25.025 Diving to save a person
Su Yu had just closed the door when Ning Jin walked in, his face dark and clearly in a bad mood. Seeing Su Yu holding the water balloon that was oozing water, he asked incredulously, "Is this... you know... between us?"
"You're not mistaken. Although the shape is deformed by the water, it is indeed a set." Su Yu moved her hand and, in a good mood, pointed the water-gushing part at Ning Jin, squeezing the water onto him.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, Ning Jin subconsciously assumed that she had changed her mind and wanted to have a baby. The gloom on her face immediately turned into sunshine. She said, "Want to get pregnant? Well, I saw that the two boys got along very well when I came back this time. They were always together, going in and out of the house."
"Your son found it. When I came back, I saw them outside blowing it up like a balloon and swinging the water bottle around like a spring." Su Yu rolled her eyes at him. He was really dreaming. He came home to a peaceful house and then thought about having another baby. What a jerk.
"Did I misunderstand?" The man scratched his head. His wife not wanting to have a baby meant he still had to wear the condom, which meant there was only one left to use. He'd use it, wash it, and immediately put it back on for the second time? He asked hopefully, "Are the other two good?"
"I don't know, it was those two kids who did it."
Although Ping An and Xiao Yuan didn't know what the thing was, they knew something was wrong from their father's fluctuating mood. They didn't dare to guarantee that the thing was good, and after hesitating for a long time, they finally uttered "I don't know".
"You little monkeys, I think your mother fed you two too much. Now that you're full, you're jumping around and causing trouble." Ning Jin kicked each of them, took the two drooping condoms, and immediately started blowing them up, repeatedly looking for the vents to escape from his face.
Su Yu first glanced at him, then looked down and saw the two boys staring at her with curiosity. She coughed and said, "You two, remember this: you're not allowed to rummage through my and your dad's things unless we give you permission. This is the first time, but if it happens again, you two will go hungry together."
“This one’s leaking air.” Ning Jin spoke up as soon as Su Yu finished speaking. He glared at his two sons with a dark face, and threw one of the leaking air and one of the water-filled air into each of their arms. “Go play with them, take them and play with them.”
Xiao Yuan and Ping An squinted at each other, holding the thin balloon, thinking it was going to be slapped. Hehe, the two smiled at the dark-faced man, rubbing the balloon in their hands with obvious delight. None of the other children had one, only the two of them.
Su Yu snatched it away, saying, "No, you can't play with this. It's not clean, it's filthy."
“We don’t mind. Xiao Yuan and I washed it and dried it. If it were going to get dirty, it would have gotten dirty long ago.” Ping An grabbed her hand and tried to take it back.
"Let them play with it, it's not dirty. I washed it thoroughly and blew on it, and you didn't complain about my mouth being dirty." Ning Jin didn't care at first, but he couldn't stand it being dirty, so he washed it carefully before and after use. "Let them play with it, so as not to upset the kids." Taking advantage of his long arms and legs, he grabbed it and snatched it away. "It's five cents each, quite expensive. You two can only play with it indoors. If you dare to take it out, you won't get any snacks for a month."
"We can play in the yard too," Xiao Yuan readily agreed, but the one he was holding was filled with water. He looked up at the other one in the man's hand and, unusually softly, pleaded, "Dad, can you give this one back to me and Ping An since it's steaming?"
Ning Jin wanted to agree. He figured if he played with one or two, three or four wouldn't hurt, it would just be a matter of how many times he used them. But as soon as he was about to agree, he saw Su Yu's murderous look and immediately changed his mind: "No way, these two are mine. By the time I stop using them, they'll be torn open like bamboo tubes."
"Bragging. He's too confident in the power of his bullets," Su Yu scoffed.
After a peaceful meal, Ning Jin returned to the bedroom and held the two surviving condoms in her hands. "Tell me," she said, "if there were any small holes in these that I didn't find, wouldn't our child be born?"
"Don't try anything funny with me. I can't afford to have a baby right now. You're only home for three or four days a month. I'll be pregnant and taking care of two kids. Your parents don't approve of me. If I give birth, not only will you not be there, but I'll also have to raise Xiaoyuan and Ping'an. What if I have severe bleeding or can't give birth? When you come back, I'll be sleeping in the ground." Su Yu described the worst-case scenario.
Sure enough, the man's expression changed. He unrolled the condom again, blew on it, and examined his palms and cheeks repeatedly. "Do you want to blow on it to check?" he asked.
"No need, I trust you." Su Yu refused. She had never said she didn't want to have any more children. If Ning Jin wanted a child, he would discuss it with her first, not do something so despicable.
"You're so considerate." The feeling of being relied upon and trusted by his wife was so good that this contrast only made him more dissatisfied with his mother. "How's my father-in-law's leg? I'm going to see him tomorrow, why didn't you tell me? You didn't even mention the foolish thing my mother did." He turned her face towards him. "You're at it again? Are you planning to ask me for a divorce again?"
Su Yu had completely forgotten about her mother causing trouble. She had already dealt with it, so there was no need to complain to Ning Jin again. What difference would it make if he found out? He would just casually mention her mother again. There was no need for him to cause trouble at the old house every time he came back; anyone would get annoyed if it happened too often. As for her father, she wanted to wait until he had rested for a day and recovered before going to see him.
“I’ve already taken care of everything, why would I need you to get involved again? Besides, she’s your own mother, so what can you do even if you find out? It would only add to your worries. As for my father, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and he’s old and recovers slowly, so it will take him three or four months to get better. Buy some things and take Xiaoyuan to see him tomorrow,” she said softly.
"You're so kind." The man stroked the woman's hair and said in a deep voice, "My parents have a prejudice against you. Don't go over there unless it's important. My older brothers live with them, so even if it's important, it's not your place to worry about it."
He was practically saying he wouldn't associate with his parents anymore. Su Yu was pleased to hear that, but she still wanted to say, "If you were my son, I'd beat you to death if you had that thought." Before she knew it, the words in her mind came out.
“My mother didn’t raise me much. I grew up with my grandparents. When Ping An’s mother passed away, she came like a guest and didn’t help with the arrangements. After Ping An’s mother was buried, she left with the guest. Ping An wasn’t raised by her either. I don’t have any mother-son feelings for her. She has no right to hit me.” Ning Jin patted her shoulder and said, “If Ping An has this idea in the future, you don’t need to hit him. I will do it myself.”
Su Yu didn't reply, but then she heard the man next door coughing so hard that it hurt. She changed the subject and asked, "What kind of job does the man next door do? He doesn't seem like a good person."
Ning Jin said his name was Sun Laoqi, and he was a worker at the bowl and pot mending cooperative. The cooperative was a joint public-private enterprise, but its ownership changed at the end of 1966, becoming state-owned. However, people still habitually called it the cooperative. After the merger, they hired workers, who seemed to be former apprentices. He had been working there for quite a while, so his skills must have been quite good.
"Why are you asking this?" Ning Jin asked her warily as she sat up.
Su Yu then told him about Er Ya's situation, "The two men in the family have salaries, yet they treat their daughter like a servant. They are truly heartless and cruel, the kind of people even stray dogs would find disgusting after they die."
Ning Jin shook his head after hearing this, also disapproving of the neighbors' behavior. However, he wasn't as indignant as Su Yu, and even comforted her, saying, "Don't be angry. Stay away from them in the future. They're a bunch of scoundrels; nobody in the whole alley will pay them any attention. As for Er Ya, she's suffering now, but she'll be fine after she gets married." He even told her about families in town who, upon discovering they had a girl, either threw her away or gave her away. "At least Da Ya and Er Ya still have food to eat. A lot of people starved to death in the past ten years or so."
Su Yu knew his reaction was normal, but she was still annoyed. She rolled over and sat on top of him, leaving nail marks on his bare upper body as she pinched and said, "Don't move. I'll teach you. Next time I get angry, you have to agree with me. I'll curse you too, otherwise I'll be so angry I can't sleep. This is what will happen to you."
"So I should just lie here and wait for you to calm down?" He rested his head on his arm, looking up at her domineering and unreasonable demeanor.
"You're quite smart; you can apply what you've learned to other situations," Su Yu said casually.
Ning Jin accomplished nothing that night, because Ba Wang Hua said it was to teach him a lesson.
The next day, Ning Jin took his two sons to his father-in-law's house. His brother-in-law and sister-in-law were busy in the fields, so only his father-in-law and a few children were at home when he arrived.
When Old Man Su saw his son-in-law arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, Xiao Ning, help me to the outhouse first."
Ning Jin carried him over and then carried him back, saying, "Dad, do you want to sit in a chair? It's not comfortable to lie down all the time."
"Alright, then put me on a chair with a backrest." Old Su sighed, "I'm too old to hop on one leg, I can't move at all, it's like I'm paralyzed."
"Just take a rest, you've been busy your whole life," Ning Jin comforted the old man, then asked, "What about my mother? Is she back in the fields too?"
“Pulling peanuts in our private plot.” Old Su wasn’t afraid of his son-in-law laughing at him. He said frankly, “Those are the peanuts I planted. Once they’re harvested, they belong to me and your mother. If someone else goes to harvest them, the surname may not change, but the peanuts won’t end up in my hands.”
Ning Jin had only been a member of the family for a short time, so he didn't dare to speak ill of his brother-in-law. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm not a member of the family, so I'll go pick the peanuts. They'll still be in your hands in the end."
Old Su glanced at him and said, "That's fine too. Let Xiao Yuan take you there. He knows where the land is."
That was too decisive and efficient; Ning Jin suspected that his father-in-law had been waiting for him to say those words.
Ning Jin spent the remaining two days of her rest time picking peanuts. On the first day, she took her two sons with her, but on the second day, the two of them complained about the sun and didn't want to go. They wanted to go with Su Yu to plant some trees instead.
Su Yu chose to plant a tree on the way to her parents' home. There was a long river there, and no one lived there. She dug up a small willow tree that had sprouted new roots and was difficult to grow on the roots of a willow tree from the edge of the washing embankment. She took the two children to dig a hole and plant the tree. When it was time to water it, she found out that the two naughty children had brought out a hole in the bag and said they wanted to water the tree.
Su Yu, leaning on her shovel, watched coldly. Sure enough, after only two trips, the shovel was torn by tree branches. "Just throw it in the hole as a souvenir. This is the first tree you two planted. Take good care of it from now on. Water it every time you pass by." She assigned the task, ignoring the sneers from the tree-covered hillside.
The novel toys are gone, the enthusiasm for planting trees is gone, they no longer water them, and they no longer fill the holes.
It's okay, they've quit, but Su Yu is still full of energy. The trap left by the three-to-one strongman is finally buried. "Let's go, it's time to go back. You two go back and have fun, I have to go to work."
On the way back, we had to pass that weir. Before we even got close, we heard a splash, followed by sharp cries for help, which came and went.
Su Yu threw down the shovel and ran towards the dam. "Xiao Yuan, Ping An, go and call for help. Tell them someone has fallen into the dam." The dam was two or three meters deep, and Su Yu didn't know the conditions of the water. She could swim, but she was still afraid something might happen.
"Help! Help! Someone has fallen into the dam!" Su Yu shouted as she ran. When she got to the dam, she saw that there was indeed someone struggling inside, and the more they struggled, the further they were thrown into the dam.
She took off her shoes, jumped into the water, and swam towards the person whose movements were fading.
"Mom, sob sob sob..." When Su Yu hugged the drowning person's back, all she heard was the sound of two children shouting for their mother. Fortunately, the person was quite light, and even without anyone's help, she managed to pull them to the shore.
When she swam to the dam, people had already run over. It's unclear whether her cries for help alerted them or Xiaoyuan and Ping'an's crying brought them over.
"Oh my, who fell into the dam? Luckily, they ran into someone in the middle of the day..." A man and a woman worked together to pull the two people out of the water.
Su Yu rushed over to help drain the water from the person, while Xiao Yuan hugged her waist. She kept saying, "It's okay, it's okay, Xiao Yuan, let go, Mom is going to save someone," while she flipped the hair of the person lying on the ground.
It's Er Ya, the girl who comes to do laundry during people's lunch break.
She had told her many times, but she still didn't take it seriously. Su Yu pressed on her chest, and fortunately, the rescue was timely. She woke up before artificial respiration could be used.
Er Ya opened her eyes, coughing and crying. Xiao Yuan and Ping An were also crying, and Su Yu, soaking wet, was pinned to the ground by the three of them. Ning Jin finished picking peanuts at Yue's house and was walking back when he heard the familiar crying. He ran over, and when he saw the scene, his heart skipped a beat, and he started to stagger. He ran over weakly and saw Su Yu with her eyes open, still smiling. "Good heavens, I was scared out of my wits." He also collapsed to the ground.
"It's alright, it's alright." The woman next to her comforted the people lying on the ground and helped Er Ya up. She knew this girl, the poor girl who never made a sound. "Girl, get up quickly, don't put on top of them. They saved you and are exhausted."
After recovering, Ning Jin scooped the two children out of the water, helped Su Yu up, and asked, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, I'm just a little exhausted." Fear, panic, and excitement mixed together, her hands were trembling—she had saved a life!
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