I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 232 Sweet Little Actions

Chapter 232: Chapter 232 Sweet Little Actions

Qiao Qingyu finished packing and called He Xiuyu to tell him she would be home in three days. He Xiuyu’s voice carried a lightness and unmistakable joy, "I’ll try to make time and have Rongrong and I pick you up at the station."

Qiao Qingyu wanted to say that he was too busy to trouble himself, but then thought that refusing his offer wouldn’t be very sensible.

So, she nodded and responded, "Sure, I’ll wait for you guys at the station."

He Xiuyu hummed softly, instructing her to be careful on the road and not to bring too much stuff. He reminded her to carry her introductory letter to switch trains and approach the stationmaster to buy a sleeper ticket...

"Alright, I know all this. You go on with your work; I need to finish packing."

Though Qiao Qingyu sounded slightly impatient, a smile adorned her face.

She decisively hung up the call.

On the other end, He Xiuyu held the receiver for a moment before finally placing it back on the phone.

He cheerfully whistled, determined to take time out to join Rongrong at the station to pick up Qiao Qingyu in three days.

Right, it had been several days since he’d been home. He should tidy up the house tonight.

With him not being around recently, their neighbor Granny Zhao might have hopped the fence to steal vegetables again.

It was really headache-inducing.

Granny Zhao wouldn’t dare when Qiao Qingyu was home, but with her away, Granny grew bolder.

He was angry but hesitated to confront her about the vegetables since Qiao Qingyu had worked hard on them, and he also worried about the old lady possibly falling.

Yet, he couldn’t possibly leave the gate open to let her wander in and out as she pleased.

For the first time in years, he mentioned this issue to Old Zhao, the foreman at his unit.

Initially embarrassed, seeing Old Zhao even more embarrassed made him feel better.

It was good to have someone to take charge.

After Qiao Qingyu boarded the train, He Xiuyu finally found time to quickly clean the house.

Wipe, wipe, wipe. Wash, wash, wash.

The northwest wind carried so much sand that a day without wiping meant a layer of dust—let alone more than a week without cleaning.

With joint efforts from him and Rongrong, the place turned spotlessly bright and clean.

According to the arrival time, he and Rongrong headed to the West River Station to pick up Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu was easy to spot amidst the teeming crowd; no matter how many people were there, he could recognize her at a glance.

The two of them exchanged smiles on the platform, their eyes curving with joy. As they exited the station, He Xiuyu stealthily reached out and held Qiao Qingyu’s hand.

Qiao Qingyu squeezed his fingers in return.

Their small, sweet gestures continued until they got on the car and settled down.

However, the jeep stopped halfway through the journey.

Qiao Qingyu looked in shock at the distant scene, aware that it hadn’t rained in Xichuan for over a month. The air was unusually dry, and the wind strong.

Everyone had predicted the dusty weather would come.

She had clung to a sliver of hope, but she knew that the so-called green belt was trivial compared to the entire belt of dust and wind.

Yet, she didn’t expect to encounter it halfway through.

In the vast wilderness, the wild wind howled, and from afar, the rolling yellow dust looked almost like a scene from a disaster movie.

With such low visibility, driving was impossible.

He Xiuyu had no choice but to stop the jeep at the roadside.

The three of them sat in the car, the sand hitting the glass with a clattering sound.

At that time, if you were outside, your nose, ears, and mouth would all be filled with sand.

Even if you were in a car, the dust was getting thicker and thicker.

Qiao Qingyu was holding Rongrong while He Xiuyu sat in the driver’s seat, his gaze heavily fixed on the Huang Sha outside that had already obscured the sun.

But he didn’t dare to leave the car now. The car was modified specifically for the sandstorm weather of the Northwest, and its four wheels were sufficiently thick to withstand such wind force.

Near the Tenghai Base, there would be several sandstorms every year, and every March and April, there would be sandstorms.

Qiao Qingyu frowned, "This place really isn’t suitable for living; we should find a suitable location for collective relocation."

"It’s easy to say, but too difficult to execute. It hasn’t been considered before, but the common folk refuse to leave," He Xiuyu quietly said, "Moreover, there currently isn’t a suitable relocation site."

Qiao Qingyu, having never experienced it and mostly learned about it online, asked He Xiuyu what it was like after the sandstorm ended?

"I hope the Barley Grassland won’t be entirely buried."

Qiao Qingyu’s brow furrowed tightly; barley grass, willow wood, and sea buckthorn could all alter the soil, yet they couldn’t refuse the damage brought by a sandstorm, these external forces were unstoppable by anyone.

"The land in North City is really good," Qiao Qingyu sighed.

"That’s why during those years of famine, the lives of North City people were really not bad. The people from other provinces most envied North City because they could eat their fill there," He Xiuyu said.

Qiao Qingyu knew that decades later, people from North City also left their hometowns one after another for more prosperous cities.

With better living conditions, they pursued an even higher standard of living.

Qiao Qingyu’s expression was somewhat heavy; she had done so much and once had great ambitions to turn this place into a scenic green and blue landscape.

But now it seemed, it really was extremely difficult.

She finally understood that preventing wind and sand damage wasn’t a task that could be completed in just a year or two.

The wind and sand had lessened somewhat, and He Xiuyu started the car and slowly drove forward.

However, when approaching the residential area of the base, there was much less wind and sand, but the visibility was low, and everything around was gray and hazy. Qiao Qingyu used a scarf to cover Rongrong’s nose and mouth, holding her as they entered the house.

Only after closing the door did they breathe a sigh of relief.

He Xiuyu didn’t have time to talk to Qiao Qingyu. He drove the jeep in a hurry to the base.

The base was okay, aside from an outdoor testing ground, other places weren’t affected by the sandstorm.

As soon as the wind and sand lessened a little, Old Xie rushed toward the cabbage patch.

Fortunately, it was almost time for the autumn harvest.

The cabbages could be cut in half a month.

This wretched weather made going outside too uncomfortable, Old Xie spat out several mouthfuls of sand.

Then he covered his head with the colorful scarf given by his wife.

He wasn’t the only one, many people walking back and forth wore similar gear.

Rongrong pouted as she stood on a stool, "Little aunt, yesterday my uncle and I cleaned all night, it was so clean, it’s a pity, it was all for nothing. If I had known, I wouldn’t have tired myself out."

This little adult.

Qiao Qingyu asked with a smile, "Have you not gone home these days?"

"No, my uncle took me to stay in the dormitory," He Xuerong grabbed Qiao Qingyu’s hand and whispered, "Two aunties pretended to bring me snacks, but they actually came for my uncle."

Qiao Qingyu was standing in front of the window, fretting over the sandstorm outside, when she heard He Xuerong’s words, she turned her head in disbelief, "He Xuerong, are you the one talking?"

"Of course it’s me talking, isn’t it just me, the little cutie here?"

He Xuerong smiled sweetly and coquettishly.

"But how could you tell those two aunties were after your uncle?" Qiao Qingyu was astounded as she asked He Xuerong.