Chapter 73: End of Friendship
The half-hour visit was very short and passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Yunqi had come here once before, but he did not go up to join his family in rushing to talk to his father. At the last moment, he told his father that he would come to see him again after the Spring Festival.

From the beginning to the end, looking at these obedient and sensible children, Dad Zhang was always smiling, nodding constantly, and saying yes, saying that I was doing well in there too.

He didn't dare to say too much, for fear that he couldn't hold it back. He kept letting the surging tears flow into his stomach through the nasal tube. Even when he stood up and went back to the cell, looking at his wife with red eyes, Chunlan and Qiulan sobbing with their hands covering their mouths, and Xiaoxiao crying and shouting for daddy in Yunqi's arms, he still waved his trembling hands at the family outside the glass and said with a smile: "Seeing that my home is so good, I feel at ease in there. It's getting late, you guys should go back early, Yunfeng Yunqi, on New Year's Day, remember to sweep your grandfather's grave for me!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Zhang Yunqi held tightly to Zhang Xiaoxiao, who was crying and shouting, "Dad, come back! Come home with me!", and silently watched the hunched back disappear at the door. At that moment, an extremely strong idea surged in his heart.

On the way back, the family's emotions gradually calmed down. Zhang Xiaoxiao, who cried the loudest, got tired of crying and fell asleep in Zhang Yunqi's arms.

Time is the best medicine to heal pain. After the family returned home, after a few days, the busyness of the year-end diluted everyone's longing for Zhang Dad, and even Zhang Xiaoxiao became lively again.

For them, life is no longer as poor as before, and the Zhang family has new hope for the future. Father Zhang will be released in a year. They should work hard to make their lives more prosperous and wait for Father Zhang to be released and enjoy his retirement. This is the serious matter.

In a blink of an eye, it is already the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. According to Chinese customs, it is time to celebrate the Little New Year and buy New Year's goods.

According to Zhang's mother, they could just go to the market in Longwan town to buy New Year's goods. However, Zhang Yunqi didn't think so. In the past, he felt satisfied as long as he had pork to eat during the New Year, and he would be so happy that he couldn't sleep all night if he could ask a tailor to make a new dress. But this is not called the New Year, it's called making do. He said that he happened to be going to his eldest sister's house tomorrow to deliver New Year's dishes, and he could buy New Year's goods in the city.

Aunt Zhang couldn't persuade him and agreed.

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Yunfeng went to the town again and rented a van to take his family to the city. Before leaving, Zhang Yunqi called Ji Ling's home and told her that he would visit her today and would arrive at about 9:30.

Ji Ling was bored and said, "I'll wait for you."

Zhang Yunqi's family took a car to the city and split up. Zhang's mother and Zhang Yunfeng went to his eldest sister's house to deliver New Year's dishes. Zhang Yunqi carried 30 kilograms of tea oil, 20 kilograms of homemade sorghum wine and 6 kilograms of pork elbow, and took a taxi with his two younger sisters to the Shuixie Yundu villa area where Ji Ling lived.

Arriving at Shuixie Yundu, Zhang Xiaoxiao leaned against the window and looked at the high-end villas inside. He said with wide eyes, "What a beautiful palace, just like the one in the book."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said: "You will also live in a palace like this in the future, which will be bigger and more beautiful."

The taxi driver was a cheerful middle-aged man. He smiled and said to Zhang Yunqi: "Young man, when I was your age, I thought the same thing."

Zhang Yunqi just smiled and said nothing.

The taxi arrived at the gate of Shuixie Yundu. Zhang Yunqi asked the driver to stop. He had already seen Ji Ling, who was standing inside the iron gate at the gate. She was wearing a white hoodie and black pants, a black windbreaker, a baseball cap upside down on her head, and a pair of pure white Nikes on her feet. She leaned against the wall with her hands in her pockets, watching the cars coming and going on the street. She looked a little nonchalant, but her delicate little face was very clear under the sun, with a kind of pure beauty.

Zhang Yunqi asked the driver to stop the car and asked his two sisters to wait for him in the car. He got out of the car carrying tea oil, sorghum wine and pork elbows and came to the iron gate.

Ji Ling asked the security guard to open the door. Looking at the things Zhang Yunqi was carrying when he came in, he narrowed his eyes and said, "What are you carrying?"

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "I sent this New Year's Eve meal to your family."

Ji Ling flipped through the bag and said, "Tea oil, pork thigh, and local wine. You are so thoughtful. These are all my dad's favorite foods and drinks."

Zhang Yunqi laughed and said, "What are you talking about? I don't know what your mother likes to eat or drink."

Ji Ling widened his eyes and said, "Have you ever thought about what I like to eat or drink?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "I know, there are rice dumplings for 80 cents a bowl next to the No. 1 Middle School. I will treat you to a full meal when school starts."

"Xiao Zhang, why do I feel like this is the end of our friendship?"

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "Come on, I'm just kidding. You can pick whatever you want to eat or drink later. By the way, are your parents home?" Ji Ling shook his head, "No, they are very busy."

Zhang Yunqi originally wanted to meet Ji Zhong, keep in touch with him, and talk about his father, but Ji Zhong was not at home, so he had to go to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to find him tomorrow.

Zhang Yunqi brought tea oil, pork elbows and homemade sorghum wine to Ji Ling's home. On the way back to the taxi, he told Ji Ling that he wanted her to take her two sisters to buy new clothes. This girl was simple but not simple in her clothes. She was particularly clear and bright. At least in Jiangchuan No. 1 Middle School, where there were many rich girls, he couldn't find anyone with better clothing taste than Ji Ling.

Ji Ling asked him: "Do you have any request?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "Good, expensive ones, my two sisters like them."

Ji Ling sighed: "It's great to have a rich brother."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "It's the same for you. As long as you like it, you can pick whatever you like, whether it's good or expensive."

"Student Zhang has performed very well. I won't be polite then. Let's go." Ji Ling pulled Zhang Yunqi to the door. Her delicate little face was so smiling that everyone loved it and flowers bloomed when she saw it.

After getting in the car, Ji Ling told the driver to go to Ximen Street.

Ximen Street is the most prosperous commercial street in Jiangchuan City, lined with trading stores, clothing stores, and snack bars. When Zhang Yunqi and his three companions arrived here, he saw a newly opened KFC, the entrance of which was crowded with adults and children who wanted to try Western food. Although supermarkets have not yet entered Jiangchuan City, there are large state-owned shopping malls and supply and marketing cooperatives that are privately contracted and subleased. The supplies are extremely rich and the service attitude is also very good.

Walking on this street, Zhang Yunqi could clearly feel the changes of the times and the power of the market economy. Countless new things were displayed on the counters, and endless new gadgets were imported from overseas. The clothes worn by pedestrians on the street had changed from the uniform "blue, black and white" to colorful fashionable clothes. Foreign brands shined in major department stores, from white appliances to lighters, from children's toys to men's and women's clothing, Chunlan and Xiaoxiao were dazzled by the sight.

It was the first time for Chunlan and Xiaoxiao to walk on the pedestrian street. The most prosperous scene they had ever seen was probably the market in Longwan Town. Facing the bustling and flowery Ximen Street, the timidity of country people who had never seen the world was revealed. Fortunately, they liked Ji Ling very much, especially Zhang Xiaoxiao. Wherever they went, they held Ji Ling's hand and were inseparable from her. They thought this city sister was beautiful and a good person.

Ji Ling, who has a strong aura, took the two weak little lolis to look around here and there.

Zhang Xiaoxiao wants to eat anything delicious when she sees it, and Ji Ling suggests buying it.

Zhang Xiaoxiao wants to play with anything fun she sees, and Ji Ling suggests buying it.

When the boss asked who would pay, Ji Ling pointed at Zhang Yunqi behind him and said, "Hey, classmate Zhang, what are you wasting time on? Pay the bill."

Chunlan covered her mouth and laughed, thinking that this increasingly arrogant third son of the Zhang family finally had someone to control him.

After two hours of shopping, Zhang Yunqi and the three girls visited all the shopping malls on the entire street. Ji Ling took Chunlan and Xiaoxiao to a high-end shopping mall and bought two sets of clothes and skirts, and two pairs of shoes, spending more than 900 yuan.

For lunch, Ji Ling took Chunlan and Xiaoxiao to KFC. It was the first time for the two little girls to eat this stuff, and they enjoyed it very much, especially Xiaoxiao. She held a fried chicken leg in one hand and a Coke in the other. Her little mouth was so stuffed that she could hardly speak clearly.

"Eat slowly, both of you. No one is going to snatch it from you." Zhang Yunqi smiled and helped them tear the ketchup and squeeze it onto the napkins.

As the world's most famous foreign fast food, KFC has only been in China for a few years. It opened a store in Jiangchuan City at the end of last year. This kind of popular fast food abroad was still relatively expensive for ordinary people at that time, but it was very popular among Chinese people, especially young girls and children.

Ji Ling looked like a girl who often came to KFC and was very familiar with it, but she was not interested in hamburgers or fried chicken wings. She only liked vanilla ice cream and ate two in such a cold winter.

After finishing a fried chicken leg, Zhang Xiaoxiao stared at the two remaining burgers on the table, sucked on his greasy fingers and swallowed his saliva, and said sweetly to Zhang Yunqi: "Second brother, can I take the burgers home?"

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "What's wrong? You haven't eaten enough here yet, so you want to pack some food to take back home?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao pouted and said in a baby voice: "No, mom and big brother haven't had it yet, I want to bring it back for them to have it too."

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(End of this chapter)