Qin Lamei looked around, lowered her voice, and leaned closer to ask, "Shaman, what should I do?"
The old woman glanced at her, a strange glint in her eyes. "Steal the child and throw him away. If the child doesn't grow up with his parents, your son's resentment will dissipate. Your family won't be wiped out, and you won't be oppressed by the other family."
Qin Lamei hesitated, "Do we really have to do this? If we get found out, my man and I will be finished. Fortune teller, is there any other way?"
The old woman looked troubled, and after a long while she finally spoke: "It's not like there's no other way."
"What method?"
“There’s a couple in our brigade whose husband was injured while repairing the river a few years ago during the People’s Commune era. They want a son to carry on the family line. If you’re willing, just help us get into the family compound, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Upon hearing Wang Shenpo's suggestion, Wang Xiu's eyes widened in surprise. She only wanted to sow discord between her cousin and Yu Yao's associates, so that her cousin would deal with the other party, while she could remain out of sight and enjoy the fruits of their labor. She didn't want to get herself involved as well.
Just as she was about to speak up to stop her, she was so frightened by the warning from Granny Wang that she swallowed her words.
This old woman seems strange; she's not the same as when we last met.
Wang Xiu had already backed down, but now the situation was beyond her control.
Seeing Qin Lamei hesitate, Granny Wang used a strategy of retreat to advance: "If Comrade Qin is unwilling, you can go back and consider it. After all, it is not me who is being persecuted by resentment and cut off from my lineage. Whether or not to resolve this depends on Comrade Qin."
If Wang the fortune teller had persisted in persuading Qin Lamei, she might have been willing. But Wang the fortune teller played hard to get, and Qin Lamei hesitated instead.
"Fortune teller, let's try the second method. I'll find a way to get you into the compound. Once you're in the compound, what you do is none of my business. I won't know anything about it." If it doesn't work, she'll find an excuse to distance herself from the situation.
Seeing that she had agreed, Granny Wang called out into the room, "Ma Feng, come out. This is the woman from the couple I mentioned earlier who wanted a boy. There are some rules to follow when changing the name, Ma Feng, take Comrade Qin inside to go through them."
Qin Lamei asked Wang Xiu to wait a moment, and then followed Ma Feng into the house.
As soon as the two left, Granny Wang changed her demeanor from the rambling old woman she had been before, and looked at Wang Xiu with sharp eyes, saying, "Comrade Wang is a smart person, she should know what she should and shouldn't say."
Seeing her like this, Wang Xiu knew she had been tricked. "You deliberately came to find me? What exactly do you want?"
Wang the fortune teller gave a mysterious smile. “What we want to do is none of your concern, Comrade Wang. You need to understand that from the moment you asked me to help you scheme against your cousin and deal with Yu Yao, there was no turning back.”
"We're in this together now, so you'd better make sure our mission succeeds, or you and your cousin will be in deep trouble."
Wang Xiu's face turned ashen; she already had a vague idea of Wang the fortune teller's identity.
The other party was hiding in the cowshed for reform through labor while trying to infiltrate the military compound; he was definitely going to cause trouble for the military. She really had no other choice but to cooperate this time.
After thinking it through, she immediately changed her expression and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Granny Wang smiled and said, "Comrade Wang is indeed a smart man."
She was right. Wang Xiu's heart sank. "I can help you. After it's done, I need a ticket to smuggle myself to Hong Kong. Don't refuse. I know you have a way."
"Deal." Granny Wang glanced meaningfully at Wang Xiu and said, "I like dealing with smart people the most. Since I have agreed to Comrade Wang's conditions, Comrade Wang had better not do anything unnecessary. Those who betray will not have a good end."
Wang Xiu's heart tightened, and she dared not have any other thoughts. "I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else."
After leaving the cowshed where Granny Wang lived, Qin Lamei asked Wang Xiu to keep the secret and inquired whether Granny Wang's method of pretending to be her savior was appropriate.
Seeing that she hadn't noticed anything amiss, Wang Xiu stopped pretending. After all, she was leaving the day Wang Shenpo and her group were to make their move.
She casually tossed out a "I don't know" and left alone.
Qin Lamei didn't understand why she was angry, so she chased after her to ask.
After the two left, Ma Feng, who had been acting like a rural woman, appeared calmly behind Wang Shenpo. "Our people just sent word that the plan to rescue Comrade Liu has failed. Jin Yunlai has already taken Comrade Liu and the blueprints back to the army."
Wang the fortune teller remained calm. "I understand. Pass the word down. Hold your positions and await further orders."
"yes."
Military hospital.
Yu Yao rocked the crib, and she and Lu Zeyi played with the two babies.
This crib was made by Lu Ze during his rest time after she became pregnant. He even called Uncle Yue to consult about making this crib.
The crib was similar to the cribs of later generations, with smooth, rounded wooden railings around it and four wooden wheels underneath, allowing it to rock from side to side and be pushed around. It looked simpler and more convenient than a regular crib.
A crossbeam was also built above the crib for easy retrieval, and the two mothers hung two balls of yarn on it, which would swing back and forth every time the crib was moved.
Every time the ball of yarn wobbles, Da Bao and Xiao Bao's big, dark eyes follow it around, and they cheer with delighted cries.
Hu Lingyu wiped the milk stains from the corners of Da Bao and Xiao Bao's mouths, and looked at them with increasing delight. She smiled and said, "My grandchildren are here to repay my kindness. They've been alive for so long, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, without causing any trouble. They're so considerate."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yao and Lu Ze both looked at the two little babies in the crib.
Two pink and tender little ones were wrapped in a large floral cloth. Although they looked wrinkled, their eyes were big and round, like two grapes, and they were adorable to look at.
"Lu Ze, have you thought of names for Da Bao and Xiao Bao?" Yu Yao asked.
"I've picked a few, which one do you think is good?" Lu Ze took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which were names he had searched through the Xinhua Dictionary for several nights before finally finding them.
I thought of more than a dozen, but in the end I only kept six: three for Da Bao and three for Xiao Bao.
Each name not only sounds nice, but also has a good meaning.
Yu Yao took the letter, and Wu Wanying and Hu Lingyu also gathered around.
Da Bao's names include Lu Jingxing, Lu Cheng'an, and Lu Shuheng.
Xiao Bao's names are Lu Sining, Lu Xiaotong, and Lu Wanqing.
All six names sound nice, making it a bit difficult to choose one right away.
Just as the group was discussing names, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open, and Song Yiming appeared with a solemn expression. "Commander, Comrade Jin Yunlai was almost kidnapped on his way back to the island from Guangdong Province. The division commander wants you to go to the conference room for a meeting."
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