Although Su Xiaotian really wanted to cry, she also knew that crying would be of no use. What had to go back would still not go back.
Since that was the case, she might as well face it with a calm heart.
Perhaps the school would be willing to give her a chance to retake the exam?
If there was a chance to retake the exam, she probably wouldn't have to repeat the grade, right?
Su Xiaotian and the others rushed to the city on the third day.
They were able to go to the city not because the road was already open, but because the villagers used ox carts to take them to the city.
Ox carts were slow, and a one-way trip to the city took a full day. A round trip would take two days.
However, the villagers felt that Su Xiaotian had helped them and could not let Su Xiaotian continue to be delayed.
Therefore, they finally arranged for ox carts to take the three of them to the city.
Actually, it would have been most convenient if the villagers had taken them to the city by bicycle.
Although bicycles were slow and relied on human power, their speed was much faster than that of ox carts.
Young men with good stamina could pedal bicycles quite fast.
But the three of them had brought luggage, and the villagers had also sent a lot of good things.
There were local fruits and vegetables, as well as some well-made, long-lasting dried rations, rice balls, and salted duck eggs.
All of these were for them to eat on the road.
That was all, and they could have managed to carry them on bicycles, but some people heard that Shen Zizhen and the others liked the local rice, and soon, someone brought rice.
Five catties from one family, ten catties from another, not much from each, but it added up!
When they were leaving, the open ox cart was filled with four or five bags of rice, about four to five hundred catties, in addition to the seats for the three people.
Su Xiaotian and the others couldn't refuse.
Most of these villagers were indebted to Su Xiaotian.
In just a few days of emergency first aid, more than a dozen people in the vicinity had been saved.
How could the villagers not know that this young girl had truly shared her life-saving skills with them?
It was all for them to be able to keep their lives.
Could such kindness be repaid with a few catties of rice?
Some villagers even said that the rice for this year had not yet been milled, and when the new rice was ready, they would still send it to them.
It was amidst such enthusiasm from the villagers that the three of them got into the ox cart.
The ox cart moved slowly, swaying as it headed towards the city.
The driver was none other than the brothers An Rongxue and An Ronghua.
These two brothers had the most contact with Shen Zizhen and the others, so it was most appropriate for them to drive.
They had set off at dawn and did not arrive at the train station until after five in the afternoon.
Along the way, they only rested under the shade of a tree at noon.
After getting off the ox cart, Su Xiaotian began to hop around.
Su Xiaotian had ridden in an ox cart before, but it had been a long time since she had. The jolting now made her feel as if her backside was no longer her own.
However, in order to get to the city as soon as possible, she had to endure it even if it was uncomfortable.
An Rongxue and An Ronghua noticed Su Xiaotian's discomfort.
"Young Master, hold on a little longer, we'll be there soon. Ox carts aren't very comfortable to ride in."
It was uncomfortable. Sitting on an ox cart, it was one thing to have your backside bumped, but your legs couldn't be stretched out and had to be crossed. If it were a short time, it would be fine, but after a long time, your legs couldn't take it either.
No one would feel good about their legs going numb from being pressed.
Su Xiaotian hopped around for two or three minutes before feeling a little better, and her bones felt more relaxed.
Shen Zizhen's demeanor was much more composed; he simply paced back and forth under the tree.
Five minutes later, they began to eat the rice balls made by Li Guihua.
Su Xiaotian had prepared fruit tea in the morning, and it went well with the rice balls, tasting delicious.
"This fruit tea is sour and sweet, it tastes really good," An Ronghua said with a simple smile after taking a sip.
"Of course it tastes good, we put a lot of sugar in it," An Rongxue strongly agreed that the fruit tea was delicious.
"Uncle Rongxue, this tea doesn't have any sugar in it. We just used fruits with higher sweetness," Su Xiaotian quickly explained with a smile.
With different fruits, after being mixed in proportion, they could produce various flavors.
If you like sweet, put in more sweet fruits; if you like sour, put in more sour fruits.
If you don't like overly sour or overly sweet, then put in fruits with a milder taste.
"Really? It tastes so good, I'll make some for my wife when I get back."
Su Xiaotian smiled. An Rongxue was indeed a good man, thinking of his wife first when he tasted something good.
"I'll tell you which fruits are in it, and you can try it when you get home. Aunt Guihua should like it!"
They ate and drank, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Everyone got back on the cart and continued their journey.
Along the way, the gravel road was severely damaged, and many people were repairing it.
Su Xiaotian estimated that it would take another three to four days to repair this road.
Fortunately, they had ox carts to take them. If they had to wait three to four days, by the time they reached the capital, it would be too late.
The closer they got to the city, the better the road conditions became, and the ox carts also sped up. Su Dan Novel Network
Even so, by the time they reached the train station, it was already 5:20 PM.
"That's good, that's good, we made it!" An Rongxue wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
He had rushed as fast as he could, for fear of delaying Teacher Shen and the others' train.
Fortunately, they made it!
"Teacher Shen, at this time, you can still catch a bowl of noodles nearby," An Ronghua said.
After this, they would have to spend a few days on the train, and they probably wouldn't be able to eat a hot meal.
Shen Zizhen glanced at the time and said, "I'll go buy the train tickets first. You two brothers wait for us here."
He did plan to eat, as he would be spending time on the train afterwards, and even if he could eat his fill, eating something hot would be difficult.
Moreover, it would be reasonable to treat the An brothers to a meal for sending them on this trip.
This was Shen Zizhen's unspoken thought, and the An brothers did not know it, they only nodded and indicated that they would wait.
Shen Zizhen and the others walked towards the ticket office.
Coincidentally, there was a train to the capital at 7:30 PM.
Su Xiaotian estimated that to catch this train, they would probably only be able to get standing tickets.
After all, trains were a very sought-after mode of transportation in any era.
Even in the previous two years, she had never seen trains that were not crowded.
Now, there were only two hours left before the train departed.
But Su Xiaotian forgot that this was not the future, where money could buy anything.
In this era, to buy a sleeper ticket, one needed a unit's letter of introduction, and most people did not qualify for this.
Many people did not qualify to buy sleeper tickets even when they were on official business, and could only buy hard seat tickets.
The result was that hard seat tickets were often sold out the earliest.
When they arrived at the ticket window, there was a middle-aged woman inside, selling tickets with a stern face.
Su Xiaotian was actually used to such expressions.
In this era, people who were associated with the government generally had such expressions, which was completely different from the "customer is God" feeling of later generations.
Shen Zizhen was not too concerned about this. It was just a matter of buying a few tickets, and their attitude did not matter.
"Comrade, we are going to the capital. Do you still have tickets?"