Before they had even walked the entire street, the whole family was already full.
"This beef patty is delicious. I'll come back to buy more tomorrow morning for everyone's breakfast." Liu Daqiang really enjoys this kind of food.
Liu's mother rubbed her stomach and shook her head: "No, I can't eat anymore. Don't buy any more of mine. I won't eat anything tomorrow morning."
The group walked through the noisy neighborhood, planning their next move.
"I plan to go to Mount Hua tomorrow." Liu Zi had never been to Mount Hua in her previous life, so she was quite curious.
“The road to Huashan is too steep; it would be dangerous for the two children to climb it,” Liu Daqiang was the first to object.
"Huh? Really?" Liu Zi really didn't know.
"Is there a cable car? We can take the cable car up."
“What’s the point then?” Liu Daqiang still shook his head in opposition.
“By the way, your Uncle Xu is a local. We’ve been to his hometown before. It has mountains and rivers, and the environment is great. Shall we ask for directions and go camping there?” Liu Daqiang became more and more excited as he spoke.
After moving to a quieter corner, Liu Daqiang picked up his phone and dialed the other party's number.
It's unclear what the two were saying, but Liu Daqiang's smile grew wider and wider, and he looked extremely excited.
After he hung up the phone, everyone realized that Xu Qiang wanted to go back to his hometown for camping with them and asked if anyone else had time.
We all had a fun weekend, enjoying water activities and barbecue together.
The two children cheered when they heard they could play in the water.
Liu Zi and her mother planned to get up early the next day and go to the nearby farmers' market to do some shopping.
Back at the guesthouse, Liu Zi, as usual, sent a text message with her itinerary for the next day before going to bed.
The next day, Liu's parents and Liu Zi went out shopping together.
To Liu Zi's surprise, she actually saw Tan sheep, a breed unique to Northwest China, in the market.
These sheep are slightly more expensive than regular sheep, and it seems like not many people are buying them.
Liu Zi went straight there and ordered two lamb legs, as well as some ribs and meat.
The meat of Tan sheep is tender and has no gamey smell, so even people who don't like lamb can eat a couple of pieces.
As for the rest, Liu Zi bought whatever caught her eye.
Beef, sausage, mushrooms, chicken legs, chicken wings, cabbage, garlic, bell peppers, tofu, chives...
Since there wasn't any hot pot base available yet, Liu Zi bought sour garlic chili sauce, pepper powder, cumin powder, and bamboo skewers directly from the spice shop...
"Dad, whether I can have grilled fish today depends on you!" Liu Zi gave Liu Daqiang a difficult task.
"this……"
Liu Daqiang had no fishing experience, so it was Xu Qiang who suggested bringing a fishing rod so the two could have a competition.
So Liu Zi deliberately didn't buy fish at the market, leaving it up to her father's skills.
Liu Daqiang was a little embarrassed, but he still patted his chest and assured everyone that he would definitely catch a fish.
It was almost time, so Liu Zi and the others drove to the agreed-upon location in the southwest of Anshi.
Xu Qiang's car was already waiting there. When he saw Liu Daqiang and the others arrive, he immediately got out of the car to greet them.
"Daqiangzi, let's wait a bit longer. There are two more families coming, and the rest are busy and can't come together." Xu Qiang handed Liu Daqiang a cigarette, and the two of them started smoking outside the car.
Aunt Xu also got out of the car, carrying a few small apples, and walked towards Liu Zi and the others' car.
"Sister-in-law, here are some apples for you. It'll be a two-hour drive, so we can stop anytime if anything happens," Aunt Xu said with a smile to the people in the car, telling them to be prepared.
"Oh my, why did you bring so much stuff?"
Aunt Xu unexpectedly noticed the things on the back seat: fruit, vegetables, and what looked like meat.
Although she doesn't expect the other person to buy her anything, and she wouldn't say anything even if they didn't bring her anything, isn't it true that relationships can only last if there's give and take?
"Uncle Xu said he was going to show off his skills at grilling meat for us. This morning, we were strolling around the market and happened to see some Tan sheep. We heard that it tastes really good when grilled, so we bought some," Liu Zi told Aunt Xu.
"When you come to our hometown, we should be the ones treating you. It's not proper for us to let you spend money!" Aunt Xu said apologetically.
Yesterday, when Aunt Xu heard her husband suddenly suggest going back to his hometown tomorrow, she was furious.
With so many people and no preparations made, are we really going to let them eat cornbread when we go back to our hometown?
She also got up very early this morning and dragged the man out to buy things.
I spent several hundred yuan on meat alone. I was worried it would spoil in the heat, so I specially got a styrofoam box to keep it warm and put ice cubes inside.
“Same here. We originally came out to have fun. Daqiang said he had been to Brother Xu’s hometown before and that the scenery there was beautiful. He wanted to take the kids there to see it, so we troubled you and your husband to come along.” Xu Mei’s words made Aunt Xu feel comfortable.
Indeed, with all the elders in the family gone, Xu Qiang and she rarely go back to their ancestral graves unless there's something urgent to attend to.
"You don't know, Xu Qiang was extremely busy a few years ago and rarely took us out to play. The children are happy to have this opportunity." Aunt Xu brought her daughter and two grandsons this time.
"That's good. I kept telling Daqiang that it was too much trouble for you, but he said that Brother Xu insisted on having a fishing competition with him." Xu Mei laughed.
Aunt Xu secretly told Xu Mei that Xu Qiang's hands were actually very bad, and he had basically never caught any fish.
"Oh no, oh no, I was waiting for them to catch fish so we could grill it!" Liu Zi added with a laugh.
Upon hearing Liu Zi's words, Aunt Xu burst into laughter, bending over with mirth.
She called out to Xu Qiang in the distance, saying that her eldest niece was waiting to eat the fish her uncle had caught, and that Xu Qiang should work hard.
Amidst the laughter and chatter of the crowd, two more cars arrived.
They are the Lü Jun family and the Zheng Weimin family.
Once everyone had arrived, they prepared to set off.
Before setting off, Xu Qiang put a walkie-talkie in the car. He had borrowed it from the army logistics department that morning and told him to return it when he was done.
The vehicle drove smoothly on the highway, and Liu Zi enjoyed the scenery along the way through the car window. The mountains and rivers were beautiful, and the air was fresh, which made people feel relaxed and happy.
However, Liu Zi quickly noticed her eldest daughter Lingzi's unusual behavior. The little girl suddenly huddled quietly in her seat, not moving at all.
Liu Zi unbuckled her seatbelt, squatted down in front of her, gently rubbed her daughter's head, and asked her if she was carsick.
Suzuko looked timidly at her mother, then whispered, "Mom, are we going to Giethoorn?"
"Of course not! Why would you think that? We're going to Grandpa Xu's old home. There are streams and rivers there. Grandpa will teach you how to fish. It'll be a lot of fun." Liu Zi knew what Lingzi was thinking when she heard Lingzi's question, so she quickly hugged her.
"The mountains here look just like those over there, and there are lots of trees on both sides of the road," Suzuko pointed with her little finger.
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