Chapter 124 Goodbye
After Song Lubai and her group left, Xiao Liu waited for about half an hour before Wei Yang returned.
Xiao Liu immediately relayed Song Lubai's explanation, which made Wei Yang's already bad mood even worse.
He remained composed, saying as if nothing had happened, "I understand."
There is no dedicated bus route to Shicheng from the Sixth Division Farm. People from the regiment who want to go to Shicheng either have to take a donkey cart and slowly make their way there, or try their luck at the transportation office.
To get a ride to the transport office, you need to know a driver. If they're willing to take you, you can even save on the fare. If you don't know anyone, you'll have to pay them off.
The transportation department has several large trucks that are used for hauling goods, and they often go to Shicheng.
Wang Haiquan easily found a familiar driver, offered cigarettes to the driver and the movers, and revealed his purpose during the conversation.
The group glanced at Song Lubai and his companion, and said readily, "You two sit on the melon, hold on tight to the cart, and don't fall off."
After thanking them, Song Lubai and Lin Jinyao squatted by the roadside waiting for them to unload and load the goods.
The unloaded cargo consisted of agricultural machinery parts, and the unloaded cargo consisted of large watermelons.
Seeing Wang Hai roll up his sleeves to help pack the watermelons, Song Lubai naturally couldn't just sit there and wait.
Exhausted and covered in sweat, we finally managed to load all the watermelons onto the truck.
There were many watermelons lying on the ground, cracked open and dripping water. The driver called on everyone to share the watermelons.
After finishing the watermelon, Song Lubai and Wang Haiquan got into the back of the truck one after the other, and then together they pulled Lin Jinyao up on top.
Song Lubai was sitting on a pile of watermelons, holding onto the car, when she heard a strange noise beneath her. Looking down, she saw that one of the watermelons had cracked open from sitting on it.
Wang Haiquan laughed and said, "It's alright. Melons are prone to cracking, and some damage is normal. Thanks to you, we can eat melons again after we get off the bus."
Song Lubai was both amused and exasperated.
The dirt road ended at a gravel road. To prevent too many melons from rotting, the trucks kept their speed slow, but even so, quite a few melons still rotted along the way.
The watermelons were being delivered to the troops and teams. When they arrived in Shicheng, the driver dropped them off by the roadside and gave them two cracked watermelons as well.
This was Song Lubai's first time in the city, and she found that Shicheng was not as backward as she had imagined.
Shicheng is about the same size as my hometown county town, and construction and building are underway in many places.
The parking area is not far from Shicheng Transportation Office; just turn the corner and walk another hundred meters or so.
The yard of the transportation department was filled with vehicles, and porters were carrying goods up and down, creating a bustling scene.
Wang Haiquan led the way, using his work ID to find a delivery truck for Song Lubai to take her to the Second Branch Farm, and presented her with two watermelons as payment for the journey.
"It's all arranged," Wang Haiquan said. "If this train comes back tonight, you can come back with it. If it doesn't come back today, you can come back with it tomorrow. Just be careful."
Song Lubai escorted Wang Haiquan to the door, and as she returned, a truck was about to leave the yard.
She quickly pulled Lin Jinyao to make way for the truck.
To her surprise, the truck didn't leave the yard immediately, but stopped beside her.
"Comrade Song!"
The voice sounded excited and familiar.
Looking up, Song Lubai's gaze froze when she saw the person in the passenger seat through the car window.
What are you doing here?
Li Guangming smiled brightly, revealing a set of white teeth. He wanted to tell her directly that he had come for her, but his shy nature prevented him from saying such a blunt thing.
A car horn sounded from behind. Without giving Li Guangming a chance to catch up, the driver drove the car out of the gate to make way for the cars behind.
The truck stopped outside the gate, and Li Guangming quickly opened the door and ran over.
His eyes sparkled with a tiny, shimmering light, like stars in the night sky.
"Comrade Song, which branch farm under Shicheng have you been assigned to? I went to the Commerce Department to inquire, but I couldn't find any information about you."
From the moment Song Lubai met Li Guangming, she had a premonition that he was there for her. Now that her premonition had come true, she couldn't be happy.
"Why did you come to XJ? Did you give up your job?"
Li Guangming scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "I violated company rules, which implicated my mentor. I even wrecked the car. I'm quitting. The border region needs people for development, and luckily, one of my uncles lives here..."
After being in a car accident, Li Guangming became more outspoken.
"Tell me where you are now, and I'll come find you when I have some free time. We're from the same hometown, so we should keep in touch and help each other when we're in an unfamiliar place."
Song Lubai said, "You still have work to do, and I also have to go to the Second Branch Farm. Taking care of work first is the most important thing."
Just then, a truck outside honked its horn, urging Li Guangming to hurry back.
Li Guangming glanced back, took a knife out of his pocket and handed it to her, saying in a rambling tone, "Take this, use it for self-defense. Use it boldly if you encounter danger. You are a girl taking a little girl out, so you must be careful. It's not as safe here as it is back home."
Song Lubai took the knife and stuffed it into her cloth bag.
As Li Guangming left, he turned back and asked again, "Where are you now?"
With mixed feelings, Song Lubai said, "The 25th Company of the Sixth Division."
Li Guangming smiled and waved: "The route I'm currently running is from Shicheng to Urumqi. My dormitory in Shicheng is just across the street."
Having obtained Song Lubai's specific address and left his own information, Li Guangming left with peace of mind, his hair at the back of his head radiating excitement.
From the moment Song Lubai met Li Guangming, she felt that this world was too absurd.
It was so absurd that she began to doubt the reality of this world.
Liu Mei, Lin Shuhong, Lin Jinyao, Chen Weiliang, Li Guangming…
If her grandmother suddenly arrived here, it would be a fatal blow to Song Lubai.
The world was like a giant net that had enveloped her.
She looked at Lin Jinyao, who had become very introverted, and asked, "You've met your mother, right? Have you met Liu Xingchun?"
Lin Jin shook her head. "My mom said my sister works in an adobe factory and can't get out."
"What about your maternal grandfather and uncles?"
Lin Jin shook her head, bit her lip, and said, "I don't know, my mom didn't say."
Song Lubai never noticed anything wrong with the child, but ever since she had the dream, she couldn't like her anymore.
The child wasn't stupid; he knew she didn't like her. Although he followed her around the camp, he didn't speak or do anything to annoy or embarrass her.
The truck was loaded, and urged by the driver, Song Lubai and Lin Jinyao boarded the truck bound for the Second Branch Farm.
Rolls of agricultural film were loaded onto the truck bed, where Song Lubai and Lin Jinyao lay sunbathing.
The road from Shicheng to the Second Branch Farm was paved with gravel, making the ride relatively smooth. Compared to the Sixth Branch Farm, the Second Branch Farm was closer to Shicheng, and it took less than an hour to get there.
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