Chapter 35: Kimchi and Evacuation

Zhang Yuandong returned to the army and felt very guilty about his wife, falling into a slump for a while.

However, as a soldier who had been on the front lines and seen too much death, he quickly adjusted his mood.

He knew he couldn’t make up for anything to his wife, so he could only make up for his debt to his two children.

The instructor of the company was named Sun Tao. They were both soldiers of the same year and even classmates in the new recruit training camp.

Later, due to their respective developments, they hadn’t seen each other for many years.

At the end of last year, after the border self-defense war ended, Zhang Yuandong was transferred back and temporarily took over as the company commander of the current third company, where he met Sun Tao again.

Because of their friendship from their new recruit days, their relationship was very deep.

During dinner, Sun Tao came uninvited and reached for Zhang Yuandong’s only jar of kimchi.

It was prepared for him by Lin Yue the day he left, when she specially came back at noon.

He didn’t know that when she heard he was going back to the army that day, Lin Yue was teased by several people in the morning, saying that she wasn’t helping her husband pack his luggage at home and was rushing to work, making her a model worker in the village.

Lin Yue blushed from the teasing and, afraid they would say something indecent, rushed back at noon to symbolically pack his backpack. The jar of kimchi was placed in his bag at that time.

These days, Sun Tao had been coming to his place every day, all for this kimchi.

Zhang Yuandong slapped his hand away, picked up a large chopstick full of kimchi and put it in his bowl, eating it with a bun in a few bites.

He used to be reluctant to eat it, but now it seemed like if he didn’t hurry up and eat it, someone else would finish it.

Sun Tao patted him hard on the back, laughing and scolding, “Look at your stingy ways! It’s just a little bit of pickles, what’s the big deal!”

Zhang Yuandong pretended to cover the jar, “It’s not a big deal, then don’t come running to my place every day!”

Sun Tao was immediately anxious and quickly grabbed the jar, “I said you were stingy, and you really are! Didn’t you suspect her identity before? Why are you now even reluctant to share a bite of kimchi with others?”

Seeing Zhang Yuandong was about to grab it again, he quickly said, “Okay, okay, I really came to see you for something! Look, what’s this?”

Sun Tao pulled out a letter from his pocket, with Zhang Yuandong’s name clearly written on it, and the mailing address was from his hometown.

Zhang Yuandong was startled and jumped up from his chair, snatching the letter and kicking Sun Tao’s butt before running to the side to read the letter, laughing.

Sun Tao wasn’t angry. While Zhang Yuandong was busy and didn’t have time to pay attention to him, he quickly opened the jar, picked up a large chopstick full of kimchi and put it in his bowl, eating three buns with it, shaking his head and nodding while sighing, “You’re such a jerk, you even suspected her. Luckily, she doesn’t know you secretly investigated her, otherwise your wife would have run away long ago!”

Zhang Yuandong didn’t hear him. He read the letter in his hand carefully three times before carefully putting it away.

Lin Yue’s letter didn’t say anything else, just briefly told him about the situation at home and picked out some interesting things about the two little ones.

Just that thin piece of paper made Zhang Yuandong’s heart feel like it had landed back on the ground.

Sun Tao had been annoyed by Zhang Yuandong’s bragging recently. Ever since he received the letter from his hometown, he had been constantly talking about his twin children.

He had only spent three days with the kids, but now he couldn’t help but mention them three times a day.

Although he didn’t mention his wife once, in the ears of Sun Tao, a single man, there was the shadow of his wife everywhere, which really annoyed him.

Actually, Sun Tao was really wronging him. He mentioned his two children so often because he suddenly had real family of his own, and he was worried about them. The experience of meeting Lin Yue was too magical, it would be an unforgettable experience for anyone, but he couldn’t share it with anyone else, so Zhang Yuandong could only mention his children more frequently to cover up his hidden thoughts.

As for Lin Yue, he was convinced that she was some kind of fairy at this point, how dare he have any improper thoughts about her!

Fortunately, Sun Tao wasn’t annoyed by him for long. This annoying guy was soon sent out on a mission, and Zhang Yuandong was so happy that he almost threw a farewell party for him.

Lin Yue was packing her luggage at home.

The patrol team had been focusing on the situation around the reservoir these days, but the rain had been getting heavier and heavier, and the water level had risen too quickly. The team was afraid of danger and had stopped letting people go there, and they were no longer patrolling the mountains.

Yesterday, the captain came again to tell them to move quickly. Everyone knew this wasn’t a joke and had already started preparing to move.

Lin Yue had already sent the two children and bedding over, and now she was packing the pots and pans and food in the house.

The old saying goes, “A broken home is worth a million dollars.” Although her house was only the size of a palm, there were still a lot of things in it. She packed enough things to fill three trips of a small cart, and that didn’t include the few jars in the house.

Lin Yue pushed the food towards Mrs. Su’s house and met Mrs. Wang and her family on the way.

Mrs. Wang had two sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, Zhang Shouxin, and Liu Jianhua didn’t have any children yet, and her daughter, Wang Xiaomei, had a daughter who was about the same age as Lin Yue’s son, so the two children often played together.

Wang Xiaomei was carrying a large bag of clothes on her back, and her daughter was sitting on her back, crying loudly.

Lin Yue stopped and asked, “What’s wrong, Xiaomei? Why is your daughter crying?”

Wang Xiaomei sighed and said, “My mother-in-law is too worried about her grandson. She said that the water level is rising too fast and it’s dangerous. She insisted on taking my daughter back to her hometown. I’m so worried about her. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see her again.”

Lin Yue comforted her, “Don’t worry, Xiaomei. The water level is rising fast, but the government has already taken measures. They will definitely protect everyone. You just need to take care of yourself and don’t worry too much.”

Wang Xiaomei nodded gratefully and continued walking.

Lin Yue continued pushing the food towards Mrs. Su’s house. She was worried about the situation, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She could only hope that everyone would be safe.

She thought of Zhang Yuandong, and she hoped he was safe too. She didn’t know what he was doing now, but she hoped he was well.

She thought of her children, and she hoped they would be safe too. She had to take good care of them, because they were her only hope now.

She thought of her life, and she hoped she could live a good life with her children. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her future, and she hoped she could find a way to survive this disaster. She had to be brave, because she had to survive for her children.

She thought of her past, and she hoped she could forget the pain. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her present, and she hoped she could be happy. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her love, and she hoped she could find it again. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her family, and she hoped they would be safe. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her friends, and she hoped they would be safe. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her enemies, and she hoped they would be punished. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her dreams, and she hoped they would come true. She had to be strong, because she had to live for her children.

She thought of her life, and she knew she had to be strong. She had to live for her children.

She had to be strong. She had to live for her children.

Their family wasn’t that large, as their eldest son, Zhang Shouxin, hadn’t married yet, and their second son, Zhang Shouchen, was still unmarried.

At this moment, the whole family was wearing straw raincoats and carrying bamboo hats, pushing carts and carrying things, except for their youngest daughter, Zhang Xiaohui.

Lin Yue had heard from Liu Jianhua that Zhang Xiaohui had gone to the county textile factory to work as a temporary worker some time ago. Today wasn’t the weekend, so she should still be at work.

She greeted the whole family. The rain was pouring heavily, and no one had the leisure to stand on the road and chat. They each pushed their carts towards the houses they were going to borrow.

A graceful figure appeared at the corner of the road, holding a dark red oilcloth umbrella. The umbrella brim was so large that her face couldn’t be seen clearly. Only two braids hanging down her chest were vaguely visible. She was wearing a red and blue plaid dress, and the hem of the skirt had already been soaked by the rain, clinging tightly to her calves, revealing a pair of bright red plastic sandals on her feet.

This outfit suddenly appearing here instantly brightened up the dusty little village. Even Lin Yue, who was used to the colorful men and women of the future, couldn’t help but be struck by her.

Seeing the newcomer, Mrs. Wang was overjoyed and kept exclaiming, “Oh my, it’s our daughter coming back! Oh, our daughter is so pretty!” Her voice was three times louder than usual, and the heavy rain couldn’t drown out her voice.

Lin Yue took a closer look and realized it was Zhang Xiaohui.

Zhang Xiaohui raised her oilcloth umbrella a little, quickly walked a few steps forward, and asked in confusion, “Mom, what are you doing? Where are you going with all these things?”

The rain was pouring too heavily, and Lin Yue didn’t have time to stand in the rain and listen to their family conversation. She said hello and left.

Mrs. Wang’s voice was still clear behind her, “Oh, it’s been raining nonstop, and the team is afraid that the flood will drown us, so they’re asking us to move to the north of the village.”

Zhang Xiaohui seemed to be very shocked, her voice a low murmur, “Why hasn’t the flood come yet? This isn’t right, it should have happened a few days ago…” She suddenly realized and closed her mouth.

She looked back in the direction Lin Yue had gone, and finding that she had already turned the corner and was out of sight, she felt relieved.

The rain was too loud, and Mrs. Wang couldn’t understand her daughter’s murmur. She kept asking, “Daughter, what did you just say? What happened a few days ago? Mom didn’t hear you, tell Mom!”

Zhang Xiaohui glanced at her mother and replied evasively, “Nothing, I just said I wanted to stay a few more days this time, but I didn’t expect our house wouldn’t be livable.”

Mrs. Wang felt that wasn’t what she had just said, but she didn’t ask further.

She wasn’t really eager to know what her daughter had said; it was just a habit to respond.

The three men in the family didn’t care either. They had been standing in the rain for so long, they were already impatient and urged everyone to hurry up and leave.

Liu Jianhua felt that something was wrong with Zhang Xiaohui.

It wasn’t just her vague murmur just now, but also her attire. Although she didn’t go to the city often, she could still tell the difference between good and bad. This outfit wasn’t something a temporary factory worker could afford.

She stared at her sister-in-law’s brand-new sandals for a long time, then looked down at her own straw sandals, feeling a pang of sourness, but more importantly, confusion. How long had Zhang Xiaohui been working, how could she afford so many new things?

However, she only dared to wonder about it in her heart and didn’t dare to ask her sister-in-law directly.

Her in-laws treated this sister-in-law as a lucky star and spoiled her. The whole family had to cater to her, and Liu Jianhua didn’t dare to easily offend her.

Hearing her mother say they were going to stay at Wang Zhihu’s house in the north, Zhang Xiaohui immediately became unhappy, “Uncle Zhihu’s house only has three earthen rooms, and there are more people in his family than ours, including several children. If we go there, where will we sleep? We can’t all squeeze onto the kang together, can we?”

Mrs. Wang quickly comforted her daughter, “No, no, your father and I will go to your Aunt Jin’s house, and the four of you will go to Uncle Zhihu’s house. I’ll talk to Uncle Zhihu later and let you and your sister-in-law stay with his three daughters. You won’t have to squeeze together.”

Zhang Xiaohui still wasn’t happy, “I’m not going! You all go by yourselves, I’m going to stay at Uncle Zhiwei’s house, I don’t want to stay with you all!”

Mrs. Wang was unhappy when she heard this. Sun Hongmei’s reputation had been bad for the past two years, and Zhang Xiaohui always wanted to be around her, no matter what Mrs. Wang said.

Just like now, before Mrs. Wang could say anything, Zhang Xiaohui walked away on her own.

Zhang Zhiye was unhappy and muttered, “This girl’s temper is getting worse and worse, she doesn’t even know how to speak properly, she just walks away!”

Although Mrs. Wang was also unhappy, she was unwilling to hear her husband nag her daughter.

She nudged her husband with her elbow, “Let her go if she wants to, she won’t be crowded at Zhiwei’s house.”

Then she turned to Liu Jianhua, “Why don’t you go with your sister? Your Uncle Zhiwei’s house has many rooms, you won’t have to squeeze with anyone if you go.”

Liu Jianhua quickly refused, “Mom, I’m not going, I’m not familiar with them. I’ll stay with you all, we already agreed.”

Mrs. Wang had just said it casually. Seeing that Liu Jianhua was unwilling, she didn’t force her. The family carried their belongings and walked further and further away in the rain.