Just as Xu Keke was sitting by the roadside with her two children, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the deserted dirt road with worry, a green military vehicle drove up from the direction of the military camp.
The car drove past them, kicking up a cloud of dust. Luckily, Xu Keke had pressed the two children's heads to her knees beforehand and shielded them with her own body. Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have been able to see anything. Even so, their clothes were covered in yellow dust.
Just as Xu Keke was helping the two children and herself brush the dirt off, the car that had driven past turned back.
The car window rolled down, and the person who leaned out was none other than Liao Meng, the company commander of the Third Company.
"Sister-in-law, are you taking the child into the city?"
This Liao Meng is Aunt Hua's husband from next door. In fact, Feng Lichun was able to find Zhou Chengguang thanks to Liao Meng.
Liao Meng and Feng Lichun's sister-in-law were from the same village. Zhou Chengguang had left nine years ago and hadn't sent any news home since. It had been almost two years since the liberation of the whole country, and Feng Lichun had assumed Zhou Chengguang had probably died on the battlefield. Even the village was preparing to nominate her as a "family of honor."
Aunt Hua from the next village received a letter from Liao Meng. The letter not only told Aunt Hua to come to the army base immediately to join him, but also mentioned Zhou Chengguang, saying that Zhou Chengguang was now in the same battalion as him and was the battalion commander, his superior.
Upon receiving the news, Feng Lichun's sister-in-law, who was at her parents' home, rushed back to the village that very night to deliver the letter to her. Originally, Feng Lichun had planned to send a letter to Zhou Chengguang on their behalf when Aunt Hua went to the army.
Aunt Hua rarely leaves the village, let alone goes to the city. Not only her family, but also she herself feels uneasy about traveling such a long distance alone.
Together with Feng Lichun's sister-in-law, they persuaded Feng Lichun to come to the army with them. Feng Lichun's mother-in-law, Zhao Xiuying, also joined in the persuasion, insisting that she take her family to the city to find her son.
Even so, Feng Lichun didn't agree immediately. She thought about it all night, and then she still worried that the country was currently fighting in the Korean War, and what if Zhou Chengguang went to the battlefield again? She was afraid that they might not see each other again for a long time.
Feng Lichun finally made up his mind, informed the villagers, and brought his entire family to the army with Aunt Hua.
"Sister-in-law, get in the car, we're also heading into the city," Liao Meng called out to Xu Keke, who was standing outside the car.
The driver was just an ordinary soldier. He heard Company Commander Liao call her "sister-in-law" but didn't know who she was. He got out of the car and helped them open the back door.
Several boxes were placed on the back seat, their contents obscured, taking up most of the space. Xu Keke sat in the middle, holding Yuanbao in her arms, while Da Cui sat on the outermost edge.
Although it was a bit crowded, it was much better than walking. Xu Keke couldn't help but feel grateful for her good luck.
Little did she know that while she and her two children were talking inside, Liao Meng had just walked past their door. Knowing that the driving team was going to the city, he had offered to go with Zhou Chengguang. They hadn't expected to actually run into each other.
"Sister-in-law, what are you going to the city to buy?" Afraid that Xu Keke might misunderstand, she added, "We still have some things to take care of in the city, so we won't be back until the afternoon. If we have enough time, we can bring you back with us."
This is wonderful! Xu Keke was originally thinking that if all else failed, she would have to spend more money to find a horse-drawn cart to transport vegetables at the market and have someone send them back.
"Zhou Chengguang asked me to move out of the military guesthouse the day after tomorrow. I was thinking of taking the kids to the city to look at houses. Anyway, looking at houses is something that can't be forced. Let's arrange a place and we'll wait for you there."
Hearing this, the driver realized that the rather pretty woman was the wife of Battalion Commander Zhou. He'd heard she was a shrew and unreasonable woman who'd turned the family guesthouse upside down. And her two children were said to be thieves too. But when she got on the bus, she didn't seem like that at all.
The driver glanced at them curiously in the rearview mirror.
"Sister-in-law, so you're not going back to the village for now?"
Xu Keke looked at the yellow sand swirling outside the window and said, "Since I've already brought them both out here, I'm thinking of letting them study and receive an education here."
There was a moment of silence in the car.
A hand reached out from in front of her. Xu Keke looked closely and saw that Liao Meng was holding a few bills in his hand and sticking them in front of her.
Then Liao Meng said, "Sister-in-law, you need money everywhere to make a living in the city. I don't have much here, you can take it first."
"No need, really no need, I still have money. Besides, I have hands and feet, I can do anything to support two children."
Seeing that Xu Keke refused to take it no matter what, Liao Meng had no choice but to pull his hand back.
"In truth, it's my fault that you've all been harmed," Liao Meng said guiltily. "If I hadn't written that letter home, you would still be living a good life at home."
Xu Keke laughed, "What are you saying? We didn't receive any letters from Zhou Chengguang at home, so we all thought he was dead. My mother-in-law cries every now and then. And it's all thanks to the letter of introduction you gave Aunt Hua that we were able to get by so smoothly. Otherwise, with just the three of us, and it being our first time traveling, where would we have gone to look for him? We might have been kidnapped and sold."
He added, "Now that Zhou Chengguang has become an official, he's become like Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife and children). All he thinks about is divorcing his wife and killing his son. You wouldn't believe it."
Liao Meng just smiled and didn't reply. Xu Keke didn't seem to care.
Once the car entered the city, Xu Keke said she wanted to check out the surroundings, so she pointed to a spot and asked Liao Meng to drop them off. Before the car drove away, Xu Keke made an appointment with Liao Meng again, specifying when and where to wait for him.
Xu Keke stood by the roadside with her two children, watching the green Jiefang truck drive past them. Looking up, Xu Keke saw Liao Meng staring at them in the rearview mirror, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
Xu Keke recalled Feng Lichun's memories in her mind; she and Liao Meng had no interaction. The two of them had talked more in the car today than Feng Lichun had in her previous life with Liao Meng.
But what did he mean by looking at them like that?
"Mom, where are we going?" Yuanbao's timid voice interrupted Xu Keke's reverie.
Xu Keke didn't say anything, just empty words like, "Don't be afraid, it's nothing." Fear of one's surroundings isn't something that can be resolved with a few words from someone else.
"Come on, come with Mommy." Xu Keke said cheerfully to the two of them, took their little hands, and strode forward.
Xu Keke led them through two streets and into an alley before finally arriving at a courtyard.
In her past life, Feng Lichun lived here with the two of them and Zhao Xiuying. Xu Keke remembered that this place wasn't very prosperous; it lacked bustling facilities like large shopping malls, restaurants, and cinemas. The advantage was that there wouldn't be any of those shady characters around.
However, this area is close to the city center, with several newspaper offices and a university nearby, so most of the residents are intellectuals with limited funds. Therefore, the rent is not particularly expensive.
It has to be said that the place Feng Lichun found is very suitable for a woman with two children to live in.
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