Go out for a visit
It seems to be only August now, but you can't just go out for a visit whenever you want. There is a lot of preparation work to be done in advance, and it will take until September before you can really set off.
Thinking of this, Hu Yufeng looked up at the map on the wall, wondering where to go for the first time.
Time flies and it is September 18th, the first anniversary of their factory's completion. In this era, people did not have a sense of ritual to celebrate everything. Hu Yufeng just silently calculated the factory's profit for the year, and then the family gathered together for a meal.
After the meal, she left Qin Wenli to look after the factory while she, Yang Xiu and Huizi set out for an inspection.
The place we went to this time was suggested by Yao Yun. It was in a county under the jurisdiction of the neighboring province. There was a nationally famous food village there, which was said to have all kinds of snacks from all over the country.
Their purpose this time was not to learn skills, but mainly to gain knowledge and broaden their horizons, which Hu Yufeng thought was very suitable.
This place is three hours away from Qingyuan. They decided to take a bus to Qingyuan first, then take a bus from Qingyuan to the county town, and then transfer to another bus in the county town.
After shaking all the way to Qingyuan, the three of them headed straight for the long-distance bus station.
After buying the tickets, the train was not due to depart for another hour, so the three of them took turns going to the toilet and then went shopping in the shops outside the waiting hall.
Hu Yufeng has now developed a habit. Whenever she enters a store, she observes what other people are selling and whether they have any of their own products. It's the same here. As expected, I didn't see any of their own products. Instead, they had things like jujubes, wolfberries, and dried apricots, all of which were sold as Qingyuan specialties.
An idea suddenly popped up in Hu Yufeng's mind: Qingyuan's fried dough twist has been passed down from generation to generation, so can it be considered a specialty?
Make a note of it and arrange it when she comes back!
After strolling around excitedly until fifteen minutes before departure, the three of them boarded the bus and headed towards their destination.
It was the first time for Hu Yufeng and Yang Xiu to travel so far. Huizi's parents' home is here, but she hasn't been there for more than ten years. It was no different from her first time traveling far away. She was looking out the window excitedly all the way.
Outside the window, apart from scattered farms and branches without leaves, there are vast fields.
They are all rural areas, so there is actually no difference. However, it cannot resist the novelty of the three people at all.
Near noon, the three finally arrived at the county town.
Walking on the streets of a foreign land, I didn't feel strange at all, because the voices of the pedestrians were almost the same as Qingyuan's, and it was obvious that they were from the same heritage. I easily found the bus to the village and set off for my destination.
After getting off the car, the outside looked like an ordinary rural village, and there was no sign that there was a food city inside.
The three of them found a guesthouse nearby, checked in, and then stepped into the village center under the enthusiastic guidance of the owner.
When you get there, you can hear the hawking sounds and tourists talking, which mix together to create a noisy and lively atmosphere.
Following the flow of people, what comes into view are food shops one after another. All kinds of wonderful aromas mixed together seem to melt the cold north wind.
The three of them couldn't help but feel their stomachs growling. They got up early and had a quick bite, and were really hungry, so they chose a noodle shop to fill their stomachs first.
It smelled good and tasted good. The three of them were very satisfied with the meal, but Hu Yufeng felt a little distressed when it came time to pay. Yang Xiu observed the expression on her face and said that she would pay for it. Hu Yufeng glared at her and said, "It was already a business trip, so the factory must reimburse it."
But this is too expensive! If this bowl of rice were in my hometown, the price would be enough to buy three bowls.
But no matter how sad it is, you still have to eat, otherwise you will learn something.
After eating, I felt like all my strength returned, so I cheered up and started to visit.
The village is quite large. In addition to a variety of delicious food, there are also performances in the evening.
The three of them, with the spirit of being here since they were already here, ate dinner and enthusiastically squeezed into the crowd to watch the show.
He walked around for most of the next day to save Hu Yufeng from having to gossip with others. Perhaps because of the same familiar local accent, the villagers were also happy to chat, mostly about their stories of making a fortune, talking excitedly, and Hu Yufeng listened with great interest.
On the third day, the three of them took the return bus.
This visit was really worthwhile. I had delicious food and learned a lot. Take the hemp twist from Jinshi for example. It feels hard to the touch but crispy when eaten. I have no idea how it is made. There are also fried cakes, glutinous rice balls, shaqi ma and so on...
Yang Xiu stood in front of the stall for a long time and bought quite a lot.
…
When the car slowly drove into the Qingyuan Bus Station, Hu Yufeng suddenly felt that no place like home was better than her own.
It was really novel, and it was really bumpy. She felt like her whole body was falling apart.
The factory was still as quiet as ever, but the sweet smell in the air declared that even without her, the workers were still as hardworking as ever.
Qin Wenli was extremely happy to see the three people return home safely. He quickly asked his old mother to sit down and rest, while he busied himself pouring water for the three of them.
Hu Yufeng and a few others talked about what they had seen and gained from the trip. At the end, Hu Yufeng brought up the topic of the local specialty shop.
After a brief thought, Qin Wenli felt that there was great potential in this area. Who do you sell local specialties to? As for the outsiders who come to visit relatives and friends, as long as they buy the products, does it mean that Yufeng will expand nationwide?
As soon as he thought of this, Qin Wenli felt restless. It is better to do things sooner rather than later. He felt that tomorrow would be a good day.
Hu Yufeng admired his initiative and immediately approved the funds for the activity, allowing him to go ahead with confidence.
Qin Wenli didn't dare to say that he knew everything about business strategies, but he did have some experience.
At that time, various means plus a sincere heart were used, and two more red envelopes were not enough. After two days of bargaining, the boss could not help but give in.
There are three stations in Qingyuan, and Qin Wenli took the opportunity to conquer the other two as well. Afterwards, he rode his motorcycle to various tourist attractions, and he would go into any place that had the words "local specialty" written on it. Relying on his thick skin and eloquence, he took over a few more shops.
After coming back and thinking about it, I found that Yang County also has tourist attractions, so I immediately headed to Yang County.
I kept running until a drizzle started to fall from the sky, mixed with snowflakes, and another year was coming to an end.
…
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year in 2003, bad news came from Qingyuan again: Qin Wenli's biological mother was dying.
After receiving the news, Qin Wenli's family of four went straight to Qingyuan from Yang Xiu's mother's home.
Ever since Qin Wenlin left, Qin's mother's spirit has been visibly getting worse day by day. A person who used to be talkative and cheerful has been sitting by the window in silence for more than a year. During the holidays, Qin's mother would sit alone in the house and cry silently. Qin Wenli went to see her whenever he had time. Every time he saw his mother, she would force a smile and say that everything was fine, which made Qin Wenli feel uncomfortable.
When they arrived, Mother Qin was still able to speak, and from time to time she pointed at the wall of the kang and said to her children who were sitting around it:
"Look, they are coming, move to the side and make way..."
It is said that when people walk, they can see some strange scenes that others cannot see. The children didn’t know what she saw, so they could only follow her words and move away silently.
Old Man Qin took a puff of his cigarette and wanted to say, "What's the matter? What nonsense!" But when he saw his wife's miserable face, he felt uncomfortable. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and lowered his head to take two deep puffs of the cigarette.
Qin Wenli squeezed in between his brothers and sisters, quietly watching his mother cry and laugh. His heart felt like it was pierced with holes by needles, and it ached with every tremor.
At night, the four brothers accompanied their mother.
Everything was fine in the first half of the night, so the third and fourth children slept peacefully.
At around two o'clock in the middle of the night, there were sudden barking sounds in the farmhouse. Qin Wenjun's sleepy mind instantly became clear, and Qin Wenli also sat up.
They both looked at their mother at the same time, and saw that their mother, who had been in a daze, now smiled as usual, and her expression seemed very clear.
Qin Wenjun couldn't help but tremble in his heart, could this be a last burst of energy?
Thinking of this, he hurriedly called his two brothers, and hearing the noise, Old Man Qin and his daughter and wife also came over.
Mother Qin looked at everyone with a kind smile, took two breaths, and said, "I brought you all into this world, so I should be the first one to go down and wait for you. But the second child was disobedient, he left me behind without saying anything. I thought he might have no one to take care of him in the underworld, so I will go and take care of him first. You all should live well, and don't be afraid when you die, because I am here with you."
After saying that, he looked at the old man again and said, "I can't leave all of you alone, you take care of yourself, we can take care of you one on top and one on the bottom..."
The only person who responded to her was Old Man Qin, who said nothing and had a tense face.
The two daughters were already crying.
Mother Qin scolded: "Why are you crying? Don't disturb me talking to your brother..." Then she took Wenli's hand, stroking it and said:
"My child, it was my fault that I failed to protect you. You have suffered so much. I was able to raise six siblings, but I failed you alone... I regret it. I regret it so much..."
Old Man Qin sighed softly, turned around and sat down next to him.
Qin Wenli's eyesight was blurred by tears. He couldn't help but hold his mother's hand tightly, choking with sobs: "Mom, I don't blame you, I really don't blame you. It's better for you to be well..."
Qin's mother also shed tears: "My child, be good in the future, I didn't accompany you to the end..."
Qin Wenli burst into tears and couldn't help but pull his mother's hand and shake it, just like he had imagined countless times when he was a child: "Mom, don't, you're fine, be fine..."
Mother Qin stretched out her hand with great effort to stroke her youngest son's face. Qin Wenli rubbed it with his face greedily, tears streaming down his face.
This was a feeling he had never dared to feel even in his dreams, and what he didn't want to experience was separation.
Mother Qin looked at her children longingly again and slowly closed her eyes.
Qin Wenli cried out with a hoarse voice, Qin Wenjun pulled his brother's hand away with tears in his eyes, and Yang Xiu stepped forward and pulled him aside.
The two sisters took out the funeral clothes that had been prepared long ago and began to dress their mother. After they were done, Qin Wenjun and Qin Wenxiu got on the kang, and each helped their mother to sit up on one side. Mother Qin took a few deep breaths, and with a burp, she took her last breath.
Old Man Qin's pipe fell to the ground, and he bent down and buried his head deeply in it.
The two sisters and sisters-in-law burst into tears. Qin Wenli seemed to be frozen, staring blankly at his mother whose face was as pale as a stone.
He has no mother.
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