When Chen Lan and Chun Ni found Jia Yao and Jia Hui, and Jia Xing and Jia He, the four children, Er Zhuang and Ming Wei and her son were already at home, chatting with their mother and elder uncle and aunt.
Because they had to rush, Chen Lan did not dare to delay any further. She asked Jia Yao to get some self-defense medicine and his belongings from his small pharmacy, and told the children to go back to their rooms to pack their personal items and backpacks. After informing her mother and elder uncle, she prepared to depart immediately.
The elder uncle frowned and asked in surprise, "Xiao Lan, why are you in such a hurry? You're going so far away, and you're only carrying such a small backpack. The children's and your own luggage are not packed yet. Tell me the truth, did something happen to Ming Xuan?"
Chen Lan, afraid of being exposed, immediately replied, "Uncle, I've already prepared the luggage. I went out just now and put the luggage directly at the entrance of the valley. I can just pick it up when we leave."
The elder aunt also asked with confusion, "Yes! Xiao Lan, why are you leaving in such a hurry? There was no prior notice. Are you hiding something from us?"
Chen Lan, afraid of saying too much and being exposed, quickly replied, "Uncle, Auntie, what are you saying? What could possibly happen? If something really happened, how could I still be taking four children with me? Don't you think so? Er Zhuang has returned to the valley, and I suddenly remembered that the children were talking about missing their father a few days ago. So, on a whim, I decided to visit Brother Ming Xuan. Besides, the children have never left the valley since they grew up. It's not busy in the valley now, so I want to take them out to see the world."
Under the suspicious gazes of her elder uncle and aunt, Chen Lan immediately said goodbye to her mother and everyone else with the four children. Chen Lan used the excuse of the strong sun outside and did not let her mother and elder uncle and aunt see them off, only asking her eldest daughter Chun Ni to accompany her.
As Chen Lan walked forward quickly, she instructed Chun Ni, who was seeing her off, "Big girl, I'm leaving the family to you, Second Girl, and Third Girl. While I'm away, take good care of the elders at home. Remember to sleep with Little Tenth Sister at night, and before you sleep, don't forget to apply the swelling and pain relief ointment to her fingers. The ointment is on the bedside table..."
Chen Lan rambled on and on, repeatedly giving many instructions, always worried.
Chun Ni smiled gently and replied, "Mother, you can rest assured and go see Father! You stayed away for so long last time you visited your relatives in Suifenhe, and the family was still taken care of by us. Now that we are older, you should be even more relieved. Just take them and play with your father there for a while while the weather is good, and then come back."
Chen Lan smiled and patted Chun Ni's hand, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry, how can I not be worried? My daughters are all so capable, how can Mother not be worried? Mother is getting old and a bit nagging, not because she doesn't trust you three sisters. Big girl, don't be angry!"
Chen Lan and her group took the old route again, first driving the old Dongfeng, which had been parked by the mountain, to Changchun, and then taking a train from Changchun to Harbin. However, this time the driver was replaced by the four children, Jia Yao and the others, taking turns driving. Since they had been to Changchun several times, and it was summer, Chen Lan and her group decided to drive through the night to Changchun, so they could take the earliest train to Harbin the next morning.
Chen Lan and her group of six arrived at Changchun Railway Station before dawn. While it was still dark, Chen Lan had everyone quickly get off the car and store the old Jiefang in the system's warehouse. Then, she purchased bread and milk from the system and had everyone eat quickly in the dark. After that, she had the four children change into the most popular clothing of this era – green military uniforms, and then walked into the railway station waiting room with Er Zhuang and the four children.
The letter of introduction for taking the train was made by the system, imitating Er Zhuang's. After showing it to Er Zhuang, he was dumbfounded, saying that it was even more authentic than his real one, and that it was flawless. Er Zhuang's process of buying tickets with the letter of introduction was incredibly smooth.
After the group boarded the train, and the train finally set off, Chen Lan couldn't help but lament how slow the trains were in this era! The distance of about 280 kilometers from Changchun to Harbin took almost more than four hours. In modern times, it would take about an hour and a half by high-speed rail, and even less by bullet train, perhaps about an hour.
The trains in this era were still steam trains. As the train moved forward, it emitted puffs of black smoke. The four children were seeing the outside world for the first time, venturing far from home for the first time, and riding a train for the first time, so everything they saw was incredibly novel. They chattered incessantly.
Chen Lan sat on the train, watching the fields and mountains outside the window flash by, and gazing at the rising smoke from the distant villages. Chen Lan's thoughts also drifted far away.
Chen Lan felt a little worried that Xu Ming Xuan might suffer in the next few days. She wondered if his body could withstand it. After all, he was already in his forties and no longer young, and he still had old injuries from the war.
The train finally arrived at Harbin Railway Station at 10:30 AM. Perhaps due to the summer, not many people were getting on or off the train. As Chen Lan and her group walked out of the railway station, they saw a tall monument in the center of the railway station square from afar. The street by the railway was lined with single-story buildings in Russian style, and the roads were shaded by green trees. Er Zhuang led them to the railway station square, where several large buses with yellow roofs and red bodies were parked. On the other side of the square, trams were parked.
The group followed Er Zhuang onto a bus, and after one transfer, they arrived at the Zhanqian Hostel in Nan'gang District. This was because it was relatively close to their Harbin Agricultural Management Bureau.
Chen Lan took out five letters of introduction, which had been prepared earlier, from the system's warehouse and handed them to Er Zhuang. She said, "Er Zhuang, go open three guest rooms. It's hot, so don't be too frugal. Don't worry about the money. Rest assured, we'll make money tonight when we go out."
Er Zhuang smoothly opened three guest rooms with the letters of introduction. After the group had a simple meal of claypot rice in the rooms, Er Zhuang took all the donation receipts from the two families given to him by Chen Lan and went to their general office.
Chen Lan did not stay at the hostel. She took the children, a family of five, to wander on the streets, planning to familiarize themselves with the terrain during the day and then find the black market in the area, so they could do business there at night to exchange for money and coupons of this era.