NOVPUB
Chapter 138: Chapter 132 Injured
That evening, Shen Yunfang rushed down the mountain with her remaining four sheep, while the three that were killed by the wolves bore various degrees of injury. She had examined them and realized that, given the weather, it wouldn’t be easy to heal them, so she eventually decided to slaughter them as well.
After returning home, she took an entire night to calm her emotions and then, the next morning, she started to deal with the meat kept in her storage space.
She began with the four wolves, each weighing around a hundred pounds. The most eye-catching part was their fur, especially the length of it.
Perhaps because of the winter, the fur on these wolves was longer than the wolves she had seen on Animal Planet, particularly around their necks. Moreover, their fur wasn’t the white she had seen before but a mix of light grey with some white.
Since Shen Yunfang didn’t know how to skin animals, she carefully peeled off the hides and put them directly into her storage space, planning to find someone to process them later. They would make good bedding when spread on the kang bed.
The remaining meat was sectioned off just like pork and stored away.
Then, there were the pigs and sheep. Of the remaining four sheep, she didn’t keep all of them. Three were rams, which she slaughtered. There was also a ram among the lambs born in her home in the spring; she didn’t keep that one either. With that, there were now twenty pigs in her storage space, approximately two thousand pounds of meat, ten sheep, about six hundred pounds of meat (as the sheep were a bit lean), and four wolves, roughly four hundred pounds of meat.
All this work brought her to January of 1975.
These days, Shen Yunfang felt restless at home. Comrade Li Hongjun had mailed her a letter in November, and since then, there hadn’t been any more letters, not a single word for nearly two months, leaving her feeling anxious and unsettled.
Hadn’t he said he would come back to get married? It was already the twelfth lunar month, and still, there was no letter. Even if he couldn’t return at once, he should at least drop a line. She wondered whether the wedding would happen at all, and where exactly he was.
Shen Yunfang didn’t know the phone number to reach Li Hongjun’s military unit, and the letters she mailed for two consecutive months had vanished without a trace. She was busy tidying up at home, preparing to visit the army in person in a couple of days if there was still no word. Whether they were going to get married or not, she needed some clear information.
Shen Yunfang was reluctant to admit it, but she was worried, worried for Li Hongjun’s safety.
During Shen Yunfang’s anxious wait, in mid-January 1975, finally, a telegram from the military arrived.
Uncle Shen personally delivered it to her. It contained only a few words, "Injured, come quickly," followed by the address of the hospital.
"Are you going to go see him?" Uncle Shen had already read the contents of the telegram and knew the urgency of the matter, which is why he had run all the way to deliver it to his niece personally.
The two weren’t married yet, so at this stage, Shen Yunfang had the option not to go. She could entirely wait until Li Hongjun recovered and then decide what to do next.
What does "next" mean? Considering that the military had sent a telegram home, it indicated his injuries must be severe. There had been precedents in the past—those called to the military hospital like this usually returned home after recovery, some even with lifelong disabilities.
Hence, Shen Yunfang could first wait and see how the situation would unfold. If Li Hongjun were discharged or left disabled, she could break off the engagement. Although people might gossip for a while, it was nothing compared to her lifetime happiness.
"I must go, I have to see for myself," Shen Yunfang said decisively. She wouldn’t be at ease if she didn’t go. Besides, if Li Hongjun could no longer be a soldier, she would actually be relieved. He could then return home and become wealthy with her, provided that Li Hongjun was willing.
"Alright, when do you plan to leave? I’ll write you an introduction letter," Uncle Shen supported his niece’s decision. One can’t just abandon others when they’re in trouble—that’s not what humans do.
Shen Yunfang looked at the sky; by this time, there were no more buses to the county, so she had to wait until tomorrow morning. "I’ll pack my things and leave first thing tomorrow."
"All right, I’ll bring you the introduction letter in a bit, so as not to delay your morning plans. If there’s anything at home you’re worried about, just let me know. Don’t be shy with your uncle," Uncle Shen thought about his niece’s chickens, which would be unattended. But then he remembered the last time he tried to help with the chickens, and he swallowed what he was about to say. Ah, he thought, let Yunfang make her own decisions.
"Uncle, I understand. I’ll definitely come to you if anything comes up," Shen Yunfang said gratefully.
After Uncle Shen left, Shen Yunfang started tidying up inside and outside the house. Thinking about her trip to the provincial capital, she put the things she’d saved up into her spatial storage. Once there, she would see just how serious Li Hongjun’s condition was. If it wasn’t too severe, she planned to sell the contents of her spatial storage when she had the time.
Before it got dark, she visited Wang Da’s wife to inform her of her trip the next day and asked Dashuan’s wife to help take care of the chickens and sheep at her house.
Dashuan’s wife immediately agreed, assuring her to go without worries because she would definitely take good care of her house.
The following morning, Shen Yunfang, carrying a black bag, got on Uncle Yougen’s horse cart. During this season, bicycles were not an option; the horse cart was the fastest means of transportation.
Having arrived at the county, she hurried off after saying goodbye to Uncle Yougen and caught a bus to the city. After travelling on the train overnight, she finally reached the provincial capital early the next morning.
Upon asking around, she located The First Military Region Hospital and then saw Li Hongjun wearing a patient’s uniform, with his entire leg hoisted up.
"You’re here," Li Hongjun managed to greet Shen Yunfang with a smile.
"Is that a broken leg?" Seeing Li Hongjun lying pale on the hospital bed, Shen Yunfang felt a bit unsettled.
"Yeah, it’s not too serious. I should recover after a month or two," Li Hongjun said, propping himself up on his arms, trying to sit up. However, he had just had surgery; he was weak and had no strength, and after several attempts, he still couldn’t sit up.
"Don’t move. Your leg is broken, what are you trying to do? Just lie down honestly," Shen Yunfang quickly stopped him as he attempted to get up. He was already in this state, what was he pretending for?
Injuries involving muscles and bones need a hundred days of rest. With his leg broken, it would be a miracle if he could be agile after just three or four months of rest. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
"How did this happen? Does it hurt? What did the doctor say?" Shen Yunfang asked sitting on a stool beside the bed, concerned.
"Could you pour me a glass of water before interrogating me? I’m thirsty," Li Hongjun smacked his lips.
Shen Yunfang then noticed Li Hongjun’s lips were peeling and quickly got up to fetch a thermos from the nearby table. She poured a little hot water, then swept it back and forth, cooling the water in no time.
"Here, I’ll help you sit up a little," Shen Yunfang walked to his right side, bracing his neck and shoulders and slowly lifted him a bit. "Can you hold it yourself? Drink just a little for now, I’ll cool some more for you." The thermos water was too hot to drink much at once.
Li Hongjun grasped the cup and drank all the water at the bottom before setting it down.
Shen Yunfang slowly helped him back down to lie flat before asking, "Doesn’t anyone take care of you usually? Isn’t this considered a work injury? Before your family arrives, they should have arranged a caretaker for you." Shen Yunfang was somewhat displeased. If she hadn’t come, who knows how dehydrated he would have become? How could the hospital be so irresponsible towards patients?
