Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 347 - 334: Map Change, Second Update
But who knew that this trip would not see him return until eight o’clock in the evening, when Li Xianglu brought out a big bowl of wontons for Qin Xi and two cold dishes for him to eat.
Qin Xi was ravenous after being busy all afternoon, running back and forth. He ate with gusto while the two children watched with longing eyes.
Li Xianglu helplessly scooped out two wontons and some chicken broth from Qin Xi’s bowl into smaller bowls, giving one each to the little ones. Seeing they still appeared unsatisfied, she shook her head and said, "That’s all, there’s no more, daddy needs to eat."
Seeing this, Qin Xi thought the children were still hungry and was about to give them more, but Li Xianglu gave him a look and placed the youngsters on the bed to play. She then sat on a stool, watching the children and inquiring about the afternoon’s events.
Qin Xi, having filled his empty stomach somewhat, began to speak while eating. It turned out to be an issue with the ventilator. The deceased had undergone lung surgery, which wasn’t so complicated—it was just a matter of fluid accumulation. But the patient’s throat had swollen, preventing self-breathing, so they had been using an oxygen machine continuously.
And since oxygen costs money, the younger brother and his wife felt it wasn’t necessary to spend so much, so they secretly removed it. As a result, when they left, the patient died from suffocation.
The nurse came back to find this situation. She had not even reported it when the patient’s relatives started making trouble, and they forcefully carried the body to the central area of the courtyard on a plank.
Li Xianglu shook her head after listening, lamenting the ignorance that killed a person. A living, breathing life was lost because those people, in their ignorance and frugality, let someone who could have lived well die.
Qin Xi nodded in agreement, "The relatives’ son, learning that it was his uncle and aunt who had caused his father’s death, went crazy with rage and started beating them."
Li Xianglu, cradling the already dozing Ba Yi in her arms and gently patting him, nodded in strong agreement to Qin Xi’s words, "I too would have beaten them to death."
After Qin Xi finished eating, he downed the last of the soup in one gulp. Hearing his wife’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh, "Have your parents gotten married now?"
Li Xianglu understood from Qin Xi’s question that he was asking about her parents in her previous life, wondering if they had gotten married in this life. She glanced at him with a touch of sorrow and said, "They just started university. I found out that it’s not the same university as in the previous life. It’s a renowned university in the province."
Hearing it was different from the previous life, Qin Xi smiled and nodded, "You sent them so many things. With improved living conditions, your parents could now focus on studying, so it’s no wonder they did well and got into a better school."
Li Xianglu nodded, but what she didn’t say was that her mother and father were now in different universities. Would they still end up together and then have her?
In the following days, while Qin Xi dealt with affairs, he had some bulky items moved by car to the county he would be joining. Li Xianglu took care of the children and the old man at home, meanwhile packing some smaller items.
By the end of June, everything was packed. All the large items that needed to be moved had already been transported, and Li Xianglu and the others would move there first. Qin Xi was waiting for a batch of goods from Xu Wu to be inspected before he could leave.
Li Jianqing’s troops were not far from that county town, so everyone went together. Lu Anna, Minmin, and Qin Zhen had left four or five days earlier and went to Shandong.
The courtyard house on their side had been left in the care of Old Geng. Hu Zi was going with them this time, while Sister Xing, having her family in the capital and two children, could not come along. However, Li Xianglu did not dismiss her but kept her on to tidy up the house and come over to cook a meal for Old Geng every day.
They would still return for New Year’s, and Su Yan would also be back by the end of the year.
The two children found the long journey very novel at first. They were keenly looking out the window while sitting on Leng Qing and Li Xianglu’s laps. But after half a day’s travel, they lost interest and began to sleep.
So, the car had left at five in the morning and did not reach Beihai until twelve at night. The roads were really tough to traverse.
That night, everyone stayed at the military district’s guesthouse. This was precisely Li Jianqing’s unit. Li Xianglu, having a bit of mischief in mind, suggested that Leng Qing stay here with Li Jianqing for now, while the others went ahead. After all, Li Jianqing still had three days of leave. It was rare for the couple to see each other, so they should spend more time together.
Li Jianqing felt guilty when his sister spoke like this. The couple hadn’t had any honeymoon since their marriage, and once gone, it had been half a year. So, he allowed Leng Qing to stay. During these three days, he could take her around the area. The county where Qin was going was just a three-hour drive away.
Li Xianglu was very happy to send Leng Qing off because she had not finished packing the larger items, and many small ones were still in the Storage Ring. Later, she could just settle her grandfather in to watch the children, and she could take action. It would be troublesome if Leng Qing were around.
The next day at noon, they finally reached Huai County. Qin Xi took up a position as ********, which surprised Li Xianglu quite a bit. Qin Xi was only 27 this year, such a young ********. However, Qin Xi didn’t see it as a big deal. Lu Xun became a ******** at 24, and besides, he was a fifty-year-old with a reborn mind. If he couldn’t handle a small county, it would be embarrassing, considering he was a provincial governor with real power before his death.
They were assigned to a big courtyard, a one-story house, which was requested by Li Xianglu beforehand. The old gentleman wasn’t accustomed to living in multi-story buildings, and he had bad knees. The children were also young; it was better to live in a one-story house.
This was a six-room house built of red bricks, clearly new with cement floors. Although it looked plain, it was considered a good house in such a small county. So the old gentleman looked after the children, while Li Xianglu began to arrange their belongings. She sneakily set up many items.
Large pieces of furniture were transported and placed inside, which conveniently allowed Li Xianglu to manipulate the situation.
So, while Hu Zi was moving things from their car, sweating profusely, Li Xianglu had already arranged all the items for the room where the old gentleman and Su Yan would stay.
Their own room was easy. There was even an iron stove, which Li Xianglu directly placed in the kitchen. When Hu Zi came in to tidy up and saw it, he froze for a moment and then excitedly said, "Ah, you even brought the stove! Sister, you’re so considerate. We won’t be scared of the cold in the winter."
Li Xianglu laughed guiltily. Then, when Hu Zi saw the copper pot and reacted with even more joy, Li Xianglu had already ignored everything else. It was necessary to take everything out all at once, to avoid suspicion when items were needed later.
The two little ones were not shy at all in the new environment. The doorman, a thirty-year-old man, called over a group of people to help move the items. Also, a young woman in her twenties helped the old gentleman watch over the children, though her eyes kept darting toward the inside of the house.
