No matter how pleasant a vacation is, it will always come to an end. As he was about to return to Beijing, Zhang Guoqing planned to go back to his hometown alone to see his parents.
Yi Jiefang, Wan Dayong and Geng Dasheng, who rushed over after hearing the news, gathered in the Zhou family's small building, staring at Zhang Guoqing in front of them with shining eyes and a look of surprise.
"What did you say? Go to my hometown?"
Geng Dasheng betrayed the two people beside him as soon as he opened his mouth, "That's right. Dayi said you can hunt and have meat to eat, and Brother Wan decided that we should go with you."
Zhou Jiao was on the side, smiling and secretly making a V sign to them.
Yi Jiefang winked at her, then said seriously, "Xiaowu, we haven't had time to go out since school started, so we can go on a trip. Don't you want to see what's going on outside?"
Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes at him - what he said was better than what he sang.
Wan Dayong threatened: "Do you believe that as soon as you leave, your wife will take us with her?"
"Didn't Zhou Jiao want to go south? It just so happens that we're going there by military train tomorrow night. I'm telling you, that's my base camp. I guarantee you'll have everything you need to eat and drink when you get there."
Zhang Guoqing was furious with Yi Jiefang. There was also a wild man named Yi Zhe in the south, so how could Little White Rabbit get in? He glared at the three of them and raised his hands.
Wan Dayong and the other two stood up happily and high-fived to celebrate.
"Hey...don't be too happy yet. I'm not responsible for dealing with logistics. You can handle whether there is a spot or not. By the way, arrange one for my wife as well."
Wan Dayong laughed heartily. "Do I need your reminder? I already found someone before I came here." He then tossed him a piece of paper and said, "This is someone I know from the grasslands of your hometown. I'll take you two on a little adventure."
Zhou Jiao couldn't help laughing when she heard this. This "lang quan" (a phrase that has become famous) has become a popular saying, and everyone is talking about it now.
Zhang Guoqing took the paper, glanced at it, and threw it back to him, saying contemptuously, "You're awesome, you're even better than your grandfather. But don't get beaten up by the old man and then come back to my house."
When everyone heard Wan Da's courage, they jumped up and down and burst into laughter.
When it was time to set off in the evening, Zhou Jiao had a talk with Zhou Xiaozheng, but unexpectedly, he just said "oh" calmly and nothing else happened!
"Dad, shouldn't you be reluctant to leave me and yell at Jiaojiao not to run away?"
Zhou Xiaozheng patted her head and said with a smile, "You've been playing wild this summer, how could I catch you? Go ahead, go out more while you're still young."
Zhou Jiao flattered him with a smile, "Dad, you're the best."
"Ping An, you have to explain it to him clearly, otherwise he will be angry if you don't take him out."
Zhou Jiao laughed non-stop. "He's busier than me. I asked him if he wanted to go back to his hometown, and he said he was terribly busy and would wait until he was done with the kids."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and said, "We have the child, so you can go around without worry. When you see Xiaowu's parents, please say hello for Dad. Ask them to stay in Beijing for a while when they have time."
Not far after the couple came out, they saw Yi Jiefang and his two companions with their mouths wide open - the couple both rolled their eyes at them, how strange!
After walking some distance out of the gate, Yi Jiefang whispered, "That was Comrade Lao Zhou's laughter just now, right?"
“Guaranteed genuine!”
"My dear, tell us the secret. How did you make Old Zhou laugh?"
Zhou Jiao glanced at them sideways, "Secret? I'll tell you - I don't know."
Along the way, the five of them avoided other friends, secretly took the train, and started their journey to the Northeast.
In the living room of a small courtyard in the county town, Father Zhang lay on a rattan chair with his eyes closed, listening to the drama on the gramophone, humming a few lines from time to time and tapping the armrests.
Mother Zhang came out of the cellar with a smile on her face and returned to the living room. Seeing her husband so leisurely, she tried to hold back and still went forward to push him.
Father Zhang looked at her in confusion.
"Dad, do you think we should go to the Beautiful Home?"
Father Zhang looked at the clock and shook his head. "Wait until dark and bring five kilograms of rice."
"Why are all the children born this year sons? If I had known, we could have asked Jiaojiao to have one too."
Zhang Dad laughed out loud when he heard this. "Silly woman, didn't Old Ding's granddaughter-in-law give birth to a girl the other day? Our Xiaowu is not in a hurry. They are young and are worried about not having enough children."
Mother Zhang nodded repeatedly, then sighed, "Didn't you say the child would definitely come back? Why hasn't he come home yet?"
"Don't worry, Jiaojiao said in the letter that they were going on vacation with Brother Zhou, so something must be going on. You will definitely see your son within the next few days."
Mother Zhang hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I miss my grandson. I haven't seen him for a year. I can't tell what he is like even when I look at his photos every day. Now that I hold my little grandson in my arms, I think of Ping An when he was little."
Zhang Daddy saw this and lowered his head in silence. After a moment, he finally made up his mind, "We'll go with Xiaowu this time, and take you to see what the capital is like."
When it came time to leave, Zhang's mother hesitated. "But my grandson is still young and needs someone to take care of him. What if my in-laws come over to help and refuse to leave?"
Father Zhang shook his head. "We'll be gone for a few months at most. The little grandson has his mother, and the second son is here. His father-in-law can't cause any trouble."
Zhang Dad knew his three sons well. The second son was the coldest, not even close to his cousins, except for his parents and his five siblings. The second son was the least afraid of falling out. If his father-in-law angered him, he would be immediately reported to the police station, and he would definitely do it.
Zhang's mother was so happy that she was in a tizzy. But when she thought about the things in the cellar, she was worried. She knew the door was locked, so she looked out the living room, ran to her husband, and whispered, "What about the things in the house?"
Zhang's father was enjoying watching her sneak around. Hearing this, he joked, "Why don't we eat it all these two days?"
"The child's father..."
"Okay, it's okay to put the things there. When the time comes, lock the door and give the key to the second brother. No one dares to sneak in."
Here, Zhang's father and mother were waiting for their eldest son to return to discuss going to the capital. In the carriage over there, Yi Jiefang and the other two looked at the two pieces of luggage in the carriage with great curiosity.
Yi Jiefang kicked it with his foot. "What did you bring back home? Why is the package so big?"
Zhang Guoqing laughed and said, "Don't break it, or you'll go back hungry. It's full of rice and flour."
"Just make it up, I'll never believe you! With food coupons, who would be stupid enough to take rice back?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and changed the subject. He was truly that foolish. Even with food coupons, returning to the county town wouldn't guarantee rice or flour, especially for a group of five.
Compared with ordinary trains, military trains have only a few main stops and no extra small stations, so they are much faster.
As soon as they arrived in the provincial capital, the five people did not return to the county town first, but followed the military transport vehicle directly into the logistics department and soon found Zhao Chuangguang.
"Godfather, these are my good buddies, Yi Jiefang, Wan Dayong, and Geng Dasheng."
"Uncle Zhao, do you have a goddaughter?"
"Hello, Uncle Zhao."
"Uncle Zhao, we are sorry to bother you so much to come here."
Zhao Chuangguang laughed heartily. "You little bastards! Alright, I'll inform your uncles first, or they'll skin me alive."
Zhao Chuangguang wasn't surprised at all. From Zhou Xiaozheng's notification of who was coming, he already knew the family backgrounds of the three young men. Furthermore, these young men hadn't even arrived at the military region yet, and their cousins had already received the news and asked him to notify them.
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