Chapter 117: Chen Xueru Returns Home

The things that happened in Xu Damao's family, no one knows, but along with Yang Qing's reputation as a genius, the rumors of Lou Xiao'e and Qin Huairu hooking up with Yang Qing are also slowly spreading.

In this, our second aunt's contribution is indispensable.

Unlike other people's gossip, He Yuzhu is currently being nagged by Liu Shumin.

"He Yuzhu, look at Yang Qing, he self-studies knowledge."

"You also find time, study a bit, or else I'll tutor you tonight?"

When she said these words, her heart was full of hope and fantasy.

His Prince Charming was never a cook, but a cultured person; because of family reasons, it became her lifelong regret.

(Life is good, no burdens, starting to think about random things, it's human nature, quite normal.)

Now she wants to turn He Yuzhu into a cultured person; even if he's a cook, he should be a cultured cook.

(He Yuzhu's education has always been a mystery; calculating by 66, he's around 30, in 1950 he was about 14 or 15; according to the social conditions back then, He Yuzhu had to both learn a trade and study, at most an elementary level; before He Daqing left, that is three or four years, we started organizing literacy classes to promote basic education, counting that He Yuzhu also did some further study, at most a junior high level, possibly without a formal diploma, because after his teens it was time to learn a trade, basically no time to study knowledge.)

She looked forward to He Yuzhu being able to communicate with her《Song of Youth》（1958, Yang Mo》《Forest Sea Snowy Plain》（1957, Qu Bo》《Red Sun》（1957, Wu Qiang》《Bitter Vegetable Flower》《Welcoming Spring Flower》（1958, 1959, Feng Deying, who also published Mountain Chrysanthemum in 1979, the three flowers are very famous, those born in the seventies and eighties should have read them。。

She also hoped He Yuzhu would like the spiritual world depicted in《How the Steel Was Tempered》《Quiet Flows the Don》《Seagull》《The Herdsman》.

She wanted to read《Morning on Sakhalin Island》together with He Yuzhu........

But all these beautiful fantasies were shattered by a single sentence from He Yuzhu.

"I work all day, where would I find time to study? What's the use of studying if it doesn't fill my stomach?"

This is a crude person, a withered person, a person without a spiritual world.

No one knows Liu Shumin's inner anguish at this moment.

On one side is the world she longs for; on the other side is someone lying in bed like a corpse, only circling the stove.

"If it's useless, why do others go to school? He Yuzhu the cook also needs knowledge; a cook who has risen above lowbrow tastes is a good cook."

"He Yuzhu, I don't like people who can't understand《Seagull》."

He Yuzhu was annoyed to death by him, but this is his own wife; he dare not anger her, so he can only respond perfunctorily.

"Okay okay okay, is studying not enough?"

"When should we start studying?"

"Can we start tomorrow? I'm really tired today, I want to rest, wife, please spare me today."

He Yuzhu thought he had gotten away with it; Liu Shumin's disappointed mood also improved a bit because of He Yuzhu's change.

As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

This sentence tells us not to pin our hopes on others; only ourselves are within our control.

Time passes; Yang Qing's daily work is to go to the Jiedao to check the work situation; if there is work, he does it; if there is none, he studies himself, or he goes to the northern suburbs to catch frogs, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, mole crickets, later also catching cicada nymphs, grasshoppers—basically anything edible or sellable, he catches.

With his busyness, the messy wasteland east of his house, turned over by the neighbors before and after, also had various fruit trees planted.

There are persimmon trees, apple trees, pomegranate trees, jujube trees, peach trees, apricot trees.........

Around the fruit trees he also planted a ring of roses, roses.........

Yang Qing's diligence formed a stark contrast with the people in the courtyard.

Liu Shumin's patience with He Yuzhu's perfunctory studying is dwindling.

Meanwhile, she began to be curious about Yang Qing, who often manages to get tasty things.

During this period, Xu Damao came to look for Yang Qing several times; Yang Qing responded politely, but that harmonious feeling is gone.

That day Chen Xueru came back.

Cai Quanwu invited Yang Qing to go over as a guest.

This time Yang Qing did not bring Chen Hong.

The location was Xu Huizhen's home.

Chen Xueru has become very thin, her cheekbones protrude, her eye sockets are sunken, she looks utterly wretched.

Her clothing is no longer flashy; she changed into ordinary people's civilian attire.

Her head of curly hair has also become ear-length short hair.

Her flamboyant nature, thoroughly restrained, has instead become like a quail.

When Yang Qing saw her, her expression was still a bit dazed.

There are no children at home; I don't know where Cai Quanwu took them.

The atmosphere on site is a bit heavy and oppressive.

Xu Huizhen was the first to break the silence.

"I never imagined Xueru would suffer so much."

Chen Xueru's appearance gave her a kind of inexplicable fright.

They are women, or rather women who have always behaved positively and well, yet their ordeal is so cruel.

Yang Qing understands that the people interrogating Chen Xueru have no clear evidence; she is also a woman, her performance is still good, and the Jiedao's evaluation of her is high.

They cannot use torture, but the matter of collaborating with the Japanese is too big to not be handled meticulously.

So they should have applied a method of mental torment to Chen Xueru.

He can understand it, but his heart is still not at peace.

They are too obsessive about some things; although obsession and strictness are very helpful for stabilizing the country.

Even though the disaster is so huge and its impact so widespread, there has been no situation of loss of order.

But for people like Yang Qing, this is not a good thing.

Now it's like this; what about after 1966?

The key is that Yang Qing still has a treasure buff attached to him; this buff is too dazzling, too eye-catching.

"I also didn't expect that."

Chen Xueru's tears began to drip down, drip by drip.

During this period, she suffered no physical harm, but psychologically she endured great devastation.

Those people had almost uncovered all her secrets.

She was naked like a monkey, being pointed at and stared at by the crowd.

Moreover, female inmates in the same cell constantly insulted her, using almost every dirty word on her.

After all, Chen Xueru is a spoiled, pampered woman who has never endured such devastation.

"Can she escape, can she escape?"

"I don't want to be here; it's too scary, too scary."

"I clearly didn't do anything."

"Why treat me like this?"

"Why?"

She stifled her sobs, letting out a low growl.

Xu Huizhen stepped forward and hugged her to comfort her.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's all over, it's all over."

Seeing this, Yang Qing actually felt somewhat relieved.

If she can vent, it will be much better; the fear is that she will keep it bottled up.

Either die in silence or go mad in silence; neither is a good outcome.