Chapter 47 Chapter 47 The Lost Boy 1
Qingmei's cry was useful after all. At least Aunt Qin stepped forward to stop those who wanted to bow and told them to disperse quickly.
But when they saw the young family members opening the military cards on the playground, they all watched eagerly and were unwilling to leave.
Drivers are hard to come by these days, and female drivers are even rarer.
Wang Jiayuan said to Xiaojuan, "No wonder Xiaomei is often in the newspapers. I dare say she is the only female comrade here who has a military ID."
Xiaojuan stood on tiptoe and watched with envy. Even though she didn't know how Qingmei drove, and even though she had seen military trucks in motion many times, she was still not as shocked as this time.
Wang Jiayuan also said enviously: "I want to learn this in the future. It's so impressive."
Someone on the side interjected, "You can't just learn this casually. First of all, you have to be able to touch a car. If you don't have a car, you can only learn it in your dreams."
Wang Jiayuan sighed: "That's true."
Qingmei, unaware of everyone's envy, tested the clutch and gears, finding them both working. However, the clutch on an old truck tends to loosen up at the beginning and tighten up at the end, so she had to be careful while driving to avoid stalling.
The car team also found two spare tires and put them under the supplies.
The family members rushed forward to help and handed over the donated clothes.
Qingmei took this opportunity to run back and get some freshly pickled vegetables and shredded chicken and bamboo shoots, and also took calcium milk biscuits and a water bottle with her.
She is already very experienced in transporting supplies.
"Here's the map. It shows where we're going. But don't worry, we'll choose someone to follow us. Just follow the rescue convoy. Someone will pick us up when we reach a fork in the road."
When Qingmei heard someone was following the car, she thought for a moment and said to the person, "Can you find someone I know? That would be convenient, right?"
The other party thought so too. It is indeed convenient to go out with acquaintances, not to mention that Qingmei is a lesbian.
Qingmei ran up to Xiaojuan and said, "Will you come with me?"
Xiaojuan said excitedly: "Really? Of course I am willing."
Wang Jiayuan said regretfully, "If I hadn't come here for good, I would have shamelessly followed you even if you didn't take me with you."
Qingmei saw her pale face and knew that some people would react violently at this time. She said to Wang Jiayuan, "Just stay home and guard our base camp."
Wang Jiayuan nodded and said, "Okay, Comrade Qingmei, please rest assured that we will never let anything in that shouldn't be allowed in."
After making arrangements with them, Qingmei donned her women's military coat and boarded the military card. Wang Jiayuan observed her heroic appearance, resembling a soldier. She looked like a delicate comrade, but she was truly useful in crucial moments.
Aunt Qin stood under the military card and gave Qingmei a lot of advice as an elder, and Qingmei listened to it one by one.
A bugle sounded up ahead, and Qingmei started the truck.
Watching Qingmei and Xiaojuan slowly leave in the military truck, Wang Jiayuan's heart also flew away.
Qingmei had limited supplies, which were all good, thick and cold-resistant items in the army. The leader of the convoy in front greeted Qingmei and asked her to follow the convoy to distribute the supplies to the three worst-hit villages in Changshan County, specifically to women and children.
Qingmei followed the convoy to a fork in the road, where, as expected, soldiers who had received the news were waiting. Qingmei met the soldiers and together they went down to the village to distribute one-third of the supplies to the women and children.
Because of timely rescue efforts after the disaster, the people's situation is better than Qingmei had imagined.
She climbed to the back of the car and unloaded a third of the goods. She waved to the people standing below who were constantly bowing and thanking her. "You're welcome. These are gifts from the wives of the soldiers in the 014th Army. Give them to the women and children first. Don't fight over them."
The village had people from the village committee who maintained order from beginning to end, so there was not much chaos.
The situation in the second village was even worse. A snow slide had occurred on the mountain, and half of the village was buried in the snow.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Qingmei arrived and started unloading the goods without saying a word.
After all, the people are simple and honest. Everyone was shivering in the cold wind, hugging their arms, but no one tried to grab the warm clothes in the car.
There was a shed built at the entrance of the village, covered with waterproof canvas on all sides, which rustled in the cold wind.
The military wives who arrived earlier were cooking a big pot of rice. After Qingmei and Xiaojuan watched the truck transport the supplies down, they covered the rest with canvas.
"We'll go to the next village after we have a meal." Qingmei rubbed her frozen face, sniffed, and smiled at Xiaojuan, "Are you tired?"
Xiaojuan had never participated in such an aid activity before. Only today did she feel like a real military wife. Being able to help ordinary people made her very excited: "I'm not tired. I'm going to help Sister Wu cook."
Xiaojuan had acquaintances here, so Qingmei let her go.
Qingmei dozed off in the car for a while and heard someone knocking gently on the door.
Qingmei peeked out the window and saw a brother and sister. The sister was holding her brother's hand, and the brother was holding a roasted sweet potato, raising it to his head like a treasure: "Give it to the soldier sister!"
Qingmei was deeply moved and quickly got out of the car and said to them, "My dear, I'm not a soldier, I'm a soldier's wife."
The little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, had a childish look on her face. She took the roasted sweet potato and stuffed it into Qingmei's hand, saying, "Anyone who has helped us is a good person. Give the sweet potato to good people."
Qingmei took the hot roasted sweet potatoes and saw that the two of them were so thinly dressed. She took out a handful of calcium milk biscuits from the car and stuffed them into their pockets, then took them to the place where women and children could collect supplies to line up.
"We're not cold. We sleep in our parents' bed at night." The elder sister said sensibly, "Give it to those in need. We don't need it."
My younger brother wiped his nose with his cotton-padded sleeve and said in a childish voice, "We don't want it, don't give it to us!"
Qingmei laughed, squatting in front of them and holding their cold little hands, she said, "But I think you need it. It will snow heavily tonight, and your parents' quilts need to be kept warm. I came here to deliver supplies to children like you, so that your quilts won't get cold."
The woman in the queue ahead of me must have sprained her ankle. She limped forward, then turned back and said, "It's going to be even colder at night. Your mother's quilt is warm, so she has a fever. Hurry up and get a quilt and go back."
Qingmei finally reacted and asked her sister, "Is your mother really having a fever?"
My sister whispered, "A military doctor has already treated Mom. Dad is taking care of her."
Qingmei sighed and followed them into the queue. When it was her turn, she saw that there were quilts available, so she took one for them and also found a cotton-padded jacket for each of them.
Qingmei sent them outside the temporary shed. Their father was actually helping his wife feed the medicine. The whole shed was filled with the smell of boiled Chinese medicine.
Qingmei handed them the quilt. The eldest man's eyes suddenly turned red: "Thank you to the country, thank you to the army. Without you, we really couldn't have survived."
Qingmei's eyes also turned red. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken she would be if the blue brick courtyard was buried in heavy snow and her lover fell ill.
At this moment, she felt a greater sense of responsibility for her identity as a military wife.
After delivering the quilt, Qingmei was about to return to the car when Xiaojuan ran over with a lunch box and gave it to her: "Eat!"
Qingmei was amused by her neatness: "Okay, eat!"
The rice is made of mixed grains, cooked until it is neither dry nor watery, served with cabbage stewed with vermicelli and a spoonful of vegetable soup.
Porridge is not filling enough, and eating too much hard rice will hurt your stomach, so the military wives took great pains to make this thing.
Qingmei was having a hard time eating, and Xiaojuan wasn't much better either. Anyway, after finishing the meal, I felt warm, so I had achieved my goal.
The last destination was twenty miles north of Changshan, the first location to be hit by the disaster.
We were rescued very early, but we were hit by another snowstorm halfway through the rescue, which lasted for three days and we are still undergoing rescue.
The soldiers drove in front and Qingmei drove behind. After sending them to the provincial road, the soldiers returned to the village to continue the rescue.
Qingmei and Xiaojuan drove the military truck alone to the third disaster-stricken area.
"If the advance team hadn't cleared the road, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to get through." Qingmei looked at the high piles of snow on the side of the road and marveled at the speed of the 014th team.
Xiaojuan smiled and said, "This year's rescue mission falls to the Third Regiment, and Captain Gu is the chief commander."
Qingmei also pursed her lips and smiled.
Coming down the provincial highway, Xiaojuan looked at the map and pointed to a small road. The road was full of gravel and potholes, and Qingmei practically had to hold the steering wheel and twist it. The car was rumbling and bumping. Qingmei asked Xiaojuan, "Are you scared?"
Xiaojuan said firmly: "I'm not afraid of anything when I'm with you."
Qingmei laughed heartily: "Our truck has a high chassis, so we are not afraid of these ditches and bumps."
Xiaojuan said, "Yes! ...But you still have to watch the road carefully."
Qingmei said, "I'm watching with my eyes almost popping out of my head."
Xiaojuan didn't dare say anything. Qingmei was about to stand up and slam on the brakes when she encountered such a situation. She didn't dare laugh, as it would hurt her pride. Qingmei thought she was just nervous and had time to joke with her.
After walking five miles downhill, the snow on the road had not been completely cleared. There were ruts all over the snow, covered with a thin layer of snow, which must have been a support from someone who had come over not long ago.
Qingmei arrived at the entrance of the village and saw an acquaintance walking on the side of the road. Qingmei leaned on the window and saw that it was Bao Mi!
"Sister-in-law, it really is you!" Bao Mi jumped up and waved at Qingmei: "I was hoping there wouldn't be anyone else!"
The cars in the fleet all had tasks to do. Bao Mi planned to go up and pick up his sister-in-law, but he didn't expect that his sister-in-law had arrived early.
Qingmei jumped out of the car. Bao Mi held her arm and walked a few steps. Qingmei said, "Hurry up and unload the supplies. I have to hurry and send the car back."
Bao Mi said, "No need to send it back. The truck will be requisitioned."
The green plums hadn't bloomed enough yet, so she said with a stern face, "Who said they were requisitioned?"
Bao Mi chuckled and said, "My chief."
Qingmei pursed her lips and smiled: "Okay."
She pointed at the tire tracks on the ground and asked Bao Mi, "Have the people from the Women's Committee arrived?"
Bao Mi raised his chin. A long row of makeshift sheds formed the entrance to the village. "They're all over there. It's really tragic here. Many people have been injured. Go find the commander. He's just finished his work and is boiling some water for you."
Hearing this, Qingmei turned to Xiaojuan and asked, "Let's go together?"
Xiaojuan was incredibly considerate. She pointed to the shed with the Women's Committee flag and said, "I'm going over there to help distribute the supplies. Don't worry about me. Just don't leave me behind when you go."
"No." Qingmei hadn't seen Gu Qingzhou for several days. Thinking that she could meet him here, she happily followed Bao Mi to find him.
Gu Qingzhou stood at the door of the military tent, his excitement overflowing when he saw his young wife. When she arrived, he extended his hand pretentiously and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Qingmei."
"It's all my duty." Qingmei stretched out her little hand from her sleeve, and the two shook hands and hooked their palms together, saying everything.
There were other officers in the military tent, apparently fresh from a meeting. Knowing Qingmei was driving a truck to deliver supplies, a family member named Zhang Juan accompanied her, and they were immediately impressed by her courage. Only an experienced driver could navigate such a snowy road with confidence.
"Zhang Juan is your girlfriend, right?"
One of the officers sitting in the corner of the tent to keep warm asked Wu Shizhong, "Platoon Leader Wu, why do I feel like your wife is more successful than you? You were scared of cars back then, weren't you? Look, your wife is now working with Comrade Qingmei to deliver supplies to everyone."
Wu Shizhong said with a smile: "We are a couple. I am proud of her success. I am even more honored to be able to help the army and the people."
"Tsk tsk, why do you always say nice things?" The person next to him felt bored and started drinking the sugar water with the cup.
Qingmei didn't know that Wu Shizhong was here, otherwise she would have called Xiaojuan over.
Xiaojuan naturally didn't know either and was still outside helping everyone.
When Wu Shizhong heard that she had arrived, he was still doing his work in the tent and did not go out to visit her.
Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou looked at each other lovingly, but felt that there were too many people around and they couldn't talk privately. Qingmei thought about it and ran back to the car, carrying two buckets of food.
It was past four in the afternoon when she arrived at Liu Village, time for dinner. The kitchen staff wasn't there, and the soldiers were eating the communal meals provided by the disaster relief workers outside, leaving their mouths tasteless.
"Sister-in-law, you love the chief so much. He can't finish all these side dishes in one or two meals." Bao Mi came forward, intending to get some free food.
Qingmei understood what he meant and tapped him with the end of her chopsticks, saying, "I'll share this with you. Look, there's shredded chicken in here too. Xiaojuan and I hand-shredded it. It's so flavorful."
Qingmei handed the chopsticks to Bao Mi and asked him to taste it. How could Bao Mi dare to eat it before the leader, because this was specially brought to the leader by his sister-in-law.
He held a piece of shredded chicken and bamboo shoots with chopsticks and brought it to Gu Qingzhou. Gu Qingzhou didn't need him to feed him. He took the chopsticks and tasted it: "You added red oil? It tastes good. It's the chef's skill. You should try it."
Gu Qingzhou put the food in his mouth first, and the cadres below crowded around the table to ask Bao Mi to feed them.
"It smells so good. There's actually chicken in it. And it's a meat dish."
"I need to get two more ounces of rice today."
"No one should use chopsticks to pick up meat. Just pick up whatever you want."
Bao Mi waved them away and closed the two cans of snacks like treasures: "I'll take some out of the lunch box later and share it with you. Don't eat it all in one go, or you'll be caught off guard tomorrow."
Qingmei secretly said to Gu Qingzhou: "No wonder you are willing to take him with you, it will take a long time."
Gu Qingzhou said helplessly: "That's thanks to these blind bears for setting off."
Qingmei covered her mouth and laughed secretly.
Gu Qingzhou was delighted to see her coming over in a military coat. When he touched her hand just now, it was still warm, so he felt relieved.
When he got the call saying the Women's Committee had a truck with supplies coming, his first reaction was that his beloved wife was at it again. He didn't say it out loud, but he was worried.
Qingmei stayed in the tent for a while. Seeing other people from the Women's Committee outside busy preparing dinner, she went over to help.
Bao Mi had eaten Qingmei's meal, and when he saw her cooking, he excitedly tiptoed over to her. Later, he was knocked on the head by Gu Qingzhou, and then he returned to the tent to continue his guard.
The only ingredient here is Chinese cabbage, and Qingmei stewed a large pot of cabbage and vermicelli. Her cabbage and vermicelli stew has a rich broth, the sweetness of the cabbage intertwined with the chewy and smooth texture of the vermicelli, a delicious yet not greasy taste. The vermicelli, soaked in broth, has an irresistible charm, making you keep moving your chopsticks while holding your rice bowl, enjoying the wonderful taste.
Her Chinese cabbage stewed with vermicelli was so popular that there was always a line in front of the big pot. She made two more pots in a row, and after she distributed them, people kept coming to ask if she could make more.
Gu Qingzhou was worried that she would be exhausted, so he drove all day and was so busy that he didn't even have time to rest or eat until the sun went down.
He had Bao Mi call her once, but Qingmei didn't come back. He called her again, but she still didn't come back. It was not until the third time that Gu Qingzhou personally went to the outside of the cooking shed.
Qingmei laughed and wiped her hands and said, "I'll be right there. What are you looking for? My sisters-in-law are all laughing at me."
Gu Qingzhou also saw that the sisters-in-law were all looking at her with smiles, and knew that she got along well with everyone, so she said lightly: "Wait for you to eat, the food is getting cold."
Hearing that she hadn't eaten yet, the sisters-in-law all urged her to go over. Among them, Sister Liang arrived before Qingmei and also said in a pretentious manner: "Hurry up and eat. Captain Gu will be worried if you are too hungry."
Some sisters-in-law who were not familiar with her only then realized that she was the legendary daughter-in-law of Captain Gu.
They had finally figured out that Captain Gu's girlfriend looked like a pampered flower, but in reality, she was the hardest-working woman, with seemingly endless energy. She was also sincere and never slacked off.
Gu Qingzhou "forced" his young wife to go back and eat. Bao Mi had already put the food on the stove to keep it warm. Seeing Qingmei coming back, he said with a blushing face: "Sister-in-law, I didn't pay attention for a moment, and saw that they ate half a bucket of your food."
Qingmei said in surprise, "Aren't you thirsty after eating so much of such salty food?"
At the other end of the tent, several cadres were nibbling at their bowls, pretending not to hear and just focusing on eating.
Bao Mi said, "It's neither salty nor bland, just right for eating. How can I be thirsty?"
Qingmei smiled and said, "It's okay, buns. Let everyone who wants to eat them have some. I'll make more later. This thing is easy to make. I'll send it to you next time I make it. By then you'll all have had enough."
A cadre holding his rice bowl said, "How can I possibly eat enough? This is even more delicious than rice with meat oil."
The people next to him nudged him with their elbows. He glanced at Gu Qingzhou and quickly lowered his head to eat.
Gu Qingzhou said to Bao Mi: "Grown up like a man, don't act like a loser. Serve them some more food. Since your sister-in-law said she'll give you enough, she'll definitely be willing to give it to you. Don't be so petty."
Qingmei also agreed. It was not easy for the soldiers outside, and she was not so cruel as to be reluctant to give them some pickles.
Bao Mi agreed and took out two large plates of pickled radish and shredded chicken with bamboo shoots and placed them in front of everyone. They were snatched up almost in the blink of an eye.
Qingmei looked at Gu Qingzhou with a suppressed smile. Gu Qingzhou felt a little embarrassed and pulled her to sit down: "Let's eat our own food."
Qingmei held the warm rice bowl and ate slowly.
It was strange. She had no appetite at all in the couple's dormitory, where the conditions were much better than here. But when she saw Gu Qingzhou here, she felt her appetite instantly improved.
After finishing the meal and cleaning up, Gu Qingzhou let her rest for one night.
Of course, she couldn't stay in his tent. No soldier would sleep with his wife at night while on a mission. Qingmei could only share a tent with Xiaojuan and the other sisters-in-law.
Even so, Qingmei happily agreed.
When it was almost time to go to bed, Gu Qingzhou held the quilt and gave it to Qingmei: "Put it under the bed, and Baozi will bring the hot water bottle to you later."
Qingmei said sweetly: "Thank you for your care, Captain Gu. Captain Gu, don't you feel cold when you sleep alone?"
Gu Qingzhou looked at her deeply and said, "It's very hot."
Qingmei laughed crisply: "The heat won't kill you."
After saying that, she ran to her sisters-in-law's tent.
"You heartless girl." Gu Qingzhou stood outside for a while and left after hearing her talking to her sisters-in-law inside.
The large military tent could sleep ten people. Qingmei and Xiaojuan used bricks and door panels as makeshift beds. The two of them squeezed together, and with the hot water bottles, it wasn't too hard to bear.
Early the next morning, Mrs. Liang and several assigned people got up early to make breakfast.
Qingmei woke up early and was reluctant to leave the warm bed, so she stayed in bed for a while longer.
From the cooking shed next door came the sound of clanging and the noise of washing rice and vegetables.
After a while, Mrs. Liang, who was supposed to be cooking, suddenly appeared in the tent.
Qingmei lay in bed and looked over, and was surprised to find that she was holding a boy of four or five years old in her arms.
The little boy seemed frozen, sobbing incessantly. Sister Liang asked him questions, but he wouldn't answer. He didn't know how long he'd been buried in the snow; he was soaked to the skin. He shivered in the warmth of the tent.
Qingmei jumped up and asked Mrs. Liang to tuck the boy into the quilt to keep him warm: "Come on, come on."
Xiaojuan got up in a daze, and was startled to see the boy suddenly appear. She quickly got up and put on her cotton jacket to make room.
Mrs. Liang took off the boy's shoes, wrapped him in the quilt, and said distressedly: "Poor thing, it's just a small teapot, how could it be lost?"
Qingmei frowned and said, "Have you asked the people in the village?"
Mrs. Liang said, "Why didn't you ask? The village officials all said they didn't know him. Judging from his appearance, he must have been lost while fleeing the disaster."
Qingmei looked at the boy in bed. He lowered his head and sobbed, looking pitiful. He must have been a child from the countryside, often working in the fields. His skin and face were dark, and his eyes were large, but not fully open. He had a flat nose and thick lips. He was probably only as tall as Qingmei's knees.
When his sister-in-law asked him a question, he said nothing. He opened his mouth and made the shape of "Mom".
Xiaojuan said, "Could he be frightened silly?"
Qingmei didn't say anything. She took out two calcium milk biscuits from her pocket and handed them to him. He sniffed them and then gobbled them down in big mouthfuls.
Qingmei watched him eat and felt something was wrong. When she was wondering, Liang's wife said to her, "Comrade Qingmei, why don't you help take care of him? I still have to go to the front to cook."
Seeing Qingmei's hesitation, Xiaojuan spoke up for her, saying, "I can help, but how long will it take? It looks like we won't be able to find his parents for a while, and we have to go back to the army soon."
Mrs. Liang felt sorry for the boy and said, "Who knows when we can find him? Otherwise, we can take him back to the army and wait until someone notifies us that they have lost their child. Then we can send him back to them."
Qingmei tilted her head to look at the boy. When the boy heard her call "Qingmei", he was secretly looking at her. When he accidentally met her eyes, the boy immediately ran down to the ground, hugged Qingmei's legs and said, continuing to make the mouth shape of "Mom".
Mrs. Liang felt distressed. She had no children and had always dreamed of having a fat boy. Seeing the boy she had picked up so attached to Qingmei, she felt a little jealous.
The other sisters-in-law also persuaded Qingmei, saying, "It seems he thinks you look kind and wants you to take care of him. Just go ahead. After all, you'll have food and drink back in the army, so you don't need to worry about it. He also seems obedient."
Mrs. Liang also said: "What a good boy! Even if his parents can't find him, it would be a blessing to have him by your side——"
Qingmei suddenly felt disgusted for some reason. She pried the boy's hands apart, took him to Mrs. Liang and said, "If you think it's a blessing, then I'll give it to you. You're responsible for what you picked up."
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