Chapter 99: Return Journey 2.0

After the eldest uncle dropped them back at the courtyard, he stepped on the gas and left Wushi (it hasn't been renamed yet; it's called Di City, but Wushi is used for everyone's convenience).

"Dad, Mom, why don't you take the little brother back and nap a bit more? I'll go wander around nearby."

"That's fine, but don't go too far."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping'an wandered around the vicinity, hoping to see if there was any high-quality Jade, but there was nothing at all. Wushi was currently in a period of severe material shortages, so no one was playing with Jade.

Zhang Ping'an bought some local specialties—raisins, Red Dates, and naan—at a roadside market, found a kind-faced middle-aged man, and asked in Uyghur:

"Alikezi, kuhong bazha?" (Translated from the internet)

"Yes, I have several baskets left. Your Uyghur is quite good."

The honest-looking man looked at Zhang Ping'an with great surprise. Very few people from the Mainland could communicate with them in Uyghur, which made him feel that Zhang Ping'an was very approachable.

"I want to buy a lot more to take back."

Zhang Ping'an had forgotten to hoard dried fruits; everything was prepared by his maternal grandparents, totaling about thirty or forty jin, which wasn't a small amount, but it was still too little for Zhang Ping'an's goal.

He had to hoard three to five hundred jin of each item, otherwise, the trip to Beijiang would have been in vain.

"That's possible. We arrive here at six every morning. How much do you want?"

"Give me three hundred jin each of raisins, Red Dates, walnuts, dried figs, and dried apricots. More is fine too."

"This... my family doesn't have that much. I'll have to gather it," the man said, startled; he clearly hadn't expected Zhang Ping'an to want such a large quantity of goods.

"Fine, I'll wait for you here tomorrow. You'll have to deliver it to the designated place then."

"No problem. I am Aijiang, the village head of Bailiang Village. Young man, you must come tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll give you a deposit of one hundred thousand. If I don't come, this will be yours."

"No, no need. Currently, the price for Red Dates is nine thousand yuan per kilogram, walnuts are a bit more expensive at ten thousand yuan per kilogram, and for raisins... since you want so much, we can give you a discount."

"Fine."

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an arrived at the market at 5:30, and Aijiang was already waiting there early, with three horse-drawn carts behind him.

"Uncle Aijiang, follow me."

"Okay." Aijiang wasn't afraid; he had five sturdy young men behind him, and there were tools on the carts.

Zhang Ping'an naturally noticed this, but he wasn't afraid either. If they had any malicious intent, he would just take the goods for free.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and there were few people on the road. Zhang Ping'an led them to an empty alley entrance.

"Uncle Aijiang, what is the total weight and the total price?"

"Each item is a little over five hundred jin, absolutely full weight. Red Dates are 4.3 million, walnuts are 4.5 million... the total is 25.85 million." Even after calculating it last night, Aijiang couldn't quite believe the final figure.

"Fine, unload everything, and I'll give you the money."

Zhang Ping'an took a stack of banknotes directly from his satchel; the impact of over five hundred bills in denominations of fifty thousand was quite significant for Aijiang.

"Ahem, hurry up and unload the carts," Aijiang said, his face flushing red, as he urged the young men who were still in a daze to unload quickly.

"Uncle Aijiang, please count it," Zhang Ping'an said, holding a flashlight to provide light for them.

"Yes, yes, okay."

"Thank you very much, young man," Aijiang said after more than twenty minutes, having counted the bills over and over again.

"It's nothing, as long as the money is correct."

"Yes, yes, yes. Then we'll be going. If you want to buy more in the future, come find me at the market."

"Deal."

After watching them walk away, Zhang Ping'an waited a good while longer before storing everything into his space, bought some breakfast, and returned.

This trip to Beijiang was basically a success. Zhang Ping'an didn't go out again in the afternoon, just waiting for the Transport Team the next morning.

The notification at the time was for an 8:00 AM ride-share. Zhang Ping'an's family arrived at the cooperative entrance at 7:30. Coincidentally, the captain of the Transport Team this time was Sun Jianmin again. That was fine; it was more convenient with an acquaintance.

"Ping'an, it really is you guys! I guessed it might be you when I received the notice yesterday, but I didn't expect it to actually be you, hahaha!"

"Yes, Uncle Sun, I didn't expect it either. We really are fated."

"Hahaha, come on in, put your things down first, and we'll tidy up and get ready to depart."

"Okay."

Zhang Laohan and his wife looked miserable as they shoved the little one to Zhang Ping'an.

"Ping'an, give me two more needles, otherwise I'll have wasted my breakfast later."

"......"

"Fine, Dad, Mom, don't be nervous. Just close your eyes and rest once you get on the vehicle."

"Okay."

There was quite a lot of cargo this time, and it was still a ten-day journey. Zhang Laohan and his wife were much better this time; although their complexions were still not great, at least they didn't vomit much.

"Uncle Sun, do you have any acquaintances at the train station? I'm fine, but it's inconvenient with my little brother, and you saw my parents get carsick."

"Hmm... yes, I can help you get three sleeper berths."

Someone like Sun Jianmin, who had been picking up goods at the station for years, definitely had connections, especially since he was a captain who needed to coordinate; his connections were likely even stronger.

Moreover, Sun Jianmin had a good impression of Zhang Ping'an. Plus, he always felt much more relaxed on the vehicle these two times when Zhang Ping'an was around. In this era, there were certain superstitions among long-haul drivers, so Sun Jianmin believed Zhang Ping'an's aura could bring him good fortune and was willing to help him out.

"Thank you, Uncle Sun. How much money?"

"Don't worry about the money. I'll just take you up there directly when the time comes."

"This..." Zhang Ping'an didn't want to take advantage of this; it would be troublesome if there were ticket checks or something later.

"In that case, I'll take you to buy the tickets directly."

Sun Jianmin also saw Zhang Ping'an's concerns. Although he was confident that such a situation wouldn't happen, it was hard to say if they encountered someone stubborn, and it would be a case of good intentions leading to bad results. Besides, he could see that Zhang Ping'an wasn't someone short of money, so buying tickets was fine too.

"Good, good, good."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Hahaha, you little fellow." Sun Jianmin's youngest son was about the same age as Xile, so he could naturally understand baby talk.

"Ping'an, your younger brother is truly likable."

"Hahaha, he's only this familiar with you." Zhang Ping'an also felt that his younger brother's divine assist had come at just the right time.

Finally, with Sun Jianmin's help, Zhang Ping'an successfully bought a sleeper berth; he also replaced most of the water in Sun Jianmin's cup with Space Water and left two hundred thousand in the passenger seat.

Sun Jianmin had four boys at home, and one could tell from his clothes and shoes that life was not easy for him; Zhang Ping'an remembered the favor and was naturally willing to give him a hand.

Four days later, Zhang Ping'an's family of four finally returned to Sijiucheng; it was already late September.

"Phew~ it's still more comfortable here."

Zhang Ping'an hailed a pedicab, and half an hour later, the family of four appeared at the entrance of the Siheyuan.

"Uncle Zhang, Auntie Zhang, you're back. Yo, where did this dark-skinned boy come from?" Yan Bugui teased.

"It's little Yan."

"Teacher Yan, you're not being very authentic here."

"Hahaha, just a joke. You've had a long journey, go back and rest quickly."

"Alright, let's chat later."

It was past five in the afternoon, and many women in the courtyard were chatting; seeing Zhang Laohan, they all greeted him.

"Dad, Mom, you guys eat tonight; I won't be eating at home." Zhang Ping'an put down the large bags, quickly sorted out four black parcels, and ran out of the courtyard.

"Alright." Dong Dani knew her son was going to find Wang Xiaoling.

At the Eighty-Eighth Courtyard, Zhang Ping'an entered directly through the side door, handed three parcels (for his master and senior brother) to his master's wife, and took the remaining one, putting it into his satchel.

"Xiao Ling."

Hearing this voice, Wang Xiaoling's body trembled; she turned around with teary eyes, only to discover it was truly the person she had been longing for day and night.

"Ahem, Ping'an, take Xiao Ling to the back."

Wang Lao had also heard; for these past two months, his granddaughter had been like someone possessed, neither thinking of tea nor food, and she had visibly thinned.

Wang Lao naturally knew it must have been the work of that brat Zhang Ping'an; come to think of it, who confesses their feelings and then runs off and disappears for over two months?