My Courtyard Refuge

: Brother Ma Lingling

Yanjing is on August 1st for summer vacation, and Luyang is one day later.

The summer vacation is here, and Xu Ting is worrying about the holiday life of a pair of children.

Today is not the same as in the past. Due to the sharp increase in the unemployment rate, the overall security environment in Luyang has deteriorated a lot. In addition, she and Ma Jie still have to go to work. The couple are really worried about leaving the siblings at home.

thinkAfter much deliberation, Xu Ting plans to let Ma Lingling and her siblings go to Yanjing to “join” their grandparents. Before that, she needs to communicate with Xu Ma first.

After the call was made, Xu Ting quickly got to the point.

“Mom, isn’t it the summer vacation? Ma Jie and I don’t have time to take care of Lingling and Ma Xu. I want them to come and live with you for a month.”

Mother Xu was very happy to hear that, and hurriedly urged:

“Then hurry up and send the two of them here. I haven’t seen you for half a year, and I’ve missed them for a long time. If you don’t come this time, your dad and I are planning to go back to see you after a while!”

“Is Dad okay?”

“Okay, your dad is more capable now, and he has more than 20 people under his command, but he doesn’t come home all day long.” Xu Ma sighed.

Xu Ting joked with a smile: “Mom, didn’t you always think Dad was incompetent before? Now Dad has finally managed to make a fool of himself. Why did you change your mind again?”

“Bah!” Xu’s mother said angrily, “You little heartless, your father and I worked so hard to make money, and it’s not because of you three brothers and sisters, but each of you didn’t know what to do.”

“Okay, mom, don’t be angry, I said something wrong.”

Xu Ting quickly “admitted defeat”. For more than six months, Xu’s mother has remitted her 10,000 yuan every month, effectively relieving their family’s financial pressure.

It is said that “hands are short and mouths are soft”, Xu Ting naturally has no confidence to talk back to Mama Xu.

“Okay, don’t talk about these useless things. When are you going to leave? I’ll ask your dad to pick you up at the station.” Madam Xu asked.

As for Xu Dong, unless it’s weekends, he usually has to go to work, so he has no time at all.

“Mom, I won’t come here. I’m busy with work, so I can’t ask for leave. I’ll ask Lingling and the others to take the high-speed train to come here tomorrow morning. Then you can just pick up someone.”

Xu Ting also had no choice, she worked in the railway department, and the entire railway bureau had been running at high speed for more than half a year without a moment’s rest.

Although she is busy at work, compared to others, at least she still has a stable job, so she doesn’t dare to ask for leave easily.

“It’s okay, it’s very chaotic outside now.” Madam Xu worried.

Xu Ting comforted: “Why not, Lingling is going to be a sophomore in high school soon, and she is not a child, so she must be fine.”

“Okay then, don’t forget to send me the arrival time when you buy the ticket.” Mother Xu reminded.

“Got it, I’ll book tickets for the two of them now.”

“Then hang up.”

“Mom, goodbye!”

After hanging up the phone, Xu Ting immediately started booking tickets online. She booked the earliest train in the morning, and then sent the arrival time to Xu Ma.

After returning home from get off work, Xu Ting immediately called her daughter to her.

“Lingling, I made an agreement with your grandma. This year, you and Xiaoxu will go to Yanjing to spend the summer vacation together. Grandpa and grandma miss you both.”

“Mom, can I not go? I even invited my classmates to do summer jobs together!” Ma Lingling said reluctantly.

In fact, she had already planned in her heart that she must save money to buy a mobile phone this summer vacation.

“No, we must go. Your dad and I have to go to work, so we don’t have time to cook for you two.”

Xu Ting is even more worried about the fact that the little boy still wants to take a summer job.

“I can cook by myself.” Ma Lingling argued vigorously.

“That doesn’t work either. You have gone out to work in summer vacation. You can’t leave your brother at home alone, can you?”

“Little brother, he is not a child…”

Xu Ting interrupted directly: “If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. You should pack your luggage well at night. I’ve bought the high-speed rail tickets for you. We will leave early tomorrow morning.”

“Mom…” Ma Lingling stamped her feet coquettishly.

Xu Ting felt dizzy for a while, so she could only coax her and said, “Don’t you want a second-hand mobile phone? I’ll find your father’s old mobile phone later, and you can bring it with you tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“If you don’t want to, forget it, I’ll just send your brother to Yanjing alone.”

“I would like to go!”

===Section 48===

Ma Lingling is not stupid. Now that she has the mobile phone, she can still work as a laborer. What’s more, the temperature outside is so high, she doesn’t want to be tanned.

Thus, the event was decided in this way.

…

Early the next morning, Xu Ting personally sent the pair of children to the high-speed rail station.

Before parting, she confessed again:

“When you arrive at your grandma’s house, don’t just play all day long, but help your grandma and little aunt take care of Dabao and the others.”

“Understood.” Ma Lingling said impatiently, her mother almost said this three or four times.

“You must take care of your brother, don’t get separated, and don’t worry if you get separated, call the police immediately.”

“Understood… I will watch over my little brother.”

Xu Ting asked her son again: “Xiao Xu, you must listen to your sister and don’t run around, you know?”

Ma Xu nodded.

“There is still a high-speed train, so I have to call your grandfather, and he will pick you up at the exit, remember?” Xu Ting finally reminded.

“Remember, Mom, we’re coming in.”

Ma Lingling took her younger brother, andMom waved goodbye, then went through the security check into the waiting hall.

Just after seven o’clock, the high-speed train left on time.

“Sister, can you lend me your mobile phone to play games?” Ma Xu had his eyes fixed on the elder sister’s mobile phone early in the morning.

“What game are you playing, kid? Hurry up and do your summer homework. I’ll check it later.” Ma Lingling refused, she still wanted to play by herself.

“Humph……”

At eleven o’clock, Ma Xu yelled again that he was hungry and wanted to eat.

Ma Lingling got up and got two cups of boiling water and came back, then took out two fist-sized rice balls from her schoolbag, and handed one of them to her younger brother.

“Here, eat quickly!”

“I don’t want to eat dumplings, I want to eat instant noodles.” Ma Xu stared at the instant noodles made by the young lady opposite, almost drooling.

Thanks to Xu Dong’s reminder, although Xu Ting’s family has stockpiled thousands of grains, they still hoard a lot of rice, at least 800 catties.

So their family doesn’t lack rice at all, what they lack is vegetables.

The supply of vegetables in Luyang is far worse than that in the capital. Ordinary citizens can only grab a little vegetables in a week, let alone meat.

“Do you want to eat it? Mom put diced ham in the rice balls. If you don’t eat it, it will be mine.” Ma Lingling threatened.

The ham was a gift from Xu Dong during the Chinese New Year. Normally, Xu Ting and Ma Jie would not want to eat it, but would just cut a piece every now and then to supplement nutrition for their children.

“I eat, I eat…”

As soon as he heard that there was meat, Ma Xu immediately took the rice ball.

“Slow down, no one will grab you.”