NOVPUB
Chapter 476: Chapter 466 Preparing to Return to Hometown
After dinner, Li Xianglian didn’t rush off but sat down and handed over a small packet to Shen Yunfang.
"Yunfang, there’s five hundred Yuan in here. Don’t do anything before you hear me out," Li Xianglian urged, seeing Shen Yunfang pushing the packet back and quickly grabbing her hand, "This money is what your brother-in-law and I decided to pay back to you. Back when Jiajia was sick, you and Hongjun put in not only money but also effort. If it wasn’t for you both, my Jiajia might not be here today. Your sister is deeply thankful for the rest of her life— and I truly mean it." As soon as Li Xianglian broached the topic, her eyes started to sour. Recalling those days, if it had not been for Hongjun’s timely return to the hometown, her Jiajia could have been lost, and she might not even be able to carry on living, let alone celebrate the New Year.
She wasn’t like her old mother, who only regarded her little brother as her own son and cared little whether she had the others or not. She cherished each one of her children dearly; if something happened to any of them, she as a mother couldn’t bear it.
"Big sister, all that is in the past, let’s not talk about it anymore. Jiajia is doing well now, and that shows she is a child blessed with a good fate. Even without our help, she could have been perfectly fine," Shen Yunfang indicated to Li Xianglian not to be so concerned, "Besides, we are close relatives. If you were in trouble and we had the ability to help, how could we just stand by and not lend a hand, right? I think if the situation were reversed and we were the ones in trouble, you and brother-in-law would definitely reach out to help if you could."
"Of course, if you and Hongjun run into any trouble, just say the word. Your brother-in-law and I would bang our heads on the ground to help you," said Li Xianglian without hesitation, revealing her genuine feelings.
"That’s exactly it, so don’t feel bad or take this to heart, big sister. As long as everyone is okay, that’s better than anything else," Shen Yunfang didn’t want her big sister to feel indebted, which could make future interactions awkward. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Right, what you said makes sense, but we still must pay back this money," Li Xianglian insisted on the importance of repaying debts. "When we were poor, your brother-in-law said we had to work hard and pay off every debt, especially the one owed to your second brother’s family. Now, thanks to you, we’ve finally made some decent money. Even after repaying all our debts, we still have some left. We’ve paid back what was owed to others, and we must do the same for you. Don’t push it back and forth with me; we have to pay this money." Li Xianglian’s final words were very determined.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yunfang smiled, "Alright, since you insist, I’ll accept the money." She realized that Li Xianglian was really adamant about paying back the money; if she continued to refuse, it would just lead to more back and forth. So, she decided to accept it, thinking of the money as if she were holding it in savings for her big sister, to be given back if they ever needed it again.
When Li Xianglian heard Shen Yunfang agree to take the money, she finally breathed a sigh of relief; she had been afraid Yunfang would refuse.
Shen Yunfang took the packet, glanced at it casually, and suddenly thought of a problem, "Big sister, most of your money is in denominations of one or two Mao, which isn’t convenient to carry home. How about I exchange it for some ten Yuan notes for you?"
During the time they sold New Year couplets, they only received small change and there were no banks to make the exchange, so eventually they dealt in these small denominations. A bundle of one Mao notes made only ten Yuan. Li Xianglian had received mostly coins of one and five Mao, making it dangerous and inconvenient to carry such a large bag of money on the train.
"Sure, your brother-in-law and I were just worrying about where to safely keep all this small change at home," Li Xianglian was delighted at the idea. Exchanging it for ten Yuan notes would add up to just half a stack, easy to stash anywhere.
The trains these days were not safe. Many people couldn’t buy sleeper tickets and had to settle for hard seats; there were plenty of thieves at night, and one could easily have their pockets picked.
"Alright, then, I’ll come over in a couple of days and we can make the exchange." The matter was decided just like that.
The Liu’s family stayed until past four in the afternoon before heading back to the courtyard. Shen Yunfang made a brief attempt to keep them longer, but seeing Li Xianglian’s determination to return, she said no more about it.
Because lunch had been substantial and ended late, Shen Yunfang didn’t start preparing dinner until past seven. She didn’t cook anything new, just reheated the leftovers from noon, boiled a pot of porridge, and had a simple meal with mom and Taxue.
The kids played until after ten at night and were exhausted. After Shen Yunfang put the two children to bed, she went back to her room and lay there, unable to fall asleep.
Eventually, she sat up, turned on the lamp, and took out the only letter that Li Hongjun had sent since going to the battlefield.
There were only a few words written on the letter, which Shen Yunfang read over and over, her mind incessantly pondering. It was the New Year here, and she wondered how Li Hongjun was doing over there.
While Shen Yunfang was lost in her thoughts, Li Hongjun was lying motionless on a hillside thousands of miles away, where he and his comrades had been in ambush for three days.
Li Hongjun wore a straw hat with green paint streaked across his face. The skin on his lips was cracked and flaky due to the prolonged absence of water. The only thing moving on his entire body were his eyes.
Seeing some movement ahead, Li Hongjun suppressed his excitement, his fingers slightly lifted, giving a signal to his comrades. Then they all waited, motionless and silent, ready for the enemy to fall into their trap.
A convoy was approaching on the road, led by a tank with two jeeps and a truck following. From a distance, one could see the soldiers standing atop the truck bed.
It was a small convoy, but unknown to all, it carried a person beyond anyone’s expectations.
Li Hongjun watched as the enemy entered the ambush zone. Only when the last truck entered the kill zone did he calmly press the remote. Instantly, the two jeeps were blown off the road, and the trailing truck swerved to hit a roadside tree, ending up tilted to one side. Although the soldiers in the back cabin were not seriously injured, the collision left them scattered haphazardly, looking like a heap of fallen dominoes, sprawled or seated inside the vehicle.
At the moment Li Hongjun pressed the remote, he sprang into action like a panther, swiftly making his way towards the vehicles below, and by the time the truck came to a halt, he was already underneath it.
With a powerful heave of his arms, he flipped over and onto the truck...
