Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Bedwetting
The first snow of 1966 fell in the evening.
At first, there were only scattered snowflakes, and the north wind was howling, making the windows of every household rattle. In the second half of the night, the wind gradually died down, but the snow fell heavier and heavier, falling from the sky like cotton wool.
When Lu Qinghe opened the door in the morning, the snow in the yard was piled up to her calves.
"Your dad said this mission was short, but he hasn't returned in three or four days. I wonder if he's wearing enough warm clothes outside after this night."
Lu Qinghe found a shovel and shoveled the snow in the yard to create a temporary path leading to the gate.
Zhao Zimo, the first one to get up, stretched lazily. "Don't worry. In previous years, when my dad and I were alone, he'd been on missions in weather like this. He said the conditions are much better now, and they always stock up on supplies in case of extreme weather."
"Well, it's just that the snow is much heavier than in previous years."
"When I first arrived here that year, there was a heavier snowfall. It seemed like it was up to my waist. Aunt Lu, I'm going to go make some fried eggs. Classes will definitely be suspended with this much snow. I'll help shovel snow with you later."
After Zhao Zimo finished speaking, he walked into the yard when his knees suddenly went weak and he fell to the ground without paying attention.
There was a snow pile next to me, so it didn't hurt that much.
Lu Qinghe hurried over to help him up, brushing the snow off his back. "How did you fall for no reason? There's no ice on the ground."
Zhao Zimo rubbed his knee in pain, "I don't know what's going on. My knee has been hurting here and there these past couple of days. Maybe it's because I played too much basketball recently."
Lu Qinghe thought about it, gestured to measure Zhao Zimo's height, and then looked at Zhao Zimo's trouser legs.
"Take off your cotton boots and let me see them."
"oh."
"The trouser legs that were specially made longer in previous years are now too short. You must be growing taller and lacking calcium."
"Huh? What's calcium?"
"When you have nothing to do, read more books and newspapers. They are essential for growth. Eat more meat and drink more bone soup to supplement your nutrition."
Zhao Zimo didn't take it seriously. "We eat well at home, how can I be malnourished?"
"That's what happens when you grow taller suddenly." Lu Qinghe asked him to put on his cotton boots. "Besides, you've been training and participating in sports almost every day this summer and after school started. Your bones must have grown faster all of a sudden."
"Aunt Lu, why do I feel like you know everything?"
"A little, but not much."
She used to love watching popular science videos and would take a look at all kinds of fields.
"You go ahead. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative later to see if there are any fresh big bones. I'll buy a couple and make some soup."
Bone soup is not as effective without meat. Lu Qinghe thought about it and decided to stew the remaining two cured pork ribs in the evening.
"mom--"
"Hahahaha...shame on you! You're already in elementary school and you're still wetting the bed!"
"Who? Who wet the bed?"
"Ahhh, Lu Yao, get out!!"
There was a commotion in the room.
After a while, Lu Yang pushed Lu Yao out, followed by the dejected Zhao Zirui.
"Mom, Zhao Zirui wet the bed."
Lu Yao complained directly, not giving him any face: "It's such a huge area, you can even draw a map on it!"
Lu Qinghe looked at Zhao Zirui, whose face was as red as a red elbow, waved to the twins to wash their faces, and called Zhao Zirui over.
"Mom...I, I'll wash it myself later."
Lu Qinghe laughed: "You're not even as tall as the sink. What are you washing yourself in? It was fine before. Did you catch a cold last night? Or did you have a nightmare?"
Zhao Zirui's eyes turned red. "I, I dreamed that a snowman was chasing me! And while chasing me, he was throwing shit at me!"
Lu Qinghe: “…”
"Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong..." After Zhao Zirui said this, he quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake.
Lu Qinghe: "Go to the bathroom before going to bed tonight. If you are afraid of anything, come and tell me. Go ahead. We still have breakfast later."
Zhao Zirui's eyes widened: "Mom won't punish me?"
"I didn't mean to wet the bed in my sleep, but... you can come and help shovel the snow later."
Zhao Zirui immediately stood at attention: "Yes! I will definitely help!"
After saying that, Zhao Zirui ran to the bathroom with his short legs.
Lu Qinghe looked at his short, fat and clumsy figure and smiled helplessly.
"Zimo, Zhao Zimo won't give him a fried egg later. Make him a boiled egg instead."
"Why?"
Lu Qinghe shook her head: "We won't let him eat greasy food anymore. We eat the same food as a family, but Zhao Zirui absorbs it well. His little belly is about to burst from eating so much."
It’s hard to control the amount, otherwise the child will cry out for hunger, so the only thing to do is to change the method.
Zhao Zimo: "What's good at absorbing food? He just eats a lot. He eats the same amount as Lu Yao and her two children, even though he's almost a year younger than Lu Yao."
"Lu Yao eats little and is picky about food. Zhao Zirui isn't picky, which is good. He even likes the bitter melons we planted last year. We can't just hold him down and not let him eat. When he's eight and grows taller, he'll be better."
If he is really overweight, he must control his weight. Zhao Zirui is just a little chubby.
"Anyway, he's different now than when I first came here. He's gained three times more weight."
"Brother has gained weight too." Zhao Zirui heard the two people teasing him, and when he ran back, he went to the corner to get a dustpan, squatted down and shoveled snow with Lu Qinghe.
"See? I have more energy when I eat more!"
Lu Qinghe chuckled, "Yes, yes, I have the strength."
This is also good, exercise to lose weight.
When the other two children saw this, they decided to come and help too. However, there was too much snow in the yard, so Lu Qinghe asked them to have a meal first. After the meal, they started to prepare for work again.
"Is my sister-in-law home?"
There is a knock on the door.
They are a few newly assigned young service soldiers in the military family compound.
Knowing that the houses here have yards, I went door to door to help clear the snow.
With help, things go much faster.
"I haven't seen you guys before. When did you come here? How long have you been in the army?"
"Hey, I've been here for half a month, and they've been here for a month. We all came here from other places after the recruitment this year. Since it snowed heavily, we were assigned to help out with the orderlies first."
"Sister-in-law, go to the house and rest. We will take care of the rest."
Seeing that it was almost done, Lu Qinghe wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Don't leave after you're done. Stay and have some tea. I'll go roast some sweet potatoes for you on the stove."
"No, no, sister-in-law, you are too polite. We still have to go to the next one."
"Yes, sister-in-law, we are not tired."
"How can I not be tired? There are more than a dozen houses in this row. Let's do this."
Lu Qinghe knew that they were probably in a hurry and it was too late to roast the sweet potatoes. After thinking about it, he grabbed a handful of fruit candies and some frozen persimmons from the house.
The young comrades were too embarrassed to pay, so Lu Qinghe forced Zhao Zimo to help them put the money in their pockets before letting them leave.
Then Lu Qinghe took out Zhao Zirui's mattress to dry. After thinking about it, she simply called Yu Lili and Wang Ningyu to come over to help take out the mattresses in the house, disassemble them, and dry them for washing.
"It's sunny today. It's a rare good day. We can't waste it."
After taking out another set of cotton cloth for changing, the three of them worked together and finished sewing half of it in less than a morning.
"My children's two mattresses were modified from the one Lao Zhao used before we got married. They're a bit hard now, and I don't know if there's good cotton this year."
Yu Lili scratched her hair with a needle and said, "You can find Song Yuzhi, who lives next door. She used to live in Hua City. I saw her moving in that day. It was all new cotton."
Wang Ningyu looked over and said, "You have sharp eyes. You are considered to be a gossip in our area."
"Humph, that's not nosy, that's just being popular."
"Yes, yes, you have the best popularity."
After saying this, the mattress was also sewn. After seeing the two people off, Lu Qinghe went to knock on the door opposite, thinking about the cotton.
Song Yuzhi was straightforward and told Lu Qinghe that the cotton was new cotton that her younger brother from her mother's side had the opportunity to buy because he worked in the cotton mill.
"If you're short of cotton, not to mention the money, he can get enough, though not much, for two mattresses. But he's just looking for a connection."
"What's the connection?"
Song Yuzhi: "My sister-in-law is about to give birth. It's not like she's never given birth before, but this time the baby isn't doing well. The hospital said she has high blood pressure or something, but they're short of beds lately. They want someone to stay there early to prevent any problems with labor, but they can't find a bed. If you know anyone at the hospital, could you please ask for an extra bed?"
Lu Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "Yes, sister-in-law, please tell your brother for me. I want the cotton for both mattresses."
"no problem."
After saying that, Lu Qinghe went to the supply and marketing cooperative.
She found the phone number of the Armed Forces Hospital, called them, and contacted Ye Yulian.
"Yes, but it will be a little crowded. It's a separate space in the four-person room. I'm familiar with the head nurse, but I'm not as good as I used to be. I'm afraid I'll have to pay more."
“Money is not an issue there.”
"Okay, then when the date is almost up, just have someone come directly to the hospital to find me and tell me your name."
"The cotton is enough for my family for one quilt. I'll send the extra to you later."
Ye Yulian was a little hesitant, but when she thought about how Li Chengzhen never brought his salary home and how her two children hadn't had new cotton clothes for a long time, she agreed.
Turning around, Lu Qinghe went to buy meat.
"What is this? Casing?"
Xiao Hua took a look and said, "Would you like some whole sausage, sister-in-law?"
"I've never made it before. I saw other people making it in previous years, and I was afraid it wouldn't taste good if I made it myself. I want to make some this year, but I don't know where to get it."
Lu Qinghe really likes eating Chinese sausages, but she doesn't know how to control the right amount. She is afraid that the taste will be bad after drying, which would be a waste. Moreover, she had no experience in the first year, and her family didn't go out to buy meat in advance, so she didn't have time to dry the Chinese sausages.
Xiaohua thought for a moment and said, "Well, my family also needs to dry sausages. Sister-in-law, how many pounds of meat are you going to buy? I'll make yours together."
Lu Qinghe glanced at Xiaohua's body and said, "The baby is about to be born, I won't bother you anymore."
"My family is here to help, it's okay."
After thinking about it, Lu Qinghe nodded, and bought another ten pounds of pork and two large ribs with Xiaohua. After returning home, he sent some pickled chives to Xiaohua's house. When he opened the door, it was Xiaohua's mother, who seemed easy to talk to.
At noon, Lu Qinghe stewed the big bones. After they came out of the pot, each person received a bowl of milky white bone soup sprinkled with chopped green onions, which was fresh and sweet without being greasy.
-
Shelter.
It had snowed, and the morning was bitterly cold for the thinly dressed people in the shelter.
But they didn't care about the cold, they had to clear the snow at the door first, and then they had another day of work to do.
Zhao Guodong rubbed his frozen face and sniffed.
"What are you standing there for? You should go to the mine and work today."
When Zhao Guodong came, he was still wearing sandals, and the only thick cotton pants he brought were lost in his bag. Now his legs were shivering from the cold.
"Supervisor, can I apply for a day off? Just one day, I'm really too cold to bear it."
"That's because you haven't moved. Just work a little longer and you'll be fine. Look, other people aren't as squeamish as you."
"But I don't even have thick clothes. I really can't hold on any longer. How about I agree to file a report and agree to deport me home?"
If he stayed any longer, his toes would be frozen.
The supervisor then looked over and said, "Of course you can, but you can come back tonight and beat me later. You still have to do your work today."
Zhao Guodong: “…”
Knowing that there was no room for maneuver, Zhao Guodong had no choice but to endure the cold and go to the mine.
Work.
It’s good to work. When you are tired, you will sweat and then you won’t feel cold anymore.
Zhao Guodong could only comfort himself in this way, at least he had finished his morning work.
The most uncomfortable time of the day is neither the morning nor the night when you smell feces and urine while sleeping.
But it is noon after the winter begins.
After they finished their work, they were only given some steamed bread and cabbage for dinner. When it was Zhao Guodong's turn, the food was cold. He was a little warm after working, but after eating something cold and being blown by the wind, he felt even colder all over.
Just as Zhao Guodong was hiding in a pit to avoid the wind after finishing his meal, someone called his name.
"Is Zhao Guodong here?"
"……exist."
Zhao Guodong crawled out curled up, "I am, what's wrong?"
"We've found your things. Come back with us."
“?!”
"Holy crap! Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? Are you going to leave or not?"
“Go, go, go!”
Zhao Guodong perked up and followed him back to the shelter.
"The case has been solved. It's a gang of thieves who pick on outsiders near the train station all year round."
Outsiders are easier to control than locals. You can steal their letters of introduction. If you happen to meet someone who hasn't checked the letter of introduction, you may have to go home directly.
Zhao Guodong checked his bag. Most of the cotton clothes and other things inside were there, but half of the money was missing.
"My money, comrade, I should have fourteen dollars in it."
"According to their confession, you stole a 20-jin food coupon and 13.5 yuan. They spent half of the money and can't replace the food coupons. You can either continue to wait or we can't do anything for now. We can't just let the police compensate for all the stolen money."
No.
After the "teaching" in the shelter, Zhao Guodong was really scared. He knew that he couldn't confront them head-on, and there was no other way, let alone the courage to make a fuss.
After thinking about it, Zhao Guodong followed the procedures and asked the police to issue a temporary identity certificate.
"Considering your situation, I can issue you a temporary certificate, but it's only valid for 24 hours, and you can't use it to buy accommodation or train tickets. Once you find your relatives, quickly ask the political office there to issue you a new letter of introduction. Otherwise, you won't be able to stay long-term. Got it?"
"I know, thank you, Public Security Comrades."
Zhao Guodong changed his arrogant attitude, smiled and bent over, and because of his skinny body, he looked like a beggar at the door entering the house.
The supervisor and the police officer exchanged a glance before letting Zhao Guodong leave.
Zhao Guodong has not just been suffering these days, he has also chatted with some people.
Hua City is indeed different from the mountains. If he wants to stay here, he can only ask Zhao Zhanming for help, and he must make his attitude clear.
Fortunately, when he was at home in the early years, he and Zhao Zhanming were at most unfamiliar with each other, and he did not have a conflict with his eldest brother like his second brother did.
The same goes for that sister-in-law. Fortunately, he did not get involved in the conflicts and quarrels between the eldest and second sister-in-law. He hoped that if he had a better attitude, he could make his eldest brother more soft-hearted.
Zhao Guodong asked people along the way and finally found the military family compound in the suburbs in the afternoon.
"Comrade, who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for Zhao Zhanming."
At the gate, after carefully questioning Zhao Guodong, he asked someone to find Lu Qinghe.
After seeing Lu Qinghe drying the quilt in the morning, Yu Lili also became interested in the afternoon. She found the mattress and called a few women to sew a new mattress cover at home.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" Lu Qinghe was a little surprised to hear that Zhao Guodong had come looking for her. "What did he say?"
"Just say he's Captain Zhao's younger brother. He was robbed a few days ago and couldn't find his whereabouts, so he came here this time."
The younger brother contacted the older brother, but the older brother didn't care.
It would be bad if this were to get out.
Lu Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "He wrote to me a few days ago asking me to introduce him to a lesbian from the city to marry. My husband, Zhao, got mad when he heard that and wrote back, saying he was not doing his job properly and was always thinking about taking a side job. I didn't expect him to give up and actually come to me."
Wang Ningyu continued, "I heard that Captain Zhao wasn't an adopted child, and his relationship with his family..."
"Don't mention it." Lu Qinghe sighed. "In the early years, Zhao Zhanming was the blood transfusion bag of the family. After they had their own children, their attitude towards Old Zhao also became bad. It's only in the past two years that we have more children. For the sake of the children, we have sent less money home every year. We have not stopped sending the money we should, but we can't resist this family's increasing greed."
Song Yuzhi was deeply touched: "Although my man was not adopted, he is also the eldest in the family. His father doesn't love him and his mother doesn't care for him. He comes to my house when something goes wrong. I have obviously given a lot, but he is still not satisfied."
Wang Ningyu asked with concern, "Qinghe, what are you going to do? Captain Zhao is not at home, but this brother-in-law has come to our house. If we chase him away, who knows what others will say."
Yu Lili nodded: "Yes, although we all know the reason, please don't be too embarrassed."
"Yeah, so I'm going to go over there and help me look after the kid for a while."
"Don't worry."
After Lu Qinghe finished sewing the last stitch and tied the knot, she walked towards the gate.
As soon as I walked out, I saw a skinny young man squatting outside.
She had no good impression of Zhao Guodong... no, she had no good impression of the entire Zhao family, except Zhao Zhanming and his son.
Both parents are like that, and the two sons have always enjoyed the benefits of being the eldest brothers. As a result, when something happened to Zhao Zhanming at home, the two younger brothers came out to help and speak.
The second brother seems to be selfish. Although the third brother has not communicated much before, his relationship with Zhao Zhanming is also very cold.
"sister in law!"
Zhao Guodong was much more enthusiastic this time than at home, "Sister-in-law, I finally see my relatives!!"
Lu Qinghe looked at him and said, "Didn't you send a letter home before? Why did you make a special trip?"
Zhao Guodong finally saw someone and felt happy and excited.
But when he saw the new cotton-padded jacket that Lu Qinghe was wearing, he felt jealous again.
My eldest brother doesn't send money home, it seems that he has spent a lot of money on his new sister-in-law.
well.
After suffering, Zhao Guodong truly understood his situation.
If conditions allowed, Zhao Guodong would have wished he could become a woman, marry Zhao Zhanming, and wear a new cotton-padded jacket.
Lu Qinghe: "Speak, are you mute?"
"No." Zhao Guodong came back to his senses and said quickly, "It was because I didn't explain it clearly to the police at that time that there was a misunderstanding. Sister-in-law, the letter was written by my parents. It wasn't my own idea. I don't want to find a partner. I came to live with my eldest brother. I want to find a stable job here."
Lu Qinghe frowned. "It's not easy to find a job. The factories in Hua City are so full of people. Government jobs are not as good as you think. Don't always think of taking shortcuts."
"Sister-in-law, where is my eldest brother?"
"I'm on a mission, so I'm away for the past few days."
Seeing that he was determined not to leave, Lu Qinghe thought for a moment, and before Zhao Guodong could say anything, she spoke: "How about this, I'll take you to a nearby guesthouse to stay first. If you really want to find a job, we can discuss it after your eldest brother comes back. Otherwise, I don't have the ability to do it."
There were people coming and going nearby, and she didn't want the quarrel to become too ugly.
Zhao Guodong was a little reluctant, "But staying in a guesthouse costs money, and I only have a temporary letter of introduction, so I can't..."
"I'll take you to the Political Affairs Office to get another one. You encountered a thief, and the circumstances are special. With my certificate, I can get it."
Lu Qinghe spoke quickly and acted quickly. He asked for Zhao Guodong's temporary ID and took him to the political department.
"It's not that I don't want you to go home. It's hard for four children to sleep together, and it would be even harder with you. Besides, your eldest brother is not here right now. You should stay in the guesthouse first. Maybe he will come back when you can find him."
Zhao Guodong listened and didn't know what to do, but he felt that what Lu Qinghe said made some sense.
When registering, Lu Qinghe took a look at the information. Zhao Guodong is only eighteen years old now. No one knows how he got to be like this, but he looks much older, wrinkled, and doesn't have any of the vitality that a young person should have.
"Sister-in-law, when will my brother be able to come back? My family didn't give me much money when I left."
Lu Qinghe: "Probably in the next two days. He'll come to see you when he gets back."
"But……"
"Okay, the child is still at home, and I have to hurry back. If you have nothing to do, just stay here."
“…”
After watching Lu Qinghe leave, Zhao Guodong ordered a bowl of cabbage noodles and ate it, then went to the four-person room upstairs.
With his previous experience, Zhao Guodong was much more cautious this time. Whenever he met someone, he would just tell them that he had no money. He also carefully put his bag under his pillow at night.
When the lights were turned off at night, Zhao Guodong lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze.
Hua City is good, but the prerequisite is that he has to be able to earn money. He must stay and find a job!
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