Gu Wei's decision to go to the provincial capital was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
He had already made the plan when his grandmother was hospitalized last time.
Now that Gu Hongjie is on winter vacation, the whole family of four can set off together.
If it were just for sightseeing, Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi would definitely not agree.
But by adding the option of seeing a doctor, the two were successfully persuaded.
Next, Gu Wei hurriedly made various arrangements before leaving home.
He first asked Zhao Dajiang and the others to help look after the house.
Then I took my household registration to the local street office and got a letter of introduction.
They then found someone and paid a high price to get four sleeper tickets.
After learning that Gu Wei was going to take Gu Jianguo and the others out for a few days, Li Bin and the others immediately expressed their willingness to keep an eye on the store.
With the sound of the train whistle, the provincial capital's journey was successfully launched.
Of the four sleeper tickets, only one was for a lower berth.
Naturally, the prize was given to Li Guizhi, who was in poor health.
Gu Jianguo insisted on taking the upper bunk.
Gu Wei and Gu Hongjie each slept in the middle bunk.
This was the first time Gu Jianguo and his companions had ever ridden in a sleeper train.
At first, I was curious and reserved, not daring to touch or feel anything, but at the same time, I was also excited and thrilled.
After all, these days, only public officials or leaders have the opportunity to enjoy such privileges.
For ordinary people, getting a hard-seat ticket when traveling is already considered a good thing.
Many even had standing tickets, forcing them to camp out in the aisles, toilets, or connecting areas between carriages to endure the long, tedious, and unbearable journey.
Later, they were inspired by Gu Wei's calm and composed demeanor and gradually opened up as well.
He even chatted casually with other passengers.
After finishing dinner, Gu Wei climbed onto the middle bunk, read for a while, and then drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, she found that Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi were already asleep in their respective bunks.
Only Gu Hongjie, in the middle bunk opposite, was lying there, gazing intently at the night view outside the train window.
"It's so dark, what can you see?"
Gu Hongjie's eyes suddenly lit up, "You're awake!"
Then he chuckled, "Sometimes you can also see some houses and lights."
Gu Wei laughed too, "Then take a good look."
"No, let's chat instead. I heard from the uncle in the lower bunk that the first Ice and Snow Festival opened in the provincial capital a few days ago. Shall we go for a stroll after we get off the train?"
"The Snow Festival? Of course I'll go."
Gu Wei suddenly remembered that the predecessor of this ice and snow festival was the ice lantern carnival.
In the 1960s, a leader was inspecting a farmers' market when he saw an old man's earthen ice lantern. He was greatly inspired and, in conjunction with the flower exhibition in Guangcheng at the time, founded the Ice Lantern Carnival.
It wasn't until 1999 that the Ice and Snow World was built.
Unexpectedly, they happened to be there during the first edition of the event.
"That's wonderful!"
Gu Hongjie was full of anticipation.
He has never been to the provincial capital in his entire life.
Even though Gu Wei had told him about the delicious food and fun things in the provincial capital many times, seeing is believing.
The next morning, the train slowly pulled into the provincial capital station.
Gu Wei and the others got off the train with the flow of people.
Because they had taken sleeper berths, everyone had rested well and wasn't too tired.
Looking at the people hurrying by, Li Guizhi sighed, "The provincial capital is much warmer than the forest area."
Gu Jianguo adjusted his backpack and agreed, saying, "Yes, I felt it as soon as I got off the bus."
Gu Hongjie withdrew his gaze from all directions. "As expected of the provincial capital, the station is really big."
Gu Wei, standing to the side, watched them chat with a smile, without urging them on.
He even picked up the camera he had brought out beforehand and snapped a few photos of them.
In the morning sunlight, on the crowded platform, there are young grandparents and a boy's father.
It gave him a strange feeling of time and light intertwining.
The sight of people taking photos immediately attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
Gu Wei didn't seem to care much about what others thought.
But Gu Jianguo and his group felt embarrassed first.
"Let's go quickly."
"good."
Gu Wei led them toward the exit.
The three of them immediately followed suit.
After leaving the train station, Gu Wei easily found a place to have breakfast in front of the station.
In the 1980s, the provincial capital must have seemed somewhat backward to Gu Wei, who had seen skyscrapers everywhere.
Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi, however, found it very prosperous.
Gu Hongjie, who was visiting the provincial capital for the first time, was full of exclamations.
After the meal, Gu Wei led the three of them to a nearby hotel and booked two rooms.
Unlike the guesthouses, he chose a higher-class hotel with a very good accommodation environment.
Although the price is a bit high, it is worth the money.
Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi were both frugal people, but when they were out and about with Gu Wei, they didn't say much even though they thought it was expensive.
After they returned to their rooms, put down their things, and rested for a while, they left the hotel.
Our first stop was Zhaolin Park.
There are various ice lanterns and ice sculptures there for everyone to enjoy.
Gu Wei noticed that there were quite a few tourists coming and going.
Besides people from other places, there were also some foreigners among them.
He was born in Northeast China and had seen many of these things since childhood, so he was used to them and didn't find them particularly novel or interesting.
But for those who have never seen it, the feeling is definitely different, and they yearn for it.
Leaving aside others, Gu Hongjie is a prime example.
“My dad made ice lanterns for me during the Spring Festival in previous years, but they were never this beautiful! Who made this? They’re amazing!”
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