Chapter 23 is a bit too shameless.
Xia Yi didn't show it on her face, but she secretly wondered to herself, judging from the spirits of this family, could it be that they gave up the hard-seat tickets given by the educated youth office and bought sleeper tickets instead!
If they were really that capable, would they need to go to the countryside?
This is not like the early days of the "Go to the Countryside Movement," when everyone was full of enthusiasm and rushed to the countryside.
Who would willingly endure hardship unless they were forced into it by no other choice?
The middle-aged man smoking was named Tong Deliang. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe.
After emptying the empty tobacco tin, he said, "Everyone's here. Load the luggage into the car and let's go!"
After everyone loaded their luggage onto the oxcart, Tong Deliang immediately took the ox rope and started their journey.
Seeing his expression, Liu Xian's face turned pale: "Uncle, we haven't boarded the bus yet."
Tong Deliang looked at her as if she were an idiot: "This ox is the apple of our village's eye. I'm already being generous by bringing it to help you with your luggage. You actually want to ride in the car and let it pull you?"
What kind of joke is this kid making?
With so many people, if they damage the ox, won't the Party Secretary kill him?
"Then... how long does it take to get back to the village from here?" Liu Xian's lips trembled slightly.
Tong Deliang glanced at the group and said, "The oxcart will get there in a little over an hour, but for people like you, it will take about three hours!"
"What?"
This alarmed not only Liu Xian, but also Xia Yi and the others.
Three hours? That'll be until dark!
Mr. and Mrs. Gu also looked at Su Xiangwan with concern. How could their daughter-in-law's body withstand such a long journey?
Gu Yanxiao stepped forward, hoisted their luggage onto his back, and said, "Uncle, my wife weighs 90 pounds. I'll carry these two 100-pound pieces of luggage so my wife can ride in the car."
Tong Deliang was taken aback, clearly not expecting Gu Yanxiao to say such a thing.
However, he didn't refuse, nodding and saying, "Okay."
Hearing him say that, Gu's mother quickly found a bundle full of clothes to put as a cushion, and then put a bag containing quilts behind the seat cushion as a backrest.
After arranging a comfortable spot, she turned to help Su Xiangwan up, saying, "Xiangwan, come, sit here."
Seeing Su Xiangwan comfortably settled in a small room, Xia Yi looked at Zheng Haiyang beside her with some envy.
When Zheng Haiyang met her gaze, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he quickly looked away.
Are you kidding me? Asking him to carry a hundred pounds of luggage on a journey would kill him.
Seeing that no one was causing any more trouble, Tong Deliang simply picked up the ox and started on his way.
Liu Xian, who had originally wanted to say something, could only swallow her words and follow after seeing that Tong Deliang himself did not get on the oxcart but walked beside the ox. Her eyes were red.
Gu's father originally tried to take a package from Gu Yanxiao to lighten his load, but Gu refused, saying, "Dad, this weight is nothing to me."
Seeing that he was not being stubborn, Gu's father did not insist.
After all, he knew his son well; when he was in the army, carrying 50 kilograms of weight for training exercises was a common occurrence.
Carrying this weight to Bakushu Village is just like a warm-up exercise when I was in the army. What's more, it's a stress-free walk.
So everyone kept their heads down and hurried toward Bakshu Village.
Su Xiangwan, on the other hand, sat comfortably on the oxcart, with Gu Yanxiao, who was carrying a heavy load, beside her, keeping her company and relieving her boredom.
During this time, she did consider getting out of the car to let Gu's mother and Gu Yanfei get in and rest.
But they rejected them all without hesitation.
Not only did Gu's mother disagree, but even Gu Yanfei smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just sit there and relax! It's only a short distance, not even as strenuous as the exercise that Dad and my older brother used to drag me around for."
Mother Gu also spoke with a relaxed expression: "Yes! I used to run with your dad whenever I had free time. This distance is less than half the intensity I used to have!"
Seeing that they were indeed not lying, and that even their breathing had not changed, Su Xiangwan felt relieved and stopped insisting.
Hearing their conversation, Liu Xian finally couldn't help but speak up: "Since you're not tired, why don't I ride in the oxcart for a while?"
Upon hearing this, not only were the Gu family members stunned by her words, but even Tong Deliang, who was leading the ox, looked at her in surprise.
Liu Xian looked at Gu Yanxiao with a pitiful expression, gave him a helpless smile, and said, "Brother Gu, I really can't walk anymore. Please let me rest on the oxcart for a bit, okay?"
Gu Yanxiao snorted coldly: "What does it have to do with me if you can't walk?"
Mother Gu gave a cold laugh: "Liu Xian, is it? Whether you can walk or not has nothing to do with my son and daughter-in-law. Why should my daughter-in-law come down and walk for you?"
Liu Xian's face paled, and she said aggrievedly, "I...I only wanted to go up and rest because Sister Su suggested that she come down for a walk. Besides, she didn't walk at all. Isn't that going too far?"
Mother Gu's face darkened: "My daughter-in-law didn't leave. My son is carrying luggage that's heavier than hers. If you don't want to leave, you can just throw your luggage away."
As she spoke, she glanced coldly at Liu Xian's luggage, which was almost twice the size of the others'.
His son helped him carry a lot of this luggage onto the train!
Seeing that Liu Xian's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry, Zheng Haiyang immediately said, "Hey, actually Liu Xian didn't mean anything by it. Didn't Comrade Su just mention that she wanted to get down and walk around? Why don't we just let Liu Xian sit down and rest for a bit?"
Gu's mother retorted without holding back: "Why should I? My daughter-in-law just said she wanted to get down because she was worried that my daughter and I were tired from walking. She's pregnant and she knows how to be considerate. How can you have the nerve to make her walk?"
Gu Yanfei also looked disdainful: "My sister-in-law is pregnant. If she gets tired, can you take responsibility?"
Seeing how Gu's mother and the others were so protective of her, Su Xiangwan was deeply moved. Seeing that Zheng Haiyang still wanted to say something, she immediately said, "Zheng Haiyang, right? Actually, if you want Liu Xian to rest, it's very simple! You just need to help her carry a hundred pounds of luggage, isn't that enough? Being so generous with other people's money, tsk tsk, isn't that a bit too shameless?"
“You…” Zheng Haiyang’s thin face immediately turned bright red.
He wanted to refute it, but found that he had no idea how to refute it.
Finally, under Liu Xian's aggrieved gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll memorize it!"
After saying that, he steeled himself, took two large packages from the oxcart, and carried them on his back, one in front and one behind.
Then, with a manly air, he said to Liu Xian, "Liu Xian, let me help you carry your luggage. You can rest on the oxcart for a bit!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com