Chapter 2305

Chapter 2305: Sons Are Grass

"Didn't you say we would drive back?" Zhu Yanyi asked. She remembered Yan Aohan had mentioned it.

"Considering the grandpas are traveling with us, I thought we’d take the express train back. I’ll have Pei Tiandu and Li Yang take turns driving the car back to Sicheng Town. When we return, we can drive ourselves," Yan Aohan explained.

Zhu Yanyi knew the car was a modified bus. It had private compartments and a small living room for meals. The compartments had bunk beds like soft sleeper trains, so several people could rest comfortably. The journey back wouldn’t be tiring. However, since Elder Zhan and others were joining them, driving was indeed inconvenient.

Understanding this, Zhu Yanyi didn’t mind. She let Yan Aohan handle the arrangements. She had no interest in managing too many details.

At that moment, the waiter served the cold dishes. Xie Xinlian checked the time and began preparing the milk porridge to feed the three children.

Little Monkey could eat regular food now. But since young children lacked patience, they usually fed him first. Taishu Yuanxiang had someone bring a bowl of rice and an egg custard. Zhu Yanli stirred the food and fed Little Monkey.

Little Cicada and Little Northwest still ate milk porridge. The rice powder they bought could be prepared with hot water. Xie Xinlian prepared two bowls, one for Little Cicada and one for Little Northwest. Their fathers took over feeding them.

Seeing Yan Aohan and Taishu Yuanxiang’s carefulness, Xie Xinlian smiled with satisfaction. "Taishu and Little Yan are good fathers."

Taishu Yuanxiang laughed. "Parents love their own children. It’s just feeding them more rice. You praise us for this? I heard from An’ni that when her siblings were young, their father fed them often too."

"A good man must succeed outside and care for his wife and children at home. That is the best standard for a good man," Zhu Shunyo said with a grin.

For Zhu Shunyo, the happiest thing in life was having a virtuous wife, filial children, and a successful career. He never imagined a peasant like him would enjoy such a leisurely and happy life.

Yan Aohan added, "I’ve known Father for a long time. I admire this trait most. He treats sons and daughters equally."

"No, Little Yan, you’re wrong," Zhu Shunyo grinned, correcting him. "For me, daughters are treasures, sons are grass."

"Good thing Doumiao isn’t here. Otherwise, she’d complain again about being adopted," Zhu Yanyi joked.

"Has that joke not ended?" Zhu Yanli teased. "I remember you started it on purpose."

"It’s a joke to tease her. How could it end?" Zhu Yanyi smiled.

Xie Xinlian looked at Zhu Yanyi. "You just bully your younger brother."

"In Mother’s heart, Doumiao is more important than us," Zhu Yanyi sighed.

"Yes, I favor boys over girls," Xie Xinlian laughed, revealing the truth.

"By the way, An’ni, Doumiao is busy with your project. Can’t he come back to Sicheng Town this year?" Zhu Yanli asked.

"My project, my lab, my funding. I decide the schedule. I told her to fly back to Yong City on Little New Year. Brother Luo will pick her up," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. "Also, after returning in the first lunar month, she and Nuan’nuan will officially get engaged. So when I host the banquet, I can announce their marriage to the clan. On Little New Year’s Eve, she will bring Nuan’nuan here. Nuan’nuan will spend New Year in Sicheng Town this year."

Zhu Yanyi shared the latest news with Zhu Yanli.

Zhu Yanli felt relieved. "We haven’t returned to Sicheng Town for years. I wonder how it is."

"Uncle Lei Yao said Sicheng Town is developing well. Thank You Village is also growing. Many fields have been taken for roads, new industrial parks, and real estate," Zhu Yanyi said.

She paused. "Father, we must check when we return. I worry someone sold the fertile land just for a few thousand yuan per mu compensation. That is not good."

Zhu Shunyo nodded. "We must check. If such things happen, we must stop them. We are farmers. Farmers survive on land. If we lose fertile land, we cut off our roots. That won’t do."

As an old farmer, Zhu Shunyo valued land highly. He would not allow anyone to harm the land.

"Uncle Lei Yao implied much fertile land was taken for industrial parks next year," Zhu Yanyi added.

"I was busy then and didn’t speak up. But Father, please pay attention. If it’s state land or private land, it’s fine. State land for homesteads is normal. Private land isn’t public property. But if it involves fertile farmland, that’s bad."

"Don’t you know how much state land Thank You Village has? If all the taken land is state land, that’s doubtful," Zhu Shunyo said.

Hot dishes began arriving. Taishu Yuanxiang said, "Father, Mother, let’s sit and eat while we talk. The food is here, and the children are asleep. We can eat in peace."

Indeed, the three children fell asleep after eating. Taishu Yuanxiang disassembled the sofa into a bed, placed the children on it, and had someone bring three blankets. With the air conditioning on, they wouldn’t catch a cold. They just needed to keep them warm on the way back.

After settling the children, everyone sat down to eat.

Yan Aohan picked a fish ball for Zhu Yanyi. "Your favorite fish ball."

Zhu Yanyi nodded and ate it.

"These fish balls are made carefully now. In the past, your mother and I made them ourselves before New Year. They weren’t this neat, but the taste was more authentic," Zhu Shunyo recalled their New Year celebrations in Thank You Village.

Zhu Yanyi laughed. "Actually, my favorite was when Father put rice cakes and sweet potatoes in the stove to roast. In winter, sitting by the warm stove, peeling the black skin off the roasted rice cakes or sweet potatoes, and eating them… it felt great. This time back, I must relive that dream."

"You can eat anything now. Why do you still miss roasted sweet potatoes and rice cakes?" Xie Xinlian asked with a smile.

"Not just An’ni misses them. I do too," Zhu Yanli smiled. "When we were young, we couldn’t eat them. We hadn’t been reunited with our grandparents yet. Every time I saw Fourth Grandpa and Fourth Grandma carrying food around, my mouth watered instantly."

Childhood memories weren’t always good, but they were an inseparable part of life.

Now, those bad memories were just the past. Besides, the Zhu Guifu family had ended up that way. Some died, some scattered. It was all in the past.

"Fine. When we return to Sicheng Town, I’ll roast sweet potatoes and rice cakes for you. Our big stove is still there," Zhu Shunyo said. The house in Sicheng Town had a large stove. As Zhu Shunyo said, food cooked in the big stove tasted better than food cooked on a gas stove.

The family was happy. Life was good now. Bad memories were just memories. No one held them in their hearts.

Time passed happily. Soon, the day of departure arrived.

"The large items have already arrived in Sicheng Town. Azure Sovereign Qingdi Logistics staff put everything in our house," Zhu Yanyi said. Zhou Feng currently lived there, managing all Azure Sovereign Qingdi Logistics affairs.

Living there allowed him to guard the Zhu family’s property and prevent anyone from coveting it.

So, the items shipped early were all moved to the Zhu house by Zhou Feng.

"We only carry a few days’ worth of clothes and toiletries," Zhu Yanyi said. Yan Aohan and she didn’t mind how much was shipped. Their Ruyi Space had plenty of supplies.

"When we go to the train station, we’ll stop at the roast duck shop. I ordered ten roast ducks there. We can eat them on the way," Yan Aohan told Zhu Shunyo and the others.

Zhu Shunyo and the others didn’t mind. Having good food prepared made the two-day, one-night journey more comfortable.

Yes, thanks to the express train, it only took two days and one night to return to Sicheng Town. It wasn’t as fast as future high-speed trains, but it was much faster than before.

Zhu Yanyi and the others stopped at the roast duck shop, picked up ten ducks, and then went to the train station. Since it was a starting train, they didn’t wait outside. They entered their carriage directly.

Yan Aohan had indeed chartered a whole carriage. The elders found comfortable berths. Since they chartered the carriage, no one would intrude and disturb them.

Zhu Yanyi hadn’t taken a train in a long time. Sitting on the train, she looked at Yan Aohan. "Do you think something unexpected will happen here?"

Remembering Zhu Yanyi’s tendency for trouble every time she took a train, Yan Aohan thought for a moment. "Probably not. Besides, I chartered this carriage. No rude people will come in."

Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan. Hearing his uncertain tone, she snorted. "Forget it. Hearing your uncertain tone makes me think things aren’t simple. Forget it, let it be."