Crossing the Western Tianshan Mountains

Gulinar just watched the car go farther and farther away in silence.

In the county, Ye Minglang received a message from Ling Fengxi, "You can be given two days off. Just stay in the county with your parents. You don't have to rush back."

Ye Minglang received the message, but seemed to have other plans. At this time, Ye's father was also asking, "We have come here with great difficulty. Can you accompany us for a few days? This place looks very desolate and there is nothing fun to do here, but it is also a place with its own style."

The mutton pilaf was served, and Ye's mother was a little disgusted. "This rice is too greasy. How can I eat it?"

Father Ye said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

But Ye Minglang still ordered another bowl of "ghost meat noodles" for Ye's mother, which is often called oily meat noodles by locals. Ye's mother still complained that it was too greasy and looked embarrassed that she couldn't eat it. Ye Minglang then ordered baked buns and barbecued meat for her, but Ye's mother was still a little embarrassed and all the food she ordered was consumed by the father and son.

Ye's father praised it, "The mutton here is different from the mutton we have in Shanghai. It's more fragrant. And this bun has so much meat. It's really impossible to buy buns like this at such a low price in Shanghai."

Ye Minglang smiled and said, "After the mission is completed and I leave here, I will definitely miss this place. I like all the food here."

Ye's mother sensed something was wrong and said, "You're just being partial to the girls here, so you think the food here is delicious too."

Ye's father said, "You are being unfair. The food here is really delicious."

The family's topics of conversation were always not harmonious, mainly because Ye's mother seized every opportunity to oppose Ye Minglang's liking for a Kazakh girl in a gloomy tone.

Ye's father just laughed it off, but he obviously didn't agree with Ye Minglang finding a wife from this place.

Ye's father said, "I have a comrade-in-arms whose daughter just graduated from university and is now a researcher in a biological research lab in Shanghai. She has a good income, is elegant, highly educated, and has a high income. I recently wanted to introduce her to you."

Ye Minglang said, "The tunnel construction task this time is not going smoothly. I don't know how many years it will take to stay here. Don't delay the girl."

"What do you mean by delay? Communication is so advanced nowadays. Even if we're at the ends of the earth, we're still very close. Add each other's contact information first, and have a video call when you have time. If both of you are satisfied, set a date as soon as possible. You want to get married, so of course you have marriage leave. You can't say you can't get married because the mission hasn't been completed."

As Ye's mother continued to speak, Ye Minglang's mood grew heavier, and the fiery figure of Gulinar flashed through his mind from time to time...

After the meal, everyone ordered a bowl of milk tea.

Ye's father was very curious, so he followed the locals and broke the naan into pieces and soaked it in milk tea... There is also a kind of puffed-up pasta cut into squares called baorsak, which can also be eaten with milk tea.

Ye's father said, "You can't find this in Shanghai."

Ye's mother disagreed. "There are a lot of Xinjiang restaurants in Shanghai, right? I just don't want to go in. The smell of cumin is overwhelming even when I walk past the entrance. I'd be embarrassed to go shopping if I'm smelling it."

Ye Minglang finally couldn't bear it any longer. "Dad, Mom, I'll be back at the camp in a bit. You two can stay in the county. If you want to go back to Shanghai earlier, or stay for a few more days, you can make your own plans. But I can't accompany you. The camp is too busy."

Ye's father couldn't drink his milk tea right then and there, sighing silently. Ye's mother lowered her voice and angrily objected, "Ye Minglang, we came from Shanghai! From Shanghai! It took us a long flight to get here, and we even had a layover... What do you mean? You can't accompany us?"

Ye Minglang's face was full of apology. "Dad, Mom, I came here to work. I'm very touched that you came to see me, but I can't let this delay my work. Besides, the county is not big, and you two old people might be more free and comfortable to have fun on your own."

Mother Ye wanted to say something, but Father Ye stopped her. "Okay, stop talking. Just listen to Minglang's arrangements. I think he's right. It's fine for us to play here on our own for two days. You've already seen your son, and there's no need to keep clinging to him."

Ye's mother was really angry now and said, "There's nothing fun here. If Minglang wasn't here, I would never come here in my life."

"Since you can't accompany us, we'll leave by plane tomorrow." Ye's mother's chest was heaving, and she was very emotional.

Ye's father added at the right moment, "It might be too late to buy tickets now. You won't be able to buy tickets for tomorrow."

Ye's mother became even angrier. She looked at her husband and son speechlessly, her eyes red.

She suddenly changed the subject, "You must not want us to introduce you to other women. You just like Hassan women, so you want us to leave quickly."

She concluded, "Hassab women must be vixens. They're not good people."

……

Ye Minglang did not argue with his parents anymore. After dinner, he said goodbye and headed for the West Tianshan Tunnel Construction Camp. Ye's father and mother looked at their son's departing back, feeling very lonely.

Ye's mother finally couldn't hold back her tears and said, "Old Ye, I absolutely don't agree with my son marrying a Khazar."

Father Ye sighed, "You are just being prejudiced. What's wrong with Hasa? Is Hasa missing a nose and eyes?"

……

For Ye Minglang, it was fortunate that he did not let Gulinar meet his parents today, otherwise, he didn't know how many irritating and hurtful words his mother would say to Gulinar.

Regardless of whether the two of them can finally be together, he doesn't want Gulinar to get hurt.

On the way back to the camp, my eyes involuntarily gazed at the mountain peaks on both sides, but Gulinar was no longer there. It was getting dark.

The shepherds had long since returned to their own encampments.

Ye's father and mother brought a lot of delicious food this time. There were many varieties but each portion was relatively small. It was obvious that they wanted to prepare something special for Ye Minglang.

But Ye Minglang still handed them all over to the kitchen. The kitchen staff was also troubled by these relatively expensive ingredients. "If these things are wasted in the big pot of rice, it will only taste good."

Ye Minglang said, "Please give Secretary Ling some special treatment. He has lost a lot of weight recently."

The kitchen staff was willing to cook a special meal for Secretary Ling, and they agreed with a smile. Ye Minglang thought about it and took out a few hundred yuan. "These are your hard work fees, the extra money you earned."

The kitchen immediately refused, but Ye Minglang was determined and paid them anyway.

So the next morning, Ling Fengxi was served fish maw soup. He was quite confused; he had no idea what it was, and it tasted fishy. The main reason was that the canteen's chefs had no experience with this kind of food, so they just stewed it and served it.

Ling Fengxi immediately knew what was going on and called Ye Minglang over. "Is this something your parents sent? You eat it yourself. I won't eat it."