NOVPUB
Chapter 151: Chapter 145: Going Home
Shen Yunfang took advantage of her free time and strolled around the department store again, converting all her vouchers into goods. The local department store at home wasn’t as big, nor did it offer as many varieties, so she figured it was better to buy the things she liked here rather than wait to get back.
The train tickets were booked by the military, two sleeping berths, and it was Wu Guoqiang who came to see them off.
Shen Yunfang had quite a few pieces of luggage to manage. Everything else was manageable, but the wheelchair she borrowed from the hospital was a bit cumbersome. She couldn’t just throw it into a spatial dimension, so she had to carry it on her back.
Wu Guoqiang held Shen Yunfang’s large backpack in his left hand and a folded wheelchair in his right, carving out a path on the train.
Shen Yunfang, supporting Li Hongjun, followed behind him and they smoothly found their bunks.
"Okay, I’ve put everything away. You take care, and I’ll call your family to pick you up from the station when I get back," said Wu Guoqiang, wiping the sweat from his brow after arranging everything.
"That’s fine, the rest is just riding the train, and that’s nothing. I can take care of things," Shen Yunfang replied, equally sweaty. It was only when Li Hongjun lay down on the lower bunk did she breathe a sigh of relief. Any careless movement might aggravate his injuries, and that would be no laughing matter. Li Hongjun’s injuries weren’t limited to a broken leg; he also had surgery on his abdomen.
Seeing that the train was about to depart, Wu Guoqiang quickly exchanged a few words with them before getting off, watching the train pull away from below.
Li Hongjun saw Shen Yunfang, despite the cold winter, with sweat forming on her forehead and said with distress, "I’m okay. I’m not that frail. I think I’m recovering quite well." 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
"Even if you’re recovering well, you still need to be careful," Shen Yunfang insisted, firmly preventing him from moving carelessly.
A fellow passenger on the train, curious about their situation, asked Li Hongjun what had happened.
After Shen Yunfang’s explanation, everyone looked at Li Hongjun with reverence; he was a soldier of the people, injured while saving others—a hero.
So for that night on the train, Shen Yunfang hardly had to do anything at all.
She had just taken out a basin when a young person nearby grabbed it, and in no time, brought back a basin full of hot water for her.
Shen Yunfang was speechless; she just wanted to get a little water to make some oatmeal. What was she supposed to do with a whole basin of hot water?
But the person meant well, so she had to thank them.
There were plenty more incidents like that, and it wasn’t until Shen Yunfang was helping Li Hongjun off the train that she whispered in his ear that too much enthusiasm could be a burden.
Getting off the train, they saw Li Hongxing from afar. After much hustle and bustle, they finally managed to get Li Hongjun, the patient, settled onto the ox cart.
Indeed, Li Hongxing had come with an ox cart, planning to transport Li Hongjun back home that way.
Shen Yunfang had no complaints; Li Hongjun’s condition really wasn’t suited for car travel. The ox cart might be slower and colder, but at least it allowed him to lie down.
They weren’t in any hurry anyway, so they took their time. With two quilts on the ox cart, one to lie on and the other to cover, they could ward off some wind.
Then the three of them set off on the ox cart, rattling and swaying for the whole day, and as the day gradually darkened, they finally arrived at Taoshu Village.
Several times, Li Wangcai sat on the kang bed, craning his neck to look out of the courtyard, but the clarity was compromised due to the plastic cloth on the windows for warmth.
Not until he heard the sound of the ox cart did he quickly shift to the edge of the kang and said, "Old woman, I hear the ox cart. This time it must be Hongjun coming back. Hurry up, let’s go out to meet the child."
The old couple walked to the door and saw Li Hongxing supporting Li Hongjun as he walked into the house.
"Ah, you’re finally back. Your dad has been waiting for you all day," Qiu Shuping said as she came forward to support the other arm of Li Hongjun, leading him inside.
"Ah, let’s not talk about that now, let the child lie down and rest for a bit," Li Wangcai waved his hand from the side.
The Li Family had a row of five rooms in total, including the kitchen. The old couple lived in the western room, and there was a larger room where the oldest son and his wife lived with their children. When they got married, it wasn’t convenient, so they blocked off the door inside and opened another door from the outside. The two rooms on the east side were not very big; the smaller one was the daughter’s boudoir, and the room outside was the youngest son’s.
Usually, when Li Hongjun came home, he would share a room with the Li family’s youngest son, putting up with it for a few days before returning to the military base.
This time, Li Hongjun still shared a room with Li Hongqi.
Li Hongjun lay on the kang, surrounded by family members who offered him warm inquiries and concern.
"Sandan, come and look, this is your second uncle. It’s your first time seeing him," Wang Dan’s youngest son Li Shiliang was just half a year old, too young to speak or walk. Wang Dan brought him into the room and casually placed him on the kang; it was so spacious, and it would be nice for him to get close to his second uncle.
The child, not understanding his own strength, saw a person lying on the kang and thought it was playtime, having already lunged at Li Hongjun several times.
Li Hongjun had injured his right leg, but luckily it was on the outer side. He had to bend his left leg to block the child in order to prevent him from bumping into the injured leg.
"Oh my, look at this child, how affectionate he is with his second uncle," Wang Dan didn’t notice anything wrong and watched with a smile as her son and Li Hongjun played together.
"Quickly take the child away, don’t let him touch the second brother’s leg," Li Hongxing spoke up.
"Oh, always making a fuss, Sandan is just a baby. Hongjun won’t let him bump into it. Come here, Sandan, Grandma will hold you," Qiu Shuping glared at her son, as her little grandson was the apple of her eye now.
When Qiu Shuping picked up the child from the kang, she found a puddle of water underneath him—he had managed to urinate in the short span of time he had been there.
"Oh, the urine of a small child isn’t dirty; just wipe it off and it’ll be fine," Wang Dan stepped forward with a rag usually used for wiping the kang and wiped it up, offering an explanation as she did.
"Brother, how long are you staying this time?" Li Xianghe quietly asked from behind.
Li Hongjun didn’t answer.
"Why, you’ve got to meddle in everything, go and start cooking. Your second brother just got back and hasn’t had a warm meal yet," Qiu Shuping swiftly ushered her out.
Li Xianghe pouted, not wanting to go but afraid of her mother’s scolding, so she reluctantly left.
"Second brother, can your leg heal?" Li Hongqi couldn’t help but bring up the most uncomfortable subject.
"Oh, I just finished with your sister, now you’re causing trouble. Hurry up, you go too," Qiu Shuping chased her younger son to the other room.
"All of you, stop hovering around here. Hongjun has just come back, let him sleep for a while. After we’ve eaten, we can have a proper chat," Li Wangcai led the way out.
Only then did everyone leave the room.
Li Hongjun lay on the kang, straightened his left leg, and had just closed his eyes when he caught a whiff of the pungent smell of urine. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the rag that had just been used to wipe the urine, thrown by Wang Dan right next to his pillow.
As for Shen Yunfang, she had arranged her items and walked back to Gaijiatun alone after the ox cart reached the county town. This was something she had discussed with Li Hongjun; it was somewhat inconvenient for her to visit his home now. Since Li Hongxing was there, she decided to head back to her own home first.
It was just as the sky started to darken when she arrived back at Gaijiatun. Dashuan’s wife did not know the exact time of her return and was quite surprised to see her already home.
Shen Yunfang exchanged a few courteous words with her and then went to visit her uncle’s house.
