It's a nine-kilometer journey, and it will take about two hours to get back. The weather is very cold in December, and the food will be cold by the time we get back. How can we eat cold dishes and cold steamed buns?
Dongqing left the restaurant, went into a shop and bought a tea bottle. He then returned to the restaurant and filled a bottle with hot water, so that his wife could at least drink some hot water after her meal, otherwise her stomach wouldn't be able to handle it.
Dong Qing was most worried about his wife. In those days, people were very poor, and there was no shortage of thieves everywhere. Murders and robberies often happened. Stealing a little goods was nothing, but he was really afraid that something would happen to his wife. He was so anxious on the way that he pushed the cart and ran all the way.
Before 10 p.m., when they returned to the tractor, they saw a fire burning next to it from afar. When they got closer, they found that Li Yuzhu was so cold that she had gotten off the vehicle and found some crop stalks to start a fire next to the tractor.
Seeing his wife safely sitting by the fire, Dong Qing finally felt relieved. He hugged her tightly, almost bursting into tears. Li Yuzhu cried, "You're finally back! I was so afraid we'd be robbed."
Dong Qing gently patted his wife's back and said, "It's alright, I'm back now, aren't I?"
Dongqing took the vegetables and steamed buns he had bought off the cart and handed them to his wife, asking her to sit down in front of the fire and eat.
With the help of the men, Dongqing struggled to put the tractor wheels back on, then tightened the bolts and removed the jack. The vehicle was finally repaired.
Dongqing took a basket of bowls from the car and gave it to the man, then paid him 5 yuan for his work. The man went home happily.
After all that commotion, Dongqing was exhausted. His wife was having dinner, and the couple got into the car. Li Yuzhu said, "You lie down in the back and rest; I'll drive."
Dong Qing nodded, walked to the back berth and lay down. He was really tired after running back and forth.
It was too cold, and the car had been parked for too long. Li Yuzhu tried to start it several times, but it wouldn't start.
Dongqing got up from his berth, got off the train, gathered a lot of firewood, and started several fires around the tractor. After warming the tractor for a while, they finally got it started and extinguished the fires.
Back in the car, Dong Qing lay down to rest, while Li Yuzhu continued driving.
I expect to arrive tomorrow morning, but with so much time wasted on the road, it will probably be noon tomorrow.
The couple drove continuously for a while, and arrived at the first local product wholesale store the next afternoon.
For regular customers, there's no need to negotiate prices; everything is calculated based on the above prices. Once the goods arrive, they can be unloaded immediately. Just make sure the number of items is clear.
Winter days are particularly short. We finished unloading the goods from the first store before dark, settled the payment with the wholesaler, and then started the tractor to go to the second store before dark.
That evening, Fang Lin returned to the county town for winter vacation and walked out of the long-distance bus station with her luggage.
Following the address Dong Qing had given her a few months ago, she walked and asked for directions as she went, heading towards the Dong Ermei family compound.
He arrived at Dong Ermei's house and raised his hand to knock on the door.
The door opened instantly, and Dong Ermei asked, "Miss, who are you looking for?"
"My name is Fang Lin. You must be my second sister, Dong Ermei?"
Dongqing had mentioned Fang Lin to her second sister before, and she said, "I've heard my brother mention you before. So you're Fang Lin, please come in."
They went to the living room and sat down. Dong Ermei said, "My younger brother and sister-in-law went out yesterday and should be back before the 26th of the lunar year. Why don't you stay at my house for now?"
Fang Lin said, "Thank you, Second Sister."
Dong Ermei arranged for Fang Lin to stay in the guest room.
Before 8 p.m., Dong Qing and his wife arrived at the second store. The wholesale department arranged for someone to unload the truck at night, and it was already midnight by the time they finished unloading.
The general manager said, "Let me arrange a room for you two. It's too late today. I'll withdraw the money from the bank tomorrow to settle the payment for the goods."
Dong Qing was really tired after running around for two days and wanted to get a good night's sleep with his wife. Today is the 24th, and he should be able to get back by the middle of the night on the 25th.
Of course, he can't leave now even if he wanted to; how could he leave without getting the money? He said, "Fine!"
The next morning, it started snowing heavily. Li Yuzhu said, "Honey, how are we going to get home with all this snow?"
Dong Qing said, "When it first started snowing, there wasn't any snow on the roads. There are only a few days left before the New Year, so we need to find a way to go back, otherwise we'll have to spend the New Year here."
Dongqing told his wife to wait at the wholesale store to collect the money while he drove to the repair shop.
The mechanic installed snow chains on every tractor wheel. With snow chains, driving on the road is much safer; at worst, it just takes an extra day.
Before 9 a.m., the general manager returned to the wholesale department with the money and settled the payment for the couple's goods.
The general manager said, "It's not safe to walk on such a vast road. Why don't you stay here?"
Dong Qing said, "There are only a few days left before the New Year. Staying here means we'll be spending the holiday here. We have to get back before the New Year. The car is equipped with snow chains, so it's safe to drive."
The general manager said it was a humanitarian gesture to have them stay, and he would have preferred them to leave immediately, as it would save him a lot of trouble. He said, "Since you put it that way, I won't try to keep you. Just be careful on your journey."
Dong Qing said thank you and walked out of the room with the general manager.
The couple walked to the tractor, got on, said goodbye to the general manager and said goodbye until next year, and started the tractor and drove out of the wholesale department.
They first went to a gas station to fill up the car, and then set off to go home.
The snow had just started falling, and there wasn't much snow on the road. Dongqing let his wife drive first, while he lay down in the back to rest.
In the early 1980s, there were very few vehicles on the roads, and many cars were parked at home and not driven around the year-end.
With such heavy snow, there were very few pedestrians on the road. Li Yuzhu sped up the accelerator like crazy, trying to cover a long distance before the snow accumulated on the road. She was racing against the heavy snow.
Having few cars on the road has its drawbacks; fewer passing vehicles make it easier for snow to accumulate. By the afternoon, snow was gradually accumulating on the road, so Li Yuzhu had to slow down.
The couple didn't dare stop for lunch, otherwise the snow on the road would get thicker and harder to drive on. They tried to drive as far as possible before the snow got too thick, which would save them time and effort.
They drove until 6 p.m., when the snow on the road became increasingly thick. Dongqing said, "The road conditions are like this. We'll stop in the county town for a break and lunch, and also fill up the gas tank. Driving in snowy weather consumes a lot of fuel, and running out of gas on the road will be a problem."
The worst thing about driving is running out of gas on the road, especially on rainy days. It's a real headache if you run out of gas and are stranded on the road. If that happens, they won't be able to get home on New Year's Eve.
After driving to the county town, the couple filled up the car with gas and bought a can of No. 0 gasoline to put in the car. Then they went into a restaurant to eat.
The snow on the road is getting thicker and thicker; it'll probably be the 27th of the lunar year by then.
As the year draws to a close, many restaurants have closed down, making it impossible to buy food on the street. Dongqing bought an insulated lunchbox, bought an extra meal from a restaurant to put in the insulated lunchbox, and also bought some beef sandwiches to eat on the road when he got hungry.
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