Chapter 81 p2
Before long, the whole village knew that Ye Qinglan had run off to the Northwest to find Ye Qingzhi. They heard that it was Ye Qingzhi who had called the village and had the Brigade Leader help issue a certificate and had also lent her the travel expenses.
“Is it true? Didn’t they say she was going to marry into a cadre’s family in the city? The young man who came with the matchmaker last time, I thought he was alright. Why did Little Lan have to run away?” Second Aunt was very curious.
“How do you know it’s definitely good? You think, why would a cadre’s family want to marry Little Lan? I’m not saying Little Lan is not good, but under what circumstances would a city person marry a country girl?” the grandaunt asked in return.
Everyone looked at each other. Although they did not want to belittle themselves, it was true that city people looked down on country people and would not normally marry a country girl.
Those who would marry a country girl either had a bad background, were very ugly, had a disability, or were a widower. For a family like the Zhang family, not to say absolutely, but it was almost impossible for them to marry a country girl.
So, this Zhang family had a problem, or the son of this family had a problem.
“Could it be that this family is lying, that they are not a cadre’s family, but on the contrary, their family is very poor?” Second Aunt guessed.
The grandaunt shook her head. “No, this lie would be exposed with a poke. It shouldn’t be. I think it’s the young man who proposed who has a problem. Maybe he has some illness.”
The grandaunt felt that this explanation was more reliable. “And it’s an incurable illness. Otherwise, why would he look for a country girl?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Otherwise, how could you explain a cadre’s family wanting to marry a country girl? Ye Qinglan was not as good-looking as Ye Qingzhi.
“Have you not thought that this family is marrying Little Lan, possibly because of Qingzhi’s husband?” Big Sister Zhang suddenly asked.
Everyone was taken aback for a moment. It seemed possible. A city cadre plus a military officer, tsk, tsk…
The grandaunt slapped her thigh. “No wonder Qingzhi wanted Little Lan to go to her place. She must be afraid that someone would use Little Lan and Regiment Commander He to become brothers-in-law, and then tarnish Regiment Commander He’s name, right?”
“That’s a real possibility,” Second Aunt was taken aback for a moment. Thinking of the ambiguous words her second uncle had said last night, she prepared to go back and ask her old man.
At a little past eight in the evening, Ye Qingshan and Ye Qingfeng came home, their bodies tired. Seeing Ding Aixian’s expectant gaze, the two of them shook their heads, indicating that they had not found Ye Qinglan.
“When we got to the train station, it was already almost five. The train to the Northwest had already left,” Ye Qingfeng said, drinking a large bowl of water and then putting the bowl down heavily. “What was Qingzhi thinking, to have Little Sister go? If Little Sister marries well, it’s actually also a good thing for her.”
Ye Qingshan lowered his eyes and said nothing. But beside him, Yu Xiaoyan told them what she had heard from others.
“What do you mean? The Zhang family is marrying Little Lan to become brothers-in-law with He Qiming?” Ye Qingfeng was not a stupid person. With a turn of his mind, he understood the key. “No wonder Qingzhi had to get Little Lan to the Northwest. It was for her brother-in-law. If that’s the reason, then she could have told us. If the Zhang family is not good, we can find the Li family. If that’s not good, then we can find the Wang family. Find a suitable one. Why did she have to get Little Lan to the Northwest?”
“She must be thinking of marrying Little Lan to her fourth brother-in-law’s colleague or subordinate. That way, she can help her brother-in-law win over people,” Yu Xiaoyan said. She felt she had discovered the truth.
Hearing this, Ding Aixian slapped the table hard in anger. “This unfilial daughter! She said I was selling my daughter. Why doesn’t she say that she’s selling her younger sister? No, Qingshan, you go to the He family to get the contact information. This time, you must get it. I’m going to call that unfilial daughter and tell her she must send Little Lan back.”
Ye Qingshan had a difficult expression. The He family was not easy to deal with. If they really caused a scene, it would be their family who would suffer.
Looking at Ye Qingshan’s pathetic appearance, Ye Qingfeng was very disdainful. “I’ll go to the He family tomorrow. He Qiming has even abducted my younger sister. How can he not give an explanation?”
Ding Aixian’s tears turned to laughter. “Yes, yes, He Qiming has abducted your younger sister. He must give an explanation.”
The next day, Ye Qingfeng indeed went to the He family to ask for someone. To boost his courage, he even brought Ye Qingshan and Ye Qingsong.
“What? You’re saying Qiming had your younger sister go to the army?” He Qigao asked loudly.
“Yes, it was your He Qiming who tricked our younger sister away. Today, you must give us an explanation. Otherwise, this matter is not over,” Ye Qingfeng said with a grim face.
“We don’t know anything. What kind of explanation can we give? Besides, your younger sister has her own feet. Who can control where she goes? And you’re asking us for an explanation? Hilarious. We’ve already split the family with He Qiming. We can’t control him,” He Qiwang said, his stomach full of anger at the mention of He Qiming.
He was his biological brother, yet he had just watched as he was fired, when it was just a matter of a word from him.
“You’re not his family just because you’ve split? My younger sister is young. If she hadn’t been tricked by He Qiming, how could she have run off to the Northwest?” Ye Qingfeng was relentless.
He Qigao frowned. “What do you mean, tricked by He Qiming? Your younger sister must have gone to find Ye Qingzhi, right? That’s her biological older sister. Can Ye Qingzhi sell her?”
“That’s right. It must be that you’re not good to her, so she had to run off to the Northwest to find her older sister. Oh my, how pitiful. I wonder what she’s been through, to have to run all the way to the Northwest. I heard that your family doesn’t treat your daughters as human beings. You didn’t find a fool or a cripple for your younger daughter, did you? She had no choice but to seek refuge with her older sister and brother-in-law,” Yang Fuzhen said, her head held high, full of confidence.
Before they had married Ye Qingzhi, they had also inquired about her parents’ family and knew that her parents’ family did not treat their daughters as human beings at all. The money from the eldest daughter had been used for the son’s wedding, and the second daughter had been traded for grain. The youngest daughter was definitely also fated to be sold.
Ye Qingshan sighed softly and pulled the furious Ye Qingfeng. “Qingfeng, forget it.”
“Forget it? Why forget it? Our younger sister is missing. She’s in the Northwest by herself. If something happens on the way, who will be responsible? You with the surname He, hurry up and give me He Qiming’s address and phone number,” Ye Qingfeng said, his eyes wide.
“Hah, you want it, and I’ll give it to you? Didn’t Ye Qingzhi come back last time? What, she didn’t give it to you? Hahaha, I’m going to die laughing. A daughter doesn’t even give her mother her contact address. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with you, does she?” He Qiwang looked at them with schadenfreude.
“Fifth, say a few less words,” He Qigao said, glaring at him. He looked at Ye Qingfeng. “Qiming is in the army. The army’s address cannot be given out casually. As for your younger sister, since it was her older sister who asked her to go, it must have been arranged. You can rest assured.”
“No, I must get the phone number today,” Ye Qingfeng said, sitting directly at the door of the He family’s house.
Ye Qingshan looked at the crowd that had gathered and felt extremely embarrassed. He moved back a little, not wanting people to find out that he was with Ye Qingfeng.
“You’re being a rogue, are you? I’ll go and call the police right now and say that you’re threatening a soldier’s family for the army’s address and phone number,” He Qiwang said, pointing at them and gritting his teeth.
These words scared Ye Qingfeng so much that he immediately stood up. “Don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t mean that.”
“That’s exactly what you meant. My second brother is a soldier. The address and the phone number are both from the army. Without his nod, no one can say anything. Don’t you know this common sense?” He Qiwang sneered.
Seeing the He family’s definite look, Ye Qingfeng could only take Ye Qingshan and the others and go home first.
“Well, did you get the phone number?” Seeing all three of her sons shake their heads, Ding Aixian’s vision went black. If it weren’t for Ye Qingsong supporting her, she would have fainted. “My life is so bitter. Old Ye, why didn’t you take me with you? I might as well be dead.”
Ye Qingsong frowned, lowered his head, and said nothing.
On the other side, Ye Qinglan was already lying on her sleeper berth, but she couldn’t sleep at all. One, she was scared of the strange place, and two, she was excited.
She had dreamed of escaping from that family. She had originally thought it would be through marriage, but she had not expected it to be through her fourth sister, and it was to the Northwest. In the future, her mother and her older brothers and sisters-in-law would no longer be able to control her.
“Little girl, are you asleep?” The older sister on the opposite bed asked when she saw Ye Qinglan turn over.
Ye Qinglan pretended not to hear and did not answer her. Before she had gotten on the train, Li Gang had repeatedly told her not to talk to strangers.
Seeing that Ye Qinglan was not moving, the older sister thought she was asleep and had no choice but to lie down and sleep. Sigh, the little girl went to bed so early. She couldn’t even find someone to chat with.
The next morning, after Ye Qinglan had washed up, she found the dining car and bought breakfast in not-so-fluent Mandarin, two large steamed buns. As for drinks, there was free boiled water. She couldn’t bear to spend money on anything else.
Although it was just steamed buns, they were made of white flour. She had never eaten them before. Ye Qinglan ate with great relish.
After three consecutive days of boiled water and steamed buns, she finally arrived in Anshi. After getting off the train, Ye Qinglan looked at the dense crowd, a little scared. She followed them out of the train station and then stood there, not knowing which way to go for a moment.
She held her bag in fear. Just as she was about to find a staff member at the train station, she saw a man in a police uniform walk towards her.
“Excuse me, are you Ye Qinglan?”
“You are?” Ye Qinglan looked at him in confusion.
“Hello, I’m your brother-in-law He Qiming’s friend. My surname is Zhao. You can just call me Brother Zhao,” Old Zhao said, taking out his work ID from his pocket and giving it to Ye Qinglan, then having Ye Qingzhi give him her identification certificate.
Because of the uniform on Old Zhao, Ye Qinglan naturally trusted him. She glanced at the work ID and gave him her identification certificate.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the bus station. Next, you’ll take a bus to Wushi. When you get there, someone will also pick you up,” Old Zhao said, taking her luggage and taking her to the bus station.
After a seven-hour bus ride, she finally arrived in Wushi. Fortunately, Ye Qinglan was good with buses. Otherwise, she would have really vomited to death.
But when she arrived in Wushi, it was already past eight at night. Besides their bus, there was no one at the station. Ye Qinglan followed the crowd out of the station. Seeing them leave in twos and threes, she was finally left alone, and her heart was in her throat.
“Little girl, did your family not come to pick you up?” The driver asked after he had finished cleaning up and had gotten out of the car, seeing Ye Qinglan standing there alone.
“I’m sorry, I was delayed on the way and was late,” a tall man ran in quickly. Seeing that there was only a driver and a little girl at the station, he knew that this little girl was the one he was supposed to pick up tonight. “Hello, I’m the one your brother-in-law asked to take you to the town.”
Ye Qinglan looked at the somewhat slovenly man, her heart in a turmoil. “What’s my brother-in-law’s name?”
“Oh, you don’t believe me?” The man looked down at his clothes and slapped his head. “Your brother-in-law’s name is He Qiming, the deputy regiment commander of the 350th Regiment. His wife’s name is Ye Qingzhi. She’s your fourth sister. Am I right?”
Ye Qinglan nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Let’s go,” the man said with a smile.
“Wait a minute,” the driver said. Hearing that the little girl was a military dependent, he paid more attention. “What’s your job? Do you have a work certificate?”
He couldn’t be a spy who had found out about Ye Qinglan through some means and was now kidnapping her to threaten the regiment commander he had mentioned.
The man’s lips curved into a smile. He took out a military officer’s ID from his pocket. “I’m the company commander of the 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion, 350th Regiment. I happened to have something to do in Wushi. I was originally going to go back in the afternoon, but I was entrusted by someone to help take my little sister-in-law back.”
After the driver had taken the ID and confirmed it, he quickly returned it to the man. “Hello, sir. It was my fault for being suspicious. Then I’ll have to trouble you with this little girl.”
“Don’t. Just call me Little Zheng. You’re being kind. The country needs cautious people like you,” Company Commander Zheng said, praising the driver. He picked up Ye Qinglan’s luggage. “Let’s go. The car is outside. Let’s go back quickly. Your older sister and brother-in-law might be waiting for you.”
When Ye Qinglan arrived, she found that besides Company Commander Zheng, there were also two strange men. She sat in the front passenger seat, her head lowered, not daring to speak.
Driving yourself was faster than taking a bus. It took an hour and a half to get to the town, and another half an hour to get to the base. By the time they arrived at the He family’s house, it was exactly 10:30.
“Qiming, do you hear that? Is that a car? It should be Little Lan,” Ye Qingzhi said, hearing the noise and quickly going out.
They had calculated based on the train’s time. If everything went smoothly, Ye Qinglan would be able to arrive at the family compound at a little past ten tonight. So Ye Qingzhi had simply not slept and had been waiting in the living room.
Sure enough, just as it was 10:30, she heard the sound of a car.
“It’s a car,” He Qiming said, following Ye Qingzhi out. He saw a car parked in front of their house.
“Regiment Commander He, mission accomplished. The little sister-in-law has been safely delivered,” Company Commander Zheng said, jumping out of the car and saluting with a smile.
“Thanks. I’ll treat you to dinner another day,” He Qiming said, returning the salute, then patting Company Commander Zheng’s shoulder with a smile.
“You’re welcome,” Company Commander Zheng said, opening the front passenger door and making an inviting gesture.
Ye Qingzhi had already run over. Seeing the somewhat tired and timid Ye Qinglan, she let out a long sigh of relief.
These few days, not only had Ye Qinglan been worried and scared, but she had also been afraid that something would happen to Ye Qinglan on the way.
After all, it was she who had called Ye Qinglan to the Northwest, so she had to be responsible.
“Little Lan, we’re here. Hurry up and get out of the car,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.
“Fourth Sister,” Ye Qinglan said, finally seeing a familiar face, her eyes immediately reddening.
“It’s fine. Fourth Sister is here. Let’s go, let’s go in first,” Ye Qingzhi said, about to take the luggage. She found that a hand had already taken it. She turned to see that it was He Qiming. She didn’t bother with it anymore and pulled Ye Qinglan into the house.
She had tidied up the outer half of the few children’s room for Ye Qinglan to live in. The children’s desks had been moved to their study.
“You must be exhausted. You should go and take a shower first. I’ll go and cook some noodles. You can eat when you’re done washing,” Ye Qingzhi said, taking Ye Qinglan to the bathroom in the back and bringing her a thermos of hot water. “There’s a faucet in the bathroom, here. You can just turn it on to get water. The washbasin and the towel are new. You can use these from now on.”
“Thank you, Fourth Sister,” Ye Qinglan said. Seeing that her fourth sister had closed the door, she couldn’t help but look around the bathroom. There was actually a faucet, and also a small stove. The floor was even covered with cement. It looked very new. It must have been built not long ago.
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Ye Qinglan only then realized that there were many patches. The dirty clothes she had just changed out of were her best clothes. Thinking of what her fourth sister was wearing, Ye Qinglan suddenly felt a little inferior.
“Little Lan, are you done washing? Come out and eat when you’re done,” Ye Qingzhi called out.
“Coming,” Ye Qinglan said, coming out with her dirty clothes. Seeing the noodles in the pot, she pulled Ye Qingzhi and asked in a low voice, “Fourth Sister, why are you cooking white flour for me? Just a little corn paste is fine. I’ve come to seek refuge with you so suddenly. I’m already embarrassed. How can I eat such good noodles? You should leave them for the children to eat.”
Seeing that she really thought so, Ye Qingzhi’s lips curved into a slight smile. These parents’ family of the original host, they had produced a few good shoots from a bad bamboo.
“It’s fine. This is what your brother-in-law ordered. Eat up,” Ye Qingzhi said with a faint smile.