Regardless of whether she felt embarrassed or not, she was already in the car. Although Chen Shuning wasn't exactly a social butterfly, she wasn't bad at normal social interactions.
He instinctively reached for the seatbelt but grabbed nothing. Feeling a little guilty, he stuck out his tongue and quickly tried to cover up his embarrassment by saying, "Brother He, could you stop the car when we pass the big locust tree at the entrance of town? I need to tell Grandpa Yang, otherwise I'm afraid he'll worry if he sees I haven't come back."
Hearing this, He Chaoyang, who was driving, raised an eyebrow, smiled and responded before heading towards the town entrance.
He was thinking to himself that, as far as he knew, this girl had only been in the countryside for a few days, but he hadn't expected her to be so popular. You know, in the countryside, oxcarts are pretty much like buses; whoever gets there first gets to ride, and if you miss it, then sorry, you'll have to walk.
The situation described by the little girl only applies if you have a good relationship with the person driving the carriage, otherwise they might wait for you under certain circumstances.
When the car reached the big locust tree at the entrance of the town, Chen Shuning saw that the other two oxcarts in the village were gone, and Old Yang's oxcart was almost full.
There were two elderly women sitting on the cart that I hadn't seen that morning. They must have walked here on their own, and they chose to take the oxcart because they had a lot of things to buy on their way back.
She secretly rejoiced that she had met He Chaoyang; otherwise, she really wouldn't have been able to get those things back.
Looking at the oxcart, which was packed full and could only fit one or two people at most, Chen Shuning felt a little smug. Just now, when she passed the state-run restaurant, she clearly saw Yang Wanqiu and Gu Xinyi sitting inside eating leisurely. She wondered what their expressions would be when they came back and found there were no cars.
That young soldier was really quick on his feet; he was already sitting on the oxcart chatting with the two old ladies next to him.
As expected, Chen Shuning saw Grandpa Yang looking anxiously towards the town entrance. As soon as the car stopped, Chen Shuning opened the door, jumped out, and ran to Grandpa Yang's side.
"Grandpa Yang, I'm sorry I'm late. Were you waiting long?"
Old Yang was relieved to see that Chen Shuning had returned safely, but his heart was immediately set on again when he saw that Chen Shuning had nothing on him.
He kept looking towards the town, and although Old Man Yang saw He Chaoyang's car drive by.
But preoccupied with Chen Shuning, he didn't notice who was in the car. So when the car stopped under the big locust tree, Old Yang didn't see that Chen Shuning had gotten out of the jeep.
Seeing that even the bamboo basket the girl had carried that morning was gone, the old man assumed that the little girl had been robbed and immediately became anxious.
"Girl, where are your things? Did you run into bad people? Don't be afraid, girl. Tell Grandpa Yang if anything happens, and Grandpa will take care of it for you."
Upon hearing that the old man had misunderstood, and seeing the old man so anxious that he jumped off the oxcart, Chen Shuning quickly reassured him: "I'm fine, Grandpa Yang. I just ran into my brother's comrade-in-arms in town."
He happened to come to see me here. All his things are in his car. I came over to let you know; I'll be taking his car back later.
As Chen Shuning spoke, he pointed to the military jeep behind him. Just then, He Chaoyang got out of the vehicle. His military uniform with insignia and collar tabs looked quite convincing. In addition, when Shen Chunxi on the oxcart addressed him as Battalion Commander He, it directly confirmed He Chaoyang's military status.
You have to understand that in the hearts of ordinary people, the People's Liberation Army was synonymous with good people, so Old Yang had no doubts. He told Chen Shuning to be careful on the road and then told him to hurry back.
Chen Shuning felt bad about keeping He Chaoyang waiting, so he followed Old Yang's lead and got back into He Chaoyang's car.
Old Yang's oxcart was almost full. If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't seen the girl and wanted to wait for her, and had persuaded many people to take the other two oxcarts, there would still be room left.
Otherwise, given Old Yang's driving skills, the villagers would definitely choose Old Yang's oxcart first if they had a choice.
As the two elderly women, chatting and laughing, boarded the oxcart, Old Yang's oxcart also set off back home around 2:10 p.m.
Yang Wanqiu and Gu Xinyi, who had just finished eating and drinking at the state-run restaurant, returned to the meeting point carrying large bags and small packages, only to see the dust kicked up by the oxcart as it passed.
Looking at the empty space under the big locust tree, there was no trace of the oxcart. No matter how much they complained and cursed, the oxcart would never come back to pick them up.
The reason these two couldn't get a ride was twofold: firstly, they weren't punctual, and secondly, they didn't understand the rules. They assumed that if they took a ride there, they would definitely get a ride back. Little did they know that many people in the village chose to walk to town because they couldn't bear to spend the two cents on the bus fare, and only took a ride back to the village when they were tired or had too much to carry.
Today, Old Yang deliberately waited for Chen Shuning to arrive so that he could see the dust left by the oxcart. In the past, the two of them might not have even seen the back of the oxcart.
Regardless of how much the two regretted it, let's just talk about Chen Shuning's side. He Chaoyang drove fast and steadily, and occasionally he would tell Chen Shuning funny stories about his and her brother's school days.
Because they had mutual acquaintances, the awkwardness and discomfort in their relationship gradually disappeared.
The two set off from the town around 2 p.m. and returned to Qingshan Brigade at 3:30 p.m.
As soon as the military jeep entered the village, it attracted a lot of children to watch and chase after it. In this era when even tractors were not common, cars were even rarer. So, in no time, the news that Chen, the educated youth from the village, had returned in a car spread throughout the entire Qingshan Brigade.
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