Chapter 39
When Ye Qingzhi and Li Jinfeng arrived at the base, they were not only on the same train, but their compartments were also next to each other. Li Jinfeng had even spoken up for her.
After arriving at the base, their relationship did not break off. Now that she heard Li Jinfeng was in trouble, Ye Qingzhi was really quite worried.
“Yes! It’s the wife of the 1st Battalion’s battalion commander, Li Jinfeng. She was hit by something, and it was a bloody mess. I don’t know what the situation is now,” said a company commander’s wife, Sun Cailian, who lived next door to Li Jinfeng.
This person was also a country wife, but her relationship with Li Jinfeng was average. In the short time Li Jinfeng had been at the base, the two had already argued twice.
Therefore, although Sun Cailian looked very concerned about what had happened to Li Jinfeng, her eyes were actually full of schadenfreude.
Ye Qingzhi had no time to deal with her now. She told He Jingyan and Ye Anmin to take good care of their two younger brothers and hurried to the hospital.
When she arrived, Li Guifang and Zhang Dama were also there. Li Guifang had blood on her, which must have been Li Jinfeng’s.
“Sister Guifang, what’s the situation?” Ye Qingzhi asked, walking over quickly.
She really couldn’t imagine what could have hit Li Jinfeng so hard. After all, it was a cotton factory. It couldn’t have been cotton, could it?
Seeing Ye Qingzhi, Li Guifang looked self-reproachful. “This is my fault. I couldn’t hold back and argued with an old employee at the factory. I even got physical in a moment of impulse. Jinfeng was pushed and fell because she was trying to help me.”
“Didn’t they say Sister Jinfeng was hit by something?” Ye Qingzhi asked in confusion.
Li Guifang blinked in confusion. “Who said that? Jinfeng wasn’t hit. She was pushed against a machine and got hurt. She has a hole in her head and her hand is also injured. She’s being rescued inside now.”
Ye Qingzhi had seen the power of rumors. It was clearly a case of being pushed and falling, but it had been spread as being hit by something. Some even said that Li Jinfeng’s life was in danger, and some even said that she couldn’t be saved.
“From what you’re saying, the problem shouldn’t be too big,” Ye Qingzhi said, breathing a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Zhang Dama. “Why are you here, Ma’am?”
“I happened to be at the hospital and saw Jinfeng being carried in with a bloody head. Oh my, it really scared me,” Zhang Dama said, leaning closer to Ye Qingzhi. “You were right not to go to that cotton factory. Such a thing happened in just a few days. Jinfeng is also unlucky. She has a big hole in her forehead. She might have a scar.”
What did this have to do with working at the cotton factory? It could only be said that Li Jinfeng was unlucky.
Seeing that she did not respond, Zhang Dama continued, “Jinfeng also said she wanted to have a child. This injury will definitely take several months to heal. Now, her job is gone, and she can’t have a child.”
Not only Ye Qingzhi, but Li Guifang also found Zhang Dama annoying. Why was she saying such things at a time like this?
“Qingzhi, I saw you gave Guifang and Jinfeng that frozen tofu. Is it delicious?” Zhang Dama asked again.
Ye Qingzhi sneered inwardly. What? Is she pointing at me?
Is she unhappy because I gave some to Li Guifang and Li Jinfeng, but not to her?
She didn’t even think about it. Li Fangfei and Li Jinfeng had also given her things. They were just exchanging gifts. Not like her, who only wanted to take and not give.
“It’s quite delicious. Zhang Dama, I’m not in the mood to talk about this now. I don’t know how Sister Jinfeng is doing,” Ye Qingzhi said, glancing at her and moving to Li Guifang’s side. “Do the old employees at the cotton factory often bully you? Why don’t you tell the political commissar? You’re military wives. Don’t they want to live?”
“Not often,” Li Guifang said with an awkward smile.
Looking at her guilty expression, this matter was probably 50-50. It was very likely that Li Guifang was more at fault.
Ye Qingzhi instantly lost interest in chatting. Just then, a nurse came out from the emergency room. She quickly asked her about Li Jinfeng’s condition.
“The wound on her head has been stitched up. Her right hand is fractured. The problem is not very big,” the nurse said and hurried to get the medicine.
“Her right hand is fractured. Oh my, and that’s not a big problem?” Zhang Dama clicked her tongue twice.
For an ordinary person, it would definitely be very serious. But this was a military hospital in a military region. What kind of injuries hadn’t they seen? Just a fracture was indeed a minor injury to these doctors and nurses.
“The main thing is that her right hand is injured. It will be inconvenient for her to live in the future. But it’s fine, I will take care of her,” Li Guifang said, patting her chest.
In the final analysis, Li Jinfeng was injured because of her. Of course, she had to take care of her.
Zhang Dama glanced at Li Guifang, a hint of disgust in her eyes. She never thought before she spoke. She had only been at the cotton factory for a few days, and she had already gotten into a fight.
She turned her head and saw Liu Yuqin coming back with Chinese medicine. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She immediately put away her smile and said in a harsh tone, “Why did you take so long? You’re so slow at everything. Even a turtle is faster than you.”
“I’m sorry, Ma. There was a queue at the pharmacy,” Liu Yuqin said, running over. Seeing Ye Qingzhi and Li Guifang, she smiled at them timidly.
Ye Qingzhi nodded, which was considered a greeting. Li Guifang turned her head and directly ignored her.
Because of Zhang Dama’s propaganda, the whole family compound knew about Liu Yuqin repaying kindness with enmity. As a result, everyone looked down on her. When they met, they would either be sarcastic or directly ignore her.
Liu Yuqin lowered her head in sadness, a hint of gloom in her eyes. They all look down on me. They all think I did something wrong. What do these people know? If they were in the same situation as me, how much better could they be?
Just endure it a little longer. Without this old woman’s help, Zhang Xuewen would not touch her at all.
Just wait a little longer. After she gives birth to a son, this damn old woman will have no reason to live anymore.
“What are you still standing here for? Hurry up and go back to cook. You look half-dead all day. It’s so annoying to look at you,” Zhang Dama said, shooing Liu Yuqin away. She had wanted to take Ye Qingzhi’s hand but was dodged. She turned to take Li Guifang’s hand. “Don’t worry, Jinfeng will definitely be fine.”
“Zhang Dama, your daughter-in-law… are you just going to accept her like this?” Li Guifang asked.
“What else can I do? Sigh, it’s Xuewen’s bad luck. He was just being kind and saving someone, but he ended up with such a trouble,” Zhang Dama sighed softly.
Li Guifang also sighed. That’s right. The matter had caused such a stir. It was not easy to get a divorce.
Just then, Li Jinfeng came out from the emergency room. She was under local anesthesia, so she was still conscious.
“Sister Guifang, Qingzhi, Zhang Dama, you’re here too?” Li Jinfeng’s eyes were teary. This was truly an undeserved disaster for her.
“Sister Jinfeng, the doctor said it’s not serious. You just need to rest well from now on,” Ye Qingzhi comforted her.
“That’s right. The doctor said the problem is not big,” Zhang Dama nodded.
“Yes, Jinfeng. You should rest well. I will take care of you while you’re in the hospital,” Li Guifang said with embarrassment.
Li Jinfeng politely said there was no need. After all, she had rushed up herself. She couldn’t blame Li Guifang entirely.
Not long after they arrived at the ward, Li Hanxing hurried over, sweating profusely. “Is Jinfeng alright?”
“She has seven stitches on her forehead, and her right hand is fractured. There are no other problems,” Li Guifang said, a little embarrassed when she saw Li Hanxing.
“Thank you for your trouble, Sister-in-law,” Li Hanxing said. He had already learned what had happened on his way, but he knew that he couldn’t blame Li Guifang for this.
He knew Li Jinfeng. She would help even if a stranger was in trouble, let alone that she and Li Guifang were on good terms. Seeing Li Guifang fighting with someone, she would definitely not stand by and watch.
Since Li Hanxing was here and Li Jinfeng was fine, Ye Qingzhi comforted her for a few more sentences and prepared to take her leave.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law,” Li Hanxing said, touching Li Jinfeng’s hand, preparing to go and ask the doctor.
When Ye Qingzhi got home, Yang Xiaorou was already there with her child. She quickly asked, “Is Li Jinfeng alright? I heard she was seriously injured and might not be able to be saved.”
Ye Qingzhi’s lips twitched. “It’s fine. Just a hole in her forehead and a fractured right hand.”
Yang Xiaorou breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest. “These people are really exaggerating. Some even said that Li Jinfeng was already dead.”
She had been really scared at that time. A perfectly fine person, gone just like that. She had been planning to find Shen Qingyuan to report the problem at the cotton factory and have the army seek justice for Li Jinfeng.
But the army was protective of its own. The military dependents were also part of their army. They would not let outsiders bully them. This time, the cotton factory had to give an explanation.
In the evening, when He Qiming returned, Ye Qingzhi learned that the cotton factory’s reaction was very fast. When Li Jinfeng was sent to the hospital, they had already brought the culprit to apologize, and their attitude was very sincere.
First, Li Jinfeng’s job was retained. After she recovered, she could go back to work and would be transferred to an office job.
Second, all her medical expenses would be reimbursed, and her salary would be paid as usual during her recovery. In addition, she would be given a nursing fee.
Finally, the worker who had pushed Li Jinfeng would be fired and would have to pay a hundred yuan to Li Jinfeng as compensation.
“Is that all?” Ye Qingzhi felt that these conditions were not as good as she had imagined.
“This is just an explanation for Li Jinfeng. The rest is still being negotiated,” He Qiming said, kneading Ye Qingzhi’s shoulders. “You’ve been making spicy cabbage all day. You must be exhausted. My salary is enough. You don’t have to go to any cotton factory to work. If you really want to work, we can talk about it when a good position opens up.”
Ye Qingzhi raised her hand and placed it on the back of He Qiming’s hand, saying with a light laugh, “We have four children to take care of at home. I’m not in a hurry to work.”
Who liked to work? Her husband handed over his salary every month, and they had savings. Why would she make herself so tired?
Besides, after the 80s, not to mention how much money she would make, it would definitely be no problem to get a house for each of the few children. So she was very relaxed now and had no desire to strive.
“That’s right. We have many children at home. We have to take care of them first,” He Qiming said, bending down to kiss the top of Ye Qingzhi’s head.
Ye Qingzhi suddenly thought of Cao Liyan, and her smile slowly disappeared. “That Cao Liyan is really annoying. It’s not like you’ve ever been on a blind date with her, yet she acts as if I’ve stolen you from her.”
He Qiming frowned. “Wife, did you run into her today?”
“Yes, on the way back at noon. Cao Liya, oh, that’s Cao Liyan’s younger sister. She greeted me very warmly. Before we could say two sentences, Cao Liyan came over with a grim face and a very bad tone and called her away,” Ye Qingzhi pouted. She turned around and asked seriously, “Honestly, besides Cao Liyan, who else have you been on a blind date with?”
He Qiming was taken aback for a moment. He hadn’t expected the fire to suddenly turn on him.
“Before I married Xu Baoli, I went on two blind dates. At that time, I was in another unit, and we’ve long since lost contact. After the divorce, I only went on one, which was you. People like Cao Liyan don’t count as a blind date,” He Qiming said seriously.
Ye Qingzhi immediately became interested. “The first two you went on, why didn’t they work out?”
“The first one was from the art troupe. She was too delicate and didn’t speak directly. She always made people guess. If you couldn’t guess, she would get angry,” He Qiming said. He still found it inexplicable to this day.
Ye Qingzhi burst into laughter. “What about the second one?”
“The second one, a comrade’s younger sister. I thought she was alright at the time, and she also had some interest. But then I had to go on a mission. By the time I came back, she was already married,” He Qiming said with a shrug.
Ye Qingzhi narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t that a pity?”
He Qiming’s alarm bells immediately went off. “What’s a pity? We only met twice and had dinner together once at my comrade’s house. There were no feelings at all. I just thought we were suitable. Including Xu Baoli, we also only met once before we got married. Later… we were apart more than we were together, so there were no feelings either. Wife, really, it was only after I met you that I knew what it felt like for my heart to pound.”
Ye Qingzhi shot him a glare. “You smooth-talker.”
“Every word is from the bottom of my heart,” He Qiming said seriously.
The next day, Ye Qingzhi took a net bag of apples and went with Yang Xiaorou to visit Li Jinfeng.
After a night’s sleep, Li Jinfeng was obviously much more energetic. Seeing them come over, she greeted them with a broad smile and had them sit down.
“You came, but you didn’t have to bring anything,” Li Jinfeng said, having Li Hanxing help her lean back. “This time, it was a blessing in disguise. The leaders of the cotton factory said that after I recover, they will arrange a light job for me, and it’s a permanent position, the kind that can be passed down to my children.”
The military region would arrange jobs for military wives, but they were not considered workers and were equivalent to temporary workers, but they received the salary of a permanent worker. It was a benefit given by the military region to military dependents.
Li Jinfeng’s previous job was like this. She could work for as long as she wanted and also received the salary of a permanent worker, but she was not on the payroll. In other words, if Li Hanxing was transferred or retired, her job would be gone.
Now it was different. The cotton factory had given her a job quota, the kind that was on the payroll, a real iron rice bowl. Even if Li Hanxing was transferred or retired, she would not be fired and could continue to work or sell it, or even keep the job quota and have her children take over when they grew up.
“Congratulations,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.
Li Jinfeng happily gave them candy. “Congratulations to you too. With this job, I won’t be afraid even if my eldest can’t get into a technical secondary school. He can take over my job at the cotton factory. It’s good to be able to arrange one.”
No wonder Li Jinfeng was so happy. And she should be happy. It was not easy to get a job quota now.
Because of this compensation, Li Guifang’s guilt towards Li Jinfeng was gone. Instead, she was a little resentful that Li Jinfeng had rushed to the front. If Li Jinfeng hadn’t rushed to the front, she would have been the one who was injured. Then wouldn’t this compensation be hers?
“You’ve been seriously injured. You should rest well from now on. It’s cold in the Northwest. If you don’t recover well, you might get rheumatism. You must be careful,” Yang Xiaorou said, seeing her arm in a sling.
Li Jinfeng nodded repeatedly. “I know, thank you.”
She stayed in the hospital for a week before she was discharged. During this time, Li Guifang only came four times, bringing chicken soup twice, pork rib soup once, and dumplings once. After that, she never came again.
“I know. She’s jealous that I have a permanent job,” Li Jinfeng said. She was not sad because of Li Guifang’s actions. She was still very happy. A job quota! If it were her, she wouldn’t be able to get over it for a while either.
Ye Qingzhi helped her lift the quilt. “Alright, you should rest well. If you need anything, just have Wenshu find me.”
“Thank you. This injury of mine has really troubled you and Xiaorou,” Li Jinfeng said with embarrassment.
“Don’t say that. We’re all military wives. We should help each other,” Ye Qingzhi said. After confirming that she was fine, she got up to leave with Xiaorou.
After the two of them left the Li family’s house, Yang Xiaorou immediately said, “I still look down on Li Guifang’s actions. Jinfeng was injured to save her. You can’t erase this fact just because the compensation is generous.”
“The whole family compound knows that she sent chicken soup and pork ribs. How is that not remembering her kindness?” Ye Qingzhi raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, she only sent it a few times, and the whole family compound knows about it, as if she sent chicken soup every meal,” Yang Xiaorou pouted. “Let’s not talk about her. Auntie Xu is leaving tomorrow. She’s inviting us to her house for dinner tonight. She also told you to bring the children.”
Ye Qingzhi shook her head. Her family had four children. Never mind now, even fifty years later, no one would bring so many children to a banquet.
“I’m not going. Qiming can go,” Ye Qingzhi said. She couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Is that young girl staying or…?”
“She’s going back with Auntie Xu,” Yang Xiaorou said, looking around. She leaned over to Ye Qingzhi’s ear and whispered, “Uncle Xu was very angry and scolded Auntie Xu. Otherwise, Auntie Xu wouldn’t have gone back.”
This time, Xu’s mother was determined to have Regiment Commander Xu and Bai Xue divorce. She was even prepared for a long battle. She hadn’t expected her old man and her son to hold her back, which had angered her to death.
After confirming that Ye Qingzhi was not going, Yang Xiaorou did not persuade her further. After a few more words with her, she went to Bai Xue’s house to help cook.
In Houxicun, Auntie Ye finally received Ye Qingzhi’s reply. She opened the letter and urged Juzi, who had graduated from primary school, to read it quickly.
“Ma, what’s the hurry? The letter won’t run away,” Juzi pouted. If you didn’t know, you would think that Ye Qingzhi was Ma’s real daughter.
“Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and tell me what your Sister Qingzhi wrote,” Auntie Ye said, tapping Juzi’s head and asking anxiously.
“Auntie Ye, I hope this letter finds you well. I’m doing well here, so don’t worry. How is your health…” Juzi stopped halfway through and looked at Auntie Ye in embarrassment and anger. “Ma, who told you to talk to Sister Qingzhi about a match? I’m still young. I don’t want to get married so early.”
Auntie Ye reached out and grabbed the letter. Although she couldn’t read, her eyes did not leave the words on it. “You little brat, hurry up and continue reading.”
She was already sixteen. It didn’t sound very old, but in a blink of an eye, she would be seventeen, and then eighteen. Time passed quickly, and a suitable match was not easy to find. Of course, she had to start looking early.
Juzi was not very happy and read in a listless voice, “Don’t worry, Qiming and I will keep an eye out for a suitable match for Juzi. We also have to ask Juzi’s opinion and see what kind of person she likes…”
At this point, Juzi’s mood obviously improved a lot, and she was not so opposed to Auntie Ye having Ye Qingzhi help her find a match. After all, she also liked men in green uniforms.
“As for Wei Youliang’s matter, just do as you said. I’ll have to trouble you and the Brigade Leader to take care of it. There’s a pasture next to the army base. I got some nougat from the herdsmen. It’s made with highland barley, which is a unique taste here. I’m sending it to you to try. One portion is for the Brigade Leader. Please help me pass it on.”
Seeing the words “nougat,” Juzi’s eyes instantly lit up. “Ma, where’s the candy?”
Auntie Ye glared at her. “All you know is how to eat.”
Along with the letter, there was also a package. Besides two catties of nougat, there were also two pairs of wolfskin shoe insoles, a fur scrunchie, and a few fur ball hair clips.
“Ah, so beautiful! Ma, look, Sister Qingzhi gave them to me,” Juzi said, holding the scrunchie and hair clips lovingly.
Auntie Ye touched the shoe insoles. Qingzhi was a good child. So she had to keep an eye on Wei Youliang and not let this old scoundrel cause trouble for Qingzhi.