Chapter 338 Good Comrade
After Zhao Hongying left, Song Lubai went next door to ask Chen Yu. Chen Yu didn't know about this and looked confused when she asked.
Wei Zhao said to Chen Yu, "Don't always think about moving out. If you have the guts, I won't stop you, but do you think it's safe outside?"
"No one is forcing you to get married, and we don't care about your affairs. If you're not comfortable living here, it'll be ten yuan a month for food and lodging."
Chen Yu usually eats in the cafeteria before coming back, but occasionally she also eats at home. The food and accommodation fees are actually a bit expensive, but Wei Zhao thinks that Chen Yu would feel it would be more suitable, and she would feel that living here is not like being a dependent.
Wei Zhao was able to speak so frankly because although her relationship with Chen Yu was better than before, it wasn't that close. With Chen Yu deliberately keeping his distance, their relationship was neither warm nor cold.
Wei Zhao didn't think it was bad; on the contrary, she thought it was just right.
Although Chen Yu only earns eighteen yuan a month, she is willing to give away ten yuan.
"Let's include the ones from the previous months as well."
Wei Zhao shook his head: "No need, let's start from this month."
Song Lubai didn't participate in the whole process, since whether Chen Yu paid the money or not wouldn't have much impact on her family's life.
Another person died in the regiment, this time from the armed forces department. Wei Yang didn't get home until after 10 p.m. that day.
Wei Yang sat in front of the stove warming himself by the fire, and Song Lubai casually asked about that matter.
Wei Yang didn't expect the news to spread so quickly.
"The one who died was Zeng Jie."
The name sounded familiar. After realizing who it was, Song Lubai's eyes widened slightly as she said, "The one Aunt Li mentioned before, and Master Zhai said he scared Chen Yu. Is it Zeng Jie? What happened to him?"
Wei Yang nodded and said, "It's him. You'll be scared if I tell you."
Song Lubai felt that, more than being afraid, she now wanted to know how Zeng Jie had died.
Accident or deliberate?
She tugged at his sleeve, "Tell me quickly."
Wei Yang poked the stove with a fire hook: "I saw the body. There was a bloody hole in its head. It was killed by being hit with a stone. The fatal wound was on its head. The police station is investigating."
Having not seen the body with her own eyes, but only heard Wei Yang's description, Song Lubai did not feel scared.
In Henan Province, she personally witnessed corpses being pulled out of public toilets, and also saw Lu Jianxi being beaten to death by Lin Dahai, almost smashed into a pulp.
"From now on, don't go anywhere else before dawn. When you go to the fields, be sure to go with others."
In Xinjiang, the nights are long and the days are short in winter. It's not even fully light by 9 a.m. Now that there's an unknown murderer in the regiment, Wei Yang is worried and naturally has to give him some instructions.
The death of someone is a big deal, and lately, when the neighbors gather together, they are all talking about Zeng Jie's death and the unknown murderer.
Song Lubai wanted to make a pair of trousers and new shoes before the New Year, so she took Zhao Hongying with her to Yang Xiue's house.
As soon as they arrived, Yang Xiu'e poured them some hot water and said, "Oh my, that day scared me to death! I went to the clinic to get medicine, and when I came back, I saw people carrying a corpse back. The ground was icy, and the people carrying it slipped, and the corpse fell to the ground and rolled right in front of me. I had nightmares for several nights in a row and didn't sleep well at all. Look at my eyes..."
After pouring the water, Yang Xiue sat on a stool, clutching her chest.
Yang Xiue's eyes were puffy, and there were red blood vessels in the corners of her eyes, showing how scared she had been these past few days.
Zhao Hongying said, "I have some jujube seeds at home. I'll go home and get some for you in a bit. You can boil them in water and drink it. It will help you sleep well."
Zhao Hongying was initially quite uneasy about associating with these "leaders' wives," but after accompanying Song Lubai on more occasions, she realized that the "looking down on people" was just their conjecture. She was sweet-talking, perceptive, and knew how to get along with people, so they were all willing to associate with her.
Yang Xiue lowered her voice and said, "I've seen the dead person before, Xiao Song. Do you remember? That time when the regiment held a social gathering, we passed by the Armed Forces Department, and there was a man and a woman pulling and tugging at the corner. The man was the body that fell in front of me that day."
"Sigh, you guys don't know, I have nightmares every day, and I even suspect that he's haunting me. I don't know who killed him."
Song Lubai only noticed that the person who was pulling and tugging with Shen Lingyu that day was quite tall and had a decent appearance. She thought to herself that if the two were dating, then Shen Lingyu had pretty good taste.
At the time, she didn't expect that person to be Zeng Jie.
Zeng Jie was just interested in Chen Yu, so how come he's also involved with Shen Lingyu?
Yang Xiu'e continued rambling, "I keep having nightmares. These past few days I've been asking around about Zeng Jie, and I heard that this guy is a pretty good person. There was a kid playing in the river before who almost got swept away by the current, and Zeng Jie saved him. That young man is cheerful and good-looking. Do you think it's because he died so unjustly that I keep dreaming about him? Does he want me to find that bad guy?"
Zhao Hongying stopped working on the sewing machine and said regretfully, "That's so pitiful."
Seeing Yang Xiue frowning, Song Lubai comforted her, saying, "You're just overthinking it. The police are investigating. If you don't think about it, you won't dream about him tonight."
Yang Xiue waved her hand and said softly, "I heard from my husband, Lao Feng, that there's still no progress. The place is remote, and the person probably died before dawn. The ditch is high, so no one noticed it. The murderer probably can't be caught."
Zhao Hongying, while operating her sewing machine, said, "If you're scared, just set off a firecracker in the yard to scare him away. It's almost Chinese New Year anyway."
A short while later, Deng Hong arrived with yarn.
Several women were doing needlework together and talking about Zeng Jie. Song Lubai felt that she had to go and find Shen Lingyu.
With only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, every household has begun preparing food for the holiday.
Although the unknown murderer in the 16th Regiment has not yet been caught, this does not stop everyone from celebrating the New Year in a lively manner.
The troupe doesn't slaughter many pigs a year, but they slaughtered quite a few after counting the number of people during the Spring Festival.
The resident of the company was allocated according to work points, while the staff of the regiment were allocated according to the number of family members. Regardless of age, each person could buy one pound of pork without ration coupons.
In addition, people could purchase more pork using the ration coupons.
The so-called "more" is also limited, since the number of pigs slaughtered by the group is limited.
Song Lubai's family of seven received a total of seven catties of pork, which is not a small amount compared to other families.
In addition, Song Lubai also used the ration coupons to buy 3.7 jin of pork, a pig's trotter, a bone without meat, and a set of pig offal at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Bones without meat didn't require coupons or money; she was able to snag one purely because she was a welfare recipient of the supply and marketing cooperative. As for pig's trotters and offal, although she didn't need coupons, they still cost her six cents.
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