Chen Lishu was still happily absorbed when her vision suddenly darkened. The smile on her face froze. "Xingdong? Did the power go out?"
"You're not calling me Old Gu anymore?" Gu Xingdong's deep voice sounded by her ear. Chen Lishu's heart skipped a beat. Knowing something was amiss, she was just reaching for the side of the bed when her body suddenly felt lighter.
"I was wrong, I shouldn't have teased you. I was just following your lead. Actually, calling me Old Gu is pretty good, haha..."
As Chen Lishu spoke, she couldn't help but laugh again.
"Laugh all you want. You'll be crying later," Gu Xingdong's sinister voice came from above her. Chen Lishu shivered involuntarily, her laughter stopping.
The next day, as she got out of bed, her legs felt like they were trembling. Rubbing her aching waist, Chen Lishu mentally scolded Gu Xingdong repeatedly before slowly leaving her room.
Ruirui had already washed up and was sitting by the table reading. Seeing her come out, he said, "Mom and Dad made congee. It's still warming in the pot. They said to wait for you to eat."
"Did you eat?"
Ruirui nodded. "Dad also boiled eggs. I ate a bowl of congee and one egg."
Chen Lishu nodded, went to wash up, and then headed to the kitchen to eat.
Gu Xingdong would be off vacation the next day, and with it being the twelfth lunar month and the year-end approaching, it would likely be difficult to buy train tickets. So, after Chen Lishu finished eating and washing the dishes, she told Ruirui goodbye and prepared to go to the station to book tickets.
Before going, however, she planned to visit Chen Liyuan's factory. She wasn't sure about her sister's holiday schedule. If her vacation was short, then Chen Liyuan would be the only one spending the New Year at work. She wanted to buy her any necessities in advance.
Meanwhile, Chen Liyuan, facing the tall young man, couldn't help but frown. "Shi Nan, we broke up a long time ago. Please don't come looking for me anymore."
Shi Nan looked at her, wanting to speak but hesitating. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Liyuan, did you not like me from the very beginning?"
Chen Liyuan looked at him. "What do you want to say?"
"I heard from Xiao Liu that your family's conditions aren't bad. Your sister is not only a university student but also owns a shop, so she has plenty of money. And your brother-in-law is an officer."
"Why didn't you say these things when you came to my house? Did you just want to see my family make a fool of themselves? My family members were actually concerned about me, fearing I'd be a burden, so they said those things. If you had explained your family's situation earlier, my family wouldn't have objected at all. I liked you so much, why did you deceive me?"
He had only found out about Chen Liyuan's situation yesterday when he ran into Xiao Liu again. The regret and unwillingness he felt at that moment almost drowned him.
"My sister's family is her family. My family's conditions are indeed not good. Since your family disagrees, then forget it. This matter has passed for so long, you don't need to dwell on it too much. Even though we've separated, we're still colleagues. I have other things to do, so I'll be going now."
Shi Nan was anxious and grabbed Chen Liyuan's arm. "But I really like you. If you mind my family's attitude, I'll go back today and tell them everything. They'll definitely agree."
Seeing Shi Nan like this, Chen Liyuan's last bit of lingering affection for him completely vanished.
"Shi Nan, you keep saying you like me, but what did you do when your family treated me that way?"
"I."
"You did nothing." Chen Liyuan interrupted him. "You not only did nothing, but you even shared the same thoughts as them. If you regret it now, it's only because you heard about my sister and brother-in-law. That's not love, it's vanity."
When Chen Lishu arrived, she saw Chen Liyuan talking to a young man and called out, "Liyuan?"
Chen Liyuan turned her head. Seeing her arrive, she was very happy. Ignoring the displeased Shi Nan, she walked a few steps towards her. "Sister, why are you here?"
"Who was that guy just now?" Chen Lishu asked curiously, watching Shi Nan leave.
Chen Liyuan's eyes flickered slightly. "Just a colleague who came to talk to me about something."
As children grow up, they deserve their own privacy. Chen Lishu didn't intend to pry further but still reminded her sternly, "It's okay for girls to date, but you must protect yourself. Don't give yourself away easily."
Chen Liyuan's face instantly turned red. She mumbled, "Big Sister, what are you thinking? How could I, how could I do such a thing?"
"Sister is just reminding you. Mom would definitely be too embarrassed to tell you these things. It's natural for young people to develop feelings when dating. If you haven't decided that you truly want to marry him and no one else, don't give yourself away easily, or you'll regret it later."
At that time, people's thoughts were very conservative, unlike now when dating is more casual. If they had sexual relations before marriage, it would be good if they eventually got married. But if not, they might not be able to hold their heads up for the rest of their lives.
Chen Liyuan knew she was speaking for her own good and nodded softly, "Sister, I understand. I'll definitely listen to you."
Seeing her agree, Chen Lishu then asked, "When does your factory start its holiday? I'm going to buy tickets later. I'm leaving tomorrow. Can we go back together?"
Chen Liyuan shook her head with regret. "No, we don't get our holiday until the twenty-eighth, and it's only ten days. We'll probably get home on the twenty-ninth."
With several days still to go until the twenty-eighth, Chen Lishu and the others had to leave first.
"You must be careful when traveling alone. Can your unit provide a certificate to buy a sleeper ticket?" Sleeping berths were safer. If not, she could get one for her.
Chen Liyuan nodded. "Yes, they can provide one. Sister, don't worry."
"Be sure to keep your money safe, don't talk to strangers easily, and be careful."
After a few more instructions, Chen Lishu turned and left for the train station.
After queuing for over an hour, Chen Lishu finally returned home, having bought three sleeper tickets back to the county town.
"Sister-in-law, come quickly and see if this is how it's done?" As soon as she got back to the courtyard, Zhao Guiying and Lin Xiaoyue pulled her to the Wang family's house.
Chen Lishu looked at the furnace on the kitchen floor for roasting sweet potatoes. It looked similar to what she remembered, so she nodded. "It should be about right."
"Guiying and I also collected over two hundred jin of sweet potatoes and prepared charcoal. Shall we try with some small ones first?"
After Lin Xiaoyue finished speaking, the three quickly got ready.
They first put charcoal in the furnace, then placed sweet potatoes on the wire mesh, covered it, and after a while, turned them over.
The first time they left them too long, and some parts were burnt, but the yellow flesh inside was very fragrant and sweet.
The children loved it. The three of them hadn't eaten much before the smaller ones had taken it all.
With practice comes improvement. The second time was much better. Lin Xiaoyue and Zhao Guiying gradually got the hang of it. Charcoal was too expensive, so after roasting twice, everyone stopped.