By the time Liu Junbo was settled in, it was already noon, and everyone had lunch together in the cafeteria.

Although the food in the university cafeteria is not as plentiful as it was in later years, and is not even as good as what the Li family ate, eating in the university cafeteria is a particularly novel experience for the children.

After lunch, Liu Junbo carried Li Zhen's luggage, and the group took a bus to Huaxia University of Mining and Technology.

This university has a distinct style compared to Yenching Normal University. It lacks a refined and gentle atmosphere, but possesses a more down-to-earth, straightforward, and rigorous feel.

Of course, this is another kind of emotional impact for children.

That evening, Li Zhen and Liu Junbo stayed in their respective school dormitories, while Li Xiangdong booked three rooms at a hotel. The family of seven had dinner and then took a stroll along Chang'an Avenue.

Looking at the somewhat dilapidated courtyard house inside the Second Ring Road, Li Xiangdong's heart was filled with anticipation. After calculating the time when the house could be bought and sold, he reluctantly left.

After returning from Yanjing, Li Ping, Li Jiabao, and Zhang Huan became exceptionally enthusiastic about their studies, burning the midnight oil every day to read and do exercises. Li Xiangdong was even worried that they would become nearsighted.

Li Jin and Zhao Sufang were pleased to see this, feeling that all of their children were potential university students.

Time flew by and it was already the 23rd day of the first lunar month. After arranging things in the village and at the cannery, Li Jin and Zhao Sufang took their families and boarded the train to western Sichuan.

The 28th day of the first lunar month is the wedding day of Luo Yonggang and Bai Yufeng, and their family is going to go there to attend the wedding banquet.

Since it was inconvenient for Li Ying to go, she asked her mother to give her uncle ten yuan as a gift, along with two quilt covers. Grandma Hong, Grandma Jiang, and Doctor Gu also gave their gifts, which they entrusted to Zhao Sufang to deliver as well.

The train clattered along, and Li Ping and Zhang Huan finally arrived at the western Sichuan described by Li Jiabao. Li Ping looked up and saw that the mountains were indeed much taller than the buildings in Huichuan County!

It seems Jiabao wasn't lying!

It's still winter, and from a distance, the mountain peaks are white, which must be snow, but the mountainsides are already lush and green.

Li Ping touched the bamboo, which was thicker than her leg, with admiration and said to Li Xiangdong, "Second Brother, you said before that traveling ten thousand miles is worse than reading ten thousand books, and it really is true! I thought Jiabao was bragging when he said there was such thick bamboo, but it turns out it really exists!"

Li Xiangdong gently stroked her soft hair, saying, "Only by traveling thousands of miles can you see the world and broaden your horizons and mind."

Li Ping nodded thoughtfully.

But soon someone broke this beautiful and peaceful scene. Li Jiabao tiptoed up from behind Li Ping and suddenly kicked the bamboo pole.

With a soft rustling sound, a flurry of white snowflakes swept through the air, shaking off the remaining snow clinging to the bamboo leaves and covering Li Ping and Li Xiangdong's heads and faces with it.

Li Xiangdong felt a chill on the back of his neck. He grabbed Li Jiabao, who was about to run away after doing something bad. Li Ping reacted quickly, pinching a snowball and stuffing it into the back of Li Jiabao's collar.

Wow—it's so cool—

Li Jiabao screamed from the cold, while Zhang Huan and his aunt Li Yan laughed so hard they almost fell over. Li Yan even encouraged her fifth sister, "Put one more in, put one more in!"

Liu Jiangsu watched the children making a ruckus and couldn't stop smiling.

Now, all the trivial matters of her son's wedding have been handed over to her daughter and son-in-law. The two of them are very capable, and she is happy to be a hands-off manager, spending her days playing with the children.

After the group had finished chasing and playing, Li Ping, panting, lay on Liu Jiangsu's lap. "Grandma," he said, "Jiabao said he went to the mountains with you every day to pick bamboo shoots when he came last time. It was so much fun. Are there no bamboo shoots left now?"

How come she didn't see it in the bamboo forest?

Liu Jiangsu laughed and said, "Those are spring bamboo shoots, we don't have them now."

"oh--"

Seeing Li Ping's disappointed face, Liu Jiangsu chuckled inwardly, "There are no spring bamboo shoots now, but there are even tastier winter bamboo shoots!"

"Really? Is that so?"

Li Ping jumped up excitedly, like a happy little bird, "Then let's go pick them quickly!"

"The bamboo shoots can't be broken off; you have to dig them up!"

Liu Jiangsu's health has been greatly improved. Now she can go up and down the mountain without getting out of breath. She gets to work immediately. She picked up a hoe, had Li Ping carry a bamboo basket, and led her children and grandchildren up the mountain to find winter bamboo shoots.

Winter bamboo shoots mature and are harvested in January and February each year, and now is the perfect harvest season. Liu Jiangsu walked along the river, explaining the differences between winter and spring bamboo shoots to the children.

"Winter bamboo shoots grow in the soil and are difficult to spot, while spring bamboo shoots grow out of the ground and are everywhere after the rain. Winter bamboo shoots have a golden-yellow outer skin, are short and plump, and have delicate, sweet flesh with a thick and juicy texture. Spring bamboo shoots are thin and long, and look like cow horns. The top of the outer skin is black, and the bottom is dark green, with many hairs on the surface."

Zhang Huan asked, "Is bamboo transformed from bamboo shoots?"

"Yes, if no one picks the bamboo shoots, they will quickly grow into bamboo, and they can grow two meters tall overnight!"

Wow, they've grown so fast!

They were all from the north and had never encountered such a magical plant before.

Li Ping exclaimed, "The bamboo grows thicker and taller than ordinary trees."

"However, bamboo is not a tree; bamboo is actually a type of grass."

Li Xiangdong explained to the children, "Because bamboo is hollow and has no growth rings."

"Second Uncle, are the chopsticks we use for eating made of bamboo?"

"Yes, bamboo can not only be used to make chopsticks, but also to weave various furniture, such as beds and chairs. Some people can even use finer bamboo strips to make mats and handicrafts."

"Thump—"

Li Yan suddenly tripped over something and fell face-first to the ground.

She's been spoiled a lot lately, and even though the ground is soft and it won't hurt if she falls, she still plans to cry out a couple of times first.

Just as she was gathering her emotions, closing her eyes, opening her mouth, and preparing to wail, Liu Jiangsu exclaimed with delight, "Oh dear, there's a bamboo shoot down there! Quick, dig it up!"

Li Yan quickly opened her eyes and hurriedly asked her grandmother, "Where are the bamboo shoots? I want to dig some too!"

Liu Jiangsu chuckled and tripped her on the ground. Sure enough, something pushed aside the soil. "Quickly dig it out to the east! No one should try to take it from me! Little Swallow found it!"

Li Xiangdong quickly dug out a plump winter bamboo shoot wrapped in a golden-yellow skin. After peeling off the skin, he revealed the tender, pale yellow flesh inside.

He handed the bamboo shoots to Li Yan and praised her, "Little Swallow, how amazing you are! You were the first to find winter bamboo shoots!"

Holding a large bamboo shoot in her arms, Li Yan smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescents. She said without any modesty, "It's all because I was lucky!"

His words made everyone burst into laughter, and the laughter startled several sparrows, which flew away in the air.