Free Web NovelChapter 292: Chapter 294: The Secret of Driving
The four of them weren’t sure what kind of person An Ning was, but they were about to find out what kind of person her big brother was.
Just as An Ning walked out of the train station, her attention was caught by a booming voice from a megaphone.
"Little Sis———An Ning——-Little Sis———"
An Guoqing had gotten a call from An Guoming two days prior telling him An Ning was returning today, so he drove the truck over early to wait for her.
He was afraid An Ning wouldn’t see or hear him, so he had even handmade a wooden megaphone, stood on top of the truck, and started bellowing.
The moment An Guoming’s gaze landed on An Guoqing, he slapped his own forehead with his left palm.
’Big Bro, can’t we be a little more low-key?’
Just as An Guoming was about to lower his hand, a loud reply rang out beside him.
An Ning, wearing her backpack, jumped up and down, her arms raised high, shouting loudly in An Guoqing’s direction, "Big Bro—Big Bro—I’m over here!"
Watching An Ning’s enthusiastic response, An Guoming couldn’t help but smile.
The next second, An Ning pointed at An Guoming and shouted, "Second Bro is over here!"
Having been pointed out, An Guoming gave a resigned smile and joined in, letting go of all his reservations.
"Big Bro———Big Bro———"
The siblings shouted, each one louder than the last.
Such a commotion attracted pointing and staring from the people around them. Some covered their mouths to laugh, while others openly gawked at the spectacle.
But all of this quieted down a bit when they saw An Ning’s group arrive at the truck, open the doors, and prepare to get in.
Many people’s eyes conveyed the same message: ’Why do people like that have a truck?!’
Amidst the crowd’s confusion, An Guoqing climbed down from the truck and, with a simple-hearted grin, pulled a warm roasted sweet potato from his pocket.
"Little Sis, for you. I was afraid you’d be hungry."
"And these small cucumbers, to quench your thirst. There’s also sugar water in the truck; your sister-in-law made it for you."
With the sweet potato in her left hand and the cucumbers in her right, An Ning beamed at An Guoqing and said with a touch of charming foolishness, "Big Bro, I’ve really missed home."
"Right?!"
An Guoqing agreed wholeheartedly. "I’m telling you, there’s no place like home."
"We can’t be like your second brother, always running off whenever he gets the chance."
The completely ignored An Guoming took a step forward.
"Big Bro, I’m still here."
An Guoqing took a moment to glance back at him. "So you are. You need something?"
The question left An Guoming wanting to say something in retort.
"Hehe, it’s nothing. I just wanted to say I miss home too."
An Guoming’s instant submission made An Ning chuckle to herself.
Next, An Ning introduced the people behind her to An Guoqing.
An Guoqing wiped his hands on his clothes again and again, then said with a simple and honest smile, "The guests can sit in the cab. Second Brother can sit in the truck bed."
Thanks to An Guoqing’s enthusiastic hospitality, An Guoming ended up sitting alone in the truck bed, feeling a little terrified.
Before getting in, An Guoming confirmed with An Guoqing several times.
"Big Bro, do you really know how to drive now?"
"Of course! I drove here, didn’t I?"
"What I mean is, can you drive *well*?"
"Of course I can! Jiang Xia is a great teacher. I’ve been driving by myself for days now."
The other four people overheard the brothers’ conversation.
An Ning explained, "Don’t worry, this is my first time riding with my big brother driving too."
An Ning’s explanation instantly made the other four feel that it might have been better if she hadn’t explained at all.
However, this did give the group another insight into An Ning.
It turned out she could be so... adorable.
Perhaps "adorable" wasn’t the right word, but the way An Ning treated her family was genuinely heartwarming for them to watch.
From their interactions, they could tell that this family must be harmonious and also quite interesting.
The group started to look forward to the rest of their trip a little more.
An Guoqing drove with An Ning in the passenger seat. The four guests sat in the truck’s second row of seats; it wasn’t too crowded.
An Guoming sat all alone in the truck bed.
"Everyone ready? Let’s go."
An Guoqing skillfully turned the ignition, stepped on the gas, and mumbled, "Giddy-up."
At first, An Ning thought she had misheard, but when they made a turn, she heard it again: "Gee."
The truck rumbled along. Whenever there were pedestrians or cyclists ahead, An Guoqing would brake right on time, but he’d also mutter, "Whoa—"
He even drew out the sound.
In a flash, An Ning’s memory overlapped with scenes of riding in a donkey cart.
This set of commands seemed to be exactly the same as the ones used by the old men who drove donkey carts.
Then, An Ning observed more closely. When turning right, An Guoqing would say "Gee," and when turning left, he would say "Haw."
"Giddy-up" to go forward, "Whoa" to brake.
Every command matched an action. Sitting in the passenger seat, An Ning felt a wave of complicated emotions.
It was complicated because An Guoqing was actually driving quite well, and complicated because Jiang Xia was a genius!
To think he could come up with such a method! And she had to admit, it was perfectly suited for An Guoqing.
An Ning even had an epiphany: it’s not enough to just teach the knowledge; you have to find a method that truly suits the student.
Thinking of this, An Ning remembered that she would soon have two official apprentices and one not-yet-accepted apprentice, and realized she really needed to change some of her own approaches.
An Guoqing drove steadily all the way back to Shili Gou. An Ning opened her window, looked at the budding Big Willow Tree at the village entrance, and waved to the person beneath it.
"Sister-in-law—"
Gao Guifen was out for a stroll with Heiwa. Hearing An Ning’s voice, she immediately started pushing her small wooden cart to head home.
It happened to be when school let out, and the children running around outside got excited when they saw An Ning and started following the truck, one by one.
"Sister Anning is back!"
"Sister Anning is back!"
The children’s cheers carried far, and mixed with the RUMBLE of the truck, Da Huang was the first to hear, running out from the courtyard.
Immediately after, the An family’s large rooster flapped its wings and flew down from the courtyard wall.
In that moment, the chaotic scene made Master Tang, who was washing vegetables in the courtyard, shake the water from his hands, stand up, and say, "The only one who can stir up this kind of chaos is An Ning."
He quickly walked out of the courtyard. Behind him, Mr. Jiang Sr., who had been sunbathing in the yard, followed him out.
To be honest, they had actually missed her a little while she was gone.
The truck stopped at the gate of the An family home. Before An Ning could even get out, Da Huang was already by the door, jumping up and down repeatedly. A large rooster was behind it, flying up and landing again and again.
The children also crowded around. Anyone who was home from the An family and the Jiang family came out.
For a moment, it turned into quite a large scene.
An Ning stuck her head out of the window and said to the jumping Da Huang, "Da Huang, move aside for a bit. I can’t get out."
After An Ning spoke, Da Huang obediently took a few steps back, as did the large rooster and the children.
Zhou Xiaoshan, who had been observing from the back seat the whole time, watched the scene unfold and thought, ’It’s over for me.’
’This is a person who can handle animals and little brats. My chances are slim.’
