The day of parting has finally arrived.
Wei Zhekun bought three train tickets for the 18th day of the first lunar month, all sleeper berths, two of which were the lowest berths.
At the same time, He Jingyu also sent a telegram to Secretary Qi, informing him of the date and asking him to come and pick him up.
After receiving the telegram, Niu Dajun went to inform Secretary Qi.
He Jingyu and Wang Shuping bought platform tickets and personally carried the seven large packages onto the train and placed them on the overhead rack. He Jingyu also asked the train attendant on the same train to help them carry the packages when they arrived at their destination.
The train attendant was very kind. Seeing that He Tiantian was a young girl taking care of two elderly people and carrying so many bags, he immediately agreed to help her when she got off the train.
"Moreover...moreover..." The increasingly urgent sound of the train starting up echoed throughout the entire train station. Amidst the billowing steam, the train carriages finally slowly pulled out of the station.
He Tiantian leaned out and waved goodbye to her mother.
He Tiantian actually wanted to cry, but she knew that for every tear she shed, her mother would shed ten. So she held back her tears and smiled as she said goodbye to her parents. Only when the train pulled away from the station and her parents' shadows grew smaller and smaller until they were out of sight did He Tiantian withdraw her hand and close the window.
At this moment, He Tiantian finally couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.
Grandma Qi and Grandpa Qi stood silently by, letting He Tiantian vent her emotions for a while. It was indeed a sad thing for such a young child to be separated from her parents.
Especially when Grandma Qi saw He Tiantian's tears, she thought of her own son, who looked back every few steps when he left to study, reluctant to part with her.
About half an hour later, He Tiantian wiped away her tears, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm such a grown woman, and I'm still crying."
"Grandma, Grandpa, I'm a little thirsty. I'll go get some hot water. Do you need it?" He Tiantian asked, taking a towel from her bag to wipe her face, otherwise her eyes would be red and she would look terrible.
"Alright, take the kettle and fill it with more hot water," Grandma Qi said, without mentioning a word about He Tiantian crying. They're all grown up now, they have self-respect, and you can't just joke around like that, especially not at a time like this.
He Tiantian took a towel and a military water bottle, went to the hot water station, filled it with hot water, put some cold water on the towel to cool her eyes, took out some moisturizer to apply to her face, and returned only after tidying herself up.
After drinking water, He Tiantian also poured water for Grandma Qi and Grandpa Qi before climbing up to her upper bunk to sleep.
Grandma Qi and Old Man Qi also closed their eyes to rest.
He Tiantian was awakened by the shouts of vendors selling soup and rice, not knowing how long she had slept.
If it were just her alone, He Tiantian wouldn't be hungry and could wait until the afternoon to eat, but the two elderly people couldn't. He Tiantian came downstairs, got three bowls of soup, and ate the salted meat pies prepared by her mother, Wang Shuping, thus finishing her lunch.
The journey was relatively smooth, with no delays.
When they arrived in Taoyuan County, the train conductor really did come over to help carry things, saving He Tiantian a lot of trouble. Otherwise, He Tiantian would have had to make two trips back and forth.
Outside the train, Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou saw He Tiantian from afar and hurried over.
"Thank you, comrade. Someone from home has come to pick us up." After seeing Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou, He Tiantian waved from a high place and thanked the train conductor.
Seeing this, the train conductor said, "Alright, someone will come to pick you up." Then he returned to the train.
"Second Uncle, Third Aunt, you both look great. It seems Tian'er has taken good care of you!" Secretary Qi chuckled as he and Qi Ergou tied packages to their bodies.
Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou each had three packages, while He Tiantian took one.
"Yes, we're doing well in Nanshi. If it weren't for missing my family in Qijia Village, I wouldn't want to come back," Old Man Qi chuckled.
Grandma Qi pursed her lips and said, "That's all nonsense. I don't know who's always saying they miss home."
"It's still better to go home," Secretary Qi said with a smile. Seeing He Tiantian beside him, he added, "Tiantian, don't take it to heart. I didn't mean to say anything bad about your family!"
"Hehe." He Tiantian chuckled, not minding at all. "You're right, it's still better to go home!"
"It's so cold, let's hurry up and go," Qi Ergou urged. "Eat something, set off immediately, and try to get home as soon as possible."
"Alright!" Secretary Qi walked ahead, and the group of five went outside and put the things on the oxcart.
Secretary Qi, familiar with the route, led the group to Niu Lili's workplace.
This time, He Tiantian brought two salted ducks for Niu Lili, one of which was given to Niu Dajun.
Niu Lili accepted the gift without hesitation, and also gave He Tiantian two pretty hair ties, whispering, "Take this one to Xiao Yan."
"Okay." He Tiantian took it and put it in her pocket. When she looked at Niu Lili again, she found that Niu Lili's face was flushed, unlike her usual straightforwardness. "Sister Lili, is something wrong?"
Seeing that He Tiantian noticed she was preoccupied, Niu Lili hesitated for a moment before mustering her courage to ask, "Does Qi Xiaoyan have an older brother named Qi Rongjun?"
“Yes!” He Tiantian was taken aback. Why would Sister Lili ask about Qi Rongjun out of the blue?
"Does Qi Rongjun have a girlfriend?" Niu Lili asked, her face turning even redder. Even though Niu Lili was a generous girl, she still felt embarrassed to inquire about a man's affairs.
He Tiantian was stunned again, then realized that Niu Lili must have taken a liking to Qi Rongjun.
“I went back to Nanshi for the Chinese New Year, so I don’t know if Qi Rongjun has a girlfriend. But before the New Year, when I was chatting with Xiaoyan, I heard that Aunt Liang was saving money to find Qi Rongjun a girlfriend, so I guess he doesn’t have one yet,” He Tiantian replied, carefully observing Niu Lili’s expression like a gossipy old woman.
Sure enough, Niu Lili breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Qi Rongjun was single.
However, He Tiantian added, "Aunt Liang said that she has secretly inquired about several girls and is just waiting for Brother Xiaoyan to come back so that they can be properly matched."
Upon hearing this, Niu Lili's rosy face changed color. She grabbed He Tiantian's hand and hurriedly asked, "Which girl did you meet? What does she look like? Did Second Brother Xiaoyan agree?"
"Ouch, that hurts!" He Tiantian cried out in pain. "Sister Lili, why are you asking this?"
Niu Lili realized her lapse in composure this time. Having already gone this far, she stopped being coy and said, "On the night of the tenth day of the first lunar month, I was on my way home from work when I encountered some thugs. A soldier saved me, took them to the police station, and then brought me home. Later, I learned that his name was Qi Rongjun, Qi Xiaoyan's second brother. He's good-looking and brave, and I... I've fallen for him."
Niu Lili returned to her usual straightforward self; if she liked something, she liked it. Now that she needed He Tiantian's help, if she wasn't direct, she wouldn't be able to fight for her own happiness in the future! (To be continued.)
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