Chapter 21 Family Letter
The next morning, ten educated youth working on the road construction team went down the mountain together in the cold wind.
Wei Min is in the security department, Li Huilan and Ye Qin are in the pig farm, Xiao Aiyun is in the hospital, and a few others are assigned by the infrastructure department to repair other educated youth sites and cannot leave.
Everyone kept their money close to them and walked together. Although the mountain road was difficult, it could not stop their homesickness.
"Last week, the postman, Lao Li, came to the farm with two large bags of letters and parcel slips. Who of you has the most letters?"
"Haha, it must be Qiao Yadong. Qiao Yadong is the only son in his family. His mother writes him a letter every two or three days and sends a big package once a month. I'm so envious!"
"And Ye Qin. I heard that her parents and two brothers love her very much. Last time, she received six letters and two packages, all of which were clothes and candies and biscuits. Is that right, Tao Nanfeng?"
All eyes were on Ye Qin's roommate, Tao Nanfeng.
Tao Nanfeng nodded and said "hmm" softly.
Only then did Qiao Yadong realize something - Tao Nanfeng had been at the farm for so long, but had not received a single letter. This is not normal!
"Tao Nanfeng, what's wrong with your family? Why don't they write to you? Don't they know where to send the letter?"
As soon as Qiao Yadong asked this question, Hu Huanxin retorted: "It's impossible that he didn't know! When we received the notice, it clearly stated the time and place of reporting, party and league organization relationship, food and oil household registration, and the corresponding address of luggage and belongings."
Another educated youth, Xu Yanbo, nicknamed "Xu Glasses", also nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, I remember it very clearly. The title of the notice said: Comrade Xu Yanbo, you responded to the Chairman's great slogan of sending educated youth to the countryside, actively signed up to go to the mountains and the countryside, and walked the glorious path of integrating with the workers and peasants. You have been gloriously approved to go to Xiufengshan Farm in De County, Hunan Province. Our destination was written so clearly, how could I not know where to send the letter."
Qiao Yadong frowned and thought: "Tao Nanfeng, I remember on the way to the farm, I asked you why you signed up to go to the countryside, and you said that your sister broke her leg and couldn't come, so you replaced her."
"Yes, I came to the farm on behalf of my sister." Tao Nanfeng lowered his eyes, his two braids hung in front of his chest, and he looked a little depressed.
The old story was brought up again. Now everyone eats, lives and works together, and has long been familiar with each other. In addition, Tao Nanfeng led everyone to build houses and repair roads, and was recognized and loved by everyone, so everyone asked the doubts that had always existed in their hearts.
"It was your sister who signed up, but you came to the farm for her. It's reasonable for your sister to thank you and express her condolences. Why didn't she write to you?"
"Is your mother biased and only likes your sister? But she is a friend to you, so she should at least ask about your situation here, right? My father wrote to me saying that my mother was worried about me suffering alone in another place and she cried every day."
"I remember your father is a university professor. Why hasn't he written to you in over three months?"
Everyone's caring words were like a warm current flowing into his heart. Tao Nanfeng raised his hand and gently pressed down the military bag on his shoulder. Inside was a thick stack of letters he had written and those to be sent by the three girls in the same room. These letters are a testimony to the longing for family members and also an expression of emotions when being alone in a foreign land.
Tao Nanfeng finally spoke out the family affairs that he had been unwilling to talk about: "My mother has passed away. This person is my stepmother. The one who signed up to go to the countryside is my stepsister Tao You. She is the same age as me, but older than me. She is not my biological sister."
"oh……"
The educated youths made their mouths into an O shape and uttered this long sound at the same time.
"Little cabbage, yellow in the field. Seven or eight years old, lost mother. Live well with daddy, I'm afraid daddy will marry a stepmother. Raising a brother is better than me, he eats vegetables while I drink soup."
Who hasn’t sung this nursery rhyme called “Little White Cabbage” as a child? If a family has a stepmother, the ignorant children will run around the house and sing until the stepmother's eyes are filled with tears.
Everyone felt sympathy for Tao Nanfeng, and those who originally thought she was quiet and unenthusiastic also felt sorry for her: Tao Nanfeng actually had a vicious stepmother, how pitiful! No wonder she was usually quiet, she must be feeling upset but couldn't tell others.
Chen Zhilu patted his chest and said, "Don't be afraid, I will be your brother from now on. If your stepmother dares to bully you, I will help you beat her up!"
Since the brick and tile house was built, Hu Huanxin has especially admired Tao Nanfeng and also shouted: "And me, I am your brother too."
Qiao Yadong looked at Tao Nanfeng tenderly: "And me."
The others also expressed their opinions: "Tao Nanfeng, your stepmother doesn't care about you, but we do! You are the youngest among the twenty educated youths from Jiangcheng, and you will be our little sister from now on."
Tao Nanfeng was surrounded by a group of friends and walked forward, his eyes as bright as stars and the corners of his mouth gradually rising.
Hu Huanxin grew up in the countryside and was raised by his grandparents. He had an average relationship with his parents. He immediately comforted Tao Nanfeng: "My mother is partial and only likes my brother. We are grown up now. We have hands and feet. How can we not support ourselves? Besides, you have so many brothers and sisters like us."
Qiao Yadong is an only child and has been strictly disciplined by his parents since childhood. The higher the expectations, the greater the pressure. He was moved by Hu Huanxin's words: "Yes, we will always leave our parents to live independently. More love means more constraints."
Tao Nanfeng originally thought that leaving Jiangcheng would be miserable, but he didn't expect that he would not only gain magical powers in his dreams, but also gain so many sincere friendships. His eyes swept across everyone's faces and he said softly, "Thank you."
Her voice was warmer than usual.
His mother died when he was seven years old. Three years later, his stepmother Feng Chun'e came into the family. Everyone said that she was a rare and virtuous person, but she spoke softly to Tao Nanfeng in front of her neighbors and Tao Shouxin, but in private she had a cold face and made some sarcastic remarks in a sarcastic way.
"You're such a grown-up girl, and you still want me to wash your clothes? You're really a little princess." But in fact, Tao Nanfeng loved cleanliness and never let Feng Chun'e help her wash her underwear.
"You are so lucky. Even when new clothes are made, you have to wear them first. Your sister can only wear your old clothes." But in fact, although Tao Nanfeng's clothes looked new and beautiful, they were not as fit and comfortable as Tao You's.
"Tell me if you have anything to say, don't disturb your dad. Your dad is so busy at work every day, isn't it enough for me to take care of you? Be a sensible child, do you hear me?" Gradually, Tao Nanfeng became more and more estranged from his father.
If she wants to say something, others will always persuade her: "Your stepmother is so good to you. She takes good care of everything, including food, drinks and clothes. Even your biological mother may not be so good to you. You should be grateful~"
Little by little, Tao Nanfeng gradually closed his mouth and stopped telling his troubles to anyone.
As for my stepsister Tao You...
Tao You is a few months older than Tao Nanfeng. He has a lively and enthusiastic personality, a sweet talker, and can make adults happy. When facing Tao Shouxin, she would call him "Dad" and "Dad" and was very good at acting like a spoiled child, which made her very lovable. From school teachers to neighborhood aunties, everyone praised her for being generous and lovely.
This year, Tao Nanfeng and Tao You both graduated from high school in June and are facing the pressure of finding employment. People from the Youths Going to the Countryside Office and the Employment Office came to the door and made a suggestion:
One of the Tao sisters responded to the call to go to the countryside for training, while the other stayed in Jiangcheng Architectural University to work in the library.
Feng Chun'e wanted Tao You to stay, but unexpectedly Tao You took the initiative to jump out: "I signed up to go to the countryside! It's written on the front page of the People's Daily that we also have two hands and we don't want to eat idle meals in the city. We educated youth should work hard to reform our world outlook and improve our revolutionary consciousness through labor."
Feng Chun'e was furious, but Tao You's words were so eloquent that she didn't dare to refute.
When Tao Shouxin saw Tao You taking the initiative to go to the countryside, he felt both relieved and a little guilty. Although he originally planned to let Tao Nanfeng take over his job at the university, he never thought of sacrificing Tao You's future.
Because of this sense of guilt, he gave Tao You fifty yuan and thirty kilograms of food coupons, and told Tao Nanfeng: "Family members should help each other. If Tao You needs help in the future, you can't just stand by and watch."
Later, the construction of Jiangcheng Bridge was officially launched, and Tao Shouxin joined the expert group and left school to start closed design.
Tao Nanfeng has become accustomed to his father's occasional disappearance and quietly waits for the school's work arrangements. However, unexpectedly, a storm arose. Two days before Tao You registered for the trip, he suddenly fell down, landed on his left shoulder, and his collarbone was fractured with a snap.
"Nanfeng, your sister broke her bones and really can't go. Please be kind and go for her." Stepmother Feng Chun'e pleaded with tears.
"Don't ask her! You cook and wash clothes every day and have taken care of her for seven years without complaint, but she won't even call me mom. You have no conscience at all." Stepsister Tao You couldn't lie down flat, so she had to sit on a recliner, with plaster on both shoulders, wearing loose clothes, and a stubborn look on her face.
"Tao Nanfeng, your father is not at home now and we can't contact him. Tomorrow the educated youth who have signed up to go to the countryside will leave together. Tao You can't go in this state. What do you think..." Director Liu from the Employment Office asked Tao Nanfeng for his opinion, with an incomprehensible emotion in his eyes.
Feng Chun'e knelt down with a plop, clung to Tao Nanfeng's legs, and cried.
"Nanfeng, please, go for your sister. Yes, when your father was at home, Tao You said that she was the elder sister and she went to the countryside, leaving you in Jiangcheng. Now I'm asking you to go for her, and I feel bad.
You are usually spoiled and not as hard-working as your sister, and I can't bear it. But your sister happened to break her arm at this time, what should we do? Your father said that family should help each other. How about this...you go instead of Tao You first, and then I'll take you back after she recovers from her injuries, is that okay? ”
When Director Liu saw this scene, he seemed to want to say something, but in the end he turned away and chose to remain silent.
Tao You struggled to get up, but was stopped by Feng Chun'e: "The doctor said you can't move. What if the bones are dislocated and you become disabled?"
Tao You gritted his teeth and said, "Tao Nanfeng, you are a delicate lady and a cold-blooded ghost. Who are you looking down on? My mother has already knelt in front of you, and you still dare to stand there motionless? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
Feng Chun'e hurriedly got up from the ground, covered Tao You's mouth with her hand, and turned to look at Tao Nanfeng.
"Nanfeng, don't mind what your sister said. She is just such a foul-mouthed person. She is angry with herself. She has packed her luggage and is ready to go to the countryside to show her talents and strive for progress. Now she can't go because of broken bones, and she has to drag you down. She feels bad."
Tao Nanfeng felt that everything before his eyes was like a farce.
Tao You was originally assigned to the Hongqi Brigade in Jing County near Jiangcheng, which was close to home and had good conditions. However, she wanted to make progress, so she went to the Youth League Office and took the initiative to request to go to the most difficult place. As soon as the notice of assignment to Xiufengshan Farm came, I broke my collarbone just before departure. It was a perfect timing.
The stepmother was in tears, kneeling and begging, she was so humble! In order to achieve her personal goals, she is never afraid of losing face or making things worse.
Looking at his stepmother, stepsister, and Director Liu from the Employment Office who was helping to talk, Tao Nanfeng felt as if his heart was soaked in ice water, chilling to the bone.
Perhaps it was the character he inherited from his parents, the somewhat aloof and arrogant Tao Nanfeng was unwilling to compete with such people, nor did he bother to compete with such people. In this way, Tao Nanfeng replaced Tao You and came to Xiufengshan Farm.
Thinking of this, Tao Nanfeng raised his head, his clear eyes flashing with bright light, as if the sun was reflected on the blue waves, sprinkling tiny spots of light.
"I'm fine. I'm fine."
Misfortunes always go hand in hand. Coming to Xiufengshan Farm, I not only gained friendship, trust, and dependence, but also found a stage that truly belongs to me.
Building roads, raising houses, and letting everyone live a good life gives me such a great sense of accomplishment.
--
Once we got to the foot of the mountain, we felt noticeably warmer.
The cold wind was blocked by the mountains, and the temperature in Quping Town was at least five degrees higher than in the mountains.
A winding stream divides the town into two. The east bank has beautiful scenery and a strong atmosphere of life. The west bank is where the town government is located. The hospital, school, post office, and supply and marketing cooperative are all here.
Qiao Yadong felt the heat coming out of his head, so he quickly took off his cotton hat, held it in his hand, and said to everyone, "Shall we go to the town hospital to see Ximei first?"
They all went to the town hospital's inpatient ward and were relieved to see that Ximei had been given an IV drip and was gradually regaining consciousness.
The post office building in the town is very distinctive. From a distance you can see that the exterior wall is painted green, and the two large mailboxes in front of the door are very conspicuous. Tao Nanfeng walked to the mailbox, opened his bag, took out the stamped letter, and solemnly stuffed it into the narrow gap.
"Rustle, rustle" This is the sound of a letter falling and hitting countless envelopes at the bottom.
Tao Nanfeng seemed to see countless letters being sent from here, followed by green mail trucks to all parts of the country and reaching the hands of the recipients.
"Tao Nanfeng! Tao Nanfeng! Your letter, there is your letter--" Qiao Yadong ran towards her excitedly, holding a letter in his hand.
At this moment, huge surprise came like a tide, and Tao Nanfeng didn't know how to respond. It wasn't until a manila envelope was stuffed into her hand that she regained a sense of reality.
One of his hands was trembling slightly, and Tao Nanfeng quickly held the letter with both hands and looked carefully at the sender and address.
——Jiangcheng University of Architecture, Tao Shouxin.
Tao Nanfeng did not cry when he was schemed against by his stepmother and rebuked by Tao You;
Tao Nanfeng didn't cry when he got on the train to Hunan Province with his bags.
When Tao Nanfeng climbed a mountain for the first time and his feet were covered with blisters and felt so painful, he didn't cry.
Tao Nanfeng did not cry even when he was curled up in the thatched house filled with the smell of earth and listening to the roaring of wild beasts outside.
Tao Nanfeng gritted his teeth and persevered no matter how hard it was. When he finally received a letter from his father after waiting for more than three months, he could no longer control his tears, which fell drop by drop on the envelope, wetting the elegant and upright handwriting.
It’s father! Finally a letter from my father!
It was the first time Qiao Yadong saw Tao Nanfeng crying. He panicked and hurriedly took out a clean blue checkered handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, trying to lighten the mood: "What a coincidence! The postman in charge of Xiufengshan Farm was sorting out the mail, and I saw your letter at a glance... Your father's handwriting is really beautiful, he is a master of calligraphy."
Tao Nanfeng did not take his handkerchief, but just looked up at him, her long eyelashes fluttering with watery light. After blinking a few times, the tears gradually stopped.
Qiao Yadong's heart trembled and he couldn't utter a word. There was a hint of fragility in Tao Nanfeng's beauty, which was different from her usual coldness and arrogance, which made him love her more.
Tao Nanfeng said in a hoarse voice: "My father went to a private school when he was young, and calligraphy was his basic skill." Who in the industry would not praise Professor Tao Shouxin's hairpin-flowered small calligraphy? Even the penmanship shows the background.
This sound... is like peach petals falling from branches and gently touching the tip of your nose. Qiao Yadong stood there stupidly, holding a handkerchief in his hand, not daring to move.
Chen Zhilu walked out of the post office hall, patted him on the shoulder, and winked at Tao Nanfeng: "Are you happy now? Look at what your father wrote."
After being patted by Chen Zhilu, Qiao Yadong finally came back to his senses. His cheeks flushed slightly and he made small talk: "Oh, yes. There are quite a few letters from Xiufengshan Farm. I heard from Lao Li that there are more than a hundred letters accumulated in the educated youth point alone. I will go and see if there is my letter and parcel list. I, my letter has not been sent yet. I will send it now." Lao Li is the postman in charge of their area. He is in his thirties and works diligently and willingly.
Chen Zhilu then noticed that Qiao Yadong was not in a good state. He looked at him in surprise and punched him in the chest again: "Squad Leader Qiao, what are you doing? You are talking nonsense."
The weather was cold and everyone was wearing more clothes, so hitting the chest didn't hurt, but it was enough to make Qiao Yadong return to normal. He took a half step back and coughed, "I, I'll go in." After that, he walked into the post office hall in a daze.
Chen Zhilu felt a little puzzled as he looked at his back, but he was always open-minded. He shook his head to put aside his doubts and said to Tao Nanfeng, "It's windy outside. Go into the hall and read the letter. Come on, I'll accompany you."
On the way down the mountain, Chen Zhilu heard that Tao Nanfeng's mother died early and her father remarried. Having always been spoiled by his parents, he felt deeply sympathetic towards her. Because he is the youngest son in the family, Chen Zhilu has always wanted to enjoy the feeling of being a big brother. Seeing that the cold and lonely Tao Nanfeng actually has a miserable life experience, he decided to be a big brother seriously.
Although Chen Zhilu was not tall, he was strong. He protected Tao Nanfeng as they walked into the post office hall, found a wooden chair in the corner, and squeezed out a seat for her between a couple.
"Just read the letter here peacefully, don't worry. We still have to help Lao Li count the letters, parcel lists, and remittance slips. Guo Niu said she wanted to call her family, so please wait."
In the 1970s, long-distance calls were very expensive. Guo Niu was Guo Junzhi's nickname, because of her pretty appearance and soft voice. Guo Junzhi's family is well-off. His father is a leader in the Cultural Bureau, and his workplace has a telephone so he can be contacted.
There were only two telephone rooms in the town post office. To make a long-distance call, you had to get a number at the counter and wait for your number to be called. The charges were by the minute, and even a long call cost several dollars. Most people couldn't afford to make a call.
Tao Nanfeng held the envelope tightly in his hand, pressing it against his chest, as if only this could help him calm down.
When he left Jiangcheng, his father was involved in the closed design of the Hangzhou Bridge and had no idea that he was going to the countryside to replace Tao You. I've been on the farm for so long, but every letter I wrote has fallen on deaf ears. I don't know what the situation is like at home.
Would my father feel sad when he knew that I was sent to a farm as an educated youth?
Will his father be suspicious when he finds out that Tao You broke his collarbone?
Will my father be angry if I haven’t heard from him for so long?
All your doubts will be answered in this letter.
Carefully tearing open the seal, Tao Nanfeng slowly pulled out the letter and slowly unfolded it in front of him.
"My son, Nanfeng, it's as if I'm meeting you."
Just reading these eight words at the beginning made Tao Nanfeng burst into tears again.
Tao Nanfeng had a happy childhood. Both of my parents are college students of the older generation. They were well-educated at home and have gentle personalities. Tao Shouxin and Xu Xiqin were engaged at a young age. They studied and worked together until they were 27 or 28 years old when they gave birth to Tao Nanfeng. Because it was not easy to come by, her parents spoiled her very much, spoke softly to her and rarely criticized her.
When he was seven years old, his mother died unexpectedly and his father refused to remarry. He held Tao Nanfeng, a young and orphan, in his hands for fear that he would break, and held him in his mouth for fear that he would melt. However, he was not good at housework and was a little rough in taking care of children. Tao Nanfeng was frail and sickly, which gave him a lot of headaches.
The movement began in 1966, when Tao Nanfeng was ten years old.
Tao Shouxin's family lived in the countryside and their class background was middle peasants, which was not bad; but Tao Nanfeng's mother Xu Xiqin was from a landlord family and became the target of criticism and struggle. Although the person is dead, Tao Shouxin will be involved with her as long as he does not remarry. Because of the problem of class background, the leaders repeatedly came to the family to do work for them. Only then was my father introduced to Feng Chun'e, a worker who came from a poor peasant family, through the organization, and the two got married successfully.
Although their relationship was not deep, Feng Chun'e was good at taking care of housework. Seeing how gentle and considerate she was towards Tao Nanfeng, Tao Shouxin gradually felt relieved and shifted his focus to work.
"Due to various changes, the Hangzhou Bridge was closed for three months. I returned home a few days ago and learned that you went to Xiufengshan Farm and Tao You worked in the school library after recovering from his injury. I am sorry for my negligence in this matter."
Seeing this, Tao Nanfeng calmed down. No wonder we haven’t been in touch for so long. It turns out that my father has been working and unable to contact us.
"Things have come to this point, and there is no way to change them. You take good care of yourself and try to integrate into the farm work. I will pay attention to the return policy and go home if there is a chance. It is better to study or be unemployed than to be far away and alone.
I have already obtained the letter you sent me earlier from your stepmother. Since Tao You was injured in the fall, she took it upon herself to let you take her place, and she also concealed the news and kept your letter. All these actions made me very angry. If your mother were still alive..."
Tao Nanfeng could imagine that his father must have been choked with sobs and unable to write when he wrote this sentence. They grew up together, studied together, went abroad together, and had a deep affection for each other. Now separated by life and death, although my father has remarried, he still can't forget the past.
His father's anger towards his stepmother and his longing for his mother quickly soothed the pain in Tao Nanfeng's heart.
"I am very happy to see you talking about leading the educated youth to build houses. Knowledge is power. It is a good thing that you can apply the architectural knowledge you have learned to build brick houses in high-altitude mountainous areas.
However, the morphological characteristics of mountain buildings depend on the natural environment in which the buildings depend on for survival, and thatched houses are not completely useless. Using lightweight materials such as thatch for roofs and wood as the main structural material is desirable as it speeds up construction and saves costs.
You should also understand that a single flower does not make spring, and a hundred flowers in full bloom make the garden full of spring. If it were not for the unity of you educated youth, you would never succeed on your own. We must always unite with our comrades and guard against arrogance and impetuosity. ”
The corners of Tao Nanfeng's mouth gradually rose. Her father's praise and exhortations were like a spring breeze blowing through her heart, satisfying her and also making her sober.
"The road construction team is working hard, but I feel relieved knowing that you get along well with the team members and can help and care for each other. This is your first time away from home, so you have to learn how to cook, wash clothes, and clean the house to feed yourself. I am enclosing 30 kilograms of food coupons with this letter. I hope you can eat more, eat enough, and eat well.
The package sent together contains a set of thatched house reinforcement drawings and a "Mountain Construction Manual" written by your uncle Qin Weiqing. I hope you will study hard, give full play to your professional advantages, and improve everyone's living conditions.
Because it was worried about the cold weather in the mountains, the package also included cotton coats, cotton pants, sweaters, cotton leather shoes, gloves, and a remittance of 50 yuan.
You have been weak since childhood, so remember to take care of your body, combine work and rest, and exercise more. Don’t let your father worry, please take care of yourself! treasure! ”
He closed the letter and shook the envelope at an angle, and several colorful national grain coupons fell out of it. The denominations were half a catty, one catty, three catties, and five catties, a total of thirty catties. My father's income was not low, but he took out 50 yuan and 30 kilograms of food coupons in one go, which must have been a long time of saving and thriftiness.
Tao Nanfeng took a deep breath, put away the food coupons, unfolded the letter, and read it over and over again until every word was engraved in his mind. Then he folded it, put it in an envelope, and carefully put it into the inner pocket of his cotton-padded jacket.
I don’t know if the parcels and remittance slips have also arrived at the post office. Tao Nanfeng looked up while thinking, and saw Chen Zhilu walking towards him with a smile on his face, holding two receipts in his hand.
"There are your packages and remittances! Good fellow, you were just sad about not receiving any news from home, but now you have them all at once."
Qiao Yadong was holding a light-colored cloth package with fine stitching. He stood far away and watched Chen Zhilu and Tao Nanfeng talking. His lips were tightly pursed and his expression was a little dazed.
Hu Huanxin walked up to him, his round eyes full of curiosity: "Captain Qiao, you usually follow Tao Nanfeng's lead, why do you give it to Chen Zhilu when you have the chance to please him?"
Qiao Yadong shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's just a parcel list. It doesn't matter who gives it to her." The eighteen-year-old boy truly realized for the first time the emotions caused by love. He was timid and did not dare to get close to her.
Tao Nanfeng was completely unaware of Qiao Yadong's feelings. She queued up with the parcel list and remittance slip to receive the parcel and the money. The big package was her father's heavy love.
With fifty yuan, thirty kilograms of food coupons, and his previous savings, Tao Nanfeng now has a huge sum of money. She went to the counter and asked for a telegram form, filling in the twenty-five words on the grid -
All received, everything is fine. Please don't worry if you can't get in touch with us when the mountain is closed due to heavy snow.
The salesperson took the telegram form and looked up at Tao Nanfeng: "A blank space is 14 cents. Your telegram costs 3.5 yuan. Do you want to delete some more words?"
The people next to me gasped, it’s so expensive!
Tao Nanfeng nodded affirmatively: "No deletion, that's it." It has been streamlined to the extreme and cannot be reduced any more.
When everyone had finished their work at the post office, Chen Zhilu and Guo Junzhi looked at each other and waved their hands generously: "Let's go to a restaurant and have a good meal."
The educated youth from Jiangcheng usually live in the mountains and have little to do with their money, so the money they have saved is enough for them to indulge themselves this time. So, everyone carried their things on their backs and on their shoulders and went to the only state-owned restaurant in the town.
The state-owned restaurant was not big, and there were only two tables of regular customers eating there. The educated youth put two square tables together, pointed at the menu on the wall and shouted, "Comrade, first, two servings of braised pork and braised fish!"
The waiter glanced at them lazily: "Do you have meat tickets or fish tickets?"
Everyone got stuck at the same time. Everyone has money and food coupons now, but what the waiter said... we really don’t have them.
Qiao Yadong asked: "We only have national food coupons and money, what can we eat?"
The waiter raised his hand and pointed to the menu written in black brush on the white wall: "Stir-fried vermicelli, baked green peppers, homemade tofu, Youxian dried tofu, garlic fried bamboo shoots, fried potato chips, rice, and vegetarian dumplings."
Chen Zhilu, who was planning to eat a lot of meat just now, sighed helplessly: "Serve two portions of hot dishes, two taels of rice and two buns for each person."
Although it is a vegetarian dish, the state-owned restaurant is willing to use oil and stir-fry it in a large pot. It tastes very good and goes well with rice. Everyone enjoys the meal very much.
Among the ten educated youth present, four, Tao Nanfeng, Qiao Yadong, Guo Junzhi and Xu Yanbo, ate politely, but the other six, Hu Huanxin, Chen Zhilu and others, devoured the food quickly, as if they were snatching something.
As soon as the pot of bamboo shoots was served, Chen Zhilu almost ate all of it with his chopsticks. Guo Junzhi held out his chopsticks to stop him and said softly, "You should take it easy too. We all have nothing to eat. You even boasted about being Tao Nanfeng's brother. Is there any brother who is as eager to eat food as you are?"
Chen Zhilu looked up at Tao Nanfeng and saw that her eyes were full of smiles. Her whole body seemed to be glowing. He smiled embarrassedly and retracted his hand. He slowed down the speed of picking up the dishes and did not forget to stop others: "Eat slowly! Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?"
After that, whenever the waiter brought the dishes, Chen Zhilu would take the initiative to pick up two chopsticks for Tao Nanfeng and said with a grin, "Come on, Sister Tao, eat more dishes."
You take one chopstick, I take another, and Tao Nanfeng's bowl is filled to the brim with food.
The buns that were finally served were soft and steaming hot, with bamboo shoots, dried tofu, vermicelli, and sesame oil added. Even Tao Nanfeng ate two in one go.
After having enough food and vegetables, we packed up dozens of buns and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy sugar cakes, steamed cakes, and cat ears.
Cat ears are a local fried snack. They are made of flour and brown sugar. The circles are extremely delicate and small, shaped like cat ears, and taste crispy and sweet. Girls all like them, and Tao Nanfeng is no exception.
Chen Zhilu and Hu Huanxin bought two bottles of local corn wine: "It's cold, this wine can warm the body."
Qiao Yadong bought some seasonings, including salt, soy sauce, vinegar, dried peppers, star anise, and cinnamon, all of which were prepared in advance for the braised pork.
After a lot of shopping, it was already past two in the afternoon, so everyone hurried back to the farm.
When Tao Nanfeng returned to the educated youth point, she was warmly welcomed by her roommates. The room was filled with laughter and joy, holding the letters she brought back and the snacks they had bought for her. It was as lively as New Year's Day.
Xiao Aiyun had returned from the clinic after her fever subsided. Although she was a little weak, she was in good spirits. She sat by the bed and smiled, "Tao Nanfeng, your family sent me so many things. That's great."
Tao Nanfeng opened the package sent by his father. In addition to a book and a roll of drawings sealed with oil paper, there was also a brown cotton jacket that reached to his knees, a pair of wide black cotton trousers, a pair of leather boots with wool lining, and some small things: wool socks, towels, handkerchiefs...
Li Huilan said enviously: "Tao Nanfeng, your father is so good to you, sending so many good things at once. It's cold in the mountains, and you can't buy these cotton-padded jackets, cotton-padded jackets, and leather boots in town."
Ye Qin said quickly: "I just heard from them that your current stepmother is your sister. Your sister asked you to replace her and go to the countryside. How mean! Just as mean as the wicked stepmother and sister in Snow White!"
Xiao Aiyun had been staying in the house and had no time to know all this. After hearing what Ye Qin said, she was stunned for a moment, then she reacted immediately and walked over to hold Tao Nanfeng's hand, feeling distressed and complaining: "Why didn't you tell me about your family affairs? Aren't we good sisters? Although I can't do anything now, at least I can listen to your complaints and help you vent your anger by scolding them."
"Yes, you should bravely fight against bad stepmothers and evil sisters like these. We will help you scold them to death!" Li Huilan became more and more angry and resolutely defended Tao Nanfeng.
Li Huilan's father is a pharmacist at Jiangcheng Hongqi Pharmaceutical Factory. She is the eldest daughter in the family and has two younger brothers and a younger sister. When the people from the Youth Going to the Countryside Office came to her door, she took the initiative to sign up because she had a strong sense of responsibility, leaving her younger siblings who were still in school to accompany her parents.
Li Huilan originally thought that coming to the farm was a great sacrifice, but she didn't expect Tao Nanfeng to be even more pitiful than her. Just think about it, if the daughter of a university professor hadn’t been tricked by her stepmother and stepsister, why would she come to this high mountain farm?
Thinking of how Tao Nanfeng was very quiet when he first came to the farm and never argued with others, Li Huilan felt distressed. She sighed, put her arm around Tao Nanfeng's shoulders and comforted her: "Don't be afraid. If your stepmother and sister bully you again in the future, I will support you."
Ye Qin is the youngest daughter. Her two older brothers are already working. The whole family dotes on her and she has a sweet and adorable personality. Not long ago, I received a package from my mother. In addition to clothes, there were four neatly arranged small cloth bags, all of which were her favorite snacks: melon seeds, peanuts, red dates, and longans.
Ye Qin stuffed a red date into Tao Nanfeng's mouth and said in a friendly manner: "It's okay, my mom is your mom from now on, and I'll share half of anything delicious with you!"
Tao Nanfeng was in a very good mood after receiving her father's reply. Her roommate's enthusiasm made her feel even more relaxed. She rarely raised her eyebrows, curled her lips, showing her white teeth, and smiled happily, "Okay."
Seeing Tao Nanfeng’s bright smile for the first time, the three girls were involuntarily infected by her and started laughing too.
"Tao Nanfeng, you should smile more often, it would be more beautiful."
"You always had a cold face before, and I didn't dare to talk to you much."
"From now on, we are sisters. We will eat snacks together, talk about our worries together, share difficulties and happiness together!"
With such a good mood, Tao Nanfeng worked with full energy.
Hand over the copy of "Mountain Construction Manual" and a set of thatched house reinforcement drawings to Yang Xianyong, the chief of the Infrastructure Section. Yang Xianyong was overjoyed and immediately organized people to work according to the blueprint. He wanted to reinforce the thatched houses in other educated youth sites and take insulation measures before the heavy snow.
After Ximei came back from the town hospital, Uncle Fan mobilized the villagers of Beipo to join in the tunnel excavation work. Every day, nearly a hundred people excavated, transported soil, and provided support under the command of Tao Nanfeng. People came and went in the tunnel, but everything was in order.
The road construction team was full of fighting spirit. It was the first time for Tao Nanfeng to lead so many people and he didn't dare to make any mistakes. She has already mastered the patterns of the white, red and green spots, lines and areas that appear before her eyes.
Red - danger point;
White - weak points;
Green - support points.
By following the white line instructions, avoiding the red areas and adding support in time, tunnel excavation will be twice as effective with half the effort and extremely smooth.
Because she had to pay attention to changes in the surrounding cave walls, Tao Nanfeng was unable to dig the cave herself, and her great strength could only be demonstrated occasionally. But she coordinated well and made good arrangements, and the tunnel progressed rapidly.
Mid-December.
With one blow of the hammer, a blinding light was cast into the dark tunnel.
"It's connected! We've dug it through!" Everyone cheered.
Seeing victory in sight, Tao Nanfeng swung a 15-pound hammer and smashed it hard against the stone wall.
"Bang! Bang! Clang—"
Piece after piece of stone fell, the soil fell down in patches, and the cave was filled with dust.
In the dust, the tunnel became brighter and brighter...
Everyone joined in, excitedly using the tools in their hands to chisel open the thin stone wall.
The tunnel connecting the north and south slopes was finally dug through.
“We did it!”
“The north and south slopes are connected!”
"From now on, we no longer have to walk two hours up the mountain road to get to the site!"
Cheers, shouts, and applause rang out. The road construction team members hugged and celebrated each other, and the villagers shed tears of excitement.
Looking up at the gray sky, snowflakes fall one by one.
The first snow of Xiufeng Mountain has arrived.
The author has something to say:
Tao Nanfeng's stepmother and stepsister are very good at disguising themselves. Tao Shouxin and Tao Nanfeng are both modest gentlemen, so they can do nothing about them. Don't be anxious, everyone. When Tao Nanfeng grows up to be braver and more confident, he will go home to deal with his stepmother and Tao You.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
