Chapter 257 A Home
"Mom! Look! Big mountains! Such big mountains!" Little Taozi leaned on the car window and pointed outside excitedly.
Jiang Haitang rubbed his eyes and looked out the window.
The train has entered the Loess Plateau. Outside the window are continuous ochre-colored mountains, which glow golden red under the morning sun.
Occasionally, a few houses can be seen in the distance, with smoke rising from their chimneys.
Lu Liangchen had finished washing up without knowing when, and was drinking water from an enamel pot. "We'll be home in a few hours, so I can take a rest then."
Jiang Haitang stood up, straightened her clothes, took out a comb from her luggage, and combed Xiao Taozi's hair.
The little girl's hair is now completely different from the yellow and soft hair when she first came. It has become black and thick because of good nutrition.
Jiang Haitang carefully braided the little girl's hair into two small braids and tied them with a red hairband, making her look particularly energetic.
"I'll get some hot water." Lu Liangchen picked up two thermoses and walked towards the connection between the carriages.
Little Peach's attention was soon attracted by the novel scenery outside the window.
Lu Liangchen came back with hot water, and the three of them had some simple dry food for breakfast. Little Taozi couldn't wait to hear the story.
Jiang Haitang was very surprised to see the little girl becoming more and more clever.
Little Taozi is much smarter than other children of the same age. Although she is only three years old, she is very sensible. She can remember every story she hears and can even tell it to others.
Lu Liangchen held his daughter on his lap and began to tell her a story in a low voice: "A long time ago, this place was a vast ocean..."
Just as Lu Liangchen was telling the story, the train made a temporary stop at a small station.
The platform was crowded with passengers carrying large and small bags, and the sounds of shouting and hawking could be heard one after another.
A man in blue overalls hurried past their car window, and Lu Liangchen suddenly sat up straight.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Haitang keenly noticed the changes in her husband.
Lu Liangchen shook his head: "Nothing, I just seemed to see someone I know."
Although he didn't say much, his eyes still scanned the platform vigilantly.
After the train started again, Lu Liangchen whispered to Jiang Haitang, "That man just now looked like Lao Zhang from the factory security department. He should be in Jincheng, so why is he here?"
Jiang Haitang's heart tightened: "Could something have happened at the factory?"
"It shouldn't be. With Zhao Kai and Secretary Tan in charge, nothing serious should happen." Lu Liangchen comforted him, "Or maybe I'm mistaken. If there's an emergency, the factory will send a telegram."
Jiang Haitang noticed that although Lu Liangchen was saying comforting words, his brows were still furrowed.
As the factory director, Lu Liangchen has a heavy burden on his shoulders, especially during this period of tight production tasks.
At noon, the train stopped at a larger station.
Lu Liangchen got off the car and bought some hot roujiamo. The three of them had lunch with the pickles prepared by He Wanyi.
"We'll be in Jincheng in three hours." Lu Liangchen looked at his watch.
When Xiao Taozi heard they were almost home, she jumped excitedly on her bunk: "I miss my little quilt! And I miss Aunt Liu's sauerkraut noodles!"
Jiang Haitang smiled and hugged her daughter in her arms: "Aunt Liu must have prepared a lot of delicious food for you. We also brought gifts for Aunt Liu and Grandma Kong. How about Xiao Taozi personally deliver them to them when the time comes?"
She was away from home most of the time during this period, and Lu Liangchen was busy and had no fixed schedule, so Xiao Taozi was at Liu Hongmei's house most of the time. Liu Hongmei's family really loved Xiao Taozi.
Little Peach nodded obediently: "There are also brothers and sisters!"
"Okay, we have them all. Let our little peach deliver them all!"
The scenery outside the window became increasingly desolate, with only a few stubbornly growing jujube trees occasionally visible on the loess slopes.
Jiang Haitang looked at the familiar scenery and her heart suddenly calmed down.
Perhaps because she had lived in the northwest since she was a child, she felt at ease when she saw the ravine.
Xiao Taozi was a child after all. After making a fuss for a while, she finally fell asleep. Jiang Haitang took advantage of Xiao Taozi's sleep time to start writing and drawing in her notebook.
Lu Liangchen couldn't help but laugh and said, "Everyone says I work hard, but that's because they haven't seen how hard you work!"
Jiang Haitang couldn't help laughing. "I took up the machinery factory's quota and went abroad. I have to bring something back to the machinery factory. Otherwise, Director Mao will have some complaints."
Hearing Jiang Haitang say this, Lu Liangchen also laughed.
"That's right, Director Mao has always wanted you to go to the machinery factory and work part-time in our textile factory!"
Director Mao said more than once that he suffered a loss.
The train continued to move westward, and the sunlight outside the window gradually became softer.
"Attention, passengers! Our next stop is Jincheng Station. Passengers getting off please be prepared..."
The conductor's announcement broke the silence in the carriage.
Lu Liangchen stood up and started packing his luggage: "Let's go home."
Jiang Haitang picked up the still confused little Taozi and looked out the window at the city skyline that was getting closer and closer.
The sky in Jincheng is as blue as the sea, still that familiar blue!
The train slowly pulled into Jincheng Station. Not many people were on the platform. Compared to a large station like the one in Beijing, it felt a bit desolate.
When the train came to a complete stop and the family of three got off with their luggage, shouts suddenly came from the platform.
It was Xiao Wu who arrived and saw Lu Liangchen and Jiang Haitang, waving at them desperately.
Lu Liangchen greeted him with a smile: "Xiao Wu, thank you for your hard work."
Xiao Wu smiled and said, "You're welcome, Director Lu. This is what I should do."
As he spoke, he took out two White Rabbit candies from his pocket and gave them to Xiao Taozi: "Xiao Taozi, did you miss Uncle Wu?"
Little Peach took the candy, smiled, and immediately nodded and said, "I thought about it!"
Several people were amused by the little girl's appearance.
Xiao Wu helped carry the luggage and walked out of the station.
"Engineer Jiang, you've been gone for such a long time, we've missed you so much. We've recently encountered a few technical problems that Li Jingcheng and Duan Changhe can't solve, so we're just waiting for you to come back..."
Xiao Wu kept talking without stopping along the way.
Soon, we arrived at the familiar factory gate.
Little Taozi couldn't wait to lie on the window glass, her little nose pressed flat, and her eyes shining as she looked at the familiar figures outside.
Soon, the car drove to the gate of Lu Liangchen's yard in the family compound.
Perhaps they heard the sound of the car, and many people in the family compound came out to see. When they saw Lu Liangchen and Jiang Haitang getting out of the car, they hurriedly gathered around.
"Aunt Liu! Grandma Kong!" Little Taozi immediately shouted happily when she saw Liu Hongmei and Aunt Kong.
When Aunt Kong heard Xiao Taozi's voice, she immediately waved to her and said, "Oh, Xiao Taozi is finally back. I missed you so much, Grandma Kong!"
Little Taozi rushed into Aunt Kong's arms like a little cannonball: "Grandma Kong, I missed you too, and I brought you a gift!"
"Oh my little baby, you even brought a gift for grandma, why are you so adorable!"
Aunt Kong hugged Xiao Taozi and kissed her rosy face several times.
Jiang Haitang stepped forward and held Aunt Kong's hand. "Auntie, thank you so much. I've been very busy this year, and Xiao Taozi is very grateful to you for taking care of her."
"Why are you being so polite? We all work in the same factory. I can herd a sheep if I want, and I can herd a flock of sheep if I want!" Old Mrs. Kong looked at Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen with a smile. "It's different this time. We're a real couple now!"
Lu Liangchen's ears flushed slightly, and he coughed lightly, "I'll have to trouble Director Zhao and Auntie to help with the move. Move all the things from Haitang's yard here."
When everyone heard these words, they couldn't help but make fun of them again.
Lu Liangchen was thick-skinned and just said that he would give wedding candy to everyone later. But Jiang Haitang was shy and felt embarrassed, and even the tips of her ears turned red.
"Yes, yes, yes. There are many of us. We can help move it here now, so we can save you the trouble tomorrow." Liu Hongmei said readily.
Other neighbors around immediately agreed.
Lu Liangchen opened the door of Jiang Haitang's yard and everyone came to help.
Little Taozi ran around the yard like a cheerful little bird, occasionally taking out little toys from the house and showing them to Aunt Kong like treasures: "Grandma Kong, this is my favorite cloth rabbit! Mom said I can put it in my new home!"
"This is my favorite crayon. I can't lose it!"
Aunt Kong smiled from ear to ear. While helping her organize her gadgets, she said to Jiang Haitang, "Little Taozi, you don't have to run back and forth anymore. That's great."
Jiang Haitang was packing technical books from the bookshelf with Liu Hongmei. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "I'm usually busy with work, so I don't have much at home, just some books and clothes."
Liu Hongmei neatly tied up a pile of books and joked, "Things are different now. Director Lu has quite a bit of stuff, and with Xiao Taozi's stuff added in, those two rooms of yours are probably going to be packed to the brim!"
Fortunately, Jiang Haitang's furniture all came from the factory, so there wasn't much to move. Everyone worked together, and most of what needed to be moved were just odds and ends, which were easy to move.
In the backyard, the daughter of the old Wu family came out of the kitchen, carrying a pile of pots and pans. She smiled and said to Lu Liangchen, "Director Lu, you've finally married our factory's most valuable engineer. You must treat her well from now on!"
Lu Liangchen smiled and nodded: "Of course, I will definitely perform well."
Everyone burst into laughter. Jiang Haitang happened to come out of the house. When she heard this, her face turned red and she lowered her head and pretended to organize the bag in her hand.
Liu Hongmei was sharp-eyed and deliberately said loudly: "Oh, our Jiang Gong is shy!"
Little Taozi didn't understand what was going on, but she giggled along, ran to Jiang Haitang's legs and hugged her, "Mom, your face is so red!"
Everyone laughed in good faith again, and the small courtyard became very lively.
After moving all the things, Aunt Kong went home to wash her hands. When she came back, she was holding a small red cloth bag in her hand.
"Haitang, I don't have anything good, so I just made this pair of pillowcases. I embroidered them with lotus flowers for good luck!"
When Jiang Haitang opened them, she saw a pair of finely crafted cotton pillowcases embroidered with lifelike lotus flowers. The stitches were so fine that it was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into them.
Her heart warmed, and she held Aunt Kong's hand: "Auntie, you've taken the trouble. I will definitely make good use of this pillowcase."
Those who were close to each other also sent wedding gifts.
Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen opened their luggage and took out candies and preserved fruits bought in Beijing to share with everyone.
Everyone smiled and said some congratulatory words.
"Director Lu, Engineer Jiang, you've worked hard on this journey, so we won't disturb you from resting." Aunt Kong said with a smile, "Little Taozi, do you want to sleep with Grandma and Sister Erni tonight?"
Little Taozi was very conflicted. She wanted to sleep with Erni, but she also wanted to sleep with her parents. The little girl was really troubled.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
