Chapter 196 The Country Needs Construction
"Please rest assured, with me here, I will never let Xiaoli and An'an suffer any more grievances. I will do my best to protect them and will also do my best to take care of all the elders."
The dim light of the oil lamp danced on his resolute face, reflecting in his eyes, making his determination, sincerity, and sense of responsibility appear exceptionally genuine and unquestionable.
Looking at the handsome and composed young man in front of her, and then at the undisguised reliance and trust in her daughter's eyes, Xu Nuoyan's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, and her heavy heart seemed to find some support.
"Oh, good, good, our precious grandchildren are all safe and sound. That's better than anything else, better than anything else..."
Grandpa gently placed the wine glass he had been caressing on the table, his voice hoarse with the characteristic huskiness of old age, yet full of gentleness and a kind of open-mindedness born of hardship.
"Let bygones be bygones. Don't bring it up again, and don't blame yourself anymore. The children are all doing well now, and Xiaoli has found a place to live. Things will gradually get better from now on, and that's the most important thing."
He tried to liven things up, picking up his chopsticks: "Come on, everyone, eat your food while it's hot. Let's stop dwelling on the past and look forward."
As he spoke, he placed a piece of stir-fried greens on Xu Zhili's plate and then added a rare piece of cured meat to Xie Yunce's bowl, warmly greeting him.
"Xiao Xie, right? Don't be shy, eat more. Our conditions here are simple, we don't have anything good to offer you, but this cured meat is pork that Xiao Li managed to bring over last time. Her mother is very good at curing, it's very flavorful. You should try it."
Xie Yunze quickly accepted the bowl with both hands and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Then, with remarkable ease, he cut the few pieces of cured meat in his bowl in half, put most of them into Xu Zhili's bowl, and whispered, "You should eat more too."
The movements were fluid and considerate, as if they had been done a thousand times before, full of everyday care.
Xu Zhili hadn't expected him to act like this in front of his family. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She lowered her head shyly and ate her rice.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her parents and grandmother exchanging a glance. Their eyes held a look of relief, understanding, and a smile of reassurance. Instantly, her heart felt like it was warmed by a small stove, cozy and comforting, dispelling all the chill.
The dim light of the oil lamp softly enveloped this small corner, and the air was filled with the simple yet warm aroma of food and a faint scent of wine.
The warmth and fragrance intertwined, as if possessing a magical power, temporarily diluting the bitterness of the cowshed, and condensing this moment into a precious and warm memory in those difficult years.
————
Xu Zhili sat at the table, the glow of the kerosene lamp dancing on the rough paper, illuminating her focused profile.
The pencil moved swiftly between her fingers, making a soft scratching sound, and smooth lines and precise data gradually filled the drawing.
Outside the window, the silence of night had long since descended, and the chirping of insects in late autumn had become sparse, with only the occasional weary low chirping of crickets coming from the corner of the wall, which further accentuated the tranquility inside the room.
"Zhili, aren't you going to sleep yet? It's already past midnight."
Xu Nuoyan's mother quietly pushed open the door and came in carrying a bowl of steaming rice porridge, her voice filled with concern, "The light is so dim, don't ruin your eyes by staying up too late."
Xu Zhili looked up from the complex blueprints, subconsciously rubbed her slightly sore neck, and gave her mother a reassuring smile.
"Go to sleep right away, Mom. This picture is almost finished. Once it's done, I'll rest."
Xu Nuoyan gently placed the warm bowl of porridge on the corner of the table, avoiding touching the spread-out papers.
Her gaze swept across the table; the dense lines, complex structures, and incomprehensible numerical symbols made her dizzy, and she couldn't help but frown slightly.
"What kind of mechanical things are these drawings? They're all so winding and convoluted, they're making my head spin."
"These are some design drawings for improved machinery."
Xu Zhili didn't explain much about the concepts that were difficult to understand in this era; she just smiled gently.
She knew that her mother came over at this time every night, ostensibly to see her, but in reality, she was there to visit her younger brother An'an, who was sleeping in the adjacent side room.
She often saw her mother quietly squatting by her younger brother's crib under the dim light of the oil lamp, carefully tucking in the blankets for An'an, who was a restless sleeper and had kicked off the covers.
Sometimes she would hum those old nursery rhymes, faded with the years, in a very low voice, as soft as a feather, as if afraid of disturbing the moonlight flowing outside the window.
Since the emergency repairs at the reservoir construction site three months ago, she has demonstrated a vision and knowledge ahead of her time.
After decisively identifying the root cause of the malfunction in the transport vehicle's core components and proposing a solution that prevented major delays, she clearly realized that the mechanical engineering knowledge she had acquired from the future should not and could not be buried.
After that, she began to use every quiet moment at night to carefully draw out those excellent designs from her memory that had been tested countless times in later generations, taking into account the actual conditions at present.
She knew better than anyone what was most urgently needed in this era of rebuilding.
It is a more powerful and reliable transportation capability, and more advanced national defense equipment to protect the country.
Xu Nuoyan watched her back as she hunched over her desk, and sighed softly, her words filled with a mother's worry and confusion.
"You're a young woman, why do you spend all your time working on these hard, rigid iron things, drawing those crooked and convoluted diagrams that make people dizzy? What's the point?"
As Xu Nuoyan tidied the table, she kept muttering, "We should just live a peaceful life, earn enough work points to eat and drink, instead of going through all this trouble..."
She paused, looking at her daughter's focused profile, and her voice softened: "I remember before, before the apocalypse, you were the type to rest whenever you could, living a very relaxed life. How come you're like a different person here, rushing forward with all your might?"
Finally, she gently patted Xu Zhili's shoulder: "You really don't need to work so hard. It breaks my heart to see you like this."
Xu Zhili put down her pen, turned around, and grasped her mother's hands, which were rough and calloused from years of hard work, her gaze clear and firm.
“Mom, the country is currently engaged in construction, which is a time when everyone needs to put in their effort. Everyone should contribute, regardless of gender. I happen to know about these things, so I can’t keep them to myself. I’m always thinking about how I can be of some use.”
Seeing the unwavering determination in her daughter's eyes, Xu Nuoyan swallowed back any further words of dissuasion. She simply shook her head helplessly and gave her a final, worried reminder before leaving the room.
"Drink the porridge while it's hot; it'll warm your stomach."
The door was gently closed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
