Time flew by, and soon it was time to visit Qi's mother's house as arranged. Gao Jiaqing wanted to go too, but Qi Chang didn't mind, knowing that the little guy was still thinking about the car he rode in that day.
Aunt Gao didn't care at all; as long as someone could look after the child, she was fine with going anywhere. She wouldn't mind staying overnight, or even several nights. She was even frugal with her food.
Xu Keke's little follower, Gao Lan, also wanted to go, but Aunt Gao wouldn't allow it this time. She still wanted Gao Lan to help her with chores at home. To avoid upsetting her younger sister, Gao Jiale didn't even mention it.
"Brother, you actually want to go too, right?" Gao Lan watched with longing as Qi Chang led the three of them out of the alley.
Gao Jiale ignored her, turned around with a stiff face, and went back to the hospital.
There were very few cars on the road at this time, and they walked for a long time, so long that Qi Chang had to carry the exhausted Meng Jia on his back. Xiao Jiaqing had insisted on coming along, and was afraid that there would be another reason for him to go back, so he gritted his teeth and kept going.
"Why don't you carry Jiaqing on your back, and I'll carry Mengjia on mine?" Xu Keke couldn't stand it anymore. The little guy's eyes were shining brightly, and sweat was pouring down his forehead like it was free.
"Need not!"
"Need not!"
Qi Chang and Gao Jiaqing spoke in unison, one speaking with effortless ease, the other uttering those two words while panting heavily.
"Wait here, a car will come to pick us up soon." Qi Chang led them to stand in front of a green mailbox by the roadside.
Hearing that a car was coming soon, Gao Jiaqing perked up and peeked out onto the road on tiptoe. Xu Keke took a jacket out of her backpack and draped it over Meng Jia. Little Meng Jia had already fallen asleep, exhausted, nestled against Qi Chang.
The sun had dimmed its brilliance, leaving only a bright red orb hanging on the horizon. In these impoverished times, the first thing Xu Keke thought of was salted duck eggs. She hadn't eaten chicken eggs in a long time, let alone salted duck eggs with their red, oily yolks.
"What are you looking at?"
Hearing Qi Chang's question, Xu Keke turned her head and saw Meng Jia on his back. Feeling embarrassed to distance herself from him any further, she truthfully told him what was on her mind.
Hearing Xu Keke compare the sunset to a salted duck egg yolk, Qi Chang smiled; he knew the little girl was hungry.
He supported Xiao Mengjia on his back with one hand, and took out two compressed biscuits from his pocket with the other hand, handing them to Xu Keke and Gao Jiaqing.
If Meng Jia hadn't been still asleep, both of them would have exclaimed in surprise. This was incredibly high-class—compressed biscuits! Xu Keke hadn't been in this world for very long, but she felt she'd never been so easily hungry before. Her eyes practically lit up at the sight of the food.
In this era, it's not just about money; there are so many things that money can't buy. Besides, she has no money now. She's desperate to stretch every penny. The times of poverty and scarcity are terrifying; the struggle for basic necessities can erode a person's will to fight, making them willing to give up everything for a bite to eat.
"I heard you're going to join the school team?" It was rare for the girl to speak to him, and Qi Chang took another step closer to Xu Keke. He'd heard this from Gao Lan when he entered the college that day. He'd asked her about it then, but the girl was still being stubborn and pretended not to hear him. Gao Lan had given him a vague reply, which he hadn't quite understood.
Watching Xu Keke try to break the compressed biscuit in half, Qi Chang assumed she had never eaten it before, saying, "Eat it like Jiaqing does, it's not easy to break this one."
Xu Keke knew, of course, that she just wanted to try, just in case. She stopped and sighed softly. "I haven't decided yet, but the PE teacher said that the school will give me a subsidy if I join the school team."
Qi Chang saw that she had stopped eating and wasn't eating either. "Why aren't you eating? What are you complaining about?"
Xu Keke shook her head, glanced at Jiaqing who was happily munching on a snack, and said, "I'll save it for Jiajia."
Qi Chang smiled and took a paper packet out of his pocket. "There's another one here, no need to keep it."
He had prepared three pieces, one for each person, but he didn't expect Xiao Jiaqing to come along.
Xu Keke's eyes lit up, and she stopped being polite, putting the compressed biscuit to her mouth and taking small bites. Her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel.
Qi Chang wanted to ask her a few more questions, but fearing he might delay her eating, he didn't say anything more.
Unlike Xiao Jiaqing, Xu Keke found this compressed biscuit far inferior to the delicious treats she had ever eaten. Even though she knew it had little flavor, just a slightly salty taste, life was tough, and Xu Keke felt the biscuit tasted sweet.
Soon a truck with its headlights on drove towards them.
The soldier sitting in the passenger seat opened the car door, pointed at Gao Jiaqing, and said familiarly to Qi Chang, "Let that little guy sit with me, there are some things in the back."
Xiao Jiaqing was overjoyed. Without waiting for Qi Chang to respond, he took the initiative to stand up. Without saying a word, the man pulled Jiaqing into his arms with one hand and sat back down.
Meng Jia was woken up by Xu Keke. It was a rare opportunity to ride in a car, and Xu Keke guessed that little Meng Jia would definitely prefer to be awake. Otherwise, she would regret it later when Jiaqing told her about it.
Xiao Mengjia was still a little dazed after being woken up. She held the compressed biscuits that Qi Chang had put in her hand, stared ahead, and gnawed on them blankly.
"Your father's transfer order came down this morning." The soldier in front glanced at Qi Chang in the rearview mirror.
"So fast?" Qi Chang was somewhat surprised. "Where have they been assigned?"
"Xinjiang!"
The two words seemed to be spat out from between his teeth, and Xu Keke could hear some resentment in the man's tone.
It was unclear what Qi Chang was thinking; he remained silent, his face blank.
"They said my position and benefits would remain unchanged. When I spoke with Lao Wei on the phone this morning, he said he would try to find a way..."
“Brother Chun,” Qi Chang quickly interrupted him, “It’s great, really. The conditions are a bit tough, but as long as we can protect our country, it doesn’t matter to my dad where we are. Next time you call, please tell Uncle Wei not to bother. This is really good.”
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