Chapter 90: A Trip to Beijiang

It is perfect to take these two days to spend some quality time with Wang Xiaoling; after all, we won't be seeing each other for the next month or two.

The next morning, after Zhang Ping'an finished his workout and ate a simple breakfast, he rode Jia Dongxu's Bicycle to the Pharmacy; sure enough, Wang Xiaoling arrived a little after nine.

Usually, as long as he was free, Zhang Ping'an would almost always stay at the Pharmacy, and Wang Xiaoling was the same during winter and summer breaks, staying at the Pharmacy to keep Zhang Ping'an company; occasionally, the two would go out to have some fun.

"Xiao Ling, let's go out and play; there's something I wanted to tell you anyway."

"Okay."

Wang Xiaoling had also thought it through last night; for the past three or four years, she and Zhang Ping'an had been practically inseparable outside of school hours, and his shadow had long been imprinted in her heart; being with him felt very comfortable.

And at school, whenever any boy tried to approach her, she would subconsciously push them away, no matter who it was, so in her classmates' eyes, she was very cold and aloof; only in front of Zhang Ping'an was she truly herself.

Anyway, since Master had already finished his seclusion, it didn't make much difference whether he was there or not, so at ten o'clock, he snuck away, and Wang Xiaoling followed suit shortly after.

"Master, Junior Brother and Xiao Ling have gone out."

"Hmm, don't worry about them," Wang Lao said, already accustomed to it.

By the side of Shichahai, Zhang Ping'an rode the Bicycle with Wang Xiaoling gently stroking his waist from behind; this golden couple didn't know how many people they were the envy of.

Wang Xiaoling used to hold onto the back seat, but after Zhang Ping'an went over a few potholes, she realized he was doing it on purpose; after pinching him a few times to no avail, she just honestly wrapped her arms around his waist, and now she was used to it.

"Xiao Ling."

"Hmm?"

"In a few days, my family is going to Beijiang to visit my maternal grandparents and the others; it might take a month or two."

"Mm." Although Wang Xiaoling's voice was soft, she gripped Zhang Ping'an's waist with a little more force.

"Don't worry, the fruit there is just in season—watermelons, muskmelons, apricots, apples, pears, everything you could want. I'll bring some back for you to taste when I return, along with some beef and mutton."

"Mm, okay."

"What do you want to eat for lunch? My treat."

"Roast duck. I brought money; today, it's my treat."

"Hehe, okay."

The time was still early, and neither of them was in a rush, wandering along slowly and enjoying their rare time together.

At eleven-thirty, at a window seat in Quanjude, both of them were buried in their roast duck; to be honest, the taste was alright, but it wasn't as good as the beer duck made from the ducks he raised in his space.

"Xiao Ling? Ping'an?" Zhang Ping'an only felt the voice was familiar and looked up in confusion; holy crap, my future father-in-law.

"Dad?"

"Ahem, Wang Shu, why don't you sit down and have a bite with us?"

Actually, Zhang Ping'an had met Wang Xiaoling's father, Wang Zhangzhi, before, but it wasn't a formal occasion; this could be considered their first official meeting.

Wang Zhangzhi also knew his father's thoughts, and Zhang Ping'an was a decent person—tall, handsome, and a perfect match for his daughter; Wang Zhangzhi was happy to see it happen.

"No, you two go ahead and eat; I have two clients here. Come over to the house to play when you have time."

"Alright, Wang Shu."

Wang Xiaoling watched awkwardly as her own father chatted with her future husband, as if she were an outsider.

"Wang Shu has left, hurry up and eat; it won't taste good once it gets cold."

"Mm."

In the afternoon, the two wandered around aimlessly again; time flies when you are with the person you like, and before Zhang Ping'an knew it, it was past five o'clock.

"Zhang Ping'an, let's head back."

"Okay."

For the next three days, the two were inseparable, and on the fourth day, Zhang Ping'an's family finally received a call from his grandfather.

"You should set off the day after tomorrow; the train takes four or five days. I've had Weiguo handle the tickets, and the timing for our supply train is just about right."

"Alright, Grandfather."

Nowadays, trains are slow and have many stops, frequently pausing along the way, so it's normal for it to take four or five days to get from Sijiucheng to Lanzhou.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an told Wang Xiaoling at the Pharmacy that he was leaving for Beijiang early tomorrow morning.

"Mm, come back quickly, and don't you dare mess around over there."

Wang Xiaoling had asked her parents a lot about Beijiang over the past two days; because of their medicinal herb business, her parents had traveled all over the country in their early years, covering almost half of China.

"Beijiang has beautiful scenery, delicious food, and many beautiful women." That was what her parents had said, but she only heard "many beautiful women," which was why she was warning Zhang Ping'an now.

"I'm a man who is about to have a family; who would I mess around with? Besides, I heard it's vast and sparsely populated there; maybe my grandfather's house doesn't even have neighbors."

"Anyway, you are not allowed to mess around." Wang Xiaoling didn't argue back now; usually, they would have had a playful scuffle.

"Alright, alright, alright."

Zhang Ping'an dotingly patted her head; this girl had completely fallen for him.

"While I'm away, you must eat well. I don't want to come back and see that you've lost weight; it would break my heart," Zhang Ping'an said in a low voice.

"Mm, you must come back early."

At the entrance of the alley in the evening, with no one around, Wang Xiaoling hugged Zhang Ping'an; just as she was about to run away, he grabbed her back and kissed her on the forehead before letting her go.

"Be a good girl and wait for me at home."

"Mm~" Wang Xiaoling let out a hum and ran home.

Wang Xiaoling was blushing again; it took her a long time at her own doorstep to suppress the chaotic thoughts in her heart.

Zhang Ping'an returned home feeling satisfied, and his parents had already started packing their luggage.

"Dad, Mom, no need to bring too much; two changes of clothes are enough."

It's summer now, and the temperature difference between day and night in Beijiang is large, so bringing an extra jacket should be enough; even if they didn't bring one, it wouldn't matter, as Zhang Ping'an had prepared plenty in his space.

"Mm, mm, mm."

His parents listened without paying much attention, and finally, they were satisfied only after packing two large bags; these two large bags were made by Si Jie and the others at Zhang Ping'an's request—they looked tattered on the outside, but were actually very sturdy on the inside.

And these two large bags were mostly filled with local specialties from Sijiucheng, with only a small portion being clothes.

Early the next morning, Wang Zhiyong and Si Jie drove over.

"Brother-in-law, sorry for the trouble."

"Hey, it's nothing, Father, Mother."

"Father, Mother, Ping'an, call us when you get there."

"Mm."

Originally, Si Jie was also planned to go, but she was pregnant; if there had been a direct train it would have been fine, but since there wasn't, they wouldn't put a pregnant woman through the trouble.

"It's getting late, let's set off."

Sijiucheng, Yongding Station.

"Zhiyong, you two go back. It's crowded here, and Lanhua is newly pregnant, so be careful."

"Alright, Father, Mother, Ping'an, remember to call us when you arrive."

"Mm, alright."

Three sleeper tickets; although they were hard sleepers, Lao Wang had good connections, for if it had been hard seats, they would have suffered for these four or five days, and they were fine, but they mainly had a small baby with them.

The four of them boarded the train and found their seats, which were all together; in this era, those who could get sleeper tickets all had some connections, otherwise it would be very hard to snatch them up.

Of course, the sleepers of today couldn't compare to those of later generations, but they were already much better than hard seats, at least allowing one to lie down and sleep at night.

Opposite their family sat an old man with white hair and beard, a middle-aged man with a stern face, and a boy of five or six years old.

The middle-aged man in particular looked familiar to Zhang Ping'an, but Zhang Ping'an was certain he had never met him; the old man, however, smiled kindly at the arrival of Zhang Ping'an's family.

At noon, the family of three ate some pancakes freshly baked that morning, while Xiao Xile had some Milk Powder mixed with warm water.

Yes, the people in the carriage all looked with strange expressions as Zhang Ping'an took a thermos out of his large backpack, and his father and mother were the same, as neither knew when he had stuffed the thermos into the backpack.

"Ahem, my backpack is big, it's normal to pack a thermos," Zhang Ping'an said without changing his expression.

"Hahaha, the little brother is quite thoughtful."

"Would you like some, elder?"

"No need, I have some in my own canteen too."

Zhang Ping'an nodded and said no more; in this day and age, those with some means would carry a green-skinned canteen wherever they went.