The silver moon hung like a plate in the night sky, and all was quiet. Ruan Xianxian sat in the front yard, fanning herself with a tattered palm-leaf fan, and called out to Chen Zhaodi, who was slipping away, "Tell me what's wrong? Why were you crying during the day?"
"Can't I miss you?" With her escape plan thwarted and forced to stop, Zhao Di helplessly squatted down next to Ruan Xianxian and snatched a melon from her hand.
"What benefits does marriage bring to us women?"
Ruan Xianxian pondered deeply, "Benefits? Probably making a life that seems endless before you can see the end right away?"
The two remained silent.
"Get up." Zhao Di stood up and pulled Ruan Xianxian. "Three days after you left, the army came to build dormitories, and they built one for you too."
"The kang (heated brick bed) is all set up, and all the furniture is there. Let me show you."
Zhao Di didn't want to talk, so Ruan Xianxian didn't force her. She followed her through the front yard and the factory to the front of the two large courtyards, where she exclaimed "Oh!"
"Built with bricks?"
"That's right. We initially planned to build a three-story building like a military dormitory, but because it was inconvenient for some workers to go up and down the stairs, we changed it to a single-story house with a yard."
"You weren't there when the houses were being built, and military vehicles were coming and going to haul bricks. The neighboring commune was green with envy."
The girls' courtyard has six rooms, complete with a kitchen and toilet, clearly prepared specifically for the three girls.
The room was not only large, but also fully furnished. Zhao Di said, "There were some funny incidents while the furniture was being made."
A squad of heavily armed soldiers arrived at their door, nearly scaring Shen Meihua and her husband to the point of collapse.
Thinking of that scene, Ruan Xianxian smiled too. Zhao Di was very happy, "I was a little scared living here by myself before you came back, but now it's fine."
She pointed to the house across the street with its doors and windows tightly closed, "I'll stay in this house. You can choose a room first, and Xiaxia can choose one herself when she comes back."
After saying hello, he went to the new factory to help build the stove. It dries quickly in the summer, so once it's built tonight, it can be used after drying for a day.
The speed of the troops is to seize every minute and second to get things done.
Ruan Xianxian chose this room; she could lay out her bedding and move in. The dormitory had electricity, so she, as a former educated youth, could bring in appliances like a washing machine and electric fan and use them immediately.
Turning on the light, Ruan Xianxian didn't rush to tidy up. Instead, she called out through the back window, "What are you doing sneaking around like that? Come in and talk."
Footsteps sounded, and Wu Xueliang, looking dejected and with his head hanging low, walked into the courtyard. He hesitated for a moment and didn't go inside, but stood in the courtyard through a door.
"Xianxian, I've practically watched you grow up. You know about my relationship with the Jing family. I rejected the marriage proposal to Jingxuan ages ago."
Who would have thought that woman would follow him all the way to the countryside and make baseless accusations? Wu Xueliang smiled wryly. "You could talk to Zhao Di and tell her not to misunderstand, but she won't listen to anything I say now."
The door was kicked open with a bang, and Ruan Xianxian stood behind it, looking shocked. She opened her mouth and said, "You rotten cabbage, you've eaten my Chen pig?"
Wu Xueliang was speechless. "What nonsense are you talking about? We had a free choice in love."
"When did this happen?!"
Wu Xueliang was annoyed by the gossipy girl's face. His wife was practically gone, and she was still grinning from ear to ear.
"Can't you even do this anymore? You think you're so good at tearing things up? Quickly tear that girl from the Jing family away. Jian Tian is spouting nonsense and ruining my reputation. Zhao Di has misunderstood."
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud crash echoed from outside the courtyard, the sound of bowls and plates shattering. Wu Xueliang's expression changed slightly, and the two quickly walked out of the courtyard.
In the shadows outside the courtyard, Jingxuan and Tiantian stood, the food they were carrying spilled all over the ground.
Jingxuan raised her red eyes, her voice choked with sobs, "Ruining my reputation, is this how you see me?"
"You think I could be assigned to your side without the consent of both families? You've gone too far."
Meeting Wu Xueliang's cold and slightly disgusted gaze, Jing Xuan couldn't stay a minute longer. She covered her face, cried, and ran away, while Tian Tian remained behind.
She spoke righteously, "Comrade Wu, how is your behavior any different from starting something and then abandoning it?"
Judging from the looks of it, Wu Xueliang was not surprised at all that his parents approved of his relationship with Jingxuan, and he stood still without taking a step forward.
"Let her go find whoever agrees. If she thinks my dad is good, I don't mind having another stepmother."
"You... how can someone born into a scholarly family say such tasteless things?" Tian Tian stepped forward and pulled at her. "I don't care, she's a girl who ran away in the dark."
I'm worried she's in danger. Come with me and we'll bring her back."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a commotion arose from the direction of the designated cafeteria behind them, and a slight smile appeared on Tian Tian's lips.
Back-end tool room —
This was originally the location reserved for a kitchen when the factory was first built, but the commune, feeling it was a waste of resources, repeatedly assured that the commune canteen would be open to the new factory employees.
The soldiers then converted the half-built kitchen into a tool shed.
The commune had such magnanimity, and the soldiers who came to help at the time expressed their sincere gratitude. Little did they know that the meals were also a means for the commune to control the workers.
It's not difficult to change the kitchen back now. Just open a window in the back wall and build a stove. You don't need to hire anyone. Lao Xiang and a few others can do it.
The window was halfway open when a dark figure darted in, grabbed Zhao Di's short, ear-length hair without a word, tripped her, and sent her sprawling to the ground.
straddling Chen Zhaodi's waist and abdomen when she was slow to react, she raised her hands to slap the face she hated so much, wanting to strike with both hands.
Anyone who's seen them knows how fierce girls who grew up in the alley can be when they fight. Just as a slap was about to land on Zhao Di's face, Chen Zhao Di tried with all her might to dodge...
Jingxuan's arm was suddenly grabbed tightly by someone. "What are you doing?"
After arranging the defenses, Fan Caicai, who returned a day later than Ruan Xianxian, saw this scene as soon as she entered the door: he grabbed Jing Xuan by one arm, lifted her up, and threw her aside.
He reached out to Zhao Di, "Are you alright?"
Zhao Di got up with the force the other person gave her, and tried to shake her head to say that she was fine, but suddenly felt dizzy. She raised her hand and wiped it, and found her hand covered in blood.
She stared blankly at her palm, somewhat unable to react.
Fan Caicai's pupils contracted slightly. She quickly looked at the back of Chen Zhaodi's head, then at the spot where she had been pushed down, where half a brick with a sharp corner lay.
Blood flowed down the back of her head and into her neck. Chen Zhaodi was stunned, still looking completely dazed and unable to recover, clutching her head.
Fan Caicai wanted to help the person up and take her to the hospital, but Dr. Li sternly stopped her, saying, "Don't touch her."
He covered his chest, which was pounding with gasps, and suppressed the tickling sensation in his throat, speaking slowly, "The patient has injured her head. Don't move her. I'll go inside to get the medicine box."
After saying that, he could no longer control himself and leaned against the wall, coughing violently. He had been injured in the lungs by shrapnel from the grenade, and he could no longer hold a scalpel or get emotional.
But his compassionate heart remained; clutching his burning chest, he rushed towards the dormitory…
The crowd, realizing what was happening, dropped their tools, lined up to protect Chen Zhaodi behind them, and angrily confronted Jingxuan.
"Are you out of your mind, little girl? You barged in like a mad dog and started hitting people. Do you know you could easily kill someone?"
Jingxuan was also furious. She was scared when she saw so much blood coming from the back of Chen Zhaodi's head, but when she was questioned, her anger flared up again...
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