Go back to the past to plant trees

"Xuemei, you seem a bit distracted. What's wrong?"

During the meal, Meng Yue noticed that Qin Xuemei, who was sitting next to her, seemed a little off and asked her what was wrong.

Qin Xuemei shook her head, "It's nothing."

"Is it about that letter? The one Wu Yansheng sent you?"

Meng Yue knew about Qin Xuemei's family situation. Her mother had passed away, and she had no other relatives. So, Meng Yue guessed that the only person who could write to her was probably Wu Yansheng.

"What did he say to you?" Meng Yue asked curiously.

"They didn't say anything, they just sent me a photo, a photo we took together at the Summer Palace."

Meng Yue hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't think too much about it. Wu Yansheng has already returned to Beijing. He's far away from us."

"I know."

Although that's what she said, it's impossible for Qin Xuemei to be completely unmoved. Even with a dog, you'd develop some feelings after three years together, let alone a person.

Wu Yansheng has his flaws, but he did enter Qin Xuemei's life and influenced her for three years. If Qin Xuemei really didn't react at all, then she would be too cold-blooded.

Qin Xuemei was in a bad mood, but everyone else was in a good mood. Today, Wei Fugui made a big plate of braised pork, using up almost half of the ten pounds of pork, plus other dishes, which really whetted everyone's appetite.

"Delicious! Old Wei, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Da Kui picked up two pieces of food with his chopsticks and gave Wei Fugui a thumbs up.

Wei Fugui said happily, "If it's delicious, eat more. I haven't made braised pork much before."

"Captain, the food is so good, let's have a few drinks!" Da Kui suggested.

"Sure, have a few drinks, but we're out of alcohol at the camp, just a few pounds of loose liquor."

Na Da Kui said, "I have some. I bought two bottles of wine when I went to the county town last time, and I've been waiting to drink them now."

Meng Yue also said to Feng Cheng, "Section Chief, they're drinking, could you play the accordion for us? You haven't played for us much since last time."

"OK, no problem."

Everyone was happy today. They had been doing physical labor for a while, and Feng Cheng didn't want to spoil the mood. He wanted everyone to relax and have some fun so they could work better tomorrow.

Feng Cheng got up and went back to the cellar to take out his accordion, where they were already playing dice.

"Come on, what do you want to hear?"

Meng Yue asked, "Can this accordion play piano music?"

"Yes, but the notes will be slightly different, though the general melody can still be conveyed."

"I want to hear Für Elise."

"I've never played this before, I need to try to find the notes."

As Feng Cheng spoke, he began to slowly play the piano, moving his fingers. "Für Elise" is a classic piano piece that both the original owner and his past self had heard, so he was quite familiar with the music.

After two attempts, Feng Cheng managed to play the piano piece. Although there were many parts he didn't handle well, Meng Yue and the others didn't care. They weren't professionals and weren't that picky.

"Section Chief, you're amazing! You can even bounce that off."

"This is nothing. I'm just playing around. The ones in the Central Philharmonic Orchestra are the real experts. They can do everything. Give them a leaf and they can play a tune on it."

Ji Xiurong said, "We are tree planters, we don't compete with them in this. If they want to compete with us in tree planting, they can't beat us."

"Section Chief, play something else."

"Row."

...

The cafeteria was bustling with activity. After playing the accordion for more than an hour, Feng Cheng also ended his concert. Several girls left the cafeteria one after another, leaving only Zhao Tianshan, Zhao Jinquan and a few others still drinking together.

Feng Cheng ignored them, put his accordion away in the dugout, and then took a shower.

As Feng Cheng was carrying clothes back to the dugout, he unexpectedly saw Qin Xuemei walking towards the laboratory with a flashlight.

Qin Xuemei seemed a bit off tonight, and Feng Cheng noticed it too. He guessed that Wu Yansheng had sent her a letter or something, but he didn't know if it was like in the drama where he sent photos or wrote love letters.

Feng Cheng hesitated for a moment, then went back to his dugout to put away his clothes before heading to the laboratory.

When Feng Cheng arrived at the laboratory, he saw Qin Xuemei sitting on the table, staring blankly at the oil lamp in front of her.

The door creaked open, and Qin Xuemei's eyes immediately swept over.

"Feng Cheng".

“Coming here to just sit around in the middle of the night,” Feng Cheng laughed.

Qin Xuemei was a little embarrassed. "The dormitory is a bit noisy, so I wanted to come here for some peace and quiet. Are you here to look for something?"

Feng Cheng shook his head, "I just finished showering. I saw you coming alone and I was a little worried, so I came to check on you."

"Feeling down? A letter from home?"

Feng Cheng started a conversation.

Qin Xuemei shook her head and said, "My mother has passed away, there is no one left in my family, and no one writes to me."

"Excuse me."

Feng Cheng knew about Qin Xuemei's situation; he only asked this question to find an excuse to chat.

"I heard from the captain that your parents have also passed away?" Qin Xuemei asked Feng Cheng.

"Correct."

"But you don't seem particularly sad."

"sad?"

Feng Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes I feel sad, but you can't be sad all the time! You have to keep looking forward to life. When my mother passed away, she held my hand and said she was worried about me. She hoped that I could become independent and live my own life well, instead of being immersed in grief."

"She takes a very detached view of life and death, perhaps because she's seen so many dead people."

Qin Xuemei said, "She is a very great person."

Feng Cheng shook his head. "The word 'great' is a bit too heavy. She was just an ordinary person. It was this era that pushed her forward. We can only say that she made a contribution to the country."

"Let's not talk about her anymore. What about you? I've never heard you mention your father. What does your father do?"

Qin Xuemei hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know him. He wasn't home when I was old enough to remember things. I have no memory of him. My mother rarely talked to me about him either. He must have died in the War of Resistance against Japan!"

Looking at Qin Xuemei's resolute expression, Feng Cheng understood that this girl must harbor deep resentment towards her father.

However, it's understandable. After not seeing each other for over twenty years, not having been there for his childhood or witnessing his growth, he went to find her full of expectations, only to discover that she already had someone else. It would be hard for anyone to accept that.

Of course, this was also due to Qin Xuemei's pride and arrogance. If it were Wu Yansheng, he would have been able to swallow his pride and resolve the misunderstanding on the spot, even if he was sprayed with spittle.

"It seems we are both heartbroken people!"

"But I'm a bit better off than you. My parents' comrades and friends are all here, and they've taken good care of me."

Qin Xuemei looked at Feng Cheng and found that this man was really optimistic. He talked about his parents' death in a very lighthearted way, but she couldn't. Sometimes when she thought of her mother, she would secretly shed tears.