Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Previously, the atmosphere in the courtyard was not good, and this old man, Yi Zhonghai, was stirring up trouble.

Now that Granny Jia is gone, Xu Damao has also gone to see the King of Hell.

With this newfound sense of purpose, Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang became Yi Zhonghai's top priorities.

Ignoring everything else, I fulfilled my wish.

Finally, all that messy, annoying stuff is over.

The social atmosphere has improved all at once.

With Yingzi and Aunt Liu's deliberate efforts, the atmosphere did indeed resemble that of close neighbors.

Life in this courtyard is becoming more and more comfortable.

"Aunt Liu, Aunt Liu..." Carrying a basket, he arrived at the front of Da Liu's house and called out to Aunt Liu.

Yingzi gave her several cabbages, a bunch of potatoes and sweet potatoes, some fresh green vegetables, and a few bananas.

"Oh, that's enough, that's enough," Aunt Liu exclaimed, feeling extremely embarrassed.

With so many good things, every household has plenty.

It would be better to keep it for yourself; it's such a waste to share it with others.

"If we go out like this, we might come back in a panic. It would be a real shame to waste it." Yingzi said cheerfully before heading to her next destination.

Aunt Liu pulled her along and said, "Don't worry, I'll go with you."

Such a big basket, it must be tiring for one person to carry it.

Aunt Liu helped carry a basket and delivered it to each household, saying to everyone she met, "Yingzi is bringing some food to everyone."

Put the 'real person' first to avoid misunderstandings.

Aunt Liu is definitely getting better and better at enjoying life these days.

No wonder the neighborhood committee named her an "Outstanding Mediator"; she might even win a March 8th Red Banner Award later!

The amount each family received varied, and Yingzi knew in her heart who should receive more and who should receive less.

Whether she's happy or not is none of her business; as long as she's polite to his face, that's the right thing to do.

Who can read minds and know what people are thinking?

Qin Huairu, Sha Zhu, and Aunt Yi's family took the most, because they had the most interactions with each other.

They've helped her and her family a lot in the past, and everyone knows that.

People just get what they deserve, there's nothing more to say about that.

The rest just need to be something meaningful; the two baskets won't be completely divided up in no time.

Yingzi put the basket back in the cellar and went back into the house to find that the pots and pans had all been washed clean.

Zhiyi was wiping her hands, while Zhiyuan was putting the bowls and chopsticks in the cupboard.

With a relieved smile, Yingzi walked around the room again and asked, "It should be fine."

"Shall we set off?" Yang Jianguo hung up the fire hook and extinguished the stove.

After taking one last look to confirm, Yingzi nodded: "Okay, let's go!"

It was my first time leaving home, and to the far south.

Even though she knew she would be back in a few days, Yingzi was still filled with reluctance, as this place held her most beautiful and happy memories.

The thought of leaving makes my heart ache.

But then, Zhiyi excitedly ran outside.

Zhiyuan also had a smile on his face, which infected Yingzi.

Oh, it's only been ten days or so, I'll be back in the blink of an eye.

When did she become so pretentious? This isn't like Li Ying at all.

After locking the door, Yingzi turned to look at her husband and reached out to take his strong arm.

Now, all the nervousness and reluctance I felt earlier had disappeared.

With him around, who cares where we go?

As long as the family is together, anywhere is home.

Chapter 290 The Journey, the Dining Car Delicious!

The train station was a deserted square, with a row of wooden houses serving as the ticket office.

The red walls still look somewhat new; they were built over the past ten years.

However, that's not why it's so new.

Instead, it was recently repainted to cover up the indelible traces of posters and slogans.

At this time, going out, especially long-distance travel, is subject to extremely strict controls.

It's not the Spring Festival travel rush, and those educated youth who went to the countryside should have already returned home by the same route.

Therefore, there weren't many people at the train station.

Upon arriving at the ticket hall, Yang Jianguo asked Yingzi to wait with the child while he took the letter of introduction and the slip of paper to the counter to buy tickets.

"Comrade, these are four documents for Guangdong Province, these are proof." First, hand over the three documents: the work unit's, the street office's, and the tickets.

Yang Jianguo then took out his money and asked, "How much is it in total?"

The tickets that Yingzi had shown to the children earlier were the ones he had just handed over.

You need to go to the window with these documents to buy a ticket.

After checking the certificate and confirming there were no problems, the other party smiled and replied, "Comrade, this is a soft sleeper ticket on an express train, priced at 59 yuan per ticket."

A regular train ticket from Beijing to Guangdong costs 8.9 yuan.

Switching to a soft sleeper berth increased the price by more than six times.

Yang Jianguo promptly took out his money and gave the person a total of 24 large unison bills.

The person gave him 4 yuan in change, as well as four stamped train tickets.

"Thank you." Nodding his thanks, Yang Jianguo took the ticket and went back.

Seeing him return, Zhiyi rushed forward and said, "Dad, let me see the ticket, let me see it."

Yang Jianguo handed her the train ticket and said with a smile, "Here you go."

This girl is good in every other way, except that she's careless and forgetful.

If she loses this ticket, Yingzi will definitely give her a good beating.

"Hiss~" Zhiyi gasped in shock as she looked at the price on the ticket.

It's only one yuan short of sixty yuan, this train ticket is outrageously expensive!

The words "Express Soft (Part 1)" on the sign prompted Zhiyi to ask curiously, "What's 'Express Soft'? Is it the kind of car foreigners ride on TV?"

With television, the children have broadened their horizons considerably.

Although I've never ridden a train, I've seen foreigners sitting in those carriages on TV.

There was a place to lie down, and a white lace-trimmed tablecloth covered the table, with a small lamp and a teapot on it.

The carriages, each with its own door, felt just like being at home.

"Yes, that's the one." Yingzi reached out and took the ticket, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes when she saw the price.

The train tickets alone cost over two hundred yuan.

Fortunately, Jian Guo's work unit was able to reimburse him for the regular ticket price of 19.8 yuan, which was some consolation!

The train hasn't arrived at the station yet; we'll have to wait another hour or so.

Yingzi sat down in the chair, put the cloth bag on her lap and opened it: "If anyone is hungry, just say so. Mom brought some pancakes and eggs."

Shaking her head, Zhiyi pestered Yang Jianguo to tell her about trains.

"The express train is currently the fastest train, using the most advanced internal combustion engine technology in China, with a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour."

"It's twice as fast as a regular car that travels 40 to 60 kilometers per hour."

"Furthermore, express trains have higher priority, which ensures on-time arrival."

One of the major characteristics of taking the train in this era is that it is both punctual and sometimes delayed.

Almost every vehicle arrives several hours late, and it's become a characteristic of this era that it's rare for them to arrive on time.

There are many reasons for this, including substandard railway technology and frequent track problems.

Some passenger trains also had to give way to production, and with fewer tracks available, trains transporting goods always had to be moved aside first.

There are also local management and localist factors at play.

In short, it's not normal if it's not a few hours late.

The express train falls into the 'abnormal' category, and its high ticket price is not only due to its speed and the specifications and standards of the carriages.

The factor of right-of-way also plays a significant role.

"Dad, will we be there soon?"

Yang Jianguo recalled what he saw on the map: there was currently no direct route to the window.

It also requires stops, transfers, and waiting time.

It will take at least 40 hours.

That's considered fast.

If you encounter a special vehicle transporting important supplies, you might have to wait a while.

Priority is also graded; express shipments are grade one, while important supplies are grade two.

Everyone who comes has to make way and stay to the side!

"Huh?" Zhiyi was completely dumbfounded when she learned that it would take two days and two nights.

Yang Jianguo smiled and patted her head, saying, "Be more patient. Seeing the scenery along the way is also an experience."

Smoke curls from chimneys, and the countryside and farms divide the landscape.

Watching these scenes from the train has a unique charm!

The train has departed.

The initial excitement upon boarding the bus faded after a four- or five-hour journey.

Zhiyi touched her belly, looked at her mother and said, "Mom, I'm hungry."

Yingzi took out a cloth bag and took out pancakes and eggs.

Yang Jianguo pressed her hand down and said, "We've finally managed to take the train, let's take the kids to the dining car."

Zhiyi's eyes lit up, and she nodded happily.

Zhiyuan calmly replied, "I've heard the food at the food truck is delicious, and there are many foreigners there, so it's worth a visit."

The little devil, with his pretentious tone, made Yingzi laugh in exasperation: "If you want to go, just say so! What's with the pretense!"

“Let’s go, it’s a good opportunity for us to broaden our horizons.” Yang Jianguo took her hand and led the way outside.

"Wait a minute." Yingzi slung the cloth bag over her shoulder and then asked Zhiyuan to put the suitcase under the berth.

Only then did he follow them out and ask the train conductor where to go to the restaurant.

When I got to the carriage door, someone stopped me: "Comrade, please show your ticket."

Yang Jianguo showed his ticket before the train conductor allowed them to enter.

Inside the clean and tidy carriage, everything appeared to be in perfect order.

The girl standing behind the counter smiled and bowed slightly to welcome them as they entered.

This performance amazed Yingzi and the children.

This is completely different from the sales clerk's usual behavior.