Chapter 209: 202 The Frog in the Well
Chapter 209: Chapter 202 The Frog in the Well
“Don’t worry,” Tang Zhinian patted his daughter’s shoulder, “Dad will live a long time. When our Yuxin has white hair, I’ll still be giving her new year’s money.”
The person Tang Zhinian worried about the most was his daughter. He was afraid she would be bullied. Up to now, he did not trust anyone completely, not even Sang Zhilan, the child’s biological mother. But, what did she do? So, his daughter is still young, she still needs her father. He obviously can’t die now. He has to work harder on the land, earn more money and send his daughter to the best college. Even though he can’t give his daughter a mother, he still strives to make her life no worse than other children.
On the train, Tang Zhinian and Chen’s dad had already found their seats.
The trains were still painted green. This was Chen’s dad first train ride, so it was quite novel for him. However, when the train started, he felt like crying.
The seats were very uncomfortable, and he still had to sit for over thirty hours to reach that place in the south.
Tang Zhinian took out the biscuits and broke off a piece for Chen’s dad.
“You’re thoughtful. I didn’t think to bring anything for the journey, I thought of everything but forgot the most important thing,” mainly because this was his first time traveling, so he was a bit too nervous.
He brought everything except food.
“This biscuit is really delicious,” Chen’s dad took a bite, indeed it was tasty, and quite filling as well.
“It was made by my Yuxin,” Tang Zhinian ate the biscuits his daughter made, feeling very happy.
Look, she’s as warm as a small cotton jacket.
The biscuits were delicious, but Chen’s dad felt sour as he ate them.
“Indeed, your Yuxin is very good, academically excellent, well behaved, and even brought you food. That naughty boy of mine, he was still sleeping when I left the house, really…”
“If I had the chance, I would really want a daughter.”
Tang Zhinian just smiled, “Children of one’s own are loved by one’s own. Besides, your Lidong is a good child. Compared to those mischievous kids, he’s much more obedient and his studies are steadily improving. Surely, he will be a college student in the future. My Yuxin has said that amongst all of them, your Lidong has the best brain. Even she can’t beat him. If it wasn’t for his incorrect study methods, he might have been at the top of the class by now.”
Even though these words may seem exaggerated, vouching for one’s own children is always appreciated. Upon hearing this, Chen’s dad was delighted, though he tried to keep a straight face.
“It’d be weird if he’s that good. Just causing me less trouble would be enough.”
Although he was complaining with these words, one could see he was all smiles.
Everyone loves their own child. Even the worst of them are good in their parents’ eyes. And for these children, parents will do anything without complaints.
The train took them far away from Qing’an. The journey didn’t offer much in terms of scenery, but the two of them found it quite interesting. This was Chen’s dad’s first long-distance trip but Tang Zhinian had lived out of home for a while. However, it had been over twenty years since he last went out, so he hadn’t seen the outside world for quite a while. His impression from this trip was vastly different to what it had been. This continuous backward-moving scenery made him feel very much like a frog at the bottom of a well.
The world outside is so big, so beautiful. He really should go out more often. The grand scenery of the country is all here, yet all he ever looked at was his own small plot of land. He never realized how big the world outside was and had been deceiving himself with the notion that his world was the size of Li Tang Village.
The train kept going forward. Both of them had brought cups and they would drink the train’s water when they were thirsty, and eat the food Tang Zhinian brought when they were hungry. Yuxin had prepared double the portion for him, fearing that he might get hungry.
And she had prepared just right; without these foods, they might have starved. The train was overloaded with people and there was not enough food to go around, and even the boxed meals in the train were cold.
When they were hungry, they would eat boiled eggs. The eggs were boiled in tea water with various spices added, hence the name, Five Spice Tea Eggs. After eating one, they wanted a second. There was none of the usual greasiness after eating boiled eggs.
They could eat many more.
The two of them continued their journey on the train, eating, drinking, and sleeping while occasionally admiring the scenery which wasn’t very pleasing. However, all these were precious experiences to them.
By this time, it should still be the rainy season in the south.
Chen Lidong was bored at the table, keeping his book at a distance.
“Tang Yuxin, when do you think my dad and your dad will come back?”
“When it’s time, they’ll naturally come back.”
Yuxin was also worried, but she thought there should be no problems.
“Then when will it be?” Chen Lidong was now having trouble sleeping and eating. His dad had never left home before and now he’s been gone for five days; he was not used to it.
“Soon, I guess,” Tang Yuxin calculated the time, “at least ten days to half a month, at most a month. They will be back. After all, it’s their first time going to the south and it takes time.”
Chen Lidong sighed and then sat up, looking through his book. A moment later he noticed Sisi peeking through the door.
“Sisi, come on, big brother will take you to play.”
Chen Lidong could certainly act crazy sometimes. He seemed normal on normal days, but as soon as he saw Sisi he would become silly.
He held Sisi’s little hand. His mom had to work overtime, his dad went to the south with Uncle Tang, and he was left alone with nothing to eat or sleep. So he came over to freeload and brought Sisi along.
Tang Yuxin rubbed her temples, really feeling like the troubles of adolescence were a bit too taxing.
A calendar hung on the wall beside her, already flipped to five days later. She wondered how her dad was doing now?
The next day, just as Tang Yuxin got home, she heard from her uncle that her dad had called. He said that they had already arrived in the south, their luck was good, and they had met a townsman who could help them with their business. They would be back in at most seven days.
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