“Oh no, Duoduo! We forgot to ask the neighborhood office director for a travel letter! We still need to stay at the guesthouse tonight!”
Xu Bu turned around, preparing to run back to the street office.
“No need to go.”
Liu Chuanjia stopped her immediately.
“The police station’s introduction letter works too. I already prepared it.”
Earlier, when Xu Ergen mentioned wanting Xu Bu to get a travel permit, Liu Chuanjia had quietly arranged everything together while writing the official certificates.
After all—
a future wife had to be properly taken care of.
“Let’s head to the guesthouse first and check in.”
“We’ve already troubled you enough all morning, Brother Liu…”
Xu Bu looked embarrassed.
“We’re neighbors. We grew up together.” Liu Chuanjia smiled. “What trouble?”
“Come on. The guesthouse is this way — it’s right beside the police station.”
At this point, Liu Chuanjia was giving it absolutely everything he had.
The girl he liked would be heading to the countryside in three days.
After that, seeing her again wouldn’t be easy.
“Hello, comrade,” Liu Chuanjia said upon entering the guesthouse. “Practice frugality for the revolution. Please open two rooms for us.”
He handed over the police station introduction letter and lodging coupons.
The moment the receptionist realized he was a police officer, her attitude instantly became far more enthusiastic.
“Serving the people! Two female comrades only need one room.”
“There’s also a male comrade,” Liu Chuanjia explained calmly. “He’s their father. He’ll arrive tonight.”
“Oh, alright then. Follow me.”
The receptionist grabbed the keys and stepped out from behind the desk.
“The two female comrades will stay upstairs.”
“The male comrade’s room is downstairs. When he arrives tonight, have him come directly to me.”
“The washrooms are at the end of each corridor. If you need hot water, come downstairs to get it from me.”
“It’s free.”
She opened a room door.
“Officer, this room has two beds and is farther from the washroom, so it’s quieter.”
“Is this alright?”
“If it is, then you should leave quickly.”
“Fine, thank you.” Liu Chuanjia nodded. “I’ll just say a few more words and head downstairs.”
“Alright, but hurry up.”
In this era, relationships between men and women were tightly monitored.
Even police officers couldn’t linger too long in a woman’s room.
“Wow, Sis, this room’s great!”
Xu Duoduo looked around happily.
“It faces the sun and it’s really clean too. Thank you so much, Brother Liu.”
The room was spotless.
Xu Duoduo was extremely satisfied.
“Brother Liu, we’ve really troubled you too much today.” Xu Bu also looked embarrassed. “Tomorrow at noon, Duoduo and I will treat you to lunch, alright?”
“Xiaobu, you’re being too polite.” Liu Chuanjia smiled warmly. “No need for you two to treat me.”
“I’ll treat you instead.”
“Tomorrow at noon — let’s meet at the state-owned restaurant.”
After saying that, he quickly turned and left downstairs.
“Aiya…” Xu Duoduo finally collapsed dramatically onto the bed. “After this entire morning, I can finally sit down and rest.”
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
“Workers and peasants are一家亲!” the receptionist called cheerfully from outside. “I brought you hot water!”
“That police comrade also asked me to deliver this lunchbox of food.”
“Down with all bad elements! Thank you very much!”
Xu Bu thanked the receptionist before accepting the thermos and lunch container.
“They’re meat buns!”
Xu Bu immediately brightened.
“Sis, hurry and eat while they’re hot.”
“After lunch, let’s buy something for Brother Liu to thank him for helping us so much.”
“And tomorrow we can also repay him for the lodging fee.”
Although Liu Chuanjia had been running around helping them so enthusiastically because he clearly liked Xu Bu…
right now nothing between them was official yet.
Xu Duoduo didn’t want Xu Bu entering a relationship already indebted emotionally.
Anything solvable with money wasn’t a problem.
And Xu Duoduo had money.
“Drink some water so you don’t choke.”
Xu Bu removed the buns from the aluminum lunchbox and placed them on the lid before pouring warm water into the container.
“Sis…”
Xu Duoduo took a sip of warm water before continuing to devour the meat buns.
Having lived through two lifetimes, she remained deeply obsessed with meat.
“In the police station earlier, I decided you’d go to the countryside without discussing it with you first.”
“…Are you angry at me?”
“Angry about what?”
Xu Bu blinked.
“We’re family. Would you ever hurt me intentionally?”
“Besides, didn’t you already explain things to Brother Liu at the station?”
“Honestly though, Duoduo… your little brain really works fast.”
“You even managed turning this whole situation into profit.”
Xu Bu slowly ate her own bun like she was savoring a rare delicacy.
After all, during all their years in the Xu family, the number of times they’d eaten meat could practically be counted on one hand.
“But Sis,” Xu Duoduo persisted softly, “you graduated high school.”
“You could’ve tried getting a county job and staying in the city.”
“Wouldn’t that be a hundred times better than farming in the countryside?”
“Duoduo…” Xu Bu smiled gently.
“Didn’t you also choose not to take the job exams?”
“You want the family together. Don’t you think I want that too?”
“We’re family.”
“After splitting from the Xu family, Dad can attach his household registration to his workplace.”
“But Mom, you, and Tingting all have to return to the village.”
“So what would I stay behind in the county for alone?”
“Even if I had a job already, I’d still sell it and return with you all.”
“Farm work in the countryside won’t kill me.”
“As long as our family stays together, I’ll be happy.”
Xu Duoduo’s heart softened instantly.
“Mhm, Sis… I was overthinking.”
“Our family will stay together forever.”
“Mhm. Forever together.”
Some things truly needed to be spoken clearly between family members.
Xu Duoduo knew the original novel’s plot.
But Xu Ergen’s family didn’t.
These past days, she had constantly jumped around trying to drag the whole family away from the Xu family disaster.
Still—
she couldn’t force her own decisions onto everyone else without understanding their feelings.
She didn’t want to sacrifice everything only to be resented later.
The two sisters each ate two buns before becoming full.
They poured the remaining water from the lunchbox into cups, then carefully saved the last two buns for Xu Ergen’s dinner.
After eating, both sisters became sleepy again.
They climbed into their separate beds and immediately fell asleep for another round of rest.
They really had woken far too early this morning.
…
“Duoduo? Awake yet?”
Xu Bu gently shook her awake later.
“I think we should buy gifts for Brother Liu tomorrow morning instead.”
“For now, let’s head to the hospital first.”
Xu Bu still worried constantly about Xu Duoduo’s head injury.
“I’m awake, Sis.”
Xu Duoduo sat up lazily.
“That works too.”
“Tonight we can discuss with Dad what to buy Brother Liu.”
The sisters got dressed and headed hand-in-hand toward the hospital.
“Little girl…” the doctor looked surprised after seeing Xu Duoduo again. “You didn’t transfer to the city hospital after all?”
“This injury actually healed surprisingly well. Your vitality’s pretty strong.”
“Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“You need proper rest during this period. Stop running around everywhere.”
Just two days ago this child had been coughing blood.
“Doctor Uncle,” Xu Duoduo said while gritting her teeth through the pain of disinfecting the wound, “I’m heading to the countryside in a few days.”
“Could you prescribe me some antibiotics, extra gauze, bandages, and anything else I might need?”
Alcohol really was brutal.
Under normal circumstances, such a severe wound couldn’t possibly heal this quickly in only two days.
She had secretly healed the internal damage using her space.
But she hadn’t dared heal the external injury fully because it would expose her secret.
So outwardly the wound still looked horrifying, though in reality it was mostly fine already.
This would be her final painful dressing change.
Once she went to the countryside, she could use the medicine as cover while healing the remaining external injuries herself.
“What? Going to the countryside?”
The doctor immediately looked distressed.
“This whole family’s really making only you suffer, huh?”
Xu Duoduo’s heart warmed instantly.
Even strangers cared more than the Xu family ever had.
“No, you misunderstood, Doctor Uncle.”
“My sister and I are both going to the countryside together.”
“She’ll take care of me.”
Ahh…
What a pitiful family.
The doctor instantly imagined tragic scenes of suffering little cabbages being bullied endlessly.
After changing her bandages, he prescribed wound medication, bandages, gauze, alcohol, and various supplies.
Then, using the maximum authority he had available, he secretly added:
“With this medical leave note,” he instructed seriously, “you’re not allowed to work at all after going to the countryside.”
“Rest properly.”
“If you don’t heal your body while you’re still young, you’ll suffer for life later.”
Xu Duoduo accepted the medical leave certificate and supply slips.
Seriously.
Why were there still so many good people in this world?
The doctor had written:
What kind of heavenly doctor was this?!
Now she could officially lie flat in the countryside without anyone criticizing her.
“Thank you, Doctor Uncle! You’re truly such a wonderful person—”
Compliments were free.
So Xu Duoduo praised him enthusiastically without holding back.
By the end, the doctor was so flattered he nearly wanted to take the afternoon off, rush home, and make a sweet little daughter with his wife while nobody else was around.
After thanking the doctor again, the sisters collected their medicine from the pharmacy, exchanged the coupons, and carried their supplies back toward the guesthouse.