Chapter 21
Ye Qingzhi’s guess was correct. Not long after everyone learned she was joining the army, they also found out she had sold her house and private plot.
Whether it was selling the house or the private plot, no one could understand.
To the Chinese people, a house was the root, and land was life. Ye Qingzhi was just remarrying with her children. Why did she sell her house and land? What was the difference between that and digging her own grave?
The one with the biggest reaction was, of course, Wei Youliang. After hearing the news, he had been cursing nonstop, from Ye Qingzhi to Wei Jiancheng, then to his deceased wife, and finally back to Ye Qingzhi.
Also cursing were Wei Third Uncle and the others. They had originally planned to borrow the house and private plot from Ye Qingzhi first, then slowly make it their own. They hadn’t expected her to secretly sell them all.
“How did we not see how cunning Ye Qingzhi was before? As expected, birds of a feather flock together. Second Sister-in-law was especially calculating, and the daughter-in-law she found is just as calculating,” Wei Third Aunt said angrily.
Wei Fifth Aunt said nothing. The house and private plot had already been sold by Ye Qingzhi. She was now a regiment commander’s wife. There was no point in saying any of this now.
“Do you have any ideas?” Wei Fifth Uncle asked in a low voice.
“Qingzhi’s status is different now. When Jiancheng was at home, our two families were on good terms. Later, when Jiancheng went to work on the Third Front, I used to take care of her often at first, but we slowly grew distant. I want to repair my relationship with Qingzhi. We have several grandsons. In the future, when it’s time for them to enlist, if Qingzhi’s husband can put in a good word…” Wei Fifth Aunt said, lowering her voice.
Wei Fifth Uncle immediately understood his wife’s thoughts. He was tempted, but then he shook his head. Ye Qingzhi was already at the army base. It wouldn’t be that easy to restore their relationship.
Wei Fifth Aunt was a little unwilling and also a little regretful. If she had known that Ye Qingzhi would have such good fortune, she shouldn’t have grown distant from her back then.
The liveliest place now was Auntie Ye’s house. Who else but her was closest to Ye Qingzhi? Everyone wanted to get news about Ye Qingzhi from her.
“Auntie Ye, how much did Qingzhi sell her house and private plot for?” Big Sister Wang was more curious about this.
“Not much. Alright, it’s getting late. You all should go home. We’re going to start cutting the rice in a couple of days. You won’t have the strength if you don’t rest well. When the Brigade Leader and the Village Secretary scold you, don’t blame me for not reminding you,” Auntie Ye said, starting to shoo them away.
Second Great-Aunt was not a tight-lipped person. Besides, there were so many people there that day. The price of the house must have already spread. What everyone really wanted to know was how much the private plot had been sold for. Of course, Auntie Ye couldn’t tell them.
After sending away these curious villagers, Auntie Ye closed the door and said to Wei Youfu in a low voice, “Qingzhi is really shrewd. You don’t know, Wei Youliang and his brothers all wanted to take advantage of Qingzhi.”
“How so?” Wei Youfu took a sip of his wine, feeling pleased.
Auntie Ye snorted coldly. “I overheard it. Jiancheng’s third uncle wanted to borrow Qingzhi’s house for his younger son’s wedding. Just them, the couple. They said ‘borrow,’ but they had no intention of returning it.”
It was a good thing Qingzhi was smart and sold the house directly to Second Great-Uncle. With the money, she could just build a new house when the children grew up.
“Qingzhi is a person who will have good fortune in the future. Her partner is a deputy regiment commander at twenty-nine. His future is limitless. You must not lose contact with her. More connections mean more opportunities. Who knows when we might need her help,” Wei Youfu said seriously.
“I know. I’m not stupid,” Auntie Ye said, rolling her eyes at him.
To be honest, Auntie Ye’s feelings were very complicated right now. She was happy for Ye Qingzhi for finding such a good home, but she also regretted that such a good match wasn’t for her own daughter.
A twenty-nine-year-old deputy regiment commander with a monthly salary of over a hundred yuan. No, she had to keep in touch with Qingzhi. In the future, she would find a military officer for Juzi too.
The news of Ye Qingzhi selling her house and land also spread to Dayangcun. After hearing it, He Dagu ran to find He Dali and Yang Fuzhen again.
“I told you this Ye Qingzhi was cunning on the inside. Look at her, in such a hurry to find a new man right after her husband died. She even sold her ex-husband’s house and land. Qiming’s job is already dangerous. If something happens, can she remain faithful? Won’t she sell Qiming’s house and land too?” He Dali paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.
“They’ve already gotten their certificate. What can we do?” Yang Fuzhen said, dejected.
“No. Eldest, you write a letter to Qiming and tell him to find a way to divorce Ye Qingzhi. We can’t have such a spendthrift woman,” He Dali said, slapping the table hard in anger.
Li Hehua pulled He Qigao back. “Dad, Qiming is a soldier. This is a military marriage. It’s a jailable offense to break up a military marriage.”
“Can Qiming have his older brother arrested?” He Dali glared.
Li Hehua pouted. “Qiming won’t, but Ye Qingzhi will. She’s already joined him at the base. This letter Qigao sends will be evidence. It’s a sure conviction. If you want Qigao to go to jail, then let him write it.”
In any case, Li Hehua did not agree to He Qigao writing this letter. If someone had to write it, He Dali could do it himself, or find He Qiwang.
Hearing this, how could He Qigao and He Qiwang dare to write? They didn’t want to go to jail.
He Dagu sighed, and Yang Fuzhen wiped her tears, while He Dali could only rage impotently.
Regardless of what was happening back home, Ye Qingzhi and the others were finally about to arrive in Xishi.
“Mama, are we there yet? How much longer until we can get off?” Ye Anjie asked, leaning against Ye Qingzhi.
For three whole days and nights, not to mention the children, Ye Qingzhi also wanted to get off the train as soon as possible.
“The announcer said there’s still an hour. It’s almost time. You and your brother can play for a while. Papa and I will pack up,” Ye Qingzhi said. She planned to pack up first to avoid making any mistakes in a hurry.
The dried vegetables and some of the clothes and quilts had already been mailed. What they carried with them were the heavier things like sweet potato flour and dried sweet potatoes.
There was also a bag of clean clothes, a hundred catties of rice, twenty catties of millet, and six baskets—two large, two medium, and two small, just enough for each person to carry one.
Of course, Yangyang’s basket only contained some daily necessities and food.
Watching them pack, Zhang Dama pouted. Country folk are country folk. Going out is like moving house, carrying all sorts of junk.
Ye Qingzhi didn’t even look her way. She just packed up and waited to get off the train.
“Sister Qingzhi.” Li Jinfeng was also packing. Seeing Ye Qingzhi, she waved at her. “I don’t know if we’ll see each other again after we get off the train. I remember you like to eat pomegranates. I still have a few here. You can have them all.”
“No, no, you keep them for yourself,” Ye Qingzhi said, waving her hand.
“Take them. It’s fate that we met,” Li Jinfeng said, enthusiastically stuffing them into her hand.
Ye Qingzhi took the pomegranates and turned to get a few oranges for her. “We still have to take a bus. I get a little carsick, and holding an orange helps. Otherwise, I would have given them all to you.”
At the thought of having to take such a long bus ride, Ye Qingzhi already started to feel nauseous.
“You’re also transferring to a bus? Where are you going next?” Li Jinfeng had thought they were just going to Xishi.
“To Wushi. I heard it’s another five-hour bus ride,” Ye Qingzhi said. The thought of it scared her.
“What? You’re also going to Wushi?” Li Jinfeng looked at them in surprise.
“Yes. From the sound of it, you’re also going to Wushi?” Ye Qingzhi hadn’t expected such a coincidence.
Li Jinfeng’s face was full of smiles. “This is too much of a coincidence. My next stop is also Wushi.”
Thinking of He Qiming’s temperament, Li Jinfeng leaned over and whispered, “Is your husband a soldier?”
Seeing Ye Qingzhi nod, Li Jinfeng became even more excited. She held Ye Qingzhi’s hand and said happily, “Oh my, I’m a military wife too. I’m taking my children to join the army this time. My husband is the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 350th Regiment. Which regiment is your husband in?”
They were not speaking loudly, but He Qiming could hear them. He hadn’t expected the person in the next compartment to be the 1st Battalion commander’s wife.
“Hello, I’m also from the 350th Regiment. Is your husband Old Li?” He Qiming came out from inside.
“My husband’s name is Li Hanxing. Do you know my husband?” Li Jinfeng asked happily.
“It really is Old Li. We’re old comrades. He’s a few years older than me, so I’ll just call you ‘Sister-in-law.’ Sister-in-law, have you finished packing? If you need anything, just let me know.” Since he knew that Li Jinfeng was Li Hanxing’s wife, He Qiming would of course help if he could.
“This is really fate. No need, I’ve almost finished packing. Is Sister Qingzhi also joining the army? Your partner is so considerate, he even took leave to go back and pick you up,” Li Jinfeng said, glancing at the things they were carrying. It was like they were moving house!
“Old Li has a mission recently. Otherwise, he would have definitely gone back to pick you up,” He Qiming said, explaining for Li Hanxing.
Hearing Li Hanxing’s name, a sweet smile appeared on Li Jinfeng’s face. The two of them were childhood sweethearts. They had known each other since they were young and had naturally gotten married when they grew up. They had always had a good relationship.
Unfortunately, she was not up to par and had given birth to four daughters in a row. The main purpose of joining the army this time was to have a son. After all, the Li family line could not end with her.
Thinking of this, Li Jinfeng looked at Ye Qingzhi’s several children with envy. Four sons! If she had four sons, she could walk sideways in the village.
Zhang Dama sat on the upper berth. Hearing them talk about joining the army and missions, she was taken aback for a moment. Could it be that they’re in the same unit as her son?
“Which unit are you from?” Zhang Dama asked as kindly as she could.
Ye Qingzhi didn’t really want to talk to her, but from her tone, it seemed her son was also a soldier.
Thinking of the young wife who was ordered around by Zhang Dama, could she also be joining the army?
Please don’t be the 350th Regiment. Otherwise, with someone like Zhang Dama around, life in the future won’t be peaceful.
This time, heaven did not hear her prayer. She only heard Zhang Dama say proudly, “My son is the chief of staff of the 1st Battalion, 350th Regiment.”
Ye Qingzhi and Li Jinfeng looked at each other. Good heavens, wouldn’t they be neighbors in the future?
“What a coincidence. We’re also from the 350th Regiment,” Li Jinfeng said with a dry laugh. She turned and saw the young wife coming over with large and small bags. “Ma’am, are you visiting relatives or joining the army?”
“Of course, we’re joining the army.” Zhang Dama nimbly climbed down from the upper berth, shot a glare at Liu Yuqin, and said irritably, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pack.”
Seeing Ye Qingzhi and Li Jinfeng frown, Zhang Dama felt a tightness in her chest.
Before, she hadn’t cared. After getting off the train, no one would know each other. But now it was different. They might be neighbors in the future.
She glared at Liu Yuqin and squeezed between Ye Qingzhi and Li Jinfeng, lowering her voice. “You must think I’m a wicked mother-in-law, right?”
Ye Qingzhi and Li Jinfeng raised their eyebrows, their expressions clearly saying, “Aren’t you?”
Zhang Dama was choked for a moment, then began to pour out her grievances.
Zhang Dama’s son was named Zhang Xuewen. He had been an excellent student since he was a child and had joined the army after graduating from high school.
He had a childhood sweetheart, and they had a good relationship. Last year, he had taken leave to go home to get married. On his way, he had passed by a river and had seen Liu Yuqin fall in. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time and had only wanted to save her. But the rescue had caused a problem.
Zhang Dama’s eyes were full of hatred as she looked at Liu Yuqin. “She insisted that my son had taken her innocence. If my son didn’t marry her, she would have to jump into the river again. Xuewen had no choice but to marry her.”
Ye Qingzhi glanced at Liu Yuqin. Seeing her stiff back and that she didn’t refute it, she felt that this was most likely true.
But you couldn’t just listen to one side of the story. Zhang Dama was definitely biased. As for the specifics, she might find out in the future.
“Zhang Dama, the train is about to arrive. Let’s pack up first.” After all, it was someone else’s family business. Ye Qingzhi didn’t want to get too involved.
Zhang Dama closed her mouth, not having finished. She still had a lot to say. But it was fine, as long as they didn’t misunderstand her as a wicked mother-in-law.
As she thought this, she shot another vicious glare at Liu Yuqin.
She disliked this daughter-in-law a hundred times over. But Liu Yuqin and Zhang Xuewen had already gotten their certificate. They couldn’t divorce without a valid reason. The Zhang family line could not be broken. That was why she was taking her to the army to find Zhang Xuewen.
She also knew that her son didn’t want to see this woman. It was fine. After Liu Yuqin got pregnant, she would take her back to her hometown to have the baby.
“What did she whisper to you?” He Qiming asked in a low voice.
Ye Qingzhi glanced at Liu Yuqin behind her and shook her head slightly, indicating that it was not a good time to talk.
He Qiming followed her gaze and understood the reason. He didn’t ask again. He had the few children put on their baskets, he himself carried the heavy things like the rice, and they waited at the door to get off.
After about seven or eight minutes, the train finally arrived at Xishi Station. He Qiming led the way, with the few children in the middle and Ye Qingzhi at the back. They slowly got off the train.
Li Jinfeng was right behind them. Seeing so many people at the train station, Ye Qingzhi had her two daughters walk with He Jingyan and the others, while the two of them watched from behind to prevent them from getting lost.
“What are you carrying? The carrying pole looks like it’s bending,” Li Jinfeng asked curiously.
“Sweet potato flour, rice, and so on. I exchanged all my work points for fine grain and brought it with me,” Ye Qingzhi said, carrying a basket and also holding many things in her hands.
“If my husband had come to pick me up, I would have brought more too. But I still have two daughters studying at home. They also need to eat,” Li Jinfeng said, looking at Ye Qingzhi’s few well-behaved and sensible sons with even more envy. “How did you have all sons? Is there a method? Can you teach me?”
Ye Qingzhi was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Not to mention that the four children had three different mothers, what method was there for having a boy or a girl?
“Sister-in-law, sons and daughters are the same. A successful daughter is even more filial than a son,” Ye Qingzhi said, comforting her.
Li Jinfeng sighed softly. “You have sons, and four of them. How can you understand the suffering of women like us who haven’t had a son?”
Ye Qingzhi said no more. No matter what she said, in Li Jinfeng’s eyes, it would be easy for her to say.
He Qiming found a porter to help them pull their things to the bus station. They were lucky; the next bus was leaving in five minutes.
“It’s a good thing we made it. Otherwise, we would have had to wait four hours for the next bus,” Li Jinfeng said, panting.
Ye Qingzhi nodded. She was out of breath from rushing to catch the bus and had no energy to talk now.
It was a good thing He Qiming had come back to pick her up. Otherwise, never mind the rice, just the sweet potato flour and the other things would have been enough for her to carry.
Ye Qingzhi was not good with buses. After getting on, she peeled an orange and held it to her nose, then leaned against He Qiming’s shoulder to rest with her eyes closed.
Seeing this, Li Jinfeng had no choice but to chat with Zhang Dama. It just so happened that she had a lot to say. The two of them hit it off and chatted all the way to their destination.
Ye Qingzhi really admired them. How could they have so much to talk about? And wouldn’t their mouths get dry?
After getting off the bus, Ye Qingzhi saw them go to get water and gulp down a whole lunchbox in one go. She knew their mouths would get dry too.
“What are you looking at?” He Qiming followed Ye Qingzhi’s gaze. “Are you thirsty? There’s warm water in the canteen.”
Ye Qingzhi shook her head. “I’m not thirsty. Where do we go to take the bus next?” Ye Qingzhi’s voice was a little weak.
He Qiming’s heart ached, but his leave was only until today. He had to report tomorrow. Otherwise, he would have stayed in Wushi for a night.
“We can wait for the bus at the intersection ahead. We’ll be there in a few more hours. Just bear with it a little longer,” He Qiming said, holding her hand and comforting her gently.
“I’m fine,” Ye Qingzhi said with a light laugh, squeezing He Qiming’s fingers. She called the few children and they went to the intersection ahead to wait for the bus.
After another two-hour bus ride, they finally arrived at the town. Not long after they got off, a military vehicle drove towards them.
The car stopped in front of them. The driver jumped out of the driver’s seat. Before he could speak, Zhang Dama rushed up and asked excitedly, “Did my son send you to pick me up?”
“Your son? Who is that?” The driver was taken aback for a moment.
“My son, Zhang Xuewen! He’s the chief of staff,” Zhang Dama said very proudly.
“Is that Chief of Staff Zhang from the 1st Battalion?” Seeing Zhang Dama nod, the driver smiled and greeted her, then continued, “I wasn’t sent by Chief of Staff Zhang to pick you up. I’m here to pick up our regiment commander.”
The driver walked towards He Qiming and saluted. “Hello, Regiment Commander. Hello, Sister-in-law. Are all the things here?”
“Yes. Thank you for making the trip,” He Qiming said, patting his arm. He introduced him to Ye Qingzhi, “This is Wang Heng, the squad leader of the driving squad.”
“Hello. Thank you for coming to pick us up,” Ye Qingzhi quickly said politely.
“It’s no trouble, Sister-in-law. Can I put these things in the back?” Wang Heng kept stealing glances at Ye Qingzhi.
Didn’t they say she was a mother of several children? How can she look so young and beautiful?
Hahaha, those who lost the bet are going to be in trouble. A month of smelly socks. Wang Heng thought with schadenfreude.