Chapter 129
When they left the farm, they took two burlap sacks of persimmons with them.
Two burlap sacks of persimmons were tied to the back of the bicycle, piled high, which stunned Cheng Yuanyuan. She hadn't thought much of it when she picked them, only wanting to pick more for them to take home, either to store for themselves or to give to neighbors and friends.
Anyway, the farm doesn't have much else, but it has plenty of persimmons, so it's not a pity to give away as many as we want.
But she hadn't considered that Gu Xi and the others might not be able to carry all those persimmons back.
Cheng Yuanyuan was a little embarrassed and asked hesitantly, "Will it be too heavy? Can you carry it back? If not, I'll ask Brother Dongliang to ride his bicycle and help you take it back."
Since men are strong and don't mind getting tired, she bossed Gan Dongliang around with a clear conscience.
Gan Dongliang didn't say anything, he was already used to making amends for her, and prepared to go find someone to borrow a bicycle to help them take the persimmons back.
"No need, I can pull it back," Gu Xi stopped Gan Dongliang. "I'm quite strong."
Two bags of persimmons are really nothing.
Because they needed to take the persimmons back, Xu Yuansheng had to drive Xu Huaisheng back, and Gu Xi put Gu Tuantuan in the child seat on the front bumper of the car.
She held onto her bicycle and said goodbye to Cheng Yuanyuan and the others.
"Yuanyuan, Comrade Gan, let's go."
Cheng Yuanyuan waved to them, her voice full of energy, "Gu Xi, Yuansheng, Huaisheng, Tuantuan, come visit again next time you have time!"
Xu Yuansheng and the others also said goodbye to them.
Gu Tuantuan turned her head and said very loudly, "Goodbye, Aunt Yuanyuan, Uncle Gan~~"
The two stood in front of the farm gate and watched them leave.
Seeing Gu Xi riding her bicycle effortlessly along the way, as if the two bags of persimmons on the back of the bike were as light as cotton, I finally felt relieved.
"It seems Gu Xi is really strong," Cheng Yuanyuan said with envy.
Gan Dongliang adjusted his glasses. "It's not surprising. Every time we go to the market, I see her buying so many things, but she never seems tired from carrying them."
I had a feeling before that Gu Xi was quite strong, but now it seems that she is stronger than I thought.
**
When I returned to the family compound, it was already evening, and the sky was tinged with twilight.
The three sisters unloaded the persimmons, then opened a bag of persimmons, packed them into baskets, and prepared to give them to their neighbors.
When Xu Yuansheng returned the car next door, he gave Qiao Hui, who lived next door, a large basket of persimmons.
I brought back too many persimmons, and after giving them to my neighbors, I still had quite a few left.
Gu Xi picked out some ripe persimmons and made persimmon jam at home the next day.
As the persimmon jam simmered, the sweet aroma of the jam filled the air, drawing in neighbors who couldn't resist coming out to peek. They wondered who was making something delicious; the smell was just too sweet and tempting.
These days, sugar is a rare commodity, and the aroma of this sweet jam can easily make your mouth water.
Qiao Hui brought her daughter over to play, and when she saw Gu Xi making persimmon jam at home, she couldn't help but become interested.
Gu Xi brought out a pot of cooked persimmon jam, scooped two spoonfuls into a cup, then poured in some boiling water to mix it well, and invited her to taste it: "Qiao Hui, try it and see if it tastes good."
Qiao Hui took a sip of water mixed with persimmon jam. It tasted sweet, like drinking sugar water, and had the unique fragrance of persimmon.
"It's delicious!" She gave a thumbs up. "It tastes really good. I wonder how long this sauce will last. It would be great to have a cup like this in the summer."
Gu Xi said with a regretful look, "It can't be preserved for that long, and there probably won't be enough to eat. Jam can not only be used to make drinks, but also spread on steamed buns. I'll teach you how to make it later."
Gu Xi specially made a pot of white flour steamed buns. After the buns were steamed, she let them cool slightly, then cut them open and spread jam inside.
Xu Yuansheng took a bite and instantly fell in love with the taste of jam with white steamed buns.
Qiao Hui also thought it was delicious. "White steamed buns are already delicious, but adding jam on top is a truly luxurious way to eat them. I doubt anyone would dislike it."
This way of eating is quite similar to that of foreigners; I've heard they like to spread jam on bread.
Wheat flour is a refined grain, and it tastes good no matter what you make with it. Paired with thick, sweet jam, it's truly a luxury.
Seeing that she liked it, Gu Xi gave her two jars of jam.
Through the glass jar, you can see the brightly colored jam inside, which looks especially appealing.
The jars used for the jam are glass jars left over from canned fruit. People usually collect these jars because they can't bear to throw them away. They have quite a few of these leftover glass jars at home, which are perfect for storing persimmon jam. They'll put the lids on them later, steam them in a pot, and they'll keep them for longer.
When Xu Huaisheng and Gu Tuantuan got home from school, they both loved the white steamed buns with persimmon sauce and couldn't stop eating them.
Fearing they would overeat and get sick, Xu Yuansheng didn't let them eat too much.
"Second sister, I want to eat more," Xu Huaisheng said pitifully. It was so delicious that she wanted to keep eating.
Xu Yuansheng said coldly, "Eat it tomorrow morning. Eating too much will upset your stomach."
Gu Tuantuan licked the jam off her fingers and exclaimed, "Aunt Yuansheng, it's so delicious! I love persimmon jam! I want to go pick persimmons again!"
The children discovered for the first time that fruit jam is so delicious, opening a whole new world for them.
Gu Xi patted her head and smiled, "I made a lot today. Take some back for your dad and mom to try later."
"Yay, thank you Auntie, Auntie is the best!"
Gu Tuantuan rushed over, hugged Gu Xi's neck, rubbed her face against Gu Xi's cheek, and then gave her a big kiss.
Later that evening, Ji Ya came to pick up her daughter after get off work and also ate white steamed buns with jam.
Her eyes lit up slightly, and she nodded, saying, "Delicious."
These days, very few people don't like sweets, and Ji Ya happens to be one of them. The persimmon jam isn't too sweet, but it's very fragrant and has a unique flavor.
Gu Xi sat down beside her and asked, "Sister-in-law, has my brother been home lately?"
Hearing her question, Ji Ya understood. "He's been quite busy lately and hasn't been back for several days." Seeing her disappointment, she comforted her, "Don't worry, Commander Shen should be fine."
Although it is unknown what mission Shen Mingzheng is on, it is obviously very important, and even Gu Yuanyang cannot get away from it.
Gu Xi didn't want to ask too many questions, and guessed that even if she asked Ji Ya, she wouldn't know either, so she could only sigh.
Let's keep waiting.
**
Since the autumn rain, the weather has been getting colder and colder.
The sun hasn't come out for several days. During the day, the sky is overcast, and it looks like it's about to snow. People in the family compound have already started stockpiling food in preparation for winter.
The night was deep and cold. At two o'clock in the morning, a military truck drove towards the troops, its headlights breaking through the darkness and illuminating the road ahead.
Gu Yuanyang looked at Shen Mingzheng and saw his arm in a sling, still wrapped in gauze. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on: "If Xixi saw you like this, she would probably worry."
Shen Mingzheng looked tired and didn't say anything. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was also a little uneasy inside.
He was afraid she would cry if she saw him like this. Every time she cried, he felt helpless and awkward when trying to comfort her.
At times like this, he couldn't help but think of his younger brother, Shen Mingrong. He wondered how Shen Mingrong had developed such a silver tongue; he was very good at coaxing people and could always make them smile.
Upon returning to his unit, Shen Mingzheng first reported the mission to his superiors.
He walked out of the conference room, and it was almost dawn.
Political Commissar Xu waited for him outside the meeting room. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, he said, "You've worked hard. Go back and rest for a few days. Get your injuries healed first."
Shen Mingzheng nodded and walked forward.
"Also, your sister-in-law has been very worried about you these days. Go back home and spend time with her, show her more care. She's had a tough time too."
Commissar Xu recalled how Gu Xi had intentionally or unintentionally sat there waiting for him to come home from get off work when she delivered persimmons and persimmon jam to his family, just to ask for news. He learned from her that Shen Mingzheng had not yet returned, and his dejected appearance made him feel both amused and heartbroken.
Military wives are all like this; whenever their husbands have any missions, they have to live in fear and endure just as much hardship as the men.
You've worked hard.
Shen Mingzheng's cold gaze softened.
"Also, my sister-in-law has done a great job this time, and the organization will reward her, but it can't be made public..."
Political Commissar Xu whispered the information he had received to him, so that he would have a general idea.
This kind of thing is quite common, and it's also a way to protect Gu Xi.
The military's successful dismantling of a large-scale cross-provincial human trafficking gang was largely thanks to Gu Xi, who stumbled upon the operation and kidnapped eight human traffickers, preventing them from escaping and alerting them. This allowed the military to obtain more information from the traffickers before they realized something was wrong and fled, enabling them to eliminate the gang in one fell swoop and, by following the clues, rescue more victims.
However, this human trafficking gang is very large and has many members of a diverse background. Some members have still managed to escape. If they find out that Gu Xi is the "culprit" who caused their downfall, they will probably try every means to retaliate.
The ruthlessness of these desperate criminals should not be underestimated.
Shen Mingzheng knew very well that he also didn't want Gu Xi to be exposed.
Political Commissar Xu had other matters to attend to, so he told him to get some rest, and finally said with a smile, "Old Shen, congratulations, you've made a great contribution this time!"
"Thanks."
After saying goodbye to Political Commissar Xu, Shen Mingzheng went home.
Upon entering, one sees the kitchen light on, and Xu Yuansheng is preparing breakfast.
Hearing the noise at the door, she peeked out and, upon seeing the man bathed in dim light, instantly realized that Shen Mingzheng had returned.
"Brother-in-law!" she said in a low voice, "You're back!"
After waiting for so long, he finally came back, and my older sister no longer has to worry about him every day.
Shen Mingzheng closed the courtyard gate and hummed in agreement.
When he walked over and Xu Yuansheng saw his appearance clearly, she was frightened and turned pale. "Are you injured? Is it serious?" She was so anxious that she was pacing around in circles. Her first instinct was to go and inform Gu Xi.
Shen Mingzheng reassured him, "It's nothing, just minor injuries. It'll be fine in a while."
Xu Yuansheng was still not entirely at ease. Seeing his unshaven face and rarely seeing him so disheveled and exhausted, he knew that this mission must be very difficult, and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
She quickly said, "Are you hungry? I made potato and tomato noodle soup, have some first..." Noticing that his clothes were wrinkled, she hurriedly added, "I'll boil some hot water for you to wash up. Are you going to work later, or are you going to rest at home?"
"I'm resting at home," Shen Mingzheng said in a hoarse voice. "I'm at home all day."
"Okay, then you should eat something first before you go to rest."
Thinking that he might not have slept all night and was only just getting back, Xu Yuansheng quickly went to boil water so he could give him a bath and rest later.
When Shen Mingzheng returned to his room, he found the blankets on the bed neatly folded and the bed empty, which didn't surprise him much.
When he was away from home, his two younger sisters-in-law always liked to invite his wife to sleep with them, and the three sisters would squeeze into one bed without feeling cramped.
When Xu Huaisheng got up and was about to have breakfast before going to school, he was pleasantly surprised to see Shen Mingzheng in the kitchen.
Afraid of waking Gu Xi, she didn't dare to speak too loudly, and leaned close to Shen Mingzheng to ask, "Brother-in-law, when did you get back? Have the bad guys been caught? How badly is your hand hurt? Should we go to the hospital..."
She was also frightened when she saw Shen Mingzheng's hand.
Shen Mingzheng reassured him, "It's nothing, just a superficial injury, it'll heal quickly."
I didn't say much else, so as not to frighten her.
Xu Huaisheng looked at him with concern, and was soon sent off to school by Xu Yuansheng.
She left, turning back every few steps, worried about Shen Mingzheng's arm injury and also wanting to know how the criminal gang was doing. She was anxious and absent-minded all day.
-
After finishing breakfast and cleaning himself up, Shen Mingzheng went back to his room to rest.
Not long after he fell asleep, Gu Xi finally got up. When she learned that he had come home, she was overjoyed. However, afraid of disturbing Shen Mingzheng's sleep, she resisted the urge to go back to her room to see him.
"Big brother is injured? How serious is it?" Gu Xi frowned.
Xu Yuansheng comforted him, saying, "My brother-in-law said it's just a superficial injury, nothing serious, and it will get better in a while."
"real?"
Gu Xi was still worried and paced around the room, making Xu Yuansheng dizzy. Not knowing how to comfort her, she decided to wait until Shen Mingzheng woke up and let her check on him herself.
Shen Mingzheng finally woke up in the afternoon.
As he opened the door and went out, he saw the people in the main room quickly stand up and rush towards him, "Brother, are you alright? Your hand..."
When she saw his arm wrapped in gauze, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Shen Mingzheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said, "It's nothing, just a bullet graze, it'll heal soon."
"real?"
Gu Xi looked at him with some fear. She was no longer worried about dying young; instead, she was worried that Shen Mingzheng's life would be like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing his fate.
Shen Mingzheng didn't know what she was afraid of, but seeing her frightened expression made his heart tighten, and he felt a suffocating pain.
He led her back to the room, closed the door, and then put his arm around her tightly, saying softly, "Xixi, I'm here. I'm fine. Don't worry."
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