MM Racing Chapter 109 Don't Go
Chapter 109 Don't Go
Zhou Min's words were like a slap in the face to Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin.
The courtyard was eerily quiet; everyone was staring at the two of them.
Wang Xiuying's face was as white as paper, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, as if she wanted to bury her head in her chest.
Gu Lin wasn't much better off; her lips were pursed tightly, and the notebook in her hand was almost crushed.
"Taking credit for others' work...deceiving the organization..." Zhou Min's voice trembled with anger, "Do you two even realize how serious this is?!"
Wang Xiuying lowered her head even further and hunched her shoulders.
Gu Lin bit her lip and forced herself to speak: "Captain Zhou, we...we were indeed injured at the time, and our minds weren't clear. When we saw the child there, we thought..."
"You thought you saved her yourself?" Zhou Min interrupted her. "Gou Dan explained it clearly: Su Wanwan hid the child first and drew the spies away! By the time you two arrived, the bad guys had already run away! How could you get that wrong?"
Quiet discussions began to break out in the courtyard.
"So it was a bargain..."
"I was wondering why they were able to snatch the child back from the spies, since they weren't seriously injured."
"Heroes, my foot! They almost buried the real comrades who saved lives."
"Tsk tsk, what a clever idea..."
The murmurs weren't loud, but every word reached Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin's ears.
Wang Xiuying's face flushed red and then turned pale, her nails digging into her palms until they hurt.
She glanced at Gu Lin, whose head was down and whose face was tense.
Just then, Gou Dan's mother pulled Gou Dan down and knelt down in front of Su Wanwan with a thud.
"Comrade! My savior!" Gou Dan's mother's voice trembled with tears. "Thank you! Thank you for saving my Gou Dan! If it weren't for you, my child would be gone!"
She was about to kowtow as she spoke.
Su Wanwan was startled and quickly bent down to help her up: "Auntie, get up! You can't!"
Dog Egg's mother refused to get up, tears streaming down her face: "Yes, yes! You are our family's great benefactor! Dog Egg, quickly, kowtow to your benefactor!"
Dog Egg also kowtowed along with his mother, his little head hitting the ground again and again.
Su Wanwan panicked, forcefully pulling Gou Dan's mother up, then reaching for Gou Dan himself: "Auntie, please don't do this! I'm a soldier, saving people is my duty!"
Bai Rongbei reached out and picked up Gou Dan.
The child was clinging to his neck, his eyes still red.
Dog Egg's mother wiped away her tears, clutching Su Wanwan's hand tightly: "Comrade, what's your name? I have to remember it, remember it for the rest of my life!"
"My name is Su Wanwan," Su Wanwan said softly. "Auntie, please don't cry anymore. It's good that the child has been found."
The people in the courtyard looked at this scene with changed expressions.
The comrades from the cultural troupe who had been gossiping earlier were now silent, looking a little embarrassed.
Officer Zhang cleared his throat, stepped forward, and said, "The matter is now clear. Comrade Su Wanwan remained calm and composed in the face of danger, demonstrating resourcefulness and courage, protecting the child and preventing a larger conflict. The organization will remember this merit."
He paused, looked at Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin, and said in a serious tone: "As for Comrades Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin, they have falsely claimed credit and deceived the organization, which is a serious offense. We will deal with them after we return to the regiment."
Wang Xiuying swayed and almost lost her balance.
Gu Lin took a deep breath and raised her head: "Officer Zhang, we accept the organization's decision."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Su Wanwan with a complex expression, a mixture of embarrassment, resentment, and a hint of unspoken bitterness.
Zhou Min waved her hand: "Alright, everyone, go home. Take a rest, or pack up. You have a performance this afternoon, don't let it interfere with your work."
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin lowered their heads, quickly walked back into the house, closed the door, and didn't come out again.
Su Wanwan was talked to by Gou Dan's mother for a long time. Finally, Bai Rongbei spoke up, saying that Su Wanwan needed to rest. Only then did Gou Dan's mother reluctantly let go of her hand, repeatedly reminding Su Wanwan to come home for dinner.
Bai Rongbei accompanied Su Wanwan as they walked towards their residence.
The dirt road was full of potholes, so he walked on her outside to block the wind.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
"It's alright," Su Wanwan said, pausing for a moment, "It's just... I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"Human hearts are unpredictable," Bai Rongbei said calmly. "Be more careful in the future."
Su Wanwan nodded.
Back in the mud house, the other women were there.
Their expressions were somewhat subtle when they saw Su Wanwan come in.
The woman who had complained earlier sat on her bunk, turned her face away, and didn't say anything.
Another round-faced girl leaned over and whispered, "Wanwan, are you alright? We were so scared last night."
"It's nothing," Su Wanwan smiled. "I'm just a little tired."
"Then you should rest," the round-faced girl said. "The brigade leader just had someone cook some egg noodles and said he'd bring them over for you."
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
She was an old lady from the production team, holding a large, rough porcelain bowl, steaming hot.
"Comrade Su, have something to eat." The old woman handed over the bowl with a smile. "We don't have anything good here, just these noodles, please make do with them. The eggs are freshly boiled, they'll help you recover."
The bowl contains hand-pulled noodles, the soup is clear, and two poached eggs and a few pieces of green vegetables sit on top.
"Thank you, Auntie." Su Wanwan quickly accepted it.
"Don't mention it!" The old woman waved her hand. "You saved Gou Dan, which means you saved the apple of our village's eye. Eat slowly, there's more if you're not full."
After saying that, the old woman greeted Bai Rongbei again before turning and leaving.
Su Wanwan, holding her bowl, looked at Bai Rongbei: "Would you like some?"
"I'll go out to eat later," Bai Rongbei said. "You eat yours."
There was no table in the room, so Su Wanwan sat on her bunk and ate her noodles in small bites.
The noodles were chewy, the soup was flavorful, and the eggs were cooked perfectly, with runny yolks.
She was really hungry; she finished the bowl of noodles quickly, even drinking all the soup.
After finishing her meal, she put the bowl aside and rubbed her stomach.
Bai Rongbei poured her a cup of hot water and handed it to her.
Su Wanwan took the cup, drank two sips, put it down, and suddenly felt her eyelids become very heavy.
I didn't sleep well all night, I was scared and frightened. Now that I've eaten and am warm, I'm feeling sleepy.
She yawned, her eyes barely open.
"Take a nap," Bai Rongbei said.
"Hmm." Su Wanwan responded vaguely, took off her shoes, climbed onto her bunk, and pulled the blanket over herself.
The bedding had a faint musty smell, but it was fairly clean.
She lay on her side with her face pressed against the pillow and quickly drifted off to sleep.
In her half-awake state, she felt someone tuck the blanket around her.
She struggled to open her eyes and saw Bai Rongbei standing by her bunk, looking down at her.
"Are you leaving?" she asked softly, her voice sleepy.
"Yes, there are still things to do in the group," Bai Rongbei said.
Su Wanwan suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.