Chapter 78
In the days that followed, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu squeezed out time from their busy studies and work to visit law firms of all sizes throughout Hecheng.
They must make arrangements for their family's future before leaving Hecheng in the remaining days.
After consulting with the best law firm in Hecheng, they finally made a will.
The lawyer was astonished to see two young people, not even twenty years old, wanting to make a will in advance, but Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu seemed relieved, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts.
Because then, they can finally relax and spend their last moments in Hecheng with their families.
Han Xiu Education Institution was making money every day, and Han Shuo had Meng Yuxiu deposit another 600 into each of the two savings books, so that the original 2,900 yuan became 3,500 yuan, which was exactly round up.
After depositing the money, Meng Yuxiu stood in the lobby of the post office savings bank and counted the remaining banknotes in his hand. There were still more than 800 yuan left. He asked Han Shuo, "Aren't we going to deposit the rest?"
"I won't save it," Han Shuo said. "Since we're leaving on holiday, let's buy some New Year's gifts for the tutors in advance. I'll use the rest to buy clothes for my brother and Tingting. If I don't buy them anything and just give the money to my brother, he might save it for me and Tingting."
"Um."
Han Shuo said to Meng Yuxiu, "Do you have class this Friday afternoon? If not, come pick me up from school, and we'll go for a walk."
"Okay." Meng Yuxiu rolled up the banknotes in his hand with a rubber band, then unzipped Han Shuo's cotton-padded jacket and stuffed it into the inner pocket of the jacket.
Because there are many thieves these days, and Han Shuo is pregnant, generally no one dares to get close to her.
Han Shuo zipped up his jacket, patted his round belly, and said contentedly, "Having money really makes a difference. People have more energy and spirit. I need to buy some toys for my Tingting so he won't keep playing with those glass marbles. I also need to buy my brother a cotton-padded coat and a pair of cotton-padded shoes; his shoes are worn out at the toes. Oh, and let's buy some clothes for Mom and Dad too."
"Okay, whatever you say."
On Friday, after having lunch in the cafeteria, Han Shuo told Gao Ze that he and Meng Yuxiu might be late for their evening tutoring class.
Gao Ze noticed that Han Shuo had already slung his backpack over his shoulder and asked, "Are you going out this afternoon?"
"Yeah, I'm going out shopping. The holiday is coming up soon, so I'm buying some New Year's goods to take home in advance."
"You can buy it in the county town too."
Han Shuo said disdainfully, "What good things can you find in a county town? Things from big cities are definitely better."
Gao Ze thought about it and agreed. He had made a lot of money recruiting students for his tutoring center, so he decided to buy some New Year's goods to take home another day.
"Make way." Han Shuo was about to get out of his seat when he patted Gao Ze on the shoulder.
"Oh, oh." Gao Ze immediately got up from his seat and made the heavily pregnant Han Shuo walk out from the seat next to him.
Before leaving, Han Shuo turned back and said, "Gao Ze, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"What's wrong?"
Han Shuo thought for a moment and said to him, "I'm having a baby in my hometown after the New Year, so neither Meng Yuxiu nor I will be able to come out. If my brother or Meng Yuxiu's parents come to the tutoring center, please hand over the work to them."
Gao Ze didn't think too much about it. Although he found the words strange, he readily agreed.
Thanks!
It had been snowing repeatedly recently, but today the sun was shining brightly. Although the air was still cold, the sun was shining on the earth. Han Shuo was overjoyed at the thought of buying New Year's goods for his family and seeing them again in just a few days.
He leaned on his back, basking in the bright sunshine. He even waved and greeted the teachers and students who walked by.
"Han Shuo, where are you going?"
"I'm going shopping!"
"Are you in such a good mood today because your husband came to pick you up?"
"Huh?" Han Shuo was taken aback and turned around to see Meng Yuxiu riding his bicycle in from outside the school gate.
"Huh?" Han Shuo asked in surprise, "Why weren't you waiting for me at the main gate?"
Meng Yuxiu stopped the car and said to him, "We're going shopping later. I'm worried that like last time, there won't be enough room on the bicycle, so I'm planning to park the bike in your school's bike shed and then take the bus."
"Alright."
"Wait here for me, I'll be right back." Meng Yuxiu said, then pushed off with his long legs and rode his bicycle toward the bike shed.
Han Shuo didn't wait more than a few minutes before Meng Yuxiu ran back. When he got to Han Shuo, he naturally took Han Shuo's military green backpack, put the strap over his head, and slung it across his body.
"Let's go." He took Han Shuo's arm.
The two went to the street where they bought clothes last time. It was probably because the weather in Hecheng had been gloomy for too many days and it was finally sunny. The street was packed with people. Meng Yuxiu, who was so tall, couldn't see the road because of the crowd.
He carefully held Han Shuo, afraid that someone might bump into his stomach.
However, there were just too many people. It was difficult to even walk, let alone squeeze into the front of the stalls or into the shops on both sides. The two of them had no choice but to slowly move forward with the flow of people. If they saw something they liked, they would slowly squeeze through the gaps in the crowd.
Previously, when I bought clothes for Han Shuo, he complained that shopping was tiring, but today he was in high spirits.
Watching Han Shuo walk into a men's clothing store and have the owner take off the clothes one by one, even though the colors and styles were almost the same, Han Shuo patiently picked them out for a long time.
Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you complain about shopping being a hassle last time?"
Han Shuo, picking out clothes without looking up, said, "Really? Did I? Did I say that?"
"Um."
"Hey, that's different. I can just buy whatever I want for myself, as long as it fits. Hey boss, how much is this one?"
"..."
The boss took a moment from his busy schedule to come over, and after hearing the price, Han Shuo started haggling again.
"But this one seems a bit small."
The boss asked Han Shuo, "What size do you wear?"
"I really don't know what size you wear." Han Shuo thought for a moment, pulled Meng Yuxiu next to him over, and then gestured to the shopkeeper to show his body shape, "I'm a little shorter than him, but I'm bigger."
"This one is fine." The shopkeeper took the garment off his arm.
Han Shuo touched the fabric; it was corduroy with a thick cotton lining.
"Hey Meng Yuxiu, Dad's build should be about the same as my brother's, right?"
Meng Yuxiu nodded and said, "It seems so."
Han Shuo told the shopkeeper he wanted two items, and also bought two cotton-padded jackets in the same size. After leaving the men's clothing store, the two went to the women's clothing store, but neither of them were good at buying women's clothes, so they could only buy two wool sweaters and a silk scarf that was currently fashionable in Hecheng.
After browsing through several shops, Meng Yuxiu felt there were so many items that he couldn't possibly hold them all with ten fingers, so Han Shuo offered to carry one bag.
Meng Yuxiu naturally refused. Not to mention carrying things, Han Shuo was now even walking unsteadily, and he had to keep a close eye on him at all times in such a crowded street.
Next, Meng Yuxiu needed to continue buying things for Han Ting, so he went to a general store and bought a large woven bag. After putting all the miscellaneous clothes and pants into the woven bag, he carried it on his shoulder, freeing up one hand to hold Han Shuo's hand.
Are you thirsty?
After walking around for two hours without drinking water, Han Shuo was indeed thirsty.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu was about to put down the woven bag and take out the water bottle from his schoolbag.
To save money, Han Shuo has hardly gone shopping since becoming pregnant, from the county town to Hecheng. Every day, apart from his rented room, school, and tutoring classes, he goes mostly to the breakfast stalls and vegetable market in the alley.
Now that the will is made and the money has been earned, there are no more financial worries, and there's no need to skimp on food and drink.
"Don't take the water bottle, let's go buy a sugarcane," Han Shuo said to Meng Yuxiu. "We can eat it as we stroll around."
Meng Yuxiu immediately ran to buy two sections of red sugarcane. Seeing Han Shuo eating so contentedly, he felt gratified. After all, the man who couldn't even afford a radish before could now afford to let his wife eat sugarcane.
The two of them ate their way from one end of the street to the other.
After Han Shuo finished eating, he told Meng Yuxiu that they should go to the children's clothing store next door to browse.
Meng Yuxiu looked down at Han Shuo's empty hands and asked, "Where's your sugarcane residue?"
Han Shuo looked down and saw that Meng Yuxiu was holding a large handful of sugarcane residue in his palm.
"...Why are you holding it in your hand?"
"Where did you lose yours?" Meng Yuxiu asked.
Han Shuo was exasperated. "Just litter anywhere! There aren't even trash cans these days, so everyone just throws their trash on the ground, right?"
Meng Yuxiu glanced down at the crumbs in his hand, hesitated slightly, and then threw a handful on the ground.
As a result, this handful of food attracted the attention of passersby.
"..." Meng Yuxiu looked somewhat embarrassed. He couldn't help but frown and ask Han Shuo, "Wouldn't this be inappropriate?"
Han Shuo was speechless when he saw the small hill of sugarcane residue on the ground. He complained, "Who told you to collect so much? Why don't you just put it in your pocket? Or you could just eat it and throw it away as you go. Okay, let's go."
Meng Yuxiu hurriedly followed Han Shuo into the children's clothing store.
Han Shuo bought Han Ting two brightly colored cotton-padded jackets, pants, shoes, a schoolbag, and even more than a dozen toys of various sizes.
Meng Yuxiu, like a junk collector, grabbed the woven bag and stuffed the things he bought into it one by one. In the end, it was so bulging that he had to press the clothes inside tightly before he could zip it up.
Seeing that this was a big customer, and noticing that Han Shuo had a huge belly, the shop owner kept pushing the baby clothes in the store.
Han Shuo said there was no need to buy, but Meng Yuxiu couldn't resist the sight of those colorful little clothes. He put down his woven bag and went over. He could pick up a little piece of clothing with just two fingers, and his heart softened at the sight.
Han Shuo walked over and pulled him, "Let's go back."
"Han Shuo, shall we buy a few?" Meng Yuxiu asked. "Even a schoolbag needs clothes, right?"
Han Shuo leaned closer and whispered, "Are you stupid? We traveled back in time after he was born. Have you forgotten what the novel said? The novel says that you can return to the 21st century after giving birth. We can buy it when we get back to the 21st century."
“Okay.” Meng Yuxiu said this, but he couldn’t bear to put down the little clothes.
Seeing his eagerness to be a father, Han Shuo couldn't help but laugh and coax him, "Alright, put it down. When we get back, I'll let you buy as much as you want, okay?"
Meng Yuxiu smiled, "Yes, I will buy him clothes, pants, and shoes."
"Okay, you can take care of me 24 hours a day."
"good."
The young couple shopped until nearly evening before returning home laden with their purchases. Over the next few days, Meng Yuxiu bought bus tickets back to the county town and dozens of boxes of New Year's goods and fruit, which he distributed to Gao Ze and the others.
When winter break started, Meng Yuxiu picked up Han Shuo from school and took out his luggage from the rented room. They had to leave that night because Han Shuo was in a hurry and couldn't wait even one more night.
The bedding, pots and pans, and bicycle were left at the rented room; the rent wasn't due until March. Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were unsure what the situation would be after the mission.
If they really disappear into thin air or die, or even become mentally disabled, their parents and brother will definitely come to their rented apartment in Hecheng to collect their belongings.
Meng Yuxiu only brought a thin blanket from his rented room, worried that it would be cold on the bus during the two-day journey. He was also concerned that Han Shuo would vomit for two days like last time, so he bought oranges in advance and brought towels and pastries.
Han Shuo put on his hat, scarf, and gloves. He checked the room and balcony several times to make sure there were no safety hazards or items left behind before closing the balcony door and drawing the curtains.
Meng Yuxiu had already carried two large woven bags downstairs and temporarily placed them on the first floor before going upstairs to call Han Shuo.
"Are you done?"
"Alright." Han Shuo took one last deep look at the small room.
He had never considered himself a sentimental man, but after coming into this world, he felt as if he had developed a melancholic streak. Take this rented room, for example; he had only lived there for half a year, yet leaving it still evoked a sense of melancholy, loss, and even nostalgia.
Or perhaps it's because I can never set foot there again in this lifetime, hence the regret.
Seeing the young couple on the third floor carrying large and small bags, and even Han Shuo, who was heavily pregnant, carrying a backpack and a bulging cloth bag slung over his shoulder, Sister Zhang and the elderly men and women from the workshop all came out.
However, they simply assumed it was a brief farewell as the young couple going home for the Chinese New Year.
"Xiao Han, Xiao Meng," Sister Zhang asked, "Are you two leaving now?"
Han Shuo: "Yes, Sister Zhang, we bought tickets for 8 PM."
"How long will it take?"
Meng Yuxiu said, "It will take two days."
Others chimed in, "Sit for two days straight must be exhausting."
"Xiao Han, you need to take care of your health."
"It's alright, we can just sleep on the bus tonight." Han Shuo waved and smiled at them, "We're off!"
With both hands full of woven bags, Meng Yuxiu couldn't help Han Shuo. They had to take a bus to the station, but the bus was exceptionally crowded in the evening. He had to squeeze on first with his luggage, then nervously reminded Han Shuo to be careful.
Han Shuo, carrying a heavy belly, needed help from other passengers to get on the bus.
"Are you alright?" Meng Yuxiu asked anxiously.
Han Shuo was so exhausted from climbing a bus that he was panting heavily, and it took him a long time for his stomach to recover.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Damn! I'm exhausted."
Even if the people on the bus wanted to give Han Shuo a seat, they couldn't move to make way for him. Han Shuo had no choice but to put his hand over his stomach and lean against Meng Yuxiu.
The couple looked like migrant workers on the way from the alley to the station, which was further emphasized by Meng Yuxiu's two large red striped woven bags.
Finally arriving at the station, after Meng Yuxiu stuffed the luggage into the luggage compartment and boarded the bus, Han Shuo thought he could finally lie down and rest, but was told some terrible news by Meng Yuxiu.
Because they were in a hurry to go back that night, Meng Yuxiu only had two tickets left when he bought them, and these two tickets happened to be for the upper bunk.
Han Shuo looked up at the narrow and steep ladder, completely dumbfounded.
“What the heck…” he said to Meng Yuxiu with a gloomy face, “Do you think you’re going to hold my butt up and make me climb up, or are you going to go up and pull me up?”
Meng Yuxiu glanced at the sleeper car, which was already full of people, and he had no choice but to pick two men on the lower bunk.
The two men were sleeping. Meng Yuxiu thought for a moment, took out two red apples from his bag, and then walked over and shook the two sleeping men awake.
"What's wrong?" The two men were shaken awake and looked blankly at the young and handsome man in front of them. "Who are you?"
Han Shuo tugged at Meng Yuxiu's arm, thinking to say forget it, since everyone wants to sleep in the lower bunk on a sleeper train for convenience.
Meng Yuxiu said politely in a low voice, "Uncle, my seat is on the upper bunk."
He pointed at Han Shuo and continued to explain to them, "My wife is heavily pregnant and it's not convenient for her. Could we switch seats?"
As he spoke, he handed over an apple.
The two men stared at the tall young man in surprise.
Han Shuo felt a little embarrassed. He leaned closer to Meng Yuxiu and whispered, "Why are you calling me 'uncle'? You're making me sound old. Call me 'big brother'! How old are you? You already have a pregnant wife!"
Meng Yuxiu looked embarrassed and changed his tone when he saw the two men, who looked to be in their forties: "Brother, could we switch seats?"
Both men were migrant workers heading home for the Chinese New Year, and this was a sleeper bus that went directly to Yunxi County. Seeing Han Shuo's heavy belly, and since they were from the same hometown, they readily agreed.
"Thank you, brother." Han Shuo also thanked Meng Yuxiu repeatedly upon seeing this.
"It's alright, safety is the most important thing." The two men quickly climbed up to the top bunk.
Han Shuo kicked off his shoes and sat down at the very back.
After taking off his shoes, Meng Yuxiu sat on the edge of the bed and neatly placed his and Han Shuo's shoes under the bunk.
When he put away his luggage, he brought out a blanket. As soon as Han Shuo sat down, he immediately covered his stomach with the blanket. Then he took out a water bottle and placed a cloth bag full of food beside him.
"Ah~ it's really not easy to go home." Han Shuo stretched and sighed, "I'm so tired."
Although Han Shuo complained of being tired, Meng Yuxiu could see the anticipation and excitement in Han Shuo's eyes.
He couldn't help but touch Han Shuo's stomach.
Han Shuo was originally worried that he would vomit terribly like last time when he took the car, but apart from his back aching from lying down, the past two days have been peaceful.
His belly was getting bigger, and he was urinating frequently. While other people could go to the toilet after waiting for the driver to stop once every two or three hours, Han Shuo felt like his bladder was about to burst after just one hour.
Especially when they were almost at Yunxi County, Han Shuo was so suffocated on his bed that even his toes were curled up inside his socks.
As soon as Meng Yuxiu moved, Han Shuo exclaimed in surprise, "Damn it! Don't touch my stomach!"
“I won’t,” Meng Yuxiu said. “I’ve been very careful since you got pregnant.”
"I mean, don't touch my bladder, or I'll pee all over!" Han Shuo frowned, continuing to suffer.
But the driver had just used the restroom two hours earlier, and they were almost at the county town; there was no way he could stop again.
Seeing Han Shuo's pained expression, Meng Yuxiu frowned and pondered for a moment before picking up the water bottle next to him and whispering to Han Shuo, "You pee here."
Han Shuo was probably so desperate to pee that his brain was sluggish; he actually grabbed the water bottle, but luckily he weighed it in time. "Damn! There's so much water in there, how am I going to fit all this pee in? I don't want it to overflow..."
Meng Yuxiu thought about it carefully again, and then decisively unscrewed the cap.
What are you doing?
Meng Yuxiu: "I drank the water inside."
"..." Han Shuo gave up. He grabbed the water bottle and screwed the lid on. "Forget it, don't do that. What if you drink it all and then need to pee too? This water bottle can't hold both of our pee. I'll just hold it in a bit longer."
Finally, after staying up all night, they arrived in the county town. As soon as he got off the bus, Han Shuo, holding his belly, went straight to the toilet.
"Wait for me, I'll go with you." Meng Yuxiu still had to retrieve his luggage from the baggage compartment. Seeing Han Shuo walk away, he anxiously called out from the spot.
"Oh, why would I need to go to the bathroom with you?" Han Shuo replied without turning his head. "You watch the luggage, I'll be right back."
The bus arrived in the county town at 8:30 pm. It was dark, and the bus station was a chaotic place. They were carrying so much luggage, so we really had to keep an eye on them.
So Meng Yuxiu could only shout from behind, "Be careful, don't run away."
"knew!"
When Han Shuo returned from the restroom, Meng Yuxiu had two large bags of luggage next to him, and several strange men were chattering around him.
"Who are they?" Han Shuo asked.
Meng Yuxiu said, "The touts said they had pickup trucks and asked me where I wanted to go."
"Oh," Han Shuo asked him, "Is it expensive?"
A pickup truck driver nearby overheard their conversation and shouted, "Where are you going?"
Han Shuo: "Xiqiao Village, Baishan Town".
"Five yuan per person!"
Han Shuo: "Damn! So expensive? Are you robbing me?"
The driver chuckled and said, "This price is the same every night. I mainly need to get you there; I have to come back empty."
Han Shuo knew exactly what he was up to, so he immediately told Meng Yuxiu to pick up his luggage and turn around to leave, saying, "Forget it, it's too expensive. Let's just stay in the county town for the night."
The driver quickly went over and stopped them, saying, "Four yuan is the lowest I can go! Otherwise, I won't even cover my gas costs!"
Han Shuo continued to bargain with him, but he really couldn't lower the price any further. In addition, they didn't have the patience to stay in the county town for another night, so he and Meng Yuxiu discussed it and agreed.
No sooner had they agreed than the driver yelled at the top of his lungs, "Is anyone going to Baishan Town? Is anyone still in Baishan Town?!"
Han Shuo complained, "Goodness, I really thought it was our private car."
It was an hour later when we finally got on the bus. Luckily, there are many people going home for the Spring Festival now, and even though Baishan Town is such a remote place, the driver still managed to pick up seven or eight people.
A small pickup truck with a canopy in the back. Since Han Shuo was pregnant, the front seat was reserved for him, while Meng Yuxiu and the others sat in the back.
Han Shuo stuck his head out of the car window to remind Meng Yuxiu, "Put on your hat and scarf, don't get cold."
“I know.” Meng Yuxiu grabbed on and climbed up.
The driver chuckled and said to Han Shuo, "Don't worry, my canopy will block the wind. Besides, a tall and strong young man like you is full of energy and won't feel cold."
The driver started the pickup truck, and Han Shuo rolled up the window.
Actually, it wasn't very warm sitting in the front. Han Shuo wanted to take a nap on the road, but he was too cold to sleep.
He would boast to the driver, occasionally turning his head to peek through the small window connecting the front and the back of the car to see what Meng Yuxiu was doing in the back.
However, it was pitch black behind and nothing could be seen.
The driver told Han Shuo that he didn't know the way around Baishan Town and that Han Shuo would have to give him directions when they were almost at Xiqiao Village.
"Okay," Han Shuo said. "I'll let you know when the time comes."
The pickup truck wound its way through the dark mountain road. As Han Shuo saw the road ahead becoming more and more familiar through the only light from the headlights, he hurriedly told the driver, "Turn into the road ahead and keep going. We'll be there when we see a big tree."
"Okay!"
While in Hecheng, Meng Yuxiu had already written home to inform his family that he had bought tickets for today.
Han Shuo originally considered going back to Xiaoshi Village first when he was at the county station, but it would take an extra hour to get there.
Han Shuo thought for a moment and decided to go back to Xiqiao Village first, and then go to Xiaoshi Village the next day. After all, besides him missing his family, Meng Yuxiu also missed his parents.
Although Meng Yuxiu didn't say it, Han Shuo could tell from the two-day bus ride.
The pickup truck bumped along the dirt road. The weather in Hecheng had cleared up, but in Xiqiao Village, which is located at a higher elevation, the trees and bushes were still covered with a thin layer of snow where the headlights passed.
"Is this the way ahead?" The driver squinted and looked ahead. "Oh my, are there still people wandering around outside in this cold weather?"
Han Shuo listened and looked over.
Actually, the pickup truck hadn't even reached the village entrance yet; it was still a short distance away.
On the dark and desolate dirt road, a figure leaned against one side and slowly walked towards them.
The flashlight's faint beam only illuminated a small area.
Han Shuo looked at him for a while and felt that he looked familiar. He took a closer look and hurriedly said to the driver, "Hey, stop, stop, stop, it's my dad!"
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