Lü Zhigang glanced at Zhou Huai'an and pressed, "A call from Beijing? What did they want?"

Li Guohao wasn't sure either. "It happened to be me who picked up. They asked about his age, date of birth, and his performance over the past few years. I wondered if some unit in Beijing was recruiting."

Lü Zhigang took a sip of his liquor and stayed silent. If a Beijing unit was really recruiting, why call to ask for his birth date and recent performance? All that was already in Zhou Huai'an's file—it was just that his records were confidential and not accessible to everyone.

Because Zhou Huai'an was still injured, the meal didn't last long. Qin Xuemei helped wash the dishes before leaving, and Lü Zhigang went off with Li Guohao and his wife.

Early the next morning, after a simple breakfast, Lü Zhigang drove Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Huai'an to the town bus station.

Not sure what to expect in Zhou Village or how long they'd stay, Lin Xiaoxiao had packed extra clothes and tucked packets of milk powder and malt extract inside—just in case things were tough there and Zhou Huai'an needed more nutrition.

She stuffed cash and grain tickets into her coat pockets, and didn't forget the anti-inflammatory medicine and bandages either. The result was a bulky, overstuffed bag. By contrast, Zhou Huai'an only carried a small case.

The trip from town to the county seat took over an hour. From there, they still needed to transfer twice to reach the town where Zhou Village was located. Zhou Huai'an had Lin Xiaoxiao watch their bags while he went to buy tickets.

Xiaoxiao waited in a starkly simple waiting room. The long benches were worn down, the walls peeling with remnants of lime and faded slogans. The place was noisy, with vendors carrying wooden snack boxes around their necks.

Zhou Huai'an returned with tickets and a large aluminum lunchbox. "It's a five-hour ride. Eat this if you get hungry," he said, handing it to her.

She took the still-warm container, opened it, and found five plump, steaming meat buns inside.

Closing the lid, she smiled. "We'll share these later. How's your wound? Is sitting for so long going to be okay?"

"It's fine," he said. "If everything goes smoothly, we'll be home by midnight. If there are delays, we might have to stay somewhere along the way."

That sounded normal enough to her—staying overnight on a trip was nothing unusual.

The bus was scheduled to depart at eleven. To her surprise, seats weren't assigned—it was pure first-come, first-served. And it wasn't one seat per person; many passengers without seats brought small stools to cram into the aisle for the five-hour journey.

Thinking of Zhou Huai'an's injury and her own desire to sit comfortably, Xiaoxiao decided manners could wait—she was going to rush for a seat as soon as the doors opened.

Seeing the crowd growing restless, she told Zhou Hua'an, "Take your time boarding. I'll go grab us seats."

Zhou Huai'an looked at her slight figure. "Don't worry, there will be seats eventually."

Xiaoxiao thought, Not the same kind of seats! Besides, someone like Zhou Huai'an, who lived by "Serve the People," would never push ahead for a seat.

"I don't want to sit on a stool. I'm getting a real seat."

Ignoring him, she slung her large bag over her shoulder and nimbly slipped into the crowd, joining the rush toward the bus before it had fully stopped.

Even with her determination, she was no match for the crowd. Just as she was nearly pushed away from the door, she yelled, "Who dropped 20 jin of grain tickets?!"

The crowd suddenly halted, everyone looking down—20 jin was a lot; even if it wasn't theirs, who wouldn't want to claim it?

In the confusion, Xiaoxiao scrambled onto the bus, found a two-seater near the middle, placed her bag on the inner seat, and waved triumphantly at Zhou Huai'an outside.

Zhou Huai'an watched her little act of mischief, a rare smile touching his eyes—he hadn't expected this sly, quick-witted side of her.

By the time he got on and sat down, the bus was packed. Every spot in the aisle was taken by people on small stools.

Xiaoxiao cheerfully placed her bag on her lap as the bus slowly pulled out of the station.

To her surprise, some passengers had brought cages of chickens and ducks. The animals clucked and quacked the whole way, and the smell of manure filled the air. She thought about opening a window, but seeing a woman in the back holding an infant, she decided against it and endured the trip.

After five bumpy hours, she'd lost her appetite. Fortunately, they finally reached the next county town.

Xiaoxiao stumbled off the bus, drained and lethargic, a far cry from the energetic seat-scrambler she'd been hours earlier.

Zhou Huai'an saw how worn out she was. Knowing the buns had gone cold, he caught up with her. "Let's get noodles and rest a bit before the next bus."

Xiaoxiao took a few deep breaths of fresh air and felt slightly better. "Will we still make the bus to town?" she asked, worried eating would delay them.

Zhou Huai'an checked his wristwatch. "Yes, the last one leaves in an hour."

She glanced enviously at his watch—even an ordinary timepiece was a luxury in those days.

Zhou Huai'an knew the county well. He led her out of the station, turned right, and soon they arrived at a small noodle shop with just three basic tables and long benches.

They sat facing each other. The place was cleaner than Xiaoxiao had expected, lifting her mood.

After Zhou Huai'an went to the kitchen to order, he told her, "There's a place to wash up in the back."

Xiaoxiao went to clean her hands, splashed some water on her face, and instantly felt more alert. Patting her face dry, she walked back out only to find a woman in her late twenties sitting in her seat.

The woman wore a faded red floral-patterned padded jacket with patches on the shoulders and a blue scarf tied around her neck. Though her complexion was sallow, she had delicate features—almond eyes and arched brows—that gave her a gentle, pretty aura, despite her tired appearance.

Xiaoxiao paused. The woman clearly knew Zhou Hua'an; she was looking at him with emotion, her eyes slightly red.

It made sense—Zhou Huai'an had grown up here, so running into someone he knew wasn't unusual.

While Xiaoxiao hesitated, the woman noticed her. She looked surprised for a second, then quickly stood up and greeted her warmly: "Huaian, so this is Xiaoxiao? She's very beautiful."

Zhou Huai'an turned and also stood. "Yes, we came back together."

Xiaoxiao felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy—She called him 'Huaian'... so familiarly.

But she kept a smile on her face as she walked over. "Hello, I'm Lin Xiaoxiao."

The woman returned a soft, kind smile, her presence gentle and putting others at ease. "Hello, I'm Luo Caixia. Huaian and I are from the same village."