kvmb Chapter 254 You think you can hold onto a pittance? You might as well pocket it!
Chapter 254 You think you can hold onto a pittance? You might as well pocket it!
Xu Xiaotian pointed at her nose: "You, you!"
He gasped for breath, nearly fainting. He thought to himself that if it weren't for his boss's orders, he would never have tolerated her until now.
Lu Yuan came over and patted Xu Xiaotian on the back, telling him not to get excited.
When Qian Xiaoni finally gave up and went inside with a dark expression, Qiao Manman took out a braised chicken leg from her pocket to comfort her wounded heart.
"Sister-in-law, I support you!" Xu Xiaotian said between bites, "Qian Xiaoni is just delusional about my Brother Lu!"
Qiao Manman chuckled as she accepted his flattery. After he finished eating and took the bones away, she and Lu Yuan went back to their room to rest.
Before we knew it, it was early March, and a team arrived at the Xiahegou production team two days earlier than agreed.
"Comrade, we've received news..."
Song Zhengkang, the head of the Xiaohegou brigade, actively cooperated, banging gongs and drums to urge everyone to leave.
To keep it a secret, they even made up an excuse: "Fellow villagers, the social gathering has been brought forward. Quickly bring your daughters and sons, let's go to the army!"
The elderly folks also joined in, helping the younger generation with their choices. And who else? Uncles, aunts, wives, aunts, brothers-in-law. They even provided transportation and showed movies.
Such great benefits, why not take them? With me, Song Zhengkang, as your guarantor, you won't lose out or be scammed!
I'm afraid the young people won't find it appealing and will come back after wandering around for a while!
Hey, whose house is that? Why would they keep someone guarding the gate? A few measly coins aren't enough to keep you there! You might as well pocket them!
Hey Wang, hurry up! Even a lazy donkey poops and pees more than you do going uphill! There's only one truck in the team; if you don't leave, we'll go ahead.
You'll be all alone in the village then, so don't be afraid!
Uncle Qin, don't run away! We can't leave anyone behind, but you can't be left behind. It's cold, so wear something warm. If you have any thick cotton-padded coats, trousers, or blankets at home, wrap yourself up in them.
The movie goes on until 9 PM; you can't just rely on your righteous spirit to keep going.
Upon hearing this, some members put away their money, while others put on their clothes. Some, feeling uneasy, even took their grain with them.
One by one, they scurried up onto the truck and found places to sit. In just two hours, most of the villagers had left.
Qiao Manman looked around several times, but couldn't spot her grandparents.
After asking the brigade leader indirectly, I learned that the two had taken a long leave and gone to the city.
Qiao Manman breathed a sigh of relief and stood at the brigade headquarters, looking into the distance.
The sky was overcast, as if brewing a storm. Qiao Manman looked at the majestic mountains, her brows furrowed tightly.
I wondered why it was a landslide. It was just the beginning of spring in Northeast China, and there hadn't been any heavy rain. How could the mountain just collapse like that?
Moreover, after on-site investigation, it was found that the nearest houses to the foot of the mountain were several hundred meters away. What kind of landslide could have buried most of the village and taken away two-thirds of the population?
Qiao Manman was completely baffled and couldn't offer any help.
Brigade Commander He asked Qian Xiaoni, "Comrade Qian, can you tell me which mountain is going to experience a landslide?"
Qian Xiaoni's eyes darted around: "How would I know! Predicting the landslide has already taken up most of my energy. If you want to know anything else, don't force me!"
Commander He rolled his eyes at her, thinking to himself that her abilities were truly useless. If he weren't afraid that she would be captured and interrogated by spies, he really wouldn't want to keep such a troublemaker in the family compound.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was already incredibly dark. The truck rumbled away, and Brigade Commander He gave Lu Yuan a wink before leaving with Qiao Manman and Qian Xiaoni.
A light drizzle began to fall, and the three of them sat in the jeep, their mood heavy.
Qiao Manman leaned out of the window and saw Lu Yuan leading a group of people into the mountains in the rain.
The cold rain hitting her face did nothing to alleviate her worry.
Qian Xiaoni scoffed, "It's just a mission, what's there to worry about? You're so spineless!"
Qiao Manman rolled her eyes: "He's my man, of course I'm worried! Do you think everyone is like you, wanting nothing more than to divorce and remarry?"
"Have you eaten shit? How dare you speak so rudely? All I have is a crush on Battalion Commander Lu. If you're so capable, be generous and let him marry me as a concubine!"
"Well, you little Qian Xiaoni, you've wasted your time on ideological education, haven't you? It's been so many years since liberation, and you're still thinking about becoming someone's concubine!"
My son, Lu Yuan, is a staunch Communist Party member. Don't try to corrupt him with your filthy thoughts!
"What's the big deal? I think you're making a fuss over nothing. Future generations will be better..."
"Ahem!" Brigade Commander He promptly interrupted Qian Xiaoni's ramblings: "I'm warning you, don't talk nonsense in front of others! Otherwise, you'll be burned like a monster, and I won't be able to save you!"
Furthermore, remember this: military marriages are protected by law. If you dare to utter any more arrogant words or try to sow discord between Battalion Commander Lu and Qiao Manman, I will definitely send you to a military court!
Qian Xiaoni trembled, scared but stubborn: "Do you think I don't know that military marriages protect the man, not the woman? As long as Lu Yuan is willing, he can divorce his wife and remarry!"
Qiao Manman snorted coldly, thinking to herself that he was truly hopeless.
She dares to talk nonsense in front of her superiors. If it weren't for Commander He's kind heart, Qian Xiaoni would have been dealt with seven or eight hundred times over for her behavior.
The return journey wasn't smooth; small ice particles made the road extremely slippery. The orderly drove very slowly, but the vehicle still swayed back and forth.
Fortunately, the technology selected by the state was excellent, and the group of people finally returned safely.
Qiao Manman escorted Qian Xiaoni upstairs, told Xia Zhao and Ruan Qiaomei that she wouldn't be staying with them that night, and then returned home exhausted.
I poured hot water to wash up, sat cross-legged on the bed, listened to the sound of snowflakes hitting the windowpane, and ate fruit while watching my tablet.
Gradually, the snow particles turned into goose feather snowflakes. Qiao Manman got up and stretched her arms and legs, praying for Lu Yuan as she looked up at the dark sky.
Deep in the mountains, the soldiers trudged through the snow. The weather was cold and the roads were slippery, but not one of them turned back.
Lu Yuan raised his hand, put on the night vision goggles that Qiao Manman had prepared for him, and led the team forward.
The lucky charm on his wrist was burning hot, and Lu Yuan instinctively located the enemy's hideout.
In the family compound, Qiao Manman lay on the soft bedding, letting her consciousness sink into the space.
Looking at the lush greenery finally eased some of my pre-sleep anxiety.
"Congratulations, host! Your merit points have increased by 3.5!"
Qiao Manman glanced at it casually, checked in again, and left the space to sleep.
Seeing that she was distracted, the system didn't try to stop her. A quick calculation told it, "Hehe, it won't be long before a large sum of points (merit points) arrive in my account!"
Early in the morning, Qiao Manman was woken up by the alarm clock and stretched lazily in bed. She lifted the curtains and looked outside; everything was covered in a white blanket of snow.
She got up to make herself breakfast, completely unaware that the members of the Xiahegou production team had discovered they had been tricked and almost tore the auditorium apart.
"What do you mean? You didn't arrange any blind dates for us, and you won't even take us home! We've been farmers for generations, what do you have to worry about?"
Are they trying to force us to work in the mines? Good heavens, is there no law anymore?!