Chapter 337

Chapter 337: We’ll Wait for You to Come Back and Eat

The K-series train rattled along, even in soft sleepers, it felt bumpy. Unable to sleep, Xia Yuan squeezed between Mei Fang and Lin You Xi halfway through the night to find some rest.

When the train whistled as it arrived at its station, the groggy group disembarked at Shennongjia Station, the westernmost station of Chubei Province. They all helped each other with their luggage, reminding each other to be careful.

“Whew…” Xia Yuan rubbed her eyes, leaning on Mei Fang’s shoulder, still looking drowsy. Mei Fang gently patted her head. Xiang Bingbing, who had put down her luggage, turned around to introduce them:

“Welcome to Shennongjia! This is our only railway station! It’s very small, isn’t it?”

“It is… quite small…”

“Although the station is small, the forest area is vast. Look over there!”

Following Xiang Bingbing’s direction, they saw a continuous expanse of verdant green mountains in the distance, stretching endlessly. With the first light of dawn, the orange-red horizon filled them with a sense of vitality.

“Whew… The air here is indeed very fresh. I feel much more refreshed.”

Guo Yun stretched after getting up, feeling a bit stiff. Traveling with friends her age was a new experience for her, so she was very excited about this trip. Liu Xiaoyu was snapping photos nonstop with her phone. Mei Fang asked, “How long until we reach Bingbing’s house from here?”

“Um… It’s very close. By bus from the city center, it should take about three hours.”

“Still, another three hours!”

Spoiled by a comfortable life, Xia Yuan found the bumpy ride hard to bear, but she didn’t want to show her weakness directly. She tugged at Lin You Xi, using her as a shield, “Youyou gets motion sick easily. Why don’t we rest nearby for a while before going?”

“Do we need to rest?”

Xiang Bingbing muttered, “I prepared a sumptuous lunch to welcome everyone. If we’re late, it won’t be good… Youyou, can you hold on a little longer?”

“I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to the ride and don’t get motion sick easily anymore.”

Lin You Xi smiled, “We can go directly now.”

Youyou! You traitor!

Xia Yuan hesitated, shifting her gaze to Mei Fang.

Seeing his wife in distress, Mei Fang naturally wanted to help, “Why don’t we check into a hotel for a while to freshen up? Going like this would be inappropriate. Also, we should buy some gifts. It’s not right to visit empty-handed.”

“That’s right… We forgot to buy anything earlier.”

Guo Yun and Liu Xiaoyu nodded. Liu Xiaoyu said softly, “Then let’s stay here for a bit. Bingbing, what do your parents like?”

“No special gifts needed. Just some milk or fruit. Everyone at home is easygoing and doesn’t care much!”

Xiang Bingbing confidently said, but just then, her stomach growled loudly.

“Hehe… I can’t wait. I’m so hungry… Let’s grab breakfast near the station. I know a place with great food!”

“First, find a hotel! We need to rest a bit.”

Xiang Bingbing usually stayed at familiar hotels, but now traveling with Boss Mei, everyone had a chance for better treatment.

Xiang Bingbing didn’t make money with Mei Fang, so she was short on cash; Mei Fang noticed her embarrassment and offered to cover all travel expenses, avoiding any conflicts over spending habits.

Friends traveling together might have disagreements due to different views on money, but Mei Fang just hoped that Yuxian could enjoy herself, regardless of the cost.

Mei Fang booked two hourly rooms at the most upscale hotel near Shennongjia Station. Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi entered holding hands, planning to take a bath together. Before entering, Lin You Xi extended her hand invitingly:

“Afang, why don’t you come in with us?”

Mei Fang waved his hand, “No, no, that wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“You won’t have a chance later…”

Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan entered the bathroom and handed their clothes to Mei Fang.

Lin You Xi whispered to Mei Fang with a smile, “There’s still time, you can use this later.”

“Use what for!”

Mei Fang lightly tapped Lin You Xi’s head, scolding her. She giggled and went into the bathroom with Xia Yuan.

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s clothes were now in Mei Fang’s hands. He was about to place them in the laundry basket when he couldn’t resist picking up Youxi’s black stockings to smell them. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Mei Fang hurriedly placed the stockings on the table and opened the door.

“Coming, coming!”

Mei Fang opened the door, and Liu Xiaoyu entered.

“Is Yuanyuan and Youyou busy… Are they already bathing?”

“Yes, why?”

“I need to borrow a hair tie or a small rubber band. Guanyun and Bingbing don’t use them often, but Yuanyuan and Youyou probably have one.”

“They do… Do you want me to ask them? I’ll step out—”

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi heard the commotion in the bathroom. Xia Yuan pushed open the door and stuck her head out, saying, “I have a hair tie in my bag. You can take it yourself, or Afang can bring it to you.”

“Just let Afang get it.”

Liu Xiaoyu looked at Mei Fang, feeling a bit awkward. Mei Fang nodded, “I’ll get it…”

He walked over to Xia Yuan’s bag and opened it, slightly shocked, “This bag looks so small, how does it fit so much inside? It’s really amazing…”

Liu Xiaoyu glanced at the black stockings hanging on the table, imagining some scenarios, and replied, “That’s how girls are…”

“Yeah… right, found it—”

Just as Mei Fang was about to give the hair tie to Liu Xiaoyu, something fell out of Xia Yuan’s bag.

Snap.

It was a famous brand of chewing gum!

Mei Fang quickly squatted down to pick up the box and hide it in his pocket. Liu Xiaoyu quickly turned away, pretending not to see. After Mei Fang tidied up, he gave the hair tie to Liu Xiaoyu.

“Th-thank you…”

Liu Xiaoyu took the hair tie and quickly left.

Mei Fang sat on the bed listening to the water sounds, waiting for Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi to finish their bath. Once they emerged wearing new outfits, he began to boss them around:

“Afang, get my clothes!”

“And mine, just pick whatever you like.”

“What… I like everything.”

Mei Fang found clothes for Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan and handed them over, “Dry yourselves off. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Got it! First, button up my shirt. My arms can’t reach that far…”

“You always button your own shirts. Such a spoiled brat.”

Mei Fang grumbled as he buttoned Xia Yuan’s shirt, then kissed her shoulder.

“Let me eat you up.”

“Ugh, Afang, you pervert.”

Xia Yuan shuddered and rubbed her shoulder, “You’ve made this part swollen.”

“How exaggerated. And you dare call me a pervert,” Mei Fang frowned. “Why did you bring chewing gum on a trip?”

“That’s… just in case! I was worried about Youyou.”

Lin You Xi laughed and shook her head, drying her hair, “My mood isn’t as good as yours. In Shennongjia, there’s hiking and mosquito bites. There’s no energy for anything else.”

“That’s true…”

“Besides, if we really need it, we can just buy it here. It’s not that hard to find genuine products, right?”

“Yet, you still did it!”

The six of them had breakfast at the station. Xiang Bingbing recommended her favorite noodle dishes, which, although ordinary, tasted great in the mountains.

After eating, they went to the supermarket to buy gifts. Hearing that Xiang Bingbing had many younger siblings, Mei Fang bought some toys for the kids, making Xiang Bingbing feel a bit embarrassed.

“It’s too much… really—”

Xia Yuan comforted Xiang Bingbing, “Don’t worry. You rarely come home, and you’ll be busy with college soon. This will leave a nice memory for your siblings.”

“Okay… I understand.”

Xiang Bingbing nodded, “But consider this a loan. I’ll pay you back.”

Lin You Xi smiled, “If you want to repay, you can work for us for free during the summer vacation.”

“Will you provide meals and accommodation? Even without pay, that’s fine!”

“We’ll provide meals and accommodation.”

Lin You Xi’s devilish smile made Mei and Xia Yuan roll their eyes.

Youxi, you’re too eager to hang streetlights! Trying to trick the naive!

“Children! Your big sister is back!”

Xiang Bingbing, who returned home with a full load, saw a circle of little girls and boys gathered around her.

“Bingbing!”

“Bingbing, hug me!”

“Bingbing brought lots of yummy and fun things!”

“Isn’t this a remote control car?”

“Let me play it! I can do it!”

“Behave! Greet Sister’s friends first!”

The older sister and younger sister quickly greeted Mei Fang and the others. Two ten-year-old boys fought over the remote control. Xiang Bingbing couldn’t tolerate it and smacked both of them, making them instantly quiet and obedient.

“Nice to meet you, handsome brother! Beautiful sisters!”

Xiang Bingbing introduced her family members to Mei Fang: her second sister Xiang Taotao, twin brothers Xiang Yan Yan and Xiang Jiang Jiang, and her youngest sister Xiang Guoguo. Mei Fang found it all amusing.

“Bingbing, your family names are so cute!”

“But they look so young, shorter than you.”

Xiang Bingbing held her youngest sister Guoguo with one arm, smiling, “Indeed… For now. But they haven’t started developing yet. With proper milk, they’ll grow as tall as their sister.”

“We don’t want to be as tall as our sister. At night, we can’t stretch out our legs in bed. Walking hits the door all the time, hahaha—”

The twin brothers Xiang Yan Yan and Xiang Jiang Jiang were clearly mischievous. Xiang Bingbing hit their bottoms again, making Mei Fang praise their resilience.

Xiang Bingbing was happily holding her little sister when she felt something poking her. She asked, “Guoguo, what’s in your pocket? Can I see?”

“It’s candy, wedding candy.”

Xiang Guoguo handed a small bag of candy to Xiang Bingbing, who was surprised.

“Who got married nearby? I didn’t know…”

Xiang Taotao, the second daughter who was in middle school, hesitantly answered, “It’s the engagement candy for Rourou.”

“Rourou?”

Xiang Bingbing was shocked, “You mean Xiao Ran? She was supposed to take the college entrance exam with us this year. How did she get engaged?”

“She dropped out early this year… I don’t know the details. Sister, you should ask Mom and Dad.”

“I need to… Wait, first, let’s take you home.”

“What’s up, Bingbing…”

Mei Fang was surprised, “Is Xiao Ran your close friend?”

Guo Yun chimed in, “Your childhood friend, right?”

Xiang Bingbing nodded, puzzled, “Xiao Ran is my childhood friend. We grew up together. She’s only 18 or 19. How did she get engaged?”

Influenced by gender biases in many places, it wasn’t uncommon for rural girls to drop out and get married in this era. Although Mei Fang wasn’t surprised, he tried to reassure Bingbing, “It seems like an engagement. Let’s go back and talk to your parents.”

Lin You Xi added, “In our country, marriages under 20 are illegal. Since it’s just an engagement, there’s still a chance to sort things out. Let’s clarify the situation first.”

Xiang Bingbing, feeling uneasy, brought her friends and siblings back home. Her mother warmly welcomed them when she saw her daughter bringing friends.

“Hello Auntie!”

“Oh… Oh… Hello!”

“These are some gifts we brought. Please accept them.”

“Oh, you came all the way and brought so many things… It’s too much…”

Aunt Xiang seemed like an ordinary housewife, not tall, but kind.

“Where’s Uncle Xiang?”

“He’s a forest ranger. He can’t leave the forest… Tomorrow you can go to the forest area with Bingbing.”

Xiang Bingbing had no intention of playing anymore. After some pleasantries, she eagerly approached her mother to ask about Ran Rou.

“Mom, what’s up with Xiao Ran? Why did she get married this year? No one told me!”

“Oh… It’s because of their family issues… We didn’t tell you to avoid affecting your exam.”

“Why did Xiao Ran drop out? Was it her father’s doing?”

“There were reasons on both sides. She felt she wasn’t keeping up with her studies. Dropping out had her own reasons… We outsiders can’t fully understand.”

“I’m not an outsider. I need to ask her about it. Yes, I’ll go now.”

“Oh, you have guests. Eat first… Guests don’t come often. We should entertain them… Dinner is ready.”

“It’s okay, Auntie.”

Mei Fang chimed in, “We just ate, we can wait a bit. Xiao Ran is Bingbing’s best friend, let her understand the situation first. Otherwise, she won’t be able to eat properly.”

Xia Yuan patted the anxious Xiang Bingbing, “Bingbing, do you want us to go with you?”

Xiang Bingbing calmed down a bit at Xia Yuan’s call, “Uh… No, I’ll go ask first and come back… Sorry, you guys can start eating.”

“Wait for you. If you don’t eat enough, we’ll feel guilty.”

Mei Fang softly said, “We’ll wait for you to come back and eat. We can help you think of solutions then.”