The three of them ate their fill. Just as Chen Lan was about to get up and start cleaning, Xu Mingxuan reached out and pressed her back into her seat. "Lan'er, if you don't feel well, just sit and rest for a while. Don't worry about it! Leave the dishes and cleaning up to Xiang Xi and me!"
Xiang Xi quickly echoed, "That's right! Little Lanzi, just relax and rest well! You're someone who has important things to do, you can't afford to collapse from exhaustion. Mingxuan Ge and I can get this small matter sorted out in minutes, you don't need to worry about it."
Chen Lan didn't stand on ceremony; she did feel a bit unwell. She didn't know why, but her stomach felt uncomfortable. She usually had a very good appetite, and now, faced with her favorite delicacies, she had little desire to eat. Perhaps she had been too busy lately and hadn't had time to rest properly.
Thinking back carefully, wasn't that exactly the case? Ever since she and Xiang Xi left the valley to visit relatives, they hadn't had a moment's peace. They had been busy almost constantly. It had been over a month since she arrived here, and she hadn't had a single idle day. Good heavens, these past few days had indeed been both exciting and thrilling.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of homesickness. She missed her mother and the children in the valley, her mother-in-law, and her good sisters like Chun Cao and Qian Yingzi. She recalled the excellent cooking skills of Sun Xiaomei and her daughter. It had been a long time since she'd had the pastries made by Sun Xiaomei and Aunt Chen. Thinking of this made her miss home even more.
Chen Lan quickly reminded herself, "No, Liu Mama's task entrusted to me hasn't even gotten off the ground yet. How can I go back? How will I face Liu Mama then? I had promised her before I left! This time, I must bring a wife back to the valley for Little Watermelon."
With this thought, Chen Lan immediately felt revitalized. She happily sat aside, pondering her strategy, thinking of a way to let Xiang Xi meet the eldest daughter of Aunt Chang Sanmei's family, Yulia, naturally. She believed that as long as he met Yulia in person, she wouldn't believe he wouldn't be moved. Even if Xiang Xi were a block of wood, she would make him blossom.
The more Chen Lan thought about it, the more she felt this plan could succeed. So, she smiled and asked Xu Mingxuan, who was washing dishes with his head down, "Mingxuan Ge, what are your plans for tomorrow? I doubt we can cover all the places in one day. Besides, there are still many farms in Pogranichny Town that we haven't visited, and we can probably exchange for a lot of grain. Our main task here was to get grain back, everything else is secondary! How about we split up? What do you think?"
Xu Mingxuan put down his work and thought for a moment before saying, "Lan'er, your idea is good, but we only have one old Jiefang truck. Pogranichny Town is too large, and the farms are too scattered. Without a truck to carry goods, how can we exchange with them? Let alone get grain back. Moreover, we have an agreement with Andrei to deliver goods to the state-run department store in Vladivostok. We can't break our promise and make things difficult for Andrei."
At this point, Xiang Xi also put down his work and chimed in, "Exactly, Little Lanzi, Mingxuan Ge is right. Unless you can find another truck for carrying goods, and I'll take on the dirty and tiring work, I can't help even if I want to. See? Don't blame me for not helping you later, okay?"
After beating around the bush for so long, Chen Lan was waiting for Xiang Xi's words. She decided to solidify this and prevent Xiang Xi from going back on his word, so she pretended to be a little worried and said, "Little Watermelon, the car is not a problem, but you don't know the routes. I'm afraid you'll get lost. If you really get lost, in such a large area, how will Mingxuan Ge and I find you?"
Xiang Xi scoffed and retorted dismissively, "Little Lanzi, do you think I'm like you, a reckless fool who doesn't use her brain? You came all this way to visit relatives without even knowing Mingxuan Ge's exact address. I'm truly impressed. You talk about me not knowing the way, but if I don't know the way, can't I find someone to guide me? Do you think this small matter can stump Chen Xiang Xi? That's impossible!" Su Dan Novel Network
When Xu Mingxuan heard what Xiang Xi said, he quickly asked, "Lan'er, did that really happen? If it weren't for Captain Qin happening to be out on business and escorting you both and then sending me a telegram, you two might have really gotten lost. Lan'er, I really have to criticize you this time. You're quite brave, aren't you?"
Seeing that the situation was deviating from her intended course, Chen Lan decided to apply some pressure to steer it back. She immediately began to sincerely introspect. Before Xu Mingxuan could speak again, she quickly and earnestly admitted her fault, "Mingxuan Ge, I know I was wrong. Actually, as soon as we got off the train and saw the crowds of people at the station, I realized I didn't know your exact address. I hadn't sent you a telegram beforehand to confirm our travel plans so you could arrange for someone to pick us up at the station. At that moment, I regretted it. If you hadn't sent Er Zhuang to pick us up at the station, my brother and I would have been stranded. Mingxuan Ge, I swear, please believe me, I promise there won't be a next time!"
Seeing Chen Lan's sincere and earnest apology, Xu Mingxuan didn't dwell on it and naturally returned to the previous topic. Xu Mingxuan suggested, "Little Watermelon, if you need someone to guide you, go to Aunt Chang Sanmei's house and ask her two sons for help. Their family is very good, and they are honest and easy to get along with."
Xiang Xi was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Mingxuan Ge, I understand. Don't worry! Leave the task of collecting grain to me. I promise I'll handle it perfectly!"
Seeing that the timing was right, Chen Lan immediately interjected, "Little Watermelon, you'll have to work hard this time! Your burden is not light. Honghualing Village, Dalingxia Village, and all the villagers of Zhang Ergou's village are counting on you. You have to work hard! You must strive to exchange for more grain to bring back."
Xiang Xi waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's a small matter. Little Lanzi, as I said, you need to get me a truck for hauling goods. That's the most crucial part, everything else is minor."
Chen Lan patted her chest heartily and said, "Little Watermelon, just you wait and see! I've already spoken to my father-in-law. He's going to look for one for you now. He'll get you the truck you need tomorrow morning!"