They arrived in a rather disheveled state; many of them only had a set of clothes on them and nothing else.
The cowshed was built with the help of the brigade leaders, who added two more rooms. Together with the room where Gu Zhiyuan used to live, it could barely be considered three rooms.
Men and women each lived in separate rooms, with one room reserved for cooking and eating.
I heard that several of them don't even have blankets. It's okay now that it's hot, but it will be tough when it gets cold.
After saying this, Chen Fangfang couldn't help but sigh, "If we don't come up with a solution, I'm afraid many of these people won't even make it through this winter."
However, she only dared to express her feelings to Xu Ningyan in secret, and she absolutely could not show any sympathy in front of outsiders.
Xu Ningyan hadn't expected that the conditions for these people being sent down to the countryside would be so harsh.
Unable to resist asking Chen Fangfang, "Didn't the brigade leader and secretary make any arrangements? If winter comes and people freeze to death, I'm afraid that won't be good."
Chen Fangfang glanced around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "The brigade leader and the secretary are also worried. It would be hard to explain if someone died! I heard they're thinking that when the weather gets cold, they should try to get them some quilts or something, and they're also planning to have them build a kang (heated brick bed) and prepare more firewood."
"That's all we can do. Whether they live or die is up to fate!"
Even so, the brigade leader and his team were taking risks. If outsiders reported that the Tuanjie Brigade had not allowed these sent-down personnel to properly participate in labor reform, but instead gave them special treatment, the brigade leader and his team would probably be in deep trouble.
"I reckon the brigade leader and the others will need your help with things like getting quilts. If you're worried about getting into trouble, you should think of a way to decline as soon as possible," Chen Fangfang reminded her.
Xu Ningyan nodded, indicating that she understood.
"Also, do you know that Aunt Xie's youngest son, the one who was serving in the army and I heard he was a pretty high-ranking officer, has come back?" Chen Fangfang suddenly asked.
Xu Ningyan felt nauseous when Xu Changfeng was mentioned. She wondered why Chen Fangfang was bringing him up and looked over.
Chen Fangfang whispered, "When I came down from the mountain the day before yesterday, I saw Aunt Xie's son loitering around the cowshed. I don't know why. You should be careful! You live close to them, so it's best not to get involved."
Now, Chen Fangfang doesn't say she truly considers Xu Ningyan a friend, but for the sake of their future interests, she doesn't want anything to happen to Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan never expected that Xu Changfeng would be so careless in his actions. Not only did she see him, but Chen Fangfang also saw him loitering near the cowshed.
God knows if anyone else in the group saw it.
If it were before, she might have given some pointers, but now, haha, to hell with him!
So he joined Chen Fangfang in gossiping for a while about the recent happenings in the brigade, such as which mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were fighting, and which man was flirting with a young widow.
They ate their meal chatting and laughing, and then saw Chen Fangfang out of the courtyard gate.
She went back inside and lay under a tree, pondering that she had originally come back to relax and enjoy a couple of days of blissful tranquility.
This is even more upsetting than I expected!
But if we go back to the county town now, Li Jianguo will probably be even more worried.
Moreover, Xu Changfeng probably won't give up so easily; this matter needs to be resolved completely.
However, to her surprise, in the days that followed, Xu Changfeng seemed to have really taken Xu Ningyan's words to heart and never appeared in front of Xu Ningyan again.
Aunt Xie, on the other hand, must have heard about it from Xu Changfeng, because she came to our door hesitantly, speaking in a halting manner.
She seemed to want to express her apology, but couldn't bring herself to say it. Her face flushed red, and she held Xu Ningyan's hand for a long time before finally saying, "Siya, your Uncle Changfeng told me yesterday that you were actually that girl from back then. I never thought we would have such a connection. No wonder I found you so pleasing to the eye and so endearing! If your Uncle Changfeng hadn't taken it upon himself to cause this mess, you would be calling me Grandma by now!"
“I was furious when I heard it yesterday, and I hit him right then and there. That bastard! He kept such an important thing from us! When I asked him if the girl had been found, he only said that she had been found, but he was afraid that my mother would be angry and make a fuss, so he sent her to the city to be fostered by his comrades.”
"I thought this was for the best, the city is better than the countryside, and you wouldn't be treated badly! Who would have thought that he would actually send you to Xu Yinlai and Shen Yue'e's house to be raised, making you suffer so much over the years!"
“I scolded him and said, ‘What if something happens to you? How will you face your father in the afterlife?’”
"That damned brat! He's so rigid and inflexible. He only remembers that his own father told him to take good care of your mother, so he indulges her in everything! Doesn't he realize that you are his own flesh and blood? If his own father were still alive, would he let you suffer like this?"
"It's all that crazy woman Wu Hongqin's fault! She can't even tolerate her own flesh and blood, and she goes crazy all the time! Don't blame your Uncle Changfeng either, he really has no other choice! Your mother was pregnant with your younger brother at the time, and her pregnancy wasn't going well. She would threaten to kill herself all the time. You never saw her crazy side, and you don't remember it! She was the kind of person who would risk her life!"
"What can we do? We can't just watch her die, taking two lives with her, can we?"
“I know our whole family has let you down, let your father down! Your Uncle Changfeng went back yesterday with a swollen face. When we asked him, he said he slapped himself! I told him he deserved it! What’s the use of slapping yourself? If he really feels sorry for you, he should go to your father’s grave, kneel down, and apologize properly!”
"I have to make it up to you! I have to treat you well! Siya, your Uncle Changfeng has his own difficulties, so don't hold it against him! Tell him to apologize to you properly and make it up to you later, okay?"
Aunt Xie's words implied that she was shifting most of the blame onto Wu Hongqin, highlighting Xu Changfeng's predicament and helplessness, and hoping that Xu Ningyan would forgive him.
Xu Ningyan laughed after hearing this, and asked lightly, "Has Auntie really never suspected anything all these years? Or rather, has she really never recognized her?"
Aunt Xie's expression immediately changed.
With trembling hands, she forced herself to remain calm as she looked at Xu Ningyan: "Fourth, Fourth Sister, what... what do you mean by that?"
Xu Ningyan didn't speak, but just stared at Aunt Xie.
Aunt Xie almost awkwardly avoided Xu Ningyan's clear and cold gaze, feeling that her hidden thoughts were completely exposed under the girl's eyes.
He could only hurriedly say, "I... I have something to do, I'll head back now—"
After saying that, he rushed out of the yard and walked away, stumbling along.
Xu Ningyan stood under the eaves, quietly watching Aunt Xie's thin, hunched back, but she was not moved at all, only revealing a mocking smile.
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