CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 081 ZHANG: IT’S ONE CORPSE, TWO LIVES

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The next day, when Li Jianfeng and Li Baojia drove the truck into Qingfeng Village, it certainly drew the glances of many village elders and elder women, especially with the grains and supplies easily visible on the truck, which surprised everyone.

At this time, it was just past eight in the morning, the Xie Family members who were studying did so, and those who worked did so too, leaving only Zhang Shanni and Xie Jingchen at home.

Even the youngest, Xiao Liu, was taken to the village committee by his grandmother, and since it wasn’t the busy farming season, it was fine for the village officials to do their roll-call at the village committee, with Zhou Xiuhua bringing her little grandson along.

At home, there was only Zhang Shanni and her husband, each busy with their own things, knowing that Xie Jingchen would leave for the military early tomorrow morning, she saw him bring home two rabbits and two pheasants last evening and thought of making them into cured goods to take with him.

Moreover, she had fried some peanuts and, using the heat from the clay bed, had baked some sweet potato jerky. The soybeans soaked yesterday evening had also swollen up, ready for her to prepare some soybean paste and stir-fried soybeans and peanuts for him, so that when he returned to the military, he could host his comrades in return.

After all, throughout these years, he had always been bringing local specialties to his comrades from his hometown, and his comrades in the military all knew he wasn’t married yet, and Xie Jingchen was very popular in the military. When asked for help, he seldom declined, always ready to roll up his sleeves and pitch in, whether it was fellow comrades or his subordinate military guards who all respected him greatly.

Of course, his new military guards felt a mix of love and hate towards him!

They loved him for when they competed against other platoons, they were always the winning side; but hated him because the new recruits often suffered miserably, all secretly trained harshly, and would love to call him ’Xie Rash’ or ’Butcher Xie’. This saw how ’ferocious’ his reputation was among the new military guards.

Neither Li Jianfeng nor Li Baojia were familiar with Qingfeng Village, but fortunately, Li Baojia had been to the countryside before and knew that in case of issues, they could go to the village committee, and now, led by some kind villagers, the truck was parked directly at the village committee.

Li Baojia and his son got off the truck and headed straight for the village committee, at which point almost ten village officials who heard the truck approach were already outside the courtyard, including the village head Xie Jingqiang, and accountant Xie Tiesheng, who were both familiar with the station head from the town’s grain station. Therefore, seeing him personally come to the village took them by surprise.

"Station Chief Li, what brings you to the countryside? Is there a new task from the town?"

Xie Jingqiang hurried forward to greet him and took ’Harvest Brand’ cigarettes from his coat pocket to offer them, seeing Li Jianfeng, who bore a 60% resemblance to Li Baojia, and noting his well-dressed appearance with a fine white shirt and leather belt, and black trousers, certainly a young man of promise, he dared not neglect him and also offered cigarettes.

"No, no, Mr. Xie, there’s no need to be so polite. I’m here in Qingfeng Village for a personal matter, not on an official task from the station. Since I’m not familiar with the way, I thought of bothering you since you’re the village head." Li Baojia politely declined the offered cigarettes but seeing the insistence, he promptly accepted and clipped it to his ear.

Li Jianfeng, seeing this, also accepted the cigarette cheerfully, and then took out his own pocket’s ’Red Joy’ brand cigarettes, slightly more expensive than Harvest Brand by a penny, considered the most expensive in this remote small town. He gladly handed out cigarettes to the elders at the village committee, making sure everyone present got one, including Zhou Xiuhua who also received one.

In those days, it wasn’t rare to see elder women smoking. Some, due to exhausting work, smoked no less than the men. Especially in the countryside, whether it was strong tobacco or spirits, the elder women didn’t fall short of the men in the slightest.

"Not a bother at all, wherever Station Chief Li wishes to go, I’ll personally take you there." Xie Jingqiang had just handed a cigarette to Li Jianfeng, only for it to be immediately reciprocated with another cigarette, which he didn’t hesitate to tuck over his ear, meanwhile speaking to Station Chief Li with a hint of flattery.

In this era, offering a cigarette is a very respectful gesture, generally one does not decline by hand, and even if you don’t smoke, you would put it behind your ear, as a sign of respect and manners.

Xie Jingqiang is of the same generation as Xie Jingchen, calling Xie Tiesheng ’Uncle’, and in his generation of male descendants, he is the oldest current male, also taking over his father Xie Tongsheng’s responsibilities. He isn’t much younger than Xie Tiesheng and is now forty-seven years old.

"Brother Xie, don’t be so formal. Brother Li here, I’m looking to find out whether there is an officer named ’Xie Jingchen’ from your village? I came in a hurry and didn’t get detailed information about his ancestry, so I can only trouble you."

Li Baojia was not reserved either; in Qingyun Town, besides a few top officials like the town mayor and secretary, other government officials and village leaders didn’t require his ’courtesy’.

"Ah, this is quite the coincidence. If Brother Li is looking for Xie Jingchen, then he is from my own family; he’s my direct younger cousin. This person here, Xie Tiesheng the accountant, is his father." When Xie Jingqiang heard that they were looking for his own cousin, his honest dark face relaxed, he quickly pulled over his uncle, and politely introduced them to Li Baojia and his son.

His tone changed 180 degrees. To think Station Chief Li would lower his stance, even addressing himself as Brother Li! He is just the village chief of Qingfeng Village and even in Qingshan Team only a deputy leader. For someone as important as the grain station chief, you can’t just make connections if you wish to. Now that the other party wasn’t putting on airs, he naturally climbed along the stick, aiming to forge a closer relationship.

And seeing the polite behavior and the truck loaded with eye-catching items, the most conspicuous being a ’Phoenix’ brand bicycle and a butterfly brand sewing machine manufactured by Shanghai Xie Chang!

"So you are Xie Jingchen’s father? Uncle Xie, thank you—" Upon hearing that Xie Tiesheng was Xie Jingchen’s father, Li Jianfeng immediately stepped forward, taking hold of Xie Tiesheng’s rough and large hand before his father could, thanking him with tears brimming in his eyes:

"Uncle Xie, my heartfelt thanks to your family’s Comrade Xie Jingchen and Comrade Zhang Shanni for saving my wife and child. If it were not for Zhang Shanni’s timely intervention, my wife and child would’ve been in mortal danger. Your daughter-in-law saved my wife and child, thank you sincerely!"

Li Jianfeng was overtaken with emotion, thinking if Zhang Shanni hadn’t discovered the danger in time, his wife and son at home would have lost their lives on the spot. Recalling this, his hands were trembling. His obvious agitation was instantly conveyed to Xie Tiesheng.

Zhou Xiuhua, who was standing around the outside, was taken aback when she heard what the young man said.

"Indeed, if it wasn’t for Comrade Zhang Shanni’s timely rescue, my daughter-in-law would have died along with the unborn child! The reason we father and son came all this way was specifically to express our gratitude to Comrade Zhang Shanni."

Upon hearing Station Chief Li’s words, even the surrounding villagers were stupefied. Actually, the villagers were all thinking about what heroic deed Xie Jingchen, that Second Young Master Xie, had performed, but it turned out that Li Jianfeng was most grateful for Zhang Shanni, the new daughter-in-law that the Xie Family had recently brought in!

This was beyond the villagers’ expectations.

Even Xie Jingqiang and Xie Tiesheng were taken aback, after all, in the eyes of these old men, Zhang Shanni, the new bride, seemed too frail; who would have thought that, aside from the initial part about thanking Xie Jingchen, the rest of the conversation was basically all about thanking Zhang Shanni.