Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Getting Ready to Go
*
"Zixuan, Zihan, slow down, walk slower!"
The streets shrouded in thick fog were pitch black, like an abyss with no bottom to be seen, but clear laughter could be heard from above the abyss from time to time, easily driving away the panic and confusion lurking in the darkness.
Visibility became even lower after nightfall. Four people, with a group of small followers, walked in a mighty procession on the deserted street, stepping on the dim light of flashlights.
Liang Zhao walked in front and led the way, pushing an old-fashioned human-powered tricycle with difficulty. The large and small bags on the tricycle contained all the supplies of Sunshine Kindergarten, which Wei Qianlan and Zhou Qin had dug out from the ruins these days.
Gu Mengran followed closely with two flashlights, shining one beam of light at Liang Zhao's feet and one beam of light beside himself, acting conscientiously as a lighting master.
The spring rope for children's bracelets is a good thing. Wei Qianlan and Zhou Qin followed behind Gu Mengran, holding two children in each hand, and it was effortless for them to hurry while leading a group of little ones.
The weather was too hot and the children were all wilting from the heat. Plus, there were strangers around, so they were a little shy. They didn't say a word on the way and just followed the teacher miserably.
But there are always a few social heroes in a group of people, such as the chubby boy who had heatstroke yesterday but is full of energy today, or the chubby little girl with twin ponytails.
The two children showed great interest in Gu Mengran. They pulled the spring ropes around their wrists as long as possible and, ignoring the teacher's dissuasion, they surrounded Gu Mengran on the left and right.
The little fat boy was not shy at all. He looked at Gu Mengran eagerly and chased him to ask questions: "Brother Tour Guide, where is your car parked? Teacher Wei said we are going to Yinan. It will take a very long time to sit in the car, right? Can I choose a seat by the window? I, I am a little carsick."
Before Gu Mengran could answer, the cute little girl next to him chirped, "There must be a lot of delicious food in Yinan City! Brother, what are there? Can you introduce them to us in advance?"
Guide, tour guide?
When the two children started talking, Gu Mengran was almost confused.
But he quickly reacted, calmly suppressed his surprise, and said to the two children with a smile: "The bus is parked on the main road, and we have to go for a while. Thank you for your hard work. There are many seats on the bus, and we will arrange window seats for you when the time comes."
"Really? Thank you, brother!" Xiaopang danced with joy.
"Of course, my brother never lies to children."
Gu Mengran smiled, met the girl's expectant gaze, and said softly, "You are right. There are many delicious foods in Yinan. Have you seen cold shrimp? It looks like shrimp in a sweet soup, and it is sweet. There are also spring rolls, which are thin dough wrapped with shredded vegetables, crispy and delicious."
"Wow!" Zi Han was almost crying because of greed. He swallowed and asked, "Brother, can we take a plane? Can we get to Yinan as soon as possible? Then I will ask Dad to buy me some cold shrimps, and also buy some for my brother and teacher."
Gu Mengran raised his eyebrows slightly and asked casually, "Is your father in Yinan?"
Zi Han nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes! Teacher Wei said that my parents, grandparents are waiting for us in Yinan. They can't come to pick me up because they have important things to do. I have grown up, I must be brave, I will follow the teacher to find them!"
"Brave? Hahaha... You are so brave, Song Zihan. Who was the one hiding and crying just now?"
"Zhang Zixuan you—I'm going to let my mother beat you up!"
"Lululu, I can't beat him. The teacher said my brother and mom are waiting for me in Yinan. He's already in elementary school, you know? He's as strong as a bull!"
"I don't want to play with you anymore!"
…
The kids were happily bickering with each other regardless of the heat. Gu Mengran frowned, feeling so stuffy in his chest that he could hardly breathe.
How long can a white lie last? Maybe they can live in peace along the way, but what will the children do when they learn the truth after reaching the end?
Living an isolated life in Huangjiang, Gu Mengran almost forgot that the real end of the world could be so cruel.
I was forced to slow down because I was traveling with the children. It took me almost two hours to see the bus, which was a journey of more than an hour.
It was very hot, especially for the children. Fortunately, the bus started early, the fog in the car cleared, and the air conditioner kept running to cool the car, keeping the temperature at around 27 degrees.
The two teachers organized the event in an orderly manner and the children lined up obediently to get on the bus.
At first, they looked like weeds withered by the roadside, with their heads drooping and lifeless. But as soon as they boarded the car, the refreshing cool air hit them, and the little guys felt like they were bathed in spring breeze, and their withered leaves turned green again.
"Wow, what a big car! I want to sit in the front row."
"It's so comfortable. It's not hot anymore after coming in."
"I, I want a seat by the window!"
As the cool breeze blew, the children instantly became energetic, running around in the carriage and excitedly choosing their seats.
"Don't rush. There are plenty of seats in the car. Each person can pick two seats next to each other, which will be convenient for sleeping at night. Once you have chosen, sit down and rest. Don't run around."
Zhou Qin instructed loudly, and the children said in unison: "Okay!"
Wei Qianlan was responsible for the front door and Zhou Qin was responsible for the back door. After the children got on the bus, they stood in front of the door and looked back at the car. Their foreheads were covered with fine beads of sweat, but their faces were filled with relaxed and happy smiles.
The two teachers did their job conscientiously. Gu Mengran stood on the side of the road for a while, and when he saw that he really couldn't help, he lifted up his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then got into the car and opened the luggage rack cover.
Brand new, unopened T-shirts, carefully prepared snacks, pre-washed fruits... Children can't control their appetites, and the food can't be shared all at once. Gu Mengran called Zhou Qin over and gave the supplies on the luggage rack to her for safekeeping.
Seeing the T-shirts and snacks, Zhou Qin silently sighed that they had so many supplies. But a bag of fresh fruit with water droplets hanging on it suddenly appeared in front of her, and for a moment, Zhou Qin thought she was hallucinating.
"What fresh fruit! We can actually eat fruit nowadays. Where did you find it here?" Zhou Qin was stunned. It took a lot of effort for her to move her eyes away from the red apple and looked at Gu Mengran in disbelief.
Although she was surprised, she lowered her voice deliberately so that the children wouldn't hear her.
Gu Mengran took a deep breath and said calmly, "We came across a fruit shop that was almost intact on the way. We got some of them there. As for these... we took a detour and saw a lot of fruit trees in the suburbs, so we picked them."
The more you talk, the more mistakes you make. Without waiting for Zhou Qin to ask again, Gu Mengran said quickly, "Give it to the children as you see fit. Of course, don't be polite and eat as much as you want. The clothes are for adults, so you can only make do with them."
Gu Mengran paused, his eyes swept over the exhausted children sitting in their seats, and his tone became serious: "Don't save on food and drink, just eat when you need to, the children are growing. You don't have to worry about supplies, we can still find them on the way. Since we have decided to go together, we will be responsible for these things to the end."
A slightly hoarse voice echoed in the carriage, and Zhou Qin's eyes instantly turned red.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to thank Gu Mengran, but the sudden surge of emotions made her throat inexplicably tight and she couldn't make any sound.
"It's okay, it's okay. We are just helping out a little. You are good teachers with beautiful and kind hearts. Don't think too much and go to bed early." Gu Mengran said with a smile, reached out and patted her shoulder gently, then walked past her to the driver's seat.
The bus is complicated to operate, so Gu Mengran called Wei Qianlan to the driving seat and taught her important matters such as how to close the door and how to adjust the air-conditioning temperature.
The visibility at night is pitifully low, so we are not going to travel tonight. We took the kids to the car late at night mainly so that they can enjoy the air conditioning and have a good night's sleep.
After saying goodnight to the children, Gu Mengran got off the bus, while Liang Zhao had just packed up the supplies on the tricycle and was pushing the tricycle towards the off-road vehicle in front.
When they passed by each other, Gu Mengran decisively called him to stop, and then the two of them pushed the tricycle into the thick fog where they couldn't see their hands in front of them, and quietly put it into the space.
Tired, running around outside in the hot weather for a day is no less than moving bricks on a construction site for a day. Walking back to the SUV in the dim light, he gently pulled the door, and the refreshing coolness drove away the heat. Only then did Gu Mengran feel that he was still alive.
The driver's seat was reclined, and the old man was lying on the seat holding a palm-leaf fan, sleeping soundly. His snoring, sometimes high and sometimes low, broke the tranquility of the night, adding a touch of fireworks to the unfamiliar carriage.
Covered in sweat and sticky sweat, Gu Mengran sat in the back seat to enjoy the air conditioning for a while. Then he decisively took Liang Zhao back to the space to take a shower and fed some cabbage to the poultry and livestock in the space.
They had dinner early and felt hungry again when they came out. Gu Mengran took out two large bags of fluffy and soft old-fashioned hand-torn bread and ate them with Liang Zhao while drinking orange juice.
The packaging bag made a sizzling sound, and the two people were chewing quite loudly, but the old man didn't wake up at all despite the loud noise, and his snoring became louder and louder.
Gu Mengran was full and took out two big red apples to give to Liang Zhao. He didn't even wash them, not to mention peeling them. He just wiped the skin with a tissue and took a bite.
With this sound, the old man's nose twitched slightly and he sat up suddenly.
"Bang--"
The movement was too big, and the top of his head came into close contact with the roof of the car, but the old man didn't care at all. He turned back and looked at Gu Mengran, "Wow, I said I smelled the scent of apples, but you ate it alone!"
Gu Mengran took the apple under his eyes and took a look, confirming that he was holding an apple and not a durian. He smiled and teased, "Grandpa, your nose is really good. When can you lend it to me?"
Jokingly, Gu Mengran took out an apple and threw it to his grandfather.
The old man caught it steadily with both hands, without even wiping it, and took a big bite. He puffed up his cheeks and sighed with satisfaction: "It has to taste this good, so crisp and sweet! Oh, it's been a long time since I last had fresh fruit. I'm really craving it."
Hearing this, Gu Mengran touched his nose unnaturally and muttered softly: "Grandpa, you make it sound like you are being unfair to me. Just tell me if you want to eat. I only have one brain and sometimes I forget because I am so busy."
"Hey, kid, you're going to put the blame on me?"
“That’s right!”
The blame had to be passed on, but the food had to be eaten. There were still plenty of fruits in the space anyway, so Gu Mengran simply took out a small fruit plate and put some easy-to-eat fruits such as dates, crisp red plums, and cherries in it.
Seeing this, the old man finished his apple in a few bites, grabbed a handful of cherries and ate them with relish. As he ate, he seemed to finally remember the purpose of being here tonight, and suddenly stopped chewing, staring at Gu Mengran with wide eyes.
"Where are the children? Have they been picked up?"
Gu Mengran burst out laughing, "Guess?"
Meng Gaoyang: "You kid——"
"Don't worry, Grandpa Meng. Everything has been settled." Liang Zhao comforted him in a deep voice, turned back and pointed at the rear windshield, "They will sleep in the back car tonight."
"That's good, that's good. I was completely sleepy."
The old man patted his chest and threw a cherry into his mouth. "Then how are we going to sleep tonight? The seats in the back can sleep two people, but it's too crowded for three people. If you lie down in the front, you can't even stretch your legs straight. It's a bit cramped."
Liang Zhao is tall and his grandfather is too fat, so Gu Mengran, who is only 1.8 meters tall, becomes the shortest.
Gu Mengran thought about it for a while and said, "I'll sleep in the front, and you guys squeeze in."
His eyes wandered between Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao. Meng Gaoyang made a "tsk" sound and smiled maliciously, "The bus is so spacious, how about I squeeze in the back and you two sleep here?"
"No." Gu Mengran refused.
The old man thought his grandson was embarrassed to be alone with Liang Zhao, and was about to tease him, but Gu Mengran suddenly looked serious and said solemnly: "After all, we are three grown men. It's okay during the day, but sleeping in the same car with others at night, how can others sleep well?"
"They have no home anymore. The bus is their only place to stay. Give them some privacy and a sense of security."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
