Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 175 Farewell Gift
Unfortunately, the weather turned bad, and a rare, continuous drizzle began to fall outside.

Drip, drip, ...

Several urgent horn blasts suddenly shattered the tranquility of the sky, followed by a massive, dark figure.

This was an extremely rare Shanghai sedan, not commonly seen even in the city, let alone in the countryside, which immediately attracted the attention of many villagers.

"Wow, this is a rare find. I've never seen anything like this in the village. I wonder whose car it is."

"Could it be Captain Wang's car? His family is one of the better-off families in our village."

"Captain Wang? It's not that I look down on him, but his family might be considered well-off in Wangjia Village, but they're nothing special in the city."

"This is a car. He can't even afford to maintain it, let alone buy it."

"That seems to make sense, but I wonder who in our Wangjia Village is so lucky to be the first to drive one of these big machines."

"Won't that make the whole village envious?"

"Don't even think about it, only the village office building can have that kind of luck."

"Especially once the sugar factory opens, our Wangjia Village might have its own official car, and that would be incredibly impressive."

"Private? How could a private individual possibly afford such a behemoth?"

"That seems to make sense. At that time, our Wangjia Village will be able to hold its head high again."

"Everyone, get out of the way! This car is coming! If we hit it or cause a minor collision, we'll be broke and unable to pay for the damages."

……

As the crowd retreated, the car continued deeper into the area, eventually stopping at the entrance of the educated youth settlement.

Drip, drip, ...

Several more urgent horn blasts sounded, as if urging something on.

Inside the room, hearing the horn sounding outside the door, Xia Mingyue urged:
"Qiuyun, your family has sent someone to pick you up. Don't keep them waiting."

"You've waited so long, isn't it just for this chance to go back now?"

Faced with the urging, An Qiuyun mechanically continued organizing her things, saying, "I haven't finished organizing my things yet, no rush, wait a little longer."

Xia Mingyue knew exactly what An Qiuyun was thinking. She sighed and said, "You, you're clearly looking forward to it, but you don't say anything."

"Even if Comrade Wang is incredibly resourceful, he can't possibly prepare for things he doesn't even know about."

"Let's go quickly, don't keep your family waiting."

An Qiuyun seemed not to hear, continuing to tidy her things, and said:
"Mingyue, don't talk nonsense. I just didn't organize my things properly. It has nothing to do with Comrade Wang."

"I'll leave once I've packed my things."

An Qiuyun was filled with conflicting emotions. Going home was something she was really looking forward to, but she felt like something was missing and she wasn't very interested.

However, just as An Qiuyun was dawdling, there was a loud knocking on the door, accompanied by a deep male voice:

"Sis, I'm here to pick you up."

"The car is already parked outside. In a few days, you'll be back with your parents."

The owner of the voice was none other than An Qiuyun's brother, An Dongsheng.

Judging from his voice, he seems to be an extremely reliable person.

Knowing she couldn't avoid it any longer, An Qiuyun sighed, picked up her already packed luggage, and said:

"Brother, I'm here."

Seeing the familiar face outside the door, An Qiuyun put down her luggage, rushed up and gave An Dongsheng a big hug, saying:

"Brother, you've really gone to a lot of trouble, coming all this way."

An Dongsheng shook his head slightly and said, "You are my sister, An Dongsheng's sister. It's never too much for me to treat you well."

“If the situation hadn’t been so bad, your family wouldn’t have sent you to the countryside.”

"Now that we've settled down in Shanghai, it's just right to bring you over."

After saying that, An Dongsheng turned to look at Xia Mingyue and said very politely:
"This pretty young lady must be Xia Zhiqing. Thank you for taking care of Qiuyun all these years."

"I came in a hurry this time and didn't have time to prepare any gifts."

"Here is a red envelope. Although the amount is not large, it is a token of our appreciation from the An family. Please accept it."

An Dongsheng spoke modestly, saying the amount wasn't large, but judging from the bulging appearance of the red envelope, the amount was clearly not small.

Without waiting for Xia Mingyue to refuse, An Qiuyun snatched the red envelope and stuffed it into Xia Mingyue's arms, saying:
"Mingyue, I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again after this parting. Thank you for taking care of me all this time."

"Don't be polite with my brother. He's just a fool with too much money. If I don't give you this money, he might get scammed by someone else. Just give me face and accept this money."

Since An Qiuyun had already said that, Xia Mingyue naturally couldn't refuse anymore and could only express her gratitude to An Dongsheng.

The rest was much simpler. Now that An Dongsheng had taken action, An Qiuyun naturally couldn't hide any longer.

The two of them, carrying their luggage, plunged headlong into the rain.

Xia Mingyue quickly followed and used an umbrella to shield An Qiuyun from the rain.

Before long, the luggage was put away, and the two were already sitting in the back seat of the car.

Seeing An Qiuyun's seemingly sullen expression, An Dongsheng smiled indulgently and said:

“My dear sister, could it be that you’ve found a lover in the village? You don’t seem to want to leave at all.”

"Should I drive to your lover's house so you two can see each other one last time?"

It's clear that An Dongsheng and An Qiuyun have a very good relationship; they even dare to make jokes like this.

An Qiuyun glared at An Dongsheng with annoyance and said, "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

"Let's drive. I'm just a little reluctant to leave Wangjia Village, where I've lived for several years. I want to see it one last time."

With a smug smile, An Dongsheng quickly ordered, "Uncle Lu, drive."

"This trip has already taken a long time, we can't linger here any longer."

Uncle Lu, the driver, seemed rather serious. He simply nodded, started the engine, and drove the car off.

Hearing the roar of the engine, An Qiuyun seemed to have completely given up struggling, her body weak and she slumped into her seat.

An Dongsheng shook his head at An Qiuyun's behavior, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he had arrived early, otherwise his sister might have been trapped here.

Despite her own sister being very intelligent, she still embarked on the irreversible path of a rich heiress falling in love with a poor boy.

Fortunately, I arrived not too late.

In this era of slow travel and distant correspondence, time and distance are the most powerful magic, enough to erase the thoughts of many.

However, as the car continued to move forward, a figure could be vaguely seen riding a bicycle towards the educated youth settlement in the light drizzle.

The next moment, An Qiuyun's eyes suddenly lit up. But then, as if she had thought of something, she ultimately remained silent, watching the bicycle brush past her.

Since nothing is destined to happen, stopping Wang Chengpeng now would only cause him unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, An Qiuyun also felt that she was being a bit too presumptuous. The other person might just be passing by, so why should she assume that the other person was looking for her?
Thinking this, An Qiuyun returned to her previous state, quietly watching the bicycle get further and further away from her.

Looking at Xia Mingyue standing at the entrance of the educated youth settlement with a puzzled expression, Wang Chengpeng asked:

"Xia, what are you doing standing here?"

"By the way, where is An Zhiqing?"

“I heard she was planning to leave Wangjia Village today. Since we’ve met, I decided to come and see her anyway.”

Looking at Wang Chengpeng's sudden visit with surprise, Xia Mingyue said in astonishment:

“An Zhiqing has already left. Just now, she left in a black car with her family.”

"There's only one road here, didn't you see it when you came?"

Wang Chengpeng naturally encountered the black sedan, and was even somewhat surprised that such a large vehicle would exist in Wangjia Village.

Even if it was just passing by, it was still rather unusual.

However, Wang Chengpeng wasn't a gossipy person, so he didn't look closely at the car, but he didn't expect that An Qiuyun was sitting in the car.

After a quick estimate, I think it should still be possible to head back now.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng waved to Xia Mingyue in gratitude and said:

"Thank you, Xia Zhiqing. I have something to attend to, so I'll have to go now. Let's chat again next time."

Without waiting for Xia Mingyue's response, Wang Chengpeng rode his bicycle and rushed back into the rain.

Watching Wang Chengpeng's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Xia Mingyue murmured:

"Comrade Wang actually knows about Qiu Yun's departure. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"There are always many beautiful memories from our youth. The experiences may be unforgettable, but they are nothing more than a bit of vicissitude in our memories."

"As long as you don't regret it, then you haven't wasted your youth!"

Thinking this way, Xia Mingyue stopped feeling melancholy and got up to walk towards her room.

It's raining today, so it's best not to stay outside. Getting a fever and falling ill would be a big problem in this day and age.

While cars are nice, they are not suitable for the complex road conditions in the countryside.

If it weren't for the fact that Wangjia Village's conditions were barely acceptable, cars might not even be able to drive in.

In addition, it was raining today, which obstructed visibility, so the car's speed might not actually be as fast as Wang Chengpeng's bicycle.

The rain was thick and blurry, and after riding for an unknown amount of time, Wang Chengpeng finally managed to make out a vague black figure ahead.

Without hesitation, Wang Chengpeng called out, "An Zhiqing, wait a moment."

Wang Chengpeng's voice was deep and resonant, penetrating so clearly that it pierced through the pattering rain and the sound of the car, reaching the ears of the three people inside.

An Dongsheng glanced at An Qiuyun with amusement and teased, "Sis, your lover has come knocking on your door."

Whether or not to stop the car is entirely up to you.

An Dongsheng was very clever and had no intention of being a bad older brother or hindering An Qiuyun.

Once An Qiuyun leaves this place, no matter who comes next, or how outstanding they are, there will be no possibility for them to continue being together.

Forcibly stopping them would only cause the siblings to become enemies, and would not benefit An Dongsheng at all.

In that case, he might as well be more generous and give the choice directly to An Qiuyun.

With her delicate brows furrowed, An Qiuyun felt incredibly agitated as she listened to Wang Chengpeng's voice.
Impulse and reason clashed, but reason ultimately prevailed slightly, and he spoke:

"Uncle Lu, drive a little faster."

At An Qiuyun's instruction, the car, which was not moving fast, suddenly accelerated, widening the distance between itself and Wang Chengpeng.

Seeing this, Wang Chengpeng didn't care at all and pedaled his bicycle even faster.

This is Wangjia Village. He rode through Wangjia Village without a care in the world, so there's no way he could outrun a snail-paced car.

Sure enough, as Wang Chengpeng accelerated, he got closer and closer to the car.

Finally, when the two had moved closer together, Wang Chengpeng spoke again:
"An Zhiqing, wait a moment."

At this moment, Wang Chengpeng's voice was already clearly audible. Even if An Qiuyun wanted to bury her head in the sand, there was nothing she could do unless she planned to completely break with Wang Chengpeng.

Fine, I'll indulge myself a little this once.

Thinking of this, An Qiuyun said, "Uncle Lu, please stop the car for a moment."

As the car window rolled down, An Qiuyun indeed saw Wang Chengpeng's familiar face.

Before she could say anything, Wang Chengpeng reached into his pocket and pulled out a rectangular prism wrapped tightly in oil paper.

To An Qiuyun's astonishment, Wang Chengpeng handed her the rectangular prism and said:

“An Zhiqing, we’ve known each other for a while now, why didn’t you say goodbye before you left?”

"This is just a small token of my appreciation, it's not worth much, please accept it."

Wishing you a bright future and all the best!

Stunned, An Qiuyun took the rectangular box from Wang Chengpeng, feeling the lingering warmth on it. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, but in the end, she could only manage to say, "Thank you."

With a wave of his hand, Wang Chengpeng said with a smile, "Alright, since the things have been delivered, I won't delay An Zhiqing's trip any longer."

Farewell, and may we meet again someday.

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng rode off on his bicycle and quickly disappeared into the rain.

Wang Chengpeng's decisive departure surprised An Dongsheng greatly.

He had expected to witness a heart-wrenching drama of separation and death, but he never imagined that the play would end so abruptly.

The visitor didn't even ask where An Qiuyun was going or whether they could keep in touch by letter in the future; the visitor was as decisive as if he were saying goodbye to a stranger.

Could it be that I've misunderstood?
But judging from An Qiuyun's behavior, she didn't seem like someone who was alright at all.

It's rather illogical that there wasn't a dramatic love triangle unfolding here.

Seeing An Qiuyun still in a daze, An Dongsheng exclaimed as if he had discovered the truth:
"Little sister, you're not in a one-sided love relationship, and he doesn't even like you?"

Before An Dongsheng could say anything more, An Qiuyun covered his mouth and ordered impatiently:
"Uncle Lu, drive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the black sedan started up again, tearing through the rain and continuing its journey.

(End of this chapter)