The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 191: Niu Lili’s Inner Thoughts (Monthly Ticket 1200+) _1

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Niu Lili’s Inner Thoughts (Monthly Ticket 1200+) _1

The day of departure finally arrived.

Wei Zhekun purchased three train tickets for the 18th day of the first lunar month, all sleeper berths, including two bottom bunks.

At the same time, He Jingyu sent a telegram to Secretary Qi, informing him of the date so that he could go to meet them.

After Niu Dajun received the telegram, he went to inform Village Chief Qi.

He Jingyu and Wang Shuping bought platform tickets and personally carried the seven large parcels onto the train, placing them on the luggage rack. He Jingyu also asked a train attendant on the same train to help retrieve them upon arrival.

The train attendant was eager to help, seeing that He Tiantian, a young girl, had to take care of two elderly people and also had so many parcels. He immediately agreed to assist when He Tiantian was getting off the train.

"Moreover... moreover..." The increasingly urgent sound of the train starting reverberated throughout the entire station. Amidst the steam, the train carriage finally began to slowly move out of the station.

He Tiantian leaned out and waved continuously, bidding farewell to her mother.

In truth, He Tiantian wanted to cry, but she knew well that if she shed a single tear, her mother would shed ten. So she held back her tears and kept smiling while saying goodbye to her parents. It was only when the train left the station and her parents’ figures shrank until they were out of sight that He Tiantian retracted her hand and closed the window.

At that moment, He Tiantian could no longer hold back and tears started to drop.

Third Grandma Qi and Old Man Qi did not speak, letting He Tiantian vent for a while. For such a young child, leaving her parents was indeed a sad thing.

Especially Third Grandma Qi, when she saw He Tiantian’s tears, she thought of her own son, who had kept looking back when he left to pursue his studies, reluctant to leave.

About half an hour later, He Tiantian dried her tears, feeling a bit embarrassed. She was an adult now and yet still crying.

"Grandma, Grandpa, I’m a bit thirsty. I’ll go get some hot water. Do you want some?" He Tiantian asked, taking a towel from her bag to wipe her face. Otherwise, her red eyes would look terrible.

"Sure, take the kettle and fill it with more hot water," Third Grandma Qi said, without mentioning a word about He Tiantian crying. She was a grown-up now, with her pride. One shouldn’t tease, especially at times like these.

He Tiantian took a towel and a military canteen to the hot water station, filled it up, dabbed her towel with some cold water to soothe her eyes, applied some skin cream to her face, and returned only after tidying herself up.

After drinking some water and serving some to Third Grandma Qi and Grandpa Qi, He Tiantian climbed to the upper bunk to sleep.

Third Grandma Qi and Old Man Qi also closed their eyes to rest.

He Tiantian didn’t know how long she had slept when she was awakened by the noisy vendors selling soup and food.

If she were alone, He Tiantian could wait until the afternoon to eat, but not the two elderly. He Tiantian got down and got three servings of soup. Eating the salty pork cakes prepared by her mother, Wang Shuping, solved the problem of lunch.

The journey had been smooth thus far, with no delays.

Upon reaching Taoyuan County, the train attendant indeed came over to help with the luggage, saving He Tiantian a lot of effort. Otherwise, she would have had to run back and forth twice.

Outside the train, Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou eagerly hurried over when they spotted He Tiantian.

"Thank you, comrade. Our family has come to pick us up," He Tiantian said after seeing Village Chief Qi and Qi Ergou. She stood up high to wave, while thanking the train attendant.

The conductor, seeing this, said, "Alright, it’s good someone is here to pick you up." Having said that, he returned to the train.

"Second Uncle, Third Aunt, you both look well. It seems Girl Tian has taken good care of you!" Village Chief Qi laughed heartily while speaking and helped Qi Ergou tie packages onto himself.

Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou, each with three packages, and He Tiantian carried one.

"Yes, we had a good time in Nan City. If it wasn’t for thinking about our relatives back in Qijia Village, I wouldn’t have wanted to come

back," Old Man Qi laughed.

Third Grandma Qi pouted and said, "Stop talking nonsense. I don’t know who was the one always saying they missed home."

"Home is still the best place to be," smiled Secretary Qi. Turning to He Tiantian beside him, he added, "Girl Tian, don’t take it to heart, we don’t mean to say your family isn’t good!"

"Haha," laughed He Tiantian, not minding at all, "You’re right, there’s no place like home!"

"It’s so cold, let’s hurry along," urged Qi Ergou. "Let’s grab a bite to eat and head off right away, aiming to get home early."

"Alright!" Village Chief Qi led the way, and the group of five went outside and loaded their belongings onto the ox cart.

Village Chief Qi, familiar with the route, took the group to where Niu Lili worked.

This time, He Tiantian brought Niu Lili two saltwater ducks, one of which was for Niu Dajun.

Niu Lili accepted them without hesitation and even gave He Tiantian two pretty hair ties to tie her hair, whispering, "Give this one to Xiao Yan."

"Okay," He Tiantian received them, pocketing it. When she looked at Niu Lili again, she found Niu Lili blushing, not her usual straightforward self. "Sister Lili, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Niu Lili, realizing that He Tiantian could see something was on her mind, hesitated for a moment before mustering up the courage to ask, "Does Qi Xiaoyan have a brother named Qi Rongjun?"

"Yes!" He Tiantian blinked, surprised by the sudden question. Why was Sister Lili asking about Qi Rongjun?

"Does Qi Rongjun have a partner?" Niu Lili asked, her face flushing even more. Despite Niu Lili’s usually straightforward manner, she still felt embarrassed asking about a man’s personal life.

He Tiantian was taken aback again, then quickly caught on. Could it be...could it be that Niu Lili has taken a liking to Qi Rongjun?

"I went back to Nan City for the New Year, so I don’t know if Qi Rongjun has a partner. But before the New Year, while chatting with Xiao Yan, I heard that Aunt Liang was saving money to matchmake for Qi Rongjun, so I guess he probably doesn’t have one," He Tiantian replied, eyeing Niu Lili’s expressions like a nosy parker.

Indeed, upon hearing that Qi Rongjun was not in a relationship, Niu Lili visibly relaxed.

But then He Tiantian added, "Aunt Liang said she’s already secretly inquired about a few girls and is just waiting for Xiao Yan’s brother to come back and formally meet them."

Upon hearing this, Niu Lili’s cheeks changed hue, and she grabbed He Tiantian’s hand, asking eagerly, "Who has he met? What do they look like? Has Xiao Yan’s brother agreed to it?"

"Ouch, that hurts," He Tiantian winced. "Sister Lili, why do you want to know this?"

Realizing her behavior, Niu Lili decided to stop beating around the bush. Now at this point, she candidly said, "On the tenth night of the first lunar month, as I was walking home from work, I ran into some thugs. A kind-hearted man saved me, brought those thugs to the police station, and then escorted me home. Only later did I find out he was Qi Rongjun, Qi Xiaoyan’s older brother. He’s handsome and did a brave deed; I...I took a liking to him."

This time, Niu Lili regained her frankness. If she liked someone, she liked them, and now that she needed He Tiantian’s help, there was no use in not being straightforward if she wanted to pursue her happiness!