Chapter 348 Arrival in Qingzhou
On her first long trip, Zhuozhuo didn't feel any novelty, only the stuffiness and impatience of riding in the carriage for a long time, and wanted to get off and wander around every now and then.
Fortunately, she listened to advice and, after being coaxed by Sheng An and the others, she would stay quietly for a while or take a nap.
When she could no longer hold it in and needed to relieve herself, Sheng An had the carriage stop, and after she finished, they took a stroll around the neighborhood.
But by the end of the day, the little guy was still listless and clearly not as active and talkative as usual.
Grandma Sheng felt heartbroken and guilty: "It's so cold, and we're making the child suffer with us. We should have waited until she turned three before going back."
Sheng An comforted her, "Everyone's like this on the first day. She'll get used to it."
Grandpa Sheng and Xu Chenglin also felt sorry for the little guy, but they had already traveled all day and couldn't turn back. They could only try their best to make the little guy more comfortable on the road.
The accommodation at the inn was alright, but the food wasn't very good.
Despite her exhaustion, Sheng An used the few ingredients available in the kitchen to make Zhuo Zhuo's favorite steamed egg with minced meat.
The adults ate steamed buns, white porridge, and a few side dishes prepared by the post station. After eating and drinking their fill, their fatigue was greatly reduced.
With guards and escorts around, Sheng An wasn't worried about safety. After greeting the three elders, she and Zhuozhuo went to bed early.
However, she didn't dare to sleep too soundly. She would wake up in the middle of the night and touch the little one's forehead, afraid that the little body would not be able to withstand the hardships of traveling and would get sick and feverish.
Fortunately, Sheng An's worries did not come true.
Perhaps it was because Zhuozhuo had a good constitution, or perhaps it was because Sheng'an took good care of her. Apart from being irritable for the first few days, she did not experience any physical discomfort and did not even sneeze once.
During their journey, they encountered a snowstorm, forcing them to stop in a small town, which delayed them for five whole days.
After setting off again along the official road, passing through layers of towering mountains, Sheng'an clearly felt the change in temperature.
Upon arriving at the nearest town, they immediately sent someone to the dock to inquire about passenger ships heading south to Qingzhou. They successfully chartered a large ship, large enough to accommodate all the people and vehicles.
Zhuozhuo had finally gotten used to the bumpy ride of the carriage, but then she was suddenly switched to a boat and had to continue to endure the dizziness and discomfort caused by the boat journey.
The little guy was much better than Sheng An, who was on his first boat ride. He just tended to fall asleep easily, but didn't experience any nausea or vomiting.
This relieved everyone.
Traveling by water is faster than by land. After nearly a month of arduous travel, the group successfully arrived at Qingzhou Wharf on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Sheng An, with Zhuo Zhuo who was already impatient, stepped off the boat first. As soon as they stood still, they heard an excited shout from not far away: "An An!"
She subconsciously looked up and saw Zhang Zhaodi running quickly toward her.
Behind her were the three Zhang brothers, as well as Shuqi and others whom she hadn't seen for over two years.
Sheng An was both surprised and delighted, never expecting to see them at the dock: "How did you know we were back?"
Zhang Zhaodi was the first to rush to Sheng An, her eyes welling up with tears of joy. She hugged the mother and daughter tightly, saying, "I've been waiting for you at the dock for so many days. I'm so glad you're finally back!"
Zhang Daikui explained with a simple smile, "We received an urgent letter from my cousin a while ago, and we calculated the time it would take for you to arrive in Qingzhou, so we waited for you at the dock every day."
Sheng An was unaware that Xu Jinnian had written an urgent letter to his hometown. Upon hearing Zhang Daikui's words, the longing she had been suppressing in her heart surged forth like a collapsing snow mountain.
At this moment, Grandpa Sheng and the others also got off the boat. Seeing the familiar faces in front of them, they were equally excited.
Xu Chenglin patted his eldest nephew's shoulder heavily, his wrinkles chrysanthemum-like smile: "We were delayed for a few days by wind and snow on the way, I'm sorry to have worried you."
"It's alright, it's alright. It's good that you all arrived safely, Uncle."
Zhang Erkui came over, rubbed his hands together and said with a grin, "Next year on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we'll pay our respects to Uncle. Uncle, please give us brothers some lucky money to calm our nerves."
Xu Chenglin laughed heartily, rubbing his head with his dry, large hands: "Alright, I'll make up for yours this year too!"
After everyone had laughed and joked for a while, the three Zhang brothers' attention was drawn to Zhuozhuo, who was being led by Sheng An.
"Sister-in-law, is this our niece? She's grown so much!"
Seeing that Zhuozhuo was fair and tender like a glutinous rice ball, the three grown men, who were already fathers, were overjoyed and rushed over to hug her.
The Zhang family was dominated by males and lacked females. Not only did the three brothers not have any sisters, but they also each had two sons. They longed for a daughter but never got one.
Especially after Xu Cuilian returned from Beijing last year, she would constantly talk about how beautiful and cute Zhuozhuo was in front of them, urging them to quickly give her a sweet and soft granddaughter.
The three brothers were under a lot of pressure. After several months of hard work, Zhang Zhaodi did not conceive, but Lin Yuying and Wang Xiaofang successfully announced their pregnancy.
Despite the family's great anticipation, the two sisters-in-law gave birth to two more big, healthy boys, much to their dismay.
Now that they see Zhuozhuo, the three brothers can't resist taking the little one home, hoping their wives will share in the joy and have a daughter next time.
Even though Zhuozhuo wasn't afraid of strangers, she felt uneasy being stared at like a wolf by her three burly, unsettling-looking uncles. She instinctively hugged Sheng An's leg, saying, "Mommy, I'm scared~"
When Sheng An saw this expression on her daughter's face for the first time, she couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly bent down and picked up the little one, saying, "Don't be afraid, they are all your uncles, they won't hurt you."
When Zhuozhuo heard the word "uncle," her little eyes lit up.
Hello Uncle! Uncle will give her lots and lots of nice things!
In the little girl's memory, the uncles who often visited her home would always bring her sparkly gifts.
Therefore, in her eyes, her uncle = a gift.
Sheng An immediately saw through her daughter's thoughts and, fearing that she would ask for a gift in public, said before she could speak, "Our Zhuozhuo is hungry, we need to hurry home for dinner, right?"
Zhuozhuo instinctively hugged her belly, nodding her little head seriously: "Yes, eat, I'm hungry~"
Amused by her adorable appearance, everyone decided not to stand by the dock in the cold wind any longer and boarded the carriage to head towards Shengyuan.
Halfway there, Zhang Xiaokui rushed home and told Xu Cuilian and her husband, who had been worried for several days, about Sheng An and his group's safe return.
The couple couldn't sit still any longer, so they quickly tidied themselves up and went to Shengyuan with Zhang Xiaokui.
Upon seeing the person she hadn't seen for over a year, Xu Cuilian burst into tears.
After being comforted by everyone, she gradually stopped crying, and then hugged Zhuozhuo and kissed her several times with a big smile, calming down and talking to Sheng An and the others.
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