Chapter 25: Cheng Shuang "Thousands of Miles to Ride Alone"

In the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve, Fang Guangming's brother Fang Xueming and sister-in-law were busy for an afternoon, and the big fish and meat made more than 10 good dishes, and in their own hall, a large table was full. There is a local custom of eating "Chinese New Year's Eve dinner", and dinner is the "big meal" for the New Year.

Fang Xueming's family of four, a son and a daughter have grown up, the eldest is a daughter, who goes to college in Beijing, and the second is a sophomore in the county middle school, and her grades are quite good.

After the meal was served, the whole family was served. The old mother sat on the main seat facing the door, and let Cheng Shuang sit on the right hand side of the mother to show respect for the distant guests.

Before the meal, Fang Xueming lit a long string of firecrackers hanging on the bamboo poles at the door in advance, crackling and exploding. Fang Xueming's son lit a cardboard box of cupola flowers on the ground, which bloomed in the night sky outside the house.

At this time, firecrackers and fireworks are set off everywhere in the village, and the lively atmosphere of the New Year is also ignited. Although the new crown pneumonia epidemic in the city is serious, the rural population is sparse, and the village strictly controls outsiders from entering the village, so no one in the local area has been infected by the virus. Compared with previous years, the atmosphere of the New Year is still strong and has not been greatly affected.

After the firecrackers and ceremonial flowers, the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner officially began, Fang Xueming took the wine glass, stood up, and said emotionally: "Today is the Spring Festival, I wish everyone a happy New Year, good health, peace and security! I wish the old lady a happy day, a healthy and long life!"

Everyone stood up together, clinked glasses to each other, blessed each other, and congratulated each other on the New Year.

Cheng Shuang also picked up a glass of red wine, walked to the old mother's side, and toasted her: "Mom, tomorrow will start the new year, on behalf of Guangming and our family, I wish you a happy new year, always healthy and safe!"

The old man said happily: "Okay, good, you also have a happy new year! Hey, if only Bright and my precious granddaughter came back this time!"

Now that the epidemic situation in Wuhan is so serious, the whole factory workers are counting on him, where can they get out. He specially entrusted his brother-in-law Shuangshuang to come all the way from Wuhan to celebrate the New Year with us, which is also very good!" Fang Xueming hurriedly relieved.

As he was talking, the CCTV news broadcast began. From the television, I saw that many doctors from military hospitals were urgently assembling and rushing to Wuhan, and the scene was shocking and moving.

The TV announcer said: "When one side is in trouble, all sides support." All military medical university hospitals actively responded to the call of the party and the state, obeyed the orders of the Central Military Commission, dispatched elite soldiers and strong generals, formed medical teams, and set out overnight on the eve of the Chinese New Year's Eve to rush to Wuhan's aid. Doctors are benevolent, love is boundless, they are the most beautiful 'retrogrades'......"

On the battle book, the bright red fingerprints, like blooming red plums, shine dazzlingly in the cold night.

Lying in bed at night, Cheng Shuang tossed and turned, and couldn't fall asleep. The picture of the military medical workers quickly assembling and galloping thousands of miles to help Wuhan was fixed in her mind. An invisible, huge force slammed into her chest.

She thought: In the face of the epidemic, these military medical personnel have traveled thousands of miles to help Wuhan, and I am also a medical worker, and I should also rush to the front line, how can I take my annual leave here with peace of mind? No, I must rush back to Wuhan tomorrow!

However, Wuhan has been "locked down" on January 23, all passages to and from Han have been closed, and all public transportation from here to Wuhan has been suspended. In order to prevent outsiders from entering, all the roads into the village have been dug up or blocked by obstacles, and their cars cannot leave the village at all. What to do?

The night was deep, Cheng Shuang thought about it, but he couldn't sleep. She crossed her hands under her head and closed her eyes in a daze. Suddenly, a cold wind hit outside the window, she was stunned, and suddenly opened her eyes to look at the window, and the room was still dark. She opened her phone and saw that it was already three o'clock in the morning. She was very disturbed, sat up coldly, brushed her unkempt hair with her hand, and shook her head to look at the dark clouds outside the window.

"Yes, since the car can't go, just ask the eldest brother to borrow a bicycle, set off tomorrow morning, and ride the bicycle back to Wuhan!"

After the idea was confirmed, her heart calmed down. She lay quietly, slowly becoming half-asleep and falling asleep in a daze......

"Jingle bell ......", a rapid mobile phone ringtone woke Cheng Shuang up. She hurriedly sat up and saw that it was seven o'clock in the morning. She immediately called her eldest brother Fang Xueming, informed her of her intention to ride back to Wuhan, and asked him to help borrow a bicycle for her.

"Huh, are you riding back to Wuhan?" Fang Xueming was stunned when he heard this, and he exclaimed: "From us to Wuhan, there are more than 400 kilometers. Shuangshuang, you're not kidding, are you?"

"Big brother, it's not a joke, I have to rush back to Wuhan today, the hospital needs me very much now! Now many medical workers from other places are supporting Wuhan, and as a local medical worker, I have to rush forward and fight with them. Now that traffic is cut off everywhere, I've been thinking for a long time that this is the only way to do it at the moment. ”

Fang Xueming sighed: "Hey, I have a bicycle at home, but from here to Wuhan, you have to ride for three or four days all the way, how can you endure this hardship!"

"Big brother, please believe me, I can do it!"

After convincing the eldest brother and sister-in-law and the old mother, Cheng Shuang immediately went to the local health center with Fang Xueming and issued an electronic certificate of return to work. He went to the village again and again to explain, and then rode more than ten kilometers to the township government and issued a township-level pass.

Before leaving, Fang Guangming's mother grabbed Cheng Shuang's hand tightly, and said with tears in her eyes: "Girl, you are so far away, what a crime you will suffer if you ride back!" As he spoke, he couldn't stop crying.

Cheng Shuang also burst into tears, and choked up: "Mom, you don't have to worry about me. Now that the roads are closed everywhere and there are no cars to sit on, I'll ride a bike and ride a little less!".

She handed over her car and luggage to her eldest brother's family for safekeeping, carried a travel bag on her back, brought biscuits, instant noodles and oranges enough to eat for two or three days, two changes of clothes, a plastic raincoat, stepped on the bicycle, waved goodbye to everyone, and set off from Xiaohe Village, Linjiang Township, Gong'an County, Jingzhou City, and began the difficult retrograde journey of "just go".

It's an old, permanent bike, with rivets out of the seats, and it's uncomfortable to ride, but now there's no choice, it's the only vehicle available.

Cheng Shuang turned on her mobile phone to navigate, and now that the highways are closed, she can only ride to the public security county first, and then ride on National Highway 318 to Qianjiang.

From Fang Guangming's hometown to the county seat of Gong'an, there are rugged small roads all the way, and many places are steep and uneven, and the bumps are severe. Cheng Shuang hadn't ridden a bicycle for many years, and after riding for a long time, he felt a little pain in his knees. But she didn't care about it, so she just rode all the way and tried to get to the public security county before dark.

In order not to be too lonely on the road, she put on headphones and listened to music and songs played on her mobile phone along the way to pass the boring time on the road.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year on the 25th, all shops and restaurants along the route were closed. When she was hungry, she ate a few biscuits, and when she was thirsty, she ate a few oranges. I couldn't ride anymore, so I stopped and leaned to the side of the road to rest. Starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 5:40 p.m., she finally rode to the county seat of Gong'an.

At this time, it is almost evening, and all the hotels in the county are closed, where to stay at night?

Just when she was worried about this, her eldest brother Fang Xueming called and informed her that she had a distant relative living in the county seat, and he had called to contact her, and sent her a satellite location, asking her to hurry to the relative's house.

Cheng Shuang suddenly felt "bright" and suddenly brightened, and hurriedly thanked his eldest brother. And according to the satellite positioning and mobile phone navigation, I rode for more than half an hour before I was exhausted and found the relative's home.

When relatives and families heard that Cheng Shuang was going to ride to Wuhan, they were shocked by the feat of this "uninvited guest", and they were also moved by her spirit of defying difficulties and going against the odds. Quickly brought her good food and good food, so that she could sleep comfortably and sleep peacefully.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year on the 26th, Cheng Shuang got up early in the morning, washed up, and simply ate a bowl of noodles, she said goodbye to this relative and immediately set off to continue her journey.

Starting from the county seat of Gong'an, not long after riding along National Highway 318, the overcast sky suddenly began to drizzle. Cheng Shuang quickly stopped the bicycle, took out a plastic raincoat from his backpack and put it on, drank a few sips of mineral water sent by relatives, and continued to rush forward non-stop, striving to rush to the next stop before dark - Qianjiang City, Hubei.

The rain began to fall heavier and heavier, and the raindrops took advantage of the bitter cold wind to burrow into her neck from time to time, making her feel a biting chill.

Riding hard in the wind and rain, the legs and feet of the pedaling seem to be heavier and heavier, and every time you pedal, you have to pay a lot of strength. Despite this, Cheng Shuang didn't dare to slack off all the way - if she didn't rush to Qianjiang City before dark, then she might really be sleeping on the streets tonight.

The cold wind is howling, the rain is fluttering, the wind and rain are blowing so that people can't open their eyes, and the hair on the forehead is covered with rain, itchy, and very uncomfortable. Cheng Shuang gripped the handlebars of the bicycle with both hands, and he didn't care about wiping the rain and hair on his face.

As she cycled down a steep downhill, the front tire of her bike suddenly pressed against a rock in the middle of the road. "It's over!" Cheng Shuang shouted, too late to dodge and avoid, the bicycle suddenly twisted around, rushed into the mud ditch on the side of the road, threw Cheng Shuang two meters away, and landed heavily on a mound of dirt.

Cheng Shuang couldn't move for a while, and let the wind and rain blow. After a while, she struggled to get up slowly, patted the mud on her raincoat and trouser legs, and couldn't help but cry as she watched herself being drenched in soup.

After being sad for a while, she stopped crying and moved her limbs, except for some abrasions on the back of her hands, she felt that her body was fine. She felt very happy in her heart, and quickly picked up the bicycle, wiped the rain and tears from her face, got on the bike, and continued to drive forward.

After a whole day of arduous trekking, at half past five in the afternoon, she finally rode to Qianjiang City.

At this time, it was the New Year, and it was an extraordinary time when the epidemic was raging, and the streets were unusually deserted, and all the shops on the street were closed with roller shutters. She found several hotels and restaurants along the street, but all of them were closed.

At this time, Cheng Shuang was exhausted, hungry and cold. Where to stay at night?

At this time, a middle-aged woman walked past her with an umbrella and a mask. Cheng Shuang's eyes lit up, and he quickly shouted to the woman: "Eldest sister, eldest sister, please help me!"

When the woman heard someone calling her, she looked back and exclaimed, "Oh, what's wrong with you? Why are you covered in mud?"

Cheng Shuang said: "Eldest sister, I am a nurse in Longyuantan, Wuhan, and now the epidemic in Wuhan is very serious, and I want to rush back to work." Yesterday morning, I set off from the countryside of Gong'an County and rode my bicycle for two days to get here. Now that all the hotels are closed, I beg your help to see if you can help me find a hotel to stay in?"

The woman was deeply moved, and said cheerfully: "No problem, my sister's house runs a hotel, and I am just going to her house, you can come with me!"

Cheng Shuang's constricted heart suddenly relaxed, and said happily: "That's great, thanks to meeting you today, I really met a nobleman!"

After staying in the hotel, Cheng Shuang hurriedly washed a box of instant noodles, and after gobbling it up, she took a hot bath, took off her dirty clothes, put on clean clothes, and then lay down on the bed, and immediately fell asleep - she was so tired!

On the third day of the Lunar New Year on the 27th, early in the morning, Cheng Shuang set off on a bicycle again. With the help of mobile phone navigation, she continued to ride along the national highway in the direction of Wuhan.

Last night finally stopped raining, and today it was cloudy. Without wind and rain, Cheng Shuang feels much happier than yesterday.

After riding on the national highway for more than three hours in the morning, there were few vehicles and pedestrians along the way. After riding for two and a half days in a row, Cheng Shuang felt extremely tired, his legs seemed to be filled with lead, and every time he rode a section, he felt very difficult.

She stopped by the side of the road and sat down on the stone on the side of the road to rest. It was noon, and she felt very hungry, so she hurriedly took out dry food and mineral water, and ate it very sweetly.

At this moment, Cheng Shuang felt that she was exhausted, and she really couldn't ride, she thought, if she could get in the car and go back, it would be great!

She looked up and saw a large truck approaching in the distance. The car got closer and closer, and when I looked closely, I saw a red banner with the words "Support Wuhan" hanging on the car. She felt a burst of ecstasy in her heart: this must be the vehicle transporting supplies to Wuhan.

Cheng Shuang hurriedly stood on the side of the road and waved vigorously at the car. The big truck immediately slowed down and slowly held up beside her.

"Big brother, are you going to Wuhan?" she shouted happily to the driver.

"Yes, I'm from out of town, and I'm preparing to transport this truckload of vegetables to support Wuhan!"

"Great, I thank you on behalf of the people of Wuhan!" Cheng Shuang thanked from the bottom of his heart. "Big brother, I am a nurse at Wuhan Longyuantan Hospital, I want to rush back to work immediately, I have been riding a bicycle for almost three days, I really can't ride, can you please do me a favor and take me to Wuhan?"

"Okay, you can get in the car quickly!" the driver agreed. And quickly got out of the car and put Cheng Shuang's bicycle into the back compartment of the truck. Let Cheng Shuang sit in the cab, and then drive the car to continue to Wuhan.

"Big brother, you are really a good person, support us in Wuhan when it is most dangerous!"

"When one side is in trouble, all sides support. I am a demobilized soldier, and when the country is in trouble, I should do my best to help. You see, this is the vegetables donated by our whole village, although they are not too valuable, but they are also a part of everyone's heart, don't you say? Everyone wants to do their part for Wuhan and help the people of Wuhan tide over the difficulties!"

The eldest brother's simple words moved Cheng Shuang to tears......

After three days of arduous trekking, thousands of miles of cycling against the clock, with the help of this enthusiastic big brother, Cheng Shuang finally returned to Wuhan.

There was no time to repair, Cheng Shuang quickly returned to the unit and started a new battle at the forefront of Longyuantan Hospital......