"Sister-in-law, that's enough, that's enough. You don't need to pack anymore. You've packed everything in the house for me. What will you eat in the winter?"
Sun Shengli tried desperately to stop them, but Zhang Hongyan blocked his way, directing her husband to load the truck. Neither of them listened to him.
Qiao Qiqi walked over and saw that the truck was not only loaded with dried vegetables, but also with two large baskets full of eggplants, green beans and potatoes from the vegetable garden. She was immediately amazed, thinking that there was quite a lot.
Unable to stop the two, Sun Shengli called for help from inside the house, "Fang Ke, come out and stop them!"
"Coming!" Fang Ke's voice came from inside the house, and soon Fang Ke, wearing a floral dress and small leather shoes, ran out.
But she didn't even look at Sun Shengli's position, because as soon as she came out, her attention was drawn to Qiao Qiqi and Xin Xin who were walking over.
"Wow, Qiqi, you're so pretty! Xinxin looks great too! The two of you dressed up like this are even prettier and more fashionable than the girls in Beijing."
Qiao Qiqi felt embarrassed by the sudden compliment, and said, "You're very pretty too."
"I'm getting old." Fang Ke had always thought that her aunt was doing quite well on her own, without family troubles or conflicts with her mother-in-law. Several of her colleagues got married at a young age, but none of them were very happy after marriage.
Rather than being with a man who can't give her happiness, and having to do his laundry, cook for him, and do housework after marriage, she feels that being alone is better.
However, her parents felt that her thinking was not good, and even resented her aunt for having a bad influence on her.
Fang Ke always explained that this was her own thought, and that her aunt had never taught her not to get married, but her parents still insisted on their own way, which led to her aunt moving out of the house. She had been angry about this for a long time.
"Qiqi, when we get to Beijing, I must take you to see my aunt. You two look so alike! There's a photo of my aunt wearing a red dress when she was young, and she looks exactly like you!" Fang Ke looked at Qiao Qiqi's red shirt and thought it looked beautiful no matter how she looked at it.
Qiao Qiqi often heard Fang Ke talk about her aunt, and he kept saying that the two looked alike. Now she was looking forward to meeting her aunt.
"Okay, I'll definitely go with you to see him."
Over here, Zhang Hongyan finally directed Su Shangjin to load all the things onto the car. Seeing that it was getting late, the group prepared to set off.
Just as Qiao Qiqi put the two bags she had brought into the car, Zhang Hongyan took out another bag from the kitchen. "These are scallion pancakes. Take them with you on the road."
Zhang Hongyan made the scallion pancakes herself this morning. Her hands have recovered a lot after five days of rest, so she just needs to be careful when cooking.
"Sister-in-law, how can I thank you enough? You've treated us to so much good food and drink these past few days at your house. We've really felt so bad for you." Sun Shengli accepted the scallion pancake, his face full of gratitude.
Zhang Hongyan smiled sincerely, "You have come all this way to benefit us ordinary people. It is our blessing, and we should be the ones thanking you."
Seeing that it was getting late, Su Shangjin quickly said, "The leader has a long journey ahead of him today, so let's not waste any more time and let him set off!"
Zhang Hongyan then realized, "Look at me, leaders, let's get going quickly, getting on the road is the priority."
Although it was only a short period of contact over a few days, the two developed a deep bond, and it was inevitably difficult to part ways when it was time to leave.
Sun Shengli got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. Another male comrade who came with them from Beijing was in charge of driving, while Fang Ke, Qiao Qiqi, and Xin Xin sat in the back.
The car started, and the five people quickly set off.
Zhang Hongyan waved frantically at the door until the car was out of sight, then quickly turned around and said, "Oh dear, I'm bursting to use the restroom, I need to go."
As he spoke, he hurriedly ran into the house, picked up the toilet paper and was about to tear it when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The next second, Zhang Hongyan rushed out of the house and shouted loudly to Su Shangjin, who was about to enter, "Honey, look, why is there 20 yuan under this toilet paper?!"
Su Shangjin took the money, paused for a moment, and then suddenly realized, "Oh dear, this must have been put there by the leader."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongyan quickly said, "Then hurry up and ride your bike to catch up and return the money to them."
Upon hearing this, Su Shangjin's lips twitched. "Even if I could fly on my legs, a bicycle only has two wheels. How could I possibly catch up with someone who has four wheels? Forget it, since it was given to me by the leader, I'll just accept it!"
Zhang Hongyan knew there was truth to that, but she was still a little embarrassed. "We didn't eat much, just a few dollars' worth of food, yet the leader left so much money... This..."
*
Along the way, Fang Ke kept playing with Xin Xin, and the little girl laughed heartily, in a very good mood.
And so, the two of them started playing a clapping game again.
It was Fang Ke who suggested playing this game, but in the end, he was worse than a child, always making mistakes and saying, "Oops, I made a mistake again."
Xin Xin giggled.
It was rare for the little girl to be so happy. Since she lost her voice, Qiao Qiqi could clearly feel that she had become much quieter. Seeing Fang Ke making Xin Xin so happy, she suddenly felt that she was not doing a good job as an older sister.
She was only focused on making money every day, and her only obligation to Xin Xin was to provide her with food and lodging, but she never cared about her mental health or played with her.
Seeing Fang Ke making Xin Xin so happy, Qiao Qiqi couldn't help but reflect on herself, wondering if she was not competent enough.
The two played for more than an hour. When they were almost in the county, Fang Ke stopped to rest for a while and told Qiao Qiqi about their plans to return to the city.
"We will arrive in Heilong City around noon. After having lunch there, we will continue our journey and reach Chun City before dark. We will then spend the night in Chun City and continue our journey the next morning. After another full day of driving, we should be able to reach Beijing."
Qiao Qiqi nodded to indicate that she understood, and then said, "Just follow your schedule. I'm already very happy that the leader is taking me along."
Fang Ke stroked Xin Xin's head and immediately said, "Don't be so polite with me. I just really like Xin Xin and feel sorry for her. If she can get better in Beijing, it will all be worth it."
Qiao Qiqi thought so too. Although she had other purposes for coming to Beijing, Xin Xin's illness was the most important thing, and curing her illness was the most important thing.
Seeing that the car had been driving for a while, Qiao Qiqi took out apples and pears from the bag she had brought.
"I bought these in town a few days ago. Leader, Fang Ke, you should all try them. These apples are so sweet, and the pears are especially juicy and delicious."
Fang Ke saw that her bag was full of apples and pears and widened her eyes in surprise, "Why did you bring so many?!"
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