Early the next morning, after breakfast at home, five young men on four bicycles took the three of them to the train station.
In the waiting hall, Xu Jianguo held his sister's backpack and was unwilling to let go. "Sister... I..." He only said two words and his voice was a little choked.
Xu Manman stroked her brother's straightened hair and said, "Study hard and get into Peking University or Tsinghua University next year. Then you can come with me."
Xu Jianguo looked at his sister with watery eyes and nodded heavily, "Sister! I will definitely pass the exam."
"I believe you." Xu Manman took her backpack, while Chen Ming carried her suitcase. She looked at the other brothers and said, "We're leaving first. Write to me if you have anything. See you during the New Year."
"Be careful on the road."
"See you during the New Year."
The two of them checked their tickets and got on the bus first. The bus to Beijing City departs earlier than the bus to Hunan Province, so Xu Manman and Chen Ming got on first.
After finding her seat in the sleeper car, Xu Manman sat on the lower bunk and looked out the window. Outside, people were coming and going with luggage.
It’s clearly a summer vacation of less than two months, and we’ll be able to meet again in a few months, but the sadness brought by this separation is even greater than the previous ones.
After Chen Ming put away his luggage, he saw Xu Manman sitting there with a bad expression on his face. "Manman, what's wrong?"
Xu Manman came back to her senses and curled her lips, "I just feel a little reluctant."
Chen Ming took out a handful of White Rabbit from his pocket and said, "Eat something sweet, it will make you feel better."
Xu Manman looked at him holding a handful of candy and couldn't help laughing, "Where did you learn this from?" He knows all the tricks to please girls, so why doesn't he find a girlfriend yet.
Peel off the sugar coating and put it in your mouth. Why is it called a classic? The milk flavor is really rich.
"I learned this from my mom. Whenever she's in a bad mood, she drinks some sugar water and she's in a better mood."
Xu Manman looked at him and blinked, okay, that's the case.
I am used to taking this train. This time I didn't meet anyone as enthusiastic as the two purchasing guys last time. For more than 20 hours, everything went smoothly. I slept when I was tired, read when I wanted to, and went to the dining car for food when I was hungry.
The next afternoon, the train arrived in Beijing.
Without notifying anyone in advance, and when Xu Manman was secretly taking a shower last night, she also told Xiao Jin not to come over, so naturally no one picked them up after they got off the train. The two of them went to the bus stop as if they were familiar with the place and took the bus.
Before the sun set, we finally arrived at the Xu family yard.
The main door was closed. Xiao Jin had said before that they always entered through the side door when they were working. The main door was normally locked from the inside, so it couldn't be opened without anyone inside.
The two of them went around to the side door, and Xu Manman took out the key from her bag to open the door. Their bicycles were still parked in this parking area, but the originally empty yard was covered with a canopy, so they could park their bicycles there without worrying about them getting wet on rainy days.
The building materials and tools that were originally piled here were all cleaned up. When I entered the yard of the second room, it was exactly the same as what I saw in the photo.
Chen Ming helped put Xu Manman's suitcase in the east wing and took the opportunity to tour it. "Manman, before we left, this place was empty. It just looked bright and spacious. Now that the furniture is put in, it's so comfortable."
Xu Manman also nodded. Of course, anything produced by Xiaojin must be a high-quality product.
The two of them cleaned up. Since they were too tired today, Chen Ming didn't ask his cousin to cook and decided to go out to eat at a state-owned restaurant.
Before leaving, the two visited several other courtyards.
Chen Ming turned on the tap in the main room's public bathroom and saw the water flowing down the wash basin into the sewer. He couldn't help but marvel at it. "Seeing it in a photo is one thing, but now that I see it with my own eyes, I have to say, Brother Zichu is really amazing."
"Cousin, let's go to the compound tomorrow and ask Comrade Zichu to come over for dinner in the afternoon."
"As he should be. No need to make a special trip. I'll call him later and let my family know I'm safe."
The two of them went to a state-owned restaurant and didn't eat too complicated. Chen Ming ordered a bowl of mixed noodles, and Xu Manman ordered a bowl of oil-splashed noodles, plus a cold dish. It was a simple meal.
The two of them hadn't eaten noodles for a long time, so they felt extremely satisfied after having such a meal.
After dinner, Chen Ming went to make a phone call while Xu Manman went to the nearby store to buy food. The oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and other things for the family were bought by her uncle at that time. Later, when the yard was renovated, Chen Ming asked Xiao Jin to take them home.
However, after Xiao Jin finished cleaning up the yard, he not only bought all the kitchen utensils, but also prepared all the seasonings that Xu Manman was used to using for cooking. Otherwise, it would be said that her Xiao Jin was thoughtful.
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