Chapter 43: Rescuing Yan Zhaodi and getting injured
On the Dragon Boat Festival, the entire Han family had a banquet together, and several uncles and aunts were also invited. Six tables were set up in the front yard. It was really difficult to have a banquet during this lean period, but Han Jianwu insisted on doing so, so Huo Qingqing followed his lead.
The staple food is local handmade臊子面, three cold dishes and five hot dishes. Although they are all home-grown vegetables and wild vegetables, it still counts as eight dishes.
There were two meat dishes. My sister and brother-in-law brought a big rooster and killed it and stewed a small chicken with mushrooms. Fourth aunt’s family took some bacon and made fried potato chips with it. Huo Qingqing was quite surprised that her fourth aunt and uncle's family could get bacon. Han Jianwu also bought a few bottles of liquor from the agency store, and the meal made everyone feel closer.
The Han family has many children, so Luo Anning asked his son to buy some fruit candies and gave each child a handful of candies as a way of celebrating the festival.
Niu Niu and Zhuang Zhuang were wearing new clothes and shoes bought by their grandmother and uncle today. Huo Qingqing was also wearing a new dress brought by her mother. She had her hair tied up in a bun on top of her head, revealing her fair and slender swan neck. The three of them looked out of place when standing together with Han Jianwu.
Huo Qingqing also invited Sun Xiaoyue and several educated youth, including Liang Jianhui and Sun Jiawei.
The villagers were eagerly waiting, and many educated youth were also watching. They all thought that the Huo family would take Huo Qingqing and the two children away this time, but only the Han family was as steady as a dog, because Han Laoer had already reassured Han Jianwu, "Huo Qingqing can't go back. Her parents have just been rehabilitated, and their feet are still unstable. They dare not use their privileges to sing against the national policy, unless Huo Qingqing divorces him."
The next morning, Han Jianwu borrowed a large horse-drawn carriage from the brigade to take the Huo mother and son to the county railway station. Huo Qingqing also brought our two children to see them off. This time the Han family was quite respectful. A group of people sent them to the village entrance, and each family gave them walnuts that they had stored away last year and were reluctant to eat as a return gift. Apart from that, there was really nothing good to give them.
The Huo family mother and son bought a ticket for the afternoon train and arrived in the provincial capital early the next morning.
Luo Anning said, "Good boy, we brought the included air tickets and bicycle tickets, let's go buy you a radio and a bicycle!"
Han Jianwu said, "Mom, you and big brother brought so many things and money, you really don't need to spend any more money."
Huo Qingming said, "These tickets are for special purposes. You can't buy anything else if you don't buy them. Let's go! After buying two big items, we can buy some food and milk powder for the two little ones to take back."
There was no electricity in Hanjiagou, and people were completely unfamiliar with the term television, but they did have radios. After all, even the poorest places always had a few rich people. Some of the educated youth had radios, and Huo Qingqing really wanted to buy one, so she stopped refusing her family and bought one. I also bought a bicycle, which will make it much more convenient to go to the commune and the county town in the future.
The Huo family's mother and son wanted to move the store back to their daughter and nephew. Huo Qingqing said, "Okay, okay, if you keep buying, you two won't have the money to go home."
Huo Qingming said, "I have already bought the train tickets and prepared food for the trip. Someone will pick me up at the station, so I don't need any money for the trip."
They talked and laughed happily, and when the time came to say goodbye, Luo Anning was reluctant to let go and held her daughter tightly.
Huo Qingming said, "Mom, if you keep going like this we'll miss the train."
Huo Qingqing and Han Jianwu each held a child as they watched their mother and brother board the train. They watched the train go away until it was out of sight. Huo Qingqing staggered and was held up by Han Jianwu. The man raised his hand to wipe the tears from her face and said, "Is it really impossible to go back?"
Huo Qingqing glared at the man, then turned around and walked out of the station with her daughter in her arms.
Han Jianwu has been tormented these past few days. He was really worried that the mother and son would take Huo Qingqing away. He was actually quite conflicted. He wanted her to return to the city, but he was also worried that she would really leave. Deep down, Han Jianwu didn't want Huo Qingqing to leave.
On the train, Luo Anning wiped her tears and said, "I still have a few words to say to your sister! How could I have forgotten it!"
Huo Qingming, "Mom, don't worry. She has lived here alone for four years. You have to believe that she can do it. If you are really worried, let the second child take a vacation and come over in a few months. My dad can also come to visit after he settles down. It's not far. We can get here by sleeping on the train for one night."
Luo Anning said, "I think so too."
On the way back, he also took a few people from their village with him. They all said nice things along the way, and they all envied and complimented Han Jianwu, but everyone was wondering in their hearts when Huo Qingqing would abandon her husband and children and return to the city?
Everyone is worried that you are not living well, and also afraid that you are living too well.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the busiest, most tiring but also happiest time of the year begins, the summer harvest begins.
Elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools and factories were all on busy holidays, and the children had to carry baskets and follow the adults who were harvesting wheat to pick up wheat ears. Huo Qingqing could only stay at home to look after the children and cook for Han Jianwu. Her third sister-in-law also left her third child to help look after him, and the eldest and second child had to go pick up wheat ears. The entire family of the eldest and second brothers went out, and Han's mother also wanted to leave her youngest son's two children to Huo Qingqing. Liu Chunyan naturally disagreed, but this was a good thing for Huo Qingqing.
Mother Han carried her silly grandson on her back and took a big one in her hand to pick wheat ears and pull grass for pigs. She was very busy. Father Han was also busy bundling wheat.
Everyone is afraid that there will be a heavy rainstorm or continuous rain, which will destroy the wheat on the sunny side.
Even though she was so busy, she still had to gossip about it. Too many women were jealous of Huo Qingqing and said that she was lazy and stayed at home instead of going out to harvest wheat.
Someone said sarcastically: "Men are happy to be cuckolded and supported! Unlike us, we are law-abiding and still live a miserable life."
Someone else said, "How can Han Lao Si afford to support her? It's obvious that her parents are rich and have given her enough money and notes."
"Since her parents are so powerful, why don't they take her back to the city to enjoy a better life?"
"She can't go back now. I heard that if she wants to go back, she has to divorce Han Laosi. Will Han Laosi let her go?"
God was very kind this year. It has been sunny every day since the Dragon Boat Festival. There was an occasional heavy rain at night, but the next day it was still sunny. It did not rain until the end of the month when the wheat was harvested.
On May 27th, it was a cloudy day in the morning. The clouds were very low and there was a possibility of a rainstorm at any time, accompanied by lightning, thunder and strong winds. The fort sent information saying that there might be heavy rain, asking villagers to prepare for flood and mudslide prevention.
It started to rain at noon, and turned into a heavy rainstorm in the afternoon. There were several landslides, trapping people. The river at the foot of Nanshan Mountain had dried up because of being exposed to the sun for so long, and today it flooded and broke the river bank and washed away the fertile fields on the bank. Several nearby families were transferred to Shangcun by the rescue team.
Han Jianwu was also among those who were responding to the flood. He had not returned by eight or nine in the evening, and the rain was still falling. Huo Qingqing was hugging her two children at home, feeling more scared than ever before. Her eyelids were twitching violently, and she always felt that something was going to happen.
After ten o'clock, the rain had lightened a little, and the two kids had fallen asleep. Huo Qingqing held an umbrella and a flashlight and went to the front yard to inquire about Han Jianwu. The third brother, the second brother, and the fifth brother had not returned. There were cries in the village, and large torches were running around the village.
The third sister-in-law said, "It feels like something has happened. Someone must have died."
Huo Qingqing was extremely panicked. She didn't dare to leave her two kids at home and run around. In the end, Liu Chunyan, who was also extremely anxious, went out to find out the news.
Soon Liu Chunyan came back, and the third sister-in-law asked, "What happened? Are all the men in our family okay?"
Liu Chunyan glanced at Huo Qingqing and said, "Yan Zhaodi was swept away by the flood, and Fourth Brother was injured while trying to save that bitch. Yan Zhaodi is dead."
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