Ning Tang raised his eyebrows. Although it was a bit expensive at 30 cents a portion, the taste was good and the portion was large. Most importantly, it didn’t require a ticket, so it was still a very good deal.
The three little kids also ate it and were very happy.
Although the train meals may not be as delicious as the dishes cooked by Shen Lie, eating on the train is a specially prepared train meal, and you can also enjoy the scenery outside the window, which is a completely different experience from eating at home.
After dinner, Shen Lie's hot white wine came back.
Ning Tang shared the drink with the three children. She specifically reminded the three children to drink in small sips and not to drink too much so as to avoid inconvenience when going to the toilet.
Soon it was night.
Shen Lie allocated the beds, and the eldest child slept with the third child, with the third child sleeping inside and the eldest child sleeping outside.
The third child likes to turn over when he sleeps, so let the eldest child hold him outside so that the third child will not fall off the bed.
The two boys are still young and don’t take up much space, so there is still half space left on the bed for Shen Lie.
The other bed was where Ningtang and Erniu slept, so it was more than enough.
Today we got up early again, took the boat and the train, and everyone was tired.
Especially the three little ones, they couldn't open their eyes. The youngest one, Sanwa, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and almost closed his eyes as soon as he lay on the bed.
Shen Lie saw that the three kids were fast asleep, and said to Ning Tang, "You should go to sleep too."
Ning Tang nodded and asked, "What about you?"
Shen Lie said, "I will keep watch at night and sleep during the day."
Even in the most luxurious and least crowded berth, he dared not let his guard down.
When he was at the train station today, he saw many people with strange looks in their eyes.
When getting on the bus, Shen Lie saw a skinny man trying to steal the wallet of a woman who was dressed richly.
The thief acted so quickly that he succeeded in just a few seconds.
Shen Lie wanted to call for help, but the words were drowned out by the noisy voices in the station.
He wanted to chase after them, but he was stuck in the huge crowd. Besides, Ning Tang and three little kids were with him. What if something happened to them while he was chasing after them?
I could only watch the thief disappear into the crowd without a trace.
Thinking of what happened in the morning, Shen Lie's eyes darkened and his hands clenched tightly.
He was an active-duty soldier, but he couldn't stop this kind of petty theft from happening right before his eyes. He felt so frustrated.
Now it seems that Ning Tang's move of letting the three children change into old clothes was very forward-looking.
At least those people with bad intentions, when they saw that their family was not dressed so decently, ignored them and did not have any bad ideas towards them.
Fortunately, he was just a thief. If he was a cruel kidnapper or something, it would be even more worrying.
Shen Lie's gaze swept across Ning Tang and the three little kids' sweet sleeping faces, and he breathed a sigh of relief after feeling a little scared.
After sitting on the train for several days in a row, Ning Tang felt that his buttocks were sore from sitting.
Those who were sleeping in the bunk beds were already feeling so uncomfortable, not to mention Su Junyan and his family who could only sit in the hard seats.
After all, Su Junyan and Ning Xue are adults and have stronger endurance.
It was Ning Xue who suggested returning to Shangang Village. Even though her back and waist ached from sitting, she didn't say a word.
But the twins couldn't stand it anymore and kept howling in Ning Xue's ears, saying that they didn't want to take the train anymore, didn't want to go to their grandma's house, and wanted to go home.
Ning Xue was tortured a lot during this journey.
But when she thought about being able to "return home with wealth and glory", she felt full of strength and she kept comforting the twins in a gentle voice.
I took the train until February 4th, and finally arrived at my destination, Shangang Village, one day away.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
On February 5th, Ningtang got up early in the morning.
She was somewhat attached to her bed, and with people coming and going in the carriage, she couldn't sleep well, so she simply got up.
It’s better to get up early. The train will arrive at noon. You can use this time to pack your luggage.
As soon as Ning Tang made a move, Shen Lie woke up.
He was just squinting at first, but when he saw Ning Tang packing her luggage, he quickly stood up and tried to lend a hand.
Ning Tang quickly stopped him and let him lie down. "No need, I can do it. We don't have much luggage anyway."
Shen Lie has been on night watch these past few days and hasn't had much rest. When he finally gets a chance to take a nap, Ning Tang is reluctant to disturb him.
Shen Lie looked out the window. The sky was gradually getting brighter. He nodded and fell asleep again.
Ning Tang packed her luggage, gathered them together, picked up the enamel pot, and prepared to get some hot water so that Shen Lie and the three children would have some hot water to drink when they got up.
To get hot water, Ning Tang had to pass by the carriage where Ning Xue and her group were. When passing by Ning Xue, Ning Tang glanced at her and found that she and Su Junyan were both sleeping soundly.
Many passengers got off the bus in the past few days, and many seats became empty. Ning Xue and her friends finally had a place to move around.
As they were about to arrive at the station, they both relaxed and slept soundly at that moment.
Ning Xue leaned on the chair, not knowing what she was dreaming about, with her brows furrowed.
Su Junyan was sprawled out on all fours, and his snoring was deafening.
Ning Tang just glanced at it and went on to get some hot water.
After getting the hot water, she walked back carrying the enamel pot.
The train just arrived at a station and many passengers stood up and walked out.
Ning Tang carefully protected the enamel pot and slowly squeezed it in.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of her eye.
It was Su Guangzong, who followed a slightly plump woman whose face could not be seen clearly out of the carriage.
It's no wonder that Ning Tang noticed him in the huge crowd. It was because his red sweater with ponies sewn on it was too eye-catching, like a touch of red in the sea of green.
Ning Tang was very surprised, because it was not even eight o'clock yet, and they would not arrive until noon. Where was Su Guangzong going now? And who was he going with?
She looked at the woman carefully again and was sure that she was someone she didn't know.
I was very scared, wondering if I had met a kidnapper.
Ning Tang quickly shouted, "Su Guangzong!"
Su Guangzong seemed to hear someone calling him, so he stopped and looked back.
The fat woman following him didn't know why he stopped and urged him repeatedly, "What are you looking at? Hurry up."
Su Guangzong hesitated and said, "But I seemed to hear someone calling me."
The fat woman's expression changed. "Who called you? You must have heard it wrongly."
"Su Guangzong! Su Guangzong!" Ning Tang called out several times in succession.
Su Guangzong said in surprise, "Really? Someone called me." At the same time, he also noticed Ning Tang's figure and called out, "Auntie."
Ning Tang stepped forward to separate the fat woman and Su Guangzong, and asked cautiously, "Who is this person? Why are you following her?"
Su Guangzong said with a simple and honest face, "I don't know, I don't know her, but I wanted to go to the toilet, and she said she knew the way and asked me to follow her."
Ning Tang is convinced. You don’t even know her, and you go with her!
"If you want to go to the toilet, why don't you call your mom or dad and let them take you there?" Ning Tang asked.
Su Guangzong whispered, "I called them, but they were sleeping so soundly that they didn't wake up even after I called them several times, so I wanted to find the toilet myself, but I couldn't find it. Fortunately, I met this kind-hearted auntie."
Kind? Not necessarily.
The direction that the fat woman was taking Su Guangzong was not towards the toilet, and it seemed like she wanted to get off the car.
The arrival of the train was announced again, apparently urging the passengers to get off the train as the doors would be closed soon.
The fat woman was anxious, and she stretched out her short fat fingers to question Ning Tang, "Who are you? Why are you meddling in other people's business?"
Having said that, she no longer cared about Ning Tang, grabbed Su Guangzong's elbow, and tried to walk out.
Ning Tang quickly grabbed the fat woman's hand and prevented her from leaving, while shouting, "Hurry up, there's a kidnapper!"
The carriage they were in was very close to the carriage Ning Xue was in, and Ning Xue was particularly sensitive to Ning Tang's voice, so when Ning Tang called out, she woke up immediately and was the first one to rush over.
Ning Xue was very excited when she heard Ning Tang shouting that there was a kidnapper.
She thought there were kidnappers out to kidnap Da Wa and the other two, and she came just to enjoy the fun.
Who would have thought that when we got to the place, we would see Ning Tang holding the fat woman in his hand, and the fat woman holding Su Guangzong in her hand.
So this kidnapper didn't come to kidnap Da Wa and the others, but to kidnap Su Guangzong?!
Ning Xue was disappointed at first, and then angry.
Oh well, someone actually dared to kidnap her son!
Ning Xue quickly stepped forward and questioned the fat woman, "Who are you? Why are you holding our Guangzong? Let go."
If Ning Tang was the only one there, the fat woman could still bite back and say that Su Guangzong was her child and Ning Tang was the kidnapper.
But now Ning Xue came again, and the fat woman panicked and stammered, "I, I took him to the toilet."
Ning Xue was not a fool, she said, "You are lying. Going to the toilet is the opposite direction. You just want to kidnap our Guangzong."
Seeing that her plan had failed, the fat woman just wanted to get away quickly and spat, "Humph, good people don't get good rewards, can't I just leave?"
After saying this, he let go of Su Guangzong's hand, turned around and wanted to leave.
It’s not that easy to leave!
How could Ning Xue and Ning Tang do what she wanted? They rushed over, one by one, grabbed the fat woman, and shouted, "Hurry up, there's a kidnapper!"
The two people's shouting attracted Shen Lie and two flight attendants.
The fat woman was very strong, and Ning Tang and Ning Xue couldn't hold her back at all.
Fortunately, Shen Lie arrived in time, grabbed the fat woman and pulled her back into the car the moment she jumped out of the car.
Ning Tang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, if the fat woman had jumped out of the car, she would have disappeared in an instant.
Shen Lie grabbed the fat woman with one hand, twisted her hands behind her back, and said to the flight attendant, "Comrade, this man is a kidnapper."
The fat woman heard Shen Lie say that she was a kidnapper, and she quickly argued, "I'm not a kidnapper, I'm not a kidnapper."
She looked around and saw many passengers gathered around her. "I'm really not a kidnapper. I was just kind enough to take this kid to the toilet."
Ning Tang sneered, "You? Keep making up stories. Excuse me, is this the direction to the toilet? You? Clearly wanted to take him out of the car and then disappear."
The onlookers were not fools. The carriage they were in now was exactly the same as the carriage where the toilet was located.
With Ning Tang as an eyewitness, we have to believe it even if we don’t want to.
Fenfen said, "This woman is so vicious. I wonder why she kidnapped the child." "She kidnapped him and sold him. A child can be sold for tens of dollars, and it's a boy." "That's too bad. Really, too bad."
Ning Xue also realized what they had said.
Su Guangzong was a boy and was handsome, and the beggar must have chosen him as his target because of this.
Thinking that she almost lost Su Guangzong, she was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at the fat woman and said to the flight attendant, "Comrade flight attendant, quickly take this flight attendant to the police station and sentence her to ten or eight years in prison."
The younger flight attendant nodded and said, "I will escort her to the cabin and lock her up. When we get to the station, I will take her to the police station."
Ning Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief after getting the flight attendant's assurance.
Fearing that she would retreat, she was furious and grabbed Su Guangzong and hit him hard a few times, "Why are you so stupid? If you wanted to go to the toilet, why didn't you call me or your dad? You believed me when I said I would take you to the toilet. I wanted to kidnap you and make you a poor man's son."
An older flight attendant said, "They don't just kidnap children to be their sons. Some cruel people will break their hands and feet and take them to the streets to beg. They do long-term business with them. For them, the money they make this way is much more than a single sale."
Hearing this, Ning Xue became even more frightened and hit Su Guangzong several times again.
Su Guangzong had never suffered such an injustice. He pursed his lips and burst into tears, rubbing his eyes with his two little hands. "Wuwawawa, I'm not stupid. I called you, but you didn't wake up."
Ning Xue certainly would not put the blame on herself, and she scolded Su Guangzong a few more times, and Su Guangzong cried even harder.
The young flight attendant couldn't stand it any longer. "Don't just blame the child. It's normal for a child this young to have no vigilance. It's you, the mother, who doesn't always pay attention to the child's movements. In the final analysis, your fault is greater than his."
He glanced at Su Guangzong and said slowly, "Besides, it's the Spring Festival travel season now, there are many bad people among the crowds. Why do little kids dress up so brightly? They are pretty, but it's like they have a few words written on their faces: Come and kidnap me."
The older flight attendant nodded, obviously agreeing with the younger one. He glanced at Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa who had just arrived and pointed at them and said, "They should dress like them, all grey and inconspicuous."
Ning Xue opened her mouth and retorted, "We have money, so what if we dress our children well? You said that they are not noticeable and are not easily kidnapped. Then I also said that our children are well dressed and conspicuous. Otherwise, how could they be seen if they were kidnapped?"
She refused to listen and the two flight attendants didn't know what to say. They just felt like they were talking to a wall and took the fat woman away.
Ning Tang glanced at Ning Xue and saw that she didn't show any intention of thanking her, so she didn't care and went back to the bunk with Shen Lie and Da Wa.
She saved Su Guangzong just because she didn't want the child to be abducted by kidnappers. Even if the abducted child was not Su Guangzong, she would still take action.
Just have a clear conscience.
Ning Xue was still hugging Su Guangzong's treasure and didn't notice at all that a skinny man with a gleam in his eyes passed by her and took something from her pocket.
Most people had left, and Ning Xue took Su Guangzong back to the hard seat compartment.
When she looked over, she found that Su Junyan was still sleeping soundly. She was so angry that she woke him up and said, "Get up!"
Su Junyan was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awakened. He felt a splitting headache and said angrily, "What are you doing? Can't you let me sleep?"
Ning Xue said angrily, "Sleep, sleep, sleep, all you do is sleep. Do you know that your son was almost kidnapped by kidnappers?"
Su Junyan was stunned for a moment and turned his head to look. Su Yaozu was still asleep beside him, and Su Guangzong was standing next to Ning Xue. "What are you talking about? Why don't you just be good to yourselves?"
Ning Xue took a deep breath and repeated what had just happened to him, "The kidnapper is still detained in the crew room. Do you want to go and take a look?"
"No need to look at it, as long as they catch him, that's fine." Su Junyan said casually, "As long as the child is not lost, that's fine."
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Ning Xue became furious.
Is this your son or my son?
Ning Xue was so angry that she didn't want to talk. She leaned back in the seat, closed her eyes, and didn't want to talk to anyone.
An hour later, Su Yaozu woke up.
He didn't know what happened. He looked like a young man who didn't know worries. He pulled Ning Xue's arm and said in a crisp voice, "Mom, I'm hungry."
Ning Xue's anger also subsided, and she said sympathetically, "Come on, I'll take you to the dining car to buy something to eat."
Su Junyan interrupted, "Bring me a bag of peanuts."
Ning Xue nodded. She led Su Yaozu towards the dining car while she felt for the money in her pocket.
This is unbelievable, where is her money? !
Ning Xue suddenly had an idea and remembered that when she was teaching Su Guangzong, it seemed like someone passed by her. It must be that person who did it!
This is a full fifty yuan! It is her salary for working for half a year! It is also her entire property!
Ning Xue felt both cold and angry in her heart, like a world of ice and fire.
She was angry because she found out her money had been stolen, but she was sad because she didn't even get a clear look at what the person looked like, whether he was a man or a woman, old or young, tall or short, fat or thin, she had no idea.
Where is she going to find the money?
Ning Xue fell to the ground weakly. She could not even hear the voice of Su Yaozu who was shouting that he was hungry and asked her to take him to buy something to eat.
The train arrived at noon.
Ning Tang happily got out of the car with a small bag on her shoulder and three kids on her shoulder, and stepped briskly.
She felt particularly good when she thought about seeing Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, whom she had not seen for a long time.
I don’t know if the two old people have changed after not seeing them for more than a year.
By the way, maybe I can meet her Go Ning army.
Ning Jun is a legendary figure. Ning Tang has only seen him once in all the time she has been here. If it weren't for his letters that were sent from time to time, everyone in her family would have thought he had disappeared.
Compared to Ning Tang's brisk steps, Ning Xue's steps were frivolous and her face was pale.
First, Su Guangzong was almost kidnapped, and then all her savings that she had saved for a long time were stolen. She was in a daze and didn't even hear Su Junyan calling her several times.
After leaving the train station, the road is winding.
It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon when I could barely see the small road leading to Shangang Village.
Ning Tang saw from a distance that there were several people waiting under a large banyan tree at the entrance of the village. She squinted her eyes, trying to see more clearly.
Why do these figures look so much like Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, as well as Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin?
After walking a little closer, Ning Tang finally saw the whole picture and it was indeed them.
Ning Tang threw the bag and Da Wa to Shen Lie, ran a few steps, rushed to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, and shouted, "Dad! Mom!"
Sun Aiju looked at Ning Tang's little face with pity and said, "You are already an adult, but you are still so reckless." Although she said so, she was still very much enjoyed the intimacy of her young lady.
Ning Weiguo blew out a smoke ring and looked carefully at the young lady's face. Her complexion was rosy, so she should be doing well. He nodded secretly.
Sun Aiju pulled Ning Tang up and looked her up and down, wanting to say something, she had lost weight after not seeing her for so long.
But when I looked at Ningtang's round little face, her rosy complexion, and her mouth that opened several times, I couldn't bring myself to say that she had lost weight. If I did, I would feel so guilty.
Over the past year or so, although Sun Aiju has received letters and special products from Ningtang from time to time, the letters only report good news and not worries, and the special products are delicious and expensive. She thinks Ningtang is living a good life, but she was always worried without seeing him in person. Now Sun Aiju is finally at ease.
Shen Lie and others who fell behind also arrived and greeted each other.
Sun Aiju glanced at the three children following Shen Lie and said in a teasing voice, "These are the eldest, second and third children, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she nodded, confirming her own statement.
The eldest child and the second girl both look a lot like Shen Lie. The third child is older and more mature, and you can see some resemblance to Shen Lie in his eyes and eyebrows. In a word, you can tell at a glance that he is Shen Lie's biological child.
Ning Tang waved and called the three kids over, "Say hello to grandma and grandpa."
The three eldest boys looked at each other and were not nervous at all. They called out "Grandma" in unison.
Sun Aiju smiled so much that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were popped out. It was obvious that she liked Da Wa and the other three very much. She said hello to them several times in a row.
Ning Weiguo nodded, and a smile appeared on his usually serious face.
The eldest boy blinked his eyes. These grandma and grandma seemed to be different people from his biological uncles and aunts.
Children are the most sensitive, especially the eldest and his two children who lost their mother at a young age. They can tell at a glance whether others are nice to them or just pretend to be nice to them.
Ningwei National Highway?, "Let's go home and tell them it's cold outside."
There was a wind outlet right under the big banyan tree, and a cold wind was blowing.
Ning Tang glanced at Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju in a reproachful manner, "You know it's cold, why don't you go back to the house and wait for us? Tell me, how long have you been waiting? I clearly told you not to come to pick us up in the letter."
Sun Aiju smiled and said, "Well, it doesn't take long to wait. It's okay. I have nothing to do."
After hearing her say this, Ning Tang knew that the old couple must have been waiting for a while.
Ning Tang quietly touched Sun Aiju's hand and found it was warm, so he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
After returning home, Ning Tang looked at the familiar little green brick house and felt deeply moved.
The three eldest boys had never seen such a house before. They touched around everywhere, feeling very curious.
Sanwa felt around and finally touched the earthen kang.
There was no need for earthen kangs on Hailang Island, so he curiously stretched out his little hand and felt inside, and came out with a handful of black ash.
He sat on the ground, looking at the black ash on the two little fleshy hands, and looking at Ning Tang, feeling like crying but without tears.
Ning Tang was amused. He grabbed his little hand, dipped his index finger in some black ash, and drew two small whiskers on his fair and tender face. "This is called a kang. It's cold here. The quilt is like an ice hole. If the quilt is not warm, it will become hard like a cardboard in a few days. So we have to heat the kang when we sleep at night."
As for the black ash in the kang, it was probably because Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju knew that they were coming back and heated up the kang in advance.
Ningtang hasn't been back for more than a year. He gets off the kang when it's not warm. He's afraid that it won't work when the time comes, so he has to find someone to repair it in advance.
Shen Lie brought Sanwa over, used a handkerchief to wipe off the black dust on Sanwa's face and hands, and scolded Ning Tang, "You bullied Sanwa again."
Ning Tang was amused. "How did I bully him? It was this kid who touched the kang instead of anything else. I taught him a lesson. Fortunately, the kang didn't catch fire. If it had, his little chubby hands would have turned into roasted pig's trotters in an instant."
Sanwa looked at his hands, which had become white again, and pouted, "It's not roasted pig's trotters."