Chapter 117: A Second Visit to Beijiang

"Ping'an, this tea is pure."

Li Huaide had been looking at documents all morning and felt dizzy, but after this sip of tea, his mind cleared, and he felt he could keep reading for several more hours without a break.

"Hehe, as long as you like it."

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

"Section Chief, your lunch."

"Mm, thank you, Liu, put it down."

"You're too kind, Section Chief. Enjoy your meal," said Secretary Liu.

"Section Chief, then I won't hold you up from eating."

"Alright, go ahead and get busy, Liu. Ping'an, you wait a moment." Li Huaide walked behind his desk and took out four packs of China cigarettes.

"Ping'an, take these cigarettes back to smoke. When you finish them, come back to your brother here to get more. You go eat now, too."

Li Huaide's words were heard clearly by Secretary Liu, who couldn't help but take another look at Zhang Ping'an.

"This..."

"Take them."

"Alright then, thank you, Section Chief."

"Mm."

After Zhang Ping'an left, Li Huaide drank another cup. Two cups of tea down, and he didn't even feel like eating anymore.

The teacups in this era weren't like those of later generations; they were the large white porcelain kind with lids. Drinking two cups was enough to feel half-full.

Time flew by, and another month passed. It was now mid-March. During this time, Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu had been assigned to procure goods in surrounding cities. Today, not long after returning to the Rolling Mill, they received a temporary notice to go to Beijiang for procurement in one day.

With his wedding only a month and a half away, Zhang Ping'an didn't want to run off, but there was no other way.

"Ping'an, don't worry. No matter what, you will definitely be back within a month. If not, we'll have Xiao Jia stay behind in Beijiang while you come back. It absolutely won't delay your wedding."

Zhu Weiguo was also a bit embarrassed. This trip was originally supposed to be for his nephew, Zhu Jianshe, but not only did his own older brother object, the old man didn't agree either, so he had to reassign it.

"Ahem, Ping'an, if you have any requirements, just say them. Our Section Chief will definitely agree," said Wu Qiang.

Wu Qiang knew this was basically set in stone. Since he couldn't resist, he might as well help Zhang Ping'an secure more benefits.

"Right, right, right. Ping'an, Dongxu, if you have any requests, just bring them up."

Zhu Weiguo didn't want to make things too tense. He knew both Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu were around twenty years old; if a young person's temper flared up and things got out of hand, his nephew would end up going anyway, so he tried his best to appease them.

"Fine, I accept."

Zhang Ping'an also wanted to go see his maternal grandparents and, by the way, release the two nests of Huangmao eagles. Besides, Jia Dongxu, standing nearby, clearly wanted to go to Beijiang to see things too.

At the same time, he wanted to see if it was because of the Jade that the Back Mountain of his space had risen. That day, he had intended to play with the Jade, only to discover that all the Jade he had previously tossed into the pond was gone.

Linking this to the fact that the Back Mountain had grown taller, Zhang Ping'an couldn't wait to verify it. If it were true, he would have to do some serious digging in the Kunlun Mountains, and in the future, he would find an opportunity to hollow out the Jade mountain ranges in Myanmar.

"However, I want vacation time. I can take ten days off after the wedding, and the same for my partner. This requires you, Section Chief, to coordinate."

"Fine."

Zhu Weiguo nodded and agreed. It was just a small Pharmacy, a matter of saying a word. He let out a long sigh of relief inside; Zhang Ping'an hadn't made any excessive demands, and he felt much kinder toward him.

"Dongxu, what about you?"

"Me? I want vacation time too."

"Alright, I promise both of you. You leave tomorrow."

"Good."

The two walked out of the Procurement Section, with Wu Qiang following behind.

"Thank you, Qiang Ge."

"Hey, that's all I could do for you."

"That's already very good."

Currently, Wu Qiang was just a figurehead in the Procurement Section, but he didn't mind. It was more leisurely than his previous job, and the pay was even higher, so he was happy with it.

In the evening, Zhang Ping'an found Wang Xiaoling and told her about the business trip and the ten days of vacation.

"Mm, go ahead. Give my regards to your grandparents."

Wang Xiaoling was now used to Zhang Ping'an going on business trips. Every time he returned, he could bring her some novel little trinkets, and most importantly, there was the ten-day wedding leave.

"Mm." The two said some more mushy things before Zhang Ping'an sent Wang Xiaoling home.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu set off again. Four days later, they arrived at the Lanzhou station.

The leader of the transport team this time wasn't Sun Jianmin, but he was a man in his forties named Ma Wu. When he learned that Zhang Ping'an knew Sun Jianmin, he was very enthusiastic.

"Brother Ping'an, once you're here, it's just like being at your own home. If you need anything, just say it."

"Alright, Brother Ma, then I won't stand on ceremony with you when the time comes."

"Hahaha, not standing on ceremony is good. Old Ma here likes dealing with straightforward people."

"Brother Ma, you really have a good eye for people."

"Hahaha."

Eight days later in Wushi, Jia Dongxu's face didn't look too good.

"Uncle, how did the younger uncle manage last time?"

"Oh, he doesn't get motion sickness. I was holding him."

"..."

Jia Dongxu had been fine for the first few days, but as the vehicle jolted along, his stomach began to churn. He held on for three days, but finally ended up vomiting.

"Hehe, you'll get used to it. Rest for two days to recover, then you can take stock of the goods at the Wushi Supply and Marketing Cooperative while I go to my grandparents' place."

"Alright, Uncle."

Zhang Ping'an was too lazy to manage this procurement; if he could complete it, that would be best, but if he couldn't, he didn't care. Afterward, he took some gifts and went to Sun Jianmin's house; Sun Jianmin had told him his home address during their last conversation.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it? Coming! Ping'an?"

"It's me, Brother Sun."

"Come, come, come, sit inside quickly. Ping'an, look at you, you came, so why did you bring things? Mother of the children, hurry and prepare lunch, Brother Ping'an is here."

"Alright, alright."

"Sister-in-law, don't go to any trouble. I just need to have a word with Brother Sun and then I'll leave."

"That won't do. Since you're already here, you must at least have a meal before you go."

"Brother Sun, I really have something to do."

Seeing that Zhang Ping'an did not seem to be faking it, Sun Jianmin finally gave up.

"Fine, go ahead."

"Brother Sun, I want to go to the River Valley to see my grandparents. Do we have any ride-sharing vehicles going that way?"

"There actually is one, the one o'clock bus this afternoon. If you were even one day late, you wouldn't have caught it. I'll arrange it for you."

"Good, good, good, thank you, Brother Sun."

The two of them didn't even care about eating lunch and headed straight for the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, as the fleet's departure time was usually moved up.

"Phew~ Good thing we made it. Ping'an, have a safe trip. I'll treat you to a drink when you get back."

"Alright, thank you, Brother Sun."

This time there were three transport trucks. Time was tight and the task was heavy, so the drivers were working in shifts. They arrived in the middle of the night. Zhang Ping'an bid farewell to everyone, found a deserted spot to slip into his space, ate a little something, dozed for a while, and at daybreak, he found his eldest uncle's cooperative.

"Eldest Uncle."

"Ping'an?" Dong Dayong rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it; he thought he was still groggy from sleep and hallucinating.

"Eldest Uncle, it's me."

"Ping'an, how did you..."

"Eldest Uncle, I'm out on a procurement trip and stopped by to see you all."

"Good, good, good, let's go, let's go. I'll arrange for someone to take you to your grandparents'. I still have some work here, let's gather again in the evening."

"Alright."

Dong Dayong arranged for someone to drive Zhang Ping'an to the entrance of his grandparents' house.

"Comrade, thank you. Take these cigarettes to smoke."

"This, alright, thanks."

After the car disappeared from view, Zhang Ping'an took out his large and small bags and then knocked on the door.

"Grandma, Grandpa, I'm back again."

"Old woman, why does it sound like Ping'an is calling me?"

"I think I heard it too."

The two old people looked at each other, put down the fodder in their hands, and hurriedly came out from the Back Courtyard.

"Is that you, my eldest grandson?"

"Grandma, Grandpa, it's me."