Chapter 44 Find Her
As night fell, Lin Qi was sitting on a small stool under the eaves, eating eggs in small bites, when Captain Luo Feng and Deputy Captain Luo Zhijian walked in.
The wormwood was burning, emitting thick white smoke. At first, Lin Qi didn't see their faces and thought they were Ming Kangjian and his men. That was until they stood in front of her and looked down at her.
"Is it delicious?" asked the captain.
Lin Qi slowly raised her head, looked at the captain and the deputy captain, then lowered her head to look at her egg. There was only half left, so she stuffed it into her mouth.
"Delicious." She said slurredly.
Luo Feng and Luo Zhijian were speechless. They were fifty years old. Could they possibly snatch food from a child like her?
When the other people at the educated youth point heard the noise, they came out of their rooms one by one.
"Two captains, what's the matter that brings you here so late?" Ming Kangjian said as he moved chairs for the two men.
"There is one thing." Luo Feng said after a pause, "I heard that you often had fish to eat at the youth education center?"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere instantly became serious. Ming Kangjian, Jian Yi and the other six looked at each other in bewilderment. Could it be that they were coming to settle accounts for what happened before?
That’s not right. A few days ago, everyone spent the whole day in the river, and no one in the team said anything at that time.
"Don't be nervous. I'm here to ask a favor of you. To be more precise, I'm here to ask a favor of Lin Qi." The captain looked at Lin Qi.
Lin Qi had already swallowed the egg and was now sipping water. When she heard her own name, she seemed to come back to her senses, "Me?"
"We would like to ask you to catch fish for the team." The captain said straight to the point.
"Okay." Lin Qi agreed without thinking.
After the captain left, Ming Kangjian and the others were so excited that they wanted to scream, and their eyes were burning as they stared at Lin Qi.
"Will there be fish to eat tomorrow?" Mo Mingyang confirmed with Lin Qi.
Lin Qi didn't say anything.
"Who dares to guarantee such a thing? The captain didn't ask Lin Qi to catch fish. He just asked her to try her best to catch more fish while protecting herself." Jian Yi said this, but the heat in his eyes did not diminish at all. "But Qi Qi will definitely not let us down, right?"
"Yes." Lin Qi said seriously.
Jane Tongyi: “…”
Others: “….”
A basin of cold water was poured down over my head.
After a while, Jian Yitong comforted himself, "Even if there is nothing tomorrow, there will be something the day after tomorrow. I believe in Qiqi."
Lin Qi glanced at him calmly and said, "I want to take a shower."
"No problem, I'll go get some water right away." Jian Tongyi immediately stood up and went out carrying the bucket.
"I'm going to take a shower too. I'm tired after a day's work. I'll go to bed early after taking a shower because I have to get up early tomorrow." Ming Kangjian also went out.
The others followed without saying a word.
There was no one at the educated youth site, so Lin Qi went out and went to the straw hut.
Cows are needed for the autumn harvest, and Old Man Xu doesn't have to herd cattle, he also has to work in the fields. When Lin Qi came to the straw shed, Xu Hexiao was giving him a massage.
The young man's hands, which were covered with blisters and tiny wounds, pressed hard on the old man's skinny and withered body. The old man closed his eyes, frowned, and hummed from time to time.
"I'll do it. I also know how to give massages." Lin Qi said.
Xu Hexiao was startled and turned to look at her, "Why are you here at this time?"
"I'm here to give you some eggs." Lin Qi took out two eggs from the pockets on both sides of his pants, "One for you and Grandpa Xu."
Xu Hexiao looked at the four white and tender eggs with a gentle look in his eyes. "Don't come next time. I'll go to the educated youth camp to find you."
Lin Qi shook her head, "I'm not tired."
"I'd better go find you." I'm afraid you'd come here and be seen by others.
Lin Qi didn't argue with him, "Okay."
Xu Hexiao peeled eggs, and Lin Qi rolled up her sleeves and imitated Xu Hexiao's previous massage of Old Man Xu. During their conversation, Old Man Xu didn't wake up, which showed that he was very tired.
She remembered that Doctor Ma said that he was not feeling well. Was he asleep or unconscious?
Lin Qi didn't know how to massage, she could only do random massage. She used her wood ability to walk through Old Man Xu's body to relieve his fatigue. As for more, she was powerless.
Old Man Xu's health was just like what Doctor Ma said, it was exhausted and could not be cured by medicine. If he took good care of himself, he might be able to live a little longer. If he kept working hard, he might not survive this autumn harvest.
Lin Qi secretly glanced at the young man who was cracking an egg beside the bed, and her heart ached slightly.
Once Old Man Xu dies, won’t he become an orphan?
"You actually know how to massage!" Xu Hexiao said in surprise. His grandfather was sleeping peacefully, breathing steadily, and all the pain in his body seemed to have left him.
Lin Qi snorted twice, "If I say yes, of course I really will. I'm going back now, and you should go to bed early too."
Xu Hexiao was a little reluctant to let Lin Qi go, but he also knew that the autumn harvest was tiring and she needed more rest, so he didn't keep her.
After watching her leave, he went back and ate the cut eggs.
After leaving the educated youth camp, Lin Qi did not return to the educated youth camp, but went to the captain's house first. Xu Hexiao did not know what she had said to the captain. The next day, when he learned that his grandfather was going to the mountains with Lin Qi to fish, he was completely stunned.
"You don't have to participate in the autumn harvest?" Xu Hexiao asked.
Old Man Xu smiled. "It's also the autumn harvest, but the division of labor is different. The team leader gives me five work points a day, and Lin Qi gets eight. If we get a lot of fish, we'll get more."
Xu Hexiao's nose was slightly sour, "Lin Qi doesn't like others to refute her, just do whatever she asks you to do, don't ask any more questions."
Old Man Xu laughed, "Okay, I know."
Before Lin Qi came, Xu Hexiao had to go to work. He had many questions to ask her, such as how she convinced the captain, and whether she chose his grandfather because of him...
Xu Hexiao left the hut with a lot on his mind.
Because she was going fishing, Lin Qi stopped cutting grass for the pigs. After breakfast, she went to the warehouse to get a shoulder pole and two buckets, then carried the buckets to the straw shed to call Old Man Xu.
When Old Man Xu saw her coming, he narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Give me the burden."
"No need. I can do it." Lin Qi said.
Old Man Xu shook his head. "I am a member of the black five categories. If I follow you empty-handed, others will be dissatisfied."
Having said that, Lin Qi had no choice but to hand the burden over to Old Man Xu.
Now, Lin Qi was walking slowly in front, and Old Man Xu was following behind carrying an empty bucket.
Lin Qi had no plans to go to Turtle Back Pond. She had already eaten the fish there twice, so there probably wouldn't be any new fish coming in the near future.
She wanted to go to the mountains, to the upper reaches of the river. The mountain walls there were steep and the mountain roads were difficult to walk on. She had not gone there before because she was too weak. Now that her strength had recovered by 20% or 30%, she could go and explore.
The two men left the village, walked through the fields, and came to the foot of the mountain.
Lin Qi turned around and said, "Wait for me under that tree."
Old man Xu was stunned. "Don't you need my help?"
"I'm enough. You can carry the fish from here to the canteen. It's a long way to go, so you must conserve your strength." Lin Qi reminded.
"You girl..." Old Man Xu wiped the corners of his wet eyes, "I know you are very capable, but no matter how powerful you are, you can't defeat a ferocious beast. You must be careful, and don't force yourself when you encounter danger."
"Okay, I know." Lin Qi said, turning and walking towards the mountains.
The water in the mountain stream was fast-flowing, and there was a section of the river that was flanked by steep cliffs, so Lin Qi had to take a detour.
Coming down from the mountain, we came to the junction of the two mountains. The water flow became much calmer here. There were all kinds of rocks on the shore, and the rocks were covered with moss. Some animal footprints could be seen on the moss.
Lin Qi looked around, but saw no other animals except some birds.
She took off her clothes, threw them on the grass beside her, and walked barefoot towards the water step by step.
"What do you think Qiqi is doing now? Has she gained anything?" Mo Mingyang asked.
Jian Yitong raised his head and glanced at the position of the sun. "It's only nine o'clock in the morning. With Qiqi's speed, I'm afraid we haven't reached our destination yet."
Zhao Yi: "I have a feeling we'll have fish to eat today."
At this moment, Xu Hexiao passed by them carrying a sack of corn. Sweat flowed from his forehead into his eyes. He wiped it off and glanced at Jian Tong and others. When he saw the tall figures of Jian Tong and others, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.
No wonder Qiqi always complained about his height. Compared with these people, he was more than a head shorter.
At this moment, a great sense of inferiority surged into Xu Hexiao's heart, and his already bent back seemed to bend even more.
At lunch, the canteen still serves mixed grain rice, fried potatoes, and cold vegetables.
"There's really no fish to eat." Zhao Yi said with a sad face.
Mo Mingyang looked sullen, "Life is dull and boring, and the last bit of fun has been taken away."
Jian Yitong smiled bitterly, "Lin Qi really keeps her word. If she says she won't have it, then she won't have it."
At the same time, Lin Qi on the other side was carrying a newly woven basket made of vines on her shoulders. The basket was so big that it was four or five times as wide as she was. She walked down the mountain step by step, and Old Man Xu noticed the basket at a glance.
Old Man Xu trotted forward and wanted to help her, but she stopped him, "Don't move, it's a bit heavy."
"Then I'll support you from behind." Old Man Xu said. Looking at the full basket of fish, he was shocked beyond words.
How did she manage to catch so many fish in just a few hours?
Old man Xu remembered his grandson's words and asked less questions. So he didn't ask any more questions, but helped Lin Qi to sit under the tree, took out the water in the bamboo tube, and handed it to Lin Qi, "Drink it, this is untouched."
Lin Qi took the bamboo tube without hesitation, drank half of it, and then returned the tube to Old Man Xu.
"It's probably past lunch time at this time. Are you hungry?" asked Old Man Xu.
"I'm not hungry." Lin Qi said, taking out four eggs from her arms and giving two to Old Man Xu. "I ate some wild fruits in the mountains, and now two more eggs will be enough."
Old Man Xu took the egg and said embarrassedly, "I have lived so many years in vain. I am not as well prepared as you."
The two men ate the eggs and drank some water before they put the fish in the basket into buckets, which Old Man Xu carried on his back and walked towards the village.
An old man and a young boy walked slowly through the fields. Today's task was to harvest corn, which was in another place. They didn't meet anyone along the way.
They didn't see a single person until they entered the cafeteria.
The people in the cafeteria were cleaning pots and basins when they saw Old Man Xu walk in with two full buckets of fish. They were so frightened that they dropped the things in their hands to the ground with a clanging sound.
“Oh my god, so many fish!”
"If the village pond hadn't been drained for three years, there wouldn't be a fish this big!"
"My mission is complete. I'm going back to the educated youth point." Lin Qi turned around and left without saying anything. Before leaving, she tugged at Old Man Xu's sleeve and said, "Leave it to them."
Old Man Xu didn't know what to do at first, but when Lin Qi reminded him, he immediately put down his carrying pole and left with Lin Qi.
Two chefs: “….”
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