PFC Chapter 214 Taking the Train into the City
Chapter 214 Taking the Train into the City
The four people arrived at the town's train station.
At this time, there was a long queue at the ticket window.
"You guys wait here, I'll go buy it," Li Xiangyang said, and then went to join the queue.
Wang Ergou stood there, rubbing his hands together nervously.
Ma Hongxia glanced at him secretly, and seeing his expression, she couldn't help but laugh.
"The train departs the day after tomorrow morning; it's an auspicious day for the marriage proposal."
After quite a while, Li Xiangyang finally bought the tickets and gave them to everyone.
Wang Ergou took the ticket and examined it carefully: "This is the first time in my life I've ever ridden a train."
“Me too,” Ma Hongxia whispered, “I heard the train is very fast.”
Li Xiaoyun laughed and said, "Yes, it's really fast. I've ridden it before, I'll show you around then."
The four discussed the details, and Li Xiangyang specifically reminded Wang Ergou, "Go to bed early tomorrow night; we have to leave very early the day after tomorrow. By the way, have you prepared your new clothes?"
“It’s ready,” Wang Ergou said. “My sister made it for me; she said it’s the latest style from the city.”
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongxia couldn't help but smile.
She knew that Wang Ergou had put a lot of effort into this marriage proposal.
"That's good," Li Xiangyang nodded. "Remember to bring enough money; things are expensive in the city."
As they spoke, the sun began to set, and announcements came over the train station's loudspeaker.
As the four people watched a train slowly pass by, a sense of anticipation welled up in their hearts.
Back in the village, the four of them parted ways at the crossroads.
Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun walked home side by side.
"What do you think I should prepare for your parents?" Li Xiangyang asked.
Li Xiaoyun thought for a moment: "Actually, there's no need to prepare anything special. Just bring some local specialties."
After dinner, Li Xiangyang packed his things one by one: cured meat, venison...
"Is this enough?" he asked Li Xiaoyun.
“That’s enough,” Li Xiaoyun nodded. “My parents aren’t fussy people.”
Seeing her hesitant expression, Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Just say what you have to say."
"I just wanted to ask..." Li Xiaoyun hesitated for a moment, "Are you nervous?"
"It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous," Li Xiangyang said, holding her hand. "But as long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."
It was late at night, and the courtyard was quiet.
There were still many things to prepare for tomorrow, so Li Xiangyang reluctantly sent Li Xiaoyun back to the educated youth settlement.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang started working.
First, I went to the livestock shed to arrange things for the next two days, and then I specifically sought out Doctor Qian to ask him to help take care of the animals.
"Don't worry," Dr. Qian said with a smile, "I'll come and check on you every day after you leave."
After settling the livestock, Li Xiangyang went to see Zheng Dehou to explain that he was going to Chuncheng the day after tomorrow.
Zheng Dehou not only readily agreed, but also specifically instructed him to keep an eye out for new farm tools in the city.
“I’ve heard there are quite a few farm tool shops in Kunming,” Zheng Dehou said. “If you see anything good, let me know when you get back.”
Just then, Wang Ergou rushed over: "Brother Xiangyang, do you think my clothes are okay?"
Li Xiangyang looked him up and down.
Wang Ergou was wearing a new outfit made by his sister, and he looked quite energetic.
“Okay,” Li Xiangyang nodded, “Your sister has good tailoring skills; this dress fits perfectly.”
Wang Ergou breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "So... what should we say when we meet?"
"Just be natural," Li Xiangyang said. "Say what you want to say, don't be too reserved. What are you nervous about?"
"It's because I'm afraid of embarrassing Ma Hongxia," Wang Ergou scratched his head, "After all, it's my first time in the city..."
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to comfort him, Li Xiaoyun and Ma Hongxia arrived.
Ma Hongxia had clearly heard what Wang Ergou said, and her face showed both shyness and joy.
“You,” she said softly, “my parents aren’t high-ranking officials, why are you so nervous?”
Seeing the two exchanging affectionate glances, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun smiled at each other.
"Alright," Li Xiangyang said, "We have to leave first thing tomorrow morning, so everyone should get some rest tonight. Er Gou, go back and double-check everything, make sure you don't forget anything."
That night, Li Xiangyang lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.
With the wedding date approaching, he will soon be officially visiting the bride's family as her prospective son-in-law.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Moonlight streamed through the window, and the soft purring of the black cat and the little tiger echoed from the courtyard.
Thinking about tomorrow's schedule, Li Xiangyang slowly fell asleep.
Early in the morning, before dawn, Li Xiangyang got up and carefully checked the things he needed to bring.
When they arrived at the village entrance, Wang Ergou and Ma Hongxia were already waiting there.
Wang Ergou was wearing new clothes and carrying large and small bags; Ma Hongxia had also changed into new clothes and looked exceptionally pretty.
"Have you brought everything?" Li Xiangyang asked.
Wang Ergou nodded repeatedly: "I've got everything, I've checked it several times."
Li Xiaoyun was the last to arrive.
She wore a light blue dress, and her hair was carefully combed, giving her a neat and refreshing appearance.
“Let’s go,” Li Xiangyang took the bundle from her hands, “we need to get to the station before sunrise.”
The four of them walked towards the town.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the distant mountains were faintly visible.
We encountered many villagers along the way, and we greeted them with smiles.
When we arrived at the station, there were already quite a few people queuing up to wait for the train.
Li Xiangyang took out the train ticket and noticed that Wang Ergou's hands were shaking.
"Don't be nervous," he patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder.
Seeing this, Ma Hongxia quietly took Wang Ergou's hand.
A short while later, the train pulled into the station with a long whistle.
Wang Ergou was startled, which made Ma Hongxia cover her mouth and laugh.
"Let's go," Li Xiangyang called out, "Our car is here."
The four people followed the flow of people and got on the bus.
After finding a seat and putting his luggage away, Li Xiangyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriage was quite crowded, with women with children, vendors going to the market, and young people like them who were going to the city on business.
“Look,” Li Xiaoyun pointed out the window, “you can see all the land in our village.”
Wang Ergou immediately became interested and leaned to the window to look outside. He saw the fields rushing past, the distant mountains gradually shrinking, everything flashing by at high speed.
“Wow, that’s fast!” he exclaimed. “Much faster than a carriage.”
The train rounded a bend, and sunlight streamed in through the windows. Wang Ergou slowly relaxed and began to look around the interior of the carriage.
“Brother Xiangyang,” he asked, pointing to the electric fan on the roof of the car, “what’s that?”
Before Li Xiangyang could answer, Ma Hongxia explained, "That's an electric fan; they have them in the city. They're very cool in the summer."
When talking about things in the city, Ma Hongxia seemed very excited.
She told Wang Ergou about the prosperity of Kunming.
As they were talking, the salesperson pushed the cart past.
Wang Ergou's eyes lit up when he saw the neatly stacked soda bottles on the cart.
Noticing his expression, Li Xiangyang bought four bottles and handed them to everyone: "We're happy today, let's try something new."
Wang Ergou took the soda and opened it with a bottle opener, just like everyone else.
As soon as the bottle cap was opened, the crisp sound and the fine bubbles immediately attracted the attention of those around.
"Drink slowly," Ma Hongxia reminded him with a smile, "this stuff gets you high."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Ergou was already coughing from the choking.
He wiped his mouth sheepishly, "I didn't expect it to be so strong."