Chapter 133
Mu Qingxuan's nose felt sore and she couldn't speak anymore.
She took a step forward and hugged the trembling Chen Hongxia tightly in her arms.
Chen Hongxia froze at first, then she broke down and burst into tears, her hot tears soaking Mu Qingxuan's clothes.
Mu Qingxuan patted her back gently, over and over again like she was coaxing a child.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sun Hongtao turning his face away, but his shoulders were shaking slightly.
In the ward, Chen Hongxia clutched the handkerchief handed to her by Mu Qingxuan, her knuckles turning white from the force.
After a long time, her tears gradually stopped.
"Aunt Chen, what are your plans for the future?" Mu Qingxuan gently held the calloused hands.
Chen Hongxia's eyelashes trembled violently, and her eyes fell on Sun Hongtao's bandaged abdomen, which was still stained with dark red blood.
The smell of disinfectant mixed with the faint herbal scent on Sun Hongtao's body fermented in the small space.
"When my injury gets better, I will take Hongxia and leave Lotus Village immediately."
Sun Hongtao suddenly propped himself up, and the infusion tube shook with the movement.
His voice was hoarse but firm, and his eyes were burning with a passion he had never seen before: "I can't stay in this house for even a moment."
Chen Hongxia looked up suddenly, her eyes full of shock.
"Hongxia, I'm sorry." Sun Hongtao moved his body with difficulty. The pain from the wound made his face pale.
"I was too cowardly before, and I made you suffer so much. Are you willing to follow me? I will definitely make it up to you in the rest of my life."
"Over the years, I have secretly hidden two hundred yuan. Although it is not much, it is enough to support the two of us for a short period of time."
Chen Hongxia's lips trembled: "Don't we hand over the harvest from farming every year to mom? How did you hide it?"
Her voice was nasal, but she leaned forward unconsciously.
Sun Hongtao smiled bitterly, rubbing the edge of the bed sheet with his fingertips: "When I'm not farming, I secretly go to the town to do odd jobs and help the blacksmith pull the bellows. I can always save a little..."
His voice stopped abruptly and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty.
The ward was so quiet that one could hear the mingling breathing of the two people.
Sun Hongtao stared at Chen Hongxia, like a drowning man waiting for the last piece of driftwood: "Hongxia, are you willing to come with me? I can work as a bricklayer at a construction site or dig coal in a mine. I will never let you suffer any injustice again."
Mu Qingxuan quietly tugged at the corner of Huo Changfeng's clothes, and the man immediately understood.
The two of them left the ward. Mu Qingxuan looked out the window at the darkening sky and said softly, "Let them discuss the rest between themselves. I won't get involved."
Huo Changfeng's voice was low and firm, and it echoed faintly at the end of the hospital corridor: "If they are willing to go to the capital, I can help them arrange their work."
His thumb gently stroked the back of Mu Qingxuan's hand, patting it soothingly.
Mu Qingxuan looked up at him. The man's brow cast a soft shadow under the corridor light, and his eyes were filled with a tenderness she had never seen before.
"Thank you, husband."
She gently leaned her head on his shoulder and rubbed it affectionately.
Huo Changfeng's ears felt hot, but he still pretended to be calm and scratched her nose: "Silly girl, why are you being so polite to me?"
His palm was on her lower back, and he said with unquestionable strength: "Let's go home and pack our bags. We have to catch an early train tomorrow."
The moonlight of the autumn night shattered on the bluestone slabs, stretching the shadows of the two people very long.
When passing by the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, Mu Qingxuan suddenly heard a faint cat's meow coming from the tree hole.
Huo Changfeng immediately let go of her hand, squatted down and picked away the dead leaves blocking the entrance of the cave - three wet kittens curled up together, their eyes still closed.
"We're leaving soon, so we don't have time to raise it."
Huo Changfeng frowned, feeling somewhat reluctant.
Mu Qingxuan tilted her head and thought for a while, then said, "Why not give it to someone else in the village? Someone should want it."
There are many mice in the village, and cats can be raised to catch mice, so most people would not refuse.
Mu Qingxuan quickly found owners for the three wild cats, and then she went home with Huo Changfeng with peace of mind.
It was four o'clock the next morning, just after dawn but not yet bright, and the kerosene lamp cast a warm yellow glow in the main room.
Yao Jinglan wiped the round table for the last time, the rag brushing across the gap in the corner of the table.
That was when Mu Qingxuan fell off the table when she was seven years old.
She ran her fingers over the rough wood grain and her eyes suddenly felt warm.
"Grandma, it's time to go."
Mu Qingxuan's voice came from the door. Huo Changfeng was loading the suitcase onto the donkey cart.
Amid the barking of dogs at the village entrance, donkey carts rolled over frosty grass.
Yao Jinglan looked back and saw her brick and tile bungalow gradually shrinking into a smaller dot, her eyes full of nostalgia.
She thought to herself, "Old man, I will go to the capital with Qingxuan to live a good life for a few years. If you miss me, go to the capital to find me. Don't come to an empty house and make a wasted trip."
When we arrived at the town train station, the sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale.
Mu Qingxuan rubbed her eyes and got off the bus, and suddenly saw a familiar figure at the entrance.
The morning light was dim and a thin mist covered the town railway station. Chen Hongxia looked a little thin standing at the entrance.
She kept standing on tiptoe to look around, holding the oil paper bag tightly in her arms, fearing that the heat would dissipate.
Seeing Mu Qingxuan and her group from afar, she immediately went to greet them with a long-lost smile on her face.
"Finally I've got you here! I thought you guys had to catch an early train today, so I bought some buns in advance. You can eat them on the way, don't go hungry."
When the oil-paper bag was stuffed into Mu Qingxuan's hand, her cold fingertips touched the calluses on the other's palm.
Mu Qingxuan was not polite and thanked him with a smile: "Thank you, Aunt Chen."
She took the still warm bun, the aroma of wheat and fillings lingered around her nose, and a warm feeling filled her heart.
Mu Qingxuan looked up at Chen Hongxia. After just one night's absence, the gloom in her eyes seemed to have faded a little, as if she had figured something out.
"Aunt Chen, from now on..."
Mu Qingxuan spoke hesitantly, her eyes full of concern.
"When Hong Tao recovers from his injury, I will follow him and leave Lotus Village."
Chen Hongxia straightened her back and looked towards the mountains in the distance with a firm gaze.
"The world is so big, we have hands and feet, how can we not survive anywhere?"
Her voice was no longer as timid as before, but was filled with a determination to fight to the bitter end.
Mu Qingxuan smiled with relief. The morning light shone on her face, outlining a soft outline.
"Aunt Chen, if you need any help, feel free to contact me."
She held Chen Hongxia's hand, and the warmth of her palm passed to her: "Why don't you come directly to the capital, I can always take care of you."
Chen Hongxia shook her head gently, withdrew her hand and tidied up the hair on her temples.
"That's not necessary. Hongtao and I have already agreed to go south to Guangdong Province."
The corners of her mouth curled up with anticipation: "There are many factories there. We can work in the factories and make some money. I heard that it's not cold there in winter and you can even see the sea..."
When she talked about the future, there was a light in her eyes that she had never seen before.
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