Reborn in 1966

Chapter 446 On the Road

Grandma listened without suspicion, but Peiyin was different. She knew most of Shen's father's social circle. Her father was waking her up so early, probably not just to accompany her to visit friends in Xijiang.

Thinking of this, Pei Yin quickly got up, dressed, rolled up her quilt, and put it in the kang cabinet at the end of the kang. After getting off the kang, she saw her mother already busy making breakfast in the kitchen. She quickly went over to help and carried the food to her parents' room in the east wing. Shen's father had already tidied up the bedding on the kang and set up the kang table. Seeing his wife and youngest daughter bringing the food over, he quickly went over to help. After the three of them sat down at the kang table, Shen's father said to Pei Yin with a serious face, "Pei Yin, the phone call just now was from Ming Jun's leader. He said that Ming Jun was injured and is currently in the south. He wants you to come over."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yin looked at her father in disbelief. She desperately wanted him to tell her it was a lie, but seeing his serious face and her mother sitting beside her with red eyes, she knew it was true. Pale-faced, she tried to stand up, leaning on the kang table, but couldn't. Her mother grabbed Pei Yin's hand and whispered, "Child, eat first. After you eat, we'll go to Xijiang to take the train. Don't worry, your parents will go with you. We'll be there for you no matter what." By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing this, her father quickly whispered, "Don't cry. We don't know Mingjun's condition yet. Pei Yin, listen to your father, eat well, eat more. Mingjun still needs your care."

Pei Yin gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously. She drank a bowl of corn porridge without tasting it and ate two eggs. Shen's mother then served Pei Yin a bowl of chicken soup. Just then, the phone rang again. Pei Yin's hand holding the bowl of chicken soup trembled, and some soup spilled onto her hand. Shen's mother quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it off. Shen's father, who was standing next to her, answered the phone, said a few words, and then handed the receiver to Pei Yin, saying, "It's your father-in-law on the phone."

Pei Yin grabbed him, cried out "Dad!" and then bit her lip, unable to speak. Du Kunpeng's voice was hoarse on the other end of the phone. He said, "Pei Yin, wait at home. I'll send a car to pick you up, and then have the military district's transport plane take you there." Pei Yin thought about how it would take almost an hour for a car to travel from the provincial capital back. She considered the route they had taken and the speed of Tian Xiaomin's jeep. She said, "Dad, I'll find a car to go there. We'll meet at the border between the two provinces. Tell the driver to only take that road. Whoever gets there first, wait at the border."

Du Kunpeng paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, that's settled then. I'll go make the arrangements right away. You should also pack your things and head this way."

Pei Yin put down the microphone and said to Shen's parents, "Dad, Mom, my father-in-law wants to go over there and have a transport plane take me there to save time. I want Xiao Min to take me south through the aisle."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Shen said, "Alright, Mom, you hurry up and pack some food for the road, I'll go find Xiaomin."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaomin immediately waited in the car without saying a word. Pei Yin stood in front of the driver's seat and said to Tian Xiaomin, "Brother Xiaomin, I'll drive first. You have some breakfast first, and then it's your turn to drive."

Tian Xiaomin was woken up from bed by Shen's father. He had been drinking with Peitian until late last night, and it was indeed dangerous to drive on an empty stomach. Hearing Peiyin say this, he quickly got out of bed. Shen's mother had already poured a cup of cornmeal porridge from a thermos into a glass in Tian Xiaomin's car, along with steamed buns that had been prepared that morning. The buns contained oil, salt, and Sichuan peppercorn powder, and tasted quite good. Tian Xiaomin ate five buns with the porridge and two eggs. In the meantime, Peiyin had already driven steadily for dozens of miles. Tian Xiaomin felt that Peiyin was driving very fast, but very steadily, which showed that she was a regular driver. It was also because it was still early and there were no relatives to visit along the way.

Tian Xiaomin had already been told what had happened by Shen's father. Thinking of Du Mingjun and then looking at Pei Yin, Tian Xiaomin felt that Pei Yin was a very magnanimous girl who remained calm in the face of danger. If it were an ordinary person, they would have cried all the way to her house upon hearing that their man was injured.

They traveled in silence and arrived at the border of the two provinces in three hours. This was only because Tian Xiaomin's jeep was in really bad condition. When they arrived, the car sent by Du Kunpeng was already waiting. It was one of the drivers who went to Shenjia Village on the second day of the Lunar New Year. It was the same SUV. After Pei Yin got into the SUV, she didn't say anything and kept her eyes closed to rest. Shen's parents sat in the back, with solemn expressions on their faces.

The car sped along, bypassing the city and heading straight to a military airport outside the city. Du Kunpeng was already waiting there, along with Du Qianqian. Du Qianqian's eyes were already red and swollen. When she saw Pei Yin and Shen's parents coming over, she opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. A few more tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly turned her head away to wipe them clean.

Du Kunpeng grasped Shen's father's hand and said, "Father-in-law, thank you for your trouble."

Mr. Shen patted Du Kunpeng's hand and said, "They're all my children, it's only right."

The group of five boarded a relatively small transport plane. It was on the plane that Du Kunpeng told them about Du Mingjun's situation.

Du Mingjun was injured by a rock falling from the mountain and has reportedly not woken up since last night. Du Kunpeng felt there was no need to hide anything, so he told his daughter-in-law and her parents what he had been told. Pei Yin's heart jumped when she heard this. She felt the air around her thin and couldn't breathe. After taking a few deep breaths, she thought of Du Mingjun.

Looking back now, Pei Yin realized that Du Mingjun had gradually entered her heart. When did each separation become such an unbearable ordeal? Pei Yin couldn't pinpoint the exact time, only that each separation felt increasingly unbearable, while each reunion was filled with joy. Now, this man she missed, this man who brought her happiness, remained unconscious. Pei Yin didn't want to accept this reality, but hearing it from Du Mingjun's father left her no choice but to believe it. Everything around her felt so distant, as if she were in a place where she had lost her way, unable to distinguish east from west, north from south, or which direction to take. Pei Yin leaned against the side, feeling a deep chill. The conditions inside the transport plane were rudimentary; everyone sat against a row of metal frames. Pei Yin, leaning against the cold metal, felt a chill that seeped into her very soul.

Sitting next to Pei Yin, Shen's mother noticed that Pei Yin's face was getting worse and worse. She took Pei Yin's hand and said, "Pei Yin, come here and lean on me."

Pei Yin looked at her mother blankly, shook her head, and didn't move. When Shen's mother saw this, she burst into tears. Her daughter had just gotten married, and her life should have been full of vitality, but now she was like a flower that had lost its water. Shen's mother resented the injustice of fate and wanted to cry loudly, but seeing her daughter holding back her tears, she gritted her teeth and held back. If her daughter didn't cry, what would her in-laws think if she, as the mother-in-law, cried?

Not to mention Shen's mother and Pei Yin, Shen's father was also deeply worried. Although Du Mingjun was now his son-in-law, this child had lived with his family since he was little. When the child first came to their home, Shen's father would sit with him on the kang (heated brick bed) at night. The little boy lacked a sense of security because of those experiences, and Shen's father gradually approached him, warming him. In Shen's father's eyes, this was his own child. Thinking of this, Shen's father couldn't hold back his tears, blinked hard, and sniffled. Du Kunpeng, sitting to the side, heard the noise and saw Shen's father's expression. He felt very complicated. He knew... In the eyes of the Shen family, Mingjun is first and foremost their child, and only secondly their son-in-law. The Shen couple came with their youngest daughter because they genuinely treat him as their own. Du Kunpeng couldn't help but feel fortunate for his youngest son, how lucky he was to have met such kind people during his most difficult time. Given this, he was certain his son would overcome this challenge, not for anything else, but for those who loved him, and for his new wife. Du Kunpeng believed that Du Mingjun would definitely turn the tide. Du Kunpeng trusted his son.

After the plane landed at a very rudimentary airport, the group was taken by a military truck and traveled along a difficult mountain road to a field hospital. Because the road in and out was difficult, the doctor was afraid of accidents and did not send Du Mingjun out. The attending physician from the higher-level hospital had already been sent over and, after examination, said that as long as he could wake up tonight, he would be fine. Just in case, they called his family over.

In the intensive care unit, Du Mingjun lay quietly, his body covered in tubes. Upon seeing him, Pei Yin, who had been holding back tears all the way, let them flow like a burst dam. Pei Yin held Du Mingjun's hand, thinking about their parting more than half a month ago, thinking about the smiling face the man had given her before leaving. In the middle of the night, that smiling face would always appear in her mind. So that's how it was. She couldn't live without this man now. If she lost him, Pei Yin felt that her life would no longer be perfect.

No one expected that Pei Yin, who had been quiet all the way, would lose control of her emotions upon seeing the unconscious Du Mingjun. Shen's mother held Pei Yin's shoulders and said to the unconscious Du Mingjun, "My child, open your eyes and look. This is your newlywed wife. She is waiting for you to come back and live a good life with you. Without you, what will Pei Yin do?"