Chapter 124
Gu Xi was finally relieved to see that Cheng Yuanyuan was doing well.
Cheng Yuanyuan was very touched that Gu Xi had made a special trip to the county hospital to see her. She talked with Gu Xi for a long time until she collapsed on the bed, feeling dizzy and reluctant to leave.
Gan Dongliang was speechless. Anyone who didn't know the situation would think it was a life-or-death separation, and that he would never see him again.
Even when you're so dizzy, you still have the mind to think about this and that.
Seeing her weak appearance, Gu Xi quickly said, "Yuanyuan, you should rest well. I'll come to the farm to see you after you're discharged from the hospital."
"Really?" Cheng Yuanyuan was immediately delighted. "Then you must come! I'll treat you to something delicious and introduce you to my other friends on the farm. They'll be so envious of me for having such a beautiful and wonderful friend."
Gan Dongliang couldn't help but say, "Haven't we seen almost everything?"
When people went to the town market, they would sometimes run into each other. Thanks to her, Gu Xi knew almost all the educated youth from the farm.
The educated youth on the farm also knew that she and Gu Xi had a good relationship, and they would greet each other when they met on the road.
“There are still some people who haven’t met Gu Xi,” Cheng Yuanyuan said, then turned away from him and said to Gu Xi, “When you come over, I’ll take you to the fishpond to catch fish, and I’ll have Sister Awang make you sauerkraut fish. Her sauerkraut fish is so delicious, the fish is tender and smooth, and the sauerkraut is so appetizing, you can even eat two more bowls of rice… It’s a pity that summer is over. If it were summer, we could also go to the nearby Hangxi River to catch fish and shrimp. The water quality in Hangxi River is good, and the fish and shrimp grow well. Fried dried small fish and stir-fried river shrimp with chives are very delicious…”
After hearing this, Gu Xi couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems you're doing quite well since you went to the countryside."
Unlike other educated youth who experienced helplessness and torment, this experience was more like a rural retreat.
That's good. No matter where you are, you can still be full of enthusiasm for life. This positive and optimistic attitude will not extinguish hope and will allow you to keep going.
Cheng Yuanyuan chuckled and said, "Everyone here is very nice, and we get along quite well."
Gan Dongliang did not deny this. The people on the farm were indeed very easy to get along with, with few disputes. Although there were minor conflicts, there was a lot of human warmth.
He looked at Cheng Yuanyuan and then smiled, thankful that her optimistic attitude towards life had influenced and encouraged many people.
When he first went to the countryside, he couldn't adapt either. If it weren't for her encouragement, he probably would have complained about everything.
Rather than saying he was taking care of her, it's more accurate to say that she encouraged him, which enabled him to pull himself together.
It was already noon when the educated youth from the farm came to bring them lunch, and Gu Xi got up to leave.
After leaving the hospital, Gu Xi first went to a state-run restaurant and ate a bowl of steaming hot soup noodles, which warmed her up from head to toe.
After finishing her meal, she strolled leisurely around the county town.
The houses in the county town are relatively low, but there are quite a few pedestrians on the streets, and there are also buses.
Gu Xi rode her bicycle leisurely, first going to the bookstore in the county town to see what books they had and wanted to buy a few to take home.
Unfortunately, the bookstores in the county town were naturally not as good as those in the city. The number of books inside was very small, and she left disappointed after walking around the bookstore for a while.
Unable to find the book at the bookstore, Gu Xi went to the recycling center instead.
I gave the scorekeeper a handful of candy and got in smoothly. Unfortunately, the recycling shop in the county town didn't have much. Although there were old books and newspapers, they were all badly damaged. Some of them were piled up in a corner and rotted. They had no collectible value and were treated as waste paper.
After finishing at the recycling bin, Gu Xi checked the time and realized it was already time for her afternoon shift.
She went to a pastry shop, bought some sponge cakes and snacks, and then rode her bicycle towards the paper mill in the county town.
Upon arriving at the paper mill, Gu Xi parked her car in the parking area in front of the gate and said to the old man at the gatehouse, "Sir, I'm looking for Ye Fenghua, the chef who works in your factory's kitchen. Could you please pass on my message?"
The old man asked, "Looking for Ye Fenghua? Are you a relative of hers?"
Gu Xi smiled and responded.
Ye Fenghua came out very quickly.
When she saw Gu Xi, she widened her eyes in surprise and exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, what brings you here?"
Gu Xi said, "A friend of mine is hospitalized, so I came to the county hospital to visit her today and also stopped by to see my sister-in-law." Then she asked, "Is my sister-in-law going to work now? Is she bothering you?"
"Don't bother me! The kitchen isn't busy yet. Come in and sit down, rest for a while before you leave," Ye Fenghua said warmly. Since she was already here, she should definitely take her in to sit down, rest, and have a drink of water.
Gu Xi couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to go inside with her.
With Ye Fenghua's guidance, Gu Xi entered the paper mill smoothly.
Ye Fenghua led the person to a lounge near the kitchen. There were few people inside; the kitchen staff were all preparing for dinner and processing the ingredients.
At this time, she wasn't too busy, so Ye Fenghua could spare some time.
Gu Xi handed the sponge cake she had bought earlier to Ye Fenghua.
Ye Fenghua said helplessly, "You're already here, why buy anything? There's no need to waste money."
"It's alright, sister-in-law, take it to your colleagues in the kitchen later so they can try it too." Gu Xi waved her hand and asked Ye Fenghua how work was going.
Ye Fenghua briefly explained her job, then asked, "Is this your first time in the county town? You haven't gone the wrong way, have you?"
Upon learning that she had cycled all the way to the county town, I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
If it were her first time going to an unfamiliar place, she would definitely not dare to ride a bicycle alone.
Gu Xi smiled and said, "I didn't go the wrong way. I specifically asked someone and even drew a route. If I did go the wrong way, I can just go back and start over."
It's not a big problem, it just takes an extra hour.
Ye Fenghua laughed heartily: "That's true. The first time I rode my bicycle to the county town, I was the same way, and I even got lost in another village. Luckily, I was also worried that I would get lost, so I set off on the afternoon of the weekend and didn't reach the county town until it got dark."
However, after riding your bicycle back and forth a few times, you'll become familiar with the route and won't get lost again.
The two chatted for a while, and after Gu Xi finished her water, she got up and left, not wanting to disturb her work.
Ye Fenghua saw her out, asking as she did so, "What time are you planning to go back?"
"We'll go to the department store to buy a few things and then head back," Gu Xi said, then asked, "Is there anything you need me to buy, sister-in-law?"
"No need, no need, I'll buy it when I go back this weekend. I'm here now, so it's convenient for me to buy things. If you need anything, just let me know."
After leaving the paper mill, Gu Xi rode her bicycle to the department store in the county town.
The department stores in the county town didn't have as many items as those in the city. After buying some durable candies, snacks, and daily necessities, Gu Xi went to the meat processing plant.
At this time, the meat processing plant didn't have much meat left, so Gu Xi bought a pair of pig trotters and a few bones, which was better than nothing.
After shopping, it was already quite late.
Gu Xi checked her watch and realized it was already 4:30 pm. It would take two hours to cycle home, and she would arrive around 6:30 pm, which wasn't too late.
After securing her belongings, Gu Xi mounted her bicycle and rode out of the county town, facing the autumn wind.
As you move further away from the county town, the number of people on the road gradually decreases, leaving only an empty dirt road winding its way forward. On both sides of the road, there are sometimes mountains, sometimes forests, and sometimes fields, but most of the time you can't see any signs of human habitation.
Gu Xi rode her bike very fast, and in a flash, the bicycle glided past. There was no one on the road, so she could do whatever she wanted.
When she came to a fork in the road, she rode to the left.
Ten minutes later, they found that the road ahead was getting narrower and narrower, and they could see a village with smoke rising from its chimneys in the distance. They realized they had taken the wrong road and had to turn back and replan their route.
Gu Xi kept correcting the route as she rode, and it wasn't until after six o'clock, when it was getting a little dark, that she still hadn't returned to town.
It looks like I'll be getting home quite late today.
Gu Xi was a little tired, so she stopped to drink some water.
The military water bottle still had more than half a bottle of water left; Ye Fenghua had specially filled it for her, just in case she got thirsty on the way.
The bicycle was parked by the roadside. Gu Xi sat on a large rock, drinking water and resting, and yawned.
I left home early this morning and haven't rested since. I'm still a bit tired, but it's much better than before. I'm not so tired that I just collapse. I still have some energy to go back.
It seems that I have really taken good care of my health this year and have also built up my physical strength.
After finishing her water, Gu Xi unscrewed the kettle and hung it on the handlebars of her bicycle.
As she was about to ride away, she suddenly heard a faint sound coming from afar, carried by the wind.
Gu Xi looked around warily; the sound was intermittent and could be mistaken for the sound of the wind.
After thinking for a moment, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she picked up the bicycle, placed it in a relatively dense thicket by the roadside to hide it, and then followed the sound to the bicycle.
The surrounding area was a forest, and the light inside the forest was rather dim.
Gu Xi followed the trail and gradually heard the cries of a woman filled with despair, along with the harsh curses of a man. Hearing this clearly, she sped up.
When she arrived at the scene, in the twilight, she saw three men tearing off a woman's clothes and pinning her down in the woods...
This scene enraged her, and without thinking, she rushed over and punched the man who was facing away from her and unzipping his pants, sending him flying.
"Who goes there?!"
The remaining two men only had time to shout before they were hit in the face by a fist, causing their noses to bleed profusely, their heads to spin, and their faces to fall to the ground covered in blood.
The woman on the ground was still screaming; she was terrified.
After knocking the three men unconscious, Gu Xi quickly went over, gathered up the woman's clothes that had been stripped off, and then held her in her arms, comforting her, "It's okay, it's okay, no one can hurt you!"
It took the woman a while to realize what had happened. She hugged Gu Xi tightly and burst into tears.
Gu Xi patiently let her cry and vent her emotions.
However, the woman seemed to realize something, and after crying for a while, she quickly stopped and said in a panic, "We need to leave quickly, someone will be chasing us soon..."
Gu Xi saw that she was trembling with fear, and didn't even care about the three men on the ground. She just wanted to grab her and run away from here as quickly as possible.
She grabbed the person and asked, "Who else?"
No matter who they are, she's going to cripple these beasts today!
The woman was weak and couldn't pull him away; she was so anxious she was about to cry.
She had been starving for two days, and after all the commotion, she was really exhausted. All she wanted was to escape from these beasts, otherwise they would be caught and taken back.
Gu Xi comforted her, telling her not to worry. Hearing her stomach rumble, she took out the egg pancake she hadn't finished eating that day from her bag. "Eat something first. I still have some water here."
The woman paused, and in the dim light of the woods, finally saw the girl who had saved her.
She is a very young girl.
She was so hungry that she felt dizzy and lightheaded. Finally, she couldn't resist and grabbed the cold egg pancake, stuffing it into her mouth and eating it fiercely.
You can only keep running if you're full.
Gu Xi took the opportunity to drag the three men on the ground aside, stripped them of all their clothes, tore them into strips, and tied them up.
She was very strong and her binding movements were extremely fierce. She folded the limbs of the three men and tied them up like crabs, and also used strips of cloth to tie their mouths to prevent them from calling for help.
One by one, grown men were stripped naked and tied up like crabs...
The scene was so shocking that the woman eating an egg pancake next to her fell silent.
The girl who suddenly appeared to save her seemed...quite ruthless. But seeing the fate of those beasts, she felt only satisfaction and catharsis.
After tying up the man, Gu Xi looked at the woman who was eating a pancake.
The light in the woods was dim, making it difficult to see a person's features clearly, but one could discern from the outline that she was a pretty girl.
She asked, "What's your name? What are you doing here? And who are these people?"
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