Time flies, and tomorrow will be the day the Qu family leaves Guangling County.
Grandma Li hosted the event, and the Zhou family and Dongzi's family each contributed grain and vegetables.
To prepare for the farewell banquet, Zhen's small workshop suspended operations for a day, and the three families arrived at Zhen's house early in the morning to help out.
Zhen Fugui was also sent to the county town to pick up the Qu family mother and son, and to buy a few pounds of fresh fish and meat.
As soon as the carriage arrived, Grandma Li and several other elderly women went to help Aunt Qu get off.
Grandma Li wiped away her tears and complained reluctantly, "This is terrible! Now that you're gone, it'll be hard to see you even once in a year or two."
Aunt Qu squinted, tears welling up in her eyes; she didn't want to leave this place either.
Just as she was about to say something, Qu Huaiyuan quietly pressed down on her palm.
Helpless, Aunt Qu could only wipe her eyes and pretend to be relaxed, saying, "It's not far from here to the prefectural city. We have a carriage at home. If I miss you, I can get there in half a day."
Several elderly women nearby also came forward to chat for a few words, and it was clear that Aunt Qu was about to be brought to tears again.
Zhen Wanwan then spoke up to remind them, "Mother! Aunts, let's talk about this when we get back. It's windy here, and Aunt Qu's eyes can't see the wind."
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go inside quickly!"
Over here, Zhou Dasao, Wang Cuihua, and several other young wives are chopping vegetables and cooking in the kitchen.
Zhen Wanwan is a kitchen disaster. Anything she makes either has too much or too little salt, or it's burnt or charred.
Therefore, she was strictly ordered to leave the kitchen.
Bored, she took out the snacks that the stubborn donkey liked and prepared to feed it in the backyard.
Since the advent of horse-drawn carriages, the stubborn donkey has become a tool for plowing fields.
Grandpa Zhen usually likes it very much, treating it like a treasure and feeding it the best food and drink.
After raising it for more than half a year, the stubborn donkey became more energetic and powerful, but its nostrils still faced the sky, and it didn't give Zhen Wanwan a second glance.
The retired horse, who lived under the same roof, had its leg injury healed by Zhen Wanwan.
As soon as he saw Zhen Wanwan coming over, he stood up to greet her warmly, rubbing his head down into her palm.
The stubborn donkey rolled its eyes at the retired horse, then turned away, unwilling to watch any longer.
Seeing how human-like the horse and donkey were, Zhen Wanwan found it extremely amusing.
She fed the horse and the donkey equally with snacks, finally coaxing the stubborn donkey to look at her properly.
Qu Huaiyuan, who had been silently watching this scene, had a look of tenderness and loneliness in his eyes.
When she bought donkeys and horses, she was still called Zhen Niangzi; now she is someone else's wife.
After feeding the donkeys and horses, Zhen Wanwan turned around to go back, but saw Qu Huaiyuan with his head down, looking sad and lonely.
Zhen Wanwan's heart suddenly felt like it had been pricked by a needle, which was extremely uncomfortable, but the feeling quickly disappeared.
"Brother Qu! What brings you here?"
Qu Huaiyuan was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening, but Zhen Wanwan was already standing in front of him.
"I...I've come to see Brother Donkey!"
Qu Huaiyuan reluctantly made up a flimsy excuse. In reality, he had only followed Zhen Wanwan after seeing her arrive.
Unexpectedly, he was caught red-handed when he wasn't paying attention.
Upon hearing this, the stubborn donkey let out a loud fart in Qu Huaiyuan's direction, and both of them covered their mouths and noses from the stench.
Zhen Wanwan gestured for Qu Huaiyuan to go out together. Once they were out of the range of the poisonous fart, they both took a deep breath.
When he realized what had happened, Qu Huaiyuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and he was quite embarrassed.
"Let's hurry back! It's time for dinner!"
Zhen Wanwan chuckled inwardly, and to ease the awkwardness, suggested going back.
Just as she was about to take a step, Qu Huaiyuan suddenly called out, "Wait a minute!"
Zhen Wanwan looked over in confusion, and Qu Huaiyuan quickly looked away.
"If he treats you badly, write to me!"
After leaving those words, Qu Huaiyuan didn't dare to look at Zhen Wanwan again and turned to run away without stopping.
Zhen Wanwan was stunned for a while before she understood what Qu Huaiyuan meant.
A slight smile appeared on her lips. Qu Huaiyuan probably said that because she often helped the Qu family, he probably regarded her as a younger sister.
After all, Qu Huaiyuan was about the same age as Zhen Wanwan if her third brother hadn't died.
After figuring things out, Zhen Wanwan returned to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, several men were moving tables, chairs, and benches, while the women helped serve dishes and meals.
A group of children also lined up obediently to wash their hands.
Zhen Wanwan didn't see Qu Huaiyuan and was wondering about it when she saw Zhu Yuan riding back on horseback.
She hurried over to him and helped him unload the things from his horse.
What are all these?
Zhu Yuan looked at her tenderly and explained softly, "This was sent to you by your little apprentice."
Was it a gift from Xiao Liu?
Zhen Wanwan thought about her cheap apprentice, and realized that he was quite filial.
"Oh, I see! I'll look at it when we get back. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!"
Qu Huaiyuan packed up all his handwritten notes and gave them to Yuan Huizhou.
"Zhou'er, you must not slack off on your studies while I am away. At the end of each month, I will give you new assignments. You must work hard on them. If there is anything you don't understand, write to me..."
Yuan Huizhou looked at the heavy books and was deeply moved. His teacher was really, really good to him.
"I've remembered everything you said, teacher. Zhou'er will study hard. When the holidays come, I'll ask my aunt to come to the city to see you."
Upon hearing this, Qu Huaiyuan remained silent for a long while before finally saying indifferently, "Let's go!"
Outside, there were three tables: one for men, one for women and one for children, and the same food for everyone.
Zhen Wanwan got a bottle of baijiu and two bottles of beer for the men's table, some wine for the women's table, and drinks for the children's table.
There are disposable cups on the table for everyone's convenience when drinking.
Mr. Zhen, the oldest person present, raised his glass first.
"The last time we all got together for a meal was in a courtyard in Guangling County. I never expected that this second meal would be to send Huaiyuan off."
Qu Huaiyuan was also somewhat downcast, but he was used to smiling, and even at the moment of parting, he was still all smiles.
"Uncle! Huaiyuan and Mother were able to get here safely thanks to you all. I toast you with this glass!"
As he spoke, Qu Huaiyuan downed a glass of wine in one gulp and then refilled it.
“No matter where Huaiyuan is, we are all family. If anything happens, just let me know, and I will bring my mother back when I have time.”
Grandpa Zhen nodded and patted Qu Huaiyuan on the shoulder, saying, "Huaiyuan is right. We will always be family. But you and your sister are going so far away, so you have to be careful about everything."
"If anything happens, send us a message, or send the message to Xiao Yuan."
Zhu Yuan stood up and greeted his father-in-law, saying, "Father-in-law is right. Mr. Qu, please go ahead. I happen to have some things to take care of in a few days."
Everyone was taken aback by what they heard.
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