"Sister-in-law, you don't need to pack. I have room at home. You can stay at my place."
There's a lot of stuff in the storage room, and it's not going to be tidied up anytime soon, so why bother? I might as well just live in my own home, Lu Wanwan thought.
"Yes, they probably won't arrive until dark. There's still plenty of time. Go and rest for a while. We can prepare in the afternoon."
Since becoming pregnant, Gu Mingyue often felt tired. Lu Lin was afraid that she would worry, so he urged his wife to go to the room to sleep.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yuxiu and her group had already arrived in Haishi.
As soon as they stepped out of the station, a salty sea breeze hit them, causing them to shiver involuntarily.
"It's so cold here." Zhong Yuxiu wrapped her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself and rubbed her frozen, red hands.
"It's even drier and colder than back home. The wind feels like it's drilling into your bones." Lu Limin nodded, exhaling a puff of white breath.
"The seaside is damp and cold, unlike the dry cold of the north. It doesn't look that cold, but it's actually much colder. Let's find a place to eat something first, warm up, and then take the boat to the island."
The group found a nearby state-run restaurant and ordered several local specialties from the seafood market, including steamed fish, stir-fried clams, and a large bowl of hot seafood noodles.
Although the taste was not quite the same as the food at home, its deliciousness dispelled much of the fatigue from the journey.
After finishing their meal, they carried their luggage to the pier and boarded a boat bound for the island.
The sea was quite rough today, and the ship was rocking violently.
Xia Huiying gripped the gunwale, watching the rolling waves, and suddenly laughed, "This rocking reminds me of when I used to cross the river by boat; it was much more dangerous back then."
Lu Limin echoed, "That's right. Back then we were young, full of passion and fearless. Now that we're older, we're finding it harder to keep up."
Looking again, Zhong Yuxiu's face was already somewhat pale, her fingers gripped the gunwale tightly, and her brows were furrowed.
At first, Lu Limin found it strange, but as the ship rocked more and more violently, he didn't feel any better. His face suddenly turned pale, and he would close his eyes and take deep breaths from time to time.
Xia Huiying looked at the two of them and joked with a smile, "You two are not as good as me. You can't even handle this little bit of trouble."
As they were talking, a woman with a child nearby noticed that Zhong Yuxiu was in a bad mood and took out a handful of sour plums from her pocket and handed them to her.
"Comrade, are you seasick? Eating some of this sour stuff will help suppress your nausea."
Zhong Yuxiu took the plums, thanked them quickly, picked one up and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste spread on her tongue, and the churning in her stomach was indeed relieved a little.
She turned to look at Lu Limin, who was also feeling unwell, and handed him some as well, saying, "Dad, try this, it'll help."
As we got closer to the island, the boat gradually stabilized, and the distant dock became clearer.
Xia Huiying stood up, squinted at the shore, and suddenly patted Zhong Yuxiu's arm, "Look, isn't that Xiao Lin and the others?"
Zhong Yuxiu quickly got up and looked in the direction she was pointing.
On the dock, Lu Lin, wearing a military overcoat, was standing on tiptoe to look at the ship.
The two waved to the sea from time to time, their figures standing out in the cold wind.
“It’s Xiao Lin and He Xiao.” Xia Huiying recognized her grandson at a glance, and her earlier teasing mood vanished completely.
As soon as the boat docked and the gangplank was set up, Zhong Yuxiu instantly forgot her seasickness. She picked up the cloth bundle in her hand and walked down the gangplank, her steps much faster than usual.
"Mom, you really came all this way. You must be exhausted from the journey."
Zhong Yuxiu looked a little embarrassed, "How did you know we were coming today?"
While they were on the boat, they were happily thinking about giving the children a surprise, but it seems that instead of a surprise, they brought them a fright.
Lu Lin smiled and said, "Dad called me and said you've arrived on the island. He asked me to pick you up. It's windy here, so we'll talk on the way back."
He Xiao greeted them and took the package from their hands.
On the way back, He Xiao drove the Jeep, with Lu Limin sitting in the passenger seat, looking at the scenery outside the window. "I didn't expect it to be so cold here. If I hadn't been wearing so many layers, my old leg pain would have flared up."
"Grandpa, you're really something else. You're so old, and you don't even tell me you're going out," Lu Lin complained.
Lu Limin pretended not to hear his grandson's words and continued to talk about how nice the scenery outside was.
Xia Huiying: "We didn't come here because we missed you at home. We just had nothing to do at home anyway, so we decided to come and see you."
“That’s right, that’s right,” Zhong Yuxiu chimed in.
Lu Lin smiled and shook his head, "You didn't encounter anything on the way, did you?"
"No, it's just that the train was crowded. The sleeper berth was fairly comfortable, but when I was on the boat, the wind and waves were so strong that I almost threw up. If the lady next to me hadn't given me some sour plums, I really wouldn't have been able to stand it."
Lu Lin: "You should rest well when you get home. Mingyue and Wanwan are cooking at home, just waiting for you to come back."
The car drove along and soon arrived at the family compound. After registering at the entrance, we went inside.
Xia Huiying looked at the houses outside and thought they were pretty good. "They're similar to ours. Every household has a small yard where they can grow some fruits and vegetables, enough for the whole family to eat and drink."
Lu Lin: "Yes, it's cold now, so we've moved our things inside. We also have a stove on, so it's very warm. You'll see when you get back."
Gu Mingyue finished baking the last batch of preserved vegetable and meat patties and called out to the house. Lu Wanwan quickly came out to fetch the food.
"Sister-in-law, the soup is ready."
"Okay, let's keep it warm on the stove for now, and we'll eat when they get back."
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of brakes came from outside.
Gu Mingyue's pupils lit up slightly. "It must be them coming back."
Upon opening the door, both parties were overjoyed to see each other.
Gu Mingyue: "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom."
"Why did you come out in such cold weather? Let's not worry about that, let's go back inside."
Xia Huiying was afraid that she would be exposed to the cold wind, so she urged her to come inside.
Lu Wanwan clung to her grandmother's arm, refusing to let go. "Grandma, I miss you so much."
Zhong Yuxiu coughed once.
Lu Wanwan immediately pulled her along, hugging one of them on each side, saying, "I miss my mom too."
Zhong Yuxiu chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's go inside quickly, I was just teasing you."
As she entered the courtyard, she smelled a fragrance and took a sniff.
"Mom, my sister-in-law made preserved vegetable and pork patties, and I also made some soup. You can try it later and see if it tastes good."
"When did you learn to cook?" Zhong Yuxiu asked in surprise.
You know, her daughter had been nagged about for so many years, but she had never cooked a meal on her own initiative. However, she really did change her personality after getting married.
Lu Wanwan smiled shyly, "He Xiao has always been the one to cook. Sometimes he's busy with training, and I feel bad just waiting around."
Zhong Yuxiu glanced at her and said sourly, "So I still benefit from my son-in-law's fame."
"mom!"
Lu Wanwan said that in front of her mother, He Xiao and others had to take a backseat.
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