Chapter 44
After having a heart-to-heart talk with my daughter, she went to the kitchen to wash the dishes cheerfully. She went into the house, coaxed the children to sleep, and sat on the kang to sew shoe soles.
"Wife, when will Zhongxia come back?" The old lady slept little as she was old, so she talked to her while lying on the kang.
"He said he would be back the day after tomorrow. He will definitely be back the day after tomorrow at the latest." Pulling the twine tightly, Gu Yan smiled and said, "Why, you miss your son right after you left? You were away from home for a whole year before, but I never heard you miss him like this."
"Alas, I'm old now, and I'm psychologically dependent on my children. When Zhongxia was not at home before, even though he sent me money and things, I always felt uneasy. Now that he's back, I feel relieved."
"People say old children, old children, it seems that this is absolutely true."
"How can it be false? The words of the elderly are the experience accumulated from generation to generation, not just random talk."
"Okay. I wonder if this will be the case when I get older?"
"It's all the same. People's thoughts change with age. When we were young, we were simple. When we were seventeen or eighteen, we were not afraid of anything and dared to act. It seemed that the whole world belonged to us and we could grab the sun with our hands. After thirty, we became more stable and no longer so foolish. When you reach my age, you have lost all your energy and spirit. You just eat and wait for death. As long as you have children and grandchildren around, you are content."
I didn't expect that an illiterate old lady would have such insights into life. Gu Yan nodded in agreement. She had already experienced the first half, and had deeply felt the feeling of having the sun in her hands during adolescence. People over thirty are down-to-earth and pragmatic, and they understand what it means to plan before taking action.
"Gu Yan, Gu Yan, are you home?"
Gu Yan swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and quickly walked out holding the sole of his shoe. Who is this? Why are you here in the middle of the day?
"What's the matter? Why are you yelling?"
Taking a look at the little boy led by the woman, Gu Yan knew who this was. The child she rescued in the morning who was almost washed away. Behind the mother and daughter there is a father and daughter. What are they doing here as a family?
"Oh, Gu Yan, I am so grateful to you. Our whole family is grateful to you. If it weren't for you today, my son would have died."
The woman was in tears and was about to kneel down to her. Gu Yan raised his hand and pulled the man up. "It's okay, it's okay, it's just a matter of convenience. I can swim, so I can't just sit there and do nothing.
The main problem in this matter is that the reservoir should not release water without authorization. We have to go find the party secretary. We can't let this matter of Xu Dapao get away with it. This guy is too unreliable. Who knows what will happen if we continue to let him do this. ”
Xu Dapao, this seems to be the person who watched the warehouse and caused the fire in the original book. When Gu Yan heard this name, he was thinking about how to remove him and label him as irresponsible so that he could no longer work in such a responsible position.
"Yes, find the branch secretary. Xu Dapao must be severely punished. If the director continues to protect this dishonest brother, we will go to the commune and sue him." The child's father spoke righteously. The neighbors in the yard were also filled with righteous indignation this time. They didn't even take a nap and united to go to the brigade to find the leader. This matter requires an explanation.
Gu Yan easily changed the direction of the situation. The key to this matter is to put an end to it in the future. As for whether you thank me or not, as long as you have this intention, my action is worth it. It is not predicted that there will be any danger to life. At most, you will suffer a little and be washed by the water for a while. This action can save lives, I will still do it.
The women followed him out to the street gate, and suddenly came back. Give her the basket you are holding. "We don't have anything good at home, so we saved the eggs for the children. This is just a little gift from me, so please don't refuse it."
"Really. It's only dangerous when the upstream narrows and releases floodwaters. There are many places to climb up the wasteland downstream. I'm fine. Just say thank you and the matter will be over. You don't need to bring this valuable thing."
"How can that be possible? You have saved our family's hope. If anything happens to my son, our family will be doomed. I was almost forty when I had such a son... This time it's all thanks to you. Take it, you must take this egg."
Gu Yan was forced to eat half a basket of eggs. The woman did not allow her to refuse and turned around and took the child away. It seemed like he was looking for someone to fight to the death. Xu Dapao, who acted recklessly today, will definitely be caught, even if he is the village director's younger brother. The public anger cannot be offended. If everyone attacks together, even the director has to give in.
Xiaohua looked very happy when she returned with the eggs. Looking at her mother with admiration on her face, she said: "Mom, you are amazing. You are selfless and have noble character. You are our role model."
"Don't. Don't learn blindly."
As soon as Gu Yan said this, Xiaohua, who was only eleven years old, was stunned. Our teacher taught us to help others. Don’t you do the same? Otherwise, why would you go into the water to save the child?
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Gu Yan could see through her daughter’s thoughts at a glance. He patted Niuniu who was woken up, and waited for the child to fall asleep again before he pulled his eldest daughter to the east edge of the kang.
"It's fine to be willing to help others, but it's fine to sacrifice yourself to save others. Everyone is born by their parents, and other people's lives are not more precious than your own. Sacrificing yourself to save others sounds stupid."
Xiaohua's worldview has not yet been formed, and she is half-understanding and half-confused about what her mother says. I tilted my head and thought about it carefully. It seemed right and yet wrong.
Old Mrs. Li on the kang was laughing. "If Zhongxia heard what you said, she would be upset. Soldiers are all about sacrifice and dedication. Your thoughts are too selfish."
Xiaohua nodded, agreeing with her grandmother's words. Yes! Thinking only about yourself in everything is a selfish behavior, right?
"For example, if I died today trying to save this child, do you think their family would take over my responsibilities and take on the responsibility of your elders and your children?"
Xiaohua is young after all, she doesn’t have much experience and is still thinking. The old lady blurted out: "That's impossible. Even if you save someone's life again, they can't do your work for you or take on your responsibilities. It's a kindness to come and see you a few more times and give you some gifts."
"That's it. Is my life worth just a few visits from her? You call this selfish, but what about leaving my family alone and helpless just to save others?"
"Then why do you want to save me, mom?"
"Because mom is sure that she has the ability to save people without any harm herself. Mom is not telling you to be selfish and not help others, but just telling you to do things within your ability. For example, you can give up some of your play or sleep time to help others clean up, or give up class time to send your classmates home. These are all okay because the consequences are within your ability to bear.
But if you have to risk your life to save others, then definitely don't go. You only have one life, whether it's someone in need of help or you. ”
Her theory was somewhat inconsistent with the times, but the old lady, who had a lifetime of life experience, quickly accepted and agreed with it.
"That's right. It's not easy for anyone. As long as it's not caused by us, there's no need to risk our lives." He added a proviso: "If it's to defend our country, we still have to go. Without a country, there's no home. Without a home, there's no one. We have to go."
Gu Yan smiled and said, "As expected of you, you are the mother of the political commissar. You are very conscious."
"You have to learn it too. Zhongxia loves to talk about great principles and small matters. If he hears what you said, he will definitely criticize you."
Gu Yan shrugged to show that he didn't care. I am just like this. After experiencing the cannibalism environment in the end times, it is very rare that I still have the heart to help others. As for whether our three views are compatible, I try my best to cooperate with him. As long as it doesn't touch my bottom line, I can tolerate it.
"This is actually just right. He has a greater sense of social responsibility, and I have a greater sense of family responsibility. The two are not contradictory! The great heroes serve their country and their people, and the small heroes serve their families and their relatives. Someone has to take care of them, right?"
"Yes, women should take care of the family. Let men do the outside work."
Xiaohua quickly digested and absorbed what her mother said and nodded in agreement. Do what you can. It is important for people to know themselves, do their best within their capabilities. Be worthy of society and be worthy of your family.
In late summer and early autumn, there is not much work in the fields. I spent the afternoon weeding and killing time. When I got off work in the evening, I heard that Xu Dapao had been fired. The onlookers cheered in unison, damn, can that water be released casually? If one is washed away, can you afford to compensate?
"Hey, sister, I heard that those kids today were able to escape thanks to you for discovering the flood in time and shouting loudly. The secretary should call you a hero this time."
Sister Xu was standing by the field, leaning on a hoe, chatting with Gu Yan. As soon as she opened her mouth, almost the entire team gathered around her. Everyone was talking about how amazing Gu Yan was.
"You have to report one. If Gu Yan hadn't been here today, who knows how big a mistake would have been made."
"Yes, at least we should give the money we used to punish Xu Dapao to Gu Yan."
"Gu Yan is indeed a model worker, she is amazing. I heard that she managed to pull the kid from Old Wang's family up by grabbing onto a bramble. If it were an ordinary person, she wouldn't have the strength to save him even if she wanted to."
For a moment, Gu Yan seemed to have become the embodiment of a hero, someone who was both capable and loving. Surrounded by the crowd and worshipped as an idol.
"What's the big deal? It's just shouting when you see the water coming. What adult can't do that?"
Han Laoer's wife didn't speak loudly, but because everyone was close by, they still heard it. The mother of the child who was saved by Gu Yan slapped her in the face.
"Look at how capable you are. Everyone can do it. I don't think you can do it, even if you are beaten by a man and still speak well of him. If you were here today, we would have to go downstream to fish you out."
"You..." The two women stared at each other like black-eyed chickens. The newly married daughter-in-law of the Han family was not wrong to be scolded. She was confronted and assaulted, and she actually covered her face and cried in front of everyone.
Look everyone, look here. The boy glanced at the woman squatting on the ground crying with disdain and said, "She's just an idiot. Don't pay any attention to her."
A group of people dispersed and went home, chatting as they walked. Gu Yan was surrounded by people like a star and was treated like a hero - the hoe on his shoulder was taken away and someone helped to carry it.
When Li Zhongxia came back the next afternoon, his mother happily held his hand and said to him, "Your wife has been named an advanced individual by the county. Go and receive the award this afternoon."
"Why is this so?" Is the advanced individual at the county level elected as a model worker by virtue of being re-elected for three consecutive terms?
The old lady laughed and told the story of her daughter-in-law saving someone. "It's all thanks to her, otherwise who knows how many children would have been washed away by the accident. The commune reported five or six people to the police, and once this happened, the honor naturally fell on your wife's head."
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