Chapter 25 Chapter 25

These days, Su Rui has been busy with the ideological class.

On the eve of the start of the ideological class, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative after get off work. When she returned home, she found Su Chang'e working in an apron.

Su Rui ignored her mischief and went to find Su Li first.

The ice in the bay has thawed, which means Suli will have to work with the ship again, and this trip will take several months.

Su Rui bought five pounds of calcium milk biscuits, went to the clinic to get vitamin tablets, and packed two sets of waterproof knee and elbow pads for Su Li.

"Dad, how long will it take you to be there this time?"

Suli is mending fishing nets in the backyard. It’s the same scene every year.

Suli said: "Three to four months, the fish have been fattened by the food caught in the sea all winter, and Dad wants to make some extra money."

Su Rui looked at the patched fishing net, took out ten yuan from her pocket and said, "Buy a new fishing net. This is my salary, and I want to give it to you."

Su Li waved his hands and said with a simple smile: "My daughter has grown up and can earn money for Dad. Dad doesn't need it. Aren't all the fishing nets in the family patched up? I can't bear to use a new one. The old one is more convenient and easy to use."

Su Rui forcefully stuffed the money into Su Li's pocket, looked behind her and said, "Keep it for yourself. Don't bear with your headache or fever. Be willing to take the medicine I brought for you. Don't take chloramphenicol."

They will not continue to float on the sea, but will stop at two fishing villages. There is a black market there, with many things but they are expensive, and Suli never buys anything.

Su Rui specifically changed the bill for him so that he could use it. The older generation would be reluctant to spend a large bill.

"Okay, Dad got it." Su Li put down the work in his hands, looked at the beautiful Su Rui and said, "Dad can leave with peace of mind this time."

Su Rui quickly said "Puh, Puh, Puh" and complained, "It's wrong to say that. Don't say it again. When you come back this time, don't go to the sea again."

Su Li sighed and looked into the main house: "If I don't go, I won't be able to stay at home peacefully."

Su Rui said, "I am an adult now. The village committee has allocated residential land for adults. I will ask Sister Zhao later. If I am allocated land, I will build a house first and live a good life with you."

Su Li had never enjoyed any happiness in his life. He sniffed and found that his daughter had unknowingly become as strong-willed and responsible as his ex-wife.

Now she is also on the village committee, and is more like my ex-wife.

"You still have to take good care of yourself and don't force anything. Find someone who understands you as soon as possible, and your father will be relieved." Su Li thought of his ex-wife and felt sad. After saying this, he became silent again.

Su Rui returned to the main house and packed Su Li's luggage under Su Yuqin's supervision.

Su Yuqin looked at the calcium milk biscuits and other goodies put into Su Li's bag and couldn't help but say, "Why don't you bring something good home?"

Su Rui said: "It depends on whether it is worth it."

Su Yuqin suddenly asked, "Who wrote to you?"

Su Rui was puzzled: "Who else could it be? Why would you want to rob prisoners?"

Su Yuqin carefully examined her expression and it didn't seem fake.

Su Rui threw out the chloramphenicol that Su Yuqin had stuffed into Su Li's mouth, and put the medicine she had bought in her bag with instructions written on it.

Su Yuqin picked up the tocopherol and said, "My conscience has been wasted."

Su Rui said, "Then you eat it."

Su Yuqin wanted to scold her again, but just as she opened her mouth she felt a headache, so she let Su Rui go, poured herself some water and swallowed two tablets of chloramphenicol.

Su Chang'e came in with a basin of noodles, beaming with joy: "Come and make dumplings. I bought half a pound of pork belly."

Su Yuqin lay on the kang and said, "Let Lao San help you. I have a headache and want to rest."

When Su Rui saw her, she was about to scold her for being a bitch. Before Su Rui could ask, Su Chang'e spoke first, "Please prepare more money for me later."

Su Ruit: "Ah? Wedding gift money? Are you getting married?"

Su Chang'e said shyly, "Well, Captain Zhan and I have decided. He said he would come and propose marriage when he finds a time."

Su Chang'e knew that Su Rui hadn't sent many letters to Ye Chifang recently. She was happy, but she urged her, "Don't give her the cold shoulder. What if she comes back to haunt you?"

Su Rui sat on the edge of the kang, pressed the dough and said, "Leave me alone."

Su Chang'e's joy was not broken. She said this, but she didn't care in her heart. Anyway, Su Rui would definitely not be able to beat her in the future. Even if the labor reform prisoners came to her, she had Captain Zhan to calm them down. She was not afraid of anything.

Su Hongpei arrived home a step late.

The weather in March was still cold and warm. The temperature difference between morning and night was huge. She was still wearing a cotton jacket when she came back.

Su Rui saw Su Hongpei coming back from the window. She didn't know what she was holding. She didn't say hello to anyone and went straight to the west room.

Su Rui finished wrapping the last two dumplings and left the rest of the work to Su Chang'e.

Su Chang'e shouted, "Lazy girl, light the stove!"

Su Rui ignored her and went into the west room. She saw Su Hongpei mysteriously pushing the package on the table: "Come and have a look. This is for you."

Su Rui's heart sank. She looked at the heavy package and shook her head, saying, "I don't want it anymore."

Su Hongpei closed the door carefully, took out a registered letter and said, "Would you like to take a look at the letter?"

Su Rui sat down on the kang, tore open the letter, and saw that Ye Chifang had written a lot of content. A closer look revealed that it was just about daily life, but he seemed much more familiar with it than before when he only asked her questions.

The more familiar he became, the more Su Rui wanted to keep her distance from him.

"Put it here first."

Su Hongpei asked: "Don't you want to open it and take a look?"

Su Rui said, "I won't read it. I'll take it to the post office and resend it tomorrow."

Su Chang'e's urging voice came from outside, and Su Hongpei said in a low voice: "Look how enthusiastic they are..."

Su Rui cried and said, "I really shouldn't have gotten into this trouble. The more I take from him, the more I feel I need to give back double."

"Silly child." Su Hongpei responded to the outside of the window, then stood up and said, "I won't force you anymore. Ask your own heart."

After she left, Su Rui thought about these words.

If you ask your heart, there is always a powerful figure in your heart. She can't have anything to do with Ye Chifang, it's disrespectful to both of them.

Even though she knew there would be no chance with the male lead, she didn't want to continue like this.

Su Rui wrote back coldly, scribbling a few sentences, saying that it was inconvenient for her to receive the package and that she would return it. That was all.

She thought that after two exchanges, the other party would understand her intentions and would cut off contact.

Su Rui's mood improved only after she had the rare opportunity to eat meat dumplings in the evening.

Su Hongpei added two dumplings for Su Rui and Su Li respectively. She ignored Su Yuqin's unhappy expression and congratulated Su Chang'e expressionlessly.

Su Chang'e couldn't help feeling proud, and she said a few more words to Su Hongpei, asking her to get married quickly: "Save me from having to hold a wedding before you. How can this be justified?"

Seeing that Su Hongpei didn't say anything, Su Chang'e looked at Su Rui and said with a smile: "I guess I've done it, and Su Rui will do it too. Some things are beyond her control."

Su Rui puffed up her little mouth and ate one meat dumpling at a time. She didn't care about what the wind said and just ate until she was full.

Su Chang'e didn't notice for a moment, and the last two dumplings in the bowl were eaten by Su Rui. She went back to the house in a sullen mood.

Two days later, Su Rui sent Su Li to Shanghai first.

After sending Suli off, he rushed to the village committee, took his notebook and pen, got on the donkey cart and headed for the troops.

After the barracks were built, the military area extended to 15 li outside Xiaoba Village. Village cadres and farmers' representatives within the area had to visit the troops once a month to learn about the practice of military defense.

Simply put, they are taught how to identify enemy spies, how to deal with them when they are discovered, how to convey intelligence among the people, how to use basic weapons, etc.

The donkey cart ticked along Ai Min Road, with its bells ringing all the way.

After passing the guard post, the donkey cart was pulled aside by the leading soldier. Su Rui, Huang Bei and others went to visit the military camp first, and then attended the class together after everyone arrived.

Entering the gate, the national flag and military flag fluttered in the wind. After passing several rows of barracks and office buildings, the playground appeared in front of us.

The soldiers were doing various trainings, some were marching in formation, some were doing physical training, and some were running in neat teams. They walked in unison, their slogans were loud, and they were all heroic. Even though their clothes were soaked with sweat, they still insisted on running forward, which made Su Rui unforgettable.

"This is the weapons depot and tactical training area." The soldier leading the way introduced them to the place: "There is a live-fire shooting going on ahead. You will have a chance to try it out later."

"It's not obvious from the outside, but it turns out it's so big inside." Huang Bei said with a sigh: "When did they dig the mountain into this size?"

Su Rui reminded her, "Don't tell anyone about this when you get home. This is a secret."

Huang Bei said: "I wouldn't dare to do that even if you didn't tell me."

The solemnity and severity of the military camp shocked them. They could hear the sound of gunfire and the sounds of "one, two, three, four" of running drills.

Su Rui followed them to the shooting range, but stood far away, covering her ears and watching for a while. She couldn't help but cheer quietly when she saw a soldier with good results.

Fang Chiye was standing on the second floor of the office building, and the guard whispered, "Do you need to urge them?"

Su Rui's joyful back came into his sight. He raised his hand and glanced at his watch: "No, there is another group of people."

The north gate of the barracks.

The donkey car that picked up the farmers' representatives stopped at the gate.

There was a convoy passing by the gate that Su Rui and her friends entered through, so they went around to the back to enter.

Different from the lively scene in front, this place is much more solemn and quiet. The reason is that the north gate leads to the labor camp. The prisoners who are ready to go out to work, wearing handcuffs and shackles, follow the people in front of them and move forward step by step.

Su Chang'e, who came to replace Su Hongpei, happened to run into them. Even though he had become docile and harmless after the government's transformation and ideological education, Su Chang'e and others were still startled.

Su Chang'e took off her cotton jacket today and put on fresh spring clothes in advance. Her eyebrows were as thin as matchsticks and her lips were painted red. She was very eye-catching among the rural women.

A peasant woman from Yiwang Village said, "Look, why is that prisoner staring at you?"

Su Chang'e followed her gaze and shuddered. The prisoner staring at her was as tall as a small mountain, almost as tall as Captain Fang. But his aura was nothing like Captain Fang's, but rather like a vicious venomous snake.

He had a shaved head with a scar on it and a square face. The blue stubble on his chin connected to the back of his ears. If he had grown a beard, it would definitely be a sideburn.

He stared at Su Chang'e blankly, while Su Chang'e hid behind others and turned her head away, not daring to look him in the eye.

The guarding soldier scolded him, and he spat on the ground, then smiled and waved at Su Chang'e. The guarding soldier hit him with the butt of his gun, telling him to be quiet. He turned around and said to Su Chang'e and the others, "Get out of here."

Su Chang'e and the others ran out of the north gate frantically. When they turned around, they saw that the group of prisoners had already been escorted to the labor place.

"This is too scary. I don't believe he has no murder case." Another woman from Yiwang Village said, "Luckily, we have military comrades here, so I'm not afraid at all."

Su Chang'e shuddered and wanted to say a few words, but suddenly she was not in the mood.

She walked among the crowd, secretly wiping off her lipstick with the back of her hand, feeling very uncomfortable.

Her mother couldn't get up from the kang today, saying she had a headache. Her elder sister was at home taking care of her, so she had the opportunity to come over. She originally wanted to broaden her horizons, but instead she was frightened.

"I think that guy looks like he knows you." One of the elders in Qingnan Village said with a smile, "He's so attractive."

"Who can recognize him?!" Su Chang'e scolded him, "The fat-headed and big-eared Zhu Bajie is also recruiting people. Look in the mirror and see if you look like him."

The people from Qingnan Village wanted to curse again, but when they saw the warrior leading the way looking over, they quickly shut their mouths.

When I arrived at the office building where I studied, the classroom was on the first floor.

It should be the large conference room. Nearly a hundred people from three villages were gathered inside, and the place was completely silent.

The course was similar to what Su Rui knew, but she was surprised that the lecturer was Mr. Chen Haiyan. He first talked about the importance of military and civil defense, and then gave us two real-life cases.

Su Rui listened with great interest, sitting upright. They came early, and in a very stylish way, they gave up their front row seats to the comrades who came later. Su Rui sat in the last row.

While she was listening to the class, someone tapped her arm.

Su Rui pushed her arms away and stared at Chen Haiyan without moving.

Someone next to her tapped her arm, and something bounced over from the table. Su Rui looked down and saw that it was a White Rabbit milk candy!

She suddenly remembered that there was no one sitting next to her, and quickly turned her head and met the smiling eyes of the phoenix.

Fang Chiye made a snorting gesture and placed a notebook in front of him in a pretentious manner. Su Rui saw him quickly write a line of words and push it in front of her: "A reward for students who listen attentively."

Su Rui smiled and wrote back, "Thank you, sir. Can I eat now?"

Fang Chiye replied: "You can eat, but you can't smack your lips."

Su Rui gave him a timid look, took the White Rabbit milk candy, peeled it secretly, and stuffed it into Chen Haiyan's mouth when he wasn't paying attention.

Chen Haiyan, who was giving a lecture on the stage, stood on a high place and had a clear view of the situation in the back row.

Just when he was about to criticize a young comrade for secretly eating candy in class, he looked sideways and saw the top leader's top leader looking at him dimly with his arms folded.

Well, he's blind.

Chen Haiyan turned around and silently indicated that he saw nothing.

Fang Chiye came prepared today. He first made the little girl happy, and then handed her a letter before the class ended.

Su Rui's happy face suddenly fell.

Fang Chiye said, "Let's go back and watch again."

Su Rui frowned, and somehow she felt a sense of request in her expression. This must be an illusion.

Before she could continue, she saw Fang Chiye looking to the side. She also looked over, only to see Su Chang'e leaning against the wall, quickly lowering her head and writing something on her notebook.

"Please invite Team Leader Fang to give us a speech." Chen Haiyan led the applause on the stage. Some people in the front row stood up and applauded. Su Rui also stood up suddenly and applauded Fang Chiye with a smile.

Fang Chiye walked up to the stage under the little girl's gaze and spoke to everyone. Unlike in private, he was wearing a neat military uniform and stood straight on the stage. With his handsome face, he spoke with a loud voice, showing his leadership style.

After Fang Chiye expressed his welcome to them and his ideal vision for military-civilian cooperation, there was thunderous applause, and the little girl's palms turned red from clapping.

Fang Chiye confessed everything in the letter, and before sending Su Rui away, he deliberately said, "You probably won't be able to see me in class next time."

Su Rui said in surprise: "If you are not here, then where are you?"

Fang Chiye didn't want her to misunderstand that he was avoiding her, so he said directly: "Participate in the national conscription. There will be 2,000 quotas for warriors in the northwest. I will select them one by one."

"Oh, we'll select the best." Su Rui said with a smile, "You are such an outstanding leader, so you must also look for outstanding fighters. So when will you be back?"

Fang Chiye said: "It should be about two months."

Su Rui nodded and said, "We are also going to do spring ploughing. When you come back, you will be able to see the green wheat fields."

Her eyes were clear and bright, and she looked up at him, pure and beautiful. The hair around her ears fluttered in the wind, and the fine down on the tips of her ears was cute and lively.

Fang Chiye raised his hand for a moment, then realized something was wrong and quickly put it down and put it behind his back.

Su Rui heard someone calling her from the front, and ran over, not forgetting to turn around and wave goodbye to Fang Chiye with a smile.

At this moment, he seemed to see the thriving grass flowers spreading wildly in the April flower fields.

Fang Chiye left the classroom hesitantly. After he left, Chen Haiyan, who was talking to someone in the classroom, looked at Su Chang'e in the back row and asked in confusion, "Comrade Su Chang'e, what are you doing in Comrade Su Rui's position?"

Su Chang'e quickly stuffed the letter she had picked up into her pocket and said stiffly, "I saw that she forgot to take her pen, so I took it and gave it to her."

Chen Haiyan said: "Well, leave quickly, we have a meeting later."

Su Chang'e put her hand in her pocket, feeling the thick letter, thinking it was a merchandise ticket given by the prisoner Fang Chiye.

When she reached a deserted corner, she casually crumpled up the letter and threw it into a distant ditch.

On the way back, Su Chang'e didn't know why her eyelids kept twitching. She thought the letter was full of coupons, so she didn't dare to keep it, lest she be caught and accused of stealing, and end up being the culprit.

Anyway, Su Rui won't give it to her family for use, so she'll just keep it for herself. It's better to throw it away.

But her right eyelid was twitching so much that it was about to cramp, and her heart was pounding. She always felt like she had missed something.

When I got home, Su Yuqin was still lying on the kang, humming.

She called Su Hongpei to fetch some firewood from the back of the house. Seeing Su Chang'e coming back, she forced herself to sit up and asked, "How is it? Did you meet Captain Zhan?"

Su Chang'e shook her head and said unhappily, "I didn't see Captain Zhan, but a bunch of prisoners instead."

"How did you run into someone like this?" Su Yuqin said, "You look worse than me. Go wash your face quickly. Wash it thoroughly with soap."

"I'll go right away." Su Chang'e shivered and obediently went out to wash her face.

Su Rui got home earlier than her and was now rummaging through the drawers in the house looking for the letter, her face flushed with anxiety.

Su Hongpei passed by with firewood in her arms and asked, "What did you lose?"

Su Rui searched the pockets of her cotton jacket, but still couldn't find the letter. She threw it aside and said angrily, "I clearly put the letter from Captain Fang in my pocket, but I can't find it for some reason."

Su Hongpei put down the firewood and helped Su Rui search her pockets. She also said anxiously, "What should we do? If there is something in the letter, we will miss it."

Su Rui was stunned for a moment, and then she said even more angrily, "It feels quite thick to me. If what is lost is a merchandise ticket, I will have to pay it back later."

"Come and light the fire." Su Yuqin leaned on the windowsill outside and shouted, "Old Third, cook the meal! Don't be an official and forget how to work. I don't see you doing anything all day."

Su Hongpei whispered, "Forget it, eat first and I'll help you find it."

Su Rui sat on the small kang, recalling what happened in the morning. Fang Chiye handed her the letter and put it in his pocket. It must have fallen out of his pocket.

Su Rui ran out quickly and said to Su Hongpei, "I'm going to the village committee to make a phone call."

Su Hongpei responded and watched Su Rui run away.

Su Rui went to the village committee and called the security office to explain the situation. The soldier on duty said that he would contact Platoon Leader Chen, who was in class today. If something was accidentally left behind in the army, it would definitely not be lost, so Su Rui could rest assured.

Su Rui guessed that it fell at the back of the classroom, and planned to go back and hold the bag high so that nothing else would fall out.

When I got home, I saw Su Chang'e cooking for the first time. She cooked a bowl of sweet potato noodles and fish, which was served with refreshing celery leaves, pickled vegetables and shredded potatoes.

Su Chang'e waited until they all went into the house to eat, then she secretly took out the sesame oil bottle from the deep end of the cupboard. Not long after, Su Rui heard her shouting outside: "Su Rui, did you steal my sesame oil again? You are a rat!"

Su Rui took a sip of the fish noodle and ate it with shredded potatoes, totally ignoring her screams.

After lunch, Su Rui had to go to work in the afternoon. On the way, she met a postman.

The postman received a gift from Su Chang'e, and whenever Captain Zhan received a letter, he would deliver it to his doorstep as soon as possible. Su Chang'e no longer had to wait foolishly outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

Su Chang'e rushed into the yard and picked up the letter. Without having time to express her gratitude, she tore open the envelope, read a few things, and started screaming again.

Su Yuqin's head hurt from her shouting, so she opened the window and asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Chang'e said excitedly: "He said he would come to see me next month!"

Su Yuqin perked up and said with a smile: "If he comes to see you, can you two get the certificate?"

Su Chang'e wiped away the bad luck just now and said proudly: "Since he proposed marriage, of course I have to take it. How could I let him run away?"

Su Yuqin said: "This is my good girl. When you go to join the army, you must take me with you."

Su Chang'e said "hmm" perfunctorily and went into the house to change her shoes: "I have to go to the village committee."

Su Yuqin said, "What are you going there for?"

Su Chang'e said: "He said that the management there is very strict and that he needed our village committee to stamp the invitation before they would issue him a letter of introduction. With the letter of introduction, he was able to come here."

Su Yuqin said, "It's only 20 miles away from here. What's the point of a letter of introduction?"

Su Chang'e said: "I saw it in the army today, and the management is very strict. Maybe the army's requirements are different from those of the local government. I just opened the door so that he wouldn't be unable to come."

Su Yuqin heard this and said, "Then go quickly and find Sister Zhao and ask her to help you expedite the process! If you become a military wife, you will also benefit from her."

Su Chang'e was about to leave when Su Hongpei stopped her and asked, "Second sister, I want to ask you, did you take my letter?"

Su Chang'e said angrily: "I am your biological sister, how many times do you want me to say it?"

Su Hongpei grabbed her arm and said, "Tell me the truth."

Su Chang'e said: "I didn't take it."

Su Hongpei put down her hand and whispered, "Really? You should know that many things depend on a single thought. You'd better not regret it."

Su Chang'e chuckled and said, "I said I didn't take it, so I didn't take it. It wasn't me."

Su Hongpei specifically called Chen Haiyan, and Chen Haiyan said that he last saw Su Chang'e in Su Rui's position.

Su Hongpei whispered, "If you do bad things, you will be punished."

Su Chang'e snorted: "I'm afraid?"

She shook the letter from Captain Zhan in her hand and said with a smile, "Then let my retribution come soon!"