As the children and Mingwei’s mother gradually walked away, everyone returned to the living room. As soon as they sat down, Chen Lan began to discuss with Xu Mingxuan, “Mingxuan Ge, how are you planning to travel tomorrow? Why don’t we trouble Little Watermelon to drive you to a train station nearby? Then you can transfer to a train to Changchun.”
Xi Xiang immediately interrupted the couple’s conversation and said, “Little Lanner, what’s there to discuss? I’ll just drive Mingxuan Ge directly to the Changchun train station tomorrow, what’s the need for transfers? It’s so troublesome to transfer back and forth.”
Chen Lan said with some worry, “Little Watermelon, it’s such a long drive. By the time you drive Mingxuan Ge to the Changchun train station, it will be almost dark. There’s a famine going on outside, and I’m not too worried about you being alone.”
Xiang Dong said at this time, “Little Lan, how about this, tomorrow I’ll go with Xi Xiang to send Mingxuan to the Changchun train station. After Mingxuan gets on the train, we two can stroll around Changchun city for a while, go out and see what the outside world has become, and see what’s different about celebrating the New Year in Changchun compared to the Imperial Capital. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone, send someone off and have a chance to look around. It’ll be safer for us to travel together and not be afraid of danger on the road.”
At this time, the mother-in-law said, “Little Lan, I think Xiang Dong’s arrangement is quite good. We’ve been in the mountain valley for almost ten years. Let’s take this opportunity to let them go out and see things. Let them see what great changes have happened outside since we came. That way, they won’t be completely clueless when they go out – they won’t be blind.”
Chen Lan also felt that what her mother-in-law said made sense. She couldn’t keep them hiding in the mountain valley just because she was afraid of them encountering danger. If they lived in such a comfortable environment for a long time, they would lose their fighting spirit and become complacent. It was time to let them face reality and see how people outside lived.
Since the itinerary for tomorrow was decided, Chen Lan began to make preparations. In addition to preparing plenty of food and money for the three of them, she also specially prepared a few barrels of gasoline and several large bags of potatoes and sweet potatoes for them.
From the system’s warehouse, she took out a powerful electric baton for each of them and told them to keep it safe. This kind of electric baton was one that could knock a person unconscious with a single strike when in danger.
The next morning, the whole family woke up early. Breakfast was made by the mother-in-law and Cui Mama. After the four of them finished breakfast, they prepared to leave. Xu Mingxuan bid farewell to his mother-in-law and Cui Mama who were seeing them off, as well as the children and Uncle Fu and Uncle De. The seven children in the family had red eyes, and Jia He hugged Xu Mingxuan’s waist and cried loudly. Xu Mingxuan also reluctantly patted each of the children’s heads and gently said while patting Jia He’s back, “Jia He, be good! Stop crying, we are little men, aren’t we? Dad promises you, as soon as I have a holiday, I’ll come back to see you and your brothers and sisters, okay?”
Jia He was still crying and refused to let go, instead hugging Xu Mingxuan’s waist even tighter.
Seeing that this was delaying things and they might not reach Changchun before dark, Chen Lan began to persuade him, “Jia He, be good! Listen to mommy and let go quickly. If we delay any longer, your dad will miss the train back to the army. If he doesn’t return to the army on time, he’ll be late and get criticized. Jia He, do you want your dad to be criticized for being late?”
Jia He released his little hands while crying and sobbed, “Dad, you must come back as soon as you have a holiday! I don’t want to look at pictures of Dad, I want to see the real Dad. Mommy! Mommy, don’t secretly follow Dad.”
Chen Lan raised her hand and promised, “Mommy isn’t going. Mommy will stay in the mountain valley with you and your brothers and sisters as you grow up. Mommy is just going to see your dad off and will be back soon.”
Xu Mingxuan’s eyes were a little red. He reached out and touched Jia He’s head. Looking at the children in the family, he said in a low voice, “Dad remembers everything. Dad will come home to see you as soon as he has a holiday. You must also listen to mommy, listen to grandma and grandma, take care of mommy, and don’t be naughty, okay?”
Seeing the children nod with tears in their eyes, Xu Mingxuan no longer delayed. He waved to everyone and turned to leave immediately, without any hesitation, for fear that he wouldn’t want to leave if he stopped.
After seeing Xu Mingxuan off, the house suddenly became quiet. It took the children several days to return to normal after being sad. There was no way, life had to go on as usual.
Unexpectedly, within two days, on the afternoon of the fifth day, Xi Xiang and Xiang Dong brothers returned to the mountain valley dusty and tired. Chen Lan was a little surprised and puzzled, so she asked, “Xiang Dong Ge, Little Watermelon, why did you two come back so quickly? Didn’t you two say you were going to stroll around Changchun for a while?”
Xi Xiang said with great disappointment, “Little Lanner, what’s there to stroll around? Don’t mention it. We said we were going to Changchun to see the New Year, but what New Year? There’s no food to eat! You haven’t seen the miserable state outside! There’s famine everywhere, and there’s no grain for sale in the Changchun city. Adults and children are all skin and bones from hunger, and many people are swollen. It’s a good thing you prepared so many bags of potatoes and sweet potatoes for us, which allowed us to help a few families. Little Lanner, you’re pregnant, let’s not talk about this anymore, it makes people feel sad.”
Chen Lan could only sigh helplessly after hearing this. She was just a tiny ordinary person and couldn’t save everyone, she could only help one by one.
So she changed the subject and said, “Little Watermelon, my body is not convenient to climb mountains back and forth now, and my body can’t handle it. Let’s park the car at the foot of that mountain. That place is relatively hidden, and no one should go there usually. When you have something to do and need to go out, it will be more convenient to use the car.”
Xi Xiang nodded and said nothing more. He and his brother Chen Xiang Dong went to the kitchen to find something to eat, and after eating, they returned to their own homes next door.
After the New Year, the mother-in-law invited the children’s teacher, Doctor Guo, to come to the house to take Chen Lan’s pulse. Doctor Guo first asked Jia Yao, Wen Kai, and Wen Qi to each take Chen Lan’s pulse and then have them describe the pulse.
Chen Lan extended her hand flat, placing it naturally on the pulse pillow on the table, her wrist straight, her palm facing up, letting her two younger brothers and her son Jia Yao take her pulse respectively. After the three of them examined her pulse, Wen Kai said, “The pulse feels like beads rolling on a plate, it’s a slippery pulse, no doubt.”
After taking her pulse, Wen Qi said the pulse was: “It feels like beads flowing on a plate, it’s a slippery pulse, no doubt.”
After Jia Yao took her pulse, he said the pulse was: “The pulse is very smooth, fast, and not stagnant, the pulse is circular and strong, it’s a slippery pulse.”
Chen Lan couldn’t help but find it amusing. Her belly was already so big, of course it should be a slippery pulse. What silly children.