The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 140 - 139: Departure

When they returned at noon, they began packing for Beijing City. He Lang had already gone to the train station to ask. There was a train to Beijing City tomorrow at a little after four in the afternoon, and they could just buy tickets when they arrived at the station.

In fact, Xue Yue had already been packing intermittently over the past few days. Since they also had the children to look after, they didn’t plan on bringing much; they could just buy what they needed once they found a place to live. He Lang had moved the television over to his parents’ house.

"We don’t watch it, so you can just leave it at your house. I’ll go over often to help you clean."

He Lang patted the television. "I brought the TV over for you. You and Dad can watch it. This thing would be a pain to take to Beijing City, and besides, it needs to be turned on from time to time. It’ll break if it’s left off for too long."

As soon as Mrs. He heard it would break if it wasn’t used, she stopped refusing. She took a hundred yuan out of a cabinet.

He Lang refused.

Mrs. He shoved it into his hand. "Take this money to spend in Beijing City. Things are expensive there, and it’s all your mother has to give. When you get there, don’t just stay home watching the kids. A man needs to have a job and earn money. Otherwise, your wife will be a university student, and you? You won’t even have a job. How would that look? And Daya—don’t be afraid to make her work. You need to keep an eye on that girl Ziqing, too. Sigh... I’m just so worried about you all. And with two little children... I’ve already told Daya that when you two aren’t home, she should do her best to keep them from going out alone. Beijing City is huge. What would happen if they ran into a kidnapper?"

For once, He Lang didn’t find his mother’s nagging annoying and listened intently.

"Mom, I understand. You and Dad take care of yourselves here. We’ll be back when my wife is on break from school. If you really miss us, you can take the train to visit. Traveling by train is very convenient these days."

Mrs. He nodded. "We’ll see."

Mr. He told him, "Go check it out first. If you really can’t get used to life in Beijing City, just bring the children back home. You’ll never go hungry here."

He Lang chuckled. "I know, Dad. We won’t go hungry in Beijing City, either."

"Even better."

As for his own bicycle, He Lang didn’t plan on selling it; it would be convenient to have for getting around when they came back to visit. He did, however, intend to sell Xue Xingzhou’s secondhand one. He had initially thought of selling it to Wang Hai, but He Lang wanted to ask He Nan first.

That evening, He Lang waited for He Nan to get home from work, then wheeled the bicycle over.

He Nan was eager to buy it, but he was short on cash. He’d managed to save a little over the years, but with Ziqing heading to Beijing City, he’d been worried and had given most of his savings to her for the trip.

"My brother-in-law said you can have it for fifty if you want it."

He Nan waved his hand. "No, I can’t do that. This bicycle is still in great condition. Even for a secondhand one, it’s worth more than that."

He Lang sighed. "So, do you want it or not? Stop being so indecisive."

He Nan glanced at the bicycle. "I want it. But not for fifty. How about seventy? I’m still a little short. I’ll go borrow the rest from Mom and pay her back when I get my wages."

"Alright."

Then, Mr. He and Mrs. He came out as well.

"Xingzhou’s bike looks pretty new. Seventy really isn’t expensive, and your big brother can ride it to work," Mrs. He said, examining it closely.

He Nan handed the money to He Lang. "I have to work tomorrow, so I won’t be able to see you off. I already spoke with Ziqing and told her to go with you. Third Brother, I’ll have to trouble you to look after her."

He Lang gave a slight nod to show he understood.

The next morning, Yang Xiaoxia came over, holding her second child. Yang Xiaoxia had gotten into a technical school in the provincial capital, which wasn’t too far from home. Besides, her classes started later than Xue Yue’s.

"I heard you’re taking the afternoon train. Are you bringing a lot with you?"

Xue Yue tickled the child in her arms. "It’s manageable. What about you? If you go off to school by yourself, what will Zhen Dong and your child do?"

Yang Xiaoxia pursed her lips. "I’ll just have to go by myself for now. If Zhen Dong brought our child and came with me, finding food and a place to live in the provincial capital would be a huge problem. Once we have more money, maybe we can find a job for him there. But right now, we just can’t manage it. It’s not like with your He Lang—he was so decisive, giving his job to He Nan and going with you and the kids. You guys really have the means."

Money can’t solve every problem, but a lack of it certainly puts a lot of things out of reach.

After lunch, they got ready to leave. With such a large group, it was best to head out early. He Lang took their house key over to the old family home. Then, everyone from the home, except for Gao Cuiyun, came out to see them off. Ziqing was also there, laden with bags.

"Ruanruan, Shiyi, you two can’t run around on the train. You have to listen to the grown-ups. There might be bad people on board, understand?" Mrs. He said, holding the two children as she gave her instructions.

Ruanruan nodded. "I know, Grandma. You and Grandpa have to eat well at home, okay? Ruanruan will miss you. Daddy says we’ll come back to see you when we have time."

Mrs. He’s heart melted. She kissed Ruanruan. "Oh, Grandma’s little sweetheart... Grandma will miss you all, too."

The other children watched them with red-rimmed eyes, especially Xiao Nian, who hugged He Ziqing tightly. "Big Sister, you have to come back soon."

He Ziqing smiled and said, "You’ve said that at least twenty times already. I know, I know. I’ll be back as soon as I’m on break, and I’ll bring you some delicious treats from Beijing City."

"Okay, okay! You have to remember!"

He Lang looked at his three nephews. He walked over and patted Little Chen’s shoulder. "You’re the man of the house now. Take good care of your mother and your younger brothers. If you run into any trouble you can’t handle, write me a letter."

Little Chen nodded. "I know, Third Uncle. Travel safely."

Xiao Yang and Ziming also called out, "Third Uncle."

He Lang looked at them. "Listen to your mother and your big brother."

"We know, Third Uncle."

Seeing the ox-cart approach, Mr. He said, "Alright, it’s time to go."

As the group slowly made their way into the distance, the family they left behind continued to wave.

Mrs. He wiped away her tears and mumbled, "Just like that, they’re all gone... It’ll be months before we see them again. It really makes my heart ache."

Mr. He glanced at her. "The children are grown. They have to go out and make their own way in the world eventually."

The ox-cart took them all the way to the train station. While He Lang went to buy the tickets, Xue Xingzhou first made a phone call to Zheng Guofeng, then headed to the Zhang family’s home to pick up Zhang Qian.

The five adults bought five sleeper car tickets. Four of the berths were in one car, while the fifth was in the adjacent car. Daya bought a half-price ticket, and the two youngest children were free.

They had arrived early, so the train wasn’t there yet. Before long, Xue Xingzhou returned with Zhang Qian, who was also laden with bags.

As they boarded the train, Xue Xingzhou reminded everyone to hold on tight to each other so they wouldn’t get separated in the crowd.

He Lang carried Shiyi in one arm and a bag in the other. Xue Yue held tightly to Ruanruan’s hand, also carrying a bundle. A large duffel bag was slung over Xue Xingzhou’s shoulder, and he had Daya hold fast to the hem of his shirt and not let go. Ziqing, carrying her own things, stuck close to them, while Zhang Qian brought up the rear.