Back at the hotel, I was covered in sweat again, but there was no hot water available, so I could only wash my neck and face with cold water.
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile, "You think you're going to stay in a five-star hotel? Fine, let's just go with it."
Zhang Hongmei didn't have the habit of choosing her seat. She fell asleep shortly after lying down.
The next morning, the two had just gotten up when they heard the waiters calling them.
The seller from yesterday came over. Both of them only had a handbag, a towel, a set of toiletries, and a washbasin, so they quickly packed up and went downstairs.
"Hehe, uncle, you're quite early. You'll have to wait for us a while. We need to go eat. Have you eaten yet? Want to come along?"
"No need, I'll wait for you here. All the furniture in the house has been packed up, and we've also found helpers to load the truck. We're just waiting for the truck to arrive so we can start loading."
There was a breakfast stall next to the hotel, and the two of them each had a bowl of tofu pudding and a fried dough stick. Wang Ying also ordered a small flatbread.
After the meal, Zhang Hongmei drove the seller to his home.
To be honest, this family must have been wealthy before. Zhang Hongmei entered the yard, glanced at the furniture in half the yard, and then called for it to be loaded onto the truck.
It took an hour to install, and they even helped secure all the furniture. Now Zhang Hongmei finally knew how to brake; it looked so simple to them.
The two of them were quite disappointed that they didn't get to eat authentic steamed buns, but they couldn't wait until after lunch to leave, could they?
With no other option, the two had to continue their journey. They tried their best to avoid the potholes along the way; after all, the car was carrying furniture, and they had to be careful with it, right?
"Hongmei, I've always wanted to ask you, what's the purpose of buying this set of furniture?"
"So you're keeping it for yourself later?"
"There's no shortage of furniture at home."
"Didn't we say we'd save it for later? Maybe by the time we come back from abroad, I'll still be buying a house."
"It means that when you buy a house, the leaders and superiors will also help you prepare it."
"Hehehe, I still prefer to prepare it myself."
The two chatted and laughed, feeling that time had passed quickly. It was already noon, and they had arrived in L City. They found a state-run restaurant. Zhang Hongmei ate the best pie ever, which was made with dried radish and vermicelli, but with fermented black beans inside. Moreover, the chef's skills were exceptional; the dough was so thin, like straw paper, that you could see the filling inside.
Zhang Hongmei ate one herself, but felt she hadn't had enough, so she asked for another one and shared most of it with Wang Ying. This time she really ate too much. It wasn't like they were in a particular hurry; if they had set off now, they probably would have thrown up.
As Zhang Hongmei strolled around, she berated herself, thinking how pathetic she was to have stuffed herself just for a bite to eat.
After waiting for more than half an hour, they finally set off. Zhang Hongmei felt so ashamed that she couldn't face anyone. She really thought, "I must never do this again."
Wang Ying held back her laughter, afraid that if she actually laughed, the girl would become angry and embarrassed.
I didn't get home until 7 p.m.
Zhang Hongmei felt a pang of homesickness, and waited a minute before getting off the bus.
As soon as they got out of the car, the gate opened, and Uncle Li, Aunt Li, and Wang Xinyi came out to greet them.
When Aunt Li saw Zhang Hongmei, who was dark-skinned and thin, she immediately burst into tears. "Hongmei, what have you suffered? How did you become so dark and thin? Come inside quickly."
Aunt Li pulled Zhang Hongmei inside. "Aunt Li, wait a moment, there's still a set of furniture in the car, we'll wait for Xiao Li and Chengzi to move it together."
"They haven't come back yet, let's go inside. Uncle Li can handle the rest of the work."
Wang Xinyi also urged, "Yes, Wang Ying, you two should hurry up and go inside to wash up. We can eat when they all get home. You haven't had a proper meal in over a month, have you?"
"That's right, Aunt Wang. Let me tell you, we drove all the way here without stopping, thinking we'd take our time on the way back, like a vacation. But we were in a rush to get back."
"You've been gone for over a month. You've all gotten so wild. Honestly, the hot water's all ready, hurry up and go."
Zhang Hongmei took a refreshing hot shower, which felt wonderful. She even secretly drank a cup of spiritual spring water in the bathroom.
When she came out, Zhang Shouyi had already returned and handed her the gold ingot in his hand.
Zhang Hongmei felt a little relieved now, but she wasn't sure if it would be possible to go to even greater distances. Ideally, there would be no distance restrictions.
Zhang Shouyi squeezed in next to Zhang Hongmei. "Hongmei, I put the money in the ring."
"Brother Zhang, I think it would be better to exchange it for foreign currency, what do you think?"
“I’ve prepared 100,000 foreign currency for you. If you think it’s not enough, I’ll exchange all of that money.”
There were only the two of them left in the room, but Zhang Shouyi still sat next to Zhang Hongmei, making her feel particularly uncomfortable.
"Why isn't my grandfather back yet?" Zhang Hongmei wondered. Usually, Gu Chuanming would come back first. But today, Zhang Shouyi arrived first.
"Old Gu will be back soon. He's a bit busy right now, but with you back, he should be able to calm down a bit."
"You brat, who are you calling a troublemaker? How dare you slander me in front of my granddaughter?"
"Grandpa, Grandpa, you're back? Wow, you've gotten younger in just over a month."
"Hehe, right? That's what everyone says. Since you say so too, then I really am young. Well, when people have happy events, they feel refreshed and naturally look young."
Zhang Shouyi found Gu Chuanming's smug look irritating and extremely annoying.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Xinyi quickly set the table.
Zhang Hongmei hovered around Gu Chuanming, completely ignoring Zhang Shouyi, which made Zhang Shouyi even more furious.
"Girl, I may look younger, but you've gotten so dark and thin."
"It's okay, just think of it as losing weight. Besides, I'll get fairer after a winter of staying warm."
"Heh, Chen Youliang actually dared to call and complain? He really gave him too much face. It's alright, if he dares to make you suffer, I'll make him suffer even more."
"Hehe, I retorted right then and there, I didn't feel wronged."
"Hehe, that's why I didn't lose my temper right then and there. He really doesn't know his own limitations. Now he thinks he's all above the law and that the army is his. He's dreaming."
Seeing the two chatting and laughing, Zhang Shouyi was furious. "Wasn't Chen Youliang promoted by you? He's in this state because you indulged him. What? Now you won't admit you were blind to his talent?"
"You think you can expose my past? Everyone makes mistakes. Can't I be blind to something just once?"
"Hehe, as long as you dare to admit it."
"What don't I dare to do? If I can make him go up, I can make him come down."
"Let's keep him for now. We have confidence in him. If it were someone else, we would have to start from scratch, which would be exhausting."
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