Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Double Update in One
Mr. Rong was fine, which was like a shot of cardiac stimulant to Fang Tongjian. The old man put away the newly written script that was almost finished, and took out the original script again to work on it. When the cultural group came to urge him to finish it, he just laughed it off and said he needed to think about it carefully.
Lin Xinghuo, worried about him, casually stuffed the new script back into the bookshelf. If someone dug it out, Fang Tongjian would immediately enjoy even more prominent and thorough treatment than Elder Rong. When the old man remembered the book, she would put it back. She was responsible for most of the arrangement in this study anyway.
The situation outside was growing increasingly tense, while Elder Rong remained perfectly stable, with no mishaps. Lin Xinghuo, relying on his skill and daring, had witnessed this more than once, even running into the so-called "leadership group" who had suddenly woken the old man in the middle of the night by banging on a basin, demanding he immediately confess his counter-revolutionary actions, identify and identify the perpetrators. Elder Rong was truly an upright man. With Lin Xinghuo's Heart-Nervous Pills as a safeguard, he wasn't afraid of being suddenly awakened from his sleep. He didn't feign illness by covering his chest. Instead, the first thing he did when woken was to calmly tidy his bedding, spreading out the pillows and blankets. Then, he calmly walked to the center of the room, where he remained silent...
After two months of tackling this master who could only intimidate, Elder Rong remained relatively unscathed. Instead, the temporary leadership team that seized power was left frustrated. The old man's face was sallow, and he ate and drank little, but those who accompanied him, draining his energy, were even worse off, their faces turning a slate-gray. Not to mention, every time he made loud noises in the middle of the night to startle people, the old man didn't get sick from the fright. Instead, one of the older deputy team leaders on duty collapsed, clutching his chest. He was taken to the hospital and was told he had a heart problem, ideally requiring surgery. But these days, all the best doctors in Beijing have been sent down to study, and the ones who remain are either top-tier or second-rate surgeons. The top doctors aren't up to par, and second-rate surgeons are afraid of the responsibility of operating. They make the condition seem horrific, as if the patient will die on the operating table, terrifying the family members who were already trembling with fear.
With Elder Rong's situation stabilized, things in the small courtyard also calmed down a bit. Lin Qiyun, the man Fang Tongjian had described as a fence-sitter and a smiling tiger, began to visit again. Of course, he still had tasks from his superiors to push for progress, but he was still smiling, and his eyes towards Lin Xinghuo were even a little kind. He spoke to Fang Tongjian gently and respectfully, and expressed his desire to take half of the manuscript to study it first. Fang Tongjian refused, saying that he was often revising the previous draft due to his frequent bursts of inspiration.
Lin Qiyun pointed to the same manuscript paper that was clearly there the last time he'd come. On the margin, the old man had casually sketched a picture of a withered plum blossom blooming in spring. "Is your progress...? The leader asked me to convey the spirit of the recent team meeting, demanding 'strengthen supervision and eliminate laziness'!"
Fang Tongjian snorted, "Strive for perfection, understand? Every time I write something important, you come and urge me to finish, interrupting my train of thought and forcing me to burn it and rewrite it!" Fang Tongjian turned the tables and blamed the cultural group for all the time he had wasted these days with his young apprentice, watching the snow by the fire and teaching calligraphy and painting. He also said rudely, "If you have any complaints, then find someone else!"
"By the way, Qiyun has also been a writer, if you're good at it, come and do it!"
Lin Qiyun had indeed worked as a correspondent in his earlier years; otherwise, he wouldn't have attended Fang Tongjian's training program. However, he wasn't very successful at it, having achieved little in recent years. He was even sent back to the factory by the headquarters, where he couldn't even stay in the factory's publicity department. Only in recent years has he climbed up the ranks again, relying on his tact. When the temporary leadership team for the Education Division was formed, he was included. However, due to his early success, he was dismissed despite writing dozens of pages of application documents. His thick, unopened letter of recommendation became a joke within the company, even reaching the inner courtyard.
Even with the mocking words written all over his face, Lin Qiyun smiled and actually said goodbye politely.
After the people left, Fang Tongjian still had the leisure to teach Lin Xinghuo: "They say it's better to offend a gentleman than a villain, but villains can be divided into different levels. Some are harsh on the outside but weak on the inside, so you can offend them. Even if a villain with insufficient brains tries to trip you up, it won't hurt you. As for the villain who acts more like a gentleman than a gentleman, this kind of person is smart and cruel, so if you offend such a person, be careful not to offend him too much - it doesn't matter if you offend him a little, as long as you don't stand in his way, he has the generosity to tolerate you. What I fear most is that middle-of-the-road group, who have no backbone, no respect, and no bottom line. They use tricks to harm others while being affectionate... these are the worst people."
"That talented general, Lin Qiyun, has a bit of the "spit in the face and swallow it" vibe, but his cultivation isn't deep enough yet. He left too hastily. If he had stayed and asked for 'sincere' advice for an entire afternoon, he could have been counted among the middle group." He clenched his left hand into a fist as he left, thinking he'd be invisible if he tucked it into his sleeve. Fang Tongjian snorted coldly. This man had come several times, and no matter whether he was hinting or urging for manuscripts, no matter whether the higher-ups were tightening or loosening their stance on this courtyard, his smile was like it was welded to his skin... The old man was on high alert, and he'd carefully considered his sly remarks today, trying to be just the right amount of humiliating, not daring to offend too harshly. Seeing how things had gone today, Fang Tongjian breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought he was a formidable figure, but he wasn't much more than that.
Lin Xinghuo was helpless: "Then next time someone comes to ask for the manuscript, you can just put the blame of 'disturbing his train of thought' on him?" The old man doesn't act like a gentleman.
"Let me copy the manuscript for you." The marks left on the manuscript paper by his habit of drawing casually when he was in the mood were too obvious, and it happened that Lin Xinghuo was very free recently.
The young disciple still felt a little bothered by others pointing fingers at the old man: "It would save people from criticizing me for being lazy."
Fang Tongjian waved his hand: "How can a cultured person's work be called laziness?"
As Lin Qiyun was about to leave the alley, the gentle smile on his face gradually faded. He raised his left hand, veins visible, and muttered to himself, "Why bother with someone who's still useful? I've taught you countless times: as long as he's useful, as long as he's not a hindrance, he's a 'friend.' Once a friend, treat him well! But by exposing one of your old scars, you've exposed your true colors. Son, stop blaming your father. You're still stuck in the factory on your own. Wait until I borrow Comrade Fang's notebook to meet that leader... When I return this body to you in the future, it'll be in your best interest!" As he spoke, Lin Qiyun produced a thin, bright red thread and wrapped it around his left wrist. Then, he forcibly pried open his left fist, which had been pinched so tightly that it drew blood. Strangely enough, after prying open his left fist, his face seemed to grow kinder, his demeanor more approachable. Only his left hand, still bleeding, looked black and brittle, as if frostbitten.
The situation in the capital was changing rapidly, forcing Lin Xinghuo to temporarily shelve his plans to return to Buxiantun. This was also his first Spring Festival away from the mao and his family, and both missed each other deeply. Lin Xinghuo had initially expected Ah Nian to be capricious and secretly visit him, showing up unexpectedly for a surprise, and even wrote him a letter with instructions. Despite these instructions, after the Little New Year, Lin Xinghuo quietly prepared, making a new vest and scarf to place by his bed... But from New Year's Eve to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Ah Nian, who had sent a thick letter to Qingji, never arrived. This left the self-indulgent young cultivator feeling a sense of emptiness and uncertainty.
Moreover, after the first month of the lunar year, Qingji hadn't returned since returning home. For some reason, Lin Xinghuo gradually grew uneasy. After discussing with Master Fang, she decided that if she couldn't wait for Qingji during the first month of the lunar year, she would simply go home to see him. If nothing happened at home, she would rush back. Fang Tongjian had intended for her to stay in Buxiantun for now. There were already small-scale demonstrations and speeches taking place in the streets of Jingshi, spontaneous protests against the perverse measures. Fang Tongjian believed that a spark had been ignited, and that this year would surely see a winner...
Lin Xinghuo didn't respond. She agreed with Fang Tongjian's opinion and knew the end result. But cornered dogs lose their minds. Fang Tongjian and Elder Rong were at the center of the vortex, and it would be too easy for two lives to be destroyed in the turbulent tide. Lin Xinghuo was truly worried—especially because Lin Qiyun, who often appeared in the small courtyard during the New Year holidays, was giving her an increasingly strange feeling. On New Year's Eve, Elder Fang insisted on climbing up high to paste the Spring Festival couplets himself. The look in Lin Qiyun's eyes was surprisingly similar to the one he had given her when he first visited her and saw her picking tiles from the roof. That incongruous "kindness" gave Lin Xinghuo goosebumps.
Aside from the letter and seafood delivered on Little New Year's Day, Lin Xinghuo didn't see Qingji again throughout the entire first month of the year. On the first day of the second lunar month, which also happened to be March 1st in the official calendar, Lin Xinghuo packed up and prepared to catch the train to Selangor that evening.
But just as she was about to go out, she was stopped by the dusty Qingji. Qingji did not change his hat and robe this time, but he did not bring A Nian's letter either. Instead, he brought a piece of paper covered with the paw prints of foxes, tigers, minks, wolves and monsters. Of course, the most conspicuous place in the middle had four paw prints printed neatly, which turned out to be the red seals of A Nian's paws.
Qingji blushed and stammered, "Anian is angry, very angry..." Angry that Lin Xinghuo didn't come home for the New Year, he detained Qingji and told him not to send any more messages. But after waiting for the entire first month of the lunar year, Lin Xinghuo still didn't return. Anian got even angrier and kicked Qingji out. This time, there wasn't a single fish in Qingji's little wooden cart, only these claw marks all over his body.
Lin Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief. She could already picture the sulking face of the mao Anian. This was indeed what he would do. Lin Xinghuo felt both amused and helpless, pushing away the inexplicable unease in her heart and preparing to take Qingji with her. This trip home was specifically to appease the mao Anian.
Qingji adjusted his cap and anxiously emphasized, "Anian is very angry!" His bottle-cap-sized feet pointed toes together, as if he was afraid to face the caracal's wrath. Lin Xinghuo made Qingji's favorite fish soup to comfort the spirit, who had been tormented by the caracal. They waited until he finished eating before leaving.
Perhaps because he was tired, Qingji ate very slowly until the postman outside the door rang the bell and called inside, "Is Lin Xinghuo here?"
Lin Xinghuo went out to see that there was a huge package tied to the back of the postman's bicycle. It was a New Year's gift sent to her by the villagers of Butian Village. The package had to be opened in front of the guard at the door and inspected before it could be brought in. The package contained not only dried gourd strips, beans and eggplants from the villagers, smoked pork legs and grouse, corn noodles from the workshop, etc., but also magical honey from the mountain village, peaches, pears, apples and other magical fruits... Whether it was the inspector who teased about the size of the package or the kind postman who helped, the look in Lin Xinghuo's eyes was strange. What rich country relatives! The meat was secondary. The most precious thing was the bag of specially preserved fruits. At this time of year, not to mention that they couldn't eat it, even the list of special supplies only had canned fruits to make up the number!
In those days of scarcity, the idea of sharing the fruit with everyone involved wasn't popular. Lin Xinghuo wasn't so kind as to give the spiritual fruit to the people monitoring the Sanheyuan. To avoid offending the troublesome little ghost, she simply tore open a large smoked grouse, wrapped it in oil paper, and gave most of it to the 'little ghost', who seemed to be holding a thick letter and seemed to be about to open it, and stuffed the smaller part into the arms of the postman. The uncle hurried to return it, but Lin Xinghuo smiled and said, "Uncle, didn't you take Grandma Jing from Front Street to live with you? My hometown is in the same place as Grandma Jing's. This is my filial piety to her."
Grandma Jing from Qianjie had a similar fate to Grandma Wei from Buxiantun, but unlike Grandma Wei, who had a granddaughter and cousins like Wei Chunfeng, Grandma Jing was truly alone, completely destitute. She was called Grandma Jing because during the recapture of the capital, a traitor, unable to escape, poisoned the wells, and her husband, children, and grandchildren all perished in the battle to protect them. Grandma Jing's family of sixteen defended the three sweetwater wells nearby, but only Grandma Jing, who had lost half a leg, survived. Although Grandma Jing was a key neighborhood priority, she was not mobile and living alone in the winter was unsafe. Therefore, the postman who lived behind her house forcibly carried her back home every year. Both husband and wife worked, and with only one child, they lived comfortably and were known for their generosity towards the elderly and children.
Other side dishes and fine grains were easy to come by, but this smoked chicken from Snow Province was rare. The postman hesitated for a moment but had to accept it.
The inspector, who was frowning and examining the letter, smiled when he saw this. He stuffed the letter into the sack and gathered the four corners of the bundle. "Would you like me to help you carry it in?"
Lin Xinghuo held the torn piece of sack in one hand and grabbed the bundle with the other, and easily carried the things into the house. The man's eyes were still glued to the bundle made of fine cloth, and he was reluctant to move them away, wondering where this girl came from.
The postman tucked the oil-paper package away, got on his bicycle, and said suggestively, "I heard the harvests were poor in many parts of the north last year, and didn't various units in the city organize a donation of food rations?... To be able to send so much food during this lean period, this girl's family must be quite special. Don't you agree, buddy?"
Lin Xinghuo could not hide the noise outside, but after she opened the letter, she no longer cared about the quarrel between the two.
The letter was written by Wei Chunxing, who said that the holiday gift was originally to be delivered before the New Year, but the fruits in her Nanshan Mountain Residence were about to ripen, so she had to delay for some time to wait for the new fruits. There was also an ink paw print taken by a caracal in the corner of the page of letter paper, which meant it was his idea.
Before Lin Xinghuo came last year, she specifically let Wei Chunfeng and the other two see how "smart" the caracal was. Although she did not reveal the secret that A Nian could speak, she also told them that they could tell the caracal if they had any questions. When the caracal had instructions, he could use his hairy paws to gesture to convey the general meaning. In short, after she left, A Nian would be the master of the mountain residence.
When he saw this, Lin Xinghuo felt relieved. It seemed that nothing had really happened at home. At most, it was just that Anian's arrogant temper had risen again. The doubts caused by Qingji's procrastination disappeared.
However, there was some trouble in Buxiantun. Wei Chunxing wrote in the letter that if there was no rush, he hoped Lin Xinghuo could stay in Beijing for a while to avoid the trouble caused by his family.
This trouble is not a big deal, but it is indeed a farce that you can only avoid if you don't want to deal with it:
A few years ago, Wei Chunfeng's ex-husband Chen Laifu got what he wanted and Widow Jin gave birth to a son. The old couple of the Chen family were so upset that they often said bad things about Wei Chunfeng in public, making the entire Bushantun Brigade fed up with this family.
But maybe Chen Lai Fu's offspring was really not good. Wei Chunfeng didn't get pregnant for several years after giving birth to her daughter. In rural areas at that time, even if Wei Chunfeng was the director of women's affairs, she had no awareness of active contraception before. At most, she looked down on Chen Lai Fu and wanted to limit the time when men could get close to her. Widow Jin didn't get pregnant until more than half a year after their marriage. During this half year, there were rumors that Mrs. Chen said that Widow Jin "wanted too much and drained her son." The baby born in this way, the grandson of the old couple of the Chen family, was very weak. Especially after Widow Jin had no milk to feed the child, he fell ill every three days and seriously ill every five days. He was not only a frequent visitor to the Jinjiayao clinic, but also a familiar figure to the pediatricians in the county hospital.
When Widow Jin faked her pregnancy, Old Lady Chen came to ask Lin Xinghuo to visit the Jinjia Kiln. Lin Xinghuo's retort, however, offended the old couple. Not to mention that the wine recipe Lin Xinghuo had given the brigade had built brick and tile houses for all the members that winter, leaving Chen Laifu's family out of the picture, which further offended the shrewd family. Wei Chunfeng and Lin Xinghuo were close friends, and their slanderous comments about their former daughter-in-law might not have been without a reason to be afraid to say that this little fairy Lin Xinghuo was deliberately venting her anger on Wei Chunfeng. The old Chen family members were known for their indirect criticism of Wei Chunfeng. It was their excessive behavior that truly angered the villagers who called Lin Xinghuo "Auntie." When the old couple, carrying their grandson, came to seek medical treatment from Lin Xinghuo, they were scolded by the worm-eaten mother at the village entrance.
His grandson was born weak, and even Lin Xinghuo had no good way to treat him. The child could not withstand the effects of medicine, so he could only be slowly nurtured. He could not be treated with proper medicine until he was seven or eight years old.
Last winter, the child accidentally caught a cold on the forehead and developed a fever again. Normally, a couple would have taken him to the clinic and gotten a couple of fever-reducing pills. But for some reason, perhaps spurred by the year-end value of work points in the Buxiantun Brigade, they rushed the twenty miles to Buxiantun with the child in their arms. At the village entrance, they knelt and kowtowed, begging Lin Xinghuo for help, shaking the old Party secretary awake.
For the sake of their sick child, everyone kindly told them that Lin Xinghuo had returned to the city to visit relatives, but the two refused to believe it. The old branch secretary and the Chen family's great-grandfather almost resorted to clan violence, leaving the two dumbfounded. They clamored to live in the old Chen family house, and the old branch secretary reluctantly agreed. The kang in the old Chen family house was no longer usable, and only the brick stove was still in good condition. The old branch secretary even asked the Chen family's young men to light the stove and let the two old people and one child spend the night in front of the stove. Only then did the Chen family's husband and mother truly believe that Lin Xinghuo was gone.
But the two of them had originally planned to use their grandson's illness as an excuse to go back to Buxian Village. When they learned that Lin Xinghuo was not there, they became excited and went from one house to another to borrow hot water and firewood.
The only thing that was unexpected was that Chen Lai Fu's youngest son was so weak. The child, who had been given antipyretics, could not withstand the tossing and turning of his grandparents and had a high fever again in the middle of the night.
Wei Chunxing has learned a lot from Lin Xinghuo in the past few years. When Lin Xinghuo was not around, he was the one who ran the health center. That night, Wei Chunxing endured the pain and took the initiative to take the child to see a doctor, but Old Lady Chen was howling like a pig being slaughtered and refused to let Wei Chunxing treat the child, saying that he would definitely harm her precious grandson.
The medicine that Wei Chunxing prepared for body rubbing was all poured away by this unreasonable old lady.
This time, the old Party Secretary didn't hold back. He sent Wang Huzi on a snow sled to Jinjiayao to inform Chen Laofu and the widowed couple. He also told Wang Huzi to take the letter and stay at his mother-in-law's house, so he didn't have to come back so late at night. Chen Laifu was already a resident of Jinjiayao, so the village had no obligation to pick him up.
Widow Jin, married twice, had her one child when she was in her thirties. She was already unhappy with her in-laws' use of their child as a pretext for forcing them back to Buxiantun, especially since her son had just broken his fever when the old man took him away. When Wang Huzi pounded on the door, Widow Jin was arguing with Chen Laifu, and she quickly got up in a panic. Widow Jin had long considered life in Buxiantun more comfortable than earning work points. She had originally planned to send her in-laws to Buxiantun to lie dormant. If the elders of the Chen family in the village, unable to bear the sight of the old couple freezing to death outside, would just relax and let them off, they could just hide their skin in their pockets and stay at their house. Old Man and Mrs. Chen were at an age where they couldn't be beaten or touched, so there was always a way to get the family back.
But Old Man Chen still had to save some face. After all, he took away Widow Jin's life.
As if it weren't raining, it was also the retribution for Chen Lai Fu's inefficient work. Chen Lai Fu couldn't even control the sled, and the car overturned in the ditch. Widow Jin fell in the snow and was fine, but Chen Lai Fu's leg was broken by the sled.
My goodness, the Chen family is in big trouble.
The old branch secretary was busy with a lawsuit, so he had to ask Moose to use the largest sled to take the family to the county hospital.
As a result, Chen Lai Fu fell unfortunately, and the county doctor said that even if he was cured, he would still be lame.
Wasn't it Lin Xinghuo who had spent years curing Wei Chunxing's limp? This time, the Chen family had no choice but to rely on Lin Xinghuo. Fortunately, the old branch secretary and the elders of the Chen family were resolute. No matter how much they raged and raged, if they couldn't drive them away, they would have the young men in the village tie them up and take them back on a sled. Anyway, they wouldn't let them into the village. The old branch secretary wouldn't even let Wei Chunxing out.
The brigade took a hard line, and the two old men who had been so upset had given up the idea of returning to Buxian Village. However, they really loved their only son, and now they would leave early and come back late every day to wait at the village entrance for Lin Xinghuo to return...
Wei Chunxing's letter was very detailed, but after Lin Xinghuo finished reading it, there was still a lingering feeling of something being wrong in a corner of his heart.
What exactly is wrong?
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