"Brother-in-law, I still want to see the commune's school built before I go to university. It seems this wish of mine cannot be fulfilled."
Shen Rong was packing her luggage. The University of Science and Technology of China was in Wan Province. However, there was no train in Liuhe County. Shen Rong had to take a bus to Qinghe City first, and then transfer to Fei City from Qinghe City. The round trip would take about half a day.
It wasn't too far, so Chen Yang drove her to the school himself!
When Shen Pandi went to the capital, he had also planned to send her to Fei City to catch a train, but that girl was stubborn and refused to let him send her.
Shen Rong didn't have this worry. Not only Chen Yang, but Shen Futang was also going.
A mother worries when her child travels a thousand miles. Their younger daughter was going on a long trip for the first time, and Shen Futang and Liu Chunmei were both uneasy.
If Shen Xue hadn't been unable to leave with her child and her mother-in-law had to stay home to take care of her, she would have wanted to accompany Chen Yang to send Shen Rong to school.
"Stop your joking. How long have we been preparing? The construction of this school will take more than a day or two."
"You probably won't be back for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. These are the mooncakes mother made, and your sister packed them. Share them with your classmates later."
"I'll buy you a new bicycle when we get to the provincial capital. Do you have any other requests? If so, make them quickly. Otherwise, when your father and I return, there will be no regrets."
Buying Shen Rong a bicycle after she got into university was something he had promised her, and Chen Yang naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
In 1979, owning a bicycle was a very cool thing. Shen Rong would be envied by many people then.
"Brother-in-law, there's no rush to buy the bicycle. I'll see after I get to school and buy one if I need it. What if none of my classmates buy one, and I'm the only one? Wouldn't that make me too different?"
"Mother has prepared clothes and quilts for me. At school, I'll have food stamps and subsidies. I'll be fine on my own. If I'm not enough, I'll write home to you."
Shen Rong was, after all, more sensible than before. She knew that the most important thing at school was to study. As for other things, she didn't care as much as before.
"Rongrong has grown up. The most important thing at school is to study. Study hard, and you'll get a good job after graduation. Don't be stingy with food and clothing."
"Our father's winery is making a lot of money now. Don't hesitate to spend it, as long as you don't squander. Don't lose face in front of your classmates."
As soon as Chen Yang finished speaking, Shen Xue rolled her eyes at him speechlessly.
"What kind of brother-in-law are you? You're teaching bad habits."
As the fish-in-soy-sauce factory business picked up, Shen Futang, as the father-in-law, naturally had to expand the winery to avoid not having enough raw materials for the fish-in-soy-sauce factory.
Therefore, besides Chen Yang, Shen Futang could be considered the second most influential person in the entire Wanli Commune. The former small workshop was now a medium-sized factory with over a dozen people working under him to brew wine.
Of course, it was still far from the winery Shen's family had in the past, but it was much better than before, and it was more than enough to support Shen Rong's university education.
"Er Ni, what your brother-in-law said is not unreasonable. We won't spend money indiscriminately, but we can't lose face in front of others either."
"If you need money in the future, just write home. I'll send you money from the post office. If that's not enough, I can even come to your school to bring it to you."
"I'll go with you this time to get familiar with the place. The first time is strange, the second time is familiar. Since your grandfather donated the winery, I haven't been to the provincial capital yet."
Shen Futang didn't think Chen Yang was wrong. Money should be spent when it's needed, but not extravagantly. Their family was living a better life now.
They still remembered the days when they were hungry and lived in poverty.
Besides, their son-in-law knew to donate money to build schools. How could he not know that if anything happened to the villagers in the future, he would have to lend a hand?
Compared to the two men, Liu Chunmei and Shen Xue were not so carefree. They chattered a lot and checked Shen Rong's luggage several times before sending her to the door.
In just a short while, Liu Chunmei's eyes were red. The thought of not seeing her youngest daughter until the Chinese New Year made her cry.
At this time, there was no concept of Mid-Autumn Festival or National Day holidays, so they would probably only go home for Chinese New Year.
Therefore, Chen Yang didn't rush. After his mother-in-law finished speaking, he and his father-in-law carried the luggage and drove the donkey cart to the county town.
They left the donkey cart at their eldest aunt's house, then transferred to a bus to Qinghe City, and from Qinghe City, they took a bus to Fei City.
By the time they reached Fei City, it was already 1:30 PM.
Because they were in a hurry to register, they didn't look for food. They had some steamed buns that their mother-in-law had made that morning with hot water on the bus.
"Comrade, excuse me, how do we get to the University of Science and Technology of China? We're here to register."
Both in his previous life and this one, Chen Yang had been to Fei City many times, but he had never been to the University of Science and Technology of China. Fei City was so large, so he had to ask someone for directions first.
"You got into university, child? You're truly accomplished."
"This station is still dozens of miles away from the school. It will take a lot of time for you to walk there. It's to the south."
Chen Yang asked the ticket checker at the station exit. In this era, anyone who got into university was an outstanding person. The ticket checker, whose beard was almost white, looked at Chen Yang carefully. He thought Chen Yang had gotten into university.
"Are there any buses from the station to the school? We came from Liuhe County and haven't stopped along the way. We're also carrying so much luggage. We don't want to be late for registration."
"We can pay for the fare."
Chen Yang offered the ticket checker a cigarette. It was inconvenient to find a car everywhere in an unfamiliar place, and there were also dangers if they encountered people with bad intentions.
Now that there was a ticket checker at the station, it was just a casual question. They stayed at the station every day and would definitely be more familiar with the people around the station than Chen Yang.
"You're quite smart, kid. You're lucky. There's a bus leaving the station for the city. Although it doesn't pass directly by the school, it's not far."
"Xiao Liang, I'll stay here. You take this student and his family to the back station. When you arrive at Lao Chenjiagou, let them off and show them the way to the University of Science and Technology of China."
The ticket checker took the cigarette and enthusiastically asked another ticket checker to take Chen Yang to the back station.
"Uncle, thank you."
Chen Yang said thank you and offered another cigarette to the ticket checker who was leading them.
When they arrived at the back station, it was a cargo truck. However, at this time, there was nothing to choose from. It was good enough to have a ride.
Although the two ticket checkers hadn't mentioned anything about money, Chen Yang still gave them one yuan and fifty cents. Nowadays, people who hitchhike usually give the driver some money.
This was considered an implicit benefit for the driver. However, for short distances like this, most people gave one or two mao. Chen Yang gave fifty cents alone, which was a lot.
The driver accepted the money and let them sit in the front, so they wouldn't be bumped around in the truck bed.