Chapter 711 Asking for Foreign Aid
"Okay, okay, stop puffing your tail up in the air."
Zhao Shuzhuo smiled and shook his head, then reached out and patted Wang Jianguo on the shoulder.
This slap raised some dust from the work clothes fabric, which swirled slowly in the beam of light.
His eyes swept over Wang Jianguo's messy hair, which was still stained with grass clippings from pushing his bicycle this morning.
Suddenly I felt that the person in front of me was like a child who had finally gotten full marks in the exam and was anxious to ask for praise from his parents.
In the corner of the office, Director Song was concentrating on writing a document. The rustling sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper was endless.
Wang Jianguo secretly raised his eyebrows at Zhao Shuzhuo, and pointed at Director Song's busy back, as if to say, "See? It's all thanks to me."
Zhao Shuzhuo sighed helplessly, took out a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket, and pretended to wipe the sweat stains on Wang Jianguo's face:
"No matter how proud I am, my face will become stiff from smiling."
Outside the window came the chirping of sparrows and the roar of tractors in the distance.
Wang Jianguo finally couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing. He put his arm around Zhao Shuzhuo's shoulders, and the fabric of his work clothes rustled.
"Brother Shuzhuo, when the clinic is built, I will ask Director Song to give me a big red flower!"
His voice was full of longing, as if he had already seen the scene of villagers queuing up in front of the clinic to see a doctor.
Zhao Shuzhuo let him hug him and feel the warmth from his arms.
He looked at the excitement light that was pounding in Wang Jianguo's eyes, and suddenly felt that even if this younger brother occasionally felt "deserved to be beaten", what's the harm in spoiling him for this rare enthusiasm?
After all, in this vast northern wilderness, it is precisely because of this group of young people who dare to think and act that those seemingly unattainable dreams will gradually become a reality.
The old locust tree in the commune compound rustled overhead, and a few yellow leaves swirled and fell on the shoulders of Zhao Shuzhuo's military coat.
When the two men stepped out of the blue brick gate, the sun had already climbed to the zenith, stretching their shadows very long, winding into two tortuous lines on the bumpy dirt road.
Zhao Shuzhuo reached out and patted the dust off the back seat of the bicycle. The bicycle bell made a crisp sound, scaring away the sparrows pecking at food in the corner.
"Jianguo, I have to go to the production team."
Zhao Shuzhuo looked at the figures working on the ridge of the field in the distance and frowned slightly.
"I heard that the planting progress has been a bit slow recently. I'm going to see if I can help. What about you? Do you want to come with me?"
His eyes swept over Wang Jianguo's tanned face. The back of his work shirt had long been soaked with sweat, leaving dark sweat stains.
Wang Jianguo wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed heartily, shaking the brass buttons on his chest:
"Brother Shuzhuo, you've been away for so many days, it's time to go to the production team and take a look!"
He reached out and patted Zhao Shuzhuo's shoulder, his rough palm carrying the strength unique to the men of the Great Northern Wilderness.
"Ever since you went to pick up Sister Xiaohua, the strong men in the team have been talking about you!"
As he spoke, he bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it towards the distant slope, startling a group of voles foraging for food.
Zhao Shuzhuo was about to speak when he saw Wang Jianguo suddenly straighten up and his eyes became serious.
He pulled out the crumpled notebook from his pocket, with dry wormwood between the pages.
"I won't go,"
Wang Jianguo gently stroked the sketch of the clinic on the notebook with his fingernails.
"I have to go home and write to my friends."
He raised his head and looked at the rolling waves of wheat at the end of the horizon.
"That's the pharmacist I mentioned to Director Song. He's good at mixing herbs. If we can invite him here..."
Before he could finish his words, a gust of wind blew dust in his face, and Zhao Shuzhuo subconsciously raised his hands to cover his eyes.
When the wind passed, he saw Wang Jianguo carefully wiping the notebook with his sleeve, as if it was not an ordinary piece of paper, but a treasure carrying the hopes of the entire village.
"This matter cannot be delayed,"
Wang Jianguo's voice was a little hoarse.
"I want to write a letter overnight and send it to the commune post office tomorrow morning."
Zhao Shuzhuo looked at the brother in front of him who had fought side by side with him for many years, and suddenly remembered that when they first arrived in the Great Northern Wilderness three years ago, they were also planning their future under the scorching sun.
At that time, Wang Jianguo would grimace because his hands were cut by a sickle, but now he can argue with Director Song to raise funds for the construction of a health center.
"OK,"
He patted Wang Jianguo on the back.
"When you write the letter, please describe the situation here in detail. Make a list of the herbs and equipment you need."
The two stood at the intersection, the gravel under their feet hurting their leather shoes.
In the distance came the whistle of the production team finishing work, and the long sound echoed in the wilderness.
Wang Jianguo stuffed the notebook solemnly into his arms, and the pockets of his overalls bulged:
"Brother Shuzhuo, when the pharmacist comes, we need to tidy up the medicine storeroom in our clinic."
He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Maybe we can even grow some herbs that are unique to our Great Northern Wilderness!"
Zhao Shuzhuo got on his bicycle, and the wheels made a squeaking sound as they rolled over the gravel.
He looked back and saw Wang Jianguo still standing there waving, his figure gradually gilded by the midday sun.
The wind swept across the wheat fields, creating layers of green waves, as if heralding that the land was about to usher in new life.
Zhao Shuzhuo tightened his grip on the bicycle handlebars slightly, and the cold touch of the metal handlebars passed through his worn gloves.
He looked at Wang Jianguo's forehead, which was shining in the sun, where fine beads of sweat were sliding down his hair into the collar of his work clothes.
In the distance, the red flag of the production team fluttered in the wind, and the raised dust wrapped in the smell of wheat straw blew in his face, but it could not blow away the doubt that was condensed between his brows.
"Founding of a Nation,"
Zhao Shuzhuo turned the bicycle pedals and the chain made a slight clicking sound.
"The friend you mentioned who can make medicine..."
He paused, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty. Memories suddenly came flooding back - a day a few months ago.
The streets under the neon lights were wet, and the stagnant water reflected the crooked signs. They were looking for black market drug dealers in the winding alleys.
The figure of the man wearing a gray cloth mask and with a vigilant look in the rain gradually overlapped with the pharmacist mentioned by Wang Jianguo.
Wang Jianguo bent down and picked up an angular stone. He rubbed it repeatedly in his palm, and the rough fingertips made the stone surface rustle.
"Brother Shuzhuo, I can't hide anything from you."
When he raised his head, a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. The sunlight shone obliquely into his eyes, reflecting an indescribable complex expression.
“That’s him.”
The stone was thrown far into the wilderness, startling a few sparrows that were foraging near the pile of earth.
Zhao Shuzhuo's eyes fell on Wang Jianguo's frayed cuffs, which were still stained with engine oil from repairing farm tools this morning.