Early the next morning, they helped carry the luggage off the train once again.
“It’s nothing. Just lending a hand.” Zhou Kun rubbed his aching waist. After sitting on the train for so long, his back and waist were sore all over.
“How are you getting home?”
“Someone’s coming to pick us up.”
As they were talking, Zhou Kun’s voice came from the crowd.
“Xiaolan! Xiaowei!”
He squeezed his way through the sea of passengers.
“Dad!”
“And these two are…?”
“We met them on the train. They even saved me.”
Now that Zhou Yuwei had her “wallet” here, she finally had the courage to invite them to a meal.
Her father probably didn’t have much money on him either, but surely he had more than she and her sister did. They had come back carrying a debt of three thousand yuan.
“They saved you? What happened? Are either of you hurt?”
After hearing the general outline of what had happened, Zhou Kun carefully checked both daughters over. Only after confirming that neither of them was injured did he finally relax.
“Next time, I’ll go with you to buy stock. It’s too dangerous for two girls to travel alone.”
He then turned to Zheng Chenwen and Shen Changfeng and thanked them sincerely.
“Comrades, thank you so much for helping my daughter. If it weren’t for you two, my Xiaowei could’ve been in real danger.”
“Uncle Zhou, you’re too polite.” Zheng Chenwen grinned. “It was nothing, really. We’re all fellow countrymen. It’s only right that we help each other when we’re away from home. Besides, the people’s problems are our problems too.”
Hearing that—and seeing his short military haircut and sun-darkened complexion—Zhou Kun could more or less guess what his identity was.
“Even so, I should thank you properly. Come, let us treat you both to a meal.”
Shen Changfeng glanced at his watch.
“Another time. We just got back, and our family is waiting for us.”
Zheng Chenwen nodded.
“They all know we’re coming home today. The whole family’s waiting. We’ll eat together another time.”
The elders at home were all waiting. They couldn’t very well keep them waiting any longer.
“All right. Then next time, you must let us treat you to a meal.”
Zhou Kun could also tell that neither of them was an ordinary person. Whether they’d ever run into each other again was anyone’s guess, but proper courtesy still had to be shown.
“Thank you again, comrades.”
“Do you need us to give you a ride?” Shen Changfeng looked at Zhou Yuwei.
“No need. I rode a cargo tricycle here.”
Business had been going well recently, so Zhou Kun had followed Zhou Yuwei’s suggestion and bought one. It made trips to the countryside to purchase goods much more convenient.
“Mm.”
Shen Changfeng nodded, then glanced once more at the little girl who was yawning nonstop.
Without another word, he led Zheng Chenwen away.
“Come on, Xiaolan, Xiaowei. Let’s go home.”
Zhou Kun hoisted the two bags onto his shoulders and walked off with his two beautiful daughters.
…
Inside a military jeep…
“My waist is seriously about to snap.”
Zheng Chenwen collapsed against the seat. Right now, all he wanted was to get home, throw himself onto his bed, and sleep for an entire day.
“You’re a soldier. You can’t even handle this little bit of hardship? Looks like you need more training.”
“My bones aren’t made of iron. After sitting for that long, how could I not be sore?”
Zheng Chenwen suddenly fixed Shen Changfeng with an intense stare.
“You’ve got your eye on that little beauty, haven’t you?”
He had known Shen Changfeng for twenty-seven years. This was the first time he’d ever seen the man be so attentive to someone.
No way…
He likes her.
He definitely likes her.
No, impossible… right?
Or maybe…
One thought after another flashed through his mind.
The more he thought about it, the funnier it became.
Suddenly, he burst out laughing.
Shen Changfeng shot him a sidelong glance.
“Don’t give me that look. I’m telling you, you’ve definitely fallen for her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be acting like this. This isn’t like Shen Changfeng at all.”
Shen Changfeng let out a soft snort.
“She’s about the same age as Jingli.”
The meaning was obvious.
He simply regarded her as someone from the younger generation.
After saying that, he closed his eyes, clearly unwilling to continue entertaining the chatterbox beside him.
Zheng Chenwen kept rambling for a while.
“True. You’re quite a bit older than she is. Then again, older men know how to take care of people…”
Eventually, seeing that Shen Changfeng completely ignored him, he found it boring and closed his eyes as well.
Before long, thunderous snores filled the jeep.
Shen Changfeng opened his eyes again, rolled down the window, and quietly looked at the familiar scenery outside.
“Three years… There are a lot more people now.”
“There sure are.” The driver smiled as he glanced at the rearview mirror. “Street vendors are allowed to do business now, so everything’s become much livelier. Young Master Deng, though… his personality hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Uncle Yun, how’s everyone at home?”
“Everyone’s doing well. The old madam has missed you terribly.”
“Is Grandma still in good health?”
“Very much so. Just yesterday she was scolding your eldest uncle, calling him heartless for sending you down to the grassroots for three years without letting the family see you.”
The two chatted casually about family matters.
…
Meanwhile, the moment Zhou Yuwei got home, two young men dragged her over to the wall to talk.
“What is it? No presents, no local specialties, so don’t even think about it. I went there to buy merchandise, not to shop. I didn’t have money to buy gifts for you. Right now, I don’t want to argue—I just want to go chat with the Duke of Zhou.”
She was exhausted.
“And you’ve still got the leisure to joke around?”
Liu Changyun couldn’t help launching into a long explanation.
He recounted everything that had happened at school that day.
“Thanks.”
The first thing Zhou Yuwei did was thank the two of them.
“I didn’t expect you guys to be so loyal.”
“That’s not the point! We’re talking about everyone saying you cheated on the exam!”
“But I didn’t cheat, so what am I afraid of?”
She smiled helplessly.
“Thanks for coming all the way over just to tell me, but I really need to sleep. These past few days have worn me out.”
She pointed at the dark circles under her eyes.
“Look at these. I’m practically a giant panda now.”
“Yeah, look at you. You’re about to wilt.”
Xu Zitao laughed.
“Go get some sleep. But you’d better be mentally prepared. The principal wants to see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Yuwei still took out three packets of local specialties.
“These are for you. Don’t mind them. I’m really broke right now. Once I have more money later, I’ll buy you something nicer.”
Liu Changyun accepted them.
“Now that’s what I call loyalty. You’re broke, and you still remembered us.”
Xu Zitao walked over to the Cao family’s house and knocked on Cao Bingkun’s window.
Cao Bingkun opened it.
“How is she?”
Xu Zitao sighed.
“She’s fine. Just exhausted.”
He handed him a packet of preserved fruit.
“And tomorrow?”
“She was too sleepy, so she went straight to bed.”
“She went to sleep? Then what about tomorrow?”
“Bingkun, if there’s nothing you can do about it, then don’t overthink it.”
Xu Zitao glanced at Cao Bingkun’s mother, who was secretly watching from inside the house.
“And… she probably doesn’t need your concern anyway.”
He suspected that even this packet of preserved fruit had simply been bought casually while she was shopping.
Without waiting for Cao Bingkun to reply, Xu Zitao turned around and left.
“Grandma, want some preserved fruit?”
“Where’d you get that?”
“From Suzhou.”
“Oh? So little Wei is back.”
The moment Grandma Xu heard it was preserved fruit from Suzhou, she immediately knew Zhou Yuwei had brought it back.
“She said it’s a Suzhou specialty—Suzhou-style preserved fruit. Give it a try.”
Grandma Xu popped one into her mouth.
“Mm, not bad. It’s not overly sweet.”
“How’s the girl?”
“She’s fine. She brought back two huge bags of merchandise. She looked tired, but her spirits seemed all right.”
“And you told her about what happened at school?”
“I did. She barely reacted. She didn’t look guilty at all.”
“Why would she feel guilty if she earned those scores herself?”
Grandma Xu walked over and brewed another pot of tea.
“I’ve been telling you all along—that girl’s smart. A smart child doesn’t suddenly become incapable of studying. She must’ve been pretending all these years.”
She smiled as the aroma of tea filled the room.
“These preserved fruits go best with tea.”