Even though Ji Xiao knew people, it would be a long time before the phone was installed. That day, Xia Liang was just about to take her younger daughter to the Children's Palace to pick up her older daughter when Ji Xiao came with people to install the phone. Xia Liang didn't have time, so she told Ji Xiao, "I have to go pick up Yunxi now. You can handle it." Ji Xiao nodded and didn't stand on ceremony with Xia Liang.
When Xia Liang returned with the two children, the phone had already been installed. Xiao Yuanzhi even asked her mother to find her grandmother's phone number so she could try it out. When Han Yulan answered the phone, she heard a child's voice on the other end: "Grandma, what are you doing?" Han Yulan was momentarily confused. The other end continued, "Grandma, we got a phone! This is our phone number. Grandma, you won't have to call the old ladies' houses anymore." Only then did Han Yulan recognize her granddaughter's voice. She smiled and asked, "Sweetie, your mom installed a phone?" Xiao Yuanzhi nodded: "Yes, Grandma! Now we can call as long as we want, and we don't have to pay." Han Yulan chuckled, "That's great, sweetie. You can call as long as you want." She decided not to tell her that their phone also cost money, otherwise, what if the little one was reluctant to call her later?
On the day of her two daughters' exam, Xia Liang was asked to wait for them at the door. When the bell rang, Xia Liang knew the exam was over. She didn't have to wait long before the two sisters came out hand in hand. Xia Liang knew without asking that they had done well; their little mouths were so wide open you could see their tonsils. But if she didn't ask, would the little girl not say anything? She blurted out, "Mommy, guess how I did on the test?" Xia Liang pretended not to believe her, saying, "I guess you didn't do very well!" The little girl immediately fell silent, saying, "Mommy, guess again." Xia Liang continued to tease her, "I guess you'll pass!" Gu Yuanzhi's face turned red with anger at her mother's teasing. Seeing that she was almost crying, Xia Liang stopped teasing her, saying, "Okay, Mommy was just kidding. Mommy thinks you'll definitely get a hundred." The little girl kept a straight face, saying, "I don't think this joke is funny at all." Xia Liang burst out laughing. How could she have such a cute baby? She picked up her little daughter and kissed her twice, saying, "Mommy was wrong. What do you want to do to forgive Mommy?" The little girl immediately beamed, saying, "Let's go to Grandma's house during the holidays!" Xia Liang nodded, "No problem. After we get your results, Mommy will drive you back." The little girl was satisfied with the assurance.
On the day the results were released, Xia Liang brought her two children to school. Unsurprisingly, her eldest daughter had once again achieved perfect scores in all subjects, ranking first in the entire school. Xia Liang wasn't surprised; after all, since starting school, her eldest daughter had consistently been number one in every exam, always getting perfect scores. Her younger daughter also did well, achieving perfect scores in both subjects. However, being only in first grade, it was common for about 80% of the children to get perfect scores. Xia Liang didn't dampen her spirits, instead showering her with praise, making Gu Yuanzhi, the little girl, beam with pride like a little peacock.
After receiving the test papers, Xia Liang drove the children to the department store. Upon entering, Xia Liang said, "Buy whatever you want, this is a reward from Mom for your test." The two children were overjoyed and headed straight for the candy counter. Xia Liang, sensing trouble, tried to stop them, but it was too late. The two little ones were already at the counter: "Auntie, we want three, no, five pounds of White Rabbit milk candy, and ten boxes of chocolate!" Xia Liang heard her younger daughter's boastful words as she arrived. Xia Liang sighed and stepped forward, saying, "I didn't say I was going to buy you that much!" Little Yunxi glared at Xia Liang angrily, "Mom, you broke your promise!" "You just said you'd buy us anything we wanted, and now you're saying no? Mom, do you want to be a bad person who breaks their promise?" "Of course not," Xia Liang thought, then continued to argue, "Mom did say we could buy anything, but I didn't say how much! What if you wanted to buy everything in the department store? Mom couldn't afford it all, so I can only choose a little bit. Like this White Rabbit candy, five pounds of White Rabbit candy, do you know how much that is? Your teeth will rot after eating it! If you don't believe me, just ask your sister, didn't she get a toothache from eating so much White Rabbit candy? I even took her to the doctor." "Little brat, you're still too green to mess with me."
The little one was stunned by Xia Liang's words, realizing that her mother seemed to have a point—she could have anything, but not as much as she wanted. Seeing her displeasure, Xia Liang had no choice but to take the initiative and say, "How about this? Mom will decide for you. We'll just buy a box of chocolates and half a pound of White Rabbit candies, okay? Apart from these candies and cookies, you can take whatever else you want." Although Xia Liang doted on her child, this wasn't the time to spoil her; she needed to teach her what she could and couldn't touch.
In the end, the two little ones had no choice but to give in and bought half a pound of White Rabbit milk candy and a box of chocolates. Xia Liang didn't know what the two little ones were thinking, but they actually went to the cosmetics store and bought a box of face cream, saying it was for Han Yulan. Then they went to the tobacco and alcohol store and bought a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes. They didn't know if Hongtashan was any good or not; they just heard the salesperson say it was the most expensive cigarette in the store, so they bought it. Xia Liang didn't say much, knowing that being filial was a good thing.
Back home, Xia Liang prepared some supplies for the journey. She wrote letters of introduction for herself and her fellow apprentices, including Chen Yanling. Knowing that gas stations were hard to find these days, she drove to a gas station and bought two cans of gas just in case. Back home, Xia Liang also made some easy-to-store items like biscuits and packed clothes for herself, her two children, and others for the next few days. Seeing that Chen Yanling and her fellow apprentices were also ready, Xia Liang set off. Xia Liang drove, Tian Longhui sat in the passenger seat, Chen Yanling, Duan Wenchun, and Zhou Xiong sat in the back, and the two little ones were carried by Chen Yanling and Duan Wenchun. There weren't many cars on the road, and no traffic police were checking for overloading, so the seven of them set off in one car.
Xia Liang drove, while Tian Longhui in the passenger seat looked at the map as they drove. They stopped to eat whenever they reached a restaurant in another province or city, stayed overnight at a guesthouse, and then continued their journey the next morning. In short, it was a very tough trip. Zhou Xiong and Tian Longhui were alright; they weren't too tired even though they were sitting the whole time. Now, no matter where they went, if it was a long-distance trip, they would have to sit on the train for several days. The worst off were Chen Yanling and Duan Wenchun. Not only could they not move while sitting, but they also had two children sitting on their laps. Xia Liang felt incredibly guilty, but every time she told them to let the two sisters stand instead of carrying them all the time, they refused, saying that their training was much harder than this, and they often had to run with weights. There was nothing Xia Liang could do to persuade them, so she could only let them be.
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