Chapter 438 - 380: Back to School
Chapter 438: Chapter 380: Back to School
Because she still had to make a trip to H Province to visit Wu Xiangyun, Xiao Man had originally planned to travel separately from Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin. But the two boys wouldn’t have it, insisting on taking the train with her. The previous incident where Xinghua was nearly trafficked had left Grandpa, Grandma, and Mo Jiabao and his wife with lingering fears. They firmly refused to let a young woman like her travel such a long distance alone. So what if she had learned a few Martial Arts moves? As the saying goes, one person can’t fight off many. If people ganged up on her, it would be too late for regrets!
In the end, after some discussion, they came to a decision: all the goods would be sent by plane, while the people would take the train to H Province. After visiting Wu Xiangyun, they would buy tickets there to return to Beijing.
Mo Jiabao was still worried about the children’s safety on the road. He had lived in H Province for decades, and while he didn’t go out often, the location of Wu Xiangyun’s home that Xiao Man described sounded familiar to him, so he planned to personally escort them. However, after the people from the Wan City Military Sub-Region and Tang Qingyun arrived and learned of the situation, they announced that the military would provide a vehicle to escort them all the way to H Province, so Mo Jiabao wouldn’t need to make the trip.
Before leaving, Xiao Man inspected the house inside and out and added some water from the Spiritual Spring into the well. ’A little Spiritual Spring water wouldn’t last long, but it’s better than nothing.’
Grandpa and Grandma gave Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin three hundred yuan each. It was a token from the elders, and the two accepted it with smiling thanks.
With a military vehicle for transport, there would be no safety issues on the road. Grandpa directly handed Xiao Man five thick wads of cash—five thousand yuan, for her tuition and living expenses for the year.
Xiao Man accepted it without ceremony. Grandpa was a very proud man. He knew that her grandparents in Beijing would give Xiao Man plenty of living and spending money, but he gave her some all the same. In his own words:
"Xinghua is going to Wancheng with Junlin to study, and Da Zhi is starting at the commune middle school this year. They’ve all been given plenty of living expenses. You’re in Beijing, where the cost of living is higher than here, so you should take more. They can’t complain. Otherwise, let them test into Beijing University too, and I guarantee I’ll support them just the same! When you get there, deposit it in the bank. Learn to spend like the others do; you have to keep up. Our family isn’t short on money now. Just the spare change is enough for you and your siblings to get through school. Not even counting last year’s income, we’re only halfway through this year and we’ve already made forty thousand yuan from selling herbs! The county and the commune have both given us awards, but we don’t care about those certificates, and there’s no need to tell others exactly how much we have. With the money we’ve saved these past two years, we’ll first build a Western-style house so the whole family can live comfortably. After that, every year, we’ll divide the money and give it to you all to hold onto yourselves. Spend it however you please. I won’t make things too complicated. The family’s wealth will be split into three shares: you get one, Jiabao gets one, and Grandma and I get one. When Grandma and I are gone, we’ll split our share evenly between you two!"
Xiao Man listened to her grandpa with a smile, not making a fuss or trying to refuse the money. She knew that given Grandpa and Grandma’s health, they had long lives ahead of them. With the elders presiding over the family, problems rarely arose. Besides, Mo Jiabao and his wife, as well as Sister Xinghua and her brother, were all good-natured people who valued family ties immensely. They were easily contented, preferred a down-to-earth life, and wouldn’t be swayed by personal gain. When Xiao Man married in the future, taking her dowry would naturally separate her from her "maiden family," and Grandpa Mo’s wealth was by no means limited to what they had now—it would only continue to grow.
Grandpa and Grandma told Xiao Man about Sun Jingzu proposing marriage on behalf of his son. Xiao Man was also very surprised; she never would have thought that Mr. Sun had held such intentions for her all those years ago.
Xiao Man supported Sun Jingzu’s proposal for an exclusive deal to buy all of Grandpa’s herbs, which would mean Grandpa would no longer deal with other merchants. Once Sun Pharmaceutical was more developed, they would surely establish their own herb cultivation bases, but Xiao Man was confident they would never have too many of the herbs her grandpa grew.
In her past life, she didn’t know if Sun Jingzu and his son had been in charge of the Sun Group, but Sun Pharmaceutical must have followed the precepts of the Sun Family’s ancestral medical texts, making their medicine with a conscience. Their reputation was excellent. They never went out of their way to advertise, yet whether on the street or in the media, one only ever heard praise for Sun Pharmaceutical, never a bad word or complaint.
After bidding farewell to their family and friends, Xiao Man set off for H Province with Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin. As for the packed local specialty products, they were simply tossed onto a military helicopter that flew between Beijing and the local area to be ferried back to the capital. In addition to the local goods, there were also several burlap sacks of Chinese medicinal herbs that Xiao Man had collected. She was getting to know more and more people in Beijing, and sometimes she couldn’t refuse a request to prepare some herbal remedies. The herbs from her Treasure Pearl Space were too astonishingly effective, and there wasn’t much choice when buying herbs from a traditional pharmacy. So, she decided to take some herbs directly from her grandpa’s garden. Not only was it more convenient, but the results were also top-notch.
Tang Qingyun wanted to spend more time alone with the kids, so he drove them to Wancheng himself, nagging and reminding them of things the entire way. Xiao Man grew drowsy and closed her eyes to rest, while Tang Haocheng yawned repeatedly. ’Dad has changed so much since living apart from Mom,’ he thought. ’Some of it is good, but how did he pick up this habit of being so long-winded? This doesn’t seem good... Could this be what my sister called menopause?’
Upon arriving in Wancheng, they also went to see the school where Jiang Junlin worked. It was divided into a high school and a middle school section. Jiang Junlin taught in the high school, while Xinghua was enrolled in the middle school.
Afterward, they went to the prefectural committee guesthouse for lunch. Xiao Man saw Xiao Feng there. Tang Qingyun had asked him to oversee the preparation of a few tables of food in the guesthouse’s dining hall. The people from the military sub-region were acting on the Gu family’s wishes, so he wanted to treat them to a good meal as well.
Xiao Man walked over and opened the trunk of Tang Qingyun’s car, pulling out two bamboo baskets to give to Xiao Feng. The baskets contained fresh fruits and vegetables like large pears and green grapes, as well as pork ribs, trotters, and meat left over from the pig butchered yesterday, which had of course been marinated and braised. Grandma had said that Xiao Feng and his wife had a real craving for the large pears and fresh vegetables from their garden. Since they had been too busy with work to visit recently, she had specially packed these things and told Xiao Man to give them to Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked Grandma. Xiao Man had learned from Grandma that Xiao Feng was married and his wife was pregnant, so she asked how his wife was doing. Xiao Feng immediately broke into a goofy grin and began talking nonstop about his wife’s pregnancy, even revealing that they were having a son.
After lunch, Xiao Man set off with her two younger brothers. This time, a brand-new van was dispatched. With three kids and two soldiers, there was plenty of room. The two soldiers served as both escorts and drivers, taking turns at the wheel to make better time.
Zhang Qingwan had already given Wu Xiangyun and her family a heads-up, so they were prepared. When Xiao Man arrived, the conversation went smoothly, and she began to diagnose and treat the patient.
The ailing Wu Xiangyun was indeed incredibly frail, as thin as a piece of paper, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her away. But her spirits were good. She smiled and thanked Xiao Man, saying that after taking the medicinal pills Xiao Man had asked Zhang Qingwan to bring, she felt much more comfortable and was in less pain.
Xiao Man spoke softly with Wu Xiangyun while taking her pulse and administering acupuncture. Afterward, she prepared the necessary medicine and left it with them. This time, she naturally used herbs from the Treasure Pearl Space. The treatment would first cure the illness, then nurse her back to health. Once she finished all the medicine, Wu Xiangyun would be fully recovered—perhaps even healthier than before.
That evening, the three of them boarded a train and left H Province for Beijing. It was a slow, "green-skinned" train, and it would take several days to reach Beijing. School was about to start.