"Mom, let's play with my sister and Da Pang a little longer."

"Alright, it's getting dark. Let's come back to look for them next time."

As darkness fell, Lu Fangfang picked up Qingqing and Dandan and placed them on the donkey cart.

"Little Flower, Big Fatty, you should go back now."

Lu Fangfang waved to Xiaohua and Dapang, then patted the little wild donkey, signaling it to pull the donkey cart back.

"Meow~"

"Meow~"

Little Flower and Big Fatty watched the donkey cart disappear into the distance, then turned back and ran towards the snow-capped mountain.

...

On the way back, Dan'er and Qingqing were still feeling a bit down.

Lu Fangfang looked at her son and daughter and comforted them, "When we get back from your maternal grandma's house, we'll come and find Da Pang and Xiao Hua."

"By the way, when we went to your maternal grandma's house this time, your dad also said that he would take you to the beach to see the sea."

"To see the sea?"

The two children looked up at Lu Fangfang and were immediately captivated.

They had heard their parents mention the ocean many times and had long wanted to see it.

"Mom, when are we going?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, but it will take several days to get there."

After replying to her son, Lu Fangfang then addressed the little wild donkey ahead:

“Little stubborn donkey, while we’re gone, you stay at the farm. I’ve already talked to Sister Lan Ying, and she’ll make you something delicious every day.”

"Oh...ah..."

The little wild donkey brayed listlessly.

Last year during the Chinese New Year, it had a little yellow dog to keep it company.

This year, it's all alone; it looks listless and weak.

Lu Fangfang noticed its displeasure.

Back home, she mixed some chopped corn with carrot sticks, added a few eggs, and served it to it.

Seeing the delicious food, the little wild donkey became happy again.

...

The next day was the day of departure.

Lu Fangfang got up early in the morning, packed her things, and then wrapped the two children up like little dumplings.

In the outer room, Xiuxiu was also packing the things she wanted to take back.

She was very nervous about going back this time.

Seeing that it was almost time, the two of them, carrying their belongings, led Dandan and Qingqing to the entrance of the family compound.

Soon, Zhuang Mingcheng arrived in a jeep, followed by a large truck with seven or eight soldiers inside.

Before he can visit his family, he must first complete his mission on the southeastern coast.

"Fangfang, Xiuxiu, come up quickly."

"Why."

Lu Fangfang opened the car door and let Dandan and Qingqing get in first, then put the things inside.

This time when she went back, she still brought two snow chickens, intending to let her parents try them too.

Once everyone was on board, the jeep started moving.

When they reached the fork in the road with Team Six, Lu Fangfang, sitting in the back, vaguely saw a figure waving by the roadside.

Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Old Xu, and she turned to look at Xiuxiu.

"Sister...brother-in-law, I..."

Ahead, Zhuang Mingcheng was holding his daughter. He immediately understood. "Xiao Liu, stop at the intersection ahead for a while."

"yes."

Xiuxiu blushed with embarrassment, and after the car stopped, she ran out as if fleeing.

A short while later, she quickly got into the car again.

"Brother-in-law, it's alright now, let's drive."

"Xiao Liu, let's go."

Lu Fangfang had just vaguely seen that Old Xu seemed to have slipped something into Xiuxiu's hand.

Curious, she moved closer to Xiuxiu and began to search her carefully.

"Sis, what are you doing? Old Xu just gave me some cordyceps he dug up and told me to take it home for Mom and Dad to eat."

Xiuxiu blushed deeply in front of her brother-in-law and the driver.

She held the paper package in her arms, looking very uncomfortable.

"Ahem, I'll just take a look,"

Lu Fangfang finally satisfied her curiosity.

Old Xu is alright now. He's not like he used to be, all dramatic and desperate. He even knows to have Xiuxiu bring gifts back.

But getting past my parents is still a tough hurdle.

Soon, the jeep arrived at the city's train station.

Lu Fangfang and Xiuxiu went to the sleeper car, while Zhuang Mingcheng and the soldiers sat in the hard seat car.

The journey was similar to her last trip to Beijing. After putting away her luggage, she waited for the train to start moving before leading her two children to the hard-seat carriage to look for Zhuang Mingcheng.

The man was chatting with the soldiers when Qingqing, ignoring them, threw herself into his arms.

"Daddy, Daddy."

"Hey, Qing'er, you can't run around on the train. Stay close to your mother, okay?"

Zhuang Mingcheng picked up his daughter and carefully gave her instructions.

"Qingqing knows that her father is here, that's why she came."

"Good girl."

Zhuang Mingcheng took a piece of candy out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his daughter's mouth.

Lu Fangfang smiled and stepped forward to distribute sunflower seeds to the soldiers.

"Sister-in-law, no need, no need..."

"Alright, don't be shy. These were all grown by my sister-in-law herself. The journey is still long. You can eat some melon seeds to pass the time."

Lu Fangfang grabbed a large handful and placed them on the small table in front of the soldiers.

Finally, she walked up to her husband and threw a few more handfuls of pills.

"If you're tired, go to the sleeper car and take a nap. I'll give you my berth."

"It's alright, you take the children back and rest."

Zhuang Mingcheng kissed Qingqing, then put his daughter on the ground.

Lu Fangfang then took out a large goose egg and secretly stuffed it into her husband's pocket before leading Qingqing and Dandan back to the sleeper car.

...

"Besides~"

"Besides~"

The train kept stopping and starting, and it took four days to reach Zeng City.

After getting off the train, everyone prepared to transfer.

Lu Fangfang planned to take the child and her husband to the beach, and then go back to her hometown, so she gave most of her belongings to Xiuxiu.

"Xiuxiu, take good care of it and don't lose it. When you get to the county, just spend some money to have someone take you back."

"By the way, these two snow chickens don't look very healthy. Why don't you take them home and cook them for your parents?"

"Sister, I understand, don't worry."

Xiuxiu waved her hand, carrying a large pile of things, and boarded the train back to the county town.

Lu Fangfang and the soldiers waited a while longer.

After a while, seeing the train arrive, she quickly led her two children and boarded the train to the seaside with the others.