Chapter 085

Two and a Half Years Later.

-Two and a Half Years Later

The weather had not yet warmed up in the first month.

The sun dipped to the west, and a cold wind blew where it did not shine.

Li Shuang stood in front of the clothesline, reaching out to collect the clothes drying on the rope one by one.

When she received the last piece, she suddenly heard someone anxiously calling her name not far away, “Li Shuang! Li Shuang!”

Li Shuang heard the sound and turned back, only to see that it was the director of the neighborhood committee, Mr. Lu, who was running over to her.

Director Lu is a little old lady in her fifties, hair white, body shape and relatively fat, run up very inconvenient, run to Li Shuang in front of the time has been breathless.

And anxious and tired, she stopped and did not speak immediately.

Li Shuang from the clothesline to pull down the last piece of clothing, out of the voice asked: “Director Lu, what’s wrong?”

Director Lu pinched his waist and gasped for a few breaths, then looked at Li Shuang and said in a false voice: “Your family He Ziran …… He Ziran …… is in the Revolutionary Committee and Director Xia got into trouble! You should hurry, go and take a look!”

Hearing this, Li Shuang’s heart sank, and her face instantly tightened.

She quickly turned around and put her clothes into the house, came out and hurriedly went to the Revolutionary Committee with Director Lu.

Running to the director’s office of the Revolutionary Committee, she saw He Ziran inside, and was being pressed on the sofa.

Together with him on the sofa, there was Cheng Chen from Mrs. Chen’s family.

The two children were like two little lions being held down.

Li Shuang first froze for a moment, then immediately reprimanded He Ziran: “He Ziran, what are you doing?!”

After reprimanding her, she hurriedly apologized to Director Xia, “Director Xia is really sorry, the children are still young and unintelligent, don’t be general with them, it’s me who didn’t discipline them well, I will definitely go home and discipline them well again.”

Director Xia sat behind the desk and panted.

And gasping for a while, he looked at Li Shuang said: “This child of your family, indeed need to be properly disciplined!”

Li Shuang nerves taut, voice also tight, said repeatedly: “I will I will, I go back I will beat him hard.”

Without another word, Director Xia turned his head toward He Ziran with a dark face and gloomy eyes.

Looking for a moment glancing at Cheng Chen next to him, he looked at Cheng Chen again and said in a heavy voice, “And you! If not for the face of your sacrificed father, I today ……” face fuming ruthless, pause for a moment and then picked up: “I can not spare you!”

Director Xia’s tone and look are extremely angry, speak also with ruthlessness, look at the posture as if to tear these two children tear tear tear tear, but he actually did not overly difficult He Ziran and Cheng Chen.

After more than ten minutes of frothing at the mouth, he asked Li Shuang to take the two children away.

Walking out of the office door, Li Shuang let out a slight sigh of relief.

Of course, she was only slightly relieved, the nerves in her head were still particularly tight.

Director Lu whispered beside her: “It’s necessary to bring back to properly discipline, this child is too big a nerve!”

Li Shuang naturally nodded and responded, “Director, I know, I will.”

Director Lu didn’t accompany Li Shuang for a long walk, she was busy with her own business after leaving the Revolutionary Committee.

Li Shuang silently led He Ziran and Cheng Chen to walk for a while, then she stopped her steps and turned back to Cheng Chen and said in a soft voice, “Cheng Chen, you should hurry back home, it’s not easy for your mom to bring you up alone, don’t let your mom worry.”

Cheng Chen didn’t say any words, answered with a cry, glanced at He Zi Ran and left.

Li Shuang turned around and continued to walk forward, just now there was no expression on her face, now her face sank bit by bit.

Her fingers were also tightly pinched together, trying to hold back the emotions that were already on the verge of being strained.

Taking He Ziran with her, she walked to her home.

The moment she entered the door she couldn’t hold back any longer, lifting her hand and slashing at He Zi Ran.

He Ziran didn’t make a sound and didn’t hide, only subconsciously raised his arm and casually blocked two.

Li Shuang hit him while emotionally out of control: “What do you want to do? You tell me what you want to do! Your father went in, you want to go in too, right? You’d better all go in, don’t want this family anymore!”

“You’re taking Cheng Chen with you, if anything happens to him, what about his mom!”

“Your father is no longer at home, no one can control you, you don’t have to go to school, you’re free, right? In the past two years, you’ve been going out all the time and fighting with people! Now you’re even worse, you’ve gone to the Revolutionary Committee!”

“If you don’t want to be a good person, you have to be a hooligan!”

……

He Ziran stood and didn’t dodge much.

Li Shuang was furious, slaps fell down randomly, some hit on He Ziran’s face, some hit on his head, some hit on his shoulder, arm, ear ……

The palms of the hands hit numb, the gas is also almost out.

Li Shuang vain gas sat down on the edge of the bed, lowered his head and covered his face, and did not speak again for a long time.

The emotions eased down a little bit.

She raised her head to look at He Ziran, who was still standing in place, and asked, “Why did you make trouble to the Revolutionary Committee?”

He Ziran tensed his face and didn’t say anything, Li Shuang’s voice suddenly intensified, “Say! Why did you go to the Revolutionary Committee?”

He Ziran looked at the door with his face averted, and stubbornly replied, “I want to see my father.”

Hearing these words, all the anger in Li Shuang’s heart was extinguished in an instant.

His eyes fell on He Ziran’s face, and seeing the red marks on his face and ears from his own beating, his heart suddenly felt very distressed and sad at the same time.

Didn’t say any more words of reprimand, lowered his eyebrows in silence for a while, Li Shuang looked at He Zi Ran again, his voice calmed down and said, “Now that school has resumed, school will start in two days, you give me school, don’t go out and fool around again.”

He Ziran is still looking at the door, “I’m not going.”

Li Shuang looked at him, he lowered his head and said, “What’s the point of going to school, resuming classes is just continuing the revolution, going to school is the same as mucking around, and you still have to spend money. I’ll mix outside for two more years, then I’ll go to the army as a soldier.”

He is fifteen years old this year, not old enough to go as a soldier.

Li Shuang couldn’t help but take a deep breath, lowered his eyebrows, and said a few moments later, “With our family’s current composition, and your father still locked up inside, which army would want you? You won’t even be able to submit your application.”

He Ziran was silent, and a moment later said, “Then I’ll go to the countryside with the army, these are the only two ways.”

For young people, these are really the only two ways out now.

After so many years of school suspension and revolution, there are too many graduates in the backlog of schools, and even college students are assigned to the countryside or military farms to “receive re-education for the workers, peasants and soldiers”, not to mention the secondary school students below.

Being a soldier is the best way out at present, but if you can’t be a soldier, you can only go to the countryside to join the army.

Thinking about it makes your brain hurt.

Li Shuang raised his hand and pressed his temples.

***

In the light of the setting sun, Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen went home side by side after work.

Talking halfway, they happened to bump into Chen’s sister-in-law who was also returning from work.

They met and exchanged greetings.

Mrs. Chen got off her bicycle and pushed it back to her home with Zhen Zhen and Wen on foot.

As they walked together, Mrs. Chen started a conversation and said, “We’re finally sure that classes will resume. If we don’t let the kids go to school, they’ll all go crazy and become feral children.”

Although the adults have had a hard time in the past few years, the children have had an incredibly happy life.

Adults are living in fear and trepidation, they can’t take care of themselves, they don’t have the time or the strength of mind to care for their children, and the school is not in session, so the children are naturally going crazy everywhere, either following the revolution, or fooling around, in short, there’s no real work to be done.

For the children, not having to go to school and not having their parents to control them was the happiest thing of all.

Speaking of this, Wen then said, “Sister-in-law, you only noticed the word ‘resumption of classes’, but not the three words after ‘resumption of classes’; resumption of classes is also going to a revolution.”

Of course Sister-in-law Chen knew that, she smiled and said, “Aigoo, as long as we can drag the children to school and keep them from running around wildly, that’s fine. Who cares what he goes to school for, let’s recruit him back to school first.”

Zhen Zhen picked up again and said, “I’m afraid the school can’t control it.”

Now this social environment, school discipline rules and regulations have long been abolished, the school teachers and leaders of which still have what authority to control the students, not by the students out of the wrong to criticize a good.

Chen sister-in-law said, “That’s better than suspension.”

The three of them talked and walked to the entrance of the hutong.

Before turning into the hutong, suddenly heard someone not far away shouting, “Comrade Xiao Chen, Comrade Xiao Chen …….”

The three turned their heads together to look, only to see that it was Director Lu of the neighborhood committee.

Zhen Zhen Arwen and Chen’s sister-in-law voiced out together, “Director Lu.”

Director Lu walked up to Zhen Zhen Arwen and Sister-in-law Chen, looked at Sister-in-law Chen and said, “Comrade Xiao Chen, I have something to tell you.”

Afraid of blocking the others from walking, the four of them moved to the corner next to each other, and Chen’s sister-in-law said, “Director Lu, you tell me.”

Director Lu slowed down and said, “I’m telling you, you need to go home and take good care of your Cheng Chen, it’s not enough for him to go out and mess around with the kids from other compounds, but today he actually messed around with He Ziran from Li Shuang’s family, and made a scene at the Revolutionary Committee of our compound. Director Xia was very angry with them and reprimanded them.”

After hearing these words, Zhen Zhen Arwen and Chen’s sister-in-law’s faces all became grave.

Chen’s sister-in-law was naturally the most anxious, and quickly asked first: “Then Director Xia didn’t do anything to our Cheng Chen, did he?”

Director Lu said, “They’re all children, and they’re all from our compound, so they were held down and reprimanded.”

Chen’s sister-in-law sighed in relief, and busily added, “Don’t worry, Director, I’ll go back and I’ll definitely educate him properly.”

Director Lu nodded, “The child isn’t small anymore, reason with him properly.”

Chen’s sister-in-law nodded and agreed, so Director Lu left.

Watching Director Lu walk away, Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen looked at Mrs. Chen again.

Zhen Zhen said, “Sister-in-law, don’t rush to scold, go home and ask what’s going on first.”

Sister-in-law Chen said in a steady tone, “You say that this child nowadays, he is really getting more and more bold, more and more unruly!”

Mrs. Chen was in a hurry to get home, so Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen didn’t say anything more to her.

When they entered the alley, Chen’s wife pushed her bicycle into the courtyard first, while Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen continued to walk forward.

When she entered the courtyard and parked her bike, she saw Cheng Chen cooking in the kitchen, and her anger suddenly subsided. She walked to the kitchen door and Cheng Chen turned her head to look at her and said, “Mom, you’re back.”

Sister-in-law Chen did not get angry and asked him in a calm tone, “What did you do today?”

Cheng Chen knew that the little old lady surnamed Lu must have complained again, and she loved to complain to parents all over the compound, so he didn’t want to pretend, and followed up with Chen’s sister-in-law’s words and said directly, “Mom, if you want to yell at me, just yell at me.”

Seeing him like this, Chen’s sister-in-law couldn’t help but be annoyed, but she couldn’t scold him.

He frowned and looked at Cheng Chen and said, “Cheng Chen, how many times have I told you over the years to stop hanging out with He Zi Ran, why don’t you listen?”

Cheng Chen simply said, “We are brothers.”

Sister-in-law Chen took a deep breath and looked at Cheng Chen, “His father’s problems are so serious that he’s still locked up to this day, and his mother is under review, you’re a brother to him? I don’t have a problem with him and his parents, can you understand what I mean?”

Cheng Chen is understood, is afraid of being affected.

But he is not afraid, still calmly said, “His father is his father, he is him.”

Sister-in-law Chen was so angry that she wanted to bite her teeth.

She slowed down for a moment, and then looked at Cheng Chen and said, “Okay, then let’s talk about him, you tell me now, is he the one who took you to the Revolutionary Committee to make trouble today? Why did you run to the Revolutionary Committee to make trouble for a good reason?”

“He wanted to see his father.” Cheng Chen said as he stirred the noodle soup in the pot with a spoon.

Hearing this, Chen’s sister-in-law also froze for a moment.

Cheng Chen should also want to see his dad, just never again.

She was silent for a while, and then spoke again, “You can’t go to the Revolutionary Committee like this, fortunately Director Xia is generous and doesn’t bother with you kids, otherwise I don’t know how it will end up today.”

Said and couldn’t help but criticize: “You children are simply bold!”

Their adults are as careful as rats that don’t dare to come out of their holes all day long, but these kids do whatever they want.

If an adult were to go and make a scene today, he or she would not be able to walk out of the door of the Revolutionary Committee.

Of course, no adult would dare to make such a scene.

The soup was ready.

Cheng Chen bent down to seal the stove fire and took two bowls to serve the soup.

The soup was made with white radish, and just by smelling it, there was a salty and aromatic flavor.

Carrying the bowls to the main house, he sat down to eat.

Chen’s sister-in-law took a big gulp of the soup and said: “You’ll be with me later, let’s find Director Xia and apologize. We can’t do nothing after causing so much trouble to others.”

Cheng Chen lowered his head and ate his rice and said, “Prisoners can still visit the prison, what’s to stop them from visiting?”

Sister-in-law Chen suddenly froze, then said in a heavy voice, “Shut your mouth!”

Cheng Chen closed his mouth and didn’t speak again.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up the dishes, Chen’s sister-in-law took some eggs and took Cheng Chen out.

Finding Director Xia’s home, knocking on the door, the first sentence when he saw Director Xia was, “Director Xia, I’m really sorry, ah, the child doesn’t know what to do, I also came back from work to know ……”

***

The dishes on the table are simple.

Zhen Zhen’s family of six sat at the table to eat.

Serving Huai Ming said to Dan Sui, “School is now back in session, and when school starts in two days, you’ll be in first grade. No matter what other people do at school, Spike you still need to put more effort into your studies, understand?”

In a flash, Dan Sui was now more than eight years old.

In this day and age, going to elementary school at this age was considered normal.

An eight year old child knew a lot of things, she looked at Servant Huai Ming and said, “Studying isn’t much use.”

Before Shui Huaiming could say anything else, Zhen Zhen answered, “Who says studying is useless, of course studying is useful.”

Dan Sui looked at Zhen Zhen again, “Nonsense, intellectuals are all stinky old men.”

Yes, stinky old nine is now synonymous with intellectuals.

But in just over two years, the theory of the uselessness of knowledge had already spread widely in society.

No matter if you were an eight year old or an eighteen year old, you would be told that knowledge was useless.

Jen couldn’t refute what Dan Sui said.

Squire Huai Ming looked at Dan Sui again and said, “Anyway, you have to listen to mom and dad.”

Dan Sui couldn’t refute this either, so she responded, “Oh ……”

***

After eating and washing up, he returned to his room.

Zhen Zhen said to Squire Huai Ming, “I want to go see Li Shuang’s sister-in-law later, today He Zi Ran brought Cheng Chen to make trouble to the Revolutionary Committee, I heard that the commotion was quite big, and it made Director Xia furious, I don’t know what’s going on.”

When Li Shuang had just moved out, during the most sensitive period, Servant Huai Ming didn’t even stop Zhen Zhen from going to see Li Shuang, and naturally he would be even less likely to stop her from going now. He nodded and said, “Go.”

Originally, the compound was quite lenient towards people like Li Shuang He Ziran.

Slowly, Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen also tried to restore some contact with Li Shuang, of course, the number of times and time they met and exchanged is not much, also not publicized, the people of the Revolutionary Committee also turned a blind eye.

When the sky darkened a little bit, Zhen Zhen carried the bag to go out.

Out to the entrance of the hutongs, waiting for Ah Wen at the entrance of the hutongs, the two together to the northwest corner of the compound.

When they arrived at the bungalow, they gently knocked on the door and went in together.

The bungalow is so small that the only big things inside are an old bed and an old table.

The smaller visible things were wooden boxes and small benches.

He Ziran and He Ziyan were asleep on the bed.

Li Shuang poured two bowls of hot water and sat down with Zhen Zhen and Wen at the table.

Li Shuang looked at Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen and said, “Why are you here again?”

Actually, Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen didn’t come much.

Jen looked at her and said, “After what happened today, could we not come over to see what was going on?”

Shizuku followed up and asked, “How did Zi Ran make a scene at the Revolutionary Committee?”

Li Shuang inhaled softly, “To see his father.”

The topic was always a sensitive one.

Wen and Zhen Zhen were silent for a while, but they didn’t go any further.

Zhen Zhen was busy pulling out the things in her bag on the table, and said to Li Shuang, “This is not the beginning of the school year, Zi Ran and Zi Yan have to go to school, so we brought some things for them.”

Li Shuang accepted Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen’s kindness.

But she reaches out and pinches out the envelope from the stuff and shoves it back into Zhen Zhen’s hand and says, “Forget about the money.”

Zhen Zhen shoves the envelope back into her hands again, “You can forget everything, but not the money, Zi Ran and Zi Yan will need to spend a lot of money after school starts, so hurry up and take it.”

Li Shuang knew she couldn’t push it away, so she hesitated for a moment and accepted it.

She looked at Zhen Zhen and Ah Wen, smiled for a moment and said, “It’s worth it to know you two in this life.”

Wen leaned over to Li Shuang and looked at her and said, “That time Zhen Zhen invited us to go out for western food, on the way back, we agreed to be good friends for the rest of our lives, do you still remember?”

Still smiling, Li Shuang nodded at Jen Jen and Wen, “I remember.”

Not only do she remember this meal, but she also remembers when she had just moved over here, messing around with the two of them in front of the lilac tree to pay her respects. Remember that hilarious New Year’s Eve when everyone was laughing and smiling with their glasses of wine.

Year after year, the flowers are similar.

The flowers are similar year after year, and the people remain the same year after year.

At that time, I thought that reunion and beauty were the norm in life.

Later ah only to understand, the original, separated is the life of the norm.

***

The first time I saw this, I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night.

They left the things they brought, finished what they wanted to say, and got up to go back.

Li Shuang walked them to the door and watched them disappear into the night.

She came back and closed the door, put away the things on the table, pulled the lamp and got into bed, pulled the covers a little and lay down.

There was only one bed inside this bungalow, and there was only room for one bed.

He Zi Ran and He Zi Yan slept on one end, Li Shuang slept on her own end, and she slept on the outermost part of the bed, taking up the least amount of space.

Crowded yes, but warm in winter.

Li Shuang closed her eyes in the darkness and covered her face halfway under the quilt.

The night’s sleep was restless, and she woke up very early in the morning.

He Ziran and He Ziyan couldn’t stay idle at home and went out again after breakfast.

As the two left, Li Shuang instructed them, “Don’t make trouble when you go out, and come back early.”

He Ziran and He Ziyan responded as usual, “Got it.”

Li Shuang naturally does not go out, she will go if there is a labor task assigned to her in the compound, but if not, she will be at home to write an explanation of the material.

Write to noon to the corner of the small stove carry out, fan the fire to do lunch.

Rice are made very simple, eat some pickles can also make a meal.

When the meal was ready, He Ziran and He Ziyan also came back from outside.

A family of three sat down to eat, ate two mouthfuls of rice, Li Shuang and He Ziran He ZiYan said: “Tomorrow you all give me to report to school, do not do nothing all day and night, jumping around.”

He Ziran still said, “I’m not going.”

Li Shuang ate his meal and said, “You have to go even if you don’t go.”

He Ziran wanted to speak again, but before his words left his mouth, he suddenly heard the sound of someone clearing his throat from the door.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the door, and Li Shuang and He Ziyan also looked over.

Seeing that it was Director Xia, Li Shuang busily got up and politely said, “Director, why are you here? Have you eaten yet? Should …… you?”

Director Xia waved his hand at her and interrupted, “I’ve eaten, I came over to talk to you about something.”

Say what matter?

Li Shuang was subconsciously nervous in her heart.

Over the years, there really hadn’t been any good things that had happened to her either.

With a smile barely hanging on the corner of her mouth, she went outside and whispered, “Director you say.”

Director Xia looked at her, then at He Ziran and He Ziyan who were still sitting at the table.

He didn’t say what it was about first, but looked at He Ziran first and said, “Your kid has a big opinion of me!”

He Ziran lowered his head and continued eating, barely responding, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Director Xia looked at him and sneered, “You don’t dare? There are still things that you, He Ziran, wouldn’t dare to do? If you don’t dare, you’ve made a scene in my office. If you dared to, you would have to take the entire compound by storm.”

He Ziran looked like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water, continued to eat and stopped talking.

Li Shuang was told by Director Xia to hold his breath and spoke out, “The child is small and doesn’t know any better, Director, don’t be general with him.”

Director Xia snorted again, “If I am with his general understanding, he can still sit here to eat?”

Li Shuang quickly added, “Director you are the most generous.”

Director Xia did not continue with the nonsense.

She looked at Li Shuang, changed her tone and said, “Getting down to business, our Revolutionary Committee met in the morning to discuss and made a decision, now I’m formally informing you that at 3:00 pm, you can visit for half an hour, get ready.”

Hearing this, Li Shuang was violently stunned, feeling that he had misheard.

And He Ziran also instantly raised his head and froze as he looked at Director Xia outside the door.

Seeing the two of them froze, Director Xia impatiently said again, “I don’t have time to tease you, from now on, you will visit once a month, for half an hour at a time.”

After saying this, she saw Li Shuang and He Ziran still froze, so she didn’t stand any longer, turned around and left.

Director Xia walked out for more than ten meters before Li Shuang came back to her senses.

Seeing that Director Xia hadn’t gone far, she hurriedly shouted at Director Xia’s back, “Director, thank you!”