At this point, the old woman couldn't help but sigh again before continuing, "Life was a bit tough, but we could manage. But at the beginning of the month, Dali's wife's family insisted on taking her back home, saying they couldn't let their daughter suffer with them. They even found her another family. Isn't that ridiculous? Dali is perfectly fine and still here!"
"What's Dali's wife thinking? Does she want to go back too?"
Hearing this, Liu Hongjun couldn't help but interject, hoping it wasn't what he thought. If it was, then Dali was too pitiful. He was already in such a state, his father was gone, and his wife had run away. Liu Hongjun didn't dare to think any further.
"No way, luckily Dali's wife is a good person. She firmly disagrees with her family's actions, but what can she do if she disagrees? Her family won't listen to her!"
The old woman sighed and continued.
"If she doesn't agree, can her family force her to stay?"
After hearing Liu Hongjun's words, the old woman looked at him as if he were a fool, and then continued, "Why not? These past few days, strangers have been coming to our house to cause trouble. There are relatives from Dali's wife's family, and the husband's family that Dali's wife's family found for her. What kind of trouble is this? Who would go out of their way to snatch someone else's wife?"
The old woman, unable to contain her anger, spat on the ground as she spoke.
"So how is it now? Has Dali's wife been taken away?"
Seeing that the old woman had stopped, Liu Hongjun asked anxiously.
"Not yet. If it weren't for Dali's mother threatening him with her life, and them fearing someone might die, they would have taken Dali's wife away long ago. But this can't go on like this. Dali's wife... sooner or later..."
The old woman didn't continue speaking, but Gu Nanxun and Liu Hongjun understood what she hadn't finished saying.
After saying that, the old woman hesitated for a moment and continued, "Since you are Dali's comrades-in-arms, if you can help, please do so!"
After the old woman finished speaking, she pointed in the direction of Dali's house to Gu Nanxun and Liu Hongjun, then shook her head and left.
Following the direction the old woman pointed out, Gu Nanxun and Liu Hongjun arrived at a dilapidated thatched hut. The thatched hut was easy to find; it was in a rather remote location, with no other houses nearby.
Gu Nanxun and Liu Hongjun walked over and saw it immediately. The thatched hut stood precariously in the white snow. Gu Nanxun couldn't help but worry that such a house might be suddenly covered by a snowstorm one night.
The two men arrived at the thatched hut with heavy expressions. Before they could even knock, they heard a heart-wrenching cough coming from inside. The hut was quiet except for the coughing and the occasional patting sounds, which were probably from someone patting the coughing person's back.
The two stood outside in silence for a long time before stepping forward and gently knocking on the door of the thatched hut. Their knocking was exceptionally gentle, as if a slight tap would cause the hut to crumble.
"Clap clap clap..."
The door was opened by the person inside as soon as the knocking began. The person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman with a haggard face. She was wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat with several holes and some black cotton wadding sticking out.
The woman was extremely thin. Although she was wearing a bulky cotton-padded coat that obscured her figure, her cheeks looked like two sheets of skin stuck to her face, with her bones protruding. Her exposed hands were as thin as chopsticks, with no flesh visible. They were wrinkled like black firewood, covered with layers of calluses and signs of frostbite.
Gu Nanxun's body trembled slightly. He forced himself to turn his head away, wondering to himself, "Was I really that bad before?"
Liu Hongjun was also stunned by what he saw. Was she even human? How did she survive?
"Who are you looking for?" Wang Honghua asked warily when she saw the two tall men in front of her.
Gu Nanxun snapped out of his daze upon hearing the woman's voice. He forced a stiff smile and said, "Hello, is this Wang Dali's house? We are Wang Dali's comrades-in-arms."
Hearing Gu Nanxun's words, Wang Honghua breathed a sigh of relief, but then became puzzled. Was this Dali's comrade-in-arms? Since Dali's discharge, she hadn't heard of him having any comrades-in-arms. How could he suddenly have one?
“Gu Nanxun…”
A man's voice suddenly came from inside the room. Gu Nanxun recognized it as Wang Dali's voice, but it was hoarse and not as strong as usual.
When he heard the knocking, Wang Dali intended to open the door himself, but his wife, Wang Honghua, beat him to it. Before he could get off the kang (a heated brick bed), he heard a voice outside that was both familiar and unfamiliar. He asked in disbelief.
"It's me, Dali, I've come to see you."
Gu Nanxun's voice came from outside, confirming Wang Dali's guess. Wang Dali couldn't help but wonder, weren't Gu Nanxun's legs crippled? It was said that they were more serious than his own. How did he get here? Who brought him here?
"Please come in, the room is a bit small, please don't mind."
Hearing her husband's conversation with the man, Wang Honghua confirmed that the man was indeed her husband's comrade-in-arms, so she spoke warmly, and then showed a hint of embarrassment.
"Gu Nanxun, is it really you? Your leg..."
Wang Dali looked at the man walking in from outside, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and his words revealed a hint of surprise and disbelief.
"It's me, Dali, long time no see."
Gu Nanxun looked at the man in front of him and nodded silently. His eyes were slightly unfocused. He couldn't help but think of himself a few months ago, before Lin Qing came. He was also very thin and lay in bed just like him, except that he was much cleaner and tidier because he had his wife's careful care.
"congratulations!"
A complex emotion flashed through Wang Dali's mind, but a moment later only genuine joy remained. This was good; the king of soldiers in the Huaibei Military Region should stand upright on the ground like this, instead of lying in bed like himself.
"How's your leg? If it's convenient, let me..."
Gu Nanxun was stunned by what he saw before him before he could finish speaking.
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