Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

The elderly couple felt utterly dejected; it was too late for regrets.

Of course, these are things to follow.

Xu Kang stayed at home for ten days, helping his parents clean the house, selling clothes, meeting up with his childhood friends, and taking a stroll around Pingxi Town before finally setting off back to Anshi.

This was just one week before the start of the school term.

It takes them two days by train, and if the train is delayed, it could take three or four days, so it's safer to leave early.

Wait until he returns to Anshi.

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin immediately went to buy tickets.

Anshi is in the south, and the capital is in the north. The three children, who have never left the province, are full of longing for the outside world. The two adults, who have also never left the province, are excited and thinking about how to make money more practically.

Two adults and three children boarded the train.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun began discussing their arrangements upon arriving in the capital.

"If you ask me, let's take A-Kang to school first, and then take a stroll around the school. I even brought my camera with me, so I can take some pictures and explain it to my sister and brother-in-law when I get back. Then we'll take Ya-Ya, and finally Ping-An. I've already taken ten days off from work, so I can relax and have some fun for a few days. I'll visit them again before I come back."

The train was crowded and noisy, so Lin Qin didn't explain herself clearly, but Chen Wenjun understood.

It was the first time the three children had ever ridden a train, and they were still enjoying the experience, so they didn't think much about the adults' arrangements.

At night.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun were both exhausted, but the three children were still full of energy playing cards.

Xu Kang needed to use the restroom, and Chen Ruiyu also needed to urinate, so the two went out together.

They didn't return for a long time. It wasn't until there was a commotion outside that Chen Xinyue peeked out and saw the two men approaching menacingly.

"What's wrong?" Chen Xinyue asked suspiciously.

Chen Ruiyu shook her head. "It's nothing. We just caught a pickpocket red-handed, but it took some time for the flight attendants to arrive."

Chen Xinyue immediately checked them over, "Are you injured?"

Chen Ruiyu shook her head again.

Xu Kang angrily kicked off his shoes and said irritably, "That guy was carrying a knife! Luckily, I'm agile enough to kick the knife away. That little thief was still not satisfied even after I trampled him under my foot, hmph!"

Lin Qin and her husband had already woken up while they were talking.

Seeing Xu Kang's smug expression, Lin Qin picked up her shoe and slapped him. "What are you yelling about! You don't even know if that thief has any accomplices. If it's a team crime, you two greenhorns would have been in trouble long ago. You're still bragging here! Hurry up and pack your things carefully. We'll take turns keeping watch and rest. We won't arrive in the capital until tomorrow night. Don't exhaust yourselves."

The three children nodded repeatedly, cooperating fully.

The couple talked for a while, then quickly fell asleep again.

The three children, however, were not sleepy and quietly huddled together to play cards until dawn before finally falling into a deep sleep.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun had already woken up. The couple looked at their three troublesome children speechlessly and were about to go out to wash up when they saw two girls walking in hand in hand.

"Who are you?" Lin Qin looked at the other person in surprise.

The two girls smiled shyly.

The girl in the floral dress on the left said gently, "Auntie, we've come to thank the two comrades who helped us yesterday."

Seeing that Lin Qin didn't react, the girl with the ponytail in the blue shirt on the right continued, "Yesterday we encountered a thief on the train. Our bags were full of important things, and we almost lost them. Fortunately, the two of you spotted and caught the thief in time. The train attendant just informed us that the thief has been taken away by the police from the police station. We just came over to thank them."

"I see." Lin Qin smiled kindly, pointing to the three children who were fast asleep. "They played all night and will probably sleep until noon. I will pass on your thanks." The two nodded quickly and left, feeling embarrassed.

Even after leaving the sleeper car, Su Wanwan was still a little uneasy. "Sister Jiahui, that auntie just now looked so beautiful and elegant, unlike ordinary people."

Xu Jiahui wholeheartedly agreed, "They're probably from some compound. We've already thanked them, and if we run into them again, we'll thank them in person. There's no need to bother them again."

Judging from Lin Qin's expression, she knew they didn't take it to heart, and she felt that those people preferred to be close and didn't want to be disturbed too much.

Su Wanwan bit her lip and lowered her eyelids. "Is this really okay?"

Xu Jiahui nodded emphatically, "We're not on the same wavelength as them. Let's go back and plan how to arrange things when we get to school."

Seeing that Xu Jiahui insisted, Su Wanwan had no choice but to go with her.

The two were not actually classmates or friends. They were both candidates from Anshi this year who were admitted to the same university and met by chance, so they agreed to go to university together.

Because their relationship wasn't that good, they both tried their best to cooperate with each other and avoid conflicts.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly after that, and no further accidents occurred.

By evening, the train had finally reached the capital region.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun had already packed their luggage and checked it carefully twice, including the children's things. Only after confirming that nothing had been left behind did she breathe a sigh of relief and sit on the edge of the bed eating the watermelon she had brought from home.

The broadcast started.

The three men volunteered to carry all the luggage.

Lin Qin, holding Chen Xinyue's hand, squeezed off the train with everyone else.

Even at this hour, the train station is still bustling with people.

Following the signs, the group finally managed to exit the station.

Once outside, they were surrounded by all sorts of drivers soliciting passengers.

Since there were five of them, they couldn't fit in one car, and Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin were worried about them splitting up.

Just then, Su Wanwan spotted Lin Qin and her group and immediately pulled Xu Jiahui over to greet them, "Hello, we meet again!"

Xu Kang looked surprised. "Aren't you the people who almost got robbed on the train?"

Su Wanwan and Xu Jiahui were immediately filled with shame.

Lin Qin glared at Xu Kang and asked kindly, "Are you also taking a car?"

The two nodded quickly, "We are freshmen from the School of Foreign Languages, here to register."

"What a coincidence?" Lin Qin looked at Chen Xinyue. "My daughter is also from the Foreign Languages ​​Institute. Shall we go together?"

"Is that okay?" Su Wanwan's eyes lit up.

Lin Qin nodded. It would be unsafe for the five of them to ride in two cars, which would definitely take up two or three seats. It would be easier if there were two more people. Chen Wenjun would ride in one car with his daughter and the two girls, while she, Ping An, and Xu Kang would ride in another car.

So Chen Wenjun called two cars and gave them the address.

Su Wan didn't realize until she got on the bus that the people sitting with them weren't Lin Qin or the two boys who had helped them, but Chen Wenjun and Chen Xinyue, who hadn't said a word.

Chen Wenjun had a calm and composed demeanor, rarely smiling, and seemed unapproachable. Chen Xinyue, on the other hand, appeared approachable, but her air of superiority was so striking, like that of a young lady from a wealthy family, that Su Wanwan always felt a little awkward. (End of Chapter)