Chapter 242: Chapter 234: Jining
They drove along, stopping and starting without hurrying. Tian Sisi would have Tian Xinhua pull over whenever she saw beautiful scenery, so she could have some photos taken of herself. Sometimes, Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin also joined in for a few snaps. Their journey was incredibly relaxing and leisurely.
When they reached the sparsely populated suburbs, Tian Sisi would have Tian Xinhua give up his seat so she could drive. The roads were truly deserted, and she didn’t have to worry about crashing at all.
Seeing that Tian Sisi could actually drive, Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Once they came to their senses, they clamored to learn how to drive as well. With no other choice, Tian Xinhua somewhat reluctantly taught them the basics of driving. He let them try it out for a bit before letting them hit the road. If there was ever an award for the most irresponsible driving instructor, Tian Xinhua would certainly be a top contender.
Luckily, there were no traffic police around, nor was there any need for a driver’s license. Otherwise, all four of them would have been hauled off to the police station for a few days. Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin got the hang of it quickly, and after less than an hour, they drove with impressive proficiency—a sight that would make those who spend ten days to half a month to get a driver’s license blush.
Bumping along the way, they finally arrived in Jining around three or four in the afternoon. The streets of Jining City were much simpler compared to those in Shanghai and Beijing, but they were nonetheless bustling. Most of the people on the streets were Han, but there was also a considerable number of Mongolians wearing long robes. Even in the heat of summer, they wore thick robes, and the air on the street was mixed with an unbearable stench of foulness.
It is said that these Mongolian nomads bathe only three times in their lives: at birth, marriage, and death. The only true bath happens at marriage, when the bride and groom wash away the filth with clean water before the wedding ceremony. This is somewhat on par with what Sanmao wrote about the locals in the Sahara Desert. The only difference is that those locals use rocks to scrub themselves clean, whereas here, they use more refined methods such as sheep or horse milk for the other two occasions.
Of course, this was the case under difficult conditions. After economic development and the nomads gradually settling down, they naturally didn’t continue to abstain from bathing like before.
Not bathing, coupled with wearing thick sheepskin robes all year round and eating pungent dairy products and mutton, resulted in a mix of body odor and the stench of meat—an indescribably unique smell. Tian Sisi, with her sensitive sense of smell, found these peculiar odors torturous. Unable to stand it any longer, she sprayed some homemade osmanthus fragrance in the car, which provided some relief.
"Sixth Brother, these people really stink, and they look very dirty too. Don’t they ever bathe?" Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin couldn’t bear it either.
"Without water, how can they bathe?" Tian Xinhua replied irritably, also feeling quite uncomfortable due to the smell.
"Ah? Then wouldn’t we end up smelling like them!" Tian Qinghua couldn’t accept that idea and wished he could head back home immediately.
"How could that be possible? The military region where Third Uncle is must have water. Otherwise, how could Third Aunt, who loves cleanliness so much, bear living there?" Tian Sisi reassured confidently.
"That’s good to hear. Having water is good. If I had to go a month without bathing, I’d be covered in lice!" Both Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin relaxed upon hearing there was water available.
The Jining Military Region wasn’t hard to find. After alighting from the car and asking around, Tian Xinhua found it quickly. Two imposing armed guards stood at the entrance. Approaching them, Tian Xinhua gave Tian Aiguo’s name and said they were his relatives.
Tian Xinhua had phoned Tian Aiguo the night before to have him alert the gate guards. So when the guard heard Tian Xinhua’s name, he warmly asked them to wait and then ran to the guardhouse to make a call.
Soon after, a soldier in his twenties came over briskly. The soldier introduced himself enthusiastically: "I’m Shou Guangzu, the division commander’s personal guard. The commander is currently in a meeting. I will accompany you to his house first."
"Uncle Shou, why does your accent sound like it’s from our area?" Tian Sisi looked at this Shou Guangzu, her mind stirred, and she had a guess.
"Hehe, you must be Ah Nan, right? I’m your little aunt’s husband’s cousin, and you also know my father. He’s the village chief of Huangkeng Village. I joined the military here the year before last and was fortunate enough to be chosen as a guard by the division commander."
So that’s how it is. Tian Sisi and Tian Xinhua exchanged glances. No wonder the Village Chief Shou has been taking better care of their little aunt and her husband. With their own son serving under the Third Uncle, how could they not be looked after?
"So you are a relative! Hi, Uncle Shou!"
"Hi, you guys are really amazing, driving over here by yourselves. It must’ve taken several days to drive from Sui City to here, right?" Shou Guangzu saw the jeep and was secretly astonished. These youngsters were only in their teens, weren’t they? How could they be so bold!
"We drove here from Beijing, left in the morning and arrived now, pretty fast."
"That’s pretty impressive too."
Tian Aiguo lived in a two-story detached house with yards both in front and back. It should be said that it’s a relatively high-standard residence. Xu Qianwen, Tian Lili, and Tian Weihua were all at home, and they were startled to suddenly see Tian Sisi and the others appear.
"Xinhua, Ah Nan, Qinghua, Weixin, how did you guys get here? Is it just the four of you? No adults came with you?" Xu Qianwen fired off several questions in a row.
"We drove here ourselves, just the four of us." Tian Xinhua spoke as their delegated representative, and the others were not very willing to talk to Xu Qianwen.
"Oh my, you kids are really too daring. That’s taking a huge risk, to drive such a long way on your own. Have you eaten the hearts of bears and the gall of leopards!"
Xu Qianwen was truly worried. Thankfully, nothing happened to the children. If something had gone wrong, how could she and Ai Guo explain it to the folks back home? Tian Sisi found herself feeling a bit less animosity towards Xu Qianwen, seeing her genuine concern.
"Big sister, I’ll go grab some dishes from the canteen," Shou Guangzu said smartly from the side.
"Okay, that would be a trouble for you, Xiao Shou. Here’s the money, get us some more meat." Xu Qianwen took out some money from her bag and handed it to Shou Guangzu. It was apparent that Shou Guangzu and Xu Qianwen had a good relationship.
"Third Aunt, don’t bother with the meat. We just bought a lot of beef and mutton on the road," Tian Xinhua hurriedly said.
"Then Xiao Shou, don’t bother with the meat; just grab some vegetables instead."
Shou Guangzu took the money and left. Xu Qianwen went to prepare dinner in the kitchen, and Tian Xinhua pulled Tian Weihua to help carry booze and meat from the car. They had exchanged these meats for leftover tea eggs they had from breakfast with a Mongolian old man who seemed to like these tea eggs a lot and gave them plenty of meat.