Chapter 353 - 355: Setting Out
Jiang Xia drove the truck, picking up An Guoming, Master Tang, and Zhou Xiaoshan from the train station.
As soon as they entered Shili Gou, Master Tang jumped out of the truck and ran toward the greenhouses.
The others weren’t surprised in the least. Master Tang’s passion for quality ingredients was practically greater than life itself.
The truck stopped at the An’s house. Jiang Xia went back to the Jiang family’s home first, while Zhou Xiaoshan expertly put away his luggage and chatted warmly with Lin Cuihua.
But just talking wasn’t enough—he had also bought gifts.
Zhou Xiaoshan had bought a gift for everyone in the family, each one carefully selected.
Zhou Xiaoshan’s thoughtfulness absolutely delighted Lin Cuihua. She shot more than a few glares at An Guoming, who had returned empty-handed.
An Guoming had a million things he wanted to say, but seeing how happy Zhou Xiaoshan was, he couldn’t bring himself to utter a single one.
’The kid has it rough enough,’ he thought. ’Why should I compete with him for affection?’
The gifts were Zhou Xiaoshan’s ideas, but it had been An Guoming and Yu Zheng who had actually gone to buy them.
The night Zhou Xiaoshan returned, the An family had noodles for dinner.
In the north, there’s a saying: "dumplings for departure, noodles for arrival." Lin Cuihua made hand-pulled noodles with several different sauces, letting everyone eat whatever they liked.
That evening, everyone chatted for a while before turning in early.
Early the next morning, at the crow of the rooster, An Ning and the others finished their daily morning exercises.
After their workout, the group sat in a circle to discuss a matter of great importance.
Namely, what were they going to do for fun?
The college entrance exams were over, and everyone was itching to go a little wild.
Suggestions were tossed out one by one: climbing the mountain, swimming in the river, raiding birds’ nests...
Everyone looked to An Ning, waiting for her to make the final decision.
An Ning sat up straight, stroking her chin with one hand, affecting a mysterious air.
"I’m always on that mountain. It’s not very interesting."
"We see that river every day. It’s nothing special."
"As for raiding nests... can’t you think a little bigger?"
After delivering her critiques, An Ning pulled a map from her pocket, unfolded it, and spread it on the ground.
"Here, look at this."
An Ning tapped a finger on an azure blue area of the map and asked, "How about it? I’ll cover the costs."
"Is that... the ocean?"
An Guoping’s eyes lit up brighter than lightbulbs. He had never seen the ocean.
An Ning said with certainty, "That’s right. How about we take a trip to the seaside?"
How about it?
"Yes!"
"That’s amazing!"
"The ocean!"
The circle of friends on the ground erupted with excitement.
An Ning looked at them, then back at the map.
’Master, I’m coming.’
An Ning wanted to go to the ocean for two reasons. First, she’d genuinely never been. Second, the map her Master had given her was of an area near this very sea.
She wasn’t after anything her Master had left behind; she just wanted to understand him better, to learn a little more about his life.
"Alright, go home and pack your bags. We’ll meet back at my house in an hour and a half."
At An Ning’s command, everyone instantly scattered, already thinking about what they needed to bring as they ran.
An Ning and Jiang Xia walked at the back of the group, side by side.
"I’ve noticed you’re a little less reserved around me now," Jiang Xia remarked.
"We know each other so well now. Being overly cautious would just seem suspicious, like I’m trying to hide something."
Jiang Xia, who was just trying to make conversation, sighed inwardly when An Ning simply shrugged, her expression indifferent.
’When is she ever going to get a clue?’
Jiang Xia both wanted and didn’t want An Ning to get a clue.
He was afraid that if she did, and he wasn’t the one she had feelings for... what would he do?
Just the thought of it was enough to make him feel a murderous impulse.
Jiang Xia suppressed the thought. Those dark impulses just kept bubbling up from time to time.
The two parted ways at the gate. When An Ning got home, she was immediately met with questions from Lin Cuihua.
"You’re going *in* the ocean?"
"Not *in* it, just to see the seaside. Mom, want to come with us?"
An Ning’s invitation was sincere, but Lin Cuihua waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I’m not going. It’s so far, and there’s too much to do around the house."
"You kids go have fun on your own."
Lin Cuihua didn’t try to stop An Ning. If the kids wanted to go have fun, they should go. It wasn’t as if their family couldn’t afford it.
Besides, they’d been to even farther places before, so a trip to the seaside was no big deal.
An Ning didn’t press the issue. This trip was for the young people. She could take the older family members out on her own another time.
She then asked An Guoming, but he didn’t have time to go either. His trucking fleet was just getting started, and he had a lot to take care of.
In the end, An Ning, An Guoping, and Zhou Xiaoshan packed their bags, had a meal, and went to the gate to wait.
Before long, Yin Xuemei, Yang Jianguo, Jiang Xia, and Hua Cheng all arrived.
The group of seven was driven to the train station by An Guoming in his truck. They bought tickets for the next available train; they would figure out transfers once they got off.
They were playing it by ear, keeping things spontaneous.
On the train, the seven of them bought soft seats. As for sleeper berths, the journey was a bit too short, so they decided against it.
After they all got settled, Jiang Xia took out a few decks of cards to help pass the time.
Once they started playing, time flew by.
The seven of them transferred trains three times in total. After a grueling journey of nearly twenty hours, they finally arrived in a coastal city.
When they came out of the station and stood together, a gust of wind carried a stale, sour smell from their group, causing passersby to wrinkle their noses in disgust and cover them.
An Ning tilted her head and sniffed herself. "The trains really need to be faster," she said, the smell almost making her eyes water.
"Huh?"
"A teacher’s perspective is truly on another level."
The "Huh?" came from An Guoping; the sycophantic praise came from Zhou Xiaoshan.
An Ning waved her hand. "It’s nothing. Let’s find a bus, then look for a place to stay near the beach."
Jiang Xia had already surveyed the area. He pointed in one direction, and the seven of them boarded a bus.
The disdainful looks, gestures, and micro-expressions of city folk looking down on people from the countryside were on full display on the bus.
But An Ning didn’t complain in the slightest. It must have taken a lot of courage for the bus driver to even let them on.
After over twenty hours of travel, crammed into hot and stuffy train cars, the group’s aroma was... something else. It was like the mass funeral of a school of fish, where the mourners brought seafood platters as condolences. That unique funk was best left unmentioned.
After three bus transfers, the seven of them followed the directions given by a passerby and started walking toward the sea.
"Is it getting cooler?"
"Yeah, this breeze is cool."
"It’s a lot cooler than back home."
All seven of them could feel the sea breeze, and they quickened their pace in unison.
Even before they rounded the corner, the sound of crashing waves was faintly audible.
The "CAW CAW CAW" of the gulls created a surging symphony, as if to welcome them.
They broke into a run, and as they dashed around the corner, the vast, azure ocean filled their vision.
Seeing the ocean for the first time felt like taking a crumpled piece of paper and watching it instantly unfold and smooth out. All of life’s worries were flattened, suddenly seeming so insignificant.
With a powerful, racing heartbeat, each of them had the same urge to shout: Ocean, I’m here!