September 28th arrived quickly. Jiang Jianguo was originally going to take the train, but Zheng Yang had received a mission the day before to deliver goods to Liaoning Province and bring them back from Heilongjiang Province. He could hitch a ride with Zheng Yang. When Jiang Ruyu learned of this, her usually calm heart was suddenly stirred.

"Grandma, I also want to go to Liaoning Province with Uncle." Jiang Ruyu was a little afraid to look at her grandmother's face. She knew she was being a bit willful, but she really wanted to go out and see the world.

Grandma Jiang was taken aback at first, but then felt a pang of heartache when she saw the cautious look on her granddaughter's face. Unlike her two grandsons, her granddaughter was sensible from a young age and never asked her family for anything like other little girls. She took on the responsibilities of the family at a young age, and now that she's all grown up, she's afraid of being scolded if she wants to go out. Sigh, it's really heartbreaking.

“Go ahead, it’s convenient since you don’t have to take the train and it’s easy to hitch a ride with Zheng Yang. Also, please check on your second brother’s wife for me.” Old Mrs. Jiang said with a smile, without any reluctance, but rather seemed very happy that she could go.

Jiang Ruyu immediately beamed with joy, then hugged her grandmother's arm and said sweetly, "Thank you, Grandma, you're so kind."

"Go and tell your uncle and Zheng Yang quickly."

"Okay, I'm going right now." Jiang Ruyu was so happy she felt like she could fly. She had never been out before and was very curious about the outside world. However, she couldn't be like her younger brothers; she had her own responsibilities.

Grandma Jiang felt a pang of sadness seeing her granddaughter's joyful expression. Only now did Ruyu seem like a little girl; she had been far too sensible before.

After making arrangements with Zheng Yang, Jiang Ruyu started packing her things, taking two sets of clothes, a towel, a toothbrush, and some food. She hadn't slept well the night before and was so happy that she kept turning over in bed. Seeing her unusually happy, Grandma Jiang was also in a good mood.

She entrusted her grandmother to her eldest brother and sister-in-law, and also left enough food, eggs, vegetables, and money coupons for her grandmother. After her stroke, Grandma Jiang gave her family's savings book, ration coupons, and other things to her granddaughter, just in case something happened to her and she wouldn't have time to explain things to them.

After everything was arranged and Zheng Yang finished loading the goods, Jiang Ruyu and her uncle set off for Liaoning Province with the things they had prepared for her second brother.

It was her first time riding in a truck: "Your cab is quite big! You can even sleep in the back."

Seeing Jiang Ruyu's unusually lively demeanor, Zheng Yang was happy to see her like this and patiently explained to her, "Sometimes when we go far, we need two drivers to take turns. The back is for people to rest and sleep. You can sleep there if you are sleepy. I have laid out a mattress there."

Jiang Ruyu shook her head: "I'm not sleepy. I've never been far from home before, and I'm curious."

Jiang Jianguo rarely saw his niece like this. In his memory, this child had been very sensible since she was very young. Compared with Ruyi, this niece was really much less of a worry.

“Want to go out and see the world? That’s easy. You’re engaged to Zheng Yang. When he goes out to deliver goods, if it’s convenient, you can go out with him and see the world. Your grandma and we are here to look after her.”

Jiang Ruyu was indeed tempted, but felt it wasn't right: "Haha, I'm happy to be able to come out even once. I can't come out often."

Zheng Yang is an experienced driver, and he drove very steadily along the way. The road conditions weren't great, but he knew the area well. To save time, he didn't go into the city to eat, but brought his own dry food. He could exchange his food coupons for a meal in any village he encountered, and he could also bring some hot water, which was very convenient.

After traveling at various stops for two and a half days, they arrived in Liaoning Province. Zheng Yang dropped off the uncle and nephew at a state-run restaurant: "Uncle, you and Ruyu have a meal here first. I have to deliver and unload goods. The company provides meals, so don't wait for me. I'll come back after the meal, and then we'll go to my second brother's place, okay?"

Jiang Jianguo had no objection; he was even afraid of troubling others: "You go ahead and get busy. If you don't have time, we can take the bus to the commune, that's fine too."

"It's alright, there's still time. I need to congratulate my second brother before I leave. You guys go eat, just leave your things in my car. I'm off." Zheng Yang smiled and waved to Ru Yu before leaving.

Jiang Ruyu only realized after accompanying him on this trip that Zheng Yang's job was not easy either. He had to drive for most of the day, and except for eating and going to the toilet, he had to sit almost the entire time. She felt backache, leg pain and swelling even when she was sitting without driving, let alone Zheng Yang.

My uncle and I ate a local specialty meal at a state-run restaurant. It was a huge plate of stew with pork, eggplant, green beans, glass noodles, and cabbage. It tasted great, but the presentation wasn't great. The whole plate only cost 60 cents, no coupons required. We also ordered the "Flying Dragon Soup," recommended by a local, which cost 1.5 yuan. The flavor was incredibly delicious and fragrant; my uncle and I drank until we were practically drowning. We finished off a few cornbreads with the stew, leaving the plate completely clean.

The uncle and niece ate their fill, and when the waiter came to clear the plates, he laughed and said, "How was it, brother and niece? Our food here is incredibly fragrant and delicious, isn't it? I wasn't lying to you."

Jiang Ruyu gave a thumbs up: "It's delicious and flavorful! That Flying Dragon Soup is so good! Where can I buy it?"

"Haha, my dear niece, these things are all caught by the forest. You've run into them today. It's not easy to get these things. If you knew someone who lived near the mountain, maybe you could get some."

After chatting with someone for a while, the uncle and nephew waited for Zheng Yang to arrive. Not long after, half an hour later, Zheng Yang arrived in his car: "How is it? Do you like the food here?"

Jiang Jianguo said with a smile, "We were just asking around about whether we could buy that Flying Dragon thing. The people here are so enthusiastic, they speak so loudly, and they're really funny."

"That's just how people are here, very easy to get along with. They value loyalty, speak loudly, have no bad intentions, and are all straightforward people." Zheng Yang had been here many times and was used to the way people spoke here: "You guys got to drink Flying Dragon Soup, you're really lucky. This stuff is hard to come by. I've only had it twice, and it's very delicious."

The group chatted and laughed for another hour before finally arriving at the commune where Jiang Jun lived. Zheng Yang had never been there before, so he got out of the car and asked around for directions to Jiang Jun's production team. After asking carefully and pleading with him, he finally got the directions.

This was also the first time Jiang Ruyu had seen Zheng Yang interact with people outside. To be honest, she felt a little sad. Zheng Yang was only two years older than her, but he acted like he was much older. It must have taken him a lot of experience to develop such a personality.

Jiang Jianguo said with a smile, "Zheng Yang is really good. The way he interacts with people is so unlike a young man in his early twenties. Your older brother is much worse than him."

As soon as Zheng Yang got on the bus, he saw the heartache in his girlfriend's eyes. He smiled and wanted to pat her head, but hesitated because her uncle was there. The bus drove for another half hour before finally arriving at the Hongqi Production Brigade where Jiang Jun lived.

The sound of the truck's engine also attracted the attention of the villagers, and many people ran over to see what was going on.

Jiang Jun and his girlfriend had just finished work and were about to go home to cook when they saw his father, Ru Yu, and Zheng Yang getting out of the car.