Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Okay, I will definitely take the blind date seriously
Captain Jin rushed over to help Sun Xiufen up. She pinched her philtrum and cried, "Auntie Sun, please open your eyes! Why are you still unconscious? Your daughter-in-law's unwavering devotion to your family is so touching. No matter how happy you are, you must control your emotions and take care of yourself."
"I'm so happy, I'm so happy..." Sun Xiufen rolled her eyes, her mouth trembling. She wanted to scold Zhao Xiaoxing. Was Zhao Xiaoxing trying to kill her whole family?
But she didn't dare to really scold Zhao Xiaoxing, for fear that Zhao Xiaoxing would really not divorce and would not let them suffer.
She was filled with rage, which she bottled up inside, her face flushing crimson.
Secretary Wang went out to get her some water, handed it to her, and said, "Anyone who has such a wonderful daughter-in-law would wake up smiling in their dreams. Everyone in Donghe Village knows that Comrade Zhao Xiaoxing is a hard worker. As long as she's around, your family still has hope! She's even signed up for a tractor driver job. You need to give her more confidence, or she'll be sprinting ahead while your family frets in the background."
"She still wants to be a tractor driver?"
Sun Xiufen spat out a mouthful of blood. She gasped for breath, and finally two lines of tears flowed out: "My in-laws really can't control her anymore. She's gone wild. From now on--"
Zhao Xiaoxing sat motionless on the kang and said, "I will serve you well from now on, definitely more attentively than before. I'll even count Xiaomei's departure as well."
Qingmei pursed her lips and curled them.
After Sun Xiufen spat out the blood, her face flushed slightly, and she was finally able to sit up against the wall. She said weakly, "Okay, okay!"
Qingmei glanced from her to Li Xianjin, and she just looked at him coldly without saying a word.
Li Xianjin was no longer the drunkard who used to beat Zhao Xiaoxing at every turn. He felt sorry for Sun Xiufen vomiting blood and hated himself for not being able to move. He beat his legs while crying.
Secretary Wang was afraid that Zhao Xiaoxing would feel bad, so he pulled her aside to do some ideological work.
Zhao Xiaoxing went outside to talk with her, and Secretary Wang advised, "I'm telling you the truth, it's better for you to divorce. Others try to reconcile but not completely separate, but I won't. I think you can live a better life. We all know what kind of family they are in the village. Why would you want to spend the rest of your life on them?"
Zhao Xiaoxing was grateful for her kindness. She thought Secretary Wang would let her continue living in this family.
Many people who work with women are like this. As long as the woman doesn't get divorced, they won't see it, even if she lives worse than pigs and dogs in that family.
"Thank you, Secretary Wang. I'll consider what you say." Zhao Xiaoxing revealed her honest self in front of the cadre and said with her head lowered, "I need some time to think it over."
Secretary Wang knew that although Zhao Xiaoxing was uneducated, she was sensible. He took her hand and said, "If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime. If his family makes trouble with you again, come to me. I will have Captain Jin criticize them at the meeting."
People in rural areas all want to save face. If they are singled out and criticized at an old age, they will lose all the face they have lost for decades.
"No, I will communicate with them properly." Zhao Xiaoxing said shyly: "I still have Xiaomei."
Secretary Wang smiled and said, "It's because of her that I feel at ease. She's younger than us, but she has good ideas. You won't have any problems discussing things with her."
They were talking outside when they heard Sun Xiufen shouting from inside the house.
She insisted on coming out of the house and kneeling down to Zhao Xiaoxing, and Captain Jin tried to stop her no matter how hard he tried.
Zhao Xiaoxing looked at the starry sky and thought about what she had done on days like this in the past.
Being beaten or being hungry?
If she knelt down, all the past grudges could be wiped out, and she could avoid being beaten and going hungry. She would have kowtowed a hundred times to Sun Xiufen and Li Xianjin long ago.
it's useless.
Just bear with it for now and don't be in a hurry.
Zhao Xiaoxing was standing in the yard, and Secretary Wang was there to accompany her because he was afraid she would do something stupid.
Qingmei came out of the house and saw a figure sneaking past the front door behind Zhao Xiaoxing.
Qingmei shouted, "Who's there?"
Secretary Wang and Zhao Xiaoxing said in unison: "Is there anyone?"
Qingmei chased after her and found that it was Chen Qiaoxiang. Chen Qiaoxiang was wearing the kind of gray homespun clothes that only old people would wear, and she fled in panic.
Even Qingmei could recognize her even if she turned into gray.
"She was listening to your conversation just now?" Qingmei said to Zhao Xiaoxing and Secretary Wang, "What did you say?"
Secretary Wang recalled, "It wasn't anything important to say. I just told Comrade Zhao Xiaoxing to be more open-minded. If she could leave this family, that would be the best. But if she couldn't, she should relax and do her own thing."
Zhao Xiaoxing looked back and didn't see Chen Qiaoxiang, so she curled her lips and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm not afraid of being found out."
Qingmei nodded thoughtfully and said, "We should all be careful. Be careful that she doesn't do anything bad out of desperation."
After hearing what Qingmei said, Zhao Xiaoxing frowned and looked back.
Chen Qiaoxiang ran away, holding her chest, and found a pile of firewood and squatted beside it.
She could hardly hide the shock in her heart that Zhao Xiaoxing could actually control her mother-in-law's family like this.
She was simply stunned.
The mother-in-law can actually kneel down to her daughter-in-law.
She has been homeless recently and sleeps on the floor in the house of the educated youth.
The March weather was still chilly. That would have been fine, but the educated women treated her with indifference. Her heart was even more desolate than her body.
Something happened at home during this period, and her hair fell out in clumps. She no longer had the lively and charming look she once had.
Everyone in Donghe Village changed their attitude overnight. Although they didn't go to the extent of wanting to kill her, they marginalized her to a great extent and looked at her with disgust whenever they met her.
Only one person reached out to her at this time.
That is Huang Wenbi.
She was originally very bothered by the fact that Huang Wenbi had pursued Qingmei, but was unsuccessful and was rejected harshly by Qingmei.
She was a proud person and never thought that she would choose Huang Wenbi, a man that even her childhood sweetheart looked down upon.
But these days, everything she ate and wore was secretly taken from home by Huang Wenbi, and even the clothes she wore were discarded by Huang Wenbi's mother.
Huang Wenbi knew that she was homeless and wanted to marry her, but with one condition: he would not give her a betrothal gift.
She and Huang Wenbi went to see his mother once, but his mother was very arrogant and didn't want her to enter the house at all.
Although she later thought that it was to intimidate her, she didn't want to work like a slave for her husband's family just to have a roof over her head after she got married.
Until today when she saw how Zhao Xiaoxing and the Li family got along.
It turns out that you can really control your husband's family.
A burning fire ignited in her heart. Her father had been executed a few days ago, and her mother had been sent to Yunnan for forced labor.
Her first priority was to find a place to stay.
She had nowhere to go, and her friends and family all kept their distance. Unable to obtain a letter of introduction, she could only wander around Donghe Village. The people there, who were not as good as her family, were unwilling to interact with her. The gay men who had once pursued her now avoided her.
Only Huang Wenbi cared about her.
Chen Qiaoxiang supported herself on the ground and sat down, hugging her knees with her hands. She didn't want to be displaced and wander around the village in the future.
That's it, I'll fight her after I get in.
I am young and in good health, so I don’t believe that I can’t survive my mother-in-law.
Chen Qiaoxiang made up her mind to put her future in the hands of Huang Wenbi.
*** ***
The blue brick courtyard was under construction, and Gu Qingzhou had drawn up the blueprints overnight a few days ago. The space was used very rationally, with three main rooms, two side rooms on the east and west sides, and courtyards in front and back.
It was even bigger than Qingmei had imagined, with eight acres of land in the front yard for growing vegetables, and a chicken coop, a pig pen, and a rough cement floor for drying clothes in the backyard.
She asked an acquaintance of Brother Wang Yang to help her purchase fruit trees from outside, including lantern persimmon trees, early cherry trees, yellow duck pear trees, and pitted yellow apricot and nectarine trees.
Zhao Xiaoxing was worried that if she planted all the trees at once, they wouldn't survive. For this reason, Qingmei spent two yuan to invite an old fruit farmer to come and plant the trees and listened to a half-day class.
Donghe Village is close to the dam, making it easy to gather grass for the pigs, and the wild vegetables we pick can also be used to feed the chickens. If we could also be self-sufficient in pork and eggs, life would be truly wonderful.
Zhao Xiaoxing had gotten rid of her anger yesterday and woke up looking radiant. After eating some corn cakes, she made an appointment with Qingmei to go to the county to look at furniture.
Qingmei also planned to buy more vegetable seeds while the season was still on. Even though the house wasn't finished yet, she had to plant the vegetables in the spring. Planting them after the season usually didn't produce good results.
Zhao Xiaoxing wanted to catch the chicks. Qingmei originally planned to catch them later, but Zhao Xiaoxing couldn't wait, so Qingmei thought about it and decided to listen to her.
"The sooner we catch them, the sooner we can eat them." Zhao Xiaoxing patted her pocket and said, "I'll pay for the chicks and take care of their feed, too."
Qingmei naturally agreed. Zhao Xiaoxing wanted to contribute to the family, and stopping her would only make things awkward. The money issue was minor; feeding the chickens every day was a bit of a hassle. If Zhao Xiaoxing was willing to take on the responsibility, that would be the best.
When they were halfway there, they met a tractor from Zhuan Village, which took them to the county.
The two of them observed how others drove along the way and asked questions.
The one driving the tractor was Hua'er's second cousin. He was very polite to them and told them that if they wanted to learn how to drive a tractor, they could go directly to him in Zhuan Village!
Now Zhao Xiaoxing finally felt relieved.
Tractors are not something that ordinary people can touch. They are afraid of damaging them, as a broken tractor would affect spring plowing and autumn harvest. Besides, their village relies on tractors to deliver goods, so they use them with extreme care and love.
This was also out of respect for Huaer, and he was willing to teach them. He also praised them for being lesbians of the new era who dared to take the lead.
"Both models of tractors drive pretty much the same."
Hua'er's second cousin, who was already in his forties, patted the tractor's steering wheel and said, "But I don't dare let you guys just do it. I'll teach you this much today. When you go back and digest it, come back and see me."
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing were naturally willing to do so.
After getting off the tractor, Qingmei planned to go back and train Zhao Xiaoxing on driving knowledge and tractor theory, and then go to the bookstore to see if there is any theoretical knowledge about tractors.
The two of them then spent a good day strolling around the county town of Dawangshan County.
I bought books about chicks, rapeseed and tractors, but I didn't see any furniture made by a good carpenter.
"I'll ask later." Qingmei walked along the road, holding the book and the chick. The chick chirped along the way, lively and energetic, and occasionally people would come up to ask if they were for sale.
Zhao Xiaoxing was eating a sesame pancake in her left hand and a roasted sweet potato in her right hand.
Seeing her wolfing down her food with hunger, Qingmei laughed and said, "Don't just eat this. I remember there's a place selling glutinous rice dumplings on the street ahead. They have minced meat in them and they're really delicious. Can I buy you some?"
The implication was that he wanted Zhao Xiaoxing to eat something delicious. She loved eating so much, and it was rare for her to come to the county town and eat only sesame cakes and roasted sweet potatoes. It was a bit pitiful.
Zhao Xiaoxing refused, "I know the steamed buns there are delicious, but they cost eighty cents for four. We only earn eight work points a day. Working all day just for four steamed buns isn't worth it. I'd better hold off on buying them."
Qingmei thought about it and agreed. It was indeed a bit expensive to buy, so she might as well go home and cook it for Zhao Xiaoxing.
Thinking of this, Qingmei bought some glutinous rice from the county supply and marketing cooperative. The glutinous rice was packed in a bag, just like the food bags that the PLA comrades carried on their shoulders in the movies.
The two of them each carried a bag and went back to Donghe Village after buying things.
The river behind Donghe Village is called Dawang River, which is also the name of the county. Donghe Village where they live is located to the east of Dawang River, slightly downstream.
The two of them walked towards Donghe Village and saw a lot of people gathered at the dam from afar.
Zhao Xiaoxing was more optimistic. She pulled Qingmei and said, "Let's go over and see if anyone has caught a big fish."
Qingmei also wanted to go over and take a look. Her small fishing net could only catch small fish and shrimps as big as her little finger. She was particularly envious of those who could catch big fish.
The main problem is that she has no room to develop her fish-stewing skills, which is such a pity.
They were carrying their things and walking towards that direction, but when they got there they realized something was wrong.
The children were a bit frightened, clinging to the adults' legs and peeking ahead. Some young women covered their eyes and turned their heads away, not looking over either.
They found Zhao Wuhe, who had just returned from another place, in the crowd. She was squatting on the ground, not caring about the luggage bag thrown at her feet. In front of her lay a wet girl, who seemed to have just been fished out of the river.
Qingmei glanced at Zhao Xiaoxing. A few days ago, Zhao Xiaoxing said that there would always be a few people floating down from the river, and today they happened.
Qingmei wanted to hit her.
"He's almost dying! Someone come and take a look! Help!" Zhao Wuhe was so anxious that she was sweating profusely. Qingmei quickly stuffed the things to Zhao Xiaoxing, and without thinking, squeezed over and started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
"Everyone, leave some space to allow air to circulate."
While pressing, she observed the woman's condition. Her face was completely pale, without a trace of blood, and she showed no response after pressing for a long time.
Someone in the crowd murmured quietly: "I'm afraid he's already dead..."
Someone immediately shouted, "If you can't speak, shut up! Can't you see Comrade Qingmei is saving people?"
"Yes, we will only save him if there is hope. If he is saved, he will definitely survive!"
Zhao Wuhe had seen this method used in the hospital, so she quickly asked the villagers to move aside. She also listened to Qingmei and helped the female comrade unbutton her collar.
Qingmei could feel the other person's subtle breathing, so she simply pinched the other person's nose, pressed it several times, and then performed artificial respiration.
After taking turns several times, the scene fell into silence. Everyone had only one thought in their minds at this time - wake up.
Perhaps the simple and kind heart moved God. About five minutes later, Qingmei felt the heart under her palm suddenly beat irregularly.
The unconscious female comrade suddenly screamed "wow" and vomited all the water in her lungs. She grabbed Qingmei's arm tightly and gasped for breath.
The children danced and shouted, "Wake up! The drowned man has woken up!"
Zhao Wuhe patted her back excitedly.
Qingmei endured the pain in her arms and half-sat down to support the drowning female comrade's body.
Zhao Xiaoxing squeezed in and took out a newly made floral handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the female comrade's face and blow her nose.
Although she felt sad, Zhao Xiaoxing also knew what was more important.
After wiping her face, Qingmei squatted beside the person and found that it was an acquaintance - Xiaoyan.
Isn’t this one of the two girls rescued from Zhou Wu’s cellar?
Another flower became friends with Qingmei. Xiaoyan hadn't seen Qingmei for almost a month since she came to thank her last time. Why did she jump into the river again?
Qingmei had a vague answer in her heart, but when asked by others, she kept her mouth shut and chose to let Xiaoyan speak for herself.
When Xiaoyan saw that it was Qingmei who had saved her again, she burst into tears. She hugged Qingmei, her whole body wet, crying and shaking.
Zhao Wuhe took out a spring and autumn shirt from her bag and put it on her. She couldn't help but say, "No matter how serious the matter is, you can't joke with your life."
Zhao Xiaoxing also said angrily: "If someone treats you badly, you should just go back. You jumped into the river by yourself, you are so capable."
Xiaoyan rested her head on Qingmei's slender shoulders, feeling a gentle strength. Qingmei patted her back gently and winked at Zhao Xiaoxing, telling her to stop talking and not to turn around and jump back in after finally saving her.
Captain Jin went to the town for a meeting, and Secretary Wang rushed over, accompanied by Doctor Chen from the clinic. Doctor Chen was the fourth generation of a legendary veterinary family and had actively responded to the call in the first few years to start using animals to treat humans.
"It's okay, it's okay. Let's go home and have dinner. It's so late and you're still hanging around the dam."
Secretary Wang coaxed the people inside and outside to leave, and then asked, "What happened? Who rescued the person?"
Brother Fang spoke softly from beneath the dam, "It's me."
Qingmei stretched her neck and looked out, seeing Brother Fang stuck in the mud, unable to pull his legs out. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but the mud on his trouser legs had dried to dust.
After he fished out Xiaoyan, the people on the dam worked together to lift Xiaoyan up, working together to forget about him...
He stood in the mud and watched the people above frantically trying to rescue people. He tried to climb up twice but failed. If Secretary Wang hadn't asked this question and reminded everyone of him, he would probably have climbed out in the middle of the night.
Everything will be easy now that the person is alive. Doctor Chen held back his laughter and helped others pull Brother Fang up. Half of his body was covered with black mud.
Qingmei saw the crotch of his trousers and recognized that they were the new trousers made for him by Mrs. Fang. Now that he had put them on, they looked like this as soon as he put them on. He didn't know how to explain to his family when he got home.
Brother Fang was very open-minded: "It's good that he's okay. At worst, I can wash his pants myself. I wash my own pants anyway, haha."
Secretary Wang asked Xiaoyan and Doctor Chen to go to the brigade clinic for a check-up. Xiaoyan hugged Qingmei's arm tightly, as if she was holding a life-saving straw, and refused to let go no matter what was said.
Qingmei sensed her need and asked Zhao Wuhe for permission: "Can we take her in for one night?"
Zhao Wuhe said very straightforwardly: "You don't need to ask me. As long as the girl is fine, I can stay for a few nights."
Secretary Wang originally wanted to ask Xiaoyan why she jumped into the river, and it would be best to notify her village and ask her parents to come over. However, seeing that Xiaoyan didn't want to say anything, he had no choice but to let her go back with Qingmei and the others.
Zhao Wuhe walked back with her luggage, and Zhao Xiaoxing followed behind her carrying the noisy chicks.
Qingmei supported Xiaoyan and followed their steps slowly.
Passing by the site of Qingmei's former dilapidated house, Xiaoyan glanced at it and said weakly, "It's almost finished! That's great. You're a woman, and you can actually build a house yourself."
Zhao Xiaoxing turned around and said, "Building a house is nothing! We're also signing up for a tractor driver competition!"
"A woman can drive a tractor?" Xiaoyan coughed a few times and said in disbelief, "How can a woman... drive a tractor?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "What can't they drive? Are all the men who drive tractors superhuman? If they can do it, the women must be even better!"
It was Qingmei who had said this to her, and her reaction at the time was similar to Xiaoyan's. Now that her mindset had changed, she felt justified in saying this to Xiaoyan.
Xiaoyan cast an admiring gaze on Zhao Xiaoxing. Zhao Xiaoxing seemed to feel the warmth of her gaze and walked in front with her head held high.
"Your Donghe Village is really different," Xiaoyan murmured. "It's not even the same world as our village."
Qingmei supported her, looked at her deeply and said, "There is no different world, only different people. If you are willing to change yourself, the world will change."
If you are willing to change, the world will change...
Xiaoyan silently repeated this sentence in her mind.
Is this really happening?
Arriving at the Gu family compound, Zhao Xiaoxing placed the chicks she was carrying in the Gu family chicken coop to spend the night. Zhao Wuhe had thought there were only a few, but when she let them out, she was stunned to find there were a hundred of them.
Qingmei said calmly, "I tried to stop her, but failed. I used all the money I saved to buy chicks."
Zhao Wuhe said, "This is not about money. This is about how to feed it."
The two of them, including Xiaoyan, all looked at Zhao Xiaoxing. Zhao Xiaoxing said calmly, "I'll go dig some vegetables now. I'll take care of my chicks."
Okay.
Zhao Wuhe was relieved.
Zhao Xiaoxing changed her clothes and left with the basket on her back. Qingmei quietly found some rice bran porridge and mixed it with some rotten vegetable leaves to feed the chicks.
Something strange has happened in the village lately: bran porridge is in short supply. There's not enough food for the collective pigs.
The chicks were noisy once they were released, flapping their wings in the chicken coop. Zhao Wuhe fetched some water for them, then told Xiaoyan to go to the kang and rest.
Qingmei squeezed in front of the stove with her to boil water.
"Do you recognize this girl?" Zhao Wuhe asked, "Why is she holding you tightly like a chick meeting its mother hen?"
Qingmei said to her, "You know Hua'er, right? She was captured by Zhou Wu together with Hua'er. She has some family problems that I can't explain in detail, and I don't know if it's because of this."
Zhao Wuhe didn't know that Xiaoyan's marriage was broken off because she was arrested by Zhou Wu, and her family members also suspected her chastity. She just thought it was a problem for young people to date, so she said: "This girl is really stupid, how can she not get over it."
Qingmei sighed and said, "From our perspective as bystanders, many things don't seem scary. Perhaps we are not the ones truly facing the abyss."
Zhao Wuhe thought for a moment and gave Qingmei a thumbs up: "I understand. I didn't mean to be sarcastic. I wanted her to be strong."
"I won't think too much about you." Qingmei looked into the room and there was no movement inside.
Zhao Wuhe gave Qingmei a look and asked her to go into the house to persuade Xiaoyan, while she continued to boil water.
Qingmei stood at the doorway, watching Xiaoyan sitting on the edge of the kang. She looked sheepish, her head lowered as she fiddled with her fingers. Worried about dirtying the kang edge, she carefully placed a rag under her butt.
Qingmei walked over, Xiaoyan looked up at her, then lowered her head again.
She has lost a lot of weight recently, her cheeks are sunken, her face is pale, and her mouth is pale.
Qingmei went out and brought back a bowl with two spoonfuls of brown sugar in it. She picked up the thermos and poured her some brown sugar water and handed it to her: "If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask you. Warm yourself up first and take a hot bath while the water boils. Go to bed early today."
Xiaoyan said, "I really don't want to live anymore."
Qingmei said, "Just think of yourself as dead. Now you are Xiaoyan who has been reborn."
Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment, not knowing there was such a thing.
She paused for a few seconds and said, "Are you really going to drive a tractor?"
Qingmei stood up, opened the small cloth bag she was carrying today, and took out "Tractor Driving Principles and Practical Knowledge" to show her. "To be honest, Xing'er and I don't like working in the fields, so we chose to drive tractors. But it's not decided yet, and we'll have a vote soon."
Xiaoyan whispered, "I believe you can do it."
Qingmei smiled and said, "I am also full of confidence."
Xiaoyan asked again: "So you don't have to do something you don't like."
Qingmei said: "This is a relatively ideal state."
Xiaoyan pursed her lips and drank the brown sugar water in small sips: "I still don't want to say it."
Qingmei smiled and said, "No one's forcing you to tell me. It's just that the brigade will definitely contact your family to pick you up tomorrow. Have you thought about what to do?"
Xiaoyan still pursed her lips and lowered her head again: "I will never go back with them."
Qingmei walked over, and Xiaoyan gently put her arms around Qingmei's waist and said, "If you hadn't saved me, would there be no pain?"
Qingmei lowered her head, sighed and said, "Don't let us regret saving you."
After the water was boiled, Zhao Wuhe urged Xiaoyan to take a hot bath.
When she went to take a shower, Zhao Wuhe mysteriously took out a photo album from her luggage bag and called Qingmei, saying, "Come here, I'll show you something good."
Qingmei walked over, sat next to her, saw the thick photo album, and opened it with interest.
It is full of photos of Gu Qingzhou, from childhood to adulthood, with all kinds of images.
The young boy's face that came into view was that of a boy who looked about twelve or thirteen years old. He was in the military compound in Beijing, with a red wall behind him. He was wearing the military uniform made for him by Zhao Wuhe, and he looked at the camera with a serious expression.
"At that time, he wanted to keep a black wolfhound every day. His father and I disagreed. Look, he was so young and he knew how to act arrogantly."
Zhao Wuhe turned a page and pulled out a photo of Gu Qingzhou in Stalin Square. "This was taken when he was studying in the Soviet Union. He looked very old-fashioned in a Zhongshan suit. Oh, and let me show you a photo of him when he enlisted in the army."
Zhao Wuhe turned another page in the album and pointed to a photo of Gu Qingzhou wearing a military uniform with a big red flower on his chest.
He smiled at the camera, a rare smile, the green train at the train station in the background. He must have been excited about his upcoming military service, clutching his rolled-up luggage tightly. There was a mixture of anticipation and excitement.
Qingmei carefully looked at his handsome face with a little childishness, and found that he had changed a lot in the army. His eyes were calm and bright, and a firm belief took root in his heart.
His physique has also grown from that of a teenager to that of a man. He looks thin when dressed and muscular when undressed, that's for sure.
In the remaining photos, there was no more emotion on his face.
"This is a photo of him in Artushi, returning from a mission in Kyrgyzstan, then passing through Kazakhstan, where he was awarded a first-class individual merit. He was only 21 that year."
"This is him participating in a joint military exercise in Fujian, where he was awarded the title of Army's Sharpshooter. The sniper rifle he's holding is the one in the photo. It's his most precious treasure."
"This is a photo of him being awarded his rank as a regimental-level leader of the 014th Unit in front of the military commander in Beijing two years ago."
...
Zhao Wuhe knew Gu Qingzhou's glorious history very well. She gently stroked her son's heroic appearance in the photo, and finally her hand fell on a blank photo with only a red five-pointed star.
"I can't go into details, but he thought he wouldn't be back from that mission. So he took a photo of the red five-pointed star he was carrying and had it sent back."
At this point, Zhao Wuhe slowed his voice and choked up slightly. "He asked me to bury the five-pointed star, as if it were his return. He also said he had no regrets about sacrificing his precious life for the country and its people, and that he would be a soldier of the Republic in his next life."
Qingmei lowered her eyes, her heart burning.
This is Gu Qingzhou, who is not mentioned in the books. His short life was full of ups and downs.
Zhao Wuhe took out another small box and handed it to Qingmei, asking her to open it.
Qingmei found the small box heavy. When she opened it, she couldn't believe her eyes. "So many military medals?"
Zhao Wuhe wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, then took out a metal badge and placed it in his palm with care: "He paid for all of this with his life. A medal of military honor means the people of a place can live and work in peace and contentment."
Qingmei's throat tightened, she pursed her lips and gently stroked the cold badges, each of which was exchanged for boiling blood.
To say she wasn't moved would be a lie. Qingmei knew the weight of the burden on his shoulders. In the future, he might face other difficulties and responsibilities. But she believed that Gu Qingzhou would rise to the challenge and not shrink from it.
"Why are you showing these to me?" Qingmei looked up at the silent Zhao Wuhe.
She didn't hide it, collecting her medals one by one. She took Qingmei's hand and said, "I know you two have been acting so frivolous and unruly lately. Well, I just want you to get to know him better. Then, next time he comes back, can you sit down and get to know each other better from the heart?"
Qingmei lowered her eyes. In fact, there was no need to think about it, because Zhao Wuhe's emotional play today hit her heart.
She asked Zhao Wuhe in return: "I can understand him better, but does he think the same way?"
Zhao Wuhe patted Qingmei's hand and said, "Yes, I asked his opinion beforehand, and he said he had no opinion. It depends on your opinion."
Qingmei suddenly looked up: "Really? Would he really say that?"
"It's not like you two young people really dislike each other just because you're fighting and playing around."
Zhao Wuhe spoke with the tone of someone who had experienced it: "If you two really didn't like each other, given your personalities, you wouldn't bother with each other at all. Why would you deliberately try to piss each other off or tease each other?"
To put it bluntly, in Zhao Wuhe's eyes, this is not much different from flirting, both of them are enjoying teasing each other.
Why do we do it for fun? Because we find the other person's reaction cute, funny, and sweet.
Qingmei blushed a little and touched the jade bracelet on her hand. Zhao Wuhe saw it and said with a smile, "How is it?"
Qingmei suddenly smiled and pretended to be angry and said, "What else can I do? Your son is so outstanding. If you put it in front of me, I will definitely agree."
Zhao Wuhe was so happy that her eyes were filled with laughter. She took Qingmei's hand and patted it again, saying with relief: "That's right, my good child, my good girl, you will be my good daughter-in-law in the future."
Xiaoyan came out after taking a shower wearing Qingmei's clothes. She stood cautiously at the door, not knowing what to do.
Zhao Wuhe saw this and put away the small box and the photo album. Unexpectedly, a photo in the album fell to the ground and landed right next to Qingmei's feet.
Qingmei picked it up and found that it was a little girl in a short skirt, white, chubby and quite cute. Looking down, she was completely stunned. How, how could there be a little Jiji!
When she saw the "little girl's" face, the half-year-old Gu Qingzhou was still smiling at her foolishly, holding a small wooden pistol in his hand.
Zhao Wuhe quickly snatched the photo away, but failed to get it away. Qingmei squeezed it tightly with a weird smile on her face: "Auntie, please give this photo to me."
Zhao Wuhe exerted all her strength and finally snatched the photo into her own hands. To protect her son's privacy, she covered Xiaojiji's mouth and said to Qingmei, "What did you see?"
Qingmei pretended to be blind: "I didn't see anything."
Zhao Wuhe said, "Really?"
Qingmei said: "Really!"
Zhao Wuhe was originally planning to put the photo back into the album, but when she looked up and saw Qingmei staring at her, she simply put the photo in her pocket and took a picture.
Tsk, that's really boring.
Qingmei turned around and got down from the bed, pulled Xiaoyan onto the kang, and went to take a shower herself.
While Qingmei was taking a bath, Captain Jin would probably call Xiaoyan's family in the evening. After all, jumping into the river was a big deal and involved human life.
There was no movement on the first day.
There was no movement the next day.
On the third day there was still no movement.
Xiaoyan probably guessed this would happen, so she helped Qingmei cook the big pot meal for the past three days. In the middle of the day, Gu Qingzhou came back and explained the angle of the beam to the helpers in detail, then left again.
At that time, Qingmei went to Zhuan Village to find her second cousin Huaer to learn about tractor driving, but the two did not meet.
After she came back, she knew about this and had a more responsible impression of Gu Qingzhou.
If she thinks about it carefully, it seems that Gu Qingzhou always appears when she needs him.
She scratched her head and had to admit that she did have some feelings for him.
Of course, there is a prerequisite, it is best for them not to talk when facing each other, so that the good impression can be maintained for a longer period of time...
The two of them are handsome men and beautiful women, pleasing to the eyes, and it’s not impossible to communicate with each other through the soul...
Anyway, every time she got angry with Gu Qingzhou, she would look at his face and her anger would mostly subside.
Yes, she is that superficial.
Zhao Xiaoxing has not been helping with cooking recently, but has been studying all kinds of knowledge about tractors at home.
Qingmei also asked Brother Fang to make her a simulated cockpit with a steering wheel and gears, which was placed next to the chicks, so that Zhao Xiaoxing could practice her driving skills while admiring a hundred chicks chirping day and night.
Brother Fang finished building the simulated cockpit, which Qingmei had named it. Just as he was about to leave, someone outside called out, "Is Xiaoyan living here?"
The door of the Gu family was open, and Brother Fang was here helping with the steering wheel. It would be inappropriate for a single man and woman to close the door.
After asking outside the door, Zhao Xiaoxing stretched her neck and called out, "Who is it?"
Soon, a voice came from outside. An older voice said, "I'm from her village. I'm here to take her home!"
No one is coming from home, but from the village?
Zhao Xiaoxing stood up immediately, and Brother Fang said to her, "I'll go out with you to take a look." After all, it was he who rescued Xiaoyan.
Zhao Xiaoxing stretched her neck and yelled, "Who are you?"
The other party's words almost made Zhao Xiaoxing explode: "I am her in-laws, please let her out quickly!"
Zhao Xiaoxing's face fell. "How come I didn't know she had a husband's family? I'll go meet him."
Brother Fang stopped Zhao Xiaoxing and said, "Don't argue with others. Ask Xiaomei to come and deal with it."
Zhao Xiaoxing shook her head and said, "No, I'm just taking a look."
Brother Fang looked down at the hammer in her hand and whispered, "Then give me my hammer back first."
"No." Zhao Xiaoxing strode out the door, and Brother Fang quickly followed.
The middle-aged man standing at the door looking out was holding a boy of six or seven years old.
He heard that Xiaoyan was temporarily staying at a regiment commander's house, so he followed the directions and came here. He was scared just by seeing the wealthy family.
Their village is far less wealthy than Donghe Village, and there is no courtyard like this that gives off a sense of age and family prestige.
Even though the door was open, he didn't dare step over the threshold.
He saw a man and a woman coming out, and naturally thought that Brother Fang was the man of the family, and that was the head of the group.
His legs were shaking, and he stammered, "Hello, leader. No, hello, leader. I, I'm here to find Xiaoyan and take her home."
Brother Fang saw that his face was full of wrinkles and he must be at least fifty years old. He didn't look like Xiaoyan's match.
Looking at the boy next to her, he looked like he was less than ten years old, and he didn't look like Xiaoyan's partner at all.
He said puzzledly: "I'm not a leader or a chief. Let me ask you, who are you to Xiaoyan? Why didn't her parents come to pick her up?"
Zhao Xiaoxing glanced at the adults and children in confusion. She also felt strange. Xiaoyan jumped into the river, so why didn't her family come to visit her?
The middle-aged man forced a smile and said, "Her parents can't spare the time, so they asked me to help take it back."
This person is also strange. He just refuses to say who he is from Xiaoyan's family.
Zhao Xiaoxing said angrily, "Take her? How? She's a living person. Are you going to hold her in your armpit or stuff her in your bag? Who knows if you're a human trafficker?"
The other person was stunned for a moment, then put on a polite smile and said, "I was wrong, comrade. I came here sincerely to pick her up."
Zhao Xiaoxing glanced at Brother Fang, who looked down at the hammer and quickly said, "It's hard to explain here. Let's go to the tile house and find Xiaomei and Xiaoyan. We'll explain it clearly when we meet."
When the middle-aged man saw that they were looking for someone and kept calling her "Xiaomei", he was shocked after thinking about it. Could it be the childhood sweetheart who had made such a great contribution?
Seeing the sullen look on his face, Zhao Xiaoxing winked at Brother Fang, and Brother Fang came over and put his arm around the middle-aged man's shoulders to prevent him from slipping away halfway.
Zhao Xiaoxing looked down at the little boy. His hands were dirty. She didn't want to carry him, so she said, "Come with me."
The little boy looked up and asked stupidly: "Leaving? Are you looking for me——"
The middle-aged man immediately patted him on the back of the head and said, "Go ahead and stop talking nonsense. I've already paid the betrothal money, and I'm sure you can take her back."
These words were not only said to the little boy, but also to Zhao Xiaoxing and Brother Fang.
Giving a betrothal gift is like making a deposit, and generally, unless there are no major problems, you will marry the woman.
Zhao Xiaoxing glanced from the middle-aged man to the little boy, but still felt confused.
These two people don't look like my in-laws' family at all.
After thinking about it, I finally decided to go find Qingmei. Qingmei is smart and will definitely handle it.
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