Old Mrs. Chu was about to go out with a basket when she saw Yao Xiujuan and others carrying the soaking wet Yao Xiuli back. She went up to her in surprise and asked, "Xiujuan, what happened to Xiuli?"
"Grandma, Xiu Li accidentally fell into the ditch..."
Old Mrs. Chu was shocked. After she realized what was happening, she quickly said, "What? Then, grandma, go boil some water and let Xiuli take a hot bath..."
Seeing Yao Xiujuan and Chu Wei's wife already helping Yao Xiuli walk into the house, Zhang Ping said to Old Mrs. Chu, "Grandma, do you have ginger and brown sugar at home? Make a bowl of brown sugar ginger water for Xiuli to get rid of the cold..."
Mrs. Chu turned and walked towards the kitchen, then paused. "I have brown sugar, but I don't think I have any ginger..."
Zhang Ping quickly replied, "I have some at home. I'll go get two..."
Yao Xiuli took several sips of the brown sugar ginger water that Old Lady Chu brought her before she felt better.
Old Madam Chu felt so distressed when she saw Yao Xiuli's pale face. She walked over and sat opposite her, touching her face. "Xiuli, are you okay? That's great! You didn't even realize you were so scared. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"By the way, how did you fall into the ditch?"
Yao Xiuli was still terrified when she thought about what had just happened. "I, I was trying to reach the wolfberries above, but I didn't notice I was standing on the edge of the canal, so I accidentally fell in..."
Seeing her trembling all over, Mrs. Chu hurriedly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid, luckily there were people nearby..."
Yao Xiujuan nodded and said, "Yes, Li Zhiqing jumped into the canal without a second thought. Otherwise, I really can't even imagine the consequences..."
Old Mrs. Chu was surprised, "Did he jump in to save her?"
Zhang Ping nodded. "Didn't he jump in? The water in the canal was so fast, the moment Xiu Li fell in, she was swept down. If Li Zhiqing hadn't jumped in without hesitation and hugged Xiu Li, then... "
Mrs. Chu was even more shocked when she heard this. "Did he hug Xiu Li?"
Yao Xiujuan and Zhang Ping were both stunned. Even Chu Wei's wife, who had been silent all this time, was stunned. The three of them looked at each other for a while, and then turned to look at Yao Xiuli, who had a confused look on her face.
After a long silence, Yao Xiujuan tentatively asked, "Is everything okay? It was an emergency, and we were saving people, so..."
Mrs. Chu frowned, "If only you guys were here, then it would definitely be fine!"
After a pause, he continued, "But, didn't you say that many team members have gone there..."
Zhang Ping continued, "Grandma, Xiu Li isn't from our brigade. We don't need to worry even if they talk about it. When we find a husband in the future, we can just look for someone from their regiment, right?"
Yao Xiujuan agreed, "Yeah, wouldn't it be better if my little sister didn't bother looking for people from our side in the future? Let them talk about it if they want!"
Old Mrs. Chu glanced at Yao Xiuli, who looked confused, and nodded slowly.
"Well, that's fine too."
"only···"
Yao Xiuli's heart tightened, and she asked nervously, "Grandma Chu, just what?"
Old Mrs. Chu smiled and patted her hand soothingly. "It's just that Li Zhiqing will probably be gossiped about behind her back by those gossipers in the brigade..."
Yao Xiujuan frowned, "He is doing good things, why should..."
Before she finished speaking, Chu Wei's wife sighed and said slowly, "Xiujuan, you may not have seen any chaotic scenes in Xinjiang, but in our hometown, we have seen many, with all kinds of names..."
"If a man and a woman hugging and kissing each other in public like this is reported to the higher authorities by someone with ulterior motives, they will be treated as hooligans! They will be invited to have tea, and in serious cases, they may even be forced to eat peanuts..."
Yao Xiujuan was shocked. "Yes, yes, but this is a brave act."
Mrs. Chu was silent for a moment, then continued, "I remember that a year before we came here, a girl from our brigade rolled down the mountain. A young man passing by saw her and carried her back to the brigade. As a result..."
Yao Xiuli tightly grasped a corner of the quilt covering her, her knuckles turning blue. "Grandma Chu, what's the result?"
Old Mrs. Chu sighed, "Because the girl's leg was broken, her family forced the man to marry her. If he didn't agree, they would go to the Revolutionary Committee and sue the young man, saying he was a hooligan..."
"The young man didn't want to marry her, but there was nothing we could do. In the end, the young man's family was forced to empty their savings and pay a large amount of money to the girl's family before the matter was settled."
Yao Xiujuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Grandma, we won't do anything ungrateful like that."
Zhang Ping patted the excited Yao Xiujuan, "Of course we won't do those things. We're just afraid that someone might do something bad behind our backs, saying that Xiuli and Li Zhiqing are having an affair. That would not only be bad for Xiuli, but it would be even worse for Li Zhiqing..."
Yao Xiujuan's face was not good, "They..."
Before she could finish her words, she heard Yao Xiuli say, "Sister, if I can affect Li Zhiqing's reputation, I am willing to marry him."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. They looked at Yao Xiuli, who was biting her lip and looking at them stubbornly. After a while, Mrs. Chu came to her senses and hurriedly took Yao Xiuli's hand and comforted her, "Xiuli, we are just guessing. Don't think too much..."
Yao Xiuli slowly shook her head when she heard this, staring straight at Yao Xiujuan, and said seriously, "Sister, I, I am willing to marry Li Zhiqing."
Yao Xiujuan's body shook, and she asked anxiously, "Xiu Li, tell me, are you...?"
"yes."
Yao Xiuli admitted it without waiting for Yao Xiujuan to ask. She looked at Yao Xiujuan seriously and said, "Sister, I like Li Zhiqing. I've had my eye on him for a long time..."
Zhang Ping and Chu Wei's wife were stunned when they heard this. After a while, they quickly stood up and said, "Grandma, Lifang and the children haven't come back yet. Let's go check on them."
Old Mrs. Chu also stood up and said, "Well, I'll go with you."
After saying that, he reached out and patted Yao Xiujuan, then without saying anything, followed Zhang Ping and the others out.
Outside the courtyard, Old Madam Chu saw Chu Lifang and Li Meiling walking back with the children from afar, and she said to the two granddaughters-in-law beside her, "You should all know what to say and what not to say, right?"
Zhang Ping and Chu Wei's wife quickly responded, "Grandma, we know. We all just let it go in one ear and out the other."
Mrs. Chu nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Xinxin running in front of her, she quickly bent down and grabbed her, "Xinxin, why are you running so fast?"
Xinxin's eyes were red, "Grandma, Auntie..."
Mrs. Chu smiled and touched her pigtails. "Be good, your aunt is fine, but she is sleepy and needs to rest. Let's not disturb her for now..."
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