"Yes, they're definitely not in the village anymore. We should buy train tickets in a few days; they'll probably be hard to get during the Spring Festival."
"Yes, they are indeed very difficult to buy. Our first choice is sleeper tickets. If we can't get those, we can only buy hard seats, which will be a bit of a hassle."
An Qingbai nodded.
"Okay, when I go to buy the train tickets, I'll try to buy sleeper tickets. How many days of leave do you plan to take to visit your family?"
Zhuang Zhimeng thought about it.
"I plan to take the longest leave I can, which is 60 days including travel time."
“Okay, I’ll go back and talk to my family. We’ll all take 60 days off and go to Beijing at the end of December. We can spend the Lantern Festival in Beijing before heading back.”
"Brother Qingbai, your arrangement is exactly what I wanted to hear. It's settled then."
"Yes, it's settled."
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai finally had time to place the furniture in their new home, and the placement of each piece of furniture was decided by the two of them together.
They moved the furniture in little by little, and it took several days to set it up. They weren't in a hurry, so the two of them set up a few pieces each day.
"At least it feels like a home now."
An Qingbai hugged Zhuang Zhimeng from behind.
"Zhizhi, I really want to move in with you right away."
Zhuang Zhimeng affectionately turned her head and ruffled his hair.
"Hehe, we can come back later, okay? Be good!"
Just then, the village loudspeaker suddenly blared out that familiar urging voice again.
"Zhuang Zhiqing, you have a phone call! Zhuang Zhiqing, come to the brigade headquarters immediately!"
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, Qingbai, you can pack up first. I'm going to answer the phone."
"Alright, go ahead!"
As soon as Zhuang Zhimeng answered the phone, her aunt's clear voice rang out.
"Ya Ya, when are you planning to head to Beijing?"
"Auntie, we plan to head back at the end of this month."
"Are train tickets easy to buy where you are? If not, I'll have your uncle buy them for you here and send them to you."
Zhuang Zhimeng hesitated for a moment.
"Auntie, is this appropriate? There are nine adults and one child in our group, that's ten tickets!"
Zhuang Ruoting smiled into the microphone.
"Hehe, what's wrong with that? I'm not giving it to you for free. You can give me the money back when you see me."
Your uncle works for the railway; there are some tickets you can't buy, but he can!
Zhuang Zhimeng thought about it and decided not to dwell on it anymore.
"Alright, Aunt, I'll trouble Uncle to buy me nine adult hard sleeper tickets and one half-price ticket for a child. Just mail them to me."
"Okay, I'll tell your uncle."
"Auntie, when are you planning to go back for the Chinese New Year?"
"We won't be back until before the New Year. There's just too much to do, we really can't get away."
"Okay, I got it. I'll be waiting for you guys to come home!"
"Um!"
Zhuang Zhimeng skipped excitedly to her new home to tell Qingbai.
“Brother Qingbai, my aunt told me that my uncle will buy the train tickets for us, so you don’t need to buy them. You can pay her back when you see her during the Chinese New Year.”
An Qingbai was sweeping the kang (a heated brick bed), but upon hearing this, he straightened up and looked at Zhuang Zhimeng.
"Is this appropriate? Won't it be too much trouble for Uncle?"
Zhuang Zhimeng realized that his reaction was the same as Qingbai's, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha, your reaction is the same as mine just now. My uncle works in the railway department, so it's easier for him to buy tickets than for us. It's not a hassle."
"That's good. I was just worried that people would think we're not married yet and start asking for favors."
Just as Zhuang Zhimeng was about to speak, the loudspeaker blared again.
"Qingbai, Qingbai, you have a phone call, come quickly!"
Tian Cuie muttered something to herself.
"I should have invited these two along!"
As a result, the loudspeaker wasn't turned off properly, and everyone heard it.
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai both burst out laughing.
"Haha, I bet we've really annoyed Aunt Tian!"
"Haha, how about we go pick them up together?"
Zhuang Zhimeng nodded with a smile.
"Okay, let's go together. Otherwise, Aunt Tian might call again later and start yelling at us!"
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai went to the brigade headquarters together.
An Qingbai answered the phone; it was his second uncle calling.
"Qingbai, when are you planning to buy train tickets? Are you sure you can get sleeper tickets?"
An Qingbai laughed.
"Second Uncle, what a coincidence! Zhi Meng's aunt just said she would help us with the train tickets, and then you called."
An Tanli also laughed.
"Haha, I was just worried that you guys would have trouble getting sleeper tickets. I was even planning to buy them for you and mail them back, but I was too late!"
"Second Uncle, we are planning to head to Beijing at the end of this month. We can stay in Beijing for about two months."
"Okay, I understand. Let me know before you leave so I can pick you up at the train station."
"Okay, Uncle, we'll call you as soon as we receive the train tickets."
An Qingbai hung up the phone and was just about to leave the brigade headquarters with Zhuang Zhimeng.
Tian Cuie called out to the two of them.
"Qingbai and Zhuang Zhiqing, wait a minute. I have a feeling I need to call you two. You two can chat with me for a bit."
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai both stopped in their tracks.
"Aunt Tian, what would you like to talk about?"
"So you're saying you're planning to spend the New Year in Beijing?"
Zhuang Zhimeng and An Qingbai exchanged a happy glance.
"Yes, we plan to hold our wedding in Beijing. When we come back, we will invite a few tables from the village, and we will also invite you, Aunt Tian, to join us for the feast."
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