Chapter 67: Took the Wrong One

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

It was late at night. Wu Jin took out a metal box from the bottom of the bentwood box. When he opened it, there were a few bills and a notebook, as well as a few photos.

Wu Jin took out one of the group photos and approached the kerosene lamp. In the photo, there were 30 men in military uniforms. This was the most comprehensive photo of the entire platoon.

Before Wu Jin retired from the army, he was a platoon leader. After that war, less than 10 people out of the 30 people survived. Wu Jin also retired from the army after being injured at that time.

Some of the comrades who sacrificed themselves came from poor families. They had elders and children at home. Without men to support them, their lives would be more difficult than others.

After Wu Jin retired from the army, he discussed it with the other two comrades who had retired from the army and returned to the village. The place where the three of them were located was very far apart. One’s hometown was rich in mushrooms and worm grass, while the other’s hometown was rich in dates and walnuts. These were all dry goods that were convenient to carry and keep.

Wu Jin was in charge of collecting the goods and returning to City H to find a way to sell them. After the bus fare was deducted, the rest of the money he earned was basically sent to the families of his comrades who were having trouble making ends meet.

He made the trip twice a year. He was quite lucky and had only been caught once in all these years. It was all thanks to his vigilance that he was not caught.

Wu Jin looked at these slightly yellowed photos and thought of the “new path” Xiao Sheng had mentioned today. In the end, he decided to sign up for the village chief election.

On Thursday morning, Liu Bao’s voice sounded from the village’s broadcast.

“Good morning, villagers. We will now issue a major announcement. Due to the vacancy of the He Mountain Brigade’s village chief position, the commune’s leaders have decided to hold a village chief election at 3 PM next Wednesday at the rice field in front of the village committee. The three with the most votes will be chosen as final candidates. After the commune’s leaders review, the village chief will be chosen among the final candidates. Those who are interested in registering, please register with Director Zhao and me today. After reporting to the commune tomorrow, the village committee will stick the candidate list on the notice board. Please pay attention. Today’s broadcast ends here. Thank you.”

The villagers who were working in the fields were not very surprised when they heard the radio announcement. After Sun Wang left, they would definitely choose a newcomer. However, everyone had their own thoughts on who to vote for.

“Which people do you think will sign up?”

“Director Liu, the Director of Security, will definitely sign up. the accountant Mr. Wei will probably sign up too.”

“Hey, Director Zhao, are you going to sign up or not? If you sign up, I’ll definitely choose you. Didn’t Hua Mulan sing that song? Who said that women are inferior to men?!”

“That’s right. Director Zhao, sign up as well to represent our women.”

Zhao Lin originally didn’t want to participate in the election, but she couldn’t resist the encouragement of the female comrade beside her, so she agreed with a smile. “Alright, I’ll sign up and join in the fun. On behalf of our female compatriots, I’ll say a few words at the meeting to fight for women’s rights.”

The field was especially lively today. Everyone was actively discussing who would participate or encouraging the villagers they thought highly of to sign up.

When she got off work at noon, Yu Bing happened to return to the village. The scorekeeper saw Yu Bing and kindly reminded her that her letter had arrived in the office yesterday. Yu Bing thanked her and stopped the car by the roadside. Then, she walked into the village committee to get the letter.

At this moment, Yu Yan was looking for a letter in the envelope in her office. After finding it, she took it out and casually glanced at it. She happened to see Yu Bing’s letter beside her letter.

Yu Yan’s hand moved faster than she could react. By the time she reacted, she had already placed her letter aside and picked up Yu Bing’s letter.

This was the first time Yu Yan had seen the Yu family’s address clearly. She reached out and gently stroked the words on it.

“This is my family’s home address!” Yu Yan thought excitedly.

She tried to memorize every word of the letter.

The person who sent the letter was Yu Pan. Yu Yan guessed that it was her sister and immediately felt a sense of intimacy.

She smiled and looked at the letter again and again, imagining that this was a letter her parents and siblings had specifically sent because they missed her.

“What are you doing with my letter?”

A soft voice sounded from behind Yu Yan.

“Ah!” Yu Yan was so startled that she shouted and jumped up. Zhao Lin, who was working at the side, looked up at the two of them.

Yu Yan turned around and saw Yu Bing smiling at her. She hurriedly patted her chest and scolded angrily, “Yu Bing, what’s wrong with you?!”

Yu Bing looked at Yu Yan innocently. “I saw you holding my letter, so it’s normal for me to ask. Moreover, why did you take my letter?”

Yu Yan’s eyes flickered when she heard this. She felt a little unnerved, but pretended to be calm as she replied, “I took the wrong one!”