The next morning, He Ziyu came to pick them up.
After only a few words, he started yawning, and didn't forget to complain to Chen Lishu and her husband: "Those two old folks at home have nothing to do all day. The train leaves at nine, and they started calling me repeatedly at five in the morning, afraid I'd oversleep and miss my ride. They usually don't call me for weeks, but this time they made up for it all at once." He Ziyu said, patting Rui Rui's head, "It's all because of you, you little rascal, always getting me into trouble."
Rui Rui frowned, "Just talk, if you keep touching me, I'm not going."
He Ziyu said, "Oh ho, you're throwing a tantrum now? Believe it or not, I'll just dump you in some obscure corner halfway there."
Rui Rui said, "Stop bragging. If you lose me, Grandma and Grandpa won't let you off."
He Ziyu deliberately said, "I'm their biological son, you're still a bit short, you know?"
Rui Rui pursed his lips, "My grandma said, the affection for grandchildren is special."
The grandmother he mentioned was Li Xiulan.
"Hiss~" He Ziyu pressed his tongue against his teeth. With this kid, he suddenly felt a bit of a headache.
"Be careful on the train, don't leave your uncle. Even if he goes to the restroom, you should follow him. Never accept anything from strangers," Chen Lishu reminded Rui Rui of everything she could think of.
Gu Xingdong stroked his son's head, "Call home when you arrive."
Rui Rui nodded, then tugged at his younger brother and sister's little hands. The two little ones, thinking he was playing with them again, immediately kicked their little legs and jumped up happily.
"Mom and Dad, I'm leaving," Rui Rui said, then turned and left with He Ziyu.
Seeing their brother leave, the two little ones' previously cheerful faces instantly crumpled like steamed buns.
Xiao Bai pointed at her brother's back and turned to her mother, "De de, de de."
As if saying, why is brother leaving?
Chen Lishu patted her back and softly comforted her, "Brother is going to Grandpa and Grandma's house, he'll be back in a while."
After seeing Rui Rui off, the family turned and went back inside.
Lin Qi's call came at this time.
It turned out he had already arrived in the provincial capital and was calling to ask where to drive the car.
Gu Xingdong looked at Chen Lishu, "Five kilometers south of the city, there's a Sanjiazhi commune. The garment factory is north of the road. You'll see it when you get there. Yes, I'll inform your sister, and we'll head over shortly."
Chen Lishu asked upon hearing him, "You're coming with me?"
"Mm."
"Then you're not going to the company?"
Gu Xingdong: "It's okay to go later. It's been a while since I've seen Lin Qi."
Chen Lishu looked at him suspiciously, "You're not doing this because of my car accident yesterday, are you? I told you it was purely an accident. My car was driving fine, who knew a sheep would suddenly dart out from the side of the road? The car just grazed a big tree by the roadside. I've been driving for so long, there's definitely no problem."
Gu Xingdong insisted, "I'll still drive. I'll tell Li Hongyu tomorrow. He's a good driver, and he'll be solely responsible for driving from now on."
Chen Lishu pouted, "I shouldn't have told you."
Gu Xingdong glared at her, "Such a big scratch, I'm not blind." Did she still want to hide it? When he heard her story then, his heart, filled with lingering fear, almost jumped out of his chest.
Chen Lishu whispered, "It's not that serious, to specifically assign a driver."
Gu Xingdong didn't hear her, greeted Li Xiulan, took his keys, and went outside.
"Lishu, Xingdong is just stubborn. He cares about you, he's just not good at expressing it. Don't argue with him."
Li Xiulan, afraid they would quarrel, quickly helped her son explain.
He wasn't bad at expressing himself; he was just being obstinate.
Chen Lishu muttered to herself, then smiled at Li Xiulan, "Mom, I know he's worried about me, don't worry. Lin Qi is rarely back, so don't worry about lunch for the two of us. You and Sister Xiaoyue can eat by yourselves."
After speaking with her mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, Chen Lishu waved to the two children and then turned to leave.
"I think my driving is fine. If it were someone else, it wouldn't be just a scrape like this. If they didn't hit and kill the sheep, the car would probably be totaled too."
Sitting in the passenger seat, trying to regain some dignity, Chen Lishu attempted a final struggle.
Gu Xingdong looked at her and sneered sarcastically, "Why does it sound like you're a little pleased with yourself?"
Chen Lishu: "..."
"Don't you know? Sitting in the passenger seat is even more dangerous."
"It won't be."
Chen Lishu didn't understand, "What won't be?"
"Dodging danger is an instinct. And I don't have it, because my instinct is to protect you."
Chen Lishu was stunned for a moment, looking at the man's resolute profile, and remained silent for a long time.
"Li Hongyu drove for two years in the army. From now on, you'll sit in the middle of the back seat. That position is the safest."
"Oh."
Gu Xingdong was surprised that she agreed so readily and looked at her curiously.
Chen Lishu immediately smiled at him.
Nanhaitao and Lin Qi had had many interactions in the county town before. Seeing him arrive, he warmly invited him into the office.
"I didn't expect Brother Nan to come too."
Nanhaitao said, "Staying in one place for too long isn't very interesting. It's a rare opportunity, so I decided to come."
After not seeing him for a while, the somewhat immature youth of the past could now handle things independently.
He had also heard from Chen Lishu that Lin Qi managed a steel plant in the neighboring province.
Judging by his increasingly firm gaze, Lin Qi had grown significantly.
They chatted about their recent situations, and then Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong arrived.
After greeting each other, Lin Qi explained, "The automobile production and supply permit is difficult to obtain. I was afraid Sister Chen would be anxious to use the cars, so I brought two cars first. They are both Soviet-made GAZ cars, one sedan and one truck."
Lin Qi also brought an employee from the factory this time, and they drove over together.
After a brief introduction to the situation, they all went to the parking lot to see the new cars.
Chen Lishu knew almost nothing about car models.
When she saw the cars, she had only one feeling: they were really ugly.
In later generations, car models came in all sorts of styles. Now, they were either jeeps or big-headed flat-nosed ones.
However, it was already very difficult to get a car, and coupled with the urgent need, there was nothing to be picky about.
Gu Xingdong had only visited once since the factory was built, and at that time, the factory building hadn't even started. Lin Qi was also visiting for the first time. Chen Lishu took everyone on a tour of the factory, and then they all went to the city.
After eating, it was already past two in the afternoon. After parting ways with everyone, Lin Qi eagerly went to the electric meter factory.
He and Chen Liyuan were both very busy. The last time they met was when he personally delivered the rebar, and it had been almost a month since then.
Even though he had driven for several hours, the joy of seeing his girlfriend made him feel energetic and not tired at all.