"Sure, I’ll deliver it to you tomorrow, and if there’s anything else, the transport team’s car will be back in a couple of days. Just tell the driver directly, and I’ll know."

Jin Erlin felt there were endless things to remind them of.

After seeing him off, the three of them quickly locked the door and headed straight to the carpenter’s home. Straw hats must be prepared.

The place was easy to find. When the three of them arrived, the house was already closed.

"Who are you?" An old man opened the door.

"Sir, we’re new educated youths. We heard today that you have straw hats, so we came to have a look." This sort of outreach was Tao YanZhen’s role.

"Yes, come in."

"Everything is in the wing room. Let me light the lamp."

The three of them looked around the wing room and felt they had come to the right place.

"Sir, we’d like that large bathtub, two water buckets, two big wooden basins, the writing desk, and those two cabinets."

Tao YanZhen then realized they were missing quite a lot.

"You can have them all. This bathtub was ordered by Teacher Jiang, but she’ll be gone for over a month. You can have it first."

"Thank you, sir."

"No problem, wait a bit while I call someone to help take them back for you."

The old man placed the kerosene lamp on the table and went out to call for help.

"Cousin, let’s also get that kang table. When it gets cold, we can sit on the kang and eat. And the small stools, chairs, the shoulder pole for carrying water, the steamer tray, and the pot lid are all needed."

"Alright, I think we better buy all the old man’s things," Tao YanZhen said with a smile. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Usually, Tao Chun wouldn’t say much at this point, leaving it to his sisters to decide.

Soon, three young men came in.

"What all do you need? Let them help you move it back."

The three young men glanced at the two girls with admiration in their eyes, but it wasn’t unpleasant. They just took a few glances and then followed instructions to move items out.

They practically cleared out Li the carpenter’s stock. They felt they lacked everything.

The last three straw hats and six small stools were given without charge.

They were busy until nine o’clock when the three of them finally bathed and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Wei Kaiyun and his group arrived in the Provincial City by morning.

Seeing the exhausted children and wife, Wei Kaiyun regretted it again, thinking he shouldn’t have let them suffer with him.

The two drivers were quite comfortable this time, with time to sleep; although it wasn’t as much as outings with Chaoyang, it was more relaxed than trips elsewhere, and most importantly, they ate very well along the way.

Hu Mingjin also marveled, thinking that Wei Kaiyun is quite talented and will surely shine in the future. His write-up this time must be written meticulously, considering it as an early investment.

Wei Kaiyun teased Shi Xian, "Little one, we can get off the train tomorrow. Then Dad will take you out to play."

Shi Xian remained listless, no longer believing his father’s words that they were almost there.

Jiang Xinyu smiled from the side, thinking if the little one will still want to go anywhere after this.

That night, Wei Kaiyun sped up, and the trailing car followed closely. Wei the brother surely had energy.

Old Yang drove at night too, but they were much more relaxed. They could arrive by tomorrow.

The next day, in the Provincial City, Wei Kaiyun handed things over to the driver, holding Shi Xian.

"Niang San and I are heading to the hotel; find us when you’re done."

"Sure, I’ll drop you off at the hotel."

After settling them in at the hotel, Wei Kaiyun went to deliver the goods.

Hu Mingjin also got off the car. "Mr. Wei, I’m heading back now. I’ll come over tonight to treat your family to dinner. Please do not refuse; it’s my sincere gesture."

Inside, they smiled and nodded, "Well, we’ll be honored then. Thank you, Mr. Hu."

"It’s my pleasure. I’ll head back to work now."

Afterward, they drove directly to deliver the goods.

Delivering at the provincial level was very slow; they had to inspect the quality.

Wei Kaiyun stood by with a blank expression as they inspected, feeling a bit agitated but not showing it; he understood this was how it went.

They inspected both trucks until two in the afternoon, and the workers did not leave for lunch, nor did Wei Kaiyun.

It wasn’t until Wei Kaiyun received the receipt that he took out several boxes of cigarettes from his pocket and distributed them among the workers.

"Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Much appreciated."

The surprise was well-received, and everyone thanked Wei Kaiyun.

With the receipt in hand, he sent the two drivers back to the hotel to rest while he went alone to collect the money.

He couldn’t afford to wait; his son and wife were still waiting for him.

At the accounting office, upon seeing the receipt and the leader’s signature, they did not trouble him.

"Comrade, this amount is too large to have ready now. Come back at nine tomorrow to collect it."

"Thank you."

Wei Kaiyun put away the receipt and left. He was very tired, and a night’s rest sounded beneficial.

When he arrived at the hotel, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Seeing his son in much better spirits, he felt relieved.

Noticing many items in the room, he knew his wife had been out.

"Xinyu, should we go out shopping again?"

Jiang Xinyu shook her head, seeing the circles under his eyes, "You rest. I’ll take the two kids out."

"It’s okay. If I sleep now, I might not be able to sleep tonight."

Jiang Xinyu knew Wei Kaiyun was a light sleeper, so they each took a child out for a stroll.

"Wife, let’s go check out the building supply. The provision here should be much better than back home."

"There’s not much else we need to buy. It’s too hot."

"Let’s look at fabrics."

The four of them ended up buying two rolls of fabric and a few pounds of pastries, which were meant for Shi Xian to nibble on during the journey to keep him occupied in the car.

"Should we go back and invite the two drivers for dinner?" Jiang Xinyu asked Wei Kaiyun.

"We’ll all head back. Mr. Hu said he’s treating us to dinner tonight."

"Mr. Hu is quite thoughtful."

Wei Kaiyun simply smiled, and the four returned to the hotel. Jiang Xinyu urged him to bathe, and when the time seemed right, she gave Shi Xian to him too.

After cleaning up, Wei Kaiyun sat on the bed playing with the two children.

Essentially, it was Shi Xian climbing over his father.

Seeing his son finally lively again, Wei Kaiyun felt much more relaxed. The child was still very young, and the car ride was quite warm.

Tingting sat on the side, smiling as she watched.

At six in the evening, Hu Mingjin arrived. This time, instead of a regular restaurant, he treated them to dinner at the government guest house cafeteria.

The provisions here were indeed excellent, but not accessible to just anyone.

This was because Hu Mingjin requested a pass from the leader to come over.

Fish, shrimp, meat, eggs, milk—a variety. If not for Wei Kaiyun stopping him, Hu Mingjin would have ordered even more.

"Mr. Hu, it’s just us; we can’t finish it all."