For several days, Zhang Guoqing worried about Zhou Jiao being bored at home. Taking advantage of the bright, warm April weather, he and his colleagues swapped shifts for two days before the weekend. He planned to take her on a road trip to help her relax.
On the day of departure, Zhang Guoqing rode his sidecar back to the village after breakfast. He didn't bother returning to his own courtyard to find his parents. He didn't say what was going on, but simply asked them to take a change of underwear and go with him.
Zhang's father and his wife were startled, but seeing that he was smiling, it didn't look like anything had happened. They asked what was wrong, but he didn't answer, so they hurriedly followed him.
When they arrived at the county town and saw Zhou Jiao getting ready to go, Zhang's father and his wife realized that the family was planning to go out of town for a few days. They immediately felt relieved and laughed out loud.
They had never imagined Zhang Guoqing and his wife would take them to see the sea. Traveling was something they had never considered. In the past, they had spent years working on the land just to make ends meet. Now, like intellectuals, they could travel and see the sights together.
The Zhang family went on a trip without telling anyone. When they met neighbors along the way, Zhang's father jokingly said they were visiting relatives. Having lived so long, he knew only too well that telling the truth would inevitably lead to criticism. Visiting relatives was always the best excuse.
According to Zhang Guoqing's plan, he would stay in the provincial capital for one night, take a train to City D the next morning, just in time to see the sea and have lunch, and return on the afternoon of the third day.
Zhang Dad listened to his suggestion and let him make the decision. As Zhang Dad said, they can't read a single word, so just don't lose them.
This time, Zhang Guoqing traveled light. He carried a bag of cooked snacks, a bag of clothes, and a baby named Ping An, and quickly got on the bus.
Arriving in the provincial capital, Zhang Guoqing and his wife didn't bother Zhao Chuangguang's family. They checked into the guesthouse, where they were already familiar with the area, and had lunch with his parents. Then they began to visit scenic spots, stroll through the North Market, listen to storytelling, and see everything new and exciting. Everything filled Zhang's father and mother with curiosity and delight, and they declared it an eye-opener.
This time, Zhang Guoqing had bought the theater tickets in advance. His parents, lifelong thrifters, were even more reluctant to spend money on the trip, even though they were happy. They only looked and didn't buy anything; since they were out, they didn't care about money. In the end, Zhou Jiao secretly revealed her secret—if you like it, I'll buy it.
Zhou Jiao, exhausted, was left to rest with her children in the guesthouse. Zhang Guoqing accompanied his parents to a spectacular performance of a traditional Chinese opera. It was an immersive experience. It was a feeling unlike that of a phonograph, where you could only play the sound but not see the characters on stage. No one in the audience stood up to leave, and Zhang's father and mother clapped their hands until they were red.
On his way out, he ran into fellow drama fan Liu Laosan. This time, he was accompanied by a female comrade, and when he saw Zhang Guoqing, he waved hurriedly. After the two were introduced to each other, Liu Laosan kept winking at him.
Zhang Guoqing nodded in understanding and excused himself to go back to his house in two days. He had little interest in anything that wasn't part of his travel plans. He had a vague idea that the other party had some private goods to offer him. As a precaution, he rarely dealt with the other party these days. Regardless of whether the other party had connections or not, some things were best avoided if possible.
Zhang's father was no stranger to this scene. His son always ran into familiar faces wherever he went in the provincial capital. He would answer any questions in a few days, as they were unimportant matters.
The next morning, Zhang Guoqing went to the alley to buy his parents' favorite breakfast. After breakfast, the family slowly boarded the train.
After more than three hours of train travel, Zhang's mother finally got her wish and sat in the iron box. She struggled to control her excitement, feeling the speed of the train for the first time in her life. She beamed at the passengers around her, happily surveying everything before her. From time to time, she whispered to Zhang's father.
Not to mention Zhang's mother, Zhang Guoqing and his wife had taken a train before, but the soft sleeper car was never as lively as the seat car. At this moment, the carriage was filled with a mixture of accents from all over the country.
As the bus stopped along the way, vendors hawked their wares outside the windows. For a moment, the sounds of both inside and outside echoed, and passengers were walking back and forth as they got on and off the bus.
The most interesting thing is that Ping'an, who was leaning against the window, waved his little hands and kept shouting "ah...ah...", and when he saw someone handing food through the window, he reached out to grab it with a happy look on his face.
This caused some passengers to unwrap their oil-wrapped paper and give him some snacks. Zhang Guoqing quickly thanked everyone and took out some snacks prepared by Zhou Jiao for everyone to taste.
In just over three hours, thanks to these episodes, everyone quickly started talking to each other in a familiar way and laughing.
Arriving in City D, Zhang Guoqing was faced with a city completely different from his previous life. He smelled the faint scent of the sea in the air and without hesitation, he found a simple-looking groom and went directly to a guesthouse near the downtown area.
After checking in, the family settled in. After listening to the waiter's introduction, Zhang Dad decided to go to the pier first. Since he was going to see the sea, he decided to go for a walk on the beach first.
A small fishing village near the coast of City D. The village's approximately one hundred households have made their living from fishing for generations. At that moment, Father Zhang was happily chatting with the village captain.
The two sides met at the dock and chatted for a while. Zhang Dad was very curious about how the fishermen lived. Just as the other party invited him, he saw his wife and others happily waiting for his decision, so he followed Captain Mu back to the fishing village.
As soon as they arrived at the Mu family, the Zhang family felt the warm hospitality of the Mu family. Several children from Captain Mu's family gathered around Ping An, and Mrs. Mu immediately ran to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Zhang Guoqing knew that every household had limited food these days. He saw Zhang's mother, holding her child and getting along well with the family. He took the opportunity to take Zhou Jiao out for a walk. On their return, they met some fishermen who had just returned from fishing. He bought some seafood from them and carried the bucket back to the Mu family.
In the kitchen, Mu Dasao saw Zhang Guoqing offering rice, cornmeal, and seafood. She quickly declined, complaining that the young couple was too polite. Finally, after some persuasion from Zhang's father and mother, she reluctantly accepted the meal.
After a hearty lunch, we took a break and then, accompanied by Captain Mu, the family went to the beach.
The endless sea water, the ebb and flow of the tide, the surging waves, the fishing boats parked on the beach, the women mending their nets, and the children going to the sea, everything amazed Mr. and Mrs. Zhang.
Zhang Guoqing looked at the scene in front of him with satisfaction - the parents caught the little crabs in surprise and showed bright smiles, his wife played with the children and laughed heartily, and the son in his arms babbled and clapped his hands happily.
At this moment, he only wishes that time will last forever and the years will be peaceful.
As the sun set, Father Zhang led everyone to bid farewell to Captain Mu and his family. He did not notice Zhang Guoqing's private transaction with Captain Mu, and happily got on the carriage back to the city.
City D has long been known as "One City, Two Ports." Convenient transportation allows goods from both the north and south to converge here, resulting in a rich variety of goods. This is not to mention the famous local specialties like hairy crabs, prawns, donkey meat, apples, and pears.
In addition to delicious food, local sculptures and musical instruments are nationally famous.
Visiting scenic spots, tasting delicious food, admiring sculptures, and buying local specialties, all made the Zhang family forget about time and fatigue.
As the sky gradually darkened, the family finished their dinner. Tired from walking, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang no longer wanted to go out, so they happily took their grandson to watch the shadow play across the street.
After Zhang Guoqing settled them, he immediately followed Zhou Jiao out to collect supplies. In addition to the transaction with Captain Mu, there were also more delicacies and handicrafts that Zhou Jiao liked.
A night passed. At four in the morning, Zhang Guoqing and his wife went out and brought back a lot of special breakfasts.
As the day drew to a close, Zhang's parents, no longer complaining about their son's wasteful spending, began selecting practical local products to bring back as gifts.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, the journey ended and the family finally set off on their journey home with their bags.
Homesick, Zhang's mother refused to stay in the provincial capital for a moment. By the time she returned to the county seat, it was already late. Filled with regret, she could only carry gifts and visit her two daughters' in-laws. Zhou Jiao suspected that if Zhang's father hadn't warned her mother-in-law not to spread the news, she would have been staying at Aunt Wang's next door.
After settling everything, Zhang Guoqing went to the newly cleaned darkroom and began to develop photos. Since he got this unexpected camera, his hobby in his previous life finally had a place to use.
In the morning, Zhang's mother received a stack of photos from her eldest son. She was so happy that she immediately took her husband away.
Zhang Guoqing watched his parents leave, and he and Zhou Jiao laughed heartily. Who was Zhang's mother trying to show off to? Zhang's father had already made a promise.
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