Chapter 64 Going to Shanghai.
As usual, He Xiuxiu called her husband and two children to go home at around four o'clock in the afternoon.
Before leaving, she held her younger sister's hand and was particularly reluctant to let her go: "Little sister, I have to work for several days in a row starting tomorrow, and I won't be able to come back to see you. Go to Shanghai and get along well with your parents-in-law. I don't know if I will have the chance to go to Shanghai in this lifetime. If you see anything new, please write to me and tell me."
"When you return to the army, write to me more often when you have nothing to do. I will also write to you often, so that we can keep in touch as sisters."
He Susu smiled and agreed: "Don't worry, big sister. I will definitely get along well with my parents-in-law. If I see anything new in Shanghai, I will write to you to share it. When I return to the army, I will definitely write to you and my family."
"You have to take good care of yourself, be careful at work and be careful not to be schemed against. If you have time, come back and spend time with my parents."
He Xiuxiu agreed to all of them. She had to go back even though she was reluctant. She waved goodbye to her parents and younger sister, and then went back to the county town with her husband and two children.
After a while, the brothers and sisters-in-law returned with their children, and the He family became lively again. Maybe this family often had people coming and going, but it was always lively.
At night, He Susu slept in Cheng Shi's arms. He was like a natural heater, emitting endless warmth, and with the big quilt covering her, she felt warm and not afraid of the cold.
In the middle of the night, He Susu felt uncomfortable and itchy on her right hand fingers, so she couldn't help scratching them with her other hand. When she felt a little better, she closed her eyes and continued to sleep.
The next morning, when He Susu woke up, she subconsciously raised her right hand and looked at her middle finger. It was still itchy, and there were traces of skin scratches from her scratching last night.
She observed that the fingers on her right hand were redder and more swollen than the other fingers. She took a closer look and saw many small blisters on them, arranged neatly.
She didn't know why it became like this overnight. He Susu didn't dare to scratch it anymore, for fear that the blisters would burst and water would flow out and spread to more people. She could only endure the itch.
She got up, put on her coat, went out to wash up, and then showed her hand to Cheng Shi: "Look at my hand. It was itchy last night, so I scratched it. I just woke up and found that there were a lot of small blisters on it. It's a little red and swollen."
Cheng Shi frowned and looked carefully at Susu's right middle finger. There were small blisters dotted on it. The originally fair and slender finger was now red and swollen.
"It doesn't look like eczema. I'll take you to the county hospital."
He's mother was originally in the kitchen heating up breakfast for her daughter. She brought the breakfast out and put it on the dining table. She saw the couple talking and came over. She was surprised to see her daughter's red and swollen fingers.
"Oh, why is it so swollen? It was fine yesterday. I'll get you some anti-itching ointment. Last time, Guimian had a rash on his feet and it was itchy, and he used this ointment to cure it."
He Susu thought that going to the county hospital early in the morning would be a hassle, so she said, "Okay, Mom, please apply some ointment on me first and see if it will help."
"Okay." He's mother responded and went back to her room to get some ointment to rub on her daughter's red and swollen fingers. "You don't need to touch water from now on. Maybe you'll get better once the ointment takes effect."
He Susu agreed, walked to the dining table and sat down to eat breakfast.
Cheng Shi looked at it and relaxed for the time being.
He Susu was still not used to eating breakfast. Her red and swollen fingers were hard to bend, and even using chopsticks to pick up food was not very comfortable. Fortunately, she was able to pick up the food and eat it. After barely finishing her breakfast, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Because of the redness, swelling and small blisters on her fingers, He Susu lost interest in crocheting a sweater. Her hands were not suitable for this work, so she simply relaxed and sat in the main room to accompany her parents.
There were some melon seeds and candies in the main room, and eating them was quite enjoyable. From time to time, people from the village who knew each other would come to greet each other on New Year's Day. When they saw He Susu and Cheng Shi, the newlyweds, they would send their blessings enthusiastically, and He Susu and Cheng Shi would also thank them with a smile.
After seeing off another wave of villagers, He Susu leaned over and whispered to Cheng Shi, "People in the countryside are mostly warm and welcoming. If you're not used to it, we might as well just hide in the house."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't need to say anything. My parents will be happy to hear that. It's also good for us to receive those blessings. I like to hear them."
Well, He Susu understood after seeing the smile that Cheng Shi couldn't hide on his face. This man always liked to hear people praise them for being a good match.
At noon, she still had difficulty using chopsticks to pick up meat and vegetables to eat. He Susu felt that there seemed to be no sign of improvement after applying ointment on the middle finger of her right hand. She could feel the itch after a slight movement.
She was too lazy to worry about her uncomfortable finger and simply went back to her room to take a nap.
After He Susu woke up, she looked at her right middle finger and felt that it was even more red and swollen. So without further delay, she put on her coat and called Cheng Shi who was sitting in the main room: "Cheng Shi, I feel that my hand has not improved. Please take me to the county hospital for a check-up."
Cheng Shi agreed without saying anything, and looked at Su Su's hand with a heartache: "Okay, I'll go back to the room, put on my coat and leave."
He's mother took a closer look at her daughter's hand and said with great concern: "Oh, why is it more swollen? This ointment doesn't work. You should go to the hospital immediately."
She sighed inwardly at what a miserable day it was. Her daughter had to deal with something like this on her last day at home. Her hands became itchy and swollen for no apparent reason.
He's father was also anxious when he saw this, and watched his son-in-law ride a bicycle to take his daughter to the county town.
Cheng Shi rode his bicycle all the way to the county town in a hurry. He Susu remembered the location of the county hospital and gave him directions from time to time. The couple soon arrived at the county hospital.
Maybe it was because it was the New Year, there were not many people in the hospital. Only the doctors and nurses on duty stayed at their posts, dealing with the occasional patients who came.
He Susu made an appointment and walked to the corresponding clinic with Cheng Shi. They went straight into the clinic to see the doctor without having to wait in line.
She sat down and showed the doctor her right hand. "Hello, doctor. My right middle finger has been itchy and swollen since last night. I applied the rash cream this morning but it didn't get better. In the afternoon, it looked even more red and swollen."
The old doctor with gray hair on his temples looked at the redness, swelling and small blisters on her fingers, and then said, "Acute pruritus is different from ordinary eczema. You have to prescribe the right medicine for the right condition."
As he spoke, he took a pen and wrote a prescription, "I'll prescribe a bottle of ointment for you to go home and apply it two to three times a day. If you're lucky, it will disappear in a day or two."
Hearing that it was not a big problem, Cheng Shi was the first to breathe a sigh of relief.
He Susu smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, doctor."
Afterwards, the couple took the prescription to pay the bill, got the ointment from the pharmacy, and applied it directly in the hospital.
When the ointment was applied to her fingers, He Susu felt a cool sensation, which seemed to instantly suppress the lingering itchiness. She finally smiled with relief: "I feel that my fingers feel better after applying the ointment, so it should be useful."
"That's good." Cheng Shi smiled, put the ointment into his military coat pocket, and the two walked out of the hospital.
When they got on their bicycles at the hospital entrance, Cheng Shi wanted to ride home directly, but He Susu said, "Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a set of crochet tools so that I can finish the sweater for my mother on the train."
Because her fingers suddenly became red and swollen, she definitely couldn't finish knitting the sweater today, so she had to leave it for the journey.
It's not that He Susu really loves knitting sweaters, she has never told her mother-in-law about it, and even if it is not completed, it will not be a problem, and Cheng Shi will not mind it. But she is the kind of person who will try her best to complete a thing once she is determined to do it.
To get to Shanghai from here, you have to take a three-hour train to Yu City to transfer, and then take another twenty-hour train to get to Shanghai. The long journey can be considered as a way to kill time.
I can't just sleep all the way through. No matter how good my sleep is, I can't stand sleeping like this.
Cheng Shi subconsciously refused: "Forget about the sweater you can't knit. Your fingers are uncomfortable now, so why don't you just take a rest? It's even more tiring to sit in the car on the road. How can you have the energy to knit a sweater?"
He Susu smiled and said, "Don't worry. The doctor just said that the finger might be healed tomorrow. The car ride was tiring but also boring. I can kill time by knitting a sweater."
Cheng Shi had mentioned Susu before, and he was unwilling to refuse her anything, so he turned around and rode to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a set of crocheting tools, and then rode home.
He's father and mother were waiting at home. Although the redness and swelling of the fingers was not a big deal, it was a big deal if it happened to their beloved daughter, and they were worried.
When my daughter and son-in-law came back, I asked hurriedly, "What did the doctor say?"
He Susu smiled and said, "The doctor said it was acute skin itching and prescribed me some ointment to apply. He said it would go away in a day or two. Don't worry, Dad and Mom. I just applied it once in the hospital. It was cool and comfortable, so it should work."
"That's good, that's good." He's mother breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
He's father was also relieved.
The afternoon time was basically over after returning from a trip to the county town to see a doctor. It was rare for the dinner to be so sumptuous. After all, He Susu and Cheng Shi would be leaving home the next morning, so everyone gathered together for this meal, and it was lively and exciting.
After washing up in the evening, He Susu went back to her room to pack her things. In fact, she just packed the clothes she and Cheng Shi wore into the bag. The clothes she changed out tonight should be dry by tomorrow if they are hung in the yard.
Without the dried seafood I brought with me, I have only packed one package now. But I still have to bring some food tomorrow, so two packages are inevitable.
When she finished cleaning up, He's mother knocked on the door and came in: "Susu, mother came to talk to you."
At that time, Cheng Shi was also pulled by He's father to sit in the main room, and he had to tell him to take care of his daughter more often. His daughter was a little lazy, so he asked him to be more tolerant if she did anything wrong.
He Susu smiled and called out, "Mom, come and sit down."
Mother He sat down and held her daughter's hand, full of reluctance: "Ah, the days go by so fast, and you will be leaving in the blink of an eye."
After waiting for half a year to finally get together, He's mother still felt like she was dreaming. But it was only natural for her daughter and son-in-law to go to Shanghai to visit her parents-in-law.
She was already very satisfied that her daughter could go home and celebrate the New Year with them in the first year after her marriage. If the son-in-law had gone back to Shanghai first and then visited them after the New Year, no one could find fault with him.
She repeated some of the things she had said, "When you get to Shanghai, be polite to your parents-in-law. Sometimes you should take the initiative to do some work. Anyway, you won't be in Shanghai for many days. But if you really can't get along with your parents-in-law, you don't have to endure it. If Cheng Shi doesn't stand on your side, you can write a letter to your parents. Your parents will always be your support."
"When you return to the army, you and Cheng Shi will run your own family. Don't be fussy about anything that needs to be discussed. There are bound to be some bumps in life, and you need to slowly overcome them. If you have anything you want to say but can't find anyone to talk to, just call me. I'm willing to pay for the phone call."
He Susu was moved by what she heard. She knew her mother was worried about her. She took her mother's arm and leaned on her shoulder, saying softly, "Mom, I know. Don't worry. You and Dad should take care of yourselves at home. Don't be too tired when you go to work. There is enough food at home, so don't tire yourself out just to earn a centimeter. If there is anything, let Guifang write to me or call me."
He's mother smiled and agreed, then smiled again when she remembered something, "Tell me when you have good news, and I'll go to the army to see you and stay with you for a while. When you're about to give birth, if your mother-in-law is not available, I'll go over to take care of you during the confinement period."
Secretly, she naturally hoped that her daughter's mother-in-law would not be available so that she could go over and take care of her daughter during her confinement.
But these days it is natural for the mother-in-law to take care of her daughter-in-law during the confinement period. If the daughter's mother-in-law is willing to go and take care of her, she really can't compete with her daughter's mother-in-law.
He Susu blushed at her mother's words: "Mom, what are you talking about? It's too early to talk about confinement after having a child."
Mother He smiled and said, "You and your son-in-law have such a good relationship. It's fate that you will have children. I just told you this first so that you can have hope."
After all, my daughter and son-in-law probably won’t come back to celebrate the New Year next year.
He Susu heard the reluctance in her words and nodded in agreement: "Okay, okay, anyway, when there is good news, I will definitely tell you and Dad the first time."
She and Cheng Shi had never discussed the matter of having children. She knew that if she didn't want to have children for the time being, she could go to the hospital to get birth control products, but Cheng Shi didn't mention it, so they just let nature take its course.
The mother and daughter exchanged some intimate words, and then Mother He said, "Okay, I've said everything I need to say. Susu, you should have a good rest tonight. You'll be tired after going out tomorrow. I'll go back to my room and sleep first."
"Okay, then you walk slowly, mom." He Susu stood up and walked her mother out of the room, and came back after a while.
The couple checked that everything they had for tomorrow's trip was packed, and then they lay down on the bed and went to sleep.
On the fourth day of the New Year, He Susu got up with Cheng Shi for once, put on her coat, washed up, and then had breakfast with the family.
After dinner, He Susu took down the clothes hanging on the bamboo pole, returned to her room and folded them into her package. Cheng Shi also collected his toiletries and put them away.
He's mother was reheating the lunch she had prepared for her daughter and son-in-law in the kitchen. The chive dumplings she had made early in the morning were fried until golden and crispy, and very tempting.
She took out the aluminum lunch box her daughter had brought back and put six leek dumplings into it.
It was a cold day and anything put in the lunch box would get cold easily. Originally, He's mother wanted to make meat buns, but then she thought that meat buns would not taste good when cold, so she made leek dumplings instead. At least they would not taste so bad when cold.
He Susu looked around the room again and again and found nothing to take, so she folded the quilt on the bed, put down the mosquito net, and cleared the desk again. The place would soon be closed again.
She walked out of the room carrying the package, and Cheng Shi quickly came over and took it.
At this time, He Lianzhou and He Da Ge also went to the county town to borrow bicycles from Su Yu's mother's house, planning to ride one each to take their younger sister and brother-in-law to the station to catch the bus.
He's mother took out the packed aluminum lunch box and gave it to her daughter to put away. Seeing that it was getting late, she hurriedly said, "Be careful on your way to Shanghai, and look after each other."
He Susu smiled and agreed: "As soon as we get there we will send a telegram to let you know we are safe."
He's father had explained a lot of things to his son-in-law last night, so he had nothing to say at this moment. He just said, "Have a safe journey."
He Susu's brothers and sisters-in-law took her to say goodbye. The children were also reluctant to part with their aunt. Only Dabao and Erbao were in a good mood. After all, they would be able to see their aunt again when they returned to the army.
He Susu told Qian Chunhe: "Sister-in-law, take care of yourself too. Tell us when you have good news."
Qian Chunhe smiled softly: "Okay, got it. Take care of yourself too, little sister."
Su Yu smiled and said, "Little sister, we'll meet again in the army."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, Third Sister-in-law, we'll see you in the army later."
The He family saw them off to the door. He Susu sat on the back seat of their own bicycle and was carried by He Lianzhou, while Cheng Shi carried a package and sat on the back seat of another bicycle and was carried by Brother He.
He Susu waved her hand: "Dad, Mom, Brothers and Sisters-in-law, we are leaving first. Goodbye!"
Cheng Shi also said goodbye.
Father and Mother He hid their reluctance and nodded with a smile: "See you later, Susu, be careful on your way."
My brother, sister-in-law and children also waved and said goodbye with a smile.
Soon the wheels started turning, and the bicycle headed towards the county town, riding all the way to the station.
He Susu and Cheng Shi went into the station and bought tickets to Yu City first. When they returned to the station that day, they had checked the train schedule to Yu City in advance. Now they calculated the time and found that the train would arrive in less than twenty minutes.
He Lianzhou and Brother He pushed their bicycles all the way to the platform. They had basically said everything they needed to say at home, so now they only reminded them of some things to pay attention to at the train station.
He Lianzhou said as if he was instructing a child, "Susu, you must follow Cheng Shi all the way to Shanghai, especially when you change trains in Yu City, you two must not get separated, otherwise it will be troublesome if we contact each other."
He Susu nodded: "Don't worry, Third Brother."
Brother He only said to Cheng Shi: "I'll trouble you to take care of Susu."
Cheng Shiying said: "Don't worry, brother."
The sound of "wailing" got closer and the train arrived at the station. He Susu and Cheng Shi said goodbye to Brother He Lianzhou and followed the crowd into the carriage.
They found their corresponding seats in the carriage and sat down. As usual, the packages containing clothes were placed under the seats, and the packages containing aluminum lunch boxes and wool and crochet tools were placed beside their legs so they could be easily accessed.
After successfully settling down in her seat, He Susu heaved a sigh of relief: "Now I feel safe and secure after getting on the bus."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "If you feel sleepy, you can take a nap first and catch up on your sleep."
There aren't many people in this carriage, and they are scattered in groups of three or four. Even though there are voices talking everywhere, it doesn't seem noisy.
He Susu nodded: "Okay, then I'll take a nap first. If you're sleepy, take a nap too."
She was not used to getting up so early, and as soon as she settled down in the car, she felt a little sleepy, so it was a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
Cheng Shi shook his head: "I'm not sleepy, you go to sleep."
He Susu ignored him, leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and fell asleep quickly.
When she woke up again, it was already past ten o'clock. She looked around the carriage and saw a lot more people, probably new passengers who had arrived at the previous station.
Cheng Shi noticed that she woke up and asked, "Would you like some water?"
He Susu nodded. She was quite thirsty after waking up. She took out the military water bottle from the package during the process, opened it and drank a few sips in a row. She closed the lid only after she felt her thirst was relieved.
"We'll be at the station around twelve o'clock, right?"
Cheng Shi nodded: "Yes, it's a three-hour drive. When we get to Yu City, we'll see when the next bus to Shanghai is. It would be best if we could buy a sleeper berth."
Otherwise, it would be uncomfortable to sit during the 20-plus hour drive, and Susu would have to suffer.
He Susu was open-minded. Whether or not she could buy a sleeper berth would be a matter after midnight, so it was useless to think about it now.
She and Cheng Shi chatted casually, and soon it was past eleven o'clock. People in the carriage started to take out their own lunch and started to eat. Even the stewards came over with a dining cart to sell food.
She said, "Let's eat the chive dumplings first."
Cheng Shiying took out the aluminum lunch box from the package and opened it. Each piece of leek box inside was wrapped individually with oil paper, so he didn't have to worry about getting his hands greasy when eating in his hands.
He took a piece and gave it to Susu, and also took a piece for himself.
He Susu took a bite of the chive dumpling. The dough was a little hard because it was a little cold, but it did not affect the original crispness.
Take another big bite and you will find rich fillings wrapped in the dough, with the fragrance of leeks and eggs mixed together, and minced meat mixed in. It is salty and delicious, just as delicious as ever.
She bit it bite by bite, and occasionally drank water from the military canteen when she felt dry. In the end, she was full after eating two pieces of leek dumplings.
He Susu couldn't help but sigh: "My mother's leek dumplings are still so delicious."
Cheng Shi ate three leek dumplings in a row and nodded in agreement: "It's really delicious. I've never eaten such delicious leek dumplings."
The army canteen would occasionally make leek dumplings, but the taste was far inferior to what we had just eaten, not to mention that the fillings were only leeks and eggs.
After the meal, the two of them simply cleaned up without thinking about taking a nap. They arrived at the Jade Market soon.
Cheng Shi had already put the package on his back, and when the train stopped at the platform and the door opened, he took Susu out of the train. After that, the two followed the instructions to the train ticket counter, Cheng Shi went to line up, and He Susu stood aside waiting.
After the meeting, he returned happily with the two tickets he had bought: "Originally, the sleeper tickets were sold out, but I showed my military ID and they helped us get two sleeper tickets, with upper and lower berths."
These days, military officers are respected outside and enjoy certain preferential treatments.
If Cheng Shi was alone, he could have bought a seat ticket and traveled all the way to Shanghai without a sleeper ticket. But since Su Su was there, he couldn't bear to let her suffer, so he used the officer's privilege that he had never used before.
He Susu didn't expect that Cheng Shi's military officer ID card could be used in this way. She smiled happily and said, "That's great. Cheng Shi, you are really amazing."
Cheng Shijian felt a little embarrassed, so he smiled, took Susu's hand again and walked to the corresponding platform.
They were lucky. The train to Shanghai departed at one o'clock. It took some time to buy the tickets, and it took another time to walk to the corresponding platform. The train arrived shortly after they arrived at the platform, and then they lined up to get on the train.
The carriage was divided into small rooms. They found the seats shown on their tickets and were assigned bunk beds in the same row.
Cheng Shi put the package on the lower bunk: "Susu, you sleep on the upper bunk. I'll be on the lower bunk. You can call me if you have any questions."
The upper and lower bunks facing each other were already occupied, a couple on the upper bunk and a man with two children on the lower bunk.
He Susu agreed. The room was so small that she couldn't even stand there. She didn't waste any time. She took off her shoes and walked up the small ladder to the upper bunk and sat down. Cheng Shi helped check the bed to make sure it was stable enough before he felt relieved.
The bed is not very big, just right for one person to lie down and sleep. Now she is sitting on the upper bunk and looking down, she has a wide view. He Susu is quite satisfied with her seat this time and is glad that she bought a sleeper ticket.
Cheng Shi also sat on the lower bunk and said, "Susu, call me if you need anything."
He Susu: "I understand."
Before the two of them could breathe a sigh of relief, an old lady walked into the small room leading a boy. She looked around and then set her eyes on He Susu, who seemed more approachable.
"Girl, you and the guy in the lower bunk are married, right? It's a pity that I didn't buy a sleeper ticket. It's going to Shanghai for more than 20 hours and my grandson is so young. How can I bear to sit all the time? Why don't you and your husband squeeze in and give us a bed?"
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