The next day, just after dawn, Lu Guozhi and his son got up and sent Yang Niannian and Lu Ruoling to the train station.

When Lu Ruoling got up, she couldn't find her shoes. After asking Guan Ailian, she found out that she had thrown away Lu Ruoling's shoes with holes and got her a new pair.

"We both wear size 38 shoes. Your pair is leaking at the soles and can't be worn. You should wear new ones," said Guan Ailian.

Lu Ruoling was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Guan Ailian also packed up the pickled bean paste and dried radish she had made and asked Yang Niannian to take them with her.

"Sister-in-law, this isn't a good thing, so don't despise it. Take it to Haicheng and eat it with steamed buns and porridge in the morning."

Yang Niannian was not polite either, "Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work on this trip back home. You made shoes for me and Shi Shen, and also prepared food for us to take away."

Guan Ailian smiled and waved her hand, "They are not valuable things, just don't despise them."

Lu Ruoling continued, "Second sister-in-law definitely won't mind. The last time she came back, she really liked eating dried radish."

Guan Ailian thought, silly sister, Nian Nian eats dried radish because there is nothing good to eat with breakfast at home.

She reminded him, "Your sister-in-law is thin, so you'll have to bear the hardship on the road. Carry the things, and remember to write back when you get to Haicheng."

Lu Ruoling nodded heavily, "I will definitely take good care of my second sister-in-law."

Ma Xiuzhu came out of the house with dark circles under her eyes and five dollars in her hand. She stuffed the money into Lu Ruoling's hand.

She advised in a rare good-tempered manner, "Use this money to buy daily necessities. When you get to Haicheng, listen to your second sister-in-law and don't go out at night. Don't pay attention to men who approach you casually, because they all have bad intentions. I will keep an eye out for good families for you at home. If there is a suitable one, you can go on a blind date when you come back after the New Year."

After dreaming about begging last night, Ma Xiuzhu felt uncomfortable. It felt like a huge rock was blocking her chest and she felt very uncomfortable.

Afraid that the things in the dream would come true, she started to act like a good mother.

If it were in the past, she would never take out these five dollars.

Lu Ruoling felt that the five dollars were a bit hot. She wanted a pair of red socks for her wedding, but her mother was reluctant to buy them for her.

It was her first time to leave home and go far away, and she felt a little reluctant. Her eyes were red, but when she heard that he would find a man for her, she immediately refused.

She pouted and said, "Mom, I don't want to find a man now."

Yang Niannian narrowed her eyes and smiled secretly. Her sister-in-law had made progress and now knew how to refute her mother-in-law's words.

Ma Xiuzhu glared at her in reproach, "If you don't find a man, do you think you are an old maid?"

Lu Guozhi interrupted impatiently, "Okay, let's get going! The train doesn't wait for anyone."

He walked out of the main room and pushed his bicycle under the eaves.

Lu Qingyuan also quickly pushed another bicycle and followed out. There was some straw tied on the back seat. Guan Ailian was worried that the road would be too bumpy, so she asked him to tie it on for Yang Niannian to sit on.

The children were still sleeping. Ma Xiuzhu and Guan Ailian sent them to the village entrance. Only after they saw them riding away on their bikes did they reluctantly return home.

Arriving at the door of her house and looking at the empty yard, Guan Ailian sighed, "After my sister-in-law and Ruoling left, the house felt deserted."

Ma Xiuzhu rolled her eyes. "The sooner she leaves, the better. It's better if she doesn't come back often. When she comes back, the family won't be at peace. If something happens at home in the future, don't write letters to the army to make a fuss."

I had planned to give my younger daughter-in-law some extra nutrition money when she came back, but in the end I didn't buy her anything and instead ate her big rooster.

Guan Ailian was speechless, "Mom, didn't you say you were going to die and asked Dad to write a letter to the army?"

"If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb."

Ma Xiuzhu retorted unhappily, then went to feed the chickens with a handful of vegetable leaves.

…

Lu Guozhi and his son sent Yang Niannian and Lu Ruoling to the train station.

No one had eaten breakfast and everyone's stomach was rumbling, so Yang Niannian bought more than 30 large meat buns from the bun shop.

"Father-in-law, brother, you guys are hungry too, right? Eat some buns before going back."

Lu Qingyuan was indeed hungry, so he took the meat bun and started eating it without hesitation.

Lu Guozhi looked at dozens of meat buns and felt heartbroken. His daughter-in-law spent money too lavishly and did not know how to live.

I took the bun and took a bite. The aroma of meat filled my mouth. It was indeed delicious, but too expensive.

Grain was precious, and our family never ate meat buns except during festivals.

The weather is hot now. If I buy so much and can't finish it, won't it all go bad on the way there?

The more delicious the meat buns were, the more uncomfortable Lu Guozhi felt, and he lectured with a stern face.

"You have to be careful with your money and not spend as much as you can. When you have kids, you'll have more things to spend money on. For example, buy only as many meat buns as you can eat. If you buy so many and can't finish them, and they go bad, what a waste!"

"Father-in-law, I know." Yang Niannian nodded humbly, "I bought so many meat buns not to eat on the road, but for you to take back."

She looked at Lu Qingyuan again, "Brother, I didn't buy any snacks for the children when I came back this time, so I thought of buying some more meat buns and bringing them back for my family to try."

Lu Qingyuan was flattered, "Sister-in-law, I've made you spend money again."

Lu Guozhi knew that he had misunderstood his daughter-in-law, and his face turned red with shame, "You should also bring some food for the journey."

Yang Niannian shook her head. "I'll just buy some steamed buns to take with me. It's hot in the car, and meat buns will go bad easily if I buy them."

When Lu Guozhi heard that Yang Niannian wanted to buy steamed buns on the train and asked them to take all the meat buns back, he felt even more ashamed.

Yang Niannian saw through his emotions but did not expose him. She could understand that her father-in-law's generation was frugal.

After eating, she bought five or six steamed buns and took Lu Ruoling into the station.

I was lucky this time and bought two sleeper tickets.

Lu Ruoling had never ridden a train before. She was so curious when she sat on the sleeper berth that she said, "Second sister-in-law, this bed is more comfortable than ours. It's just a little narrow, so it's easy to fall to the ground when sleeping at night."

Seeing the train start, she leaned against the window and looked out again, "Sister-in-law, riding a train is really interesting. The scenery outside is so beautiful. Will the train pass by our village?"

Yang Niannian replied crisply, "No, there is no railway track next to the village."

The middle-aged man in the middle bunk smiled and said, "Is this your first time taking a train?"

When Lu Ruoling heard the man's voice, she was startled, looked up, and immediately dared not say a word.

The man didn't feel embarrassed. He smiled and lay back on the bunk.

Lu Ruoling really liked looking at the scenery outside the window. She kept staring at the glass and didn't sleep. She also ate four steamed buns at noon.

Yang Niannian felt that there was a smell of smelly feet in the carriage and she couldn't eat. She dozed off for a while, and in a half-asleep state, she noticed that her bed was sunken, as if someone was sitting on it.

When she was outside, she was very alert. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw a face that looked very similar to An An's.

"Awake?" Brother Fei sat at the head of the bed with a devilish smile on his face. "We are really destined to meet again. Where are you going?"

Yang Niannian's eyebrows jumped and she subconsciously looked across. Seeing Lu Ruoling sleeping soundly opposite her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

After checking that there was no one else on the aisle, she asked instead, "Are you alone on the train, or are your two companions there too?"