The sky was dark and there seemed to be a slight warmth in the air.
Tian Mi retracted her head that was looking out and asked her husband uncertainly: "It seems to be warmer today than yesterday?"
The young couple got up early to see their mother-in-law off.
Lou Luhui, who had served in the army in the north for several years, had developed the habit of getting up to check the sky. Hearing this, he turned around, closed the door, and took his wife into the house: "Don't get cold."
The temperature difference between indoor and outdoor in the north is dozens of degrees. Tiantian can easily catch a cold if she goes out wearing only a thin jacket.
After bringing the person into the house, Lou Luhui frowned and said, "It should snow today."
"Ah? You can see it?" It was only four o'clock in the morning. The sky was still dark and she couldn't see anything.
As they were talking, the two of them had already entered the bathroom. Lou Luhui squeezed toothpaste for them and said, "I've lived here for a long time. I can roughly infer it by observing the sky and the temperature. For example, today, the temperature has risen a bit, which is an obvious sign that it will snow."
"Is it too late for Mom to leave?"
Lou Lu nodded: "It's still in time. If nothing unexpected happens, it will snow in the afternoon or evening."
The train ticket is for 11 noon, and they have taken various unexpected events into account, so there should be no problem if we depart before 6 o'clock.
As they were worried about the snow that might fall at any time, the couple went their separate ways after having a simple breakfast.
Lou Luhui sent his wife to Brigade Commander Wang's home, and then went to the army to get the car.
"Why are you here? Have you had breakfast?" Zhong Yuxiu was eating breakfast with her bowl in hand, and was a little confused when she saw her daughter-in-law.
Tian Mi greeted Wang Lu and Aunt Mei first, then replied: "I have eaten. Lou Luhui and I will take you to the station later."
"No need for you. It's very cold. Meizi said it might snow today. Just let Huihui take me there." Zhong Yuxiu had no idea that her daughter-in-law was planning to take her there personally. When she heard this, she was moved but quickly waved her hand to refuse. It was so cold and her daughter-in-law looked so delicate and soft. She hoped she wouldn't get sick from the cold.
Hearing this, Tian Mi curved her eyebrows and looked well-behaved.
But when the car started, she got on the car neatly, which made everyone laugh and cry, and also impressed by her meticulousness as a daughter-in-law.
When Zhong Yuxiu came, she brought a lot of bags, and when she left, she brought no less.
There were two large packages, all containing gifts prepared by the two sisters of the Tian family and Ruan Mei.
Although most of them were just various dried mushrooms, Zhong Yuxiu particularly liked these ingredients and happily said that she would ask her son and daughter-in-law to send them to her after she finished eating them.
Depart at 5:30 in the morning.
The journey was smooth and we arrived at the train station half an hour earlier than expected.
The train was very cooperative today and was only delayed by a dozen minutes.
It's like being blessed by gods.
Hug and separate.
Behind us, the familiar steam locomotive blew its rough whistle.
Tian Mi held her husband's arm with one hand and waved goodbye to her mother-in-law with the other hand. She did not let go until she could no longer see her mother-in-law.
The atmosphere of separation is always filled with sadness. Even though it was her mother-in-law, whom she had only been with for a few days, Tian Mi felt a little uncomfortable at the moment, let alone her son's husband.
She did nothing but stood on the still simple and dilapidated Hongchun platform, quietly accompanying her husband to look at the train which had long disappeared without a trace.
Lou Luhui didn't remain silent for too long. After about a minute or two, he came back to his senses, took his wife's hand, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go back."
It is not a pleasant feeling to part with loved ones, even if they are half-family members. I cried when I left Chaoyang Village even though I did not have deep feelings for them. What's more, my husband grew up in a warm family and has deep feelings for his family.
As the two walked hand in hand through their gloves to the side of the car parked on the road, Tian Mi pursed her lips hidden under her scarf and said, "I'll go back to Beijing with you when we have a holiday next year."
Hearing this, Lou Luhui curled his lips, opened the car door, and sent his wife to the passenger seat: "Okay, then I'll take you to eat roast duck, and find the most authentic restaurant."
She said like a greedy cat: "Then I'm going to eat the whole one."
"Haha. Okay, all for you."
“.”
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
When we were still a few dozen minutes' drive away from the troops, snowflakes really began to fall from the sky.
There was no wind today, and as time went by, the flying snowflakes soon turned into large flakes falling.
Tian Mi has seen snow several times since coming to the north, but now, sitting in the car, he was still shocked by such a scene.
"Don't be afraid, we will be home in twenty minutes at most, and we won't be stuck in traffic." Glancing at his wife staring blankly outside, Lou Luhui thought she was worried about not being able to get home, so he quickly spoke to comfort her.
Hearing this, Tian Mi turned around and said, "I'm not worried. Even when I was in the south, I never saw such heavy snow. It's like pouring down. How long will it snow?"
"It's hard to say, but at this rate, it will take at least a day and a night, and maybe it will snow for a few days in a row." As he said this, fearing that his wife would worry again, he deliberately said something happy about the snowy days: "In fact, such heavy snow doesn't happen every day in the north. This time, many people will be happy."
Tian Mi was puzzled: "With such heavy snow, even if it only snows for a day and a night, the snow will be above the knees." It will be difficult to move, so what is there to be happy about
"Because of the 'smoke cannon' after the snow."
Before his wife could ask any questions, Lou Luhui explained what "smoke cannon" was.
It turns out that after a heavy snowfall there will be strong winds for a few days. By then the wind and snow will ravage the earth and the temperature will drop sharply. Farm workers and school students will all have to stay at home to rest. Even the soldiers in their army will stop training. Isn't that fun
".The farm has been working on a water conservancy project recently, which is hard work. A heavy snow like this is good, at least it can give us a few days of relief."
Time passed quickly during the leisurely chat. After listening to two interesting stories that actually happened in the nearby village, Tian Mi vaguely saw the position of the troops in the vast white snow.
She breathed a sigh of relief and gave her husband a sweet smile.
Finally got home safely.
Before the snow piles up to the point where it's impossible to drive.
"Finally you're back. I was really worried that you would be stuck outside." Even though she knew that even if she couldn't come back, her brother-in-law would be able to take her sister to find a safe place to stay, Tian Yu was still worried. She went out to look for him many times since 2 o'clock.
Lou Lu had time to go back to return the car and arrange the group's affairs. He agreed to his wife's request and sent the person directly to his eldest sister's house.
It took less than half a minute to run from the intersection to her eldest sister's house, but Tian Mi was already covered in snow.
She stood at the door with her hands spread out and her eyes closed, allowing her elder sister to help her clear the snow, even her head and face.
"What's wrong with Chen Zhao?" As soon as she entered the room, Tian Mi saw the usually smiling little Chen Zhao with a sad face, lying listlessly on the table.
Seeing the person coming, little Chen Zhao immediately burst into tears and asked for help: "Second Aunt~"
"What's going on?"
Tian Yu scolded: "Don't pay attention to him. I don't know where he got in. His head is full of lice. I'm going to shave his hair. He's so young, but he still wants to look good."
When she heard the word "lice", Tian Mi's love for her elder disappeared immediately. She turned on her heel and chose a place farthest away from the little guy, looking at his resentful eyes.
She didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but as soon as her butt touched the stool, she felt her head itching.
Tian Mi is very satisfied with her thick, waist-length hair, but doesn't want it to be shaved off.
Thinking of this, she picked up the stool under her butt and walked further away.
Chen Zhao became even sadder.
When Lou Luhui and Chen Gang came back, wrapped in snow and wind, it was already completely dark outside.
Hearing the noise at the door, the two women came out.
Tian Mi stood on tiptoe to help her husband clean up the fallen snow that he couldn't see: "Let's eat at my eldest sister's place today. Dinner is ready."
Lou Luhui had no objection. In the past he would occasionally come to Lao Chen's place for a meal, not to mention that they were real relatives now.
I cooked noodle dumpling soup in the evening and drank a big bowl of it. It was warm and good for the stomach in such a cold day.
After finishing a bowl and warming up themselves, the two men slowed down their eating.
The troops were short of supplies. Even the brigade commander was reluctant to use coal, let alone young people like them. They could only rely on hard work.
If it's really cold, I either drink some hot water or go out for a few laps.
The daily consumption is very high, and by the time I get off work, I am basically starving. Strictly speaking, I am both cold and hungry.
Now that my hunger had been relieved, I slowed down my eating and chatted while I ate.
Although Tian Mi was chatting with her elder sister, she was also paying attention to the topics about her husband and brother-in-law.
I heard that they are going to take a walk around the nearby villages in a few days. It seems that after every heavy snow, there will always be problems of one kind or another in the village.
"Look at what we have saved. The coal tickets alone are piled up so thick. There is no place to buy them, and no money to buy them. But if more funds are allocated from above, we can go to the south to buy some." In fact, Chen Gang was just complaining verbally.
The overall environment is not good now and it is not easy for everyone.
The soldiers here, because Captain Wang is a very flexible leader, not only built houses for them to raise chickens and pigs and subsidize their rations, but also let the soldiers under him find every possible way to find food.
Even so, the soldiers were only able to get about 80% full, not to mention that they had to help the poor fellow villagers nearby from time to time.
Lou Luhui remained silent, but he agreed with what Lao Chen said in his heart.
After all, it's still because of the lack of money. As long as we have money, we can go to the big cities in the south to buy some supplies, and then the next three or four months will be much better.
He finished the last bite of food in the bowl, put down his chopsticks and said, "It's no use complaining. When the snow stops, I will lead people into the mountains and solve what can be solved first. The soldiers will have fat in their stomachs and can resist the cold better."
Chen Gang sighed softly: "That's true." Even if it is snowing heavily, it is not easy to go into the mountains. It always involves risking one's life.
After dinner, the young couple wrapped themselves in their coats and, taking advantage of the warmth after dinner, walked through the thick snow back home.
Neither of them spoke on the way, but held hands and never let go.
When I got home, there was no heating in the house and the temperature was not much better than outside.
"I'll go heat the kang first." Lou Luhui took off his coat that was in the way and walked towards the kitchen.
Tian Mi also followed him into the kitchen, but she did not take off her coat. Instead, she moved a small stool and curled up like a silkworm.
"There will be smoke later, which may be choking. Do you want to go to the bedroom first?" Seeing his wife sticking to him, Lou Luhui was happy. After all, today was only the second day of their marriage, and they were truly newlyweds.
Tian Mi held her chin and watched the man busy. She shook her head when she heard him say, "It's not that choking. If it does, I'll leave."
Mainly because she was thinking about something in her mind. Just now, she heard the conversation between her husband and brother-in-law at the dinner table, which reminded her of the gold hidden in the box.
She is an ordinary person, so it is impossible for her to say that she is not moved at all when she has dozens of kilograms of gold.
What did hundreds of thousands mean in the 1970s? Tian Mi once roughly calculated it out of curiosity.
The purchasing power of hundreds of thousands today may be higher than that of tens of millions in the future.
Especially if she used this money to buy some old and dilapidated houses in places like Beijing or Shanghai, the future value would be unimaginable.
But...that's just the thought.
Firstly, she didn't dare to buy houses at this time. Not only was the source of the gold unclear, but if something went wrong, even the fact that she could breathe freely underwater might be discovered.
Tian Mi never dared to underestimate the power of the organization, nor did he dare to overestimate his own IQ.
Secondly, her conscience and more than ten years of education made it impossible for her to keep the gold for herself.
Because she knew that the money was obtained by Liu Shu and countless people like him from killing others.
If you think about it carefully, it is stolen money and should be turned over.
But in today's world, who should she give the money to and whether the money can be put to good use has always been a concern for her.
Also, she didn't want to expose herself.
At least the authorities can guarantee that outsiders will not investigate her, especially that scumbag Liu Xiangdong.
As for the male protagonist of the original book, she was always worried that he had some kind of protagonist halo. If he knew that she donated the gold, even a fool would know that the gold hidden in his family's fish pond was taken away by her. Tian Mi didn't want to cause trouble for herself.
But how should I tell my husband and brother-in-law about this gold
"What are you thinking about? You didn't even hear me talking to you." Seeing smoke rising in the kitchen, Lou Luhui pushed open the window a little and asked his wife to go out.
I shouted twice but he was still in a daze with his chin in his hand. I could only get up helplessly and lead him out of the kitchen.
Tian Mi came back to her senses and smiled awkwardly: "Okay?"
Lou Luhui leaned over and pecked his wife's nose: "It will be ready soon. Go to the bedroom first, and the bed will be warm soon." But before he finished, he reminded her: "Don't take off your coat in a hurry. Wait until the kang bed is warm."
Thinking about the gold in the box, Tian Mi did not refuse this time.
Back in the bedroom, Tian Mi took out the wicker box she brought from her hometown and placed it on the ground.
After opening it, she saw an old jacket inside. She untied the rope on the jacket and lifted a corner of the clothes, revealing the bright yellow color.
In the past, 1 jin was equal to 16 liang. One liang of small yellow croaker weighs about 31 grams, while a large yellow croaker weighs 10 liang, which is 310 grams.
Tian Mi took them out one by one and placed them on the ground. Every time she took one out, she felt that she was a gentleman. How much did it cost? She had to calculate carefully.
Well, 30 large yellow croakers and 320 small yellow croakers, a total of 38.44 kilograms. Her heart ached when she thought about it. She had estimated it wrong before. According to the current gold price, there should be more than 900,000 kilograms here.
Hiss. So much money~
Tian Mi squatted on the ground and counted them again curiously. When he was sure that the number was correct, his little face wrinkled.
The flesh hurts.
After feeling the pain for a while, she sighed again. It was bad enough that it wasn't hers, but she wouldn't even have the chance to enjoy it in the future.
A few minutes later, Lou Luhui pushed open the bedroom door and was dazzled by the sight of gold.
He stood at the door, his body stiff for a long time, then he looked at his wife and asked uncertainly: "Is this all gold?"
Tian Mi nodded: "Yes, the weight is 38.44 kilograms."
Hearing this, Lou Lu twitched his lips. Was gold actually calculated by kilogram? He had always thought it was calculated by gram.
"Why lay it out flat?" The light almost blinded his eyes. He felt like he didn't know which way to step when he entered his room.
The Lou family is not poor, but after all, it was Lou Zhan's generation that made up the family. There are good things at home, but it is probably not possible for them to take out dozens of kilograms of gold at once.
Lou Luhui was a little curious. He knew Tiantian's family situation very well. It didn't seem like they could come up with so much gold.
But since his wife had already taken it out, she must be planning to tell him the origin of the gold, so he was not in a hurry. He just raised his feet to avoid the gold spread on the ground and squatted next to his wife.
Even though she felt bad, the money was stolen after all. So when Tian Mi heard her husband's question, she gritted her teeth and said, "Can you give this money to the army?"
She only knew that individuals in later generations could donate to the army, and there seemed to be a special organization to manage this, but she didn't quite understand it at this time.
Lou Luhui thought he had misheard. He stood up and carried his wife to sit on a stool. After a long silence, he asked uncertainly, "You mean, donate all the gold? Why? Donate more than 30 kilograms? Don't you feel bad?"
"38.44 jin." Tian Mi emphasized that a difference of one gram is dozens of yuan, and how can I not feel bad? I feel bad, but this is stolen money!
Lou Lu twitched his lips and said, "Okay, it's 38.44 kilograms. Then why did you give such a large sum of money to the army? Because of what I said to Lao Chen last night?"
Since she had decided to hand over the gold, Tian Mi had already gone over the reasons in her mind, and now she was not in a hurry to tell her husband about it.
Of course, most of what she said was true, such as the gold being ill-gotten gains of the Liu family, the money being hidden in the Liu family's fish pond, and the fact that the Liu family had originally intended to use the money to rescue Liu Shu.
The fake one was why I knew that the Liu family had gold: "You know, because Liu Xiangdong has been putting pressure on me, I thought that with their style of doing things, they must have done a lot of bad things. As long as I can catch their handle, maybe everything can be solved. I didn't expect that before I followed them for two days, Liu Shu of the Liu family got into trouble. I also overheard that their family planned to exchange gold for people. Since I already knew the origin of the gold, I didn't want people like Liu Shu to escape the punishment of the law. I took the gold away before they went to get it. I have always planned to hand it over, but I can't leave it in my hometown, otherwise it will be easily known by the Liu family. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. I don't want to cause trouble for myself or my family, so I brought the gold here. If you hadn't mentioned the lack of money today, I would have almost forgotten it. So, does the army accept donations from the people now? Will I get any rewards? What is the reason for being brave and righteous?"
After listening to his wife's narration, even though Lou Luhui caught some small loopholes in her words, he did not pursue the matter to the end. Just like his wife could still maintain a warm body temperature in extremely cold water, this was her little secret, and if she didn't want to tell it, he would not pursue it.
However, at this moment, looking at his young wife, Lou Luhui really didn't know how to react appropriately.
Should he reprimand her for taking the risk of following him, or should he warn her not to snatch food from a family like the Liu family? What if she failed to take the gold and was discovered by the Liu family? He couldn't imagine whether he would ever see his wife again.
Thinking of this, Lou Luhui's heart tightened. He exerted force on his hands, hugged his wife and sat her on his lap, put his hands around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her slender shoulder for a while before he sorted out his chaotic thoughts. He asked in disbelief, "So, you carried dozens of kilograms of gold and came here so openly by car or train?"
If this were a normal person, with so much gold in the box, wouldn't he have to protect it like his own eyeballs all the time
This guy in his family is really good. Not to mention others, even he, a soldier with excellent professional skills, did not notice that there were valuables hidden in the box after traveling with her for two or three days. Even if he felt that it was too heavy at the time, it was only a momentary suspicion and he quickly put it out of his mind.
Thinking about it now, Lou Luhui really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Tian Mi said as if it was a matter of course: "If I really have to be so careful, wouldn't it be the same as telling everyone that my box is valuable and people can come and steal it? On the contrary, if I act like I don't care about the rags, I won't attract other people's attention."
Lou Luhui was choked and thought to himself, this is true, but how many people in the world can actually do it
"I'm asking you a question. Don't be in a daze. Tell me, can these be given to the troops?"
".Yes, there is nothing impossible."
"That's good. I'm suddenly curious. Hehe, tell me what expression Brigade Commander Wang will have."
"Ahem. It's not right to talk about the leader."
"Aren't you curious?"
".curious."
(End of this chapter)