Wangshan County is just a small county town, and not many people got off the bus, only about ten.
The four of them followed the small flow of people out of the platform, which was nothing more than a wooden fence and a wooden door that was only a little over a meter tall.
Old Yang, who was waiting by the oxcart, had already harnessed it and was just waiting for them to come out so they could set off.
After Chen Shuning introduced Old Yang to his mother and younger brother, everyone got into the car.
Chen Shuning brought two quilts. She and her mother shared one, and originally, Chen Jiandang and He Chaoyang were supposed to share the other. However, He Chaoyang said he wasn't cold, so he sat down next to Old Yang in front of the oxcart.
Old Yang was also tall, and He Chaoyang sat next to him in front. The two tall and burly men completely blocked the wind blowing in their faces.
The three people sitting in the back were all covered with blankets, and there were water turtles in the blankets, so they didn't feel cold.
Old Yang gave his water turtle to Chen Jiandang, saying that he was already used to the temperature and wasn't cold, while Chen Jiandang, on the other hand, was freezing as soon as he got off the bus in Heilongjiang Province, which was his first time there.
It wasn't until I crawled into bed and put my feet on the water turtle that I gradually warmed up.
As the oxcart began its return journey, He Chaoyang listened to the mother and son chatting about everyday things as soon as they got on the cart, and kindly reminded them, "Auntie, Shuning has prepared a meal for you. If you and your little brother are hungry, you can have something to eat first."
As she spoke, she turned to Chen Shuning and said, "Shuning, the food will get cold soon. Let your aunt and younger brother eat while it's hot, and then you can chat, okay?"
After hearing He Chaoyang's words, Chen Shuning realized that he hadn't asked the two people who had just gotten off the car if they were hungry.
Chen Shuning felt that her mind hadn't been working very well since her mother and younger brother came to visit.
He quickly reached out and pulled over the bamboo basket next to him, taking out the lunchbox wrapped in a small cotton quilt.
Touching the still-warm lunchbox, he handed it to Qin Yalan, smiling smugly and saying, "Mom, the boxed meals on the train are so awful and ridiculously expensive. You and your little brother must not have eaten yet. This food is still warm, so you and your little brother should eat it while it's hot."
Mom, you don't know, the head chef at this state-run restaurant makes incredibly delicious sweet and sour pork, even better than the one in Dongcheng! It's cooked in a lunchbox so the texture might not be quite as good, but if you eat it in the restaurant, it'll be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—absolutely delicious!
Next time I have the chance, I'll take your little brother to the restaurant.
Chen Shuning, who had been feeling uneasy, was talking quite a lot at this moment. Even Old Yang, who was sitting in front of her, noticed that the girl was acting strangely today.
He Chaoyang simply smirked silently; the little girl's guilty look was quite adorable.
Even outsiders could see that something was wrong with Chen Shuning, so how could Qin Yalan, as his mother, not see it? It has to be said that in this respect, Chen Shuning and the original owner of this body are quite similar.
Listening to Chen Shuning's incessant explanation and glancing at the brand-new lunchbox, Qin Yalan, knowing her daughter well, immediately understood that the meal was probably prepared by He Chaoyang at the last minute.
She rolled her eyes at the smug Chen Shuning and bluntly exposed him: "This meal was prepared by Xiao He, wasn't it?"
Chen Shuning stuck out her tongue after being exposed by her mother, but she wasn't embarrassed at all and said, "Although Brother He prepared the food, I prepared the blanket to wrap the lunchbox. Otherwise, the food would have been cold by now. So, Mom, it's all thanks to your daughter, me, that you and my little brother can have a hot meal."
"Ning girl, isn't that the little blanket you wrapped up this morning to prepare lunch for yourself and your old man?"
As he spoke, Old Yang looked at Qin Yalan with envy and said, "My dear niece, Ning is a lucky girl, and Xiao He is a good kid."
This child didn't know you were coming beforehand; she only found out when she unexpectedly ran into Ning and me at the station around noon.
That kid even turned down his duty to report to the army, staying behind specifically to pick you up.
After hearing Old Yang's words and looking at the brand-new lunchbox in her hand, Qin Yalan understood immediately that even this lunchbox was probably bought by Xiao He on the spot.
Feeling increasingly pleased, Qin Yalan found He Chaoyang more and more pleasing to the eye. She looked at He Chaoyang and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Xiao He. But can you not go to the army?"
"It's alright, Auntie. The registration time was originally tomorrow, but I came early anyway, so it's fine if I don't go today."
I just didn't expect to run into Shuning at the station. That girl didn't even tell me beforehand, otherwise I would have arranged for the army to send a vehicle to pick you and your brother up, which would have saved some time on the way.
The military in that era was still quite humane. Even ordinary soldiers could ask the military to pick up relatives from other places if they came to visit. Not to mention He Chaoyang's rank.
"I didn't know your relationship report required a background check. I hadn't even figured out how to tell my family about us yet. How could I possibly ask you to pick up my mom and brother?"
Chen Shuning's words caused Qin Yalan and He Chaoyang's expressions to change.
He Chaoyang felt a little heartbroken because of the feeling of being disliked.
Qin Yalan knew her daughter best and knew that the girl must have said those words because she didn't know that Xiao He needed a political background check to keep his relationship a secret from her and her father.
He Chaoyang could only endure his unhappiness, but Qin Yalan didn't need to. She raised her hand and slapped Chen Shuning on the back, scolding, "You brat, you think you can hide such a big thing as dating from me and your dad?"
"Tell me, if Xiao He hadn't submitted a report about your relationship, and the military hadn't investigated your dad's workplace during the background check, would you still have wanted to keep such a big thing from me and your dad?"
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