jdhmnovel Chapter 236 sequel
Chapter 236 sequel
"Who is it? Who is injured?"
"Who else could it be but that old man who lives near the cowshed? It seems he was hit in the leg by a big rock."
"The captain took the person to the health center!"
"Weren't they supposed to be here for rehabilitation? They can see a doctor too?"
"Don't say that. He was injured while repairing the road for us. Once he's healed, we can continue repairing the road, right?"
"..."
Because Shihua Village paid for the road construction, the commune accepted the task with great satisfaction.
Furthermore, under Director Xing's arrangement, the production teams encountered along the route from Shihua Village to the commune all sent their own people to repair the road.
After the area was marked out, many people from each production team participated in the road repair.
The section about Shihua Village was taken over by the nearby production teams.
Therefore, in this road construction project, Shihua Village was only responsible for providing money and labor. Apart from the two people who were sent down to the countryside as stipulated by the higher authorities, no other villagers or educated youth participated.
Throughout the winter, while everyone else was celebrating the New Year, resting, and visiting each other, Ren Pingsheng and Xie Long were still busy with road repair work every day.
On the surface, Lu Yuanqing had no contact with them. Even the food and items he secretly sent over were not things that could be openly noticed.
Even if he wanted to give them both another pair of gloves, he would only think about it.
People sent to the countryside are expected to suffer hardship and misery, so how could they have gloves to protect their hands?
Although some things cannot be done openly.
Throughout the winter, Lu Yuanqing managed to ensure that they didn't go hungry or even get cold.
The outer quilt cover is worn out, but the inside is full of new cotton.
As for food, Xie Qianyu dug a hole in the house to hide it, so she didn't need to be frugal with it.
There's plenty of food!
Having ensured they would neither go hungry nor cold, Lu Yuanqing felt that the two of them could definitely hold out until the sun rose.
But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.
After all, he was getting old and still needed to do heavy work every day. Before he knew it, he ended up in the health center.
When Lu Yuanqing rushed to the health center, Xie Qianyu and Lu Yuanbo were waiting for him.
Seeing Lu Yuanqing running over, Lu Yuanbo stood up and said, "Brother, you're here!"
Lu Yuanqing steadied his racing heartbeat and asked, "How is the situation?"
"Grandpa Xie's leg was hit by a rock!" Lu Yuanbo said.
Actually, he didn't quite understand what was going on either.
At that time, he was driving a tractor with Zhao Zhongcai to the commune to collect fertilizer. On the way back, he happened to see Xie Long lying on the ground hugging his legs, while Xie Qianyu was crying and begging for help to take him to the health center.
But no one helped.
"The doctor is inside and doesn't know the situation yet!" Lu Yuanbo said.
Xie Long was already over sixty years old. At that age, not to mention recovery ability, even a simple fracture could leave him with some sequelae.
Moreover, Lu Yuanbo did a quick check and felt it wasn't as simple as a fracture.
Lu Yuanqing patted his shoulder, stopped talking, and walked in front of Xie Qianyu.
After Xie Qianyu entered Xie Long's room, she just stared blankly, without saying a word or crying, simply watching.
Lu Yuanqing wanted to say something to comfort her, but after thinking about it, he realized that it would be useless to say anything now. For Xie Qianyu, she would only be truly at ease when she saw with her own eyes that Xie Long was alright.
Xie Qianyu has a deep affection for Xie Long; the grandfather and granddaughter support each other.
Xie Long's children wanted to publish a notice in the newspaper to sever their father-son/father-daughter relationship with him, fearing that he would implicate them.
Only Xie Qianyu followed Xie Long to Shihua Village without hesitation.
Lu Yuanqing heard that Xie Qianyu was raised by her grandmother when she was a child, and lived with her grandfather Xie Long since she was a child.
Their feelings for each other are definitely extraordinary.
After Grandma Xie passed away, the only person she cared about was Xie Long.
So, he gave up his reputation and his future. At the perfect age, he endured harsh words to take care of Xie Long and be sent down to the countryside.
Lu Yuanqing admired such people.
He has never experienced being tested, nor does he know whether his character can withstand the test when facing dire straits.
Someone like Xie Qianyu is someone he admires.
"Where did the captain go?" Lu Yuanqing asked Lu Yuanbo.
Lu Yuanbo glanced at Xie Qianyu before saying, "I've gone to ask what's going on!"
He and Zhao Zhongcai didn't see the specific situation unfold; when they arrived, Xie Long was already in this state.
How did you get your leg injured while you were repairing the road?
It's understandable to accidentally hit your foot with a stone, but if you injure your calf, it can't be because someone threw a stone at you!
Zhao Zhongcai wouldn't be stupid enough to yell for justice for Xie Long, nor could he, but he had to find out the reason for the matter!
When asked, Xie Qianyu wouldn't say anything.
Lu Yuanqing frowned upon hearing this, and was about to say something when he saw Zhao Zhongcai return looking angry.
He immediately got up and went to greet them.
When Zhao Zhongcai saw that he had arrived, he casually pulled him out of the health center to talk about something.
Lu Yuanbo wanted to go and listen, so he took a step forward, then stepped back and sat down not far from Xie Qianyu.
On the other side, Lu Yuanqing anxiously asked Zhao Zhongcai the reason.
Zhao Zhongcai's anger, which had just subsided, immediately flared up again. "This time, it was those bastards who did it."
“Geweihui?” Lu Yuanqing squinted.
Zhao Zhongcai nodded, "Yes!"
“I looked into the situation, and there’s nothing to hide. They’re not afraid at all. You know what they did when they were at their most arrogant, things that were even worse than what they’re doing today.”
"Old Xie and Old Ren were doing a good job repairing the road and didn't cause any trouble. Xie Qianyu, this young girl, would bring them food every day. Today, unfortunately, they ran into that group of guys who do nothing all day."
The matter then becomes clear.
Those people were used to being arrogant and domineering. Although they didn't dare to openly bully others, they were extremely malicious towards people like Xie Long and his group.
Seeing Xie Qianyu walking so close to the people who had been sent down to the countryside, they naturally assumed that Xie Qianyu was also one of those people who had been sent down.
A little girl, a pretty little girl who was sent to the countryside.
These people have such disgusting thoughts that they can't stop wanting to bully others.
There was a junior leader in the commune at the time who stopped it in time, which showed that Xie Qianyu's identity was not a problem. She was not someone who was sent down to the countryside, but just someone who went down with others.
But a bad person is a bad person after all. How can they give up their idea of bullying you just because you really have no problem?
And so, Xie Long suffered the consequences.
When Zhao Zhongcai recalls seeing Xie Long's appearance, he admits he's seen many things before, but he still feels terrified. "His leg was smashed like that, it was terrifying to me!"
Ren Pingsheng, who helped me out back then, is now also staying at the health center.
However, compared to others, Xie Long's case is the most serious.
……
Lu Yuanqing had a sullen face, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Zhao Zhongcai panicked, "Don't do anything reckless!"
"That's the gist of it. You know, even if I looked into it and knew everything, so what? They're from the CCP, we can't beat them. Besides, given Lao Xie's status, if you really want to take them seriously, they could openly harass Lao Xie and his group in the future."
"Listen to me, let it go this time. We've already provoked them. I think once their legs have healed and the road is almost repaired, we shouldn't let them leave the village anymore. If they stay in the village, they won't cause trouble. In time, it will all be over!"
Lu Yuanqing was furious, as if something he had been suppressing and restraining all along suddenly wanted to be vented out today without any regard for anything else.
He'd been holding it in for a long time.
He kept telling himself that he had to endure it, because one person cannot stop the tide of the times.
His abilities are limited.
He has family members; we can't let them be implicated.
Just be patient, things will calm down, and everything will be fine once it passes.
"I just feel really upset. How dare they treat others so recklessly? They're all human beings, all human beings!"
Lu Yuanqing said, sounding somewhat distraught.
Sadly, even though he wanted to disregard everything, he still retained his rationality, knowing that he was outside and that his words could be used against him if he wasn't careful.
Therefore, even when he breaks down, he has to say it very quietly.
Zhao Zhongcai didn't understand why things had turned out this way.
But he has been through too much.
Now that he can have enough to eat, nothing else is too difficult for him to accept.
Seeing Lu Yuanqing like this, I realized for the first time that Lu Yuanqing also has his own temper, and he can feel angry and powerless when faced with injustice.
His usual calm and composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen at this moment.
“Don’t you always say it will pass? You know I trust you the most. I believe everything you say. Since it will pass, let’s wait patiently.” Zhao Zhongcai said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s go in and check the situation. If it’s within my capabilities, I’ll make sure he can get proper rest.”
Zhao Zhongcai was unwilling to help.
You see, the things he often said at commune meetings made him want everyone in the village to stay far away from Xie Long and his group.
He turned a blind eye to Lu Yuanqing's help, and sometimes even reminded him of it.
To be honest, according to the higher-ups, Zhao Zhongcai could pretend he didn't see what happened to Xie Long and his group and not get involved in the matter.
Without his approval, even if Xie Qianyu begged Lu Yuanqing, Xie Long and the others wouldn't be able to come to the health center for treatment.
In the end, they can only go back and fend for themselves.
Luckily, despite losing his leg, he survived.
If you're unlucky, you could very well die in the cowshed.
But now that he has brought the person to the health center and intervened, he doesn't mind giving him a chance to recover later, out of respect for Lu Yuanqing.
He was in charge of Shihua Village.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhao!" Lu Yuanqing said gratefully.
The villagers of Shihua Village, perhaps because they were living quite well, at most kept their distance from people of Xie Long's status, but they never engaged in any activities that involved dragging them out to confess their crimes.
Compared to the experiences of those sent down from other production teams, Xie Long and his group were considered lucky.
As long as no one had any malicious intent, and Zhao Zhongcai was the brigade leader, he was gaining more and more influence in Shihua Village. When he asked Xie Long and the others to rest for a while to recover their legs, no one would deliberately object.
“Tell me all this!” Zhao Zhongcai patted him on the back.
Lu Yuanqing smiled, feigning embarrassment.
As they spoke, they entered the health center.
Xie Long has already been pushed forward.
The lower leg looked horrific, smashed to pieces by a rock.
It was indeed serious; the bones were broken.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and he's already quite old; he's going to suffer a lot from this!
Even if things get better later, there will still be some problems walking.
Xie Qianyu's self-blame is understandable.
After learning that he couldn't be discharged from the hospital for the time being, Lu Yuanqing gave a few instructions, left Lu Yuanbo to help out, and drove the tractor back to the village with Zhao Zhongcai and the village's fertilizer.
Given the current situation, there's no way to assign blame; you have to bear everything yourself.
Lu Yuanqing used to like to say, "Time will forget everything."
But now he really hates that phrase.
Yes, any discomfort will fade with time.
However, the pain at this time still leaves indelible scars.
When will time take away all the pain? But right now, the pain is real and tangible.
Lu Yuanbo was surprised that Lu Yuanqing asked him to stay.
He didn't feel anything at the time, but when he was in the ward and there were only two patients lying down, leaving only him and Xie Qianyu, he felt very uncomfortable.
When he first met Xie Qianyu, he didn't pay much attention to her; his mind was entirely focused on Lu Yuanhuan going to the police station.
Later, when he saw her in the village and learned what identity she had been sent to the countryside, Lu Yuanbo felt the impermanence of life and admired her courage.
He knew that his younger sister had written back, asking her third brother to secretly take care of her.
He also knew that Lu Yuanqing would occasionally bring things over at night.
He knew, but he never said anything, nor did he care.
He was very obedient. Lu Yuanqing told them to stay in the village as if they didn't know them, and he did just that.
Although I sometimes saw her when I was collecting firewood, and I saw with my own eyes that she was struggling to carry a basket of firewood on her back at first, squatting on the ground and unable to get up for a long time.
Lu Yuanbo looked around and, when he found no one else, helped her lift the basket once or twice.
The two remained silent, just like strangers.
Today, he suddenly saw another side of Xie Qianyu.
Lu Yuanbo felt nothing at the time, seeing her helpless and crying for help; he only had one thought in his mind: to help her.
So, before Zhao Zhongcai could even speak, he hurriedly stopped the tractor, rushed over, bent down, and carried Xie Long on his back to the health center.
He acted impulsively!
That group of people were still there at the time.
But he never imagined the trouble his impulsive actions would cause the villagers and his family.
Looking back now, I'm so glad Zhao Zhongcai was there.
Only now, belatedly, did Lu Yuanbo realize something was amiss.
He thought it might be because he had never seen Xie Qianyu like that before.
In his memory, Xie Qianyu was intelligent, self-reliant, and seemed to be unbeatable.
She is willing to accept everything and calmly faces all the bad things.
She was the kind of person who didn't care about situations that others would consider life-or-death.
Therefore, when he saw another side of Xie Qianyu, he felt from the bottom of his heart that Xie Qianyu should not be like this, she should be the way she was when he first met her!