0p0 Chapter 207 The dust has settled
Chapter 207 The dust has settled
Gu Xi moved closer to Shu Yun with her eyes closed, but found herself leaning against nothing. She then reluctantly rubbed her eyes and got out of bed.
The little guy is quite independent despite his young age. He can sleep alone at night, and Shuyun doesn't have to worry about his dressing and washing up. He's a very worry-free baby.
However, there can be some unexpected situations. For example, at this moment, Gu Xi ran out wearing her pants inside out and her shoes on.
In winter, the courtyard was bleak. Shu Yun's breath turned into visible white mist. She saw the little guy coming out without wearing a cotton-padded coat, just his socks and blankets. She felt cold just looking at him.
She fried the last pumpkin pancake in the pan, turned off the heat, picked up the little guy, and went back into the house, resignedly dressing him again.
"Mommy, I want to eat steamed egg custard this morning." Gu Xi lay in bed as his mother put his little socks on him. His tummy rumbled, and he licked his lips as he began to make his request.
Shu Yun had just bought a basket of eggs last time, and there were still plenty, so she didn't mind. She nodded in agreement, "Mom can make you steamed eggs, but you have to finish your milk yourself."
Gu Xi nodded, then sighed like a little adult, "Alright then."
Shu Yun cracked two eggs, added water, salt, and a little soy sauce to enhance the flavor, and then steamed them together in a pot.
Once steamed, the table was filled with golden-brown, milky pumpkin pancakes, steamed egg custard, and milk.
Gu Xi sat on the raised chair, with a bib that Shu Yun had stuffed into her collar. The little guy happily swung his little feet, taking a bite of pumpkin pancake and a bite of steamed egg custard, eating with relish and feeling warm and cozy.
Shu Yun was worried about Gu Jun, who hadn't returned home all night. However, she had already told Gu Jun everything she knew. As the rest might involve military secrets, she couldn't ask too much. She could only suppress her restless emotions for the time being and watch Gu Xi obediently finish the last sip of milk, rewarding him with a few milk candies.
"Baby, you can only eat one by yourself, and share the rest with your friends."
Gu Xi nodded, and Shu Yun took his little hand and led him to the kindergarten in the compound.
It's called a kindergarten, but it's really more like a daycare. Children of all ages who aren't in school yet can be sent here. The older ones are so unpleasant they're practically hated by dogs and everyone else, while the younger ones, even those just weaned, are also there. Two military wives help out, providing lunch and playing games with the children. They don't teach the children anything, but at least their safety is guaranteed.
After handing her child over to one of her sisters-in-law, Shu Yun went to work. With the year-end approaching, there was a lot to do at work, and Shu Yun soon lost interest in thinking about anything else.
As it was almost time to leave work, Xiao Ma from the Women's Federation brought them the latest news.
"The person has been found."
"What? Where did you find it?" someone immediately asked.
"The brigade next to us found him in an old woman's house. We never expected that the old woman was an enemy agent hiding among us. We also caught two men in her house."
Xiao Ma didn't know the specific details, and could only say this much: "Oh, Sister Wang's injuries are quite serious. Both of them have been sent to the hospital. Shall we go and see her together?"
After discussing it, they pooled their money and bought a large fruit basket the next day before heading to the hospital together.
Wang Chunmei's face and body were wrapped in gauze, and she had an IV drip in her hand. Their timing was unfortunate; Wang Chunmei had just fallen asleep not long before the group quietly put down the fruit basket, told the nurse outside, and didn't stay any longer.
"But what about Ding Hongmei? Weren't they brought to the hospital together?"
The group asked the nurse and saw that there were soldiers standing outside Ding Hongmei's ward. They exchanged glances.
This... this is a promotion?
Of course, instead of a raise, he was placed under investigation.
Ding Hongmei herself was caught off guard. While tied up in the attic, all she could do was beg for mercy and play dead. Wang Chunmei, with her fiery temper, naturally attracted most of the firepower, while Ding Hongmei managed to survive. Although she was also injured, her injuries were certainly much lighter than Wang Chunmei's.
She was half asleep when she heard them planning to burn down the whole village, and she thought she was doomed. But then, the situation took a dramatic turn, and the army captured the men and rescued them.
Before she could even feel happy, she was subjected to a serious interrogation almost as soon as she woke up.
Only then did she recall the words she had spoken when she was taken to the attic.
“Ge Ming and Ma Fu have already confessed to us. Comrade Ding Hongmei, on the day you were arrested, you revealed information about the military to them…”
Ding Hongmei shuddered as she looked at the several serious, scrutinizing faces. "I didn't say that. They are slandering me."
But this is not up to Ding Hongmei to decide; once the investigation into her begins, it will not end so easily.
Shu Yun hadn't seen Ding Hongmei for several days, and hadn't even heard from her. A few days ago, Yang Fan left, and the house next door was vacant again, with a lot of withered leaves piled up in front of it.
I learned about Ding Hongmei again from Wang Keying.
“If the police hadn’t come to my door, I wouldn’t have known that my spot to go to university had been taken by Ding Hongmei through connections.”
“My spot was recommended by the commune. My family was preparing things for me to take to university, but I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t get a spot in the end. It turned out that Ding Hongmei’s father took it.”
Shu Yun nodded as if suddenly realizing something, "No wonder that all these years, whenever she sees you, her expression is always strange, as if you are enemies."
Wang Keying slapped her thigh and said, "Yes, so Ding Hongmei was feeling guilty and afraid that I would find out that she stole her university degree."
Shu Yun nodded. "But what are your plans now? Should we give you a university spot?"
Wang Keying: "How could that be? It's not the university's fault, there's no way they'd give out any spots. The government will probably provide some compensation. Anyway, whether it's Ding Hongmei, her father, or anyone else involved in this, they've all been punished. I... that's it."
Wang Keying's expression dimmed, and her last words fell as lightly as a feather.
Shu Yun pursed her lips, knowing that the opportunity to go to university couldn't be easily compensated by a sum of money; it could ruin a person's entire life.
If Wang Keying had been able to go to university back then, she might not have rushed into marrying her previous husband. Perhaps she would have found a like-minded partner at university, stayed in the city, and had a job that everyone envied.
But now all that's left for her is a divorce certificate, a young daughter, and elderly parents who need care.
Wang Keying, however, smiled as she looked at Shu Yun's furrowed brows and said, "How come you seem to be more upset than me? I'm fine. Anyway, I got the money, quite a lot, enough for me, my parents, and my little girl to improve our lives. One should be content. Maybe this is just my fate."