Another round of chaotic noise erupted, and finally Old Yang couldn't stand it anymore. He roared, "Don't you know what time it is? Hurry up and pack up, get back to the village as soon as possible! There's an injured person lying in this car!"
Then, the crowd started arguing again, scrambling for a spot on the bus. Just then, Shen Hongmei gracefully stepped forward.
She spoke in a somewhat weak voice, "Grandpa Yang, my injury isn't serious, so I won't take the car. But Wanqiu twisted her ankle. Do you think it would be possible for her to take the car back?"
Because they were the last to board the cart, the two were thrown off before it overturned into the ditch.
Shen Hongmei was lucky enough to fall into the ditch by the roadside. Because the snow was thick enough, she was only a little frightened and not seriously injured.
Yang Wanqiu wasn't so lucky. When she fell off the car, her ankle hit a rock on the side of the road. Although it wasn't as serious as Liu Guihua's fracture, it was still swollen and red, making it impossible for her to walk back.
Shen Hongmei's words changed Old Yang's impression of her somewhat. Of course, this was also because Old Yang hadn't seen what happened in front of the black market. Otherwise, no matter how well Shen Hongmei pretended, Old Yang wouldn't have given her a kind look.
Old Yang nodded and pointed to the seat behind him, indicating that Shen Hongmei should help Yang Wanqiu sit down.
With Shen Hongmei volunteering to walk home, only one person needed to walk while the oxcart could set off.
So Old Yang shouted to the still arguing crowd, "We all live in the same village, so let's all be considerate of each other. If anyone's injury isn't serious, they can go back on their own. If not, I can take them back and then come back to pick you up."
If you keep struggling like this, none of you are going home tonight.
Old Yang's shout successfully quieted down the arguing crowd. In the end, it was the aunt who had been pulling people along with Chen Shuning who said she would stay behind and walk.
The dispute finally came to an end. The four people who remained put their belongings on the oxcart, and Chen Shuning's quilt was now used to cover Liu Guihua, who was still unconscious.
Then the four of them watched as the oxcart headed towards the village.
He Chaoyang took the flashlight from Chen Shuning, and Chen Shuning naturally took He Chaoyang's arm. The four of them then headed towards the village.
The north wind was still howling, and the snowflakes showed no sign of stopping. Chen Shuning felt that the temperature must have dropped to minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius by now.
In such weather, it would be easy to freeze to death if you stood still. So even though the snow on the ground was already above ankle height and the direction back to the village was against the wind, every step was very difficult for the group, but no one dared to stop.
In the end, Chen Shuning was practically dragged along by He Chaoyang. He Chaoyang had wanted to carry Chen Shuning on his back, but after Chen Shuning firmly refused, he could only pull her along with difficulty.
Hearing their conversation, Shen Hongmei, who was walking beside them, immediately had other plans in mind.
After the four of them had walked for another twenty minutes, Shen Hongmei suddenly went limp and collapsed on the snow.
The old woman next to them screamed in fright, stopping the two people walking in front. He Chaoyang and Chen Shuning turned around and saw Shen Hongmei lying unconscious on the ground.
Chen Shuning instinctively wondered if Shen Hongmei was up to something again, given her past record.
So he took the flashlight from He Chaoyang's hand and shone it into Shen Hongmei's eyes, who was lying on the ground. Sure enough, he saw her eyelids twitch involuntarily under the strong light, which made Chen Shuning immediately certain that Shen Hongmei's fainting was fake.
My goal was probably my husband, since if he fainted, He Chaoyang was the only one among those present who could carry her.
Thinking of this, Chen Shuning felt a wave of unease. Just as He Chaoyang was about to go over to check on her, Chen Shuning also fainted softly to the ground.
With both of them unconscious, He Chaoyang naturally had to take care of his wife. He didn't have the idea that soldiers of the People's Liberation Army should sacrifice themselves for others and their families for the people.
In He Chaoyang's heart, no one is more important than his wife.
He Chaoyang, who had already walked towards Shen Hongmei, heard the commotion behind him and hurriedly turned around and ran back, holding Chen Shuning, who was lying on the snow, in his arms.
She called softly and gently, "Shuning, Shuning, wake up. You can't sleep here. Let's go home and sleep here, okay?"
Holding her husband in his arms, Chen Shuning winked playfully at He Chao and silently mouthed, "I'm fine. Shen Hongmei is just pretending. She's trying to scheme against you."
He Chaoyang immediately understood and called out a few more times in a very cooperative manner. He was also considerate enough to worry that his wife would get cold lying in the snow, so he carried her on his back and headed to where Shen Hongmei had fainted.
With a hint of helplessness, he looked at the old woman who was checking on Shen Hongmei's condition and said, "Auntie, look, the journey ahead is still quite long. Both Shu Ning and this woman are in the same condition."
Shuning is fine; I can carry her. But this woman is a different story. After all, there's a difference between men and women, and I don't know how to handle it..."
Before He Chaoyang could finish speaking, the old lady understood and said very frankly, "Little He, you're right. It's indeed inconvenient for you to talk to this young educated woman, Shen, who hasn't gotten married yet."
"Don't worry, Auntie's here. We'll leave Little Shen to her. She may not be able to carry him, but she can certainly drag him."
As she spoke, the old woman took off her belt, circled around Shen Hongmei to measure it, and finally tied the red cloth strip around Shen Hongmei's right ankle. Then, with a wave of her hand, she pulled Shen Hongmei away.
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