svetikya Chapter 18: Zhangcheng
Chapter 18: Zhangcheng
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Zhang Lei, Ye Shuqin, and the other two sat on the oxcart.
Ahead were Ye Shuqin's three older brothers. Zhang Lei secretly rejoiced that Ye Shuqin's three older brothers were there to escort them to the car.
Seeing the refugees lying on the ground by the roadside, I truly felt the cruelty of reality after witnessing this scene with my own eyes.
It is said that food, clothing, shelter and transportation are the most important of all, since food is the most important thing for people.
In his previous life, Zhang Lei had only heard about the scenes of the three-year catastrophe from his grandfather, such as people hopping on trains to escape to Northeast China and eating tree bark to fill their stomachs. It wasn't until he saw it with his own eyes that he truly understood the heavy meaning behind the phrase "piles of white bones".
They soon arrived at the car stop. Zhang Lei looked at Ye Jianjun and said, "Brother, you know I'm a purchasing agent. I have some connections in Beijing. If you're ever short of food at home, remember to send me a message. I can get some grain from you."
Hearing Zhang Lei say this, Ye Jianjun patted Zhang Lei on the shoulder and said, "Alright, just take care of your own lives and don't worry about us. There are so many of us, we won't lack food."
Zhang Lei looked at Ye Jianjun, and then said solemnly, "Brother, I'm serious, I'm not joking. As you can see, the refugees fleeing to Beijing along the way will have an increasingly difficult time in the future."
Hearing Zhang Lei and Ye Jianjun's words, Ye Shuqin and the other two chimed in, "Big brother, just trust Zhang Lei. Since he said that, he must have the ability and connections. If you ever really need food at home, please remember to come to the city."
As he spoke, Zhang Lei gave Ye Jianjun his address and workplace in Beijing.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jianjun said, "Okay, I've got it. If we really lack food, I'll come to you."
Zhang Lei was relieved to see Ye Jianjun agree. After all, people could really starve to death in those days.
Soon, Zhang Lei led the three of them onto a bus back to the city.
When Zhang Lei finally got on the bus, he realized what it meant to be packed with people. The bus was filled with all sorts of people, carrying all kinds of bags and even poultry.
Once the bus started moving, Zhang Lei suddenly realized a serious problem: he was getting carsick.
The various unpleasant smells in the car, coupled with the bumpy ride, made Zhang Lei's stomach feel like it was churning. If Ye Shuqin hadn't been massaging the acupoints on his head to make him feel more comfortable, Zhang Lei would definitely have vomited.
As soon as the bus stopped, Zhang Lei didn't care about anything else and jumped out of the window, ran to the side and started vomiting.
This action startled Ye Shuqin and the other two, who quickly ran over to check on Zhang Lei's condition.
After vomiting for a while, Zhang Lei finally felt much better. He thought to himself, "I'd rather die than take the bus again. It's just too damn uncomfortable."
Only after confirming that Zhang Lei was alright did the three Ye sisters feel relieved.
Zhang Lei stared blankly for a moment, looking around at the scene of Beijing that he had only seen in old movies. He tried hard to recall the location of Nanluoguxiang by recalling fragments of his memory.
After thinking for a while, a familiar scene finally appeared in his mind. Zhang Lei looked at the three of them and said, "Let's go to the marriage registration office first."
The four walked and talked, and Zhang Lei looked at the three of them and said, "Are you sure?"
Ye Shuqi and Ye Shuhua looked at Zhang Lei and said, "We've decided. We'll let our eldest sister register for marriage, and we won't compete with her for it."
Hearing their conversation, Zhang Lei nodded to Ye Shuqin, then smiled and said, "So, what should you two call me?"
The two of them called out in unison, "Brother-in-law!"
Hearing the words "brother-in-law," Zhang Lei instantly felt satisfied and responded with a "Yes."
Ye Shuhua ran to Zhang Lei's side, hugged his arm, and said, "Brother-in-law, you mustn't stop loving me now that you have my sister, or I'll be heartbroken."
Seeing the mischievous Ye Shuhua, Zhang Lei quickly told her to let go of her hand, saying, "If you don't let go, and the Little Feet Detective Team sees you and criticizes you, I won't care."
Upon hearing "Little Feet Detective Team," Yeh Shu-hua quickly loosened her arms and nervously looked around.
Soon, they arrived at the marriage registration office.
The registration staff looked at the four people and asked with a puzzled expression, "Which one of them are you marrying?"
At this moment, Zhang Lei pointed at Ye Shuqin and said, "Me and her."
The registration staff rubbed their eyes, feeling like they were seeing things, and then checked again and again.
After Zhang Lei explained, the registration staff understood that these were triplets.
This immediately piqued the curiosity of everyone at the registration desk. Looking at the three identical people, one of the staff members asked curiously, "You haven't mistaken these three for each other, have you?"
Zhang Lei looked at it and said, "Don't worry, it's correct."
Just as the registration staff was about to ask something, the leader of the marriage registration office smiled from behind.
The registration staff quickly processed Zhang Lei and Ye Shuqin's marriage registration according to the policy.
Under the curious gazes of a group of people around them, Zhang Lei happily led the three of them out.
Looking at their marriage certificate, which resembled an award certificate, everyone was overjoyed.
After receiving the marriage certificate, Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said to the three of them, "Let's go take some photos."
The three women were very excited when they heard that a photo shoot was being taken.
At this moment, Zhang Lei and his group had just arrived at the photo studio. Looking at the deserted photo studio, Zhang Lei thought they had gone to the wrong place.
After all, these days people can't even get enough to eat, who has the time or inclination to take photos?
When Zhang Lei and his group walked in, the photographer looked up, then asked, "Who's taking pictures?"
Zhang Lei casually pointed at Ye Shuqi and said, "Let's take wedding photos."
The photographer looked at the group with curiosity again, and Zhang Lei and Ye Shuqi took pictures with their marriage certificate.
Taking advantage of the photographer's inattention, Ye Shuhua mischievously switched places with Ye Shuqi. Zhang Lei glanced at her and then asked the photographer to continue taking pictures.
Then Ye Shuqi made a noise, and Ye Shuqin went over to take pictures with Zhang Lei in turn.
At the end of the shoot, Zhang Lei looked at the three sisters and had everyone take a group photo, after which the three sisters took a solo photo.
The photographer watched as Zhang Lei and his three companions were photographed, and before they knew it, they had taken more than 20 pictures, which delighted the photographer.
After all, not many people take photos these days, and what they earned today is equivalent to a week's income for a photo studio.
After taking the photos and paying, the photographer gave me a receipt, saying I could only pick up the photos a week later.
This disappointed the three sisters, but Zhang Lei comforted them, saying that a week would pass quickly and if they were still not satisfied, they could take a few more pictures.
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Ye Shuhua's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Really? Brother-in-law?"
Zhang Lei nodded: "Really."
Ye Shuqin, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said, "Honey, don't listen to her nonsense. We need to be careful with our money. We can't be so extravagant in the future."
Ye Shuhua mischievously stuck out his tongue and stopped talking.
Zhang Lei smiled and said, "It's alright, don't worry, our family isn't short of money."