As the mother-in-law’s urging continued, a group of men and women, young and old, after leisurely finishing their meal, slowly got into their respective vehicles, ready to depart.
Outside the car window, the gentle sunlight pierced through the clouds, filtering down through the dense, layered leaves and dappling the ground with shimmering golden spots.
Beyond the car window was a fleeting landscape. Unknown birds flew in the sky, trees swayed by the roadside, and in the distance, verdant mountains and babbling streams could be seen.
Chen Lan extended her fingers slightly out of the car window, feeling the mountain breeze gently blow past her fingertips and the unsparing warmth of the sun.
Chen Lan felt that travel was much like life; the most important thing was not the destination, but the scenery they passed along the way, and the mood and attitude of the person viewing it.
It was now the daily morning reading time. Inside the car, Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Ming Zhe each held a book, reading diligently.
Wen Kai was reading "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," a story primarily about a naturalist, his servant, and a harpooner who journeyed underwater with a submarine captain.
Wen Qi was reading "The Wind in the Willows," a story about the changing lives of animals living by the river and in the wild woods as the seasons shifted.
Ming Zhe was reading "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils," a tale about Nils, a naughty child who disliked studying and loved to cause trouble, who embarked on a strange, long journey riding a large white goose with a flock of wild geese.
These books were three of the seven books Chen Lan had purchased from the system.
The seven books were "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," "Around the World in Eighty Days," "The Adventures of Pinocchio," "Reynard the Fox," "Bambi," "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils," and "The Wind in the Willows."
They were said to be essential classics for a child’s upbringing, capable of enhancing their temperament and cultivation, broadening their horizons, and refining their sentiments.
Jia Hui and Jia Yao, the two little ones, were still fast asleep!
Wenrou Niang was also looking at the "World Fashion" magazine that Chen Lan had bought for her from the system. She sighed in amazement as she looked at the fashionable attire from all over the world seventy years later.
Chen Lan smiled knowingly at Wenrou Niang’s sigh, with little bubbles of happiness suddenly rising in her heart, as she continued to gaze at the scenery outside the car window.
Perhaps the most beautiful scenery was always on the road, and the most profound friendships were always in people’s hearts.
The RV drove forward for over an hour. By this time, the two little ones had woken up and were drinking milk. Chen Lan asked her three younger brothers to rest for a while and give their eyes a break, gazing at the distant green trees outside the window to alleviate their eye strain.
Chen Lan asked Xiang Xi if he wanted to stop and rest for a while before continuing. Xiang Xi refused, saying he wanted to drive straight to a suitable stopping point like yesterday, set up camp, and then rest well. Chen Lan didn't bother him further and let him continue driving.
The car continued to bump along for another hour. At a three-way intersection ahead, there was a roadblock and a checkpoint. Xiang Xi asked nervously, "What about Little Lanzi?"
Chen Lan quickly reassured Xiang Xi, saying indifferently, "Don't worry, little watermelon, there's no need to be nervous. We haven't done anything wrong. Besides, this is just a routine check because we're about to exit the pass."
Xiang Xi steadied his nerves and slowly drove the car to the stopping point at the checkpoint. The four cars behind them also stopped at the designated area for inspection. Everyone got out to be checked, including the mother-in-law and Wenrou Niang, each holding a sleeping Jia Yao and Jia Hui.
At this point, two male officers walked over from the checkpoint. One was older, around thirty years old, and the other was younger, around twenty.
The younger officer asked Xiang Xi to provide proof of identity. Xiang Xi looked at Chen Lan, who immediately produced all the household registration and status proofs she had prepared for everyone and handed them to the younger officer. The younger officer looked at them and then passed them to the older officer, saying, "Captain, please take a look!"
The older captain carefully examined all the proofs twice.
With a stern expression, he asked, "Are all thirty of you, old and young, going to Jilin Fusong to reclaim land? And there are two infants?"
Chen Lan replied with certainty, "Yes! All of us are."
The older captain pointed his finger sternly at Teacher Zhou Jicheng and his four students and continued, "The documents say they are teachers and students from Imperial Capital University. Are they also going to reclaim land?"
Teacher Zhou Jicheng replied, "Yes, we are all going to Jilin Fusong to reclaim land." His four students also chimed in, "We are all participating voluntarily."
The older captain asked to inspect the vehicles. Chen Lan told Xiang Xi to take the two officers for the inspection. The inspection of the five vehicles took nearly an hour, and finally, it was completed. As nothing was found and all the paperwork was in order, they were allowed to proceed.
Once the RV was back on the road, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
Chen Lan asked Xiang Xi, who was driving the RV, "Little watermelon, why did the inspection take so long?"
Xiang Xi replied with a smile while driving, "They were both bewildered, just like we were when we first saw the solar RV. I explained for a long time, and they still didn't understand. Besides, there's not much space in the car, so it was obvious what was inside at a glance. They also checked under each car and found nothing. Finally, the younger officer asked a crucial question."
Chen Lan immediately interjected, "What crucial question?"
Xiang Xi said, "He asked why we didn't see any fuel tanks in the car. I said there were no fuel tanks; our car runs by absorbing sunlight through the solar panels on the outside to store electricity, which is then converted into power by the battery and generator set. In the end, he was still bewildered."
After leaving the pass, the RV continued to bump along. Chen Lan felt that the further they went, the colder it got. She quickly reminded Wenrou Niang and her two younger brothers to add clothes, and first covered the two sleeping infants with a thin quilt.
She immediately opened the system and ordered warmer, thicker clothes. For the three younger brothers, she bought children's thickened, fleece-lined canvas jacket sets.
For Wenrou Niang, her mother-in-law, Liu Mama, and Cui Mama, she bought differently colored, thickened, fleece-lined, and extra-long cashmere coats.
For the young wives and Ming Wei, she bought cashmere thickened, fleece-lined, and extra-long coats.
For Uncle Fu and Uncle De, like Xiang Xi and all the adult males, she bought the same style of black leather jacket sets with thickened, fleece-lined interiors, only in different sizes.
Chen Lan took out all the goods she had just purchased and first picked out the clothes for Wenrou Niang and her three younger brothers, asking them to change quickly.
She asked Xiang Xi to stop temporarily so he could put on his leather jacket set first, and then call the people in the cars behind to come and get their clothes.
After another period of busyness, half an hour later, once everyone had changed into their new outfits, the convoy set off again, heading towards the next stopping point.