Liu Jingze bought tickets for two people, saying, "Comrade, I can't take advantage of the country."
Zhu Zi and Er Ya got off the bus at the school gate. Actually, there weren't many people on the bus. It wasn't until they got to the city that the two of them had to make three trips to finish.
"Hongmei, give me the house keys. I'll take some back first, then ride my bicycle over."
"Okay, here you go."
Liu Jingze rolled up the bedding and carried it on his back. He held a mesh bag containing a washbasin, toothbrush cup, and lunchbox in his left hand and a leather bag in his right hand before walking quickly toward Zhang Hongmei's house.
Zhang Hongmei stood by the roadside looking at the remaining luggage. It was probably some food, books, clothes, and the like.
Going out is so troublesome now; you have to bring all your daily necessities, because you can't just buy them if you have money.
I waited for more than forty minutes before I saw Liu Jingze riding over.
Put heavy items like food and books on the back seat twice, and put the bags of clothes on the back seat.
Two leather bags were hanging on the handles, and the remaining two snakeskin bags were draped over the main beam.
Liu Jingze pushed the cart, his forehead covered in sweat, while Zhang Hongmei walked alongside him.
It was 4:30 when the two got home. "Jingze, what time is your train tomorrow?"
"One o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Then you should go wash up quickly, I'll cook dinner, and you can rest for a while after you eat. I'll take you home tonight."
"That's all we can do. We have too much stuff. I'll take you to the station first, and you can watch the luggage there. I'll come back and make the second trip."
"Okay, we still have some cured meat at home. Let's make some meat rice to satisfy your craving."
"That's great, I'll help you."
"Aren't you going to rest for a while?"
"After you get on the bus, it's all rest time, don't worry."
Zhang Hongmei washed the cured meat twice, boiled it in the pot several times, then took it out and set it aside to cool. She then washed the pot, added water and brought it to a boil, put in two large bowls of rice, covered the pot, and started cooking.
Cut the meat into slices. When the rice in the pot is half-cooked, skim off the rice water, leaving a small amount of water. Then add the meat, stir well, cover the pot, and remove the firewood, leaving only a small fire. After five minutes, add a few more corn stalks. At this point, the fire must not be too big, or it will burn.
I also stir-fried some hot and sour shredded potatoes and mixed some shredded radish with brown sugar and vinegar.
This meat rice is so delicious that Zhang Hongmei couldn't resist eating a bowl and a half, and Liu Jingze ate three bowls.
They ate too much and couldn't help but laugh.
They strolled around the yard chatting.
"Hongmei. I'll come to pick you up this time next year."
"No need to trouble yourself. Just wait for me in the capital. I'll send my luggage through the post office after I receive the notification. You just need to wait to pick it up."
"That's a good idea. I'm just worried you'll get kidnapped by someone else."
"How could that be? Human traffickers wouldn't be so blind."
"Alright, I'll wait for you in the capital. I'll find you a place to live after I get there."
"Yes, it would be best if it were close to the school, so it would be convenient for me to go to and from school."
"Yes, I won't live on campus anymore then, I'll stay with you."
"Hehe, okay."
They washed up and went to bed.
Zhang Hongmei got up at ten o'clock and made two batches of egg pancakes for Liu Jingze. Liu Jingze also got up and tied the quilt and snakeskin bag to the back seat of the car. He also had a leather bag hanging on the handlebars. He couldn't eat at this time, so Zhang Hongmei had no choice but to put it in his lunchbox.
Liu Jingze had Zhang Hongmei sit on the main beam. To be honest, Zhang Hongmei had never sat in the front before, but the situation didn't allow it.
When they arrived at the train station, Liu Jingze went back to carry the rest of the luggage. Zhang Hongmei saw that there weren't many people in the waiting room and hoped to get a seat, otherwise it would be too tiring.
When Liu Jingze returned, Zhang Hongmei didn't leave. "Brother Jingze, let me see you onto the train. I wonder if we can move your luggage onto the platform beforehand? That would make getting on the train much easier."
"I'll go buy a ticket and ask."
Liu Jingze brought back good news: they could move the goods onto the platform right now.
Liu Jingze first carried some things, found the right platform, put them on it, and then rushed back to continue moving more.
Fortunately, there was no one on the platform, so Zhang Hongmei could just watch the luggage in the waiting room.
Zhang Hongmei finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Liu Jingze onto the train. She left amidst Liu Jingze's guilty gaze.
After arriving home, I went to my online space, took a shower, and went to bed.
After waking up, he remembered that he hadn't read Er Lengzi's letter yet, so he went out again to get it.
Er Lengzi explained that the reason for the long delay in receiving letters was due to basic training, and that this letter mainly stated that he was going to the battlefield.
Anyway, the border was never peaceful at this time in my previous life, so I wonder what it's like here.
Zhang Hongmei was genuinely worried about her friend going to the battlefield, but it was his own choice, and all others could do was pray and offer their blessings.
The envelope also contained a considerable amount of military receipts. These were collected over the past year and were all sent back to Zhang Hongmei.
Even if I wanted to reply to Er Lengzi now, I wouldn't receive it. I hope he's safe and sound.
Zhang Hongmei has resumed her normal school life. She was also granted leave by her teacher.
The studies are very intense now, and evening self-study sessions go on until 8:30. Fortunately, the days are getting longer and the weather is getting colder, otherwise it would be really tough.
There are exams almost every day, and the students are making the most of every minute. Their enthusiasm for studying is truly remarkable.
Zhang Hongmei can't relax even if she wants to; she's busy every day and has to keep up with the schedule.
I also received a letter from Liu Jingze, and knowing that he had arrived safely put my mind at ease. I replied briefly.
They were preparing to return to the village. The teachers basically let Zhang Hongmei learn on her own, and they could tell from the daily tests that the child was learning very well.
There is indeed a spring planting break, but the studies are intense, and this is the last sprint before the exams. However, the school allows those who request a break.
Zhang Hongmei didn't take a car; instead, she rode her bicycle home, since it would be more convenient for her to travel if she needed to.
Zhu Zi and Er Ya have returned. The sweet potato rows in the village are almost finished, so their return means they'll be busy with water work.
Zhang Hongmei arrived at the pond and saw that the water level had dropped significantly this year. She estimated that if it didn't rain again, the autumn harvest would be in trouble.
In my past life, it rained in July of this year. I wonder what will happen here?
Liu Maocai also looked at the pond with worry. He estimated that he could only manage to plant the land this year, and watering would be difficult in the future. Last year, there was still water to irrigate when the crops were heading, but the little water left this year would not be enough.
"Uncle, there's always a way out. Maybe it'll rain this year?"
"Yes, even a blind sparrow won't starve. We should just do what we have to do."
This year, Zhang Hongmei didn't grow her own seedlings; she gave them to Li Cuihua to plant in the yard. She's a little unaccustomed to suddenly returning home and not having to read and study every day.
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