When Wei Baichuan heard that his wife agreed with his idea, his restless heart returned to its place.
"Honey, we have a holiday tomorrow, shall we go take some photos?" Wei Baichuan had heard from others before that married couples, if they could afford it, would take a photo to commemorate the occasion.
He had seen photos of landlords who had returned from studying abroad before, but when he and his wife got married, they were in a rush and had nothing.
"Okay, take a few more pictures and send them to your grandparents. They've never seen you before."
Su Ti could tell that Wei Baichuan didn't want to talk about those people, so he went along with him and started talking about other things.
“Okay.” Wei Baichuan readily agreed. He watched as his wife sorted through the packages they had brought back, which were filled with food, clothes, money, and tickets.
He was already used to it, and the two of them chatted about everyday things, putting the Qi family and Wei family matters out of their minds.
The Yangliu Brigade was very quiet at night. The autumn harvest had just ended, and a light drizzle began to fall that day.
Suti sighed with relief that the work in the fields was all done, otherwise the crops would have rotted in the ground or been ruined by being half-dried.
Farming is truly the hardest and most tiring job, and you have to rely on the weather for your livelihood.
Looking at the rain, the team members felt relieved, knowing that the grain had been delivered and the remaining grain had been stored. They all slept soundly.
The rain pattered down until midnight, and a person hurried through the rain.
"Knock knock knock." Suti, who was half asleep, heard the knocking. Before she could react, Wei Baichuan, who hadn't been sleeping soundly, got off the bunk.
"Brother Wei, please help me." The man's eyes were full of pleading when he saw Wei Baichuan.
"Come inside and we'll talk." Wei Baichuan glanced outside; it was still raining, and the fog was so thick that he couldn't see far.
“Brother Wei, I know I shouldn’t have come here, but I’m truly desperate. My wife fell and lost our child…”
“The health center told us to go to the county hospital, otherwise my wife would die. I don’t have that much money on me.”
“My wife said she doesn’t want to be treated anymore, but I can’t and don’t want her to die. She’s never had a single good day with me.”
"She just can't bear to part with the money. Please, lend me some money. I'll do anything for you from now on, and I'll definitely find a way to pay you back."
"Here, could you lend me some first?" The man looked at Wei Baichuan with a pale, weak, and anxious expression.
"How much do you want?" Wei Baichuan looked at the wild ginseng in his hand. If he took it to the black market, it would be worth a hundred or so yuan.
However, he didn't know what was going on in the black market, and he couldn't wait any longer, otherwise he wouldn't have come looking for him.
"How about fifty yuan? Consider it payment for the ginseng. Any extra can be considered a loan from you." The man looked at Wei Baichuan with pleading eyes.
He knew the price of the ginseng, but he had to sell it first. He was afraid that he would never return from the black market. What would happen to his wife if he went in?
"Wait a moment." Wei Baichuan went into the house and took out the box where his wife usually kept her pocket money, and counted out five ten-yuan bills.
"Consider this payment for the ginseng. Be careful when you get back, and don't let anyone find out." Wei Baichuan handed over the money.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't let anyone find out. The air-raid shelter has been moved to Hougangzi. If you still want to work there, don't go back to the old place."
The man looked at Wei Baichuan with gratitude. The air-raid shelter was only a temporary location; the headquarters was in Hougangzi.
It's located near the mountains, and if you're not careful, someone might run into the mountains and you won't be able to catch them. However, the mountain roads are difficult to navigate, which greatly affects business.
Many people find it troublesome and would rather find another way.
Wei Baichuan nodded, saw the person out, and only locked the door and went inside after watching his figure disappear into the rain.
"Who was that person just now?" Su Ti had been awake for a while and had heard the commotion outside, but he didn't interfere with Wei Baichuan's decision.
“He’s that mountain villager, his name is Hu Ziqiang. Honey, keep this ginseng safe. It’s definitely worth fifty yuan if you sell it.”
Wei Baichuan handed the ginseng to his wife. He wasn't being overly kind; everyone has times when they're desperate.
He also thought Hu Ziqiang was very clever, far from the ordinary mountain dweller he had imagined.
Otherwise, how could he have found his home so accurately? It means he had been observing the various brigades in this area all along.
There are several production brigades around those mountains. The fact that he was able to stay in the mountains for so long without being driven away shows that he is no ordinary person.
"Why doesn't he live in the brigade?" Suti knew that many of the mountain people had been persuaded to leave the mountain by the commune and were scattered in various brigades.
“He was kicked out. His mother died, and his father remarried, leaving him to fend for himself on the mountain. There’s no way he could go back.”
"His wife is also a pitiful person. She gave birth to several daughters but no sons and was kicked out. Her family also looked down on her and wanted to marry her off to an old man in his sixties."
"She ran away because she didn't want to, and tried to commit suicide, but Hu Ziqiang saved her. After that, the two of them just made do and lived together."
“Who knew something like this would happen again? I helped him because he once showed me a way that saved my life.”
Wei Baichuan knew that he had no choice but to come looking for them; otherwise, it wouldn't have been good for either of them.
"Is that so? We're not losing out by buying a ginseng root for fifty yuan." Su Ti wanted to say that a rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and a penny can drive even a hero to his death.
They also know that if they want to avoid those experiences, they must become strong themselves, otherwise they will have no confidence to face misfortune when it strikes.
"Wife, go to sleep. We have to go to the county town tomorrow." Wei Baichuan looked at the time; it was almost midnight.
Su Ti nodded, snuggled into Wei Baichuan's arms, and fell asleep peacefully.
She had no idea that their small act would later do them a huge favor.
The next day, when the two boarded the bus to the county town, Suti was still in a daze.
I was thinking about all sorts of random things last night, which made me go to bed late. Then I was interrupted in the middle of the night, so I didn't get a good night's sleep. Now I'm severely sleep-deprived.
"Honey, lean on my shoulder and take a nap. I'll wake you when we get there." Wei Baichuan saw that the car was crowded with people, so he helped Su Ti sit down and kept observing their surroundings.
These past two days, all the brigades have finished their autumn harvest, and it's not just them who are thinking about going to the county town. Just look at the people crammed into the bus; they're all members of various brigades.
"Comrade Su, are you going to the county town too? Are you going to a meeting?" Soon someone came up to greet him.
“Yes.” Suti glanced at the person in front of him with flushed cheeks, not quite recognizing who it was, but answered without changing his expression.
She visited many teams during this period, so it's normal that some team members recognized her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
