Chapter 2 — Priceless Jade

Luc Thanh Chau lost patience and waved his hand: "Okay, Dong Dong, you should eat something else. I specially bought this grilled chicken from the Party Committee house." I am not polite, eat well and drink enough. The next day, it was just dawn, I packed my things and went to the village. In the Thanh Phong team, only Uncle Vuong had a cart. If he was late, he had to walk twenty miles to get to town. Luckily I arrived early today, there were still two seats left. I sat down and greeted the aunts in the car. No one bothered to respond to me. I just quietly bowed my head and leaned against the trunk of the car to take a nap. That's okay, it's all my fault. Since coming to the countryside, I have always looked down on the villagers, making everyone hate them. The sky was bright and we finally reached town. I gave Uncle Vuong two cents and asked carefully about the time the bus would return to the village. Getting out of the car, I stretched out, the road was really bumpy. I stopped a passerby to ask for the post office address, then carried my luggage along the road and left. I arrived early, the post office had just opened.

“Hello, I want to make a phone call.”

A girl with braided hair poked her head out: "Calls are very expensive, letters cost eight cents, telegrams two cents." I smiled: "Thank you, I have urgent work."

“Time-based fee, here, call.”

My hands trembled as I picked up the receiver: "Hello, I want to find Tham Ngo, Regiment 4, Brigade 2, Northwest Military Region."

"Hello, I'm Tham Ngo, who is it?"

Hearing my brother's voice again made me speechless.

“Hello?”

"Hey brother! I'm Dong Dong." My voice choked.

Tham Ngo immediately became worried: "Dong Dong? What's wrong? Is there not enough money with you? I was planning to send you something." I held the receiver tightly. Even though I knew he couldn't see, I still couldn't help but shake my head: "Brother, Luc Thanh Chau and Tang Uyen Uyen bullied me, I want to go home, I miss my dad and you." Tham Ngo's voice was low, but still gently coaxed me: "Good baby, I'm about to go on an urgent mission. Can I come pick you up in ten days?"

“Don't tell dad, his health is not good.”

“Okay, wait for me to pick you up!”

There was an urging sound on the other side.

“Baby, hang up first, wait for me!”

After hanging up the phone, I prepared to go to the market to see what I could buy as gifts for my dad and brother. I went to the countryside for two months, because I was angry at my father and brother for not supporting Luc Thanh Chau, so I never sent them anything. Returning to the intellectual team, I brought four meat buns bought from a state-owned restaurant and gave them to Liu Xiaoyan. She is the manager of the intellectual team. Even though she is not satisfied with my working attitude, she is always patient and gives advice. In her previous life, she was the one who discovered I was missing, then ran to call the captain to find me.

"Miss Hieu Yen, thank you for always taking care of me."

Luu Hieu Yen pushed the cake package towards me.

“Comrade Tham, if you have the heart, work hard.”

I smiled wryly: "Miss Hieu Yen, I intend to enlist in the military troupe. Before, I stubbornly followed a path that was not suitable for me. As long as it is to contribute to the Fatherland, any path is right." She looked at me with approval. I asked again: "Miss Hieu Yen, please don't tell anyone. Everyone has to work, and I'm about to leave. It's easy to make people dissatisfied."

“Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.”

After a while of refusing back and forth, I put down the dumplings and quickly returned to the room. Just heard the whistle signaling business hours In the morning, I immediately woke up. My roommate looked at me in surprise: "Can you get up today too?" I just smiled and said nothing. At least fulfill your responsibilities on the last day. Today, the person in charge of the group is the captain's wife. When it was my turn, she took charge of weeding. I nodded. This is the easiest job ever. Before I could say thank you, there was suddenly the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. It's Tang Uyen Uyen. Ly Sang screamed, rushed to help her, shook her and called out: "Uyen Uyen, what's wrong with you?" Luc Thanh Chau also rushed over. Tang Uyen Uyen weakly opened her eyes, her voice was soft: "Probably because yesterday going up the mountain to find jade pendants to help sister Dong was so tiring, now I don't have the strength to dig the ground anymore." Ly Sang immediately turned to me: "Tham Dong, Uyen Uyen is like this because of you, change jobs with her." I coldly replied: "Am I her father or mother and should I give in?" Luc Thanh Chau shouted at me with a serious face: "Dong Dong! How can you say that? You know full well that Uyen Uyen is an orphan, her father is a martyr!" I smiled faintly, Luc Thanh Chau really lied so much that he was confident in his words. His father, my father, and Zeng Uyen's father were teammates. When there were only three of them left on the battlefield, Tang Uyen Uyen's father secretly shot my father in the back before dying. Fortunately, my father is alive and well. Feeling sorry for her, my father did not report it to his superiors and still allowed her to have the title of a martyr's child. This story was told to me by Luc Thanh Chau himself, after accidentally overhearing it. The captain's wife lost patience: "Okay, don't delay everyone's time. Comrade Tang, if you can't do it, then go home and rest. Don't let anything happen and blame it on our team." Having finished speaking, she turned to write down: "Tang Uyen Uyen, today's merit points are zero." I thanked the captain's wife and followed the group to work. After returning from work to my room, I felt something was wrong. Someone rummaged through my belongings. I opened the blanket to check, the lock of hair I hid underneath was gone. The only person who knows this habit of mine is only Luc Thanh Chau. Very well, if you can't get it then steal it? I rushed straight to Tang Uyen Uyen's room and started destroying it.

"Tang Uyen Uyen, you came into my room to steal things, right?"

"Miss Dong, what are you talking about? I'm tired, I've only been lying in bed since morning."

Ly Sang jumped out from nowhere and pushed me away.

“Are you crazy?!”

Luc Thanh Chau also pushed through the crowd: "Tham Dong, are you bullying Uyen Uyen again?" I slightly curled my lips and smiled contemptuously: "If there's a problem, call Dong Dong, if there's no problem, call Tham Dong, that's nice." I stepped forward and yanked the blanket on Tang Uyen Uyen's bed.

"Luc Thanh Chau, the only person who knows where I hide my things is you, right?"

Luc Thanh Chau felt guilty: "Dong Dong, what are you talking about?" I stared at Tang Uyen Uyen with a serious voice: "Say! Three hundred dong in my tin box, where did you steal it and hide it?" Tang Uyen Uyen didn't have time to think. She reflexively blurted out: "There's three hundred dong in your tin box? It's only two hundred and eight!" As soon as she finished speaking, she covered her mouth in panic. His panicked eyes looking for help looked towards Luc Thanh Chau.

“Brother Thanh Chau, I don't have…”

Luc Thanh Chau looked at Tang Uyen Uyen with sadness: "Dong Dong, I'm also a girl. How could that happen?" Can you slander others like that? I impatiently waved my hand: "Stop talking nonsense, in short, I only need three hundred yuan. Give me the money, I'll leave immediately." Tang Uyen Uyen was startled, with tears in her eyes, she looked at him for help. Luc Thanh Chau puffed out his chest, went into the room, took out three hundred dong and gave it to me, his voice serious: "Dong Dong, don't make things difficult for Uyen Uyen in the future. If there's anything, just tell me." Humph, acting arrogant. The amount of money Tang Uyen Uyen cheated me on didn't even stop at three hundred dong. The winter sun is gentle, the sunlight makes people warm and comfortable. Pulling weeds is light work. I silently counted down the days. There were two more days until my brother came to pick me up. Suddenly, the crowd stirred up. I stood far away and couldn't hear clearly what people were saying. Ly Sang walked past me and smiled sarcastically: "Oh, Tham Dong, why are you fighting for work with Uyen Uyen? Now Uyen Uyen's brother has arrived, he is a soldier. Are you stunned?” I was slightly surprised, Zeng Uyen's brother? Since when does she have a brother? I followed the crowd to the beginning of the village. From afar, I saw a young man wearing a military uniform standing next to the Jeep, tall and extremely handsome. Zeng Uyen Uyen stood shyly next to him. The villagers gathered around and talked loudly.

“He's definitely an officer, he even drives a Jeep.”

"Comrade Tang's brother is so handsome, I wonder if he has a wife yet?"

“Miss Ve, married or not, it's not your daughter's turn to be lazy.”