Chapter 20 Chapter 20 I Got You
The big loudspeaker hanging on the old tree outside the courtyard wall rang for a whole week.
Captain Jin held daily meetings with the villagers. Those who had been persecuted by the three Zhou Wu brothers over the years lined up at the brigade headquarters to give their confessions. From small details like needlework to major incidents like brawls, everything was crystal clear.
Captain Jin simply arranged an office for the comrades from the provincial department to work on the spot.
The news of Zhou Wu's arrest spread like wildfire, and no one initially believed he could be caught. He had been so rampant for so many years, how could he disappear overnight?
At first, no one believed him, and no one wanted to be the first to speak out. If Zhou Wu hadn't been caught, who would report the crime? It would be a waste of their own life.
The educated youth posted the latest reports on bulletin boards and went door to door to verify the facts and process of the Zhou Wu brothers' arrest. Every day, they went from village to village, persuading everyone to learn from Qingmei's courage and report the case.
The name of the young widow Qingmei became known throughout the area. People came forward in groups of three or four, followed by many others.
What everyone was thinking was actually very simple. The helpless young widow could cooperate with the military comrades to capture Zhou Wu, but they just wanted to point the finger at her. They didn't even have the courage to do that. Aren't they worse than the young widow?
Captain Jin is very capable. Every morning before going to work, he reads the day's news reports on the radio so that everyone can follow up on the case together.
"Oh my god, that's the most toxic pesticide."
Sister Fang was chatting with the other sisters-in-law by the canal, pouting, "Didn't an expert once say in class that drinking paraquat would rot your internal organs? But even if they rot, you won't die. You'll only have the strength to breathe, and it's a miserable existence."
"That was Zhou Wu's karma. I also heard that if someone drank other pesticides, they could be saved by having their stomachs pumped out in the hospital. But if they drank paraquat, there was no chance of recovery."
"I don't think Zhou Wu committed suicide out of fear of punishment. He committed many evil deeds. The news said he killed seven or eight people. He would rather others die than himself. Maybe God couldn't stand it anymore and came down to deal with him."
"Don't say that. We've been destroying the Four Olds for so many years now, why are you still talking about monsters and demons?"
"Now, not only the young widow but also Zhao Xiaoxing has shown up. Reporters have come to interview them."
"Hey, isn't that the young widow?"
Mrs. Fang glared at the woman who was speaking. "What little widow? I have a name, Qingmei."
"Okay, okay, Comrade Qingmei is here."
Qingmei carried a basket but no shovel. She had done the Donghe Village Chief a favor this time, and Captain Jin, with a wave of his hand, awarded her five days of paid leave.
He had been busy digging graves in the mountains recently and hadn't rested well, so his face was pale. Now he slept soundly at home, and only got up at noon, energetic and coming to bring lunch to Zhao Xiaoxing.
There was dust and dirt from digging the canal. She had her pigtails tied up on top of her head with a floral cloth, and wore a green jacket and flat shoes. When she walked, a little red sock could be seen above her ankle. A little person who stepped on something with every step.
Her little face was rosy and she would smile at everyone she met. She was also a source of honor to the village, so everyone would greet her when they saw her.
"Sister-in-law, please try the locust flower cake from my new stall."
Qingmei stood in front of Mrs. Fang and took out two pieces of fragrant locust flower cakes and handed them to her: "I took two pieces for Xiaogang. He said he wanted to leave them for you and big brother. I let him eat them himself and I'll get more for you. This child is so sensible and knows how to care for others."
Qingmei understood the essence of complimenting someone. Mrs. Fang said heartily, "That's right. I went to the city for a checkup this month, and the doctor said I've made some mental progress. ...By the way, aren't you guys supposed to be resting? Why are you still out in the fields?"
Qingmei pouted, looked at Zhao Xiaoxing who was digging in the ground angrily in the distance and said, "Her mother-in-law is sick and can't work, so she has to do the labor."
A wealthy woman next to Mrs. Fang said, "Who knows if she's really sick or not? Her mother-in-law works the same as us and gets the same work points. Who can't tell she's just slacking off? Only our Captain Jin is easy to talk to."
"That's right, Captain Jin is easy to talk to, but I'm not. Next time I catch her slacking off, I'll tell you how I'll scold her!"
Mrs. Fang smiled and said to Qingmei, "Go and give it to Xing'er quickly. She keeps looking at you."
After saying hello to her sisters-in-law, Qingmei walked towards Zhao Xiaoxing with a basket.
The woman called Qingmei Little Widow grumbled, "Don't say that, I just have a nice figure, a nice waist, a nice butt, a pretty face, and fair, translucent skin. If I were a man, I'd like that style too. Look at how nicely her hips swing as she walks those two steps."
Mrs. Fang glanced at her and stabbed her in the back, "You only talk about people behind their backs. Captain Jin said it won't be long before they get commended. You can't even compare to their feet, and you still have the nerve to talk about them behind their backs?"
"Alright, alright. I know you two have a good relationship. I was wrong. I won't say anything more, okay?"
......
Qingmei didn't know about this little episode, and even if she did, she wouldn't have taken it to heart. When she took the college entrance exam, she had her own path to follow, and she wouldn't be bothered by the gossip of the village woman in front of her.
Zhao Xiaoxing ran over, took the basket, opened it, took out the locust flower cake, took a big bite and said, "It smells so good! Where can you pick locust flowers at this time of year?"
Qingmei asked, "Isn't the locust tree by the cemetery in bloom anymore?"
"Ah?!" Zhao Xiaoxing had a big mouth, and it was not good to eat or not eat.
Qingmei smiled and said, "I'm just kidding. I was chopping wood and came across some early blooming locust flowers. I picked them all in one bunch."
Zhao Xiaoxing chewed heartily and said, "I also think you shouldn't go there again. Now that I think about it, it's really unlucky."
Qingmei had nothing to do at home, so she accompanied Zhao Xiaoxing to eat and work.
At three or four o'clock, Zhao Xiaoxing finished her work and was sweating all over. "You accompany me to my in-laws' house to get some clean clothes. I'll sleep at your house tonight."
"Okay, after you change your clothes, come with me to ask the brick factory in the next village if they've got any used bricks back. I want to build the house as soon as possible before the spring plowing."
"Then let's go, let's hurry up." Zhao Xiaoxing was particularly enthusiastic about building the house.
Qingmei hadn't been to the Li family for a long time. Zhao Xiaoxing walked in first and she walked in right after her.
Li Xianjin was in the room with Sun Xiufen, who was also feeding him bran porridge. Li Xianjin only wanted to eat oily food and would rather die than eat bran porridge.
Zhao Xiaoxing opened the closet to take out some clothes and said, "If you don't want to eat, then go hungry."
As soon as Zhao Xiaoxing finished speaking, she saw Sun Xiufen raise her arm and wave it towards Li Xianjin's face: "If you don't eat, you will starve. Hurry and eat!"
Qingmei was stunned. Sun Xiufen actually had the heart to hit Li Xianjin?
Zhao Xiaoxing sneered and said, "If you don't know me, you'd think I'm such a bad person. I let my mother slap my son. His face is still swollen from yesterday."
Sun Xiufen was really sick. The room smelled bad and she seemed to be sick all over. Her skin was sallow and her hands holding the bowl kept shaking.
It was only February, and she was sweating profusely. She didn't know if it was because she was frightened by Zhao Xiaoxing's sudden return, or because she was weak.
Hearing Zhao Xiaoxing say this, Sun Xiufen slapped Li Xianjin twice more and scolded him, "Who do you think you are? My daughter-in-law works so hard, and you are so picky. Where can you find such a good daughter-in-law?"
Li Xianjin sobbed and said, "Yes, she is good. She is good to me."
Sun Xiufen secretly looked at Zhao Xiaoxing's expression, then gave her two more hits before she was done.
Zhao Xiaoxing has heard so much flattery without changing her expression or heartbeat, and she is no longer the easily flattered person she used to be.
On the contrary, Qingmei didn't expect Zhao Xiaoxing to be so outstanding. After leaving, she gave Zhao Xiaoxing a thumbs up and said, "Excellent."
Zhao Xiaoxing rubbed her nose and said, "It's okay."
The next village is not far away, five miles south of the dam.
As they reached the dam, they encountered a group of people beating drums and gongs. They came from the dirt road of the next village to the main road and were marching towards Donghe Village in a lively manner.
"Their village deserves to have a brick factory. They're so wealthy they even have three tractors." Zhao Xiaoxing pulled Qingmei to the side of the road and said, "Stay away, or they'll hit you."
The tractor was driving very slowly, and the bucket at the back was full of large bluestone bricks. The color was very new, and they must have been newly made goods.
Qingmei watched them pass by and said enviously, "The big blue bricks are more imposing than the red bricks."
Zhao Xiaoxing also said enviously: "When can we use large blue bricks to build houses?"
They were standing by the roadside, Qingmei carrying a small basket.
At the end of the team, someone suddenly called out, "Sister Xiaomei! Why are you here?"
Qingmei looked at the team and said, "Hey, isn't this Brother Fang?"
During his slack season, he would do odd jobs at the brick factory next door. Why did he go to Donghe Village today?
She casually asked, "Brother Fang, is there anyone in our village who wants to build a house?"
Brother Fang didn't answer her, but shouted, "Stop, the team, stop! Comrade Qingmei is right here, and standing next to her is Comrade Zhao Xiaoxing!"
"Are you Qingmei? You don't look like the photo at all!" The young girl on the tractor jumped off, grabbed Qingmei and said enthusiastically, "I'm Huaer. Do you know who I am?"
Qingmei shook her head blankly: "I'm sorry, comrade, I really don't recognize you."
Hua'er is only sixteen this year, in the prime of her life, and she's cheerful and outgoing, not affected at all by the recent gloom. "It was you who asked the soldiers to search the cellar, wasn't it? I was imprisoned on the second floor with Xiaoyan! You saved us!"
As she spoke, Huaer shouted to the front: "Dad, this is Qingmei, my savior!"
Huaerdie is the old village chief of Brick Village. Brick Village is called Beihe Village. Because there is a brick factory, everyone calls it Brick Village.
The old man had a daughter in his old age. He had three sons, and she was the apple of his eye. When Hua'er disappeared, he and his wife searched for her like crazy. Hua'er's three brothers and sisters-in-law also did nothing but search for her all day long.
They all thought Hua'er would meet with misfortune, but who could have imagined that she would escape death and not only save her life but also her innocence. What a great fortune!
Huaer took Qingmei's hand and looked at Zhao Xiaoxing: "I know you are one of the people who saved me."
Zhao Xiaoxing waved her hand and said, "I didn't send anyone to the cellar to rescue you. I didn't know about this."
Huaer smiled brightly, her chubby face revealing two dimples: "Fighting against evil forces is saving me. Thank you, benefactor!"
Hua'er's parents and brother and sister-in-law all got off the tractor in front, swarmed around Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing, and expressed their gratitude to them from the bottom of their hearts.
The team stopped on the road for a while, and Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing were pulled onto the tractor.
Hua'er said excitedly, "My dad heard from Brother Fang that you wanted to build a house. Our family lacks everything except bricks. Look, here are three trucks, and there are three more behind. They are all for you to build your new house."
"I can't accept this." Qingmei was shocked. She helped people, but how could she accept such a big gift?
You have to know that there is construction going on everywhere nowadays, and blue bricks are very expensive. It is not as easy to get them as flowers say.
"You saved my daughter. Not only can I give you bricks to build a house, I will even tear down my house to build one for you." Hua'er's mother has two dimples like Hua'er. She and Hua'er flanked Qingmei from the left and right, trying to persuade Qingmei to accept the bricks.
The convoy was still moving and drove into Donghe Village.
Huaer asked her elder brother to light the firecrackers, and they went to Qingmei's house with the sound of crackling firecrackers and gongs and drums.
When they arrived at Qingmei's house, without waiting for Qingmei to say anything, the people on the tractor got off, put on gloves, and started unloading bricks.
Qingmei: "No, wait a minute."
Zhao Xiaoxing clutched Qingmei's arm tightly and whispered, "Am I dreaming? Forget three small brick houses. We have enough space to build a courtyard."
They made so much noise that the suona player wanted to stand on the courtyard wall to attract people to watch.
There were a lot of people watching the fun at Qingmei's door. When they heard that she came to repay her gratitude, they were all envious.
The educated youth who were doing ideological propaganda door to door took out small notebooks to record the rare grand occasion. Captain Jin, Secretary Wang and others also rushed over after hearing the news.
Qingmei saw Captain Jin and hurried over.
Before she could say anything, Hua'er's father, the retired village chief, shook Captain Jin's hand and said, "Xiao Jin, you're a great leader. My daughter was rescued by Comrade Qingmei from your village. Our whole family came here today to thank her, but she still doesn't appreciate it."
Qingmei almost gasped. What kind of a complaint was this? Was she ungrateful? This was like giving her a house. She didn't dare accept it.
Captain Jin shook Hua'er's father's hand and said, "Don't worry, old comrade. It's not that she doesn't appreciate it, she's just afraid of making a mistake. Your intentions are good, and I'll go and persuade her. This matter has nothing to do with anything else. I'm here today as a witness for you. I'll have Qingmei accept it as a token of her gratitude for your generous gift."
Qingmei opened her mouth and understood. An old cadre is an old cadre. What he said just now was to encourage Captain Jin to say these words. This would undoubtedly clear the way for the big blue brick to pass.
Qingmei was so impressed that she was actually very excited.
She had originally thought of buying second-hand bricks, but now not only are they not second-hand bricks but they are also better large blue bricks. How could she not be excited?
"Thank you, your whole family. I'll accept it respectfully." Qingmei said with a smile, "Don't leave later. I'll go buy some food and treat you all to dinner."
"No, no." Hua'er's sister-in-law had a triangular scarf wrapped around her head. She brushed the dirt off herself and said, "There are too many of us, so it's hard for you to cook. Next time, please come to our house for dinner."
Huaer shook Qingmei's hand and said, "Sister Qingmei, don't just talk to us. Look, those standing over there are Xiaoyan and her mother. Go over and take a look."
Qingmei had no idea Xiaoyan was here too. She and her mother had a low presence in the otherwise cheerful group. Furthermore, they both had a subdued aura, completely different from the atmosphere of Huaer's family.
Qingmei went to talk to Xiaoyan and her mother. Xiaoyan was holding a three-foot-long cotton cloth. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's. "This is the cloth I wove. I'm giving it to you as a thank-you gift. Please accept it."
Huaer took the cotton cloth for Qingmei and stuffed it into her arms: "Don't refuse it, Xiaoyan's cloth is well woven, and everyone is vying for it. Look how dense the stitching is, it won't tear even if you wear it for three to five years."
"Okay, thank you then." Qingmei saw that Xiaoyan's expression looked like she was about to cry.
Her mother looked on coldly from the side, then gave Xiaoyan a push and said, "Thank you, come home with me."
Qingmei said, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Xiaoyan lowered her head and murmured, "I'm leaving now..."
Qingmei had no choice but to say, "Okay, come and play when you have time."
Seeing that her mother and daughter did not follow Huaer's family, Qingmei went back first.
Hua'er hugged Qingmei's arm and said, "Xiaoyan and I are different. Her boyfriend broke off the engagement with her. Yesterday, he asked her parents to return the betrothal gifts, saying that his family only wanted virgins. Don't you think that's infuriating? Zhou Wu didn't even hold our hands. He just locked us in the cellar and insisted on falsely accusing us of losing our innocence. How shameless."
Zhao Xiaoxing cursed, "She's truly shameless. It's better not to marry into a family like that. But her mother treats her badly, too. Could it be that she doesn't trust her either?"
Qingmei said calmly, "Those who believe will believe it without being told, and those who don't believe will not believe it even if you tell them to."
Huaer pulled Qingmei and said, "Let's not talk about her. Sister Qingmei, check if there are enough bricks. If not, I'll ask my brothers to help."
Qingmei was called over by Huaer, and Zhao Xiaoxing was called over by someone outside.
"This is what Brick Village gave to Comrade Qingmei for free. Is there a share for you?"
"So many bricks, it's expensive, right?"
"Big blue bricks are warm in winter and cool in summer. One brick is worth five or six red bricks. They are really good stuff."
Zhao Xiaoxing puffed out her chest, feeling much more honored than getting married. "Of course I have a share. They said they wanted to thank me. Captain Jin said I'll also get a share of the commendation in a few days. Of course, the majority belongs to my childhood sweetheart. I just dug a few holes."
"You are quite remarkable, if it were us, we wouldn't dare to dig it."
"No wonder there was no movement in your house when I woke up a few mornings. It turns out you went out to do something important in the middle of the night."
It was the first time Zhao Xiaoxing was surrounded by people praising her. Her face turned red like a cooked shrimp. "It's nothing, just a small thing."
...
Qingmei stood behind the house and watched Huaer's family finish moving bricks in a lively manner. She originally wanted to meet Zhao Wuhe, but Zhao Wuhe was not at home. They quickly got on the tractor and left with dozens of people.
Qingmei stood in front of the pile of bricks in a daze. This family was too impetuous.
night.
Brother Fang brought back an eel from the river. Sister Fang was afraid of this thing, thinking it looked like a snake, slippery and scary.
She accompanied Brother Fang to Qingmei's home and stood at a distance, saying, "If you can do it, do it. If you can't, give it to whoever is willing. I can't stand seeing things like this. I was bitten by a snake when I was a child."
Qingmei bent down to look into the bucket, rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the eel's gills and lifted it up.
The eel was wrapped around her forearm, but she wasn't afraid. She said something tough with a curved eyebrow: "The old eel with a yellow belly is the most delicious. I won't give it to anyone. I just happen to have some small river shrimp at home. I'll make shrimp and eel noodles for you."
Mrs. Fang knew that Qingmei was a good cook, and she was both afraid and greedy: "Okay, then I'll go back and wait. When it's ready, just pass a bowl over the wall."
Zhao Xiaoxing tsk-tsk'd twice and said, "This eel weighs at least two pounds. It's an eel spirit. I'm afraid of it too. You do it while I go into the house to sew."
Qingmei sharpened her knife without even looking up: "Go away, don't get in the way."
She prepared the eel and sliced it into thin slices. She placed a spoonful of lard in the wok and tossed in a handful of small river shrimp left over from making shepherd's purse pancakes, sautéing them until fragrant.
According to tradition, it should be "fried with vegetable oil, stir-fried with animal oil, and poured with sesame oil". This is the traditional way to make shrimp and eel noodles.
There was only animal oil at home, so when frying the eel slices, Qingmei added a few more large firewoods and made the fire burn fiercely. The eel slices were poured in, and the sizzling sound of the oil was loud. The fish skin became crispy and cooked, and the fresh fragrance came out immediately.
I had leftover sweet potato flour from making locust flower pancakes at home, and I stretched and rolled green plums to make knife-cut noodles. I added a broth mixed with soy sauce, rice wine, and other seasonings to a pot, tossed in the noodles, and simmered them over high heat while the broth thickened. After three minutes, the broth was rich, the eel slices were fragrant, the shrimp were tender, and the noodles were smooth and chewy.
She called Zhao Xiaoxing over, and ordered three bowls of noodles and a bowl of eel slices with soup. The two of them swayed on a small stool and placed it against the wall. "Sister-in-law, come and get the noodles!"
It was Brother Fang who came out. He brought two bowls into the house first. After a while, Sister Fang ran out to take the other two bowls, wiping her mouth and saying, "That stuff tastes better than meat. It's just that they gave us too much. Is it enough for you?"
"That's enough, Boss Eel, we still have plenty." Qingmei jumped down from the small stool: "Eat!"
Zhao Xiaoxing happily went to put the table on the kang, then came out to serve noodles, busy as a whirlwind.
Qingmei and Grandma weren't big eaters, so Zhao Xiaoxing gobbled up all the leftovers, so full that she lay on the kang and rubbed her belly. "No wonder city people like this. You make it so delicious, so smooth and fragrant. The sweet potato noodles dipped in the broth are even better than white flour."
Qingmei lay on the kang, her head resting on Zhao Xiaoxing's legs, and stretched herself out in a big character shape: "If you add a few drops of sesame oil at the end, it will definitely taste better."
"What delicious food did you steal behind my back?" Zhao Wuhe walked into the yard, smelled the fragrant aroma in the air, and said loudly, "It's a pity that I came back late today and missed the feast."
Qingmei jumped up from the kang and, seeing Zhao Wuhe coming in, she made room for him and said, "Get on the kang."
Zhao Wuhe went to work near Gu Qingzhou's unit today and happened to invite Gu Qingzhou to have dinner together.
After dealing with Zhou Wu, she was in a good mood. She took out four large white flour buns from her Jiefang bag and said, "These are the buns their army uses. They are so delicious. I specially asked the brat to buy a few and bring them back for you. As a result, you guys ate much better than me."
Zhao Xiaoxing took the big white flour steamed bun. She compared it to Qingmei's face and said, "It's so big, Xiaomei. The steamed bun is even bigger than your face."
She said with a smile: "Captain Gu, do you know that the steamed buns are for Xiaomei?"
Seeing her gossipy face, Zhao Wuhe said, "How could you not know? I told you specifically."
Zhao Xiaoxing slapped her thigh excitedly, "These two have a thing for it. The last time I saw them cuddling together behind the house, I knew they could do it."
Qingmei explained: "We really didn't hug each other. I was about to fall into the pit, and he pulled me up."
Zhao Wuhe smiled and said, "We'll know if there's any chance of success after we meet and talk more. He's coming with comrades from the provincial department to commend us tomorrow. He said he'll give us a second-class collective merit."
Qingmei guessed that he had been dealing with this matter recently, but she didn't expect that he still remembered to commend them.
"He's been pretty tired lately, hasn't he? I heard he's had training." Qingmei said thoughtfully, "How about we put our blind date on hold?"
Zhao Wuhe said, "Why let it go? It's too late to regret it. Don't take it as a broken promise."
Zhao Xiaoxing also said, "Why did you change your mind at the last minute? Didn't we agree on this?"
Qingmei had no place to put it. It was just a feeling that there was something wrong with the way he looked at her, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.
"I haven't changed my mind. I'll go ahead with it."
Zhao Wuhe recalled, "He's been acting a little strange lately. We were having lunch together at noon, and he asked me if I had donated money to the army. Don't you think it's strange? Why would I donate to the army for no reason? Does the army need my little money?"
"Ahem..." Qingmei choked. Zhao Xiaoxing quickly came over, patted her on the back, and joked, "Why do you get so excited when you talk about Captain Gu?"
Zhao Wuhe went downstairs to pour some water for Qingmei and let her drink two sips.
"He said he was looking for a kind person recently. When I asked him what he looked like, he couldn't tell me. It was really baffling."
"......" Qingmei: "What does he want to do with kind people?"
Zhao Wuhe thought about it and said, "What else can I do? Who knows, maybe they'll think of commending us together?"
Qingmei gave the money to the army not for recognition, but mainly to get Chen Qiaoxiang.
She pursed her lips, thinking that she really couldn't publicize the fact that she gave the stolen money to the army. Apart from anything else, if Chen Qiaoxiang's family knew about it, they would definitely not let her go.
I heard the verdict is coming soon, and everyone's talking about it. They might even blame her for getting Chen Han shot.
After all, Tiandao loves Chen Qiaoxiang, and her heart can be bent into a dog's stomach. Qingmei doesn't want to provoke the original heroine head-on.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have covered her face in broad daylight and ran out of the back door of a restaurant carrying her bicycle like a crazy woman.
She planned to keep this matter to herself and not tell anyone.
Zhao Xiaoxing sat cross-legged on the kang, sewing clothes. She casually changed the topic to Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou: "So you two just went to arrest people last time and didn't do anything else?"
She scratched her hair with a needle and said, "That's really boring. I don't want to learn more about it."
Qingmei thought to herself, she already knew how sturdy Gu Qingzhou's waist was and how strong his thighs were. The other party didn't know how to call her a female hooligan in his heart.
This couldn't be said publicly, as it would make her look like a hooligan if she did. Heaven and earth knew, and it was enough for her and Gu Qingzhou to know.
After chatting for a while, Zhao Wuhe was about to go home, and her grandmother carried the bedding roll and started to make the kang.
Qingmei stood with her hands on her hips and watched Zhao Xiaoxing wash her feet before letting her onto the kang. The three of them lay upright on the kang, said a few words, and slowly fell asleep.
*** ***
Gu Qingzhou first went to the provincial government office to reunite with his old comrades. The reporters from the newspaper had already arrived. Together with the city leaders, they drove a large group of seven or eight cars to Donghe Village.
Zhao Xiaoxing stood on the dam, tiptoeing to look towards the end of the road. She vaguely saw a convoy approaching and quickly turned around and shouted, "Here they come! The leader who will give us the awards is here."
Qingmei was freezing cold in her new spring sweater. Just as she was about to shrink her neck, Zhao Wuhe reminded her, "Stand up straight. Someone's taking pictures."
Zhao Xiaoxing insisted that she wear new clothes. Look at the whole group, she was wearing the least.
Captain Jin and the brigade cadres were also waiting at the edge of the dam early, craning their necks to look over there.
Gu Qingzhou personally drove the car to lead the way. He drove an off-road jeep and stopped in front of everyone in Donghe Village.
She opened the car door and got out with her long legs. Zhao Xiaoxing nudged Qingmei with her elbow, and Qingmei pinched the inside of her arm.
Gu Qingzhou watched without saying anything. After the leaders got off the car, they walked to the brigade headquarters.
Captain Jin and others are the highest leaders of Donghe Village, responsible for communicating with the leaders in the city.
Gu Qingzhou walked in front, occasionally looking back, and found that the petite Qingmei was walking among the crowd, and was very well-behaved in front of a group of leaders.
Pretending.
Gu Qingzhou curled his lips.
It wasn't the honor of patting him with a shovel that night.
When we arrived at the brigade headquarters, the reporters began to ask everyone to stand and take pictures.
Qingmei, Zhao Wuhe and Zhao Xiaoxing were awarded the second-class collective merit by provincial and municipal leaders, and the certificate was hung in the brigade office.
Qingmei received a fifty-yuan bonus, Zhao Wuhe and Zhao Xiaoxing received twenty yuan each, representing a brand new great unity.
The firecrackers were set off as if they were free. Captain Jin and others felt proud of it and had bright smiles on their faces.
Donghe Village is more lively today than during Chinese New Year. Children are running and jumping, and adults are not working in the fields. They are all crowded outside the brigade headquarters to watch the award ceremony.
"I heard you wanted your own bicycle," the provincial department leader said before leaving. "Let's have Captain Gu accompany you to buy one. We've already given him the bicycle ticket. After all, it's a large item, and we can't find a style that the ladies would like."
Qingmei hadn't mentioned wanting a bicycle, so Zhao Wuhe came over and whispered, "I did." She winked and said, "Let's get a lighter one."
Qingmei suddenly realized that Captain Jin's 28-inch truck was indeed heavy, and her shoulders were sore from carrying it twice.
She smiled at the leader and said sweetly, "Thank you for your concern. I will accept it."
Gu Qingzhou stood beside her and saw that her eyes and eyebrows were very beautiful, and she was excited because she got a bicycle.
He remembered the soldier who received the donation saying, "The other person's eyes are so beautiful, and their eyelashes are fluttering."
An idea suddenly flashed through his mind, and Gu Qingzhou pursed his lips imperceptibly as his eyes glanced at Qingmei's face.
Could it be her?
"Son, let's go to the North Street Commercial Building. I've heard they have some very fashionable new Feiyan bicycles there."
Zhao Wuhe pulled Qingmei into Gu Qingzhou's car and instructed Gu Qingzhou, "Let's hurry up and go."
Zhao Xiaoxing waved from below: "Go quickly and come back soon." She would vomit at the smell of gasoline, otherwise she would have followed them.
Gu Qingzhou didn't bring Bao Mi with him and drove to Beijiekou by himself.
There were not many vehicles on the road, and it took about 40 minutes to reach the Beijiekou Commercial Building.
The place to buy bicycles is on the underground floor. Currently, the bicycle tickets are tight, so there are not many people coming to buy bicycles, only two or three here and there.
The salesperson saw someone approaching and saw a handsome, senior military officer. He hurried over with a smile and said politely, "Comrade, what kind of car would you like to see?"
Gu Qingzhou raised his chin and said, "Let her choose."
The salesperson turned and looked at Qingmei, then said with a smile, "Any special requests?"
Seeing that Qingmei wasn't very tall, she figured she'd need a smaller 24-inch bike. That's usually the choice anyway.
But Qingmei said, "I want the lightest one, the lightest one."
Gu Qingzhou raised his eyebrows slightly.
The salesperson had no experience with this. She went over to discuss it with another salesperson for a while, then came over with a women's 24-inch bicycle and asked, "Would you like to try this one?"
Zhao Wuhe patted the seat and said, "Girl, come here and try it."
"Hey." Qingmei walked over and subconsciously bent down to pick up the bicycle.
The salesperson's eyes almost popped out of her head. This was the first time she had seen someone try out a bicycle like this.
Gu Qingzhou controlled his expression much better than the salesperson and watched calmly.
Qingmei and Zhao Wuhe didn't think anything was wrong.
Gu Qingzhou looked at her quietly for a while, then said considerately, "It must be very hard for you to carry it normally, right?"
The new bike is half as light and still doesn't hurt.
Qingmei was very satisfied.
She touched her shoulder happily and said, "It's okay. I sewed a shoulder pad."
"Shoulder pads..." Gu Qingzhou laughed briefly, "Will this make you run faster?"
Qingmei said cheerfully, "We have to be fast, so we can catch up with the little donkey in the production team."
Gu Qingzhou said with a half-smile, "Faster than when you ran from the army gate?"
Qingmei slurred her words: "Of course..."
After saying that, Qingmei froze, her face darkened, and the bicycle dangled on her shoulders...
Damn you, Gu Qingzhou, you are so cunning that you actually try to trick me when I am so happy!
"It's you." Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "I caught you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com