With everything settled, the day to head home arrived in the blink of an eye.
Yan's father and mother had prepared everything early, entrusted the household affairs to others, then led the whole family out of Wuzhou, making their way in a grand procession to Guangzhou Railway Station.
Good grief.
Six brothers-in-law, two younger sisters-in-law, six sisters-in-law, eleven nieces and nephews...
The sight was especially spectacular, enough to leave anyone speechless.
Along the way, Lian Youming even went back to his lodgings to bring the color television.
Once Yan Lingyun went with them, she would need to rest through her pregnancy. She had to have something to pass the time.
All eight sleeper tickets went to the women and children. The men sat outside, bringing two decks of cards to pass the time amid the Spring Festival travel crush. Worried that Yan Lingyun could not withstand the jolting, Lian Youming simply stood guard at the junction of the sleeper carriage.
The Spring Festival travel rush was as crowded as ever, even more frightening than when he had gone to the Northeast to work in the countryside. People filled the aisles, the luggage racks, and even the spaces beneath the seats. Some carried children on their shoulders. A sea of people pressed shoulder to shoulder, with scarcely half an inch to put a foot down. Lian Youming held a horse stance in a corner, breathing out softly and keeping his center of gravity steady.
Smelling the cigarette smoke and sweat drifting through the air, and hearing the clamor around him, he found the familiar scene reminding him of his first meeting with Xue Hen.
For a moment, countless thoughts filled his mind.
Shaking his head with a smile, Lian Youming took a book out of his bag.
Journey to the West.