Chapter 122

Perhaps because she was thinking about visiting her parents, Shi Tingyu woke up early in the morning.

When she moved, Lu Weiguo also woke up.

He checked the time; it was only five o’clock. “Why so early? It’s not even light out yet.”

Shi Tingyu turned over, feeling puzzled. “It’s only five o’clock? No wonder it’s still dark outside.”

Lu Weiguo pulled her closer. “You should sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

But Shi Tingyu couldn’t fall back asleep.

“I might as well get up. I can’t sleep anymore,” she said.

“It’s cold outside. If you can’t sleep, just stay in bed for a while,” Lu Weiguo suggested. “Even if you get up now, we can’t leave yet.”

In the end, Shi Tingyu stayed under the covers.

From the county town to Qianxi Brigade, it took over an hour by bike. There were buses, but they were few and crowded.

If they were lucky, they might catch a ride on a farmer’s cart, but seats were not always available.

Most people from Qianxi Brigade traveled to and from the county town on foot.

Shi Tingyu asked Lu Weiguo, “Are we taking the bus back?”

Lu Weiguo, still sleepy, replied, “No, we’ll drive.”

Seeing him like this, Shi Tingyu didn’t press him further and let him sleep a bit longer.

Not being in the military camp, he could finally relax.

Though Shi Tingyu stopped talking, Lu Weiguo woke up fully.

To stay in bed a bit longer with his wife, he didn’t get up right away. Instead, he discussed his plan with Shi Tingyu.

“After breakfast, I’ll go out. I have a comrade at the county military department. I’ll borrow a car from him.”

Shi Tingyu hesitated, “Is it a government car? Is it okay for us to borrow it?”

Lu Weiguo laughed softly, “Do you think I’m that kind of person?”

Seeing her doubt, Lu Weiguo explained, “My comrade is a car enthusiast. The car is his own.”

His comrade, Zuo Ping, had spent a lot of his allowance and bonuses to buy an old jeep from the military department. He loved cars and was good at fixing them, so the jeep was in good shape.

Had it not been for their close bond from the battlefield, no one else would have been allowed to touch his car.

Hearing this, Shi Tingyu felt relieved. She was happy that her husband treated her well but didn’t want him to lose his principles.

After a warm breakfast, Lu Weiguo went to the military department to find Zuo Ping.

Zuo Ping was surprised to see Lu Weiguo. He happily patted his strong arm. “When did you get back? Why didn’t you let me know in advance? I would’ve picked you up at the station.”

The people at the military department were surprised by Lu Weiguo’s presence. Though he wore a military coat, many people had them, and it didn’t necessarily mean he was a soldier.

After Zuo Ping introduced Lu Weiguo as his comrade, everyone understood.

He really was a soldier, and given his imposing presence, it made sense why he was so intimidating.

“Come, let’s sit in my office. Tonight, we need to have a proper gathering,” Zuo Ping said.

Lu Weiguo quickly stopped Zuo Ping, “Brother, I’m here for something this time. This family visit leave is quite long, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

Zuo Ping didn’t insist. As a soldier, he understood how precious family visit leaves were, and it wasn’t right to force anything.

“What is it?” Zuo Ping asked.

Lu Weiguo replied, “Is your car available? I need to borrow it for a few days.”

Zuo Ping let out a sigh, “I thought it was something serious. No need to be so formal about it.”

Lu Weiguo smiled, “You value your car more than your wife, so I had to ask properly.”

“That’s only for others!” Zuo Ping rolled his eyes. “Our friendship was forged on the battlefield.”

With that, he went to the office and handed Lu Weiguo the car keys. “Here, the keys. You know my car.”

Lu Weiguo shook the keys in his hand and said, “Thanks, I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

Zuo Ping pointed at him, “I’ll hold you to that. We’ll catch up next time.”

With his wife waiting at home, Lu Weiguo didn’t linger with Zuo Ping and drove off.

Zuo Ping suddenly remembered that he’d heard from Aunt Lu that this guy had gotten married. He shouted in the direction of the car, “Introduce your wife to me next time!”

The only response was Lu Weiguo’s hand waving out of the car window.

Zuo Ping clicked his tongue, “That guy!”

When the car pulled up to the steel factory’s residential building, it drew a lot of attention. But when people saw it was Lu Weiguo getting out of the car, they weren’t surprised.

After all, he was an officer in the army.

Lu Weiguo went home and helped load the items they were taking back to their hometown into the car.

They were gifts for the elders in the family and nutritional supplements for Shi’s parents.

As for the winter clothes for Shi’s parents, they were left at home for Lu’s mother to alter before sending them over.

Shi’s parents had clothes prepared by Lu’s family, so there was no immediate rush.

However, the nutritional supplements needed to be delivered to them to help them recover, Shi Tingyu thought.

Good health was more important than anything. This time, she planned to give them some spirit spring water to ensure they stayed healthy until they returned to the city.

She didn’t play favorites. Just last night, she had secretly added some spirit spring water to the kettle while cutting vegetables, ensuring that Lu’s parents would also stay healthy.

Having healthy elders was a great blessing for their children.

Otherwise, their children’s worry would affect their work and other aspects of life.

Lu’s parents treated her well, and Weiguo treated her well, so she didn’t mind returning the favor.

Besides what Shi Tingyu prepared, Lu’s parents also prepared a New Year gift for the elders. Since they had a car, they asked Lu Weiguo to take it along.

The car was packed full, including their large dog, Lijian.

The road to Qianxi Brigade was rough and uneven in parts, but fortunately, the car had a high chassis, making it manageable.

Although it was already the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, farmers didn’t have holidays. They could still see people working in the fields.

In some places, they rested until the sixth day of the new year.

In others, they only had the morning of the first day of the new year off. In the afternoon, they had to attend meetings, which also counted towards their work points.

Shi Tingyu wasn’t aware of these details.

As the car drove into Qianxi Brigade, she saw even more people working in the fields and asked in surprise, “Are there still tasks in the fields now?”

In later generations, by the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, there would be no work in the fields.

Lu Weiguo glanced at the fields, “Even during the slack season, farmers have to work. The higher-ups require leveling and deep plowing of the land. There’s a popular saying now.”

“What saying?” Shi Tingyu was curious.

“Work hard during the coldest days, start right after the dumplings.” With a sigh, Lu Weiguo continued.

The deep plowing didn’t increase the yield much, and in some cases, the yield even decreased.

But now, everyone did it to demonstrate their dedication to learning from Dazhai.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected this kind of life. Her impression of the 1970s was of collectivism, educated youth going to the countryside, and a time when everything required ration tickets. She didn’t know the details, such as when farmers took breaks.

She hadn’t realized that farmers had to work even during the New Year.