Chapter 66
Xu Wen could hear that Lu Yuanzheng’s voice sounded calm, but when she analyzed it, there was still sadness hidden in his words
She spoke softly, “Lu Yuanzheng, I do want to understand you, but I don’t want you to be sad If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t talk about it”
Lu Yuanzheng shook his head: “It’s not a big deal, there’s nothing to say Just now at dinner, old Song did not say that my last name is Wei, not Lu?”
“Wei Zhuang Commune’s Wei?”
Lu Yuanzheng nodded and smiled lightly, “You are really too smart Do you know the place where the commune stores grain now?”
“Uh-huh I’ve passed by a few times It looks like a very grand ancient building”
“Indeed, it’s quite grand, and it’s been recorded as being a hundred years old But, my grandfather told me that it was actually built during the Ming Dynasty, and its original name was Shude Hall But later was called the landlord manor, and then later confiscated
This manor has a total of nine courtyards, more than two hundred houses It’s similar to the courtyard you saw in Beijing, but it’s more of a defense function of ancient architecture”
Xu Wen knew that there were some things that could not be said to be right or wrong during those special times
She mentally calculated the time, the confiscation time should be far before the birth of Lu Yuanzheng, wondered: “How are you so familiar with that place?”
“At least it’s my home!” Lu Yuanzheng calmly said, “In fact, when I didn’t know, I didn’t feel it, but later I heard about it and always wanted to see it, so I sneaked in over the wall a few times
Although I was not born there, my father was
He was unluckier than me, born not as a few days serious son, either the country is difficult for everyone to have a bad day is most of the time in the street cowshed anyway, my father could not carry the disease died, my mother remarried At that time she was already pregnant with me”
Xu Wen’s heart jumped as she listened, and she gripped Lu Yuanzheng’s hand with all her might
Lu Yuanzheng sensed Xu Man’s mood swings and turned his head to comfort her, “It’s okay, it’s all in the past”
Later, Lu Yuanzheng’s mother married into the Lu family
She wasn’t even pregnant at the time, so no one in the village knew about it
Lu Yuanzheng’s grandfather was the Wei family’s former housekeeper and a house slave, and before the Wei family collapsed, Lu Yuanzheng’s grandfather was released to set up his own doorway, but also wanted to have a way out if the Wei family fell on hard times
Grandpa Lu and Grandpa Wei had a particularly good relationship, which is generally described as the kind of heart of the host family
So although after the liberation of the complete restoration of the free body, but the Wei family has been very concerned about from time to time to secretly receive a little help
The father of Lu Yuanzheng asked him to promise to take care of the mother of Lu Yuanzheng before he died
Therefore, it is said to the public that the second son of the Lu family married Lu Yuanzheng’s mother, but in fact, it is to give her a shelter
Because Lu Yuanzheng’s stepfather, Lu Jia Lao Er, had been weak and sickly since childhood, his adult body gradually shriveled up and became as thin as firewood, and the doctor asserted that he would not live to be ten years old
No girl in the countryside dared to marry him
Although particularly unfortunate, but is very suitable for Lu Yuanzheng his mother, the two people under one roof is considered to take care of each other
Soon after Lu Yuanzheng was born, his stepfather passed away
The mother of Lu Yuanzheng, herself a lady of the house, after the family’s great change, she endured not much less than Lu Yuanzheng’s father
She was a mother, and she survived for her child
Lu Yuanzheng’s habits, which were ridiculed when he first enlisted in the army, were all influenced by his mother
Her mother is the real thing, a thousand gold lady, a famous girl or a big family’s wife
Just the body is not for the will of the left and right, and so far the road gradually grows up, the breath in her heart a loose, the person will fall ill
Then not long after the death of the world
After that, Lu Yuanzheng lived with Grandpa Lu for a few years
Once he heard his grandparents arguing, after learning about his own life, he would often sneak off to the manor when he missed his parents
It’s not that he still has the dream of being a prince, he just wants to see the place where his parents lived
Lu Yuanzheng has never been a son of a servant, and has no regrets about the Wei family’s past
The father and mother have not been ashamed of any of them, and the Lu family, except for the grandparents, have treated him as a brother without knowing it
Grandpa is better than his own grandson, otherwise grandma would not have quarreled with grandpa said leakage
All in all, he was lucky, no matter whether his surname was Wei or Lu, he was well taken care of
When he was fifteen or sixteen years old, his grandparents passed away because of illnesses caused by not having enough to eat, and he picked up his backpack and ran off to join the army
At that time, he was afraid that he was not old enough, and he even misrepresented his age by a few years
After joining the army, he performed well and was promoted to deputy squad leader and then squad leader
At that time, Lian Zhenxing was the instructor and Song Xueqin was the company commander
The two men recommended Lu Yuanzheng to go to military school
The number of places in the military academy was very few and far between, and many people had their eyes on it
Lu Yuanzheng had a soldier who was particularly good at the same time, and he was also from his hometown
Once the two went back on vacation at the same time, the old countryman inadvertently heard about Lu Yuanzheng
After all, there is no impermeable wall in the world, some secrets will always be exposed to the sunlight inadvertently
People! Sometimes a thought will do the wrong thing
The old folks reported Lu Yuanzheng, saying that his background composition was not good and that he should not take the exam
But Song Xueqin and Lian Zhenxing covered it up
Lu Yuanzheng took the exam as scheduled and was admitted to the military school with excellent results
Song Xueqin waited for the results before asking Lu Yuanzheng about this, Lu Yuanzheng did not lie and confessed that there was no evidence at all
Song Xueqin and Lian Zhenxing both breathed a sigh of relief
This is not a big problem, after all, he is now surnamed Lu, his stepfather and grandfather are farmers
However, after the results came out, some people are not convinced to Song Xueqin and Lian Zhenxing also reported, said they cover up
Later, the top of the natural to investigate, Lu Yuanzheng this background said no problem also no problem, said there is a problem also has a problem
Problems is that he is the Wei family’s surviving son, said no problem is that he was born in the road family, long in the road family is an ordinary farmer’s child
The investigation team means to jerk Lu Yuanzheng’s military school student quota, only to retain the military registration
Song Xueqin and Lian Zhenxing refused to do so, and both of them ran to the head of the regiment to plead for leniency and guarantee
In the end, Song Xueqin sacrificed himself to be demoted in exchange for Lu Yuanzheng to continue to study in the military school
He was demoted from company commander to platoon leader And he became the guarantor of Lu Yuanzheng, if Lu Yuanzheng made any mistakes in the future, he would take the joint responsibility
The good thing is that Lu Yuanzheng is a good fighter, excellent military school results, after graduation, directly applied to the front-line combat troops, repeatedly meritorious
As the immediate leader, Song Xueqin was slowly promoted back again
Just than Lian Zhenxing’s promotion path, in the end, a lot more twists and turns
Xu Man found it hard to hear, “So you’ve been at the frontline for Uncle Song?”
“Not all People fight for a breath of Buddha to burn incense At that time, young and vigorous more or less a little bit of ignorance, just want to make some achievements to those people, but also to the old Song face But has been on the battlefield, the mentality slowly changed What merit what to prove to others to see in front of life and death is a joke
My greatest wish is that every time I come back from an expedition, there will be no less than one of my comrades!”
Xu Wen pursed his lips, this was the most difficult wish to fulfill
There was no war without casualties
No wonder he wasn’t very happy even though he was clearly lucky to have survived the New Year’s Eve
With so many comrades missing at once, he was more upset than anyone else and would blame himself
But Xu asked from many people’s mouths pieced together, that battle for the island, their company itself is a cast on the island of the death squad
Can not come back is normal, came back is the unexpected joy, commonly known as pick up a life
That’s why Lu Yuanzheng will return to the village to entrust the orphan
Thanks to Lu Yuanzheng’s good strategy, the ingenuity, to save half of the company with their own strength
After a few moments of silence, Xu asked, “You adopted Dongsheng because you think he’s a bit like you?”
“Uh-huh Dongsheng is luckier than me He’s a martyr’s orphan, so he can hold his head up and be a human being when he learns about his origins” Lu Yuanzheng looked sideways at Xu Wen, “You’re a better stepmother than me! Now that he has a choice, he’ll choose you over me”
Xu Man blinks, “Then why should he have to choose one?”
Lu Yuanzheng was stunned and smiled, “Yes! There is no such day”
There were only a few places to sell things on the center island, but Xu Man was excited to stroll around
It was about because she had Lu Yuanzheng by her side
It was also because he had been on the island for too long, and it was rare to come out fresh
The conditions on the island are already tough, and after staying in such a big place for a long time, people will inevitably have some bad emotions
In their own words, it’s almost like being in jail
Moreover, except for their island, the other islands are real archipelagos, connected to each other at the bottom of the sea, the distance between islands is very close
The size of the islands varies, some are manned by one company, others by more than one squad
There is no need for a telephone between two neighboring islands, just shout
But anyone who knows how to swim can swim and string along
Only their island, the least connected to the main island, is almost an isolated island, the location is extremely important
Otherwise, Lu Yuanzheng and the others wouldn’t have risked their lives to take that island
Xu Man bought some cotton thread and breathable fabrics, intending to go back to the island to make clothes for Dongsheng, and also picked out a pair of shoes for him
The inhabitants of this island were a minority race, and the clothing they sold had a particularly exotic flavor
Xu Wen herself also picked out a set of ready-made clothes, thought about it and built a set for Dongsheng, she held it and gestured, asked Lu Yuanzheng: “Do you think it’s okay for Dongsheng and I to wear a parent-child outfit?”
“What is a parent-child outfit?”
“It’s when parents and children wear clothes of similar style and color, that is, the same style in different sizes”
“Then why don’t I have one?” Lu Yuanzheng questioned, his tone a little aggravated
“Huh?” Xu Wen wondered, “Don’t you usually wear military uniforms?”
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t mentioned buying clothes for Lu Yuanzheng before, all of which were rejected by Lu Yuanzheng, saying that he couldn’t wear everyday clothes
When Xu Wen thought about it, it was true that Lu Yuanzheng’s clothes were military uniforms from head to toe, from winter to summer
Later on, buying clothes and making clothes didn’t count as his share
Why did he want it again today?
“I can wear it at home at night” Lu Yuanzheng lowered his eyes to look at the clothes she was pinching in her hand, “Isn’t it about parent-child clothing?”
Xu asked, “”
He couldn’t hold back his curved lips and smiled, he wasn’t short of clothes, he was just short of “parent-child clothes”
Xu Wen picked another set for Lu Yuanzheng, after paying, the two walked a few steps forward, Xu Wen added: “I forgot to say Men and women wearing clothes with similar colors and styles are also called ‘couple’ clothes”
Lu Yuanzheng’s gaze had fallen on the jewelry next to him, and when he heard Xu Wen’s words, he raised an eyebrow and suggested, “Then why don’t we return Dongsheng’s?”
Then it wouldn’t be a parent-child outfit but just a couple’s outfit
Xu Wen: “”
You’re really out of your league!
Lu Yuanzheng held Xu Man to the jewelry store which is also ethnic jewelry, mainly silver
Divided into face jewelry, chest jewelry, waist jewelry, hand and foot jewelry and so on
Beautiful is beautiful, is most jewelry in Xu Man seems to be large to exaggerate
Earrings are also, big and long, looking for the ear tired, but is really beautiful
Xu Man chose a hairpin, which was said to be a human-shaped bone hairpin, with fine carvings, black and white, and intricate patterns
Lu Yuanzheng chose a very distinctive bracelet for her, and dragged her back to the clothing store, borrowed a room, and both changed their clothes
Without the presence of Dongsheng, the two of them were dressed as a couple
Seeing Lu Yuanzheng’s happy face, Xu Wen could not bear to remind him that most of the men and women here are wearing the same clothes
Xu Wen’s upper body is a stand-up collar, large lapel, narrow sleeves, tight-fitting lapel top, the side and cuffs of the clothes have exquisite two-sided embroidery, below is a long skirt
Men’s clothes were similar to women’s, with a much simpler style and a sharper look
Xu Wen rarely saw Lu Yuanzheng wearing clothes other than military uniforms, and was a bit stunned
Lu Yuanzheng was even more stunned, Xu Man wearing such clothes was a different kind of beauty than usual, especially beautiful
Lu Yuanzheng tsked and asked the store owner to help Xu Man with a local hairstyle
There weren’t many customers in the store at this moment, Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Man bought a set of clothes in one go, of course the owner was especially happy, and without saying a word, he got it for Xu Man
After Xu Man finished combing her hair, Lu Yuanzheng personally put a hairpin in her hair
The store owner complimented Xu Man on how good she looked in broken Mandarin, and suggested that she pair up with a pair of flowery shoes
So Xu Man picked out another pair of shoes at her house
The store owner got excited and rattled off a bunch of words, all in the local dialect
Xu Man couldn’t hear what he was trying to say, but it was Lu Yuanzheng who listened with deeper and deeper smiles on his brows, and even returned a few words
After leaving the clothing store, Lu Yuanzheng habitually held Xu Man’s hand
Xu asked him, “Do you understand their dialect?”
“I can hear a generalization”
“What did she say?”
“She complimented you on your beauty! She complimented me on my good fortune in marrying such a beautiful daughter-in-law! She also blessed us to be happy forever”
Xu Wen thought that just as Lu Yuanzheng laughed just now, 80% of it meant this, and was a bit emotional: “It feels like you’re good at everything”
Not only Lu Yuanzheng, including other officers and soldiers as well, everyone knew so many things other than fighting
If combat and shooting were the necessary skills for their profession, they had a bit too many auxiliary skills
Can drive, can fix electricity, can fix water, can build houses, can farm, can paint, can pave, can cook, can speak many dialects
Pulling and mingling daily tasks could be solved by a single soldier
Lu Yuanzheng shook his head: ”We are all forced by life, and all we know is hard labor You’re the real talent, you can make ice, generate electricity, and do things we haven’t seen before”
“Mr Lu, do you know what this behavior of ours is called? It’s called commercial mutual admiration”
“Hmm?”
“It’s a kind of social etiquette, saying things to each other that the other likes to hear to make the other happy and yourself happy”
Lu Yuanzheng raised his lips, “Then if you’re happy, I can praise you for the rest of your life!”
“Oh, changing flowers to compliment people is called rainbow farts”
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
“Hey!” Xu Wen saw something and pulled Lu Yuan Zheng into the grain store next to him, “Boss, is this tapioca?”
The boss understood but couldn’t speak, nodding his head
“Give me some of this”
Xu Wen bought some tapioca and paid
Lu Yuanzheng felt self-conscious as he took the tapioca from the boss’s hand and carried it himself, asking inquisitively, “What did you buy this for?”
“For food!”
Xu Man also picked out some pots and pans
“The cooking class has all these”
“You can’t always go to the cooking class to borrow them Besides, the house is about to be built, so we’ll have to get some of our own things”
“That’s also true” Lu Yuanzheng nodded, “We’ll be able to move in in two more days”
The two of them shopped around and bought some more daily necessities and food
Seeing that it was the agreed time to leave the island, they hurriedly ran towards the harbor carrying the things they bought
“Ooh!” Shi Lei almost didn’t recognize two people
He took a look at the dress of Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Man, and then looked at the large bags in their hands, and took the initiative to help take the heavier ones from Xu Man’s hands and carry them in his own, tutting, “Are you two here for a meeting or a date? Do I still need to get on the boat? How about I swim back?”
Lu Yuanzheng nodded painfully, “Worthy of being an instructor, your awareness is high You go!”
Shi Lei: “”
He wanted to slap the pot in his hand onto Lu Yuanzheng’s face
Xu Wen’s hand was empty for a moment, a little less nice: “Thank you!”
Individuals rowing back to the boat, halfway to the road without warning started to rain
It was a sunny day when they came here, so no one brought rain gear
Lu Yuanzheng took off his coat and let Xu Man cover his head, while he and Shi Lei rowed forward with their eyes closed, as the rain was too heavy to keep their eyes open
The wind is blowing, and it’s a headwind
Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei rowed desperately for half a day, but did not see the boat move
But if they stop, the boat will not hesitate to go back with the wind
It was about to reach the island when the rain stopped again
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
Xu asked, “”
Shi Lei: “”
Shi Lei let out a long sigh, “God is not kind either It’s bad enough that I’m a loner following you two as a high wattage light bulb, but it’s also pouring rain all over me! I’m not fetching scriptures, so why make things difficult for me?”
Lu Yuanzheng was just about to say a few words to him when he saw Xu Man pointing at the island with a surprised look on his face, “Look at this! A rainbow!”
Lu Yuanzheng and Shi Lei followed her finger and saw a big rainbow over the island
It was so beautiful!
Xu Wen murmured, “If only there was a camera to record this scene”
Lu Yuanzheng said, “I don’t have a camera, but there’s still a way to leave this scene Let’s call our island Rainbow Island?”
Xu Man nodded, “No matter how much wind and rain we go through, we will always see the rainbow after the rain”
“Yes!” Shi Lei concurred, “That’s a good name This island was bought back by our comrades with their lives, and now it’s ours to build, all the previous suffering is like the storm just now, and the future island will definitely be as gorgeous and beautiful as this rainbow”
Lu Yuanzheng clapped his hands, “Then it’s settled! Our island will be called Rainbow Island from now on”
Back on the island, Lu Yuanzheng urged Xu Man to take a bath
Now, because Xu Man had desalinated some seawater, the fresh water she got could be used for bathing if there was enough water supply
Lu Yuanzheng then arranged for someone to specially set up a small tent to act as a women’s bathroom for his sister-in-law and the child to bathe in
The tent was the same tent, but the bathroom was definitely not the same bathroom
A simple shower was added, which was a thin water pipe connected to a bottle with some holes punched in it
The source of water supply is a large bucket on an elevated stand outside the tent
There is enough daylight on the island for a day of sunbathing and a warm shower at night
The only drawback is the limited water supply
Even though everyone was very frugal, there was often not enough to go around
When Xu Man returned from the bathroom, Dongsheng was rummaging through the things that Lu Yuanzheng had brought back with her
Dongsheng was still young and wasn’t really interested in new or old clothes
Taking out a few small wooden toys, he turned to look at Xu Man with a look of anticipation, “Is this for me, Ma Ma?”
Xu Man nodded: “Yes! Do you like it?”
Dongsheng nodded repeatedly, “I like it”
He put the toy aside and rummaged through it again, pointing at the tapioca and asking Xu asked, “What is this, Ma Ma?”
“This is called tapioca It can make a lot of delicious things”
“Is it something more delicious than ice porridge?”
“It’s a different flavor”
“I want to eat it”
“Okay, I’ll make it for you tomorrow”
The next day, Xu Wen broke her promise, but Dongsheng was not angry with her
Because Xu Man was sick
Halfway through the sudden downpour, although it did not last long, the rain was heavy and the water was a bit cool and windy
Even after taking a warm bath and drinking the brown sugar and ginger tea made by Lu Yuanzheng, Xu Man still caught a cold
It makes Lu Yuanzheng especially self-condemnation, has been chagrined did not come back earlier, should not be shopping
But, he also especially like to buy back the parent-child clothing
He didn’t have a chance to install it during the day, and changed it every time he came back at night
Frankly speaking, the breathability and comfort were not as comfortable as their clothes, he just liked to wear them
However, Xu Wen thinks he just likes to wear “couple’s clothes” or “parent-child clothes”
Not to mention Lu Yuanzheng, even after Dongsheng knew about the parent-child clothes, he also put them on and ran out to tell everyone that their family had parent-child clothes
The good thing is that the people on the island are already immune to their family’s different life and preoccupations
They are envious, but they don’t think it’s strange anymore
When Xu Wen recovered, it was almost time to move
The residential area, which is now the family area, has basically been completed
Rows and rows of two-story wooden buildings neatly lined up in the open space
The reason why it is two-story, because the air here is humid, the first floor in the rainy season for fear that simply can not live, the second floor is sleeping people
The house is divided into one-bedroom and two-bedroom
Those who have children can choose two rooms and one hall, and those who don’t have children will live in one room and one hall
As soon as the houses were built, many married officers and soldiers began to write letters back home, asking their families if they wanted to join the army
Because of the next development, the island also has money to earn
More than at home to earn work, the focus here can also be a family reunion, is not quite free access, the environment is still a little worse
But, there is always someone to pave the way, right?
Xu Man and his sisters-in-law who were already on the island took the lead in moving there first
Xu Wen chose a two-room apartment that was closest to the sea
The two rooms referred to the upstairs bedrooms, and the one hall was downstairs
There was also a small kitchen on the first floor
The house was still freshly built, very primitive, and had a light tung oil odor
The tung oil is used to waterproof the house
The house is similar to a townhouse, each house is a separate door but close together, there is no courtyard wall in the center
The rooms are still not that big, and the two floors are slightly more spacious
But there is a lot of space for remodeling
For example, a yard can be built in front of the house
On the second floor, there is a terrace, which can be closed up to make a sunroom, or just put a roof to make a lanai
The second floor also left a bathroom, but left for the time being can not be used, the pipeline has not been laid
In short, you can turnkey the house or decorate it
Xu asked Lu Yuanzheng, “Can this house be lived in all the time?”