Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 398 - 373: Journey

Zhang Dahu came to lead the wedding procession. Nowadays, there isn’t a single family in the village with a car, and having a tractor is already considered upscale. Most families have donkey or horse-drawn carts, so they used a relative’s tractor for the bride-pickup.

They were blocked, which simply meant it was time to hand out red envelopes. One hundred envelopes of one jiao each were prepared—children and adults alike, everyone got one.

Half an hour later, Zhang Dahu entered the courtyard. Under the onslaught of red envelopes, the door to the bridal room quickly opened. Originally, the plan was for the bride to ride on the tractor, but Chou Xue interjected with a smile, suggesting that it didn’t look good for the bride to stand on the back platform of a tractor. She proposed letting Gao Kang drive instead.

So, the wedding car was switched to a truck, with the bridal dowry being pulled by the tractor behind. People from the bridal procession and the bride sat on the truck.

And it turned out that Brother Zhang’s home was not far from Wang Yanan’s at all, taking just about ten minutes to reach. The house was newly built. After delivering to the bridal chamber, they just had to wait for the auspicious time to arrive for the ceremony of acknowledging the relatives and bowing at the altar, then the wedding was complete.

As the bride’s family, Li Xianglu and the others had another meal on the groom’s side. The banquet at Zhang Dahu’s home was not as good as at Wang Yanan’s, but luckily the taste was still quite decent, and a few cold dishes were also appetizingly seasoned.

After the meal, until about two o’clock, everyone bid farewell to Wang Yanan and Zhang Dahu, as it was time to leave.

Gao Kang continued on the road, driving the car. Li Xianglu, having eaten her fill, started feeling drowsy, which was normal for her around this time when she would usually take a short nap. So she leaned against Qin Xi, dozing off continuously.

No one knew how long the car had been traveling when just as everyone was thinking of asking where they were, there was a loud clunk, and the car stopped.

Chairman Xu was the first to stand up and tap on the windshield in front, only to see Gao Kang stepping out of the co-driver’s seat. He first inspected the vehicle, then smacked his head before turning to the passengers with a helpless expression: "The car’s broken down!"

Ah, what to do now? Han Xuemei looked around with a frown and asked, "Gao Kang, where are we? We have been traveling for an hour, how come we’re not in the county yet?"

It took just over forty minutes to reach the county on the way there, and now an hour later, everything around seemed so desolate.

Upon hearing this, Gao Kang first froze, then began to look around widely, letting out a distressed cry.

At this moment, Chou Xue, still groggy from sleep, emerged from the co-driver’s seat and, hearing Gao Kang shouting, asked, "What happened? The car’s broken?"

Gao Kang, scratching his head embarrassedly, informed everyone, "Not only is the car broken, but I also took the wrong route. I have no idea where we are now!"

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Chairman Xu got out of the car, walked a distance, and then came back with regret, also admitting he had no idea where they were.

In other words, not only was the car broken down, but they were also lost.

And strangely, no one seemed to be passing by, nor were there any other vehicles. The road was very quiet.

Li Xianglu glanced at Qin Xi and saw that his expression was unchanged as he examined the road.

Just when everyone was clueless about what to do next, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the forest.

Everyone stood still and watched as a man emerged from the forest. He was dressed somewhat oddly, with plastic wrapped around his waist. Upon asking, they found out that he was a nearby beekeeper, and that the area was close to the mountainside, which is why there were hardly any people around. The only thing to do now was to fix the car.

Gao Kang, however, admitted that he was not capable of fixing the car.

The beekeeper then offered to have everyone wait at his place for a bit. His brother had driven the family’s donkey cart away but once he returned, he could help send a message.

So everyone had no choice but to head over to where the beekeeper lived.

The beekeeper lived in a large tent, with beehives arranged all over the west side, and the buzzing sound. The ladies were somewhat frightened, fearing being stung by the bees.

Everyone took seats on stools around the tent. Gao Kang, concerned about the truck, drank some water and went to check on it, only to run back in panic shortly after, reporting that the truck was missing, taken by someone.

For a moment, everyone was shocked. A large truck stolen? But wasn’t the truck broken-down? The effect on Gao Kang was enormous; it was his truck that had disappeared, likely stealthily driven away by someone.

He insisted on reporting it to the police, but they couldn’t possibly walk all the way there on foot. So, the beekeeper reassured him that his brother would be back soon.

Time ticked by minute by minute, and as it progressively grew darker, the beekeeper’s brother still hadn’t returned. Gao Kang caused a few scenes but was always calmed down by the beekeeper and Chou Xue.

Finally, as night fell, the beekeeper’s brother arrived, driving a donkey cart. Seeing so many unexpected visitors, he was stunned at first. After inquiring with his brother, and learning what had happened, he apologized: "Sorry, the donkey’s hooves were worn out, and I arrived late because I took a detour to the village to see a vet."

That is to say, he could not help to send the message. Everyone was getting restless. At this point, the beekeeper said, "There’s a village about a kilometer to the west. You can stay there for the night and figure out what to do tomorrow."

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances. With no car and no phone, and now that it was dark, they had no choice but to take up the offer. So the beekeeper’s brother led the way, guiding everyone on their way.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and they finally saw a dim light in the west.

It was electrified here, which was a relief. The beekeeper’s brother directly took everyone to the village chief’s home. The chief was a man in his forties. Upon hearing that they needed lodgings, he first looked at the visitors—seeing they were all dressed differently like city folks, and all were behaving courteously—he immediately agreed.

The village chief had two sons and a spacious compound, so he divided the people into two groups for accommodation.

Before leaving, Li Xianglu glanced at Qin Xi and saw him nod at her, then she followed Han Xuemei and the others.

On the way, Chou Xue teased, "Director Li, aren’t you and Secretary Qin an old married couple by now? Why do you still cling to each other so?"

Li Xianglu smiled faintly in the darkness: "It’s not about clinging, it’s about worrying about our two kids back home."

Chou Xue chuckled, "Aren’t there people looking after the kids at home? Come to think of it, this is the first time we’re all staying together like this, isn’t it?"

Li Xianglu agreed, while Mrs. Xu sighed worriedly, "When we left in the morning, we told the kids we’d be back by afternoon, but we didn’t expect all this to happen. I wonder how worried they must be."

Han Xuemei was also deeply concerned. At home, she had her youngest, her husband, and her mother-in-law. If she didn’t return for the night, who knows what they would think.

Chou Xue apologetically said, "I’m really sorry. I never expected these problems. Gao Kang’s truck is also gone. Truly, it’s a pity!"

With Chou Xue’s words, no one knew what else to say. After all, someone had lost a truck, a vehicle worth more than ten thousand yuan. If it couldn’t be found, that would be a real heartbreak. Whatever inconvenience they faced that night seemed nothing in comparison.