very good at comforting people, so she could only say something practical, "Also, you must write a letter to remind your brother that no matter how hard or tired he is, he should not give up studying."
Song Hongying had almost finished crying. She rolled up her sleeves and asked with sobs, "I can't even go to college, so what's the point of studying?"
Liu Meiyu was at a loss for words, wondering how to explain to Song Hongying without leaving any trace that the policy on school admission for workers, peasants and soldiers would not be announced for another two years, and she would not be able to do it even if she could only draw a picture.
After thinking for a long time, she said, "Your brother went to the countryside as an educated youth to support rural construction. Didn't the newspaper say that educated youth go to the countryside and there is a lot to do. Even if they go to the countryside, they bring knowledge with them. But if your brother neglects his studies, how can he respond to the call to build and provide support!"
Song Hongying's eyes lit up at what Liu Meiyu said. She seldom saw Liu Meiyu being so talkative. Usually she was the one talking all the time in front of her. But this time, she felt that what Liu Meiyu said made a lot of sense.
"Well, you're right, I will definitely write a letter to tell him! From now on, I will save money and tickets, and send them to my brother later!"
Song Hongying seemed to have found her goal suddenly. She stopped crying and there were two tears on her eyelashes, looking cute and adorable.
"Well, leave me your brother's address when he goes to the countryside. When I have time, I can send him some study materials and books."
Liu Meiyu was thinking of sending some study materials to people in advance when the college entrance examination was resumed.
"Meiyun, you are so kind!" Song Hongying was so moved that she wanted to cry again, especially when she thought that Liu Meiyun was about to be discharged from the army. "I don't want you to leave. If you leave, what will I do?"
"I will write to you." Liu Meiyu wiped her tears, and suddenly said, "Hongying, be obedient and don't contradict Qin Xiaoyue anymore."
"Why?" Song Hongying asked.
She just didn't like Qin Xiaoyue's arrogant look. Every time they rehearsed together, it was clearly her own problem, but she blamed this and that. Her dancing was just so-so, but she always wanted to be the lead dancer.
"You came here just to dance. Your brother is in the country and is waiting for your allowance. Be obedient and don't provoke her. Even if you don't like it, just bear with it."
Liu Meiyu looked serious, and Song Hongying was not a child. After thinking for a while, she nodded: "I understand. After you leave, I will only dance every day, and I won't mix it with other things."
"Well, you're very good. Here's a piece of cake as a reward." Liu Meiyu took out the package that Lu Changzheng gave her from the cupboard. Inside was cakes in an iron box with exquisite packaging. Even the supply and marketing cooperatives didn't sell them. It looked like they were not cheap.
Liu Meiyu only said to others that she met a student her father had taught before in the army and that he had given her a gift.
These past few days, she and Song Hongying had only the last few pieces left.
Song Hongying was not polite either. They usually shared the things sent from home.
In fact, it was not very delicious and tasted far worse than later generations, but in the 1960s, it was very exquisite.
In the package, besides cakes and vanishing cream, there was also a letter.
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