Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Chapter 1236 Still the same sentence

And so, Wang An gave a long and rambling explanation, and although Wang Dazhu and his wife were full of regret after listening, they finally gave up on the idea of ​​letting Wang An become the factory manager.

Wang An's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down completely.

Having been given a second chance at life, after ensuring his family's basic needs were met, Wang An only wanted to live according to his own wishes. As he always said, it was "to be free and happy until the end."

As they spoke, the group went inside. Just as they entered, Liu Guilan suddenly asked Wang An:

"Xiao An, you said you're going to Yi Province, which is really far from here, right?"

Wang An nodded and said:

"Yes, it's not close at all, probably about 2,500 or 2,600 li."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guilan was startled and exclaimed with a worried expression:

"Oh my goodness, that's so far! It would take several days by train!"

Looking at his mother's worried expression, Wang An felt a warmth in his heart.

I still remember when I took the train from the county town to the south in my previous life, my mother had the same expression. And the day before I left, she even baked half a bag of fermented dough for me.

Not only did he use up all the flour he had at home to make pancakes, but he also borrowed 5 jin of flour from the villagers. The key point is that he had to borrow from several families to get that 5 jin of flour.

Wang An, still smiling, said:

"Yeah, if you take the train, including transfers, it will take at least three or four days, maybe four or five days."

There's no way around it; taking the train at this time is just that slow. Besides the time wasted on reversing, it also involves changing locomotives, adding or removing carriages, and adding water or coal to the train, all of which take time.

Liu Guilan turned to Wang Dazhu and said:
"Dazhu, all the vegetables in the greenhouse have been planted. Don't forget to water those spinach leaves later. After that, I'll go make some dough and bake some flatbreads for Xiao'an to take on the road."

Wang An originally intended to say that he didn't need to bring anything, just money, and could buy food along the way. However, before he could finish speaking, he changed his mind and said:

"Mom, just make a few fewer pancakes. There's food on the train, and restaurants and convenience stores at the train station. Your eldest son won't go hungry, hehehehe."

Liu Guilan rolled her eyes at Wang An and said:

"What if we're in a rush to catch the train and miss our meal? Besides, what if the train is delayed halfway through the journey?"

At this point, Liu Guilan suddenly stopped, but it was obvious that she actually wanted to say "Oh no!" but she felt uncomfortable saying it herself.

So after a pause, Liu Guilan continued:

"Hey, having food on hand makes you feel less anxious. As they say, 'A poor family should be frugal on the road.' Besides, in this freezing weather, those steamed buns won't go bad. It's always good to bring more."

Without saying a word, Comrade Liu Guilan went to the back room to knead the dough.

Wang An stared blankly at his mother's retreating figure for a long while before walking into the east room.

As soon as Wang An entered the room, Mu Xueqing, who had heard the voices from the outer room, said to him:

"Xiao An, you're going to Yi Province tomorrow? Why don't you call Xue Li over and have him go with you? It's such a long way, it'll be good to have someone to look after you."

Wang An picked up the two little ones, kissed them one by one, and then looked up and smiled:

"It's already December, shouldn't he be preparing for the wedding? The wedding policy is much more relaxed this year than last year, shouldn't your family make some arrangements?" After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueqing said:
"What's the big deal? Just invite relatives from both sides over for a meal to witness the event, that's all. We don't have any relatives here, so we're considered relatives by that standard."

Wang An nodded and was about to speak when Mu Xueqing said again:
"Let Xue Li go with you, so he can broaden his horizons as well."

Wang An frowned and said:

“I don’t know how many days it will take me to come back after this trip. I don’t want to delay their wedding. Maybe I should let Lao Wu come with me. He would be very happy. I just don’t know if he has finished planting his vegetables yet.”

Since the greenhouses were built, these relatives haven't been visiting each other these days; everyone is staying in the greenhouses all day growing vegetables.

But there's nothing we can do about it. The main problem is that building greenhouses these days requires a huge investment, and nobody wants to or dares to waste even a single day of their time.

Putting aside everything else, the amount of wood burned every night when lighting the stove is not small. Although the local area is a forest area where burning wood is free, someone still needs to go up the mountain to cut firewood.

As the saying goes, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." Just as Wang An finished speaking, the dogs outside barked a few times and then stopped.

It was obvious that someone they knew had come; otherwise, those two old dogs, Zhaocai and Wangcai, would have kept barking until someone came out of the house.

Immediately afterwards, the horseshoe struck the brick floor, making that unique "clattering" sound that carried into the house.

Looking out through the glass, Wang An saw that it was his brother-in-law, Comrade Mu Xueli, who had arrived.

So Wang An turned to Mu Xueqing and said:

"Alright, your little brother's here. Let's see what he has to say."

After Wang An finished speaking, he didn't get down from the ground, but instead said to the two little babies in his arms:
"Your silly uncle is here, hahaha, your silly uncle is here, hahahahaha!"

As she spoke, she quickly brought the two little ones close to her face, letting their little faces touch her big face affectionately, making the two little ones giggle and laugh.

Mu Xueqing got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went to the outer living room to greet her younger brother.

After taking off her hat, gloves, scarf, and cotton coat in the living room, Mu Xueli followed Mu Xueqing into the east room.

Upon entering the house, Mu Xueli went straight to the two little ones, muttering to herself:
"I miss my eldest nephew and niece so much! Come on, let your uncle give them a hug!"

As she spoke, Mu Xueli took Happiness from Wang An's hands.

After Mu Xueli had hugged each of the happy and joyful people, Wang An asked Mu Xueli:

Have you finished planting your vegetables?

Mu Xueli casually said:
"Yeah, it's finally finished planting. I've been busy in the greenhouse every day these past few days, I was about to suffocate."

As soon as Mu Xueli finished speaking, Mu Xueqing immediately replied:
"That's perfect. Your brother-in-law is going to Yi Province tomorrow to take care of some business. Would you like to come along for a stroll?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Xueli's eyes widened instantly, and she said with a face full of joy:
"Go to Yi Province? Going to Yi Province is great, I definitely want to go and have a look around."

Turning her head, Mu Xueli looked at Wang An with hopeful eyes and said:

"Brother-in-law, shall we go tomorrow?"

Wang An nodded and was about to speak when he heard the dog outside bark again, but it only barked three times before falling silent.

(End of this chapter)