Chapter 548 Visiting in the New Year

Chapter 548 Visiting in the New Year

After Zhao Shuzhuo put his bicycle in the yard, he hurried into the house. Seeing the two people warming themselves by the fire, he shook his head slightly, but a gratified smile hung on his face:

"You two are such a worry to me. If you dare to sneak out again next time, I will show you how I will deal with you."

Although these were words of reproach, there was no harshness in the tone, but rather a family-like intimacy.

The three of them chatted with each other, and laughter echoed in the house. In this cold and snowy night, the warmth and friendship were like a charcoal fire.

The fire burned brighter and brighter, dispelling all the cold and gloom, and making them firmly believe that no matter what difficulties and hardships they would encounter in the future, as long as they relied on each other, they would be able to get through it safely.

In this freezing winter, God seemed to be particularly merciful and did not send down heavy snow in the next few days. Although the roads in the village were still covered with snow, at least there were no new obstacles.

Farm work was brought to a standstill by the severe cold, and everyone had a rare moment of free time. The busy figures that usually worked busily disappeared, and were replaced by relaxed and comfortable smiling faces as they strolled around the village visiting each other.

Every time we arrived at a house, we could hear laughter and joy before we even stepped through the threshold. Inside the house, the hot kang was burning brightly, and everyone sat together, eating homemade melon seeds and sharing gossip.

A child fell down in the snow, looking funny like a dog chewing mud.

Someone's chimney was blocked by snow, filling the house with smoke and making people cough. These trivial matters became funny things that could make people laugh after everyone talked about them.

However, Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo did not join the others in immersing themselves in the leisurely atmosphere of visiting friends.

They had more important things in mind, so they took advantage of this rare free time to visit all the people they needed to interact with on a daily basis and who were crucial to the development of the village.

These people, or experienced old hunters in the village, can teach hunting techniques so that everyone can have some extra food supplies during the snow season.

Or they may be skillful craftsmen whose skills may come in handy one day to solve the urgent needs of the village.

The two of them wrapped their cotton coats tightly, walked through the village paths with one step deep and one step shallow, against the cold wind.

Wherever he went, he would first hand over a cigarette that he usually didn't want to smoke, and then have a long chat with the other person, talking about the future plans of the village and how to deal with current difficulties, and the chat would last for most of the day.

The information and suggestions collected from each other are kept in their hearts like treasures, waiting to be carefully studied and put into practice in the future.

At the same time, they also put a visit to Grandpa Zhang on their agenda. Grandpa Zhang has worked at the railway station for many years and has seen a lot. Although he is retired, his network of contacts is still extensive and he can often bring some fresh news from the outside world to the village.

That day, Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo walked towards the train station on the thick snow, making a crunching sound.

Arriving at the train station, the two found the place where Uncle Zhang usually stayed. As soon as they showed up, Uncle Zhang greeted them warmly, and the wrinkles on his face deepened a little because of his smile.

After some greetings, Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo chatted with Uncle Zhang about family matters and asked about his health.

As he was talking, guard Zhang Lei passed by on patrol. Wang Jianguo was sharp-eyed and quickly called him over, smiling and handing him a cigarette:

"Zhang Lei, thank you for your hard work. Come, have a cigarette."

Zhang Lei smiled and waved his hand, took the cigarette, put it between his ears, and said:

"Brother Wang, Brother Zhao, you are here. It's so cold."

The three of them stood there and started chatting. As they chatted, the topic turned to train schedules, and Wang Jianguo asked casually:

"Zhang Lei, how is the train schedule these days? Something is going on in our village, so I may have to go out."

Zhang Lei scratched his head, thought for a while and said:

"There is a train to the city on the evening of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. The time of this train is quite fixed. Brother Wang, if you need it, you must prepare it in advance."

Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo looked at each other with a hint of surprise in their eyes. For them, this news was undoubtedly a ray of hope in the winter, and it might open up a new way out for the village.

They thanked Zhang Lei and Uncle Zhang again, then left the train station contentedly, facing the biting cold wind and striding towards the village with new hope in their hearts.

Along the way, the two of them were silently thinking about how to use this train to benefit the village.

Wang Jianguo hurried back to the village with the valuable information he got from the train station.

Along the way, the biting cold wind cut across his cheeks like a knife, but he was unaware of it. His mind was full of thoughts on how to maximize the value of this travel information and bring new opportunities to the village.

After entering the village, he walked straight towards Cheng Hai's house. The snow under his feet made a "crunching" sound, as if accompanying his eager footsteps.

When he arrived at Cheng Hai's house, Wang Jianguo didn't even bother to shake off the snowflakes on his shoulders. He pushed open the door and rushed in amidst a gust of cold air.

Cheng Hai was repairing farm tools in the house. Seeing Wang Jianguo in such a hurry, he put down his work, stood up, and asked in confusion:

"Jianguo, why are you so anxious? What happened?"

Wang Jianguo took a deep breath, calmed down, and then said excitedly:

"Cheng Hai, there is good news! There is a train to the city on the evening of the eighth day of the first lunar month. This is a rare opportunity, we must make good use of it."

As he spoke, he told Cheng Hai in detail what he had learned at the train station, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

After listening to this, Cheng Hai frowned slightly, thought for a moment and then said:

"This is indeed a good opportunity. I think we should bring a few more people with us this time. There is strength in numbers. Cheng Erhua is smart and has many ideas, and Liu Erzhu is hardworking and strong. If we take them along, they will definitely be of great help."

Wang Jianguo listened and nodded repeatedly to show his agreement:

"That's what I was thinking. With the two of them following us, we feel at ease."

Cheng Hai got up immediately and decided to inform Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu. He wrapped himself in a cotton coat, put on a cotton hat, stepped into the vast snow, and walked towards Cheng Erhua's house with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

On the way, the cold wind was howling, making it almost impossible for him to open his eyes, but the enthusiasm in his heart did not diminish in the slightest.

Arriving at Cheng Erhua's house, Cheng Hai knocked on the door and entered the room, telling Cheng Erhua the whole story in detail. Cheng Erhua's eyes lit up immediately and he said excitedly:

"This is a piece of cake. I will prepare for it early and never hold you back."