Chapter 164 What I Know
Lu Baoguo thought about it and nodded heavily: "It seems so. My sister is gone, so where is my sister?"
Lu Xingguo was anxious now. He pouted and burst into tears: "I want a sister, I want a sister!"
Big tears fell to the ground, and she cried so heartbrokenly.
Seeing this, Xiao Taozi hurried over to hug Lu Xingguo and wiped his tears with her little hands.
"Don't cry, don't cry. When I grow up, I will come to see Fifth Brother!"
When Lu Xingguo heard this, he was even more unwilling to do it. How long would it take for his sister to grow up?
"Wow... I don't want that. I don't want that. If my sister leaves, I'm going to run away from home!"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.
"Okay, run away from home. Once you get lost, you will never see your sister again!" Yuan Yinan looked at his grandson and said with a smile.
Lu Xingguo's eyes rolled around, then he took Xiao Taozi's hand and said, "I want to follow my sister."
When Lu Liangchen heard this, he immediately strode forward, picked up Xiao Taozi, and looked at Lu Xingguo with disdain: "Don't even think about it!"
Little Taozi was suddenly lifted up by her father. She giggled and hugged his neck, her little feet dangling in the air.
Seeing this, Lu Xingguo stamped his feet anxiously, tears welling up in his eyes again: "Second uncle is so mean! He stole my sister! Wow... I want to run away from home with my sister."
He Wanyi rolled her eyes at her son, thinking he was such a loser. He was such a grown-up, yet he still made his little nephew cry. She quickly came over to smooth things over and squatted down to wipe Lu Xingguo's tears.
"Xingguo, be good. Your uncle is just teasing you. Don't cry. If you cry, your uncle will laugh at you. When summer vacation comes, let's go see Xiao Taozi, okay?"
Lu Xingguo counted with his little finger for a long time, but couldn't figure out when summer vacation would start. However, he still asked with a sob, "Really? You're not lying?"
"When has Grandma ever lied to you?" He Wanyi pinched his little face. "You can even see the desert and camels then."
When Lu Weiguo's older children heard this, they also became interested and gathered around: "Grandma, we want to go too!"
"Let's all go." He Wanyi agreed with a smile, then turned to Jiang Haitang and said, "Don't think we'll be too noisy when the time comes."
Jiang Haitang quickly waved her hands: "How could that be? It's better to have a lively home."
Old Master Lu sat in a rattan chair, looking at the laughter in the room, a relieved smile on his wrinkled face. He tapped his cane gently and said, "Alright, alright, stop making noise. Liangchen and the others have to catch a train tomorrow, so let the kids get some rest."
As the night deepened, the Lu family gradually quieted down.
Jiang Haitang carefully carried the sleeping Xiao Taozi to the bed, gently tucked the quilt for the child, and leaned over to give Xiao Taozi a light kiss on the forehead.
When she turned around, she found that Lu Liangchen had been standing at the door with a bulging envelope in his hand.
"Dad just gave it to us," he said in a low voice, "He said it's for emergency use."
Jiang Haitang took the envelope and, in the moonlight, saw a thick stack of national food coupons and industrial coupons inside, as well as several brand-new Great Unity coupons. Her nose felt sore, and she quickly stuffed the envelope back into Lu Liangchen's hands. "This...this is too much. We can't take it. We have enough money for ourselves, so we'll keep this for our family."
Lu Liangchen held her hand and said softly, "Please accept it. This is a gift from my parents. When we are well off, we can honor them."
She understood her parents' thoughts, but she just felt guilty towards them, which was why she kept subsidizing them.
The next day, before dawn, He Wanyi got up to cook dumplings.
According to the custom in the north, eating dumplings on the bus and noodles on the way home means a safe journey.
As soon as the steaming dumplings came out of the pot, everyone in the Lu family, young and old, had already gotten up.
Little Taozi, wearing a brand new red cotton-padded jacket, looked like a festive little Fuwa, sitting obediently at the table eating dumplings.
"Eat slowly, don't burn yourself." Shi Shulan carefully blew the dumplings to cool them down. "Would you like some vinegar?"
Little Taozi shook her head, her mouth stuffed with something, and mumbled, "Auntie, the dumplings are delicious!"
He Wanyi brought over a few more aluminum lunch boxes filled with food she had prepared that morning. "These are all hot. I've wrapped them in cotton cloth to keep them warm. You can eat them at noon and in the evening. The ones that have cooled can be eaten tomorrow."
Lu Liangchen took the heavy package and felt heavy in his heart.
He looked around, at his grandfather's wrinkled face, his parents' graying temples, his eldest brother and sister-in-law's concerned eyes, and his nephews' red eyes, and suddenly he felt his throat tighten.
"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law, we're leaving first..."
"Let your eldest brother take you to the station. The rest of us won't see you off." said Mr. Lu.
But in the end, a group of little kids still followed them to the train station.
The train station was crowded with people and passionate revolutionary songs were playing on the radio.
Lu Liangjin stood on the platform with a group of little kids, reluctantly saying goodbye to Lu Liangchen and his family of three.
"Send a telegram when you get there." Lu Liangjin patted his brother's shoulder. "If you encounter any difficulties at work, remember to tell your family."
Lu Liangchen nodded heavily: "Okay, big brother, I'll ask you to take care of the family from now on. Grandpa and mom and dad are all in your care. You and your sister-in-law should also take care of your health."
On the other side, Xiao Taozi was surrounded by several brothers.
Lu Weiguo took out a wooden pony from his pocket and said, "I carved this for you."
Several other children also took out the gifts they had prepared, including glass marbles, colorful candy wrappers, and even a picture book.
Little Taozi held a bunch of gifts, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, brothers! I'll take good care of them! Next time I come, I'll bring you gifts too!"
The whistle blew long and the train was about to start.
Lu Liangjin's eyes were red, and he hugged Xiao Taozi into his arms: "Xiao Taozi, you have to take good care of your parents, you must be well..."
Xiao Taozi nodded solemnly: "Uncle, don't worry, Xiao Taozi is not a three-year-old child anymore, I will definitely take good care of my parents. Uncle will help Xiao Taozi take good care of my great grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, second grandfather, second grandmother, great aunt, and my brothers!"
Lu Liangjin asked Lu Weiguo to take care of the children, while he helped Lu Liangchen and others put their luggage on the train.
The train slowly left the platform. Jiang Haitang looked out the window and saw several children from the Lu family jumping and waving. Xiao Taozi was also waving her hands desperately.
Until the brothers turned into little black dots, Little Peach looked outside with tears in her eyes, obviously very sad.
"Don't cry, little Taozi. During summer vacation, grandma will bring her brothers to visit you."
Xiao Taozi seemed comforted by these words and nodded.
Little Taozi slept too late last night and got up too early this morning, so she fell asleep in no time.
Jiang Haitang placed Xiao Taozi on the bunk, covered her with a quilt, and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Lu Liangchen held her hand and said, "You should get some sleep too. We still have a long way to go."
"Liangchen, you say..." She spoke softly, but then stopped.
"Hmm?" Lu Liangchen looked down at her.
Jiang Haitang shook her head, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "Nothing, I just feel... really good."
This trip to the capital was very fruitful for her. Not only did she gain the recognition of the Lu family, but she also found her only relative.
Although I have to return to Jincheng and cannot be with my relatives, my heart is full.
"You want to ask grandpa, right? When we went out, he was actually watching from a distance." Lu Liangchen said, putting his arm around Jiang Haitang's shoulders.
Grandpa Jiang was worried that it would affect them, so he didn't show up.
"I know!" Jiang Haitang nodded hesitantly. "The butterfly on my hand flashed!"
When they were in the courtyard, the butterfly on Jiang Haitang's hand flashed by. She guessed that her grandfather should be watching them from somewhere, but when she looked back, she didn't see anyone.
"One day we will be able to return to the capital and be with our families. When that time comes, I will be filial to Grandpa with you."
"Then we must work hard in Jincheng to prepare for a smooth transfer to the capital in the future."
The train passed through the tunnel, and the light flickered in the carriage.
Little Taozi turned over in her sleep, and her little hands unconsciously grabbed the corner of her mother's clothes.
"Get some sleep. I know you didn't sleep much last night." After urging Jiang Haitang to rest, Lu Liangchen lay down on the bunk and took a nap.
While Lu Liangchen was dazed, he heard the train conductor's hawking as he pushed the dining cart past, the other passengers' whispered conversations, and Jiang Haitang's steady breathing.
These ordinary sounds intertwined together form the most soothing lullaby.
After an unknown amount of time, he was awakened by Xiao Taozi's soft voice: "Dad, Mom, I'm hungry."
The little girl sat on the bunk with sleepy eyes, her hair messy, like a furry little kitten.
Jiang Haitang smiled and smoothed her daughter's hair. "What do you want to eat? Grandma has prepared a lot of delicious food."
"I want to eat sesame candy!" Little Peach's eyes lit up and she immediately made a request.
"No, you have to eat first. You can eat sesame candy after that." Although Lu Liangchen dotes on Xiao Taozi, he will still refute Xiao Taozi's unreasonable requests.
Xiao Taozi was a little disappointed, but still nodded obediently.
"Okay, Dad, I'll eat first."
Lu Liangchen took the aluminum lunch box prepared by He Wanyi from the luggage rack and said, "Oh, it's still warm. It tastes just right."
When you open the lunch box, the aroma of cabbage and meat dumplings immediately fills the air.
Little Taozi cheered and eagerly tried to grab the food with her hands, but her father patted her hand gently and said, "Use chopsticks."
Jiang Haitang watched the father and daughter dividing the dumplings, and suddenly remembered something. She took out a glass jar from her bag and said, "I almost forgot, there's this too."
The jar contains glistening pickled cucumbers, which are crunchy when you bite them and are a great side dish to relieve greasiness.
Lu Liangchen picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and suddenly smiled: "Mom is always worried that we will be hungry on the road."
As he was talking, the lady from the bunk next to him leaned over and said, "Comrade, your dumplings are delicious. Which station did you buy them from?"
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