The little grandson nodded, picked up the bowl, took a small sip, and immediately his eyes narrowed as he swallowed it in big gulps, unwilling to spit it out even though it was still a little hot.
After drinking the brown sugar water, both of them regained some color in their faces and looked more energetic.
After putting down the bowl, it was time to say goodbye.
Xu Ningyan said, "I came back this time to sell the house and get rid of my things before heading to the capital! There are a lot of things I can't take with me, and I'm too lazy to take them. According to our local custom, we'll share some with the neighbors. You're my neighbors too, and I'm grateful to you for the land I have. I don't have anything else, just two old quilts. If you don't mind, you can take them back while no one's around."
He pretended to rummage through the cabinet, but actually took out two quilts that Jiang Zhiyuan had slept in in the county town. He took them out of the cabinet, put them on the table, and gestured for Professor Gu to take them away.
Professor Gu was excited upon hearing this, his attention entirely focused on Xu Ningyan's return to the capital, and he didn't even glance at the two quilts: "Comrade Xu, you, you're going to the capital?"
Xu Ningyan nodded.
Professor Gu muttered to himself, "To the capital! The capital... I wonder how it is now?"
His tone was filled with nostalgia, but even more so with a sense of hopelessness.
He sighed and looked down at the two quilts on the table. They looked neither new nor old, but they were very thick and warm without him even touching them.
With these two quilts, they should be able to get through this winter.
Professor Gu struggled internally for half a day before finally making up his mind. His face flushed, he went to grab the blanket: "Thank you so much, Comrade Xu! I don't know how to express my gratitude! In my current state, I really have no way to repay you—"
Xu Ningyan waved her hand, "If I don't give these things to you, I'll give them to someone else! Don't be embarrassed, because who knows, when you go back to the capital, I might need your help someday!"
Professor Gu smiled wryly, taking Xu Ningyan's words as a way of comforting him: "We dare not think about going back now. We'd be lucky if we could just survive this winter!"
Xu Ningyan added two pieces of firewood to the stove, seemingly unintentionally revealing a few words of what she had said to fool the brigade leader and the brigade secretary.
These two sentences alone made Professor Gu's eyes light up, and he asked with trembling lips, "Comrade Xu, are you telling the truth?"
Xu Ningyan nodded, her tone gentle: "That's why I said we might meet again in the capital! Alright, it's getting late, you should head back now, it wouldn't be good if someone saw us!"
It's time to see the guests off.
Professor Gu had many more questions he wanted to ask, but seeing Xu Ningyan's attitude, he moved his lips a few times but ultimately didn't speak.
He thanked her again, then took his leave, carrying the bedding, the basket, and the cloth bag that Xu Ningyan had returned.
As I left the courtyard, perhaps because I was too excited, I missed the last step when going down the stairs, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground.
The bedding in his hand fell to the ground, but he didn't care. He picked it up and stumbled back to the cowshed.
Xu Ningyan saw this and shook her head. After hearing her words, Professor Gu should no longer have any thoughts of dying, right?
She could see it just now; before Professor Gu entered the courtyard, his eyes were already numb and withered, and his words were filled with a sense of despondency and death.
Knowing that there was a possibility of being exonerated and returning to the capital, even though they didn't know how long the ordeal would last, they could persevere with this hope, right?
That's all she can do.
After all, she was a selfish person. At this moment, her first priority was to protect herself, and the second was to ensure that Jiang Zhiyuan and the others were not implicated.
As for the others, she was willing but powerless.
He sighed, put away the things Professor Gu had given him, and planned to secretly put them in the cowshed before he left.
After all, this little bit of food was insignificant to her, but to the people in the cowshed, it might save a person's life.
Not long after they finished tidying up, Tiezhu called out from outside the yard, "Aunt Siya, my grandma has cooked dinner. Come to my house for dinner!"
When Xu Ningyan came out, she was carrying a roast duck in her hand, as an extra dish, so that it wouldn't look good to go to the brigade leader's house empty-handed.
Tie Zhu's eyes were glued to the roast duck. He swallowed hard and asked, "Aunt Siya, what, what is this?"
Xu Ningyan handed the roast duck to Tiezhu: "This is Beijing roast duck. Take it back and have your grandma heat it up so everyone can have a taste."
Tie Zhu nodded quickly, took the roast duck, and ran home in a flash.
Xu Ningyan followed slowly behind, passing by the cowshed.
The door to the cowshed opened, and several familiar-looking people stared eagerly at Xu Ningyan, wanting to speak, but Professor Gu and another man named Lao Xing pulled them all inside.
Xu Ningyan pretended not to see anything and walked straight to the brigade leader's house.
After having dinner at the brigade leader's house, it was just getting dark. The brigade leader's wife, Qian Chunlan, originally planned to go and keep Xu Ningyan company that night, since Xu Ningyan's family used to have lackeys.
Now she's just a single young woman living nearby. What if something happens to her?
Xu Ningyan refused. Although she didn't have any lackeys, she was quite skilled herself. She really wasn't used to sharing a room and a bed with people she didn't know well at night.
Seeing that Xu Ningyan wasn't just being polite and was genuinely refusing, the brigade leader said, "Alright, it's freezing cold, and it's our brigade, what could possibly happen? Besides, that place isn't just her household, there are also those people in the cowshed! If something really happens, they'll hear us if we shout! Moreover, our commune has one of the best security records in the county, nothing will happen!"
After the last poisoning incident, the entire Hongqi Commune was thoroughly investigated by the military three times. Anyone with even the slightest problem was sent to the police station. Now, the security in Hongqi Commune is so good that people don't pick up lost items on the road and don't lock their doors at night!
Doesn't everyone know their place? Who dares to cause trouble for Xu Ningyan? Aren't they afraid of being investigated by the military again and having their whole family sent to the police station?
Therefore, I'm not worried at all.
Upon hearing this, Qian Chunlan realized it was true; she had misunderstood earlier, so she stopped talking about it.
Tie Zhu was only allowed to take the person home before returning.
Tie Zhu was naturally happy to oblige. As soon as Xu Ningyan returned, he was able to enjoy Peking duck from Beijing, which was truly delicious!
On the way back to Xu Ningyan, her little mouth wouldn't stop chattering, telling Xu Ningyan everything that had happened in the Unity Brigade over the past few months, including all the gossip from each family. She wanted to tell Xu Ningyan everything at once.
Xu Ningyan was also very sensible, taking out a few White Rabbit candies and stuffing them into Tiezhu's hands.
Tie Zhu took them with a smile, peeled one and put it in his mouth, then put the rest in his pocket, intending to take them back to his younger siblings to sweeten their mouths too.
You know, they haven't had candy for a long time since Xu Ningyan came back.
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