"Look at what this is!" Feng Qingxue nudged her chin towards the table, and Lu Jiang saw the oily paper wrapping pork head meat, pig intestines, a strip of cured meat, twenty salted duck eggs, two dried wild rabbits, and a small bag of flour.
All these were leftovers from home, and even the flour was ground after rationing.
"Wife, you are so good!" Taking advantage of the opportunity when no one was in the kitchen, Lu Jiang leant over to kiss her on the cheek.
Feng Qingxue glared at him, then put the flour, dried rabbit, and cured meat one by one into the bottom of the basket. Then she laid a thick layer of straw on top, placed the salted duck eggs and pork head meat on it, finally covered it with an oilcloth, handed it to Lu Jiang and said, "You carry it, send Uncle Three out, and when you’ve walked a bit farther, hang it directly on his car."
Lu Jiang did exactly as he was told.
Cheng Baoguo, pushing his old bicycle, walked in the snow. Compared to when he arrived, he now wore an extra old military coat and an old Lei Feng hat, and his hands were warmed by a pair of sheepskin gloves patched with cloth.
"Ajiang, you really have to cherish your good fortune," Cheng Baoguo felt very comforted in his heart and inevitably reminded Lu Jiang.
Lu Jiang smiled and said, "Don’t worry, who else could cherish my wife if not me?"
Cheng Baoguo laughed heartily, "Alright, you can go back. No need to see me off."
"I will watch you leave from here, please take care on the road," Lu Jiang said as he hung the basket on the handlebar of the bicycle, and brushed off the snow accumulated on the seat, "The road may be slippery in this snowy weather. Try to exercise more."
"You cheeky boy!" Cheng Baoguo clearly understood the implication of his words – that he should continue his journey on foot.
Those who were out shoveling snow or fetching water witnessed this scene, and as soon as Cheng Baoguo had gone far enough, they immediately asked Lu Jiang who the visitor was.
"That’s our city’s Mayor Cheng," Lu Jiang slightly smiled at their amazed expressions, "A long time ago, Qingxue saved two elderly people who had fainted by the roadside. Who knew they were the parents of Mayor Cheng. Yesterday we ran into Mayor Cheng’s mother in the city. We didn’t tell them our address, but somehow they found out. Now, Mayor Cheng has come to express his thanks."
This response was the result of careful deliberation with his father and uncle. They unanimously decided to tell others that their association with the Cheng family originated from Feng Qingxue’s life-saving favour to Mayor Cheng’s parents and that there were no other connections.
The Mayor! Such a remarkable person!
It was like a towering mountain, something that the ordinary people at the bottom of society did not even dare to think about.
No sooner had Lu Jiang set foot in his home than the news spread throughout the Wanglou Brigade.
A stranger visited the Lu Family, it was the Mayor, coming to thank Feng Qingxue for saving the lives of his parents!
No matter what, many people began to regard the Lu family with awe. Firstly, due to Feng Qingxue’s medical skills, and secondly, because of their relationship with Mayor Cheng. Owing life-saving favor is not trivial; Mayor Cheng would certainly not stand by and watch others bully or isolate the Lu family. Fortunately, Feng Qingxue was the niece of Wang Zhengguo, and they all shared a good relationship.
And the Feng Qingxue they mentioned, who was always kind to others, was at home at that very moment asking about how many good friends her father-in-law had, how many people he had helped in the past, and what kind of backup plans he had made for their family.
It was too astonishing, wasn’t it? Two sworn brothers, one a promising mayor, the other a general.
"Father, just tell me and Ajiang, so we won’t be at a loss for how to address your acquaintances when we meet them next time," Feng Qingxue was really curious. She felt as if his father-in-law had woven a dense and secure web over the Lu family.