After waiting for half a day, Wang Haoran was finally able to get started. He excitedly pulled Chen Bin and led the village children to run two laps, then led Xu Fengjiao to run two laps. Then Chen Bin led Lu Xianghong, including Zhao Xi, Zhao Chen, and the others from spring, summer, autumn and winter. Everyone took turns playing on the sled.
Thunder and Lightning seemed tireless, pulling everyone along at breakneck speed. While Lin Qing was on top, Thunder and Lightning controlled their speed.
Now that Lin Qing was no longer sitting, the thunder and lightning seemed to have been unleashed, running incredibly fast and startling the children with screams.
The children stopped chasing after the thunder and lightning, because they were too fast for them to catch.
The group played until evening, when Lin Yunfeng, following Lei Dian down the mountain, excitedly joined in.
That afternoon, Thunder and Lightning, pulling their sleds, left a trail of footprints of varying depths on the snow-covered ground of Chaoyang Brigade, like a beautiful pattern recording their shared memories. Even years later, recalling that afternoon would still bring a smile to their faces.
...
Lin Qing recently felt that Gu Nanxun and his third brother were acting strangely. They would whisper to each other from time to time, and when Lin Qing looked over, they would pretend to be serious and say other things.
Lin Qing watched the two of them with amusement, but didn't press them for details. Since they had decided to keep it from her, it probably wasn't a big deal; they would likely tell her when the time came.
"Brother Nanxun, Brother Nanxun..." That morning, Lin Qing woke up and didn't see Gu Nanxun, so she subconsciously called out to him.
Lin Qing called out a few times but didn't hear a reply from Gu Nanxun. Then she remembered that Gu Nanxun had told her the night before that he was going to the county town in the morning.
Lin Qing lay in bed for a while before getting up to wash up, eat breakfast, and then leave the space. She lay lazily on the kang (a heated brick bed), casually flipping through her Chinese textbook.
In the county town, Gu Lanxun and Lin Yunfeng were waiting at the train station. Two imposing dogs were driving a grand sled, attracting frequent glances from those around them.
Gu Lanxun stood there without changing his expression. Lin Yunfeng, seeing the gazes around him, involuntarily straightened his chest and a proud smile appeared on his face. His eyes frequently glanced at the surrounding crowd.
"Beep beep beep..."
A long, drawn-out train whistle rang out, and a green train chugged into the station.
Lin Yunfeng instantly became excited. He anxiously stood on tiptoe, looking at the crowd getting off the car, his eyes darting around as if searching for something.
Gu Nanxun, who had been calm just moments before, suddenly became nervous. He wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and looked around with Lin Yunfeng.
"Third brother, look over there, aren't those two people Mom and Dad?"
Suddenly, Gu Nanxun pointed to a couple not far away and asked Lin Yunfeng a question.
Lin Yunfeng looked in the direction Gu Nanxun was pointing and saw a couple wearing clean and tidy military overcoats, carrying large and small bags, standing not far away looking around.
"Dad, Mom..."
Lin Yunfeng became instantly excited, shouting and waving as he ran towards his parents. Gu Nanxun, who had been watching Lin Yunfeng's actions, quickly followed after him.
Lin Qing was engrossed in her book on the kang (a heated brick bed) at home, completely unaware of Gu Nanxun and Lin Yunfeng's tension and anticipation. Occasionally, she would look up at the window and watch the winter sun lazily shining on the snow, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.
At the train station, Lin Yunfeng and Gu Nanxun's hearts raced. One of them was finally seeing his long-lost parents. The other was finally going to see his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Lin Yunfeng's shouts were particularly clear in the noisy station. Lin Jianguo and Dong Xiulan looked over in surprise at the source of the sound when they heard their son's voice.
"Yunfeng!" Lin Jianguo responded loudly, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. Dong Xiulan's eyes were slightly red as she looked excitedly at the two tall young men running towards her.
Lin Yunfeng ran forward quickly and hugged his parents tightly.
"Mom and Dad, you came without telling me! If Nanxun hadn't told me, I would still be completely in the dark!"
Dong Xiulan looked up at her son, whom she hadn't seen for several months. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with reddened eyes, "Hmm, not bad, you've gotten a lot stronger."
Looking at his son, Lin Jianguo finally felt relieved. Although he knew from his daughter's and son's letters that they should be doing well, he was still a little worried because he hadn't seen them in person. But now that he saw that his son had grown quite a bit stronger in just a few months, Lin Jianguo was completely at ease.
Relieved, Lin Jianguo couldn't help but scrutinize the other young man.
"Dad, Mom, you must be tired from your journey!" Gu Nanxun said as he saw Lin Jianguo looking at him. He quickly stepped forward and took the package from Lin Jianguo's hands.
Lin Jianguo smiled and released the package from his hands, letting Gu Nanxun take it. "You must be Gu Nanxun! Thank you for coming to pick us up."
Upon hearing his father's words, Lin Yunfeng took the package from his mother's hands and quickly said, "Mom and Dad, let me introduce you. This is my brother-in-law, Gu Nanxun!"
"Mom and Dad, I'm Gu Nanxun." Upon hearing Lin Yunfeng's introduction, Gu Nanxun straightened his chest and called out to Lin Jianguo and Dong Xiulan with a serious expression.
"Good...good...good boy..." Dong Xiulan looked at the tall and handsome young man in front of her and nodded in satisfaction. Although she had already seen the photo, she was even more satisfied now that she saw him in person.
"Mom and Dad, Qingqing doesn't know you're here yet. She's at home right now! It's cold, and Qingqing is pregnant, so I didn't tell her."
Gu Lanxun continued to explain to Lin Jianguo and Dong Xiulan.
Dong Xiulan was even more satisfied now. She nodded with a smile, "Yes, you did a good job. It's cold now, so pregnant women need to be especially careful."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Gu Nanxun made a suggestion.
"Mom and Dad, let's go home first!"
Gu Lanxun led everyone toward the sled. Then he had Lin Jianguo and Dong Xiulan sit in the back, placed their bundles at their feet, tied them with rope, and finally took out a blanket to cover them.
"Mom and Dad, let's go eat first, and then we'll go back."
Lin Jianguo was examining the sled he was sitting on. The sled was made entirely of wood, with two rows of seats and soft cushions underneath. It was surrounded by transparent plastic sheeting, so the wind couldn't get in.
The plastic sheeting was something Gu Nanxun had just added in the last couple of days, and its addition caused another round of sighs from the villagers. Everyone in the village, young and old, praised Gu Nanxun for being clever, though some of the older folks also criticized him for being wasteful.
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