Chapter 002.

Before Zhen Zhen could react, Servant Huai Zhong and Chen Qingmei had already crowded in next to her.

There were also other members of the community who were watching, all gathered behind them.

Without saying a word, Shui Huizhong yanked the letter out of Shui Danling’s hand.

He pinched the paper out of the envelope and carefully unfolded it.

After reading the beginning of the letter, he said in a trembling voice, “It’s Huai Ming’s handwriting!”

At these words, there was an instant clamor around them.

Just now, they all seemed to be stunned and confused, but now they all reacted – Servant Huai Ming was not dead!

This was too much of a surprise, someone who hadn’t heard from him in five years was actually still alive.

Not only is he alive, but he’s also an officer!

Is this, is this possible?

Servant Huai Zhong didn’t care what others were arguing beside him.

He didn’t know many words, so he was busy pinching the letter and turning around to find someone in the village who could read.

With trembling hands, he pinched the letter paper and sent it to Secretary Li, controlling his voice and tears and said, “Secretary Li, please help me read it and see what Huai Ming has written.”

Secretary Li took the letter from Squire Huai Zhong’s hand, and the others then put all their eyes on Secretary Li again.

He pinched the letter paper in his hand and cleared his throat, “Quiet!”

The members obeyed, and soon quieted down.

This time Zhen Zhen also reacted, blinking and perked up her ears waiting for Secretary Li to read the letter.

Her heart was still beating fast, like it was about to break through her chest.

Secretary Li pinched the letter paper, and again heavily cleared his throat, and read word by word: “Dear mother, big brother, so many years without care and greetings, how are you? Please forgive me for not writing home for so many years, covered by the wartime discipline is not allowed, when I find time to go back, I will definitely make good amends to my mother and big brother ……

“Now the troops are being reorganized, I can’t go back home to visit you yet ……”

“Huai Ming did not fail you, nor did he fail the motherland and the people, these years on the battlefield to charge, made some war achievements, and is now a full regiment ……”

……

Secretary Li just read out the words one by one, reading without any emotion, but the service Huai Zhong still cried a lot of tears and snot. Chen Qingmei also wiped tears on the side, stroking the arm of the service Huaizhong from time to time.

Zhen Zhen, on the other hand, cried silently, her tears all pursed between her lips.

Serving Danling’s eyes and nose are also red, next to squeeze Zhen Zhen’s hand.

Secretary Li finished reading the last word on the letter paper, next to a woman suddenly said in a loud voice: “Oops! Huai Ming really didn’t die, he really became a cadre! He’s a full regiment officer. The old minister’s family is smoking in their graves!”

As soon as this voice was finished, someone else said, “That’s right, Huai Ming has had a bright future since he was a child.”

……

The surrounding people flattered him, praising him to the skies and the earth.

Shi Huaizhong, Chen Qingmei and Zhen Zhen listened to these words, their hearts were too complicated, so they cried and laughed at the same time.

Chen Qingmei raised her hand to Zhen Zhen and wiped the tears on her cheeks, wiped a few times and then cupped her face, pressed her forehead against hers and choked up like a child, saying, “Zhen Zhen, you’ve made it.”

Zhen Zhen choked so much that she couldn’t speak, and gently nodded at Chen Qingmei.

Next to Secretary Li folded up the letter and sent it back to Squire Huai Zhong’s hand.

He raised his hand and patted Shui Huai Zhong’s shoulder, saying with a smile on his face, “It’s a happy event, a great happy event.”

It is indeed a great joy.

Servant Huaizhong collected his tears, and more smiles appeared on his face.

He took the letter handed over by Secretary Li, carefully put back into the yellow envelope.

He put the envelope back into Danling’s hands and told her in a choked voice, “Keep it safe.”

Servant Danling nodded and carefully put the envelope into her school bag.

The letter has been delivered and read, she did not stay on the riverbank, picked up the baked sweet potatoes between the grass and leaves and sent them back to Zhen Zhen’s hand, squeezed Zhen Zhen’s hand, and carried her schoolbag home for dinner.

This fact is a sudden, the members of the river bank around the service Huai Zhong, Chen Qingmei and Zhen Zhen another clamor for a while.

Can not resist the stomach is really hungry hard, only scattered back to their respective woodpile.

They sat down to eat the sweet potatoes and talked about the matter of Shui Huai Ming.

Zhen Zhen took the sweet potatoes and sat down by the fire, peeling the sweet potatoes while still shedding tears.

She was trying to stop crying, but the tears just wouldn’t obey, falling down.

Her head was spinning and she felt like she was dreaming.

Everyone knew these were tears of joy.

Cuilan smiled and spoke, “Zhen Zhen, you’ll be blessed in the future.”

The man suddenly became an officer, so wouldn’t she follow suit and become a phoenix?

All the women in the Red Flag Commune were not as lucky as her, Lin Zhen Zhen, she was really lucky!

Zhen Zhen gently sniffled, her voice weak, “I just want him to live.”

Serving Huai Ming as long as he can come back alive from the battlefield is the greatest gift from God.

Hongmei stared at Zhen Zhen from across the room for a while, looking a little sour, and suddenly spoke up, “Zhen Zhen, Shui Huai Ming wrote such a long letter, how come he didn’t mention you in any of the words from beginning to end? Could he have forgotten about you?”

Hearing this, Zhen Zhen looked at her and froze.

Cuilan and Xiuzhu also looked at Hongmei, naturally also realizing this problem.

Seeing that Zhen Zhen didn’t say anything, Hongmei rolled her eyes and lowered her voice a little before continuing, “I’ve heard that when some people become officers, they take their countryside daughters-in-law off. Do you know what is between you and Serving Huai Ming, it is a feudal marriage arranged by the parents. Do you understand feudal marriage?”

Zhen Zhen silently swallowed her sweet potatoes and lowered her eyebrows.

Hongmei continued with a soft sigh, “If you have a child, it’s okay, a child can’t be without a mother, for the sake of the child, it’s also necessary to leave you behind. But you didn’t even give him a child, it’s hard to say.”

Zhen Zhen lowers her eyebrows and takes a bite of sweet potato.

The sweet potato was soft and doughy, and had a faint sweet flavor in her mouth.

But she couldn’t feel the sweetness at the moment, and couldn’t taste anything in her mouth when she chewed on it.

She not only did not give Shi Huaiming a child, when married for half a month, Shi Huaiming did not touch her.

Anyone can hear that this is deliberately poking into Zhen Zhen’s heart, deliberately pouring cold water.

“You quickly stop talking nonsense, Huai Ming is not such a person.” Cuilan reached out to slap Hongmei’s arm at this time, trying to get her to hurry up and shut up.

“I’m not talking nonsense.” Hongmei grunted, “Serving Huai Ming was already outstanding, and now that he has made a war achievement and become an officer, he will definitely rise to become a bigger officer in the future, so what kind of object can’t he find? The daughter-in-law in the countryside that is the parents to see, is the parents arranged feudal marriage, and there is no child, divorced is also very normal.”

Can not plug Hongmei’s mouth, Cuilan had to silently look at Zhen Zhen’s face.

Zhen Zhen has been eating sweet potatoes with a lowered brow, with no obvious reaction.

Cuilan patted her hand and said, “Don’t listen to her.”

Zhen Zhen nodded her head a little as she ate her sweet potatoes.

Hongmei bias does not stop talking, can not wait to get down to Zhen Zhen ear, “I am also to give you a wake-up call, you listen to it, the heart has a preparation is not a bad thing ah. If you ask me, you might as well make preparations early.”

Cuilan slapped Hongmei again, squinted at her and whispered, “What are you doing? Can’t see anyone happy?”

Hongmei was very reasonable, “I’m just being kind, I’m afraid she’ll be overjoyed, and then it’ll be even harder, right?”

Cuilan didn’t say anything else, but then Zhen Zhen raised her head and spoke up.

She looked at Hongmei and let out a soft “hmm”, “I’ve remembered, I’ll be mentally prepared, thank you for reminding me.”

Hongmei: “……”

Suddenly called she doesn’t know what to say anymore ……

***

After eating sweet potatoes on the river bank to rest a little more.

Secretary Li pinched the time to blow the whistle.

Once the whistle sounded, the community members covered the fire with soil and got up.

Helping each other pat the blades of grass on their clothes, they returned to the pond to continue working.

After half a day’s work, they went home at the sound of the whistle.

On the way back home, the service Huai Zhong, Chen Qingmei face is very red, eyebrows flying, the corners of the mouth never let down.

Zhen Zhen followed beside them, her eyes and lips were also covered with smiles.

It was as intense and brilliant as the evening sun in the western half of the sky.

Neighbors walked by the side, all of them wanting to speak to them a few more times.

However, they were still talking about the fact that not only did Servant Huai Ming not die, but he had also become an officer, congratulating and flattering them.

The glow on the faces of Shui Huaizhong and Chen Qingmei was even redder than the glow of the sun.

When they arrived home with their shovels, the smoke from the roof was thick.

Zhong Minfen heard the noise and came out from the stove, and when she saw Shui Huizhong, Chen Qingmei and Zhen Zhen, her tears came down in a flash. When she came to the front, she smiled joyfully and said, “Huai Zhong, Huai Ming is not dead, Huai Ming is not dead!”

After saying this, she came over and took Zhen Zhen’s hand, “Zhen Zhen, did you hear that, Huai Ming didn’t die!”

Zhen Zhen smiled at her and nodded her head, and tears fell down her face.

Saying a scene. Another cry and a laugh.

The two children, Shui Danling and Shui Xingguo, were unable to intervene from the side.

When the four adults in the family finished crying and laughing, Shui Xingguo said loudly, “Today the family is more lively than New Year’s, tonight we can eat meat again!”

Shi Danling twisted his arm, “Just know how to eat.”

Shi Xingguo covered his arm with an “ouch”, “You don’t want to eat?”

The four adults were made to laugh by the two children, put away their tears and went to the stove room.

The table in the house really put cut pork, and a pot of cut cabbage.

All washed in water, Zhen Zhen washed her hands and rolled up her sleeves to go to the front of the stove to prepare for stir-frying, while Chen Qingmei went to the back of the stove to burn the fire.

The pork was saut茅ed in a pot of oil, and the excess lard was scooped into a jar of oil.

The cabbage was poured into the pan and softened, wrapped in the meat aroma, which tickled all the cravings in people’s stomachs.

The two siblings, Shui Danling and Shui Xingguo, stood by the stove with eyes wide open, gagging with desire.

A family of six squatted in the small stove room, lively and full of fireworks.

Fry a good dish to sit down and eat a hot meal, the heart and mouth are satisfied, indeed, more than the New Year’s Day to be happy.

After dinner, some neighbors came to visit the house, many people came, the house has been bustling constantly.

Naturally, these neighbors all came to congratulate Shui Huai Ming on becoming an officer and brought things to congratulate him.

Everyone wanted to come over to congratulate the Servants’ family for having such a man.

The people who greeted them all night had stiffened their faces with smiles.

Zhong Minfen is very old, after washing up and going to bed, she fell asleep when she touched the pillow.

The service Huai Zhong and Chen Qingmei spirit is still very full, before going to bed and talk for a long time private conversation.

Zhen Zhen lay on the bed, her arm held in the arms of the already asleep Shui Danling.

She looked at the beams in the darkness and blinked her eyes, still feeling that all of this today was like a dream.

Of course she also still remembered what Hong Mei had said, and couldn’t help but silently think in her heart – for her, perhaps it really was just a beautiful dream.

Hong Mei was right.

She was not worthy of her Servant Third Brother.

Once upon a time, she didn’t deserve him, but now she was even more unworthy.

***

For the next few days, the Servant Family was immersed in joy.

The gloom that had accumulated on the roof of the Servant Family for five years dissipated within these few days.

The sunlight poured down brightly, spreading one golden ray after another.

This afternoon Zhen Zhen did not go to the production team to work with the others.

She stayed at home and went with Zhong Minfen to her own land to take back the cabbage from the field and store it at home.

Usually, if there is anything going on in the house, she helps Zhong Minfen do the housework first.

The homestead where the cabbages were grown was not large.

In the evening, Zhen Zhen and Zhong Minfen took all the cabbages back home and stored them.

After storing the cabbages, Zhen Zhen asked Zhong Minfen to rest on the side, and she scooped up water to prepare for dinner.

Just scooped up a spoonful of water, suddenly heard the sound of noise coming from outside.

The family often comes to the house these days, Zhen Zhen and Zhong Minfen are not surprised.

Zhen Zhen put down her spoon and went out of the stove room to see, only to see that it was auntie渚嶆樊闇�’s family coming.

Together with them, there were also Servant Danling and Servant Xingguo, who had just returned from school.

Zhong Minfen did not get up to come out, and Zhen Zhen turned back toward the stove room and said, “Mother, second sister and second brother-in-law are here.”

As soon as her words fell, Shi Huaixia directly brushed past her and entered the stove room, saying to Zhong Minfen with a smile on her face, “Mother, I brought your grandchildren and granddaughter back to see you!”

Serving Huaixia’s man pushed the three children in front of Zhong Minfen.

The three children called out in unison, “Grandmother.”

He also called out, “Mother.”

Zhong Minfen answered and asked them, “Did you get the letter?”

On the day that Servant Huai Ming wrote back, she asked someone to bring a message to Servant Huai Xia.

Servant Huaixia nodded her head and smiled, “I received it, but I took the time to come here today, Little Sanzi really gave us Servant family face, now I can go out with face.”

Serving Danling and Serving Xingguo in the side chattered out, “We are also we are also, we go to school these days, the students can be enthusiastic about us. Uncle San has become a cadre, they are all envious!”

The difficult bout had long since passed.

Now that they were talking about it again, the family was only happy.

Zhen Zhen didn’t get involved and went back to scooping up water for cooking, the light from the fire in the stove making her face red and bright.

It wasn’t long before Serving Huizhong and Chen Qingmei arrived home after another busy day.

The house was even more lively, the house was abuzz with people, and a burst of laughter came out.

There were many people eating at home this night, so Shui Huizhong packed up the eight-imperial table in the center of the main house.

When they sat down to eat, the family talked about Shi Huai Ming’s case.

Serving Huaixia said: “This is really called people can not imagine, too unexpected, I heard the news is almost happy to die, the little three son all these years no news, before I really thought he ……”.

The following words do not say, and said: “Our family Huaiming, from childhood to see a good future! He’s not an ordinary person by birth, and I’ve known for a long time that he’s going to be a great man sooner or later.”

The family all agreed with Shui Huaixia’s words and nodded their heads.

After dinner, the family didn’t leave immediately.

Serving Huaixia pulled Zhong Minfen to her room, mother and daughter whispered for a while.

While Shui Hua Zhong greeted his brother-in-law, Chen Qingmei worked with Zhen Zhen doing needlework, watching the five children in the meantime.

Serving Huaixia and Zhong Minfen talked in the house, first holding hands and crying.

After crying their hearts were completely pained and only happy.

After saying that Shui Huaoming had brought honor to the old Shui family, Shui Huaixia sniffled a little and suddenly said, “It’s too cheap for that Lin Zhenzhen.”

Zhong Minfen didn’t like to hear this and only said, “What are you talking about.”

“Isn’t it?” Serving Huaixia straight to the point: “Isn’t it a great bargain for her? Xiao San Zi outside the hard five years of war, as a cadre, she easily became a cadre family, the future can enjoy the great blessings.”

Zhong Minfen said, “This is what Zhen Zhen should enjoy.”

Shui Huaixia grunted, “I would say not at all, she doesn’t deserve Little Sanzi at all. I couldn’t see her before, and now that Junior has become a cadre, I can’t see her any more. If it wasn’t for you insisting that Little Sanzi marry her, Little Sanzi wouldn’t have wanted her as his daughter-in-law. If it weren’t for her delay, what kind of girl could Little Sanzi not find with his current qualifications? He could have found a city girl.”

Zhong Minfen inhaled softly, “I don’t like any city girl, I just like Zhen Zhen! He and Zhen Zhen have been betrothed since they were young and have a marriage contract, he should marry Zhen Zhen when he reaches the age!”

Serving Huaixia laughed a little, “What’s the use of you liking it, Xiao Sanzi doesn’t like it, can’t you see, Xiao Sanzi and her are not the same people. What’s wrong with having a child marriage? This is a new society and a new era, so it’s not like the parents are arranging the marriage. Parents arranged marriages are feudal marriages, I can hear the rumors, saying that Xiao San Zi might retire her.”

Zhong Minfen’s eyes glared when she heard this.

She slapped her thighs, “Repudiate Zhen Zhen? I’ll see if he dares! If he wants to repudiate Zhen Zhen, he has to go through me first. Unless I die, he won’t be able to drive Zhen Zhen out of my Servant’s house! He hasn’t even returned yet, and he dares to think of this?”

Shi Huaixia let out an ouch, “Mother, why are you turning your arm outward? Xiaosanzi is marrying himself, not you. Times have changed, so if you’re like this, aren’t you delaying Little Sanzi’s life?”

Zhong Minfen answered, “What about Zhen Zhen’s whole life?”

Shui Huaixia: “Mother, why are you still turning your arm outward? Little Sanzi is your own son! He’s now a cadre of full regiment level! He’s got the looks, he’s got the talent, so you don’t think you’re losing out by letting him spend his life with Lin Zhenzhen! If I were you, why don’t you persuade Lin Zhen Zhen to ask for a divorce and make Huai Ming’s life complete?”

Zhong Minfen grimaced, “I won’t do it. If Huai Ming dares to mention it, I’ll disown him as my son!”

Older thinking is stubborn, Serving Huaixia choked and did not speak.

***

After sending the family away, Zhong Minfen pulled Zhen Zhen into the house.

She took Zhen Zhen’s hand and said: “Zhen Zhen, I heard that there are some rumors outside, mother told you, no matter what people outside say, you do not think nonsense. Remember, mother will back you up, as long as there is mother, mother will not let Huai Ming fool around.”

Zhen Zhen only felt warmth in her heart as she listened to these words.

She looked at Zhong Minfen and smiled, “Mother, I’m fine, I can think straight.”

It was true that she and Shi Huai Ming were in a feudal marriage arranged by their parents, and Shi Huai Ming had no feelings for her.

If Shui Huai Ming really wants to divorce her, she will not be entangled, nowadays Shui Huai Ming is a war hero who protects the family and defends the country, he deserves a better person, deserves a more fulfilling life, she will not be deadbeat and have to hold on to him.

But Zhong Minfen squeezed her hand, her tone heavy, “Mother forbids you to think like that.”

Still smiling, Zhen Zhen nodded her head to coax her, “Well, good.”