Accidentally-Born-C56

Chapter 56

Wang Wo was a proud and resolute scholar who firmly believed in the principle of “Better to be shattered as jade than to remain intact as tile.” At the same time, he was simple and pure, always believing in and trusting the goodness in everything. Perhaps it was a form of escapism—he had no idea how far he had been transported in a cart after falling asleep, but he had no intention of asking. Since these people had saved his life, there was no need to question too much.

Thinking of his wife and children, Wang Wo sighed. After years of marriage, their relationship had long since become strained. He had failed to take good care of them in the past, and now he had even dragged them into suffering. But now that he had a place to recover, and this place seemed secluded from the world, he decided to take the opportunity to hide. At least this way, he wouldn’t implicate them further. It would be better if they believed he was dead.

Wang Wo glanced at Zhenzhen. He never expected that the one who had saved his life and given him warmth would be such a young reader. Just for this, he felt that all the words he had written over the years had not been in vain.

“I see you’re quite young, yet you can already understand my writings?” Wang Wo asked with a smile while allowing Zhenzhen to tend to his wounds.

“My older brothers all went to school. They taught me how to read and read books to me when I was three or four,” Zhenzhen replied with a smile. “I don’t fully understand the deeper meanings, but I find the words beautiful and the stories captivating.”

Wang Wo nodded in approval. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the wound on his back, making him groan in discomfort. Zhenzhen quickly reassured him, “Teacher, please bear with it. This wound is quite deep. If not treated properly, it could fester.”

Wang Wo let out a muffled groan. Remembering his literary friends who were still suffering, he couldn’t help but ask Zhenzhen, “Do you know what happened at the Wen Miao (Literary Temple)?”

“Oh, it seems that place has been scattered,” Zhenzhen replied nonchalantly while continuing to apply medicine. “I heard there was chaos there today. A flock of crows and little birds protected the people, pecking the guards until they were covered in wounds. Later, for some reason, even firearms were involved, but the guns malfunctioned and exploded. People said it was quite eerie.”

Wang Wo’s eyes immediately brightened, and he laughed heartily. “That’s great news! They all managed to escape disaster.”

After tending to his wounds, Zhenzhen placed some anti-inflammatory medicine on the tea table and instructed Wang Wo, “Take this medicine three times a day after meals. Don’t forget, Teacher. Your health isn’t great, so try to read less and rest more these days. When you have free time, take a walk around the western-style building. There are plenty of fresh vegetables behind it—pick whatever you like. If there’s something you need that isn’t here, let me know, and I’ll bring it from home.”

Wang Wo nodded with a smile. “This is already wonderful. I’m not picky about food, so there’s no need to trouble yourself.”

Seeing that Wang Wo was in relatively good spirits, Zhenzhen decided to leave. “This place is quite remote, and my father is still waiting for me outside. I should go now.”

Wang Wo had originally wanted to meet Zhenzhen’s father, but he swallowed the thought. If the man was unwilling to come in, he probably had deeper concerns, and Wang Wo didn’t want to be tactless. Besides, being given a second chance at life and the opportunity to recover in such a beautiful place was already a blessing. He should be content. He nodded and said, “Please extend my thanks to your father.”

Zhenzhen scratched her head and grinned. Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly asked, “Do you want me to deliver a letter to your family?”

Wang Wo thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “They probably wouldn’t want to receive a letter from me. But when the situation stabilizes a bit, I’d appreciate it if you could help me send letters to some friends.”

Zhenzhen nodded, bid farewell to Wang Wo, and quickly left the space, closing the passage behind her.

Just like the hidden treasure space, this space also changed according to Zhenzhen’s will. She adjusted it to have natural cycles of day and night, the shifting of seasons, and even food that would cool down and rot over time—everything mirrored the outside world.

Since Wang Wo had many injuries, he would have to recover here for now. Once a proper hiding place was found, he could be moved. After all, they couldn’t let the Nobel Prize for Literature be taken by the Japanese again next year.

Humming a tune, Zhenzhen returned home, where dinner was already prepared. Guihua looked at her helplessly and chuckled, “You’re really wild. Even your fourth brother is home before you.”

Mingbei was munching on a cucumber as he asked, “Where did you go? I looked for you at the hydrolysis plant all afternoon but couldn’t find you.”

Zhenzhen mumbled through a mouthful of food, “A classmate’s family has relatives working at the hydrolysis plant. We were at their place studying.”

Mingbei stared at her in shock. “Studying in elementary school? You scared me.”

Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at him and asked while washing her hands, “What were you doing at the hydrolysis plant?”

“I was checking on high school admissions. They didn’t send out acceptance letters this year—just posted a notice on the main gate. Good thing I went, or I would’ve missed the start of school.” Mingbei tossed the cucumber stem into the trash and proudly announced, “I got into Hydrolysis Plant No.1 High School. Oh, and I saw your Sister Wanqiu’s name too—we’re in the same class.”

Zhenzhen couldn’t help but laugh at Mingbei’s smug expression. “Congratulations, Fourth Brother! But your school is so far away now.”

“It’s nothing. I just have to leave a little earlier. Besides, I walk fast—I can get there in an hour.” Mingbei glanced at Zhenzhen’s short legs and smirked. “Unlike you, with your short legs, slowing everything down.”

Zhenzhen had just taken a bite of cucumber when she heard this and, enraged, threw it at Mingbei. He fumbled to catch it. “Hey, hey, hey! Almost dropped it. How can you waste food like this, you little spendthrift?”

Since there weren’t many people at home, Guihua kept dinner simple—a large bowl of pickled vegetables and another of stewed potatoes with green beans. As they ate, the family discussed the upcoming recruitment at the hydrolysis plant. Word had already spread that registration would begin in early September. Everyone was excited about the opportunity, and even Mingxi seemed to have come around, discussing the application process with Mingnan.

With so many young men at home, Zhang Defu’s family had been surprisingly quiet. Even after Grandma Li and her family returned, they didn’t dare to cause trouble.

However, Zhenzhen was slightly disappointed as she looked at the growing stack of books in her space. “Grandma, you came back too soon.”

Grandma Li shot her an annoyed glance. “If I hadn’t come back, you’d be running wild, wouldn’t you?”

Zhenzhen grinned. “I call it natural instincts.”

As Guihua helped Grandma Li and the others fetch water to wash up, she asked about the situation in Anbei.

Grandma Li said, “It wasn’t as dramatic as Mingxi and the others made it sound. Aside from some propaganda posters being put up, everything looked the same as usual. Mingdong’s living quarters are quite nice—he has a single room, and the cafeteria food is pretty good.”

Guihua let out a breath of relief, finally feeling reassured.

Before they knew it, the first day of school arrived. Mingbei woke up early, washed his hair, put on freshly laundered clothes, slipped on his well-worn cloth shoes, grabbed two biscuits, and dashed out the door.

Grandma Li watched his departing figure, puzzled. “This is the first time in years he’s been this eager for school. He even cleaned himself up. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was going on a matchmaking date instead of attending class.”

Ming Xi and the others immediately stifled their laughter. Grandma Li looked at them in confusion and asked, “What are you all laughing at?”

Ming Nan shook his head with a mysterious smile and said, “Grandma, just wait and see. In the future, Ming Bei is definitely going to be the cleanest one in our family. I bet he’ll wash his hair every single day.”

Grandma Li casually poured out the leftover water that Ming Bei had used into the yard and said, “No way. This is probably just a one-time thing. Besides, washing his hair every day would waste so much of my soap.”

After Ming Bei went off to school, the hydrolysis plant also started its recruitment. Li Muwu took Ming Xi and Ming Nan to sign up. Meanwhile, Zhenzhen, for once, didn’t go out and was sitting alone in the courtyard, peeling melon seeds.

Suddenly, two men in military uniforms knocked on the door and politely asked, “Hello, young lady. Is Comrade Li Mingxi living here?”

Zhenzhen quickly put the melon seeds back into the basin, stood up, and invited them inside. “Yes, this is the place. Please come in.” Then she raised her voice and shouted, “Grandma, Mom! The army is here!”

The moment they heard that the military had come, Grandma Li and Wang Sufen excitedly rushed out. “Comrades of the People’s Liberation Army, come in and sit down quickly.”

Ever since Ming Xi retired and returned home, he had been like a lost soul. The whole family knew that although Ming Xi had left the military academy, his heart was still with the army. But there was nothing anyone could do about it, and they didn’t even dare to offer too much comfort. They could only wait for Ming Xi to come to terms with it himself.

Wang Sufen, being the most impatient, quickly brought out two bowls of sugar water and eagerly asked, “Comrades, are you here to take our Ming Xi back to the army?”

“Yes.” One of the soldiers nodded with a smile and said, “We just don’t know if Comrade Li Mingxi is at home.”

Wang Sufen slapped her thigh in frustration. “Oh no! Our hydrolysis plant was hiring, so he went to sign up early this morning. Comrades, please don’t reject him. He had no idea you were coming.”

Seeing how anxious she was, the soldier quickly reassured her with a gentle smile. “Don’t worry. We’re here specifically to pick him up. We’ll just wait for him.”

Wang Sufen was overjoyed. She stood up from her stool, so excited that she didn’t know what to do. “Well then, Mom, I’ll go cook while you sit here and chat with the comrades.”

The two soldiers quickly stood up and stopped her. “That won’t do. We have strict regulations.”

“What’s the harm? You’re not outsiders,” Wang Sufen grinned. “Besides, it’s nothing fancy, just some wild vegetables and homegrown produce. It doesn’t cost anything.”

Grandma Li nodded in agreement. “Ming Xi won’t be back until the afternoon. Do you expect to sit here hungry while waiting?”

The two soldiers lowered their heads and discussed for a moment before finally nodding. “Alright, then we’ll trouble you. But please keep it simple. We’ll pay for the meal with money and ration tickets.”

Just as Wang Sufen was about to refuse, Grandma Li stopped her. Having lived through the war against the Japanese, she understood the army’s strict rule of ‘not taking even a needle or thread from the people.’ She said, “Let’s do as the comrades say. Ming Dong’s wife, cook a few dishes using the wild vegetables we gathered from the mountains, make some dipping sauce with pickled vegetables, bake some flatbread, and cook a pot of corn.”

After giving her instructions, Grandma Li turned to the soldiers and asked, “Will this be alright?” When they heard that it was just coarse grains and wild vegetables, the two soldiers nodded repeatedly and took out money and ration tickets from their pockets, placing them on the cupboard as payment for the meal.

Grandma Li didn’t even check the amount. She got up, went outside, and washed a bowl of cucumbers, tomatoes, and wild fruits, bringing them out for the soldiers. “These are homegrown and picked from the mountains. Have some.” Then, worried they might refuse, she added, “This is included in the meal payment.”