Chapter 108
The next day, Lu Yuanzheng woke up early and cleaned himself up
Xu Wen also woke up, woken up by the noise
At dawn, there were drums and gongs outside
It’s not an adjective, it’s a real gong and drums
The red drums and gongs were similar to the ones Xu had seen in the village, except for the suona and erhu
Xu Man yawned, sat up and glanced out the window, “What’s going on outside? It’s so early in the morning”
The curtains are still open, Bai poked his head and saw nothing
“Did it disturb you?” Lu Yuanzheng raised his head to look at her, propped himself up on the bed with both hands, and bent down to kiss her
Xu Wen dodged, “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet”
Lu Yuan Zheng’s kiss fell on her forehead, “Go to bed early tonight! You won’t be able to sleep during the day”
“Hmm? Why?”
“To cheer the veterans”
Xu asked, “”
“Didn’t you all hug and cry together last night?”
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
“I didn’t cry” Lu Yuanzheng didn’t admit it, “Yesterday was a private banquet, today is an official process, it’s not the same”
Xu Wen lifted his eyelids and didn’t dismantle the fact that his eyes were still red when he came back last night
It was still a little swollen when looked at closely
“Huh?” Xu asked, “What are you doing wearing such a formal dress when you’re discharged from the army?”
“I am also a battalion commander Veteran veteran I high and low shall not say a few words?”
“Oh!” Xu Wen laughed, “Then can I go listen to your speech?”
“Of course You can gather around today”
After Lu Yuanzheng left, Xu Man got up and cleaned himself up, first sending out the flour to make toast before heading towards the camp
As for Dongsheng, the little kid didn’t have any sleep, and went to look for DouDou early in the morning, not even coming back for breakfast
When Xu Wen went out, Jiang Yi Yi was walking towards the camp with her head hung down in a sullen manner
“Sister-in-law, are you going to watch the fun too?” Xu Wen took the initiative to greet her
Jiang Yi Yi gave a hmmm, hanging her head, with a thick nasal sound
Xu Wen: “”
It should have been another fight with her family’s Li Mao
Jiang Yi Yi this girl is particularly interesting, dare to love and hate
She’s a bit clingy
What Li Mao lacks the most is time, and he is often unable to accompany her
The two of them have a big fight in three days and a small fight in two days
At first, Xu Wen also tried to persuade, now right as not heard
Anyway, it won’t take long for the two to make up
She felt that this was Jiang Yi Yi’s unique way of getting along with Li Mao
Lu Yuanzheng doesn’t think so and says that Li Mao and Jiang Yi Yi can’t get married
Xu asks him why
Lu Yuan Zheng says, “We have enough pressure in this profession We know we can’t be a good husband and father I don’t have a lot of free time and I just want to stay quiet for a while If you’re like Jiang Yi Yi, you’ll be tired of coaxing her to do it every day The day Li Mao explodes and doesn’t want to be coaxed, they’ll be at the end of their rope”
Xu Wen was skeptical about this, and in the course of the discussion, it rose to the different attitudes of men and women in relationships, so heated that each side on behalf of men and women started a heated debate, and the smell of gunpowder was extremely strong
Lu Yuanzheng a little sober, see Xu Wen attitude is not right too on the head, immediately raised the white flag to admit defeat refused to discuss this matter with her
He sealed her mouth with a kiss, and used his hands and feet to disrupt her mind, putting an end to a debate that had nothing to do with the two of them
Xu Wen hesitated, did she want to pretend she didn’t know or ask a question?
Before she could think about whether or not to open her mouth, she saw a few more sisters-in-law in front of her, one of which was Wang Lingling
The island was also a small society
It is said that things are grouped together and people are grouped together
The sisters-in-law walking with Wang Lingling were also the kind of rural sisters-in-law who looked rustic
Perhaps relatively speaking, they had more in common with each other
Wang Lingling took the initiative to greet Xu Wen when she saw her, “Hello, sister-in-law”
“Hello, you guys!” Xu Man waved his hand at them, “Are you also going to see off the veterans? Why don’t you all pair up and go together?”
A few people’s sisters-in-law greeted each other
I should say that it was the others who introduced themselves to Xu Man
The sister-in-laws all knew Xu Man, and she was the only one who didn’t know the others
Xu Wen was in the center, with Jiang Yi Yi on one side and Wang Lingling on the other
She remembered the reason why Wang Lingling was on the island, and subconsciously looked at Wang Lingling’s waist and abdomen
Wang Lingling reddened and whispered, “Not yet”
“Sorry” Xu Wen was purely curious
Wang Lingling shook her head sheepishly, “I’ve discussed this with our family’s Wang Banzai Even if I do get pregnant I won’t go back home yet I want to stay on the island”
“That’s good!” Xu Wen was quite happy, “The island is more lively However, didn’t you not like the island too much before?”
When Wang Lingling first came here, she might have been a bit uncomfortable, not liking dealing with people and not used to eating the food here
Always shouting that she wasn’t as comfortable as her old home and wanted to go home
“I’ve learned a lot from you and Mr Wang I can even write my own name now I think staying on the island is longer than going home”
“That’s great! You’re welcome to stay and keep us company!” Xu Wen nodded, “As long as it’s useful then we haven’t taught in vain”
She was a bit surprised that Wang Ying had really insisted on lecturing until now
And had gained everyone’s recognition
She had heard that her relationship with Zhao Gang had also eased quite a bit
Xu Wen was quite happy for her
Wang Ying is not a good person If she were to be put into society, she would be beaten up by society sooner or later
But she is in the compound
Especially on an isolated island in such a special environment
So much so that people’s tolerance for her was a lot higher
Even more so because she was able to correct herself in time
People in the seventies were simple, without the keyboard warriors of the future who always stood on the moral high ground to yell at them
Most people were relatively benign and were willing to give her a chance to reform
After all, in this day and age, you wouldn’t be blackmailed for helping ten old ladies cross the street
When Xu Wen and the others arrived at the battalion headquarters, it was bustling with activity
Although it wasn’t Monday, they still lined up, played the national anthem and raised the national flag, inviting the party and military flags
It was rare for the battalion’s honor guard to make such a big show, and it was especially grand
One by one, the company commanders tied big red silk flowers to the veterans of their own companies who were going to be discharged from the army
This meant that in their lifetime, their days of service were over
Forming up again, the veterans were led along their familiar roads to the battalion square for one last parade
Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei were waiting there
All the non-veteran soldiers stood neatly according to their company
When they saw the veterans coming in formation, they all applauded collectively
Next, Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei spoke, the veteran representative spoke, and the warrior representative spoke
Finally, there was a routine inspection
It was to check the luggage of the veterans leaving the island and make sure that they hadn’t taken what they shouldn’t have
Then there was the farewell ceremony
Banging gongs and drums in front of the veterans, all the non-discharged warriors stood in long rows along the road leading to the coast
The veterans shed tears, saluted, and went from one to another exchanging pleasantries and hugging goodbyes with comrades they knew
From the battalion headquarters to the coast, about two or three kilometers, the line of farewell party lined up, followed all the way forward, until the veterans to the shore
When I picked up new recruits, I wore a red flower on my body, and it was the same when I left in a special car
Step by step, they were sent to the ship, and then left from the center island in unison
The train tickets to their hometowns were also bought in unison, and they waited until they arrived on land and then departed at the same time
There were several boats parked on the shore, each with a big red flower tied to it
The children and their sisters-in-law, far behind, watched them leave
After a few words, it was already past noon when they all boarded the boats
Xu Wen found that after everyone brought back, Lu Yuanzheng stood alone on the shore and stayed for a long time
After thinking about it she walked over and called him softly, “Lu Yuanzheng”
Lu Yuanzheng looked at her sideways, his eyes red
“Can’t let them go?”
Lu Yuanzheng shook his head, “What’s this about not being able to give up Sending them away alive is a happy thing, not sad”
Saying so, his expression was not so
Not to mention Lu Yuanzheng, even she, as an outsider, had some difficulty watching that kind of parting scene
He was just being tough-talking
Xu Wen turned around, hugged him, and whispered, “I’m still here”
Lu Yuanzheng backhandedly hugged Xu Man’s waist, his head buried in her shoulder
It wasn’t long before a warmth washed over her neck
Xu Man raised her hand to pat him on the back
Immediately after the veterans left, they had to arrange for a change of defense
For this, Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei went to the center island for two days of meetings
The specific program is based on voluntariness
Voluntary first, then mandatory
If there are more than half of the people who voluntarily stay on the island, some of them will be forced to leave the island If there are not enough half, then some people will be forced to stay on the island If there’s enough for half, that’s it
Voluntary enrollment is limited to three days
Shi Lei, who is responsible for doing the ideological work, is so busy that his feet don’t touch the ground and he doesn’t have much time to go home
This time Song Baoying didn’t complain because she was also busy
Starting a school is no joke, there are too many things to prepare
Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei couldn’t find the time to take care of them, and now that the whole battalion was busy, they couldn’t count on anyone but themselves
Xu Man took Song Baoying to the center island to visit the local elementary school
Unfortunately, it’s useless, the configuration of the island’s elementary school is too low, and the teaching resources are also not good
Regardless of whether Song Baoying, an excellent teacher in the county, or Xu Man, a person who has received a modern education, can not accept the perfunctory elementary school
Xu Man gritted his teeth and led Song Baoying to the land to buy books and find a school to study
Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei were both too busy, and they had to bring their children with them
Lu Yuanzheng was uneasy and sent two soldiers to follow them
Xu Wen was especially embarrassed, “It’s the right time to sign up to stay on the island or leave the island, so if we take them away, won’t they lose their right to choose?”
Without waiting for Lu Yuanzheng to speak, the soldier snatched up, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry! It’s a rotation anyway Stay this year and leave next year, stay next year and leave this year are all the same I am willing to protect you not and follow you guys out for a long time”
Xu Wen nodded, “The young man is really good at talking!”
“Then sister-in-law, do you want to introduce me to an object?”
The words were kicked by Lu Yuanzheng, “Do you want to run five kilometers with weights?”
Xu Wen was amused and giggled
The soldier patted the dirt on his ass, not thinking, and hemmed and hawed twice, “Don’t want it! I have to go help my sister-in-law carry her luggage! See you at the road camp! See you later sister-in-law!”
He had already run away as he spoke
Lu Yuanzheng shook his head, “Stifling madness on the island, I said I’d find two people to keep you company and they almost fought”
Xu Man was not happy, “Then how do you know it’s because they simply wanted to leave the island and wander around? Maybe it’s because I’m well-liked and they’re all willing to accompany me out?”
Lu Yuanzheng cast a sidelong glance at Xu Man, nodding his head reluctantly, “Yes, yes, yes, my daughter-in-law is first-rate beautiful! Of course she’s well-liked”
Xu Wen grunted, “If you’re praising her, what do you mean by praising her so reluctantly?”
Don’t think she can’t see his perfunctory behavior
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
“I’m not being reluctant, this is called being jealous!”
After disembarking, Xu Wen and Song Baoying are still staying at the compound’s guest house, specifically arranged by the accompanying warriors
In fact, they should have stayed at the guest house outside Lu Yuanzheng is not assured of their safety, specifically with the Haicheng side of the resident greetings
Xu Wen and the girls landed in the unit where they were going to change defense with Lu Yuanzheng
After resting for a night, the next day, the group went straight to the bookstore to pick up textbooks
There were quite a few textbooks for the fifth grade, and they bought dozens of sets for each level
The bookstore saw that it was a big customer, but also out of the car to send them back to the compound
It was just in time for the company’s revitalization to come over to inspect the work
The book delivery car blocked the road, his civil servants got off and asked the sentry what was going on
Before the sentry could say anything, Xu Wen and Song Baoying jogged over to pick up the book
The two of them weren’t enough to brush their faces here and let the car inside, so they had to carry the books themselves
In order to reduce the number of trips, even the two small laborers, Dongsheng and Wenwen, were not spared, and were called over together
The sentry was sharp-eyed and saw Xu Wen and the girls, pointing at them and saying to the orderly, “It’s those two sisters-in-law’s books”
The orderly whispered, “Then why don’t you let the car go aside! Do you want the leader to wait for them to finish moving the books before going in? Is that appropriate?”
The sentry was also worried, “It’s too late to let now”
The main entrance here is not wide, the book delivery car takes up most of the area, even the revitalization car is blocked at the back, and there is no way to let the book delivery car back out
The orderly also saw it and thought about it, “I’ll have the driver back up a bit, you hurry up and let the book delivery make room”
The sentry answered
The orderly only reached the front of the car when he saw Lian Zhenxing push the door down, “Military leader, why did you come down?”
Lian Zhenxing’s eyes gestured to Xu Man and Dongsheng, “I saw an acquaintance I came over to say hello”
Xu Wen heard the words of the sentry, and Song Bao English text and Dongsheng hurriedly moved down the book
This wasn’t the island, this compound was unfamiliar to both Xu Man and Song Bao Ying
They felt especially embarrassed to have caused trouble for the guard post
But there were just too many books, and they couldn’t really finish moving them in a moment, so they were so anxious that sweat broke out on their foreheads
“Xu Man? Dongsheng?”
Xu Man and Dongsheng looked up at the sound
Xu Man was a bit confused, looking at this person looked familiar, but for a moment he couldn’t place the number
Dongsheng was happy, standing on the bucket of the car, revealing a mouthful of small white teeth and smiling at Lian Zhenxing, “Uncle Lian! I haven’t seen you for a long time! I missed you so much”
It was only then that Xu Wen remembered why he looked familiar, she had also followed Lu Yuanzheng to Lian Zhenxing’s house for dinner!
It’s just that last year, when she first arrived at the compound, she met too many unfamiliar people and couldn’t remember so many faces for a while
Xu Wen followed and greeted, “Hello! Sorry, we’re in the way”
Lian Zhenxing waved his hand, glancing at the elementary school textbook on the book, wondering, “Dongsheng is going to elementary school?”
Xu Wen shook his head, “We bought it for the island child We want to run an elementary school on Rainbow Island with Song Baoying’s sister-in-law”
“Your family members are running their own elementary school?” Lian Zhenxing raised his eyebrows in surprise
Xu Wen nodded, “Right I know it’s a bit unorthodox It’s also something that can’t be helped Although the new benefits of our troops are particularly good for the accompanying wives Everyone’s willingness to go to the island is also particularly strong
However, after the adult problem is solved, if the problem of children going to school isn’t solved, many sisters-in-law still have no way to come with the army”