Chapter 195: Changes in the Past Ten Years (1)
Today is the second day of the Chinese New Year. As agreed, we will have dinner at Lili's house.
Guan Qingbai will also go there.
So Taotao and Song Zhi's mission today is to visit Professor Huang's home to wish him a happy new year in the morning, and visit Professor Fu to wish him a happy new year in the afternoon...
Taotao and Song Zhi got up early in the morning.
We had dumplings for breakfast.
There are eight people eating at home now, six adults and two children, most of them are men, and they eat a lot. I ate nearly two hundred dumplings for breakfast!
Of course, these dumplings were made with the dough made by Xiao Zhang, rolled by Xiao Chen, minced with meat stuffing by Song Zhi, and seasoned with peach flavor. They were also made by everyone themselves...
There are six kinds of fillings, including meat with green onions, meat with leeks, meat with celery, meat with mushrooms, meat with sauerkraut and meat with Chinese cabbage. Each one is plump and white, with a thin skin and rich fillings, and tastes delicious. Plus, Taotao mixed the dumplings together, so no one knew what fillings they would be eating, which was really exciting.
Everyone was so satisfied with the meal!
After eating the dumplings, everyone touched their round bellies, collapsed on the sofa and sighed comfortably.
Zhao Hongjun was worried. "I've been enjoying the good life here with the leader in Taotao Songzhi... I haven't exercised much. After the New Year, I'm afraid I'll gain ten pounds!"
Song Zhi gave him an idea, "You guys can go and reorganize the warehouse in the backyard later. It will be a good exercise and help to organize it at the same time. How great!"
Zhao Hongjun waved his hand, "Xiao Zhang and Xiao Chen, let's go now! We can't delay watching the martial arts video with the chief and Fei Fei and Mo Mo later!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Taotao also laughed.
She told Song Xi about her and Song Zhi's plans for today.
Song Xi waved her hand, "You guys go on your way! We'll go to the video room like we did yesterday! You don't have to worry about us for lunch, we'll come back and cook for ourselves!"
Taotao nodded with a smile, "Then it's settled!"
So she and Song Zhi took the carefully selected gifts and rode their bicycles out together.
However, as soon as the gate was opened——
Taotao saw Li Cuier sitting at the gate of her own yard at a glance?
Li Cui'er's eyes were filled with tears. When she saw Taotao, she quickly stood up and asked Taotao in a sad and resentful tone, "Where is the treasure?"
In fact, Taotao had already prepared herself mentally last night in case Li Cui'er came over to cause trouble.
Unexpectedly, she spent a quiet night?
So when Taotao saw Li Cui'er today, she was already mentally prepared.
"I'll say it again, I don't know!" Taotao said.
Song Zhi also looked at Taotao with some hesitation in his eyes: Caibao has been in the police station for a day and a night, can't we tell Li Cuier his whereabouts?
Taotao signaled to him: Watch me!
Song Zhi remained silent.
Li Cui'er started to cry, "I know it was you... You hid the treasure, right? Please return my eldest grandson to me..."
She has always been rude.
Last night when she was in Wangjia Village, she was severely ridiculed by the Bai Zhenzhu sisters. After crying all night, she finally understood... In the past, the first, second and third wives gave in to her because her mother-in-law Chen Juxiang doted on the fourth wife.
But now Chen Juxiang has remarried and died, and the third and fourth sons and the first and second sons are not born of the same mother or even the same father...
No one spoils her anymore.
At the beginning, she often relied on the fact that she was an aunt and an elder, and even on the children of the first, second and third wives.
——Sisters Bai Taotao from the first wife and Bai Zhenzhu from the third wife hated her to the core. How could they possibly give in to her and protect her?
It's ridiculous that she only figured it out now.
But even so, she couldn't abandon her precious grandson!
"Bai Taotao! You have hatred and anger in your heart... all directed at me," Li Cui said tearfully, "...my Caibao is still a child!"
Tao Tao sneered, "What are you afraid of? Didn't you originally want to hand over your eldest grandson to me? Then why are you looking for him now?"
Li Cui'er was speechless for a moment.
After a pause, Li Cui'er came back to her senses and said happily, "So, you agree to help me take care of Caibao? Then where is he now? Is he doing well? What has he eaten? Oh, I haven't eaten yet!"
Taotao smiled and said, "I'm not a landlord, so how can I afford to support him? However, for someone like him whose parents are still alive but are as good as dead, and no one cares about him, the state will take care of him!"
Li Cui'er was stunned. "What do you mean? What does it mean that the country controls him?"
Taotao smiled, "I suddenly remembered that a bad guy broke into my house yesterday and wanted to kill me! So I called the police, and the police came and arrested the murderer..."
Li Cui'er was stunned, "Bai Taotao, what did you say?"
"Didn't you teach him to find a chance to break into my house? He is still a child. Do I have to control him?" Taotao sneered.
Li Cui'er became more and more terrified. "Yes, that's right! He's just a child! Why do you have to bother with a child? You, you...did you really call the police?"
Taotao nodded.
Li Cui'er screamed, "Did the police really take our treasure away?"
Taotao nodded again.
"Bai Taotao, how could you be so evil!" Li Cui'er shouted angrily, "How could you do something like harming your relatives?"
Tao Tao stared at Li Cui'er and said word by word: "I walked out of the countryside step by step... I have relied on my own ability to get to where I am now! If you are envious, then you can be like me!"
"There are many people who are as hardworking as me, or even harder than me, and they all live well. So your wealthy life has to do with you, not with others!"
"But you, not only are you lazy, but you're also like a blood-sucking worm, wanting to suck other people's blood and take advantage of others all day long? Humph, you still have the nerve to say that you and your grandson are my relatives? What kind of relatives are you to me!"
"So I advise you...get out of here! If you try to take advantage of me again...I have plenty of ways to make your grandson eat free food in prison for the rest of his life! And the prison guards can teach your extremely smart grandson to read and write!"
Li Cui'er was stunned by Taotao's scolding.
She couldn't utter a word for a long time.
It was not until then that Li Cui'er remembered... Bai Taotao had once sent Bai Zhenzhu to jail! At that time, it had not been revealed that the third and fourth wives were not from the Bai family!
Bai Taotao was only a teenager at that time, but she was already capable of doing such a cold-blooded thing.
Now?
Li Cui'er screamed, "Where is my treasure!"
Tao Tao sneered, "Look, this is a manifestation of lack of culture! Didn't I already say it? Caibao rushed into my house and tried to kill me... and then was caught by the police. So you still don't know where to find your precious grandson?"
Li Cui'er looked ashen, "Prison? How many years was he sentenced to?"
Tao Tao smiled, "Why don't you go back and ask Bai Feicui? After all, it was because of her nonsense that you came up with such a good plan. You sent your precious grandson all the way to Kyoto to break the law!"
As she spoke, Taotao shouted, "Dad, there's a dog outside! Be careful when you and the kids go out!"
Song Xi and the others in the yard had already heard the noise outside, and were now prying open the door to look outside!
After hearing Tao Tao's explanation, Song Xi agreed, "...I understand! You guys go your way!"
Taotao and Song Zhi rode away on their bicycles.
Li Cui'er sat at the door of Taotao's house in a panic and cried for a long time, but finally returned to Wangjia Village.
——There’s no way, she can’t read a single word, it’s already great that she can find this place from her hometown. If you ask her to find the police or the treasure, she doesn't know where to look!
Li Cui'er left.
The world is at peace.
Taotao's family spent several busy days...Song Zhi's students came in a group to pay New Year's greetings, and several of his colleagues also came in turn. Taotao's students, colleagues and friends also found time to come and wish her a happy new year.
She and Song Zhi were either at home, greeting, chatting, and treating people who came to pay New Year's greetings, or on their way out to pay New Year's greetings...
It was not until the afternoon of the fourth day of the New Year that Bai Zhenzhu's whole family came to pay New Year's greetings, carrying large and small bags of New Year's goods.
Bai Panjin enthusiastically introduced to Taotao that the things she brought were all grown by herself. In particular, the family carried a sack full of small building blocks of various styles and sizes.
Bai Panjin said that this bag of building blocks was made from the waste materials and scraps that A Yao saved when he was doing carpentry work. City people are now very fond of buying building blocks for their children, but those are all painted, which is not good for children. The building blocks that Ayao made were made of solid wood, and the edges and corners were polished very smoothly, so they would not hurt Momo...
Taotao thanked Bai Panjin and A Yao solemnly, which made A Yao feel embarrassed.
Taotao watched coldly again and found that Bai Feicui was not there, and Li Cui'er was not there either.
However, Tao Tao never liked these two and didn't even want to ask a question. She just smiled and directed Song Zhi, "Let's have hot pot today! It's simple, fast, and warm... But there are so many of us, one pot won't be enough, so let's split it into two pots! One pot for the adults and one for the kids!"
Song Zhi nodded and went about his business.
A Yao and Lu Lu rushed to the kitchen to help Song Zhi; Song Xi, with the guards, led Fei Fei, Mo Mo, Hui Hui and Ting Ting to the basketball court outside to play with firecrackers and fireworks...
Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Panjin just chatted with Taotao.
The two sisters were both frowning.
Bai Zhenzhu said, "Taotao, you definitely don't know what happened yesterday, right?"
Tao Tao asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"
Bai Zhenzhu sighed and told everything.
——On the first day Li Cui'er arrived in Kyoto, she made a fuss in Wangjia Village all night and insisted that the sisters from the third room accompany her to Bai Taotao's house to look for treasure. The White Pearl sisters ignored her completely, and finally thought she was too noisy and kicked her out!
Li Cui'er was unfamiliar with the place and didn't dare to go far, so she spent the night crying under Bai Zhenzhu's eaves. The next morning, the Bai Zhenzhu sisters still refused to accompany her to find Taotao, so Li Cui'er had to take the bus back into the city by herself.
At noon, Li Cui'er returned to Wangjia Village again, and without saying a word, she grabbed Bai Feicui and beat her up!
However, Li Cui'er was fifty years old after all. She had not eaten enough for many years and was malnourished. She was thin and had no strength. Bai Feicui was in her thirties, young and strong... As a result, Li Cui'er was severely beaten by Bai Feicui!
In the end, Li Cui'er was beaten so badly that her face was bruised and her hair was disheveled. She sat on the ground crying and howled for two or three hours! After all, it is the New Year and everyone wants happiness. The neighbors were also annoyed by Li Cui'er's crying, so they came over to ask Bai Zhenzhu what was going on.
Helpless, Bai Zhenzhu had to ask Li Cui'er what she wanted.
Li Cui'er said: She wanted Bai Feicui to accompany her to find the treasure, because Bai Taotao said that the treasure was seized by the police, but Li Cui'er didn't know where the police were, so she wanted Bai Feicui to take her to find it.
Of course, there were countless arguments during this process...
The main thing is that Li Cui'er blamed Bai Feicui, saying that it was Bai Feicui who instigated her to bring the treasure to Kyoto in order to take advantage of the Bai Taotao sisters. So Bai Feicui must help her find the treasure.
Li Cui'er was very good at annoying people, so Bai Feicui had no choice but to take Li Cui'er to the police station in the jurisdiction of the retirement home.
As a result, the treasure was found very smoothly.
But some police officers also recognized Bai Feicui!
——It turned out that this policeman had previously handled the case in which Bai Feicui and his accomplices set up a "honey trap", and was later transferred to Kyoto due to relocation.
All of Bai Feicui's accomplices were arrested that year, except Bai Feicui. It is precisely because of this that the accomplices put all the blame on Bai Feicui! Bai Feicui was detained on the spot!
Li Cui'er was frightened. However, she had no feelings for Bai Feicui. She just begged the police with tears and snot... to release her precious grandson.
Then Li Cui'er realized that Caibao really wanted to kill Bai Taotao! Several police officers were at the scene, and there was witnesses and evidence! Moreover, after Caibao was brought to the police station by the police, he was very uncooperative. Originally, the police did not let him into the interrogation room and sent him to the office. However, he caused trouble, smashed all the tables and chairs in the office, and made all kinds of excuses...trying to escape.
He even grabbed a female police officer and tried to take her hostage and escape from the police station.
In the end, he was killed by the policewoman who was a retired female soldier!
Caibao was too noisy and even attacked a police officer, so the police transferred him to a detention center.
At this point, Bai Zhenzhu said worriedly, "If Caibao was still in the police station, it would be fine... He would be released after three days at most! But now he has been transferred to the detention center..."
Bai Panjin asked curiously, "What happened to the detention center?"
Bai Zhenzhu explained: "The detention center holds criminal suspects."
Bai Panjin still didn't understand.
Tao Tao explained a few words, "...that is to say, when he was detained in the police station, he might not be guilty. The police were just investigating the situation. But if he was detained in the detention center, it would prove...that his guilt is already ironclad."
Bai Zhenzhu was worried. "Why is he still so domineering in the police station?"
Bai Panjin lamented that Yu Caibao was seeking his own death, and at the same time gave the answer, "…It's because he was spoiled by Li Cui'er and thought that everyone was his slave!"
Tao Tao asked again, "What about Li Cui'er?"
Bai Zhenzhu replied, "I went to pick her up yesterday, but she refused to follow me back and insisted on squatting at the door of the detention center and crying... I couldn't persuade her, and I didn't have the energy to persuade her, so I just left. Let her do whatever she wants, I'm too lazy to care about her... I don't owe her anything!"
Tao Tao continued to ask: "What about white jadeite?"
Bai Zhenzhu sighed, "...I don't know! We can't see her. The police won't let us. Yesterday we sent some clothes and food in... and then the police told us not to send any more, saying that she would be sent to the detention center soon. If we want to see her, we have to register at the detention center and apply for a visit!"
She didn't know how many times she sighed this afternoon.
Tao Tao asked again, "Do Huihui and Tingting know?"
Bai Panjin replied: "We told Huihui and Tingting that Feicui sent Li Cui'er back to Ruyi Village... Let's keep it a secret for now, we don't know how long we can keep it a secret."
Taotao has some understanding of Bai Feicui's children.
——Bai Feicui doesn’t like her children and acts as a hands-off manager most of the time. As a result, the two children became closer to Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Panjin. It is also possible that the examples set by Bai Zhenzhu, Bai Panjin and A Yao have influenced these two children, and they are quite well-behaved.
Bai Zhenzhu said, "Now we just hope we can keep it a secret from them for a while longer... After we find out how many years Zhenzhu has been sentenced to, we can make up other excuses!"
When it was time for dinner, Song Xi brought the children back.
Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Panjin did not mention anything about Bai Feicui. They had a lively meal together and gave each other red envelopes. Then Bai Zhenzhu and Bai Panjin left with the children.
Taotao told her family about Bai Feicui, Li Cui'er and the treasure.
A day later, Song Zhi went to inquire about the news of Bai Feicui and the treasure, and came back to tell Tao Tao:
"Bai Feicui has already confessed. I heard from the detective that if she hadn't run away, she would have been sentenced to three years at most... But she has been on the run for so many years and has never returned to turn herself in. Even if she confesses now, she will still be sentenced to at least three years!"
"Caibao was disobedient and caused even more trouble in the detention center. He not only fought with other prisoners but also broke the nose of the prison guard... But he is still young, only twelve years old. I heard that he has been sent to a juvenile detention center... His condition is quite serious and he will probably stay in the juvenile detention center for three to five years."
Tao Tao nodded, "These people have nothing to do with us anymore... Oh, by the way, did you buy all the things I asked you to buy?"
——Tomorrow is the eighth day of the Chinese New Year, Taotao and Song Zhi have to go back to work. After the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, Song Xi’s New Year leave is over and he has to go back to Nandu. Feifei and Momo are also going to start school.
So Song Zhi has been buying local specialties everywhere these two days according to the list made by Taotao.
When Song Xi returns to Nandu, let him take them with him. After all, there is not only Song Xi there now, but also Song Sui and the pregnant Xing Xing.
This year is the happiest year for Song Xi in his sixties.
But no matter how reluctant he was, the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month arrived as scheduled.
After dinner, the whole family sat in the shelter pavilion on the second floor rooftop, watching the moon, eating melon seeds and snacks, and roasting sweet potatoes in a charcoal pot...
Song Xi looked at his son and daughter-in-law, and finally his reluctant gaze shifted to his two older grandsons.
He will have to leave tomorrow.
Looking back on the entire month I spent with my children and grandchildren, every day was truly fulfilling and happy. I really want to live like this forever.
Song Zhi was also a little reluctant, and he sensed something from the loving look in his father's eyes as he looked at Feifei.
He said to Song Xi, "Dad, why don't you retire and move to Kyoto... Taotao and I spend most of the year in the Northwest. Momo can still stay with us, but Feifei is about to go to middle school, so he has to stay in Kyoto to go to school. If you retire, there will be someone here to accompany Feifei."
Song Xi, "Do you think I don't want to retire? The organization won't let me!"
After a pause, he carefully discussed, "How about letting Feifei go to Nandu to attend middle school?"
Song Zhi and Tao Tao exchanged glances.
Taotao felt a little reluctant.
The teaching staff in the junior high schools in Kyoto is still better than that in Nandu. Besides, she had already picked out a school that Feifei liked... Now she wanted Feifei to go to Nandu to study?
Song Zhi, "Dad, let's discuss this matter slowly."
Song Xi waved his hand, "It's okay, tell me after you've discussed it! If it really doesn't work, you can just let Feifei's third aunt help take care of him. Feifei still has three years of junior high school and three years of high school, a total of six years... I will definitely retire!"
Zhao Hongjun sat aside, hunched over and turning the roasted sweet potatoes with tongs.
Hearing the conversation between the leader and his sons and daughters-in-law, he couldn't help but laugh.
——The leader used to be a man of steel, always decisive and resolute. But now I have learned to discuss things with my children and grandchildren, and I am willing to compromise and give in.
And in this month, it was the first time that Zhao Hongjun saw the leader also have such a childish side...
It's very down-to-earth.
Even Zhao Hongjun liked the atmosphere in Taotao and Song Zhi's home. The family loves each other and is harmonious. Of course, there will be times of anger and conflicts among family members, but they will always be resolved in time.
What a pity...
At this time, Zhao Hongjun suddenly heard Song Xi say: "Taotao, if there is anyone who wants to sell a house near you, you should pay attention. Xiao Zhao wants to buy a house nearby. It would be best if it is smaller, and most importantly, the price is cheap."
Zhao Hongjun was stunned and looked up at Song Xi.
Song Xi didn't want to look directly into Zhao Hongjun's eyes and turned his head away.
After Taotao heard what her father-in-law said, how could she not understand what he meant?
——Zhao Hongjun is already in his fifties and is no longer young. His parents and family members have long passed away. He only has a younger sister, but she died of childbirth complications more than ten years ago.
In the past, Zhao Hongjun, like Song Xi, was a lonely man.
Now Song Xi reconciles with his son, but Zhao Hongjun...
Taotao nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, no problem! Now that we have a telephone at home, I will call you right away if there is any trouble!"
Song Xi thought that her son's home already had a telephone installed. Whenever he missed his son or grandson, he could just call... Even though they couldn't see each other, it would be nice to hear their voices and talk.
The sadness in his heart was slightly alleviated.
Everyone chatted and laughed until late at night, and were reluctant to end the tea party before leaving.
Finally, Feifei fell asleep beside Grandpa, and Momo climbed directly into Grandpa's arms and fell asleep...
Taotao then stepped forward to play the bad guy and urged everyone to go back to their rooms to rest.
The next day, Song Xi was about to embark on his journey back south.
He took a special car back and happened to arrange an inspection. He headed south and also met with several bigwigs from other military regions.
It was precisely because he was going back in a special car that Taotao felt comfortable and bold in preparing a lot of things for him.
Of course, most of them are local specialties, but Taotao also paid people to make a lot of things custom-made.
For example: a wide belt that can hold a hot water bottle, cotton knee pads, etc. In addition, there is the medicine prescribed by the old Chinese doctor for Song Xi, which has been prepared according to the prescription, and the instructions for decocting and drinking the medicine have been clearly written on paper and handed over to Zhao Hongjun for safekeeping...
Little did they know that Taotao hadn't finished explaining to Zhao Hongjun yet...
Guan Qingbai's guard drove over in a jeep filled with local specialties, saying that these were gifts from General Guan to General Song...most of them were snacks and cakes from some of the more famous old restaurants in Kyoto.
Then, Lili also took Mrs. Huo's special car to deliver something to Song Xi. Most of what she sent were food she made herself and a bowl of medicinal soup, for Song Xi and his group to eat on the road.
Finally, even A Yao came over on his bicycle to deliver something to Song Xi.
The simple young man couldn't speak, but he gestured with his hands to let Song Xi know that the things he brought were not valuable, but they were all produced from his own land. Please don't despise them, Song Xi. Of course, the mushrooms and other things should also be taken to Nandu for Tang Liren and Xingxing...
It was the first time that Song Xi felt such simple family love and cherishment. His eyes were red and he turned his head away, ignoring everyone for a long time.
Only after he was able to control his emotions did Song Xi wave to everyone calmly and got into the car with ease.
“Boom——”
A muffled sound was heard!
Song Xi's forehead hit the roof of the car hard?
Song Zhi was stunned, "Dad, are you okay?"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Song Xi's forehead.
Song Xi's face flushed. "It's okay! I'm not afraid of shit! I've never been afraid of death on the battlefield before. I..."
"Grandpa! For you!" Mo Mo said loudly.
Song Xi looked down and saw her little grandson handing her a candy?
He no longer resisted candy - after staying at his son's house for a whole month, he ate candy with his grandchildren every day and knew which brands and flavors were the best!
For example, the candy that Mo Mo handed over was the most delicious orange-flavored fruit hard candy.
Momo likes this kind of candy very much, but Taotao is afraid that he will get cavities, so she doesn't let him eat too much. The only way for Momo to save up this kind of candy is to do exercises. He has to do a lot of exercises in the study book and maintain a high accuracy rate. Only when he meets his mother's requirements can he exchange them for an orange candy.
Now, Momo is actually willing to give him his most favorite candy?
Song Xi was touched, "Mo Mo is still good to me!"
Momo carefully peeled off the candy wrapper and fed the candy to his grandfather. "Grandpa, you have to be good! You have to listen to my mom and take your medicine on time every day! Grandpa, if you miss Momo, just call Momo..."
Song Xi nodded repeatedly.
He got on the bus with a candy in his mouth and waved to everyone.
The vehicle started, slowly drove away, and finally disappeared from everyone's sight.
Next, Feifei and Momo started school.
In fact, they couldn't go to school for very long.
In March, Taotao and Song Zhi took their two sons and set off for the Northwest, carrying large and small bags of luggage.
As for Song Zhi, he hasn't been to the Northwest for three years. Even though I haven't arrived yet, I can already feel the development and changes of the times during the journey.
Ten years ago, when he and Taotao first came to the Northwest with the babbling Feifei, they took a tattered green train that was dirty, smelly and old. The spring canvas connecting the two carriages was almost completely torn to pieces, and there were leaks everywhere!
The green trains at that time had a maximum speed of 50 to 60 miles per hour, and they stopped and started frequently, so there was no train that was not late.
Now what?
Song Zhi’s first impression was that the train carriage was much cleaner and brand new. The speed was faster and there were no more random stops... Of course there were some delays, but compared to the previous delays of a whole day or even two or three days, this time it was only one hour late, which was a real surprise!
Furthermore, when changing trains or staying in a hotel along the way, you no longer need a letter of introduction.
There are also many street lights and various neon sign boxes on the street. Most of them are shops opened by individual business owners, selling all kinds of things, and of course there are also hotels.
Tao Tao took Song Zhi to a private hotel. "It's not safe to stay in any hotel outside. This one...we stay here every time we go back and forth. The hotel owner is my teacher's fellow villager. If we stay here for one night, we will definitely wait for Senior Sister Shi and Senior Brother Deng. Senior Sister Shi called me and they also set off directly from their hometown in the next two days."
Shi Yuxi and Deng Gaoyun went around in circles until last year...they finally got married.
Deng Gaoyun is already 45 years old!
He and Shi Yuxi agreed not to have children... because Shi Yuxi was already 42 years old, and it would be too risky for her to have a child at this age. So what Deng Gaoyun meant was that the two of them should work hard to complete the project at hand.
Now Professor Fu is about to retire. In her team, Taotao and Deng Gaoyun have the best results. Both of them have applied for the qualification of master's supervisors and started to teach students.
Shi Yuxi is still pursuing his doctorate, and Qi Huan and Chen Yicheng no longer follow up on Professor Fu's project. After graduating with a master's degree, they were assigned to universities as lecturers.
Taotao took Song Zhi to the hotel and booked a room.
Song Zhi walked around the hotel for a few times and found that the hotels run by individual businesses were no worse than state-owned guesthouses in terms of hardware decoration and various thoughtful soft furnishings!
The price is not expensive and the waiters are more friendly.
It seems that this is the healthy competition brought about by the market economy.
The couple took a comfortable afternoon nap in the room with their children, and then went out to find food and buy daily necessities.
Taotao told Song Zhi that the entire country has changed a lot in the past few years.
In the past, even if you had money you couldn’t buy a wide variety of supplies, but now there are many more choices. Moreover, this change is particularly evident in very remote and poor border cities.
Following Taotao onto the street, Song Zhi finally understood what she meant.
It’s true!
In the past, if ordinary people wanted to improve their lives, they could only rely on the black market.
Now?
Why is the night market in this small town so lively! The entire pedestrian street is about 200 to 300 meters long. All the shops on both sides of the road are open. There are snack bars, cloth shops, tailor shops, grain and oil shops, southern sundry shops, clothing stores, small appliances shops, pharmacies, jewelry shops...
There are all kinds of things for sale!
There were also quite a lot of people shopping, and several snack shops were blocked by the crowds!
Taotao and the children took Song Zhi to their favorite wonton shop. As soon as they sat down, the proprietress came over and greeted her warmly, "Teacher Bai is here! Feifei, Mohei, hello!"
Then he looked at Song Zhi again, hesitated for a while and asked: "Teacher Bai, is this your lover?"
Taotao smiled and nodded.
Song Zhi looked at the proprietress for a while and felt that she looked vaguely familiar.
The lady boss said with a smile: "Mr. Song, you don't recognize me? I used to push a cart and sell seaweed and shrimp wontons!"
Song Zhi suddenly realized.
Taotao smiled and said to the proprietress: "My husband just came back from abroad. He didn't know that our place has become so good... Can you tell him more about it?"
"Okay!"
The proprietress first yelled at the kitchen, "Lao Liang! Teacher Bai is here... bring four extra bowls of wontons!"
While waiting for the wontons to be cooked, the proprietress chatted with Song Zhi about the changes that have taken place in the county over the past few years.
——When she used to push a cart to sell wontons, she was terrified every day about being caught. It is different now. The spring breeze of reform is blowing across the land of China. She also quickly went to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to register as an individual business owner, and then rented a shop and started her business.
She used to get up early and go to bed late every day, and it was good enough if she could earn 20 yuan a month. Now she can earn 200 to 300 yuan a month! If it is the beginning of the school year or the Spring Festival, there will be many customers passing by, and she has tried to earn 500 yuan a month!
So, her husband no longer goes to farm, and brings the children here. The couple runs the shop, working from dawn to dusk. The two children have now found a school in the county town...
The lady boss was dressed very simply, but her face was filled with a happy smile. "...We can save more than 2,000 yuan a year! Recently we have been discussing whether to do barbecue at night, which may make more money! In two or three years, we can become millionaires!"
Soon, the boss brought over four large bowls of seaweed and shrimp wontons, and the proprietress went to greet other customers.
After Taotao's family finished eating wontons, they went to the night market to buy things.
She told Song Zhi, "Now I can choose between rice or flour for my subsidized food, instead of just flour as in the past... and now the village has surplus food, so if it's not enough, I can just buy it from the villagers. I no longer have to carry rice from the county to the oasis. However, I want to buy a steamer and some seasonings... I have to buy all of these."
The family went shopping at the night market for a while. Taotao bought a large steamer, a steamer basket, and various oils, salts, sauces, and vinegars...
Song Zhi asked Taotao if she should go to the hospital to buy some daily medicine tomorrow.
Taotao smiled and said, "Now we don't need to! There is a clinic in the village... After all, it is a big village with 500 to 600 people! There is a doctor and a nurse who stay there. Sometimes nearby units and residents come to see them for medical treatment! We don't need to carry medicine, it's very troublesome!"
Song Zhi smiled.
He was even more looking forward to Lingxi Oasis.
As Taotao expected, when they returned to the hotel, Deng Gaoyun and Shi Yuxi were already there. Everyone was naturally surprised and happy to see each other.
The next morning, Deng Shi and his wife went to the street to buy good things, and then they joined Tao Tao's family and took a long-distance bus to Lingxi Oasis.
Song Zhi was quite surprised!
——It turns out that Lingxi Oasis is now accessible by bus?
You know, Lingxi was not accessible to traffic before. If you want to go to Lingxi or want to get out of Lingxi, you have to find a familiar water truck to hitchhike! Therefore, if you are unfamiliar with the area, it is impossible to reach the oasis.
The bus wobbled as it headed towards its final destination, Lingxi Oasis Station.
This familiar yet strange, seemingly correct environment made Song Zhi unable to help but keep looking out the car window.
In the past——
When he and Taotao first came, the land of Lingxi was so barren that only a clear spring remained. Only within five meters of the lake surface, there was some sparse and pitiful grass growing.
Apart from that, the whole place was covered with yellow sand!
People stand between heaven and earth, with their feet on the land that has been cracked into deep ravines by years of exposure to the sun, and a scorching sun above their heads. There is nothing in the world that can block the sunlight, and even breathing will burn the nose because the air is too hot...
When there is no wind, people's skin can be directly exposed to the sun and become oily; when there is wind, the strong wind mixed with fine sand and gravel can scratch people's skin and make it bleed!
Now what?
He, Taotao and the children were riding on a bus on the road. When they were about twenty miles away from Lingxi, they saw fluffy grass growing on the ground! Every now and then, there are always a few half-dead trees or bushes standing wilted on...the not-so-dry and cracked yellow soil.
And the further you go towards Lingxi...
First you can see a windbreak forest. After passing through the windbreak forest, you will see a cement road. The jeep is driving on the smooth road... The wind mixed with the moist scent of plants rushes into the car, which makes you feel refreshed!
Song Zhi looked around
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