What's more, the K-series train was a bit bumpy even in the soft sleeper class. Xia Yuan, who couldn't sleep, squeezed on Mei Fang and Lin Youxi in the middle of the night before he could barely get a rest.
When the train whistled and arrived at the station, the sleepy crowd arrived at the Shenlongjia station, the westernmost station in Chubei Province. Everyone urged each other to take care of the luggage before getting off the train.
"Huh..." Xia Yuan rubbed her eyes and leaned on Mei Fang's shoulder, looking like she was still asleep. Mei Fang gently patted Xia Yuan's head. Xiang Bingbing put down her luggage and turned around to introduce everyone:
"Welcome to Shenlongjia! This is our only train station! It's very small, right?"
"Yes... it's quite small..."
“Although the train station is small, the forest area is huge. Look over there!”
Looking in the direction Bingbing pointed, there was an endless stretch of emerald green mountains in the distance, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was just getting light now, and the orange-red skyline gave people a sense of the expansion of life.
"Huh... The air here is really good. I feel refreshed."
Guo Yun stood up and did a few stretches. It was her first time to travel with friends of the same age, so she was looking forward to the trip. Liu Xiaoyu beside her also took out her phone and took photos non-stop. At this time, Mei Fang asked, "How long does it take to get to Bingbing's house from here?"
"Well... it's very close. You can take a bus from the city and arrive in about 3 hours."
"I still have to sit for another three hours!"
The spoiled Xia Yuan obviously couldn't accept such a bumpy ride, but she didn't want to show her weakness directly, so she pulled Lin Youxi beside her as a shield and said, "Youxi is prone to motion sickness, why don't we rest here for a while before going over?"
"W-Want to take a break?"
Xiang Bingbing muttered, "I have greeted my family and prepared a sumptuous lunch, waiting to entertain everyone. It will be bad if we are late... Youxi, can you hold on for a while?"
"I'm fine. I'm more familiar with riding in a car now, and I don't get dizzy as easily as before."
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "You can go directly there now."
Yes, yes! You traitor!
Xia Yuan hesitated and didn't know what to say, so he quickly turned his gaze to Mei Fang beside him.
Seeing his wife in distress, Mei Fang was naturally happy to serve her. "Let's go to the hotel and get a room for an hour to take a shower. It's not appropriate to go there with unkempt hair and dirty faces. Also, we have to buy some things on the way. After all, it's a visit... It's not appropriate to go empty-handed."
"Yeah... I forgot to buy the things I said I would buy."
Guo Yun and Liu Xiaoyu nodded, and Liu Xiaoyu said gently, "Then let's stay here for a while. Bingbing, what do uncle and aunt like?"
"You don't need to bring anything special, just buy some milk, fruit or something, our family is very easy-going, we don't care about this!"
Xiang Bingbing patted her chest proudly and was about to say something when her stomach suddenly started to growl.
"Hehe... I can't hold on any longer. I'm so hungry... Let's go have breakfast near the station. I know where there's some good food!"
"Let's find a hotel first! Let's take a rest in the hotel."
Normally, Xiang Bingbing would always stay at a familiar hotel, but now that she is working with Boss Mei, everyone has the opportunity to improve their treatment.
Xiang Bingbing did not make money with Mei Fang, so she was naturally short of money; and Mei Fang also saw Bingbing's embarrassment, and said early on that all travel expenses would be covered. This also avoided the problem of differences in consumption values when everyone went out to calculate.
Friends like this who go out to play together will have some conflicts due to different ideas, but these are all problems that can be solved with money. Mei Fang just hopes that his Yuanxi has fun, and money doesn't matter.
Mei Fang booked two hourly rooms at the most upscale hotel near Shenlongjia Station and cleaned up separately. Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi went in hand in hand to take a shower together. Before going in, Lin Youxi extended her hand to Mei Fang and invited him:
"Ah Fang, won't you come in with us?"
Mei Fang waved his hand and said, "No, no, to avoid a bad influence."
"Then there won't be any chance in the next few days..."
Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan went into the bathroom and handed their clothes to Mei Fang.
Lin Youxi smiled softly at Mei Fang: "While there is still time, you can use it while taking a shower."
"What the hell!"
Mei Fang patted Lin Youxi's head gently to teach her a lesson, and she giggled and went into the bathroom with Xia Yuan.
Xia Yuanlin and Youxi's clothes are now in Mei Fang's hands. He was just about to put them in the clothes basket beside him, but when he saw Youxi's silk stockings, he couldn't help but pick them up and sniff them. At this time, there was a knock on the door. Mei Fang was so scared that he quickly put the black silk stockings on the table and went to open the door.
“Here it comes!”
Mei Fang opened the door and Liu Xiaoyu came in.
"Are Yuanyuan and Youxi busy... They're already taking a shower, right?"
"Yeah, what?"
"I want to borrow a hair band or a small rubber band. Yunyun and Bingbing don't usually use them, but Yuanyuan and Youxi should have them."
"They do have... Why don't you ask them to borrow some? I'll step aside for a moment-"
Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi heard the noise in the bathroom. Xia Yuan pushed open the bathroom door and stuck her head out and said, "There's a hairband in my handbag. Go get it yourself? Or ask Ah Fang to give it to you."
"Mei Fang will take it."
Liu Xiaoyu looked at Mei Fang standing aside, looking a little shy and embarrassed. Mei Fang nodded, "Then I'll go get it..."
As he spoke, he took Xia Yuan's bag and was a little shocked when he opened it: "This bag looks so small, how can it hold so many things? It's really amazing..."
Liu Xiaoyu looked at the babe hanging on the table beside him, imagined some bad scenes, and replied incoherently: "Girls are like this..."
"Hmm... This is it, right? Found it, found it—"
Mei Fang was about to hand the hairband to Liu Xiaoyu when something fell out of Xia Yuan's bag.
Pop.
It’s the famous chewing gum box!
Mei Fang was quick to squat, pick up the box and put it in his pocket. Liu Xiaoyu also turned his head away and pretended not to see it. After Mei Fang finished cleaning up, he handed the hairband to Liu Xiaoyu.
"Thank you..."
Liu Xiaoyu took the hairband and trotted away.
Mei Fang sat by the bed, listening to the sound of water while eating. When Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi finished their baths and came out wearing the new clothes of the empress, she began to yell and order their childhood sweethearts around:
"Afang, help me get my clothes!"
"Mine is also troublesome, just pick the ones you like."
"Whatever you choose... I like it."
Mei Fang said as he found some clothes for Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan and handed them over, "Wipe yourselves clean, don't catch a cold."
"I know, I know! Please help me button my shirt first, my hands can't reach that far..."
"You usually do it yourself, you really like to act like a spoiled child."
While Mei Fang was tying the straps for Xia Yuan while complaining, he kissed Xia Yuan's shoulder hard.
"Eat you."
"Woooa ...
Xia Yuan shuddered and quickly rubbed the flesh on his shoulders, "You kissed me so hard that it's swollen here."
"It's not that exaggerated, and you have the nerve to call me a hooligan." Mei Fang frowned and said, "Why do you bring chewing gum when you go out to play?"
"Well, that's just in case! I'm afraid you'll get in the mood."
Lin Youxi smiled and shook her head after hearing this. She wiped her hair and complained to Xia Yuan, "I'm not as interested as you. Going to Shenlongjia will definitely require climbing mountains, wading through water, and feeding mosquitoes. How can I have the energy to be intimate?"
"That's true..."
"Besides, even if there is a real need, can't we just buy it here? It's not that easy to buy fakes, right?"
The six of them had a simple breakfast at the station. Xiang Bingbing recommended to everyone her favorite vermicelli and hand-rolled noodles with shredded pork. Although they were ordinary breakfasts, eating them in the mountains was indeed an experience.
After dinner, everyone went to the supermarket to buy gifts. Mei Fang heard that Xiang Bingbing had many brothers and sisters, so she specially bought some toys that children would like, which made Xiang Bingbing, who was usually more casual, feel embarrassed.
"It's really a waste of money... it's really—"
Xia Yuan comforted Xiang Bingbing, "It's okay. It's rare for you to go home. It will be hard for you to come back when you go to college. It's also a good thing to leave a memory for your brothers and sisters."
"Yeah... I understand."
Xiang Bingbing nodded, "But this is considered as a loan from me. I will return it to you later."
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "If you want to pay it back, you can come to our company and work for free during the summer vacation as a summer intern."
"Does it include food and lodging? If it does, I don't have to pay!"
"Food and lodging are provided."
Lin Youxi's devilish smile made Mei Fang and Xia Yuan couldn't help but roll their eyes at her.
Youxi really wants to hang a street lamp, just to trick idiots!
"Kids! Your boss is back!"
Xiang Bingbing, who had returned with a full load, had just gotten off the car at the village entrance when she saw a group of little loli and shota surrounding her in a circle.
"Sister Bingbing!"
"Sister Bingbing, I want a hug!"
"Sister Bingbing brought a lot of delicious and fun things!"
“This is a remote-controlled racing car, right?”
"Play with me, let me do it! I will!"
"You guys, stop being disrespectful! Say hello to my sister's friends first!"
The older sister who looked like a junior high school student and the younger sister quickly greeted Mei Fang and the others. The two 10-year-old boys who had been fighting for the remote control could no longer bear it and gave Bingbing two slaps. The two little brats immediately became obedient and lowered their heads to agree:
"Hello handsome brother, hello beautiful sisters!"
Xiang Bingbing introduced her family members to Mei Fang: the second sister Xiang Taotao, the third and fourth twin brothers Xiang Yanyan and Xiang Jiangjiang, and the last youngest sister is Xiang Guoguo. Mei Fang and his group found it very interesting.
"Bingbing, your family's names sound so cute, hahaha."
"But they all look so small, not as tall as you."
Xiang Bingbing held her youngest sister Xiang Guoguo in one hand and said with a smile, "Indeed... that's the case for now, but they haven't started to grow yet. As long as they drink milk well, they will be as tall as their sister."
"We don't want to be as tall as our sister. We can't even stretch our legs straight when we sleep in bed at night, and we always get bumped by doors when we walk. Hahahaha—"
The twin brothers Xiang Yanyan and Xiang Jiangjiang were obviously born naughty kids. Xiang Bingbing was so angry that she spanked them hard again. Mei Fang couldn't help but praise the two brothers' ability to withstand blows.
Xiang Bingbing was happily hugging her little sister when she suddenly felt something in her sister's pocket tickle her. She quickly asked her sister, "Guoguo, what's in your pocket? Can I take a look?"
"It's candy, wedding candy."
As Xiang Guoguo spoke, he handed the small bag of wedding candy in his pocket to Xiang Bingbing, who seemed very surprised:
"Is anyone around here getting married? How come I don't know..."
The second daughter, Xiang Taotao, who is now in the first grade of junior high school, is sensible. When her sister asked, she answered hesitantly, "Yes, it's the wedding candy for sister Rourou's engagement."
"Rou Rou?"
Xiang Bingbing was quite surprised after hearing this, "You mean Xiao Ran? Didn't she take the college entrance examination with us this year? How come she got married right away?"
"She dropped out of school at the beginning of the year... and then... Well, I can't really explain it. Sister, why don't you ask my parents?"
"I have to go... ah, wait wait, I have to take you to my house first."
"How do you say it, Bingbing..."
Mei Fang was surprised and asked, "Is this Xiao Ran your good friend?"
Guo Yun also interrupted, "Is it... the childhood sweetheart you mentioned before?"
Xiang Bingbing nodded, with a puzzled look on her face, "Xiao Ran is my childhood friend. We grew up together in the same grade. She is only about 1819 years old this year. How come she got married right away?"
Influenced by the preference for boys over girls in many places, it is quite common for rural girls who are not good at studying to get married directly in this era. Although Mei Fang was not surprised, he was Bingbing's good friend after all, so he persuaded Bingbing first, "It sounds like it's just an engagement now. Go back and ask your parents about the situation first."
Lin Youxi also said, "It is illegal to get married before the age of 20 in our country. After all, we are only engaged now, so there should be some chance to make amends. Let's first find out the specific situation and then make plans for the next step."
So Xiang Bingbing returned home with her friends and brothers and sisters with a nervous mood. After this incident, Xiang Bingbing's mother saw her daughter bringing her friends back and entertained everyone warmly.
"Hello, auntie!"
"Hey... Hey... Hello!"
"These are some gifts we brought for you. Please accept them."
"Oh, you guys just came, but you brought so many things... It's really too polite..."
Aunt Xiang looks like an ordinary housewife. She is not tall, but she looks very kind.
"Is Uncle Xiang not at home?"
"He is a forest ranger and cannot leave the forest at will... You can go to the forest area to play tomorrow and let Bingbing take you there."
Xiang Bingbing on the side was definitely not in the mood to take everyone out to play. After everyone finished greeting each other, Xiang Bingbing couldn't wait to get up to her mother and ask her about Ran Rou.
"Mom, what happened to Xiao Ran? Why did she get married this year and no one told me!"
"Hey... it's all because of their family's problems... I didn't tell you because I was worried that it would affect your mood for the college entrance examination."
"Why did Xiao Ran drop out of school? Was it her father who forced her to do so?"
"That's partly why she did that, but she also felt that her grades weren't good enough and she couldn't keep up with the progress. She also had her own reasons for dropping out of school... It's hard for us outsiders to explain it clearly."
"I'm not Xiao Ran's outsider. I have to ask her about the situation. Um... I'll go now."
"Hey, your friend is coming, you should eat first... Your friend finally came, why don't you treat him... Let's eat right away."
"It's okay, Auntie."
Mei Fang responded, "We just had breakfast this morning, so we can wait a while. Xiao Ran is Bing Bing's best friend, right? It's better to let her find out the situation first, otherwise she will definitely not be in the mood to eat."
Xia Yuan patted the anxious Xiang Bingbing and said, "Bingbing, do you want us to go with you?"
Xiang Bingbing calmed down a little when Xia Yuan called her. "Um... No need, I'll go ask and come back... Sorry, you guys can eat first."
"Let's wait for you first. If you are not full by then, we will be guilty of a great sin."
Mei Fang said softly, "We'll wait for you to come back before eating, and then we can help you think of a solution."
Damn it, how could I have written too much? Just consider it as me taking a day off yesterday.
Actually, my friend updated a chapter yesterday as the leader of the alliance, but no one paid much attention to it. It seems that it will be better for me to add the chapter myself in the future, so that I can earn more money and write more.
(End of this chapter)