"Sigh! Everyone knows what they are doing. The life I yearn for may be something others look down on, and the life they yearn for may be something I would avoid at all costs."
"Hongmei, your village is nice, but it's not nice enough for you to abandon everything, is it?"
“You don’t know, I’ve lived alone in the village since I was five years old. Back then, the land was still owned by individuals. What kind of work could a little kid like me do? Everyone would rush around to help me plant the land. I didn’t know how to cook, and I didn’t eat at other people’s houses, so each household would take turns coming over to cook for me.”
I couldn't sew clothes. Although my mom would make shoes and clothes for me every time she came back, she didn't know how to do laundry. Back then, I would hide under the covers and cry every day.
Everyone wants me to stay at someone else's house, but I refuse. I feel I should stay home and wait for my parents.
People kindly invited their children to come and keep me company, but I refused.
When I got a little older and more sensible, I learned to do laundry and cook, but my parents were gone.
I don't know how I survived that time. As you saw, although they were the lowest-level laborers, uneducated, penniless, and powerless, they dared to oppose the people who killed my parents. To me, they were like my parents.
After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, tears streamed down her face. This was probably the last emotional outpouring of Xiao Hongmei.
Neither of the two people in the car said anything. It was too late to offer any advice at this point; it was best to let her vent.
It took Zhang Hongmei quite a while to calm down. By then, they had arrived in the county.
"Wang Ying, let's go to the city and go home."
"Okay!"
An hour later, the car stopped. "You don't need to come in with me. I'll just take a look and come right out."
Zhang Hongmei turned around, locked the door, went into her room, drew the curtains, and then entered the space.
He filled four buckets with soybean oil, one for the old lady and one for Liu Maocai. He told Er Ya to take the other two buckets back, left her a note, and then got on the truck with the two buckets of oil.
"Wang Ying, you drive. I'm not feeling well today."
"No problem, I think we can leave the province by tomorrow night."
“Okay, we’ll stop in Q City. I’m planning to buy some seaweed for the village to help prevent goiter.”
After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Actually, it was because she was in a low mood that she couldn't muster any energy.
Swaying slightly, Zhang Hongmei fell asleep in no time. Wang Ying glanced at the sleeping Zhang Hongmei and saw that even in her sleep, she had a furrowed brow. Although she felt sorry for her, she still couldn't understand her homesickness.
I may not have had a home since I can remember, and I've only ever practiced martial arts, so I can't understand her pain.
Wang Xinyi remained silent. Zhang Hongmei's words reminded her of her own home. But now her family was destroyed, and she was left adrift in this world.
It's just that Wang Ying is oblivious; of the three people in the car, two were sad, and a sensitive person would have felt depressed long ago.
Half an hour later, Zhang Hongmei woke up and felt much better, and now she had the energy to chat with Wang Ying.
"Wang Ying, did you not find anything when you went up the mountain that day?"
"No, I was wondering why there weren't any small animals. But the sweet potatoes on your mountain are growing very well. It's good that there aren't any small animals, at least they won't harm the crops."
"Yes, I don't know either. The year before last, all the wild animals suddenly disappeared. Didn't you go to the pond?"
"We went there, but after searching around, we didn't find any animal footprints."
"So what did you do all day on the mountain?"
"You just wandered around? I didn't follow the path you trod."
"That's amazing!"
Are you mocking me?
"You recognized it? Not bad."
"Hongmei, where did you encounter the wild boar?"
"In the pine forest across from the pool."
"I wanted to go there too, but I felt the sky was a bit overcast and the air humidity was too high, so I came down the mountain."
"I didn't even see any wood ear mushrooms or anything like that?"
"I saw it, but I didn't pick it."
"Do you live in the mountains?" Zhang Hongmei was a little suspicious. Could there be something wrong with Wang Ying?
"yes."
Zhang Hongmei stopped the conversation, saying that some things were better left unsaid.
Wang Ying felt completely innocent; she had simply been wandering around. Besides, she felt the mountains were just impoverished.
Zhang Hongmei, however, became suspicious and knew she had to talk to Gu Chuanming when she got back.
The implication of Grandma's words was that she could trust Gu Chuanming, but she should still be wary of him.
Zhang Hongmei suddenly thought of the treasure in the mountains. Could it be that Wang Ying was heading towards that?
Zhang Hongmei drove that night, letting Wang Ying rest, as she had already recovered and had no problem driving.
Wang Xinyi, worried that Zhang Hongmei might get tired, sat in front of her and chatted with her. She did most of the talking, mainly about the customs and culture of M country. In the end, the two of them simply started learning a foreign language.
Time passed quickly, and Zhang Hongmei's impression of Wang Xinyi changed from that of a well-educated and sensible young lady to that of a romantic and somewhat naive woman.
The three of them ate pancakes, boiled salted eggs given to them by the old principal, and drank cold boiled water in the morning. There was no other way, Zhang Hongmei wanted to get back as soon as possible, as she would have to stop in Q City on the way, so she rushed back just like she had come.
We finally arrived in Q City at noon on the third day.
"Wang Ying, Aunt Wang, let's stay in Q City tonight and take a hot shower to refresh ourselves."
The two of them had no objections and unconditionally supported Zhang Hongmei's decision.
Zhang Hongmei drove directly to the small fishing village she had visited before, arranged to buy 1,000 jin of kelp, 200 jin of dried shrimp, and some dried shrimp as well.
There was still time, so I drove to the post office where I had gone before. After all, I had too many things to fit in the car, so they had to deliver them by express.
With everything settled, the three of them returned to their hotel in the city. Zhang Hongmei, of course, insisted on having her own room; even without entering her spatial dimension, she wasn't used to sleeping with others.
Three days later, the three of them finally arrived home in the morning. Zhang Hongmei got out of the car and said, "Uncle Li, Aunt Li, we're back. I want to eat hot noodle soup and take a hot bath."
"Okay, hurry up and come inside, I'll go cook right away."
"Aunt Li, why don't you take a shower first? Isn't Grandpa home?"
"No, the old man went out and will probably be back tonight. He was talking about you this morning, but I didn't expect him to be back today."
Wang Ying helped Uncle Li move the things he brought back, while Zhang Hongmei didn't want to do anything and felt like she was about to fall apart.
I felt a little better after taking a bath. Next was Wang Xinyi, and finally Wang Ying went to wash up.
"Aunt Li, wait for Wang Ying to come out before cooking, otherwise it will get soggy and won't taste good. Two poached eggs for each of you."
"Okay, I'll also make a vegetable and bamboo shoot salad, and the tofu I just bought."
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