Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 552 This is Xiangmizhai
"What should I do? What should I do? I'm so nervous!"

As soon as they arrived at the train station, before even entering the ticket gate, Ma Hongying grabbed Li Guoqiang's arm and pulled him tightly into her arms, her face full of excitement.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang's forehead instantly creased with annoyance, and he said somewhat irritably, "Hey, Sister Hongying, your man is following behind you! Can't you be a little more mindful of your image?"

Hearing this, Ma Hongying not only didn't let go, but also said nonchalantly, "It's okay, you don't need to worry about him. He'd love for me to be with you!"

What's even more amazing is that after she finished speaking, she turned around and asked Xu Yu'an, "Brother Anzi, don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, wife."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu'an quickly nodded in agreement.

As he spoke, he gave Li Guoqiang a helpless look.

This sight made Li Guoqiang's teeth ache instantly.

Although he has high standards and doesn't look at most women, isn't Xu Yu'an being a little too trusting of him?
Just as he was about to say something, Xu Yu'an had already looked away and was excitedly surveying the situation at the station.

His country bumpkin appearance made him wonder if Xu Yu'an would bulge his eyes out once they arrived in Beijing.
"Qiangzi, Qiangzi, which train are we taking later?"

Not long after, Li Xiuqin suddenly ran over, grabbed Li Guoqiang's other arm, and then excitedly pointed to a steam train slowly approaching in the distance and shouted.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang glanced at Xu Yusheng, who was carrying a child and luggage, and then said helplessly, "Sister-in-law Xiuqin, Brother Yusheng is still watching! Can you please not join in the fun?"

"Hey! What are you saying? Just because Hongying can do it doesn't mean I can't?"

When Li Xiuqin heard Li Guoqiang say that, she immediately showed a look of resentment.

As she spoke, she even gave Ma Hongying a provocative look.

Ma Hongying, however, didn't seem to care much about this and simply hugged her arms tightly.

Seeing Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying like this, Li Guoqiang didn't know what to say for a moment.

In fact, he knew that Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying didn't have feelings for him. The reason they acted this way was mainly to relieve their inner tension.

After all, the farthest place they had ever been since they were children was the county town.

Nowadays, the thought of sending them to work and live hundreds of kilometers away in Beijing naturally makes them feel uneasy.

As the most capable man in their eyes, Li Guoqiang naturally became their source of comfort and support at the first opportunity.

As for their men, they haven't been much farther than they have in their lives, and they should be thanking their lucky stars if they don't come seeking their comfort.

Fortunately, as the train pulled into the station, ticket inspectors loudly called out for people to line up and have their tickets checked. To take care of their children, the inspectors all let go of their hands.

At the same time, Li Guoqiang also quietly opened the field of vision of his personal little world, just in case.

Although there weren't many passengers getting on and off the bus in Chang County, he wouldn't think of slacking off when it was time to be careful.

Soon, under his guidance, the group of five adults and four children boarded the train and found their location.

Since Changxian is just a temporary stop, even if he had money, he couldn't buy a sleeper ticket; he could only buy a hard seat at most.

Just when he thought the rest of the journey would be more comfortable, Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying, who had just settled the children, came to him at the same time and asked to sit next to him.

The reason given was that Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an are both men, and therefore have more energy to take care of the children.

Upon hearing this reason, Li Guoqiang's lips twitched, and without saying a word, he gave up his seat.

Regardless, Li Xiuqin, Ma Hongying, and the others were all brought up by him, so he has a responsibility to take good care of them.

Moreover, Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an had no objection to Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying's actions, so what could he possibly say?
Soon, Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying sat down on either side of Li Guoqiang.

Behind them sat Xu Yu'an and Xu Yusheng, each with two children.

At first, Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying were full of excitement, pulling Li Guoqiang along and chattering about the situation in Beijing. Every now and then, they would point to the scenery slowly receding outside the car window and exclaim in surprise.

After a few hours, the initial excitement wore off, and their energy visibly wilted. They eventually leaned against Li Guoqiang and fell asleep.

This scene immediately surprised the passengers sitting opposite them.

If they hadn't already introduced themselves as sister-in-law and brother-in-law, and if their husbands and children hadn't been sitting nearby, people might have thought Li Guoqiang was having an affair with two women on either side.

In the blink of an eye, two days and three nights had passed, and Li Guoqiang, Li Xiuqin, and the others finally arrived in Beijing.

Normally, at a train speed of over 40 kilometers per hour, it would only take a dozen hours to travel from Changxian to Sijiucheng.

Unfortunately, they had to transfer to another train along the way, and the train would stop at many stations along the route.

So, in the end, it took two days and three nights to get here.

When they came out of the train station in Beijing, it was just past six in the morning. The square outside the train station was full of early risers rushing to catch their trains.

And along the square, the state-run breakfast stalls were constantly wafting enticing aromas of food, making Li Xiuqin and the others, who had been eating dry rations on the train for several days, unable to stop swallowing their saliva.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang was secretly pleased. He waved his hand and chuckled as he said, "Let's go! I'll take you to get something to eat first, and then I'll take you to Xiangmizhai."

After saying that, he chose the breakfast stall with the longest queue and strode over.

When Li Xiuqin and the others saw this, their eyes lit up slightly, and they hurriedly followed behind.

Soon after, each of them held a steaming hot jianbing guozi in their hand, standing by the stall and eating it with a satisfied expression.

After they had almost finished eating, Li Guoqiang went and bought a bag of meat buns and a pot of soy milk, telling them to eat as much as they wanted.

Li Guoqiang stopped eating when they were all stuffed and couldn't eat anymore. He then called for a cart and prepared to take them to Xiangmizhai.

Having eaten and drunk their fill and regained some energy along the way, Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying were back to how they were when they first set off, each holding onto one of Li Guoqiang's arms and asking questions like two curious children.

Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an sat beside them with their child, their eyes darting around, just like when Xu Yuchang, Ma Hongjun, and Sun Jinda first arrived in Beijing.

Li Guoqiang wasn't surprised by this, nor was he impatient. On the contrary, he patiently took the opportunity to teach them some basic knowledge about city life. They walked and talked all the way, and by the time they arrived at the entrance of Xiangmizhai, more than half an hour had passed.

"This is Xiangmizhai!"

Li Xiuqin, Ma Hongying, and others stood at the entrance of Xiangmizhai, looking at the small shop with expressions of surprise.

For a long time, they had been fantasizing about what Xiangmizhai, a business that could earn them tens of thousands or even more money a year, would be like.

Now, Xiangmizhai stands quietly in front of them, making them feel as if they are dreaming.

"Alright, all of you stop craning your necks to look. It's making people uncomfortable. Hurry up and go inside!"

Seeing the silly looks on Li Xiuqin's and the others' faces, Li Guoqiang couldn't help but find it amusing, and then quickly greeted them.

After saying that, he strode into the store.

"Qiangzi, Qiangzi, you're back!"

The next moment, Qin Jingru, who was busy greeting customers in the store, suddenly spotted Li Guoqiang and immediately called out with a look of surprise.

Upon hearing her voice, Sun Jinda, Ma Hongjun, and Xu Yuchang all ran over from the backyard in no time. Before they could say anything, they were greeted by Xu Yusheng, Xu Yu'an, and others.

This startled them for a moment, then they suddenly realized something and hurriedly ran forward, asking in astonishment, "Brother Yusheng, Brother Yu'an, you're not here to take over the shift, are you?"

"Yeah! You didn't expect that, did you?"

When Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an saw that Sun Jinda and the others were almost speechless with astonishment, they first looked at each other, and then nodded with a smug look on their faces.

"What on earth is going on?"

When Sun Jinda and the others heard Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an confirm, they were immediately confused.

Logically speaking, no matter what, the villagers wouldn't agree to let Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an bring their families to Beijing to take over their jobs and enjoy a comfortable life.

Seeing the intense thirst for knowledge on Sun Jinda and the others' faces, Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an laughed heartily. Then, without keeping them in suspense, they explained the lottery process directly.

"You guys, you're so lucky!"

After hearing the whole story, Sun Jinda and the others couldn't suppress their envy and jealousy, their faces full of sourness.

Back then, they had to beg and plead with everyone they knew, and even owed some people favors, before they were finally able to get a spot to work in the city.

Then, they had to work hard for more than a year before they finally had a wife and children.

In contrast, Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an simply drew lots and then brought their wives and children into the city.

This is just too much to accept!
At this moment, Li Guoqiang didn't care what Sun Jinda and the others thought. After briefly explaining the current situation to Qin Jingru, he asked Li Xiuqin and Ma Hongying to take the children to the back room to settle them in. Then he asked Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an to take the luggage they brought to the back room and put it away.

Immediately afterwards, he called Li Xiuqin and the others to the front hall and began to teach them what they should do on a daily basis.

Afterwards, he took some time to go out again, took out a large basket of fresh and good ingredients from his small kitchen, and brought them back to Xiangmizhai, intending to treat Xu Yusheng and the others to a good meal.

Soon, evening arrived.

After most of the day of learning, Xu Yusheng and the others have almost mastered the things they usually do. They just need to familiarize themselves with the tasks for a while longer before they can fully get started.

In addition, Xu Yusheng and Xu Yu'an were originally from the Xu family, and Ma Hongying was Ma Hongjun's younger sister.

Therefore, there is basically no need to worry about them not getting along with Xu Yuchang and others.

After closing for business, Li Guoqiang briefly asked Xu Yusheng and the others for their opinions, letting them choose whether to stay in the courtyard or temporarily stay at Xiangmizhai.

When Xu Yusheng and others heard this question, they chose the latter without even thinking.

One reason for this was that they had just arrived in the city and were worried that living in a courtyard house would make them a laughing stock.

On the other hand, it was also because they wanted to get started with Xiangmizhai as soon as possible so as to give Li Guoqiang and the villagers of Jinshanbao an explanation.

Li Guoqiang didn't force them, he just gave them a few instructions and then rode off on his bicycle with Qin Jingru on the back.

"Qiangzi, how many days will you be able to stay this time?"

On the street, Qin Jingru, with her arm around Li Guoqiang, asked expectantly.

"one day!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang casually replied.

Because he bought a round-trip ticket for himself when he changed trains a couple of days ago, and his return train is tomorrow at noon, he can only stay in Beijing for one day at most.

"Huh? Why is it so short?"

Upon hearing Li Guoqiang's answer, Qin Jingru couldn't help but widen her eyes, her face filled with disappointment.

"Ah!"

Li Guoqiang chuckled inwardly, then teased, "What? One day isn't enough time for you to eat your fill?"

Hearing this, Qin Jingru was slightly taken aback, then pouted and said with a hint of resentment, "We're full after this meal, but who knows when the next one will be?"

"Okay, didn't I say I'd try to make time to come back and see you in the future?"

Seeing Qin Jingru like this, Li Guoqiang could only offer a gentle word of comfort.

Qin Jingru knew in her heart that Li Guoqiang's promise was already quite generous, so she didn't complain anymore and just silently hugged her arms.

Not long after, they returned to the courtyard house without incident. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard a noisy commotion coming from the front yard.

(End of this chapter)