Chapter 8: Departure

Her daughter had no objections.

As her parents, Lu Jianping and Su Yulan naturally hurried to pack her things. They had just made two sets of clothes for Lu Jiaor’s wedding, and now they were frantically finding someone to make two more sets.

Clothes make the man, and a horse relies on its saddle; respect begins with attire. In this, both Lu Jianping and Su Yulan did not want their daughter to be looked down upon.

So, besides making new clothes, they spent a large sum to buy Lu Jiaor two pairs of leather shoes—one black, one brown.

With clothes and shoes ready, quilts were also indispensable. Su Yulan made two thick quilts for her daughter to take to the capital.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaor quickly objected. Carrying two such heavy quilts alone on a long train journey to the capital, having to guard them carefully along the way, seemed too troublesome.

However, leaving them behind was out of the question. Lu Jianping and Su Yulan would not agree. In the end, Lu Jiaor persuaded them to send the quilts ahead by mail, so she would only need to bring her luggage.

Unfortunately, items like basins, buckets, and hot water flasks were not so easy to bring. Otherwise, Su Yulan and Lu Jianping would have liked their eldest daughter to carry those as well.

Besides these, Lu Jianping and Su Yulan sought out local specialties for Lu Jiaor to bring to her in-laws. After all, there’s no such thing as too many gifts. Time was tight, though, and they managed to gather only about thirty pounds of native products—dried longan, peanuts, glutinous rice, honey, and sand cakes.

“Jiaor, here’s four hundred yuan. Keep it hidden on you. Don’t spend it recklessly. If anything happens, send us a telegram,” Su Yulan said the next evening, pulling her daughter into her room and pressing a thick wad of bills into her hand with a worried tone.

Su Yulan didn’t know whether it would be good or bad for her daughter to go this far. These days her heart had been uneasy; now tears brimmed in her eyes.

“Mom, you don’t have to give me so much. I definitely won’t need it,” Lu Jiaor said, handing half of the money back. This sum should have been the bride price from Gu Fengji, yet her mother had given her so much more.

Of course, she was short of money now, but she had plans, skills, and secret formulas. Soon enough, wealth would flow in, and she’d be counting money until her hands ached.

“Keep it. When you’re poor, having a path forward is wealth. This money belongs to you. If it weren’t for the wedding banquet and making clothes and quilts costing so much, you would have kept the whole five hundred yuan,” Su Yulan insisted.

“When you have money in your hands, your heart won’t be anxious. If anything happens, you won’t have to ask others for money or be looked down upon. We don’t spend much here at home; even if money is tight, we can borrow from relatives. But you’re different—you’re in a strange place, and you can only rely on yourself.”

Su Yulan firmly refused to take back the money her daughter offered. The more money she could send her away with, the better. Otherwise, she’d be even more worried.

What could Lu Jiaor say? Her mother was in tears. To ease her parents’ minds, she took the money. After all, in a few months, she would be sending money home.

While Su Yulan was still feeling sad and upset, Lu Jiaor quickly poured her a bowl of water and slipped a health tonic pill into it.

Besides Su Yulan, she had already found moments today to give the health tonic pills to Lu Jianping and her three younger siblings, at least ensuring their bodies would remain healthy for decades.

Now, without worries at home, Lu Jiaor had no reason to fret for the time being.

Early the next morning, Gu Fengji came to pick up Lu Jiaor himself. He was surprised to see she only had two large bags, having expected many more parcels.

The whole family squeezed into the jeep and headed for the train station in the city. The trip from the mountain town to Ning City took more than two hours.

By the time they arrived in Ning City, it was nearly noon. Gu Fengji first took them to a state-run restaurant near the station for lunch. After finishing the meal, he led the Lu family to the train station.

They arrived with less than an hour before departure. Using his status as a soldier, Gu Fengji led the Lu family directly onto the platform, waiting for the train to arrive.