After he calmed down, Ruan Changfu said, "You are all grown up, and it is time for you to go out for a run and exercise. Otherwise, you will not have any wildness at all. Especially you two, Hongjun and Xiaofan, you must learn to take on responsibilities."
Ruan Hongjun was still excited and clapped his arms, "I can handle anything!"
Ruan Changfu ignored him and looked at Ruan Xi and said, "Xiaoxi, after dinner I will write down my office phone number for you. Keep it with you and remember it in your head. I will also prepare the train tickets for you. I will also contact a car for you in the county town and ask the driver to wait for you at the train station. Then I will take you directly from the county train station to the commune. I can't do anything when you get to the commune. You have to go into the mountains by yourselves."
Ruan Xi nodded after listening, "That's fine."
Ruan Changfu looked at Feng Xiuying again, "Make new clothes for the children these few days, and let them wear the new clothes to celebrate the New Year in the countryside. Go to the store and buy some things for the children to take back to their grandparents. Don't buy heavy things, which are difficult to carry on the road. Don't be confused all day long, with a brain full of paste and unable to think of anything."
Ruan Xi lowered her eyebrows with a hint of smile on her lips - no matter what you think of or what you can't think of, as long as you keep it in mind, there will be nothing you can't think of. Don't take it to heart. Even if you think about it, you can ignore it.
Feng Xiuying would still take Ruan Changfu's instructions to heart and do them all. She didn't have anything else to say, so she just did what he told her to do and nodded in agreement: "I understand."
Ruan Changfu continued, "Give them enough money and food coupons when you leave. Put them in Xiaoxi's hand. Don't forget. It's so cold. You can't just keep eating dry food on the road. At least you have to eat something hot."
Feng Xiuying still said nothing but nodded, "I'll remember."
That's about it. This year's New Year will be celebrated in two parts. Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie, Ruan Hongjun, Ruan Qiuyue and Ye Fan will go to the countryside to celebrate with their grandparents, while Ye Qiuwen, Ruan Qiuyang and Ruan Hongbing will stay at home to celebrate with them.
Although Feng Xiuying had some objections in her heart, she did not dare to oppose Ruan Changfu's decision in person.
This was the end of the matter. Ruan Changfu thought of something else, so after finishing his meal, he put down his chopsticks and looked at Ye Qiuwen and asked, "By the way, Qiuwen, what are your plans? This semester is about to end and you will graduate from junior high school. Xiaofan is still young. He will only be fifteen after the Chinese New Year. There is no way to arrange for him to go to high school. You will be seventeen after the Chinese New Year, so you are not young anymore."
Ye Qiuwen had naturally thought about this matter. If she didn't continue to go to school, she would have two options left - one was for Ruan Changfu to arrange for her to serve in the army, and the other was to go to the countryside to join the production team.
Because Ruan Changfu had mentioned the idea of going to the countryside to work as a production team member before, she was still a little uneasy. Although she has performed very well in the past six months, I don’t know if Ruan Changfu will let her join the team again.
She didn't want to go to the countryside to join the production team, but she was too embarrassed to say directly that she wanted to join the army. She was even more afraid that Ruan Changfu would see that she looked down on the idea of going to the countryside to join the production team, think that she had a problem with her thinking, and would just let her go.
And even if you join the army, you will first go to the local army. She had served in local troops with Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying, and knew that life in the local area was not easy, and that military training was extremely hard every day.
After weighing the pros and cons, she chose the best option at the moment and expressed it in the most comprehensive way.
She looked at Ruan Changfu and said, "I want to continue studying in high school and stay with my parents for another two years. I can't bear to leave you."
If she stayed and continued to go to high school, she could have been comfortable for another two years. Moreover, the school can be said to be her home ground. She is a well-known figure in the school and has a certain status.
If she joined the army, she would be a worthless recruit.
Although she has to take this path sooner or later, she would rather wait for two years to feel comfortable before going.
Seeing that she still wanted to go to school, Ruan Changfu respected her idea, so he said, "Okay, then you and Xiaofan can go to school together for another two years. After you finish high school, we can see how to make arrangements together."
Ye Qiuwen nodded, "Thank you, Dad."
There was nothing else to say now, so Ruan Changfu got up and went out for a walk.
Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue also got up and went upstairs after dinner.
Sitting down in the upstairs room, Ruan Qiuyue said happily: "I can finally see my grandparents, and the scenery on Fengming Mountain. This winter vacation should be very interesting."
Ruan Xi gave her a warning, "The process may not be as happy as you imagined."
After all, taking a train and climbing a mountain are not easy things to do.
Ruan Qiuyue smiled and said, "I'm not afraid!"
Ruan Xi smiled and patted her shoulder, "Just don't be afraid."
Ruan Qiuyue picked up the pencil and turned it on her finger, then whispered, "I thought I wouldn't see Ye Qiuwen next year, but I didn't expect her to stay and continue to go to high school. Others are eager to join the army, but she doesn't want to go."
Ruan Xi didn't think much about it and casually replied, "Being a soldier is so hard."
Ruan Qiuyue said, "Isn't it better than going to the countryside to join the production team? You still have to go after finishing high school? I think it's better to go earlier, finish your conscription as soon as possible, and work hard to get promoted to an officer and stay in the army. Isn't being an officer in the army better than being in school?"
Ruan Jie continued: "Everyone has different ideas."
Ruan Qiuyue thought for a moment, "Yes, with her mother treating her well, she lives a comfortable life at home and is well-respected in school. Unlike us, no one looks down on us and we just want to move out as soon as possible. Alas..."
Ruan Xi reached out and patted her head, "You are so young, what a joke..."
Ruan Qiuyue touched her head and said, "I will be ten years old after the Chinese New Year. I will be very big."
Ruan Jie said: "He is still a child."
Ruan Qiuyue was distressed, "It's indeed a little small. I have to endure at least another six years."
As she said this, she looked at Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie, "I envy you. You can graduate from junior high school in two years. You're just about the right age and can leave. Leave this damn place and go somewhere new to do something good."
Ruan Jie was still a little nervous, "I don't know what arrangements will be made for us at that time."
Ruan Qiuyue said, "Don't worry, cousin. You grew up in the countryside. I won't let you go to the countryside to work as a sent-down youth anyway. I'm sane. I'll probably let you serve in the army, and it's up to you to figure out how to do it. If you have the ability, you can be promoted to an officer and stay in the army. If you don't have the ability, you can serve as a conscript for two years and then be discharged. I'll help you find a job. Or if you have some ability, you can be demobilized and directly transferred from the army to a government agency."
After hearing what Ruan Qiuyue said, Ruan Jie suddenly felt that the future became bright.
She was happy in her heart and smiled brightly, "That's good."
As a result, just as she finished speaking happily, she was hit on the forehead.
After Ruan Xi finished playing, she blew on her fingers and said, "Don't think you can relax now. Read a book."
Ruan Jie raised her hand to touch her forehead and had to continue reading.
Ruan Qiuyue looked at her and smiled, then went to do her homework.
They studied until ten o'clock, then washed and went to bed. When they got up the next day, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie still stayed in their room and did not go out, just buried their heads in reading, while Ruan Qiuyue went to school on time as usual.
After coming back from school half a day, I found that Feng Xiuying had asked someone to come to their house to measure their sizes and prepare to buy cloth to make clothes.
While measuring Ye Fan and Ruan Hongjun, Feng Xiuying stood by and said, "Why are you two joining in the fun? Two or three days of train ride and two or three days of mountain road, do you think this is going to be pleasant? It's not too late to regret it now. I would say you should tell your father right away and don't go with them."
Ruan Hongjun said seriously, "My elder sister and cousin are girls who can bear it, Ruan Qiuyue is not afraid, so how can Ye Fan and I, two grown men, not bear this little hardship? I have wanted to visit my hometown for a long time, but you have never had the time, and last time you said you had to go to school and couldn't go. Now it's finally the right time, place and people, I will definitely go anyway."
Feng Xiuying said earnestly, "They grew up in the mountains and are used to it. How can you compare with them? How many mountain roads have they walked since they were young? How many mountain roads have you walked? How can I feel at ease without an adult to take care of them?"
Ruan Hongjun looked at her and said, "Mom, if you are worried, take us there."
Feng Xiuying said immediately: "I don't have the ability to take you there. The last time I went there, my body was in pain for a month or two. I felt like I was falling apart. I can't find the way either. I can't tell east from west."
Ruan Hongjun added: "Big sister can be found. Didn't you hear it last night? Just follow Big sister."
Feng Xiuying didn't want to waste time talking to him, "I'm not going."
Ruan Hongjun said: "I'll go anyway."
Then he looked at Ye Fan and asked, "What about you?"
Ye Fan said: "I'll go with you and help Sister Xiaoxi keep an eye on you."
Ruan Hongjun rolled his eyes and said, "I don't want anyone to see me. Just don't cry and call for your mother on the way."
Feng Xiuying took a deep breath, "Why can't I talk to you two? Can't you save me some trouble like Qiu Wen and Qiu Yang? You can just stay at home and spend the New Year quietly. Why do you have to go through all this trouble?"
Ruan Qiuyue really didn't want to listen anymore, so she cleared her throat and said, "Do you still want to measure my size?"
Feng Xiuying then turned around and saw her, and asked someone to come over to measure her size.
Ruan Hongjun didn't just stand there, but went straight upstairs and asked Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie to come down to measure the size together.
While Ruan Qiuyue was measuring the size, Feng Xiuying didn't say a word.
After Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie came down, she went straight to the kitchen to get some food.
In her eyes, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie are two big troubles, and Ruan Qiuyue is a small trouble who was led astray by them. He always causes trouble for her at home and makes her annoyed. It would be fine if he just did it himself, but now he has to involve Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan.
If she hadn't brought Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan with her, she wouldn't have cared about this matter at all.
They can go wherever they want. She doesn't care if they go back to Fengming Mountain to celebrate the New Year or even go to heaven to celebrate the New Year.
She didn't care about Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue, and Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue certainly didn't care about her either. After taking the measurements, the three of them went to the restaurant to eat. They didn't talk while eating and went back upstairs immediately after eating.
Ruan Changfu did not come back for lunch today. Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan did not rest at noon and went out after lunch. Ruan Hongbing followed them around or went out to find his friends.
Only Feng Xiuying, Ye Qiuwen and Ruan Qiuyang were left in the restaurant, and the three of them had not finished their meals.
Feng Xiuying finished eating first, put down her chopsticks, sat down and took a breath and said, "Do you think she looks like a debt collector? She puts down her chopsticks and wipes her mouth every day after dinner and goes upstairs. She doesn't come down until dinner time. It's been more than half a year, and I don't know what she does upstairs every day. Qiuyue used to be able to move and do some work, but now she can't move at all."
Ruan Qiuyang didn't dare to speak in front of Ye Qiuwen now and remained silent.
Ye Qiuwen comforted Feng Xiuying, "Mom, don't worry about them. Isn't it better for Ruan Xi to say something unpleasant from time to time to embarrass us? You also know her temper. She can't say anything nice at all."
Feng Xiuying thought about it and decided to avoid having to listen to those unpleasant words.
Forget it, just put up with them for another two years.
She didn't want to talk about it, but she still didn't want Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan to go to Fengming Mountain to suffer, fearing that they couldn't bear it, so she said to Ye Qiuwen, "Qiuwen, go and persuade Xiaofan to stay with the Red Army for the New Year and not go to the countryside with them. They don't know how difficult the road is, and they will probably cry on the way if they follow them in a fit of rage."
Thinking of Ye Fan and Ruan Hongjun's attitude towards her over the past six months, Ye Qiuwen subconsciously took a deep breath. She finished the last bite of rice in her bowl, put down her chopsticks, looked at Feng Xiuying and said, "I can't persuade them, they won't listen to me."
Feng Xiuying felt very suffocated. "Your father was the same. I don't know what he was thinking. He agreed to let them go."
Ruan Qiuyang suddenly said, "Dad has spoken, so just go and let them suffer a little."
Feng Xiuying looked at Ruan Qiuyang after hearing this, and after a moment of relief, she said, "Forget it. Since we can't stop them, it's a good thing to let them go and suffer a little. Then they will naturally know whether it's good for them if I don't let them go."
Since that was the case, Feng Xiuying didn't dwell on it any further.
After measuring the sizes of several children, she used the cloth coupons to go to the store to buy cloth and made new clothes for the children to wear during the New Year. She also bought some light food that was easy to carry and brought it back to her hometown for Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua.
After working so hard, it was almost time for the school holidays. On the night before departure, she helped Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan pack their luggage in their room, nagging them with many instructions, fearing that they would suffer.
Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan didn't want her to pack her luggage, but she insisted on packing it herself, otherwise she would feel uneasy.
And every time she finished nagging, she would confirm again: "Did you hear it? Did you remember it?"
Ruan Hongjun was too annoyed to answer, but Ye Fan would answer seriously: "I heard it. I remember it all."
She was relieved when Ye Fan said that. She helped them pack their luggage and put it aside. She called Ruan Hongjun again: "Hongjun, go up and call your second sister down. I will give her the money and food coupons, and tell her a few words."
Ruan Hongjun jumped up from the desk, climbed up the stairs in a few steps and called Ruan Xi.
After a while, he came down with Ruan Xi and took Ruan Xi into the room.
There seemed to be a natural repulsive magnetic field between Feng Xiuying and Ruan Xi. Whenever they were face to face, the sense of distance was very obvious. There was no expression on either of their faces, both had slightly cold faces, as if they had a grudge.
After spending more than half a year together, the relationship between mother and daughter has not improved at all. Instead, it has become more distant and even worse than when they first met. At the beginning, they were not familiar with each other and had not spent any time together. Feng Xiuying felt a little guilty towards Ruan Xi. Ruan Xi's attitude towards her was mostly distant and polite. But after they got to know each other better, all these disappeared.
The reason was nothing special. It was just that Feng Xiuying felt too little guilty about Ruan Xi, so little that she forgot to buy things for her and Ruan Jie when she first arrived. She felt that taking Ruan Xi over and just fooling around with her was enough to make up for it.
But Ruan Xi is not someone who can be fooled, nor is he someone who can accept being fooled.
As things went on one after another, Ruan Xi saw through Feng Xiuying's hypocrisy and directly tore off her mask, not giving her any face. However, Feng Xiuying was a person who was afraid of trouble and wanted to save face, so she naturally disliked Ruan Xi for being troublesome, bad-tempered and making trouble. She thought she was here to collect debts, and she disliked her more and more, and even felt annoyed with her. As a result, the two of them disliked each other more and more.
The mask of hypocrisy has been torn off long ago, and of course there is no need to pretend to be polite to each other anymore.
Feng Xiuying directly handed the money and food coupons to Ruan Xi and said, "You have to take them with you. I don't care about anything else. You have to take good care of Hongjun and Xiaofan. They have never been to such a far place, nor have they suffered such hardships."
Ruan Xi didn't bother to pay attention to her. She took the money and bills and counted them in her hand.
Ruan Hongjun said from the side: "Mom, stop nagging. Ye Fan and I don't need anyone to take care of us."
After that, he looked at Ruan Xi who was counting the money and said, "Don't worry, big sister. Ye Fan and I don't need you to take care of us. We are men and can take care of you, your cousin, and your sixth sister. You can leave anything to us."
Feng Xiuying looked at him and asked, "How old are you? What can you do?"
Having learned her lesson, Feng Xiuying no longer dared to fool Ruan Xi, lest she make a scene again, so the money and tickets she gave were sufficient. Ruan Xi put the money directly into his pocket after counting it, looked at her and said, "Can you carry the luggage?"
Feng Xiuying held her breath when she heard this. She knew she couldn't win an argument with Ruan Xi, so she said to Ruan Hongjun, "Did you hear that? She took you there just to let you carry the luggage, but you insisted on going and refused to listen to anything she said."
"Just sow discord."
Ruan Xi just said this to her and left.
Ruan Hongjun began to feel annoyed again and said to Feng Xiuying, "We were very happy about this. Dad agreed to let us go out for some exercise and go back to visit grandpa and grandma so that they can have a happy New Year. But you kept nagging me every day. If you make my elder sister angry and she doesn't take us, I will blame you for everything!"
Feng Xiuying also felt aggrieved, "Who am I nagging for?"
Ruan Hongjun lay on the bed, said nothing, and covered his face with a pillow.
Ye Fan came out to act as a peacemaker and comforted Feng Xiuying, "Mom, I will take good care of the Red Army, don't worry."
Ruan Hongjun got angry, threw the pillow aside, and shouted: "I don't want anyone to take care of me!"
Feng Xiuying was so upset by him that she said nothing more. Feeling aggrieved, she stood up, opened the door and went out. She returned to her room and sat down on the edge of the bed and began to wipe her tears. Her adopted son was also like this, and she felt that her life was miserable.
Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue packed their own luggage. They got up early the next morning, washed, took their luggage and went downstairs. They had breakfast with Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan, then went out and got on the jeep arranged by Ruan Changfu to go to the train station.
The family walked out of the house. Ruan Changfu stood outside the door and said to Ye Fan and Ruan Hongjun: "You two are men, and you are not young anymore. Take good care of Xiaoxi, Xiaojie and Qiuyue on the way, and take good care of the girls, understand?"
Ruan Hongjun loved to hear this. He put down his luggage and saluted Ruan Changfu, saying with great momentum: "Commander! Don't worry! Ye Fan and I promise to escort them home safely and complete the mission!"
Seeing him like this, Ruan Changfu wanted to glare at him and tell him to "Get lost!"
As a result, Ruan Hongjun responded again: "Yes! Chief!"
After saying that, he picked up his luggage and ran to the car. After putting his own luggage down, he came back to get Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie, and Ruan Qiuyue's.
Feng Xiuying was still uneasy and worried, so she just told Ye Fan: "Xiao Fan, you must keep an eye on the Red Army."
Ye Fan nodded naturally and said, "Don't worry."
After the luggage was loaded into the car, Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie, Ruan Qiuyue, Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan got in and sat down one after another. After the driver started the car, they waved casually to several people in their family through the car window.
When the jeep left the compound, Ruan Hongjun looked relaxed and relieved. "Ah, it's finally gone. I can hear nothing now."
Hearing this, Ruan Xi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked back at him and said with a smile, "I admire you for being able to be in this state when you meet your grandparents in the mountains."
Ruan Hongjun immediately perked up and sat up straight, "Sister, please don't underestimate me."
Ruan Xi didn't dare to underestimate him and clenched his fist towards him, "Our journey has officially begun, come on!"
Ruan Hongjun regained his spirits, clenched his fists and shouted, "Come on!!"
His voice was so loud that it startled everyone in the car, even the driver jumped.
Ruan Qiuyue and Ye Fan, one sitting on his left and the other on his right, rolled their eyes in unison after being frightened.
Fool.
The road rolled back under the wheels of the jeep and the next stretch was a long one. The five people carried their small amount of luggage to the train station and got on the train. Under Ruan Xi's instruction, they put their luggage down, sat down on the seats, and began their long journey.
Ruan Xi was so miserable on the train ride that he didn't like to talk, but Ruan Hongjun kept chattering away.
Apart from chatting on the way, the rest of the time was just looking at the scenery outside the car window. Some places are desolate, while others are covered with a layer of snow. Or there is a small cottage with smoke rising from the snow.
Ruan Hongjun was very excited at first, but after a whole day of traveling by train, he gradually began to feel tired. But his energy recovered quickly, and after a good sleep on the train he was soon full of energy again.
It's a good thing for him to do this, it can boost the morale of the team.
After two and a half days of train journey, everyone was more or less tired, but Ruan Hongjun, when he got off the train station and stepped onto the platform, stretched his muscles vigorously. After he finished, he said calmly, "It's just like this when you go on a long journey. It's not that difficult. You sound so scary. I thought there was a tiger on the road."
Ruan Xi looked at him and smiled, "Let's go to the commune."
Ruan Hongjun raised his spirits in one breath, took a step forward and assumed a charging posture: "Charge!"
Rushing outside the train station, they saw a jeep arranged by Ruan Changfu waiting for them. They took their luggage directly into the car and took a jeep to Tianfeng Commune. After arriving at the commune, we didn’t leave in a hurry. Instead, we filled our stomachs and stayed in the guesthouse for one night.
After staying overnight to refresh yourself, you can set out on foot to Fengming Mountain.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie led the way forward, while Ruan Hongjun, Ye Fan and Ruan Qiuyue followed with peace of mind. The three girls held hands and helped each other, the two boys took more things and shared more, and they could even run to other places while walking.
Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan were indeed very strong in terms of physical strength, but Ruan Qiuyue was not so strong. Although she did not take anything, she still needed to rest from time to time. Moreover, she had never experienced such hardships before. Walking on the mountain road was difficult and her feet could not bear it.
But she had great willpower and didn't say a word even when her feet were rubbed raw.
The five people reached Fengyan Village by the second night.
In the dim night, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie saw Ruan Zhigao standing beside the chicken coop and scattering chicken feed.
The two of them were in perfect sync, and before they even got close, they shouted at the same time, "Grandpa!"
Ruan Zhigao turned around immediately after hearing the voices, squinting his eyes to identify them for a long time before speaking: "Is it... Xiaoxi and Xiaojie?"
Hearing this, Liu Xinghua, who was cooking in the house, came out immediately.
Seeing Liu Xinghua coming out, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie waved and shouted, "Grandma!"
Seeing the figures and hearing the voices, Liu Xinghua instantly became excited, and said in a trembling voice: "Yes, yes, Xiaoxi and Xiaojie are back!"
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