Chapter 236: Shock
Chapter 236: Shock
After settling matters at home, Deng Shirong boarded a bus to Nanning the next day.
In this era, Deng Shirong only planned to capitalize on regional differences when selling longan, not time differences. With the current preservation techniques, it would be too alarming to sell longan as fresh as if it had just been picked during winter or spring. It might even attract unwanted attention, which would be counterproductive.
By focusing on regional differences, selling longan in the capital during the longan season wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows. Even experts would marvel at the logistics and preservation methods, not suspect anything else.
After spending the night at a guesthouse in Nanning, Deng Shirong boarded a train to the capital the following day.
...
Noon
Bobei County Bus Station.
Deng Yunheng, accompanied by Ouguo Fang, Deng Changdong, and Changdong's mother, stepped out of the station.
Seeing the steady stream of bicycles and the occasional motor vehicle, the three of them were amazed.
Ouguo Fang, with her large belly, couldn’t help but exclaim, “As expected of a county town, there are so many bicycles. It’s completely different from the countryside.”
Changdong’s mother stared at the multi-story buildings in the distance and sighed, “Yes, a county town is a county town. These buildings are so tall!”
Although Deng Changdong didn’t say anything, his eyes showed a glint of longing.
Deng Yunheng understood their amazement. When he first came to the county town with his father, he was equally amazed. It wasn’t until he went to the capital for school last year and saw its prosperity that he realized Bobei County wasn’t much different from the countryside.
“Yunfeng’s wife, let’s go to my family’s restaurant for lunch. My older brother and sister-in-law are there too.”
Changdong’s mother hesitated, “Yunheng, there’s no need to go to a restaurant. We can just have a bowl of noodles outside.”
Deng Yunheng smiled, “Yunfeng’s wife, don’t be so formal. When you’re in the county town, how can we let you eat noodles outside? Don’t be polite. It’s getting late, and I’m hungry. Let’s go!”
Changdong’s mother protested a bit more, but eventually, the three of them followed Deng Yunheng toward the Suifeng Restaurant.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Suifeng Restaurant.
Seeing the three-story, enormous Suifeng Restaurant, Changdong’s mother was stunned speechless.
The news of Uncle Jiu opening a restaurant in the county had spread far and wide, sparking much discussion among the villagers for over a month.
However, Changdong’s mother never imagined that Uncle Jiu’s restaurant wasn’t just a bit bigger than the Shuangwang State-owned Restaurant, but at least dozens of times larger. It was simply unbelievable.
She asked in disbelief, “Yunheng, is this really your family’s restaurant?”
Although Deng Changdong and Ouguo Fang were also shocked, they had been mentally prepared. When Ouguo Hua came to give birth, she saw the restaurant Uncle Jiu was building. Although she didn’t say much, she couldn’t hide it from her sister, Ouguo Fang, who naturally didn’t keep it from her husband.
So, the couple had already known that Uncle Jiu’s restaurant was on a grand scale.
Of course, even with mental preparation, they were still taken aback when they saw the magnificent restaurant.
Deng Yunheng understood Changdong’s mother’s shock. Even he, who had seen many things, was surprised when he first saw the size of his family’s restaurant. How much more so for Changdong’s mother, who had never left the countryside before?
He smiled, “Of course it is. Don’t just stand there. Let’s go inside!”
With that, Deng Yunheng led the way into the restaurant.
Changdong’s mother, still in shock, followed him inside.
Deng Changdong and Ouguo Fang exchanged a glance and followed suit.
As they entered, Zhang Xiuping, sitting at the cash register, saw them and greeted them with surprise, “Yunfeng’s wife, Dong, Fang, you’re here!”
“Aiping!”
“Sister Ping!”
After exchanging greetings, Zhang Xiuping came out from behind the cash register and held Ouguo Fang’s hand, saying, “I calculated the dates and guessed you’d be coming these days. I’ve already prepared a room for you!”
Ouguo Fang thanked her and said, “Sister Ping, you look so well. Life in the county town must be very comfortable!”
Zhang Xiuping smiled, “You look good too…”
While the sisters were talking, Deng Yunheng had already helped Deng Changdong and his mother settle their luggage and find seats. Then, Deng Yunzhen came over to greet them and went to the kitchen to prepare their meal.
Soon, a server brought over the tea.
While the mother and son were drinking tea, they curiously looked around the restaurant, becoming more and more amazed.
Changdong’s mother couldn’t help but remark, “Yunheng, no wonder your father doesn’t care about your brother’s income from the pottery factory and had him give up his position to Yuan. Compared to such a large restaurant, the pottery factory in the village really isn’t much.”
Deng Yunheng said, "Yunfeng’s wife, this is different. My elder brother works at the pottery factory, and his income is very stable every month. But running a restaurant is different. You might make more money, but you could also lose money. That's something no one can predict."
Deng Changdong smiled and added, "Uncle Yunheng, who in our Bangjie Brigade doesn’t know about Ninth Uncle’s skills? Any business he picks is sure to be profitable. It’s just a matter of how much we earn."
Yunheng laughed, "I hope so!"
At that moment, Ouguo Fang and Zhang Xiuping also walked over and sat down. They chatted for a bit, and then the food was served.
Boiled chicken, boiled pig’s trotters, scallion-fried eggs, mountain spring tofu, cold water spinach, and tomato egg drop soup—a simple five-dish meal with one soup. For the Deng Changdong family, it was already a very lavish spread.
During the meal, Ouguo Fang asked, "Sister Xiuping, why did your husband decide to learn how to drive a car?"
In the future, learning to drive was a basic skill for every adult, so there was nothing unusual about it.
But in this era, apart from a select few, most people didn’t think about learning to drive because it was pointless. Without connections, it was very difficult to become one of the eight key personnel, such as a driver. If you didn’t want to be a driver, there was even less reason to learn, as it would be a waste of money with no practical use.
Zhang Xiuping replied, "He’s learning with his cousin. As for what use it might have, I don’t know. It was my father-in-law who told him to do it."
Hearing that it was Ninth Uncle’s decision, Ouguo Fang didn’t ask any more questions. If Ninth Uncle had decided it, there must be a good reason.
After the meal, they rested for a while. Then Zhang Xiuping said, "Yunfeng’s wife, let’s go back and put your luggage down first. If you’re tired, you can rest in the room. If not, you can go out and explore the town."
Changdong’s mother perked up and said, "I’m not tired. Let’s go out and explore after we put down the luggage. I’m really curious about the town."
Ouguo Fang joined in, "I’m not tired either. Mom, let’s go out together!"
Zhang Xiuping checked the time and smiled, "It’s past lunchtime now, and the restaurant won’t have many customers for the next two hours. I’ll go with you!"
Ouguo Fang said, "Sister Xiuping, you don’t have to. Little Donger is sleeping. What if she wakes up and can’t find you?"
Zhang Xiuping laughed, "Don’t worry. She’s closer to her aunt than to me. I’ll just tell Aunt Zhen."
Ouguo Fang didn’t refuse any further and nodded, "Alright then!"
...
On the train headed to the capital.
Deng Shirong had taken this long-distance train four times before, and this was his fifth. He was quite experienced by now.
He kept all his food, drinks, and other valuables in the system space. On the surface, he was holding a bulging jute bag, which was just for show. Inside, there were only a few old clothes and nothing else.
Since he had nothing of value with him, he didn’t have to worry about losing anything. So, after boarding the train, he leaned against the window and fell asleep.
On a train like this, staying awake was a torment. The best way to pass the time was to sleep, as it was the fastest way to kill time. He might wake up hours later.
Sitting next to Deng Shirong was a young woman with a child. The woman was wearing patched clothes. Though she looked young, not older than twenty-five, her eyes carried a look of worry, and she seemed to have experienced much hardship, making her look like a woman in her thirties.
However, her facial features suggested that she must have been a pretty girl in her youth.
She was with a little boy, around four or five years old, who sat quietly without the usual liveliness and playfulness of a child his age.
Deng Shirong had observed this when he boarded the train, but since they were strangers, he didn’t bother to learn more about her story.
Despite the discomfort of sleeping while sitting, Deng Shirong was lucky to have a window seat. Using the jute bag as a cushion, he managed to lean against the window and sleep.
When he woke up, it was already time for dinner.
At that moment, the passengers on the train began to eat, using the food they had brought with them. There were sweet potatoes, taro, corn, cassava cakes, and other grains, as well as buns and steamed buns. Some had rice with pickled vegetables.
There was a variety of food, including some meat, but the one thing missing was the staple of future train journeys—instant noodles.
In this era, although instant noodles existed in China, they hadn’t yet entered the market. It was normal not to see them on the train.
(End of Chapter)
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