The Female General Dominates All After Transmigration-Chapter 148 - 147: The Return Journey, Unexpected Gift
Ling Chengyan started the car, avoiding the muddy pit where the vehicle got stuck, and Wu Qingyun waved goodbye to the helpful villagers from the car window.
Ling Chengyan, sharp-eyed, noticed one of the young lads carrying a military water bottle.
"If you gave away your water bottle, what will you do for drinking water?" Ling Chengyan raised her eyebrows and asked.
"On this trip, I’ll just have to drink from Sister Yan’s water. By the time we return, it will be time to issue this year’s supplies, and I’ll have a new water bottle to use."
Ling Chengyan chuckled, "A water bottle is not a consumable item."
Uniforms and shoes are issued new each year, but the iron water bottles and tea mugs are sturdy and durable. New recruits are given a set upon joining, and that’s the only time they get them issued.
Wu Qingyun chuckled but didn’t elaborate further. Ling Chengyan let it go with a smile. If it’s not issued, it’s not issued, but if you really lose it, you can still apply at the supply office, though you’ll have to pay some fees. Of course, it’s still much cheaper than buying from outside.
Wu Qingyun explained further: "The villagers are still very simple and honest. When I said I needed straw and a push with the cart, they didn’t hesitate at all... I offered the water bottle myself; it was pouring rain, and they were pushing the cart for me. I just felt bad otherwise."
Ling Chengyan smiled and didn’t continue the subject, her eyes passing through the rain, looking at the car in front as if lost in thought.
Detouring to the repaired bridge wasn’t far, and ten minutes later, the car returned to the asphalt road, no longer bumping. Ling Chengyan let Wu Qingyun drive and sat in the passenger seat, closing her eyes.
As it got dark, the car traveled in the rain for over an hour, finally arriving at Taotown and entered the only guesthouse in the town.
The northern-southern transportation route passes through this small mountain town, bringing a certain level of prosperity. There are postal offices, supply and marketing cooperatives, restaurants, and guesthouses along the street, all state-owned.
The guesthouse wasn’t large, with only a row of about ten rooms, but it had a spacious courtyard that could accommodate a dozen large trucks.
Ling Chengyan jumped out of the car, glanced at the car parked in the corner, and walked into the building first.
The guesthouse was too small for a canteen. After registering for a room, the two had to go out to get food.
"You go buy something to eat back," Ling Chengyan handed Wu Qingyun five yuan.
Wu Qingyun was slightly surprised but didn’t say a word, took the money, and went out.
Ling Chengyan wasn’t someone who liked to order people around, but she was calculating. She understood things more thoroughly and keenly than anyone else. What she understands, she understands. What she doesn’t, she obeys.
Watching Wu Qingyun leave, a hint of approval flashed in Ling Chengyan’s eyes: The soldiers she had trained over the years amounted to dozens, and Wu Qingyun was the smartest of them all.
Ling Chengyan chose a room facing their vehicle. After entering, she heated some water, took off her wet shoes and socks, washed her feet, and changed into the dry shoes she had brought. Just in time, Wu Qingyun returned with the food.
"It’s a bit late, there were no dishes left. Fortunately, they had some marinated pork head meat and tofu skin nearly ready. I bought some, and they had freshly steamed buns from tonight." Wu Qingyun took out two lunch boxes, opened them, revealing fresh marinated meat and tofu skin tossed with cucumbers. The net bag held four or five big buns.
Ling Chengyan took a sniff, smiled, and said, "The aroma is indeed nice, and it’s fresh."
During summer travels, they rarely dared to eat meat, fearing it might not be fresh and cause stomach issues.
Today’s marinated meat had a distinct fresh aroma, the rich fragrance of the marinated meat, combined with bright, crisp cucumbers, truly whetted the appetite.
Ling Chengyan ate one and a half buns and half the dish, leaving the rest for Wu Qingyun to finish.
She looked at the still somewhat skinny Wu Qingyun and couldn’t help but laugh, "Your appetite is no less than Wan Xiang’s, but why don’t you put on any weight?"
Wu Qingyun drank a sip of water, contentedly rubbing his stomach, and rare a naive smile appeared, "I guess I take after my mother, no matter how much I eat, I don’t gain weight."
Ling Chengyan recalled the Wu family elders. Wu Qingyun indeed resembled his slender and slim mother more than his tall and sturdy father, even inheriting his mother’s delicate looks.
Remembering this, Ling Chengyan thought of something she’d heard a few days ago, so she asked with a smile, "Your marriage proposal..."
Wu Qingyun’s cheeks flushed as he hastily shook his head, "My mom said we’ll talk about it once I go back home..."
Oh, so the rumors about Wu Qingyun being fancied by Leader Han’s daughter were false.
Ling Chengyan nodded, picked up a raincoat, and walked out. "Get some rest, I’ll take a stroll and then rest too."
Watching Ling Chengyan’s departing figure, Wu Qingyun pursed his lips: He didn’t think Ling Platoon’s questioning was mere casual chatter today. If it wasn’t a deliberate hint, Ling Platoon wasn’t the type to gossip. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
At night, Ling Chengyan got up twice and noticed nothing unusual. The second time she got up in the latter half of the night, she ran into Wu Qingyun, who was also up checking the vehicle.
This lad has a solid mind.
The next day, Ling Chengyan and Wu Qingyun got up early. The car from yesterday was still there, and the driver’s shadow was nowhere to be seen, so Ling Chengyan let it go.
This journey was relatively smooth. After eight days, they returned, and while passing the detour village again, they unexpectedly saw the young lad waiting by the roadside.
The young lad seemed to have waited for a long time. Seeing their car, he was so delighted that he ran into the middle of the road waving his hands, a bright smile on his face.
Wu Qingyun jumped off the car and jokingly scolded, "You reckless young fellow, what if the car couldn’t stop in time, huh?"
The young lad scratched his head and chuckled, pulling Wu Qingyun towards his home.
Ling Chengyan watched with a smile and didn’t stop him.
After just a few minutes, Wu Qingyun came back out. But this time, it wasn’t just the young lad; his parents and siblings were with him, and Wu Qingyun was handed a large basket already spilling over with stuff.
Seeing this, Ling Chengyan couldn’t just sit still and quickly jumped out of the car.
Coming closer, she could see the basket was filled with many local specialties: peaches, mulberries, mountain eggs, and some pickled toon sprouts.
The toon sprouts from the mountain region tasted especially good; Ling Chengyan had tasted them before brought by a young soldier’s family, and seeing them again today, she was quite delighted.
Wu Qingyun was still declining, but Ling Chengyan said, "Thank you, sir and ma’am, we’ll accept your gifts."
As she spoke, she gave Wu Qingyun a meaningful glance. Wu Qingyun, being the clever person he was, understood immediately. He quickly ran back to the car, grabbed some wrapped newspapers, and stuffed them into the young lad’s arms, "We’ll take what your family gave us; this is some trinkets we brought back from the south, for you and your siblings to play with."
With that, the two waved goodbye, got in the car, and left.
After they left, the young lad handed the newspaper-wrapped package to his parents.
The old couple was a bit taken aback. They had merely helped push the car that day, and people were already aiding in return, even giving such a good water bottle. Mountain folks are honest; they felt it was unfair to take such advantage, which is why they had the lad watch the roadside every day. Finally, they managed to wait for them and give something from their home as a gesture.
Who’d have thought the silly lad would end up taking things from them again.
