People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

Zhuang Chaoying pouted like a child: "I want it here too." Huang Ling glanced at him, then gently kissed his lips, making a soft "smack" sound.

"Alright, let go now, the children will be back soon."

Huang Ling gently broke free from Zhuang Chaoying's embrace and turned to continue her work in the kitchen.

Zhuang Chaoying followed behind Huang Ling: "Ling, I'll go with you to ask for leave first thing tomorrow morning. The school has given me a week off. The award ceremony should only take a day, and we can use the rest of the time to have some fun in Kyoto. We can visit the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace."

Huang Ling held an egg in her hand, skillfully tapped it against the edge of the bowl, cracked the egg liquid into the bowl, casually threw the eggshell into the stove fire, picked up chopsticks and started stirring: "Chao Ying, we're going away for a week, I'm worried about Tu Nan and Xiao Ting."

“Tu Nan is already in his second year of high school, and he’s become much more sensible. With him taking care of Xiao Ting, there shouldn’t be any problems. Besides, there’s Song Ying too. Let’s give Song Ying’s family some money so the children can eat at her house in the evenings, buy their own food in the mornings, and eat lunch at school. That’s a perfect arrangement.”

Huang Ling stopped what she was doing, hesitated for a moment, and then frowned: "I'm still worried about Xiaoting. After all, she's a girl. What if something happens to her..."

Their Xiaoting is as strong as a calf; no one can bully her outside.

However, she patiently persuaded him, "We can take the express train number 13 or 14 and get to Kyoto in a day and a night. We can skip two days and come back in four days, it won't take too long."

At this moment, the oil in the pan began to smoke, and Huang Ling quickly poured the beaten egg mixture into the pan. With a "sizzle", the egg mixture puffed up.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll ask for leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Tu Nan and Xiao Ting's voices came from outside: "Mom and Dad, we're back!"

"Mom, I'm hungry!"

...

After the family finished eating, Tu Nan and Xiao Ting prepared to do their homework as usual.

Zhuang Chaoying invited the two of them to sit down beside her: "Tu Nan, Xiao Ting, your parents are going on a long trip. If things go smoothly, we'll be back in four days. If there's a slight delay, we'll definitely be home in five days at the latest."

These next few days, you all need to behave well and listen to Aunt Song. Don't run around anywhere, okay? Tu Nan, don't ride your bike these next few days. Take the bus to and from school with your sister. That way, you can look after each other on the way.

Tu Nan nodded: "Dad, don't worry, I can take good care of Xiao Ting."

Xiaoting affectionately linked arms with Zhuang Chaoying, blinking her big eyes curiously as she asked, "Daddy, where are you and Mommy going?"

Zhuang Chaoying smiled and patted Xiaoting's head: "Daddy and Mommy are going to Kyoto. Daddy won an award for his work and we're going to attend the award ceremony."

Xiaoting's eyes widened even more when she heard this: "Dad, really? I want to go too! I've never been to Kyoto before, and I've heard there are lots of fun places there."

Zhuang Chaoying gently put her arm around Xiaoting's shoulder and patiently explained, "Studying is the most important thing for you right now. If you have a holiday, Dad will definitely take you with him. Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, and Mom and Dad will definitely take you out to play."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoting couldn't help but purse her lips, thinking to herself: "Then Mom will also have to ask for leave to go. Sure enough, the two of you are the real love, and my brother and I are just an accident."

Over here, Huang Ling finished washing the dishes in the kitchen, wiped her hands with her apron, and walked to Song Ying's door to knock: "Song Ying, may I come in?"

Song Ying was watching TV with great interest in the room when she heard the sound and quickly responded, "Come in, Sister Ling, this TV series is so good, it's getting really exciting right now."

Huang Ling pushed open the door and sat down next to Song Ying: "Song Ying, Chao Ying and I have to go out for a while. We'll have to trouble you to look after these two children. We'd like them to have dinner at your house tonight."

Upon hearing this, Song Ying's eyes widened in surprise: "Sister Ling, are you and Teacher Zhuang going out to play again?" In the past two years, Teacher Zhuang has always taken Sister Ling out to play under the pretext of going to Shanghai to collect subsidies, and Song Ying has always been envious of him.

Huang Ling smiled and nodded: "This time we're going to Kyoto, it'll probably be four days, no more than five days at most."

"Kyoto? Has Professor Zhuang joined the National Writers Association?"

Huang Ling shook her head: "Chao Ying's novel won an award, and I'll go with him to receive it."

Song Ying leaned against Huang Ling, looking on with envy: "Sister Ling, I really envy you. You get to travel around with Teacher Zhuang. Look at me, I'm exhausted from work during the day, and when I get home at night, I just sit around the stove and can't go anywhere."

Huang Ling gently patted her hand: "Dongzhe will be fine when he grows up. Song Ying, here's ten yuan, take it, consider it as the children's food money for the next few days."

Song Ying quickly declined. "Sister Ling, it's just a few dinners, no need to be so polite."

Huang Ling insisted. "No, you must take it. This isn't just for a day or two; Chao Ying and I will be gone for several days, and we'll need your help looking after the house."

Seeing Huang Ling's resolute attitude, Song Ying took the money and put it in her pocket: "Sister Ling, don't worry, I'll take care of things at home. I know you're worried about Xiao Ting, so I'll have Lin Dongzhe go to and from school with Xiao Ting. That should put your mind at ease."

"Okay, Song Ying, I'll head back now. You all should get some rest too!"

After returning home, Huang Ling began packing her luggage: "Chaoying, I've never been to the North before. I heard that it's very cold there in winter. Do I need to bring a lot of warm clothes?"

Zhuang Chaoying came over and helped Huang Ling get ready: "Ling, put on your thickest cotton-padded coat, and bring your gloves, hat, and scarf. Don't get cold. Also, bring me two pairs of underwear and socks. When we get to Kyoto, there should be a prize for this award. We can go to the mall and buy some warm clothes then."

As Huang Ling agreed, she put some important documents and personal items into her bag. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she put the marriage certificate into her luggage bag, and then neatly put in her folded bra, underwear and socks.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The cotton mill gates were wide open, and Huang Ling, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, walked out of the factory.

Zhuang Chaoying was already waiting at the door with a large suitcase beside her, while Huang Ling was carrying a large bag of bright red apples.

We headed straight to the train station, first to Shanghai to find Chairman Wang, and then together we set off for Kyoto.

When they arrived at the train station, there were many people in front of the ticket windows, and the two of them queued for quite a while before they were able to buy their train tickets.

After squeezing into the carriage and finding a seat, Huang Ling leaned on Zhuang Chaoying's shoulder and said, "Chaoying, I'm going to take a nap."

Because she often goes out with Chao Ying, she no longer has the same excitement she felt when they first went out together.

Zhuang Chaoying turned slightly to the side and carefully adjusted her sitting posture to make Huang Ling more comfortable.

He himself was clutching his luggage bag tightly.

The train slowly started moving, making a rhythmic rumble.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe an hour...

Zhuang Chaoying's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she was just about to drift off to sleep when suddenly, a commotion broke out.

"Oh no, my bag is gone!"

"My bag is gone!"

Zhuang Chaoying suddenly opened her eyes and saw the man sitting next to her stand up, frantically searching for his bag.

The man looked anxiously at Zhuang Chaoying. "Comrade, have you seen my bag? It's a Shanghai brand!"

Zhuang Chaoying shook her head: "I didn't see it. I was about to fall asleep, so I don't know."

The man grew increasingly anxious, his voice trembling slightly. "My bag!"

At this moment, the middle-aged woman next door also stood up: "The train police are here, why don't you talk to the police!"

The man saw the train police officer and rushed over as if he had seen a lifeline: "Officer, I was just holding a bag and fell asleep for a little while. When I woke up, the bag was gone!"

The train police officer squeezed through the crowded aisle: "What kind of bag is it?"

The man was so anxious he was almost incoherent. "It's a Shanghai brand leather bag, and there are three steamed buns inside."

The train police officer frowned. "That's all?"

The man added, "There are also four packs of cigarettes."

After hearing this, the train police officer realized that even though it was only three steamed buns and four packs of cigarettes, it was still the people's property.

"Come with me!" she said, leading the man towards the other end of the carriage to investigate the situation.

Zhuang Chaoying subconsciously tightened her grip on the bag in her arms. There are so many pickpockets these days.

He glanced at his watch again, then gently woke Huang Ling beside him: "Ling, Ling, wake up, we're almost there."

Huang Ling had actually woken up earlier, but she was still a little drowsy. She rubbed her eyes, reached out and touched the luggage bag that Zhuang Chaoying was holding, and only after confirming that everything was still there did she sit up straight with peace of mind.

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Shanghai Station has arrived. Passengers who have arrived, please get off the train as soon as possible." Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling grabbed Chaoying's clothes with one hand and carried apples with the other.

They slowly walked towards the car door with the flow of people.

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