“I’ve mentioned it to her several times, saying I’d accompany her home, and even suggested she wait until you returned to go back together. But she went to the city alone to buy the train ticket and insisted on going back no matter what.”
“She insisted she could find her way home and gave such reasonable explanations that we couldn’t do anything about it. It’s not like we could tie her up.”
“What time is her train ticket?”
“Two forty.”
“Mom, I’ll skip the bath for now. I need to make a phone call.”
After saying this, Zhou Zhan quickly ran toward the Production Team office.
“Hey, wasn’t that the Zhou family’s third son who just ran past?”
“In that military green outfit, it must be him.”
“Chunmei Jie, has your third son returned?”
“Yes, he just got back.”
Zhou Mu smiled as she walked out from the main hall.
“Did he come back to take his wife to join him in the army?”
“I heard that Old Wang Guai’s son from Xingsheng Brigade took his wife and children to the military base early this year. Logically speaking, your third son holds a higher position than him, so he should have been able to take his wife along much earlier, right?”
“That was originally the plan, but as you know, our third son’s wife recently suffered a head injury and is still recovering. If she went to the army with him, our third son is usually busy with work and might not be able to take care of her properly. His father and I thought it would be better to wait until she’s fully recovered before she goes.”
“So that’s how it is. You’re really thoughtful as a mother-in-law.”
Zhou Mu let out an awkward chuckle and brushed off the comment.
The truth was, her third son had never mentioned wanting to take his wife to join him in the army.
If she directly told outsiders that her third son had no such intention, who knew how people in the team would gossip about his wife later? If this provoked her original temper, she would definitely curse out everyone in the entire team.
Just thinking about this possibility made Zhou Mu shudder.
“Mom, I suddenly think this is a good idea.”
“What do you mean? Do you want the third son to take his wife to join him in the army?”
“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean anything else.”
“I was just thinking that Third Brother and his wife have been married for so long, yet they still act like strangers.”
“If Nian Xin were still like her old self, taking her to the army would obviously be inappropriate. But now that she’s changed for the better, it’s clearly not right for a married couple to live apart like this.”
“If Third Sister-in-law goes with him to the army, spending more time together might help them develop feelings.”
“Third Brother is already twenty-seven years old. When our eldest was his age, Zicong could already help out in the fields.”
Listening to her eldest daughter-in-law’s analysis, Zhou Mu nodded in agreement.
It was exactly as the eldest’s wife said.
“Let’s not rush it. We’ll observe Nian Xin more after she returns.”
While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were discussing the third son’s marital matters, Zhou Zhan had already reached the Production Team office.
“Brother Yongshun, busy working?””
“Hey, A Zhan, you’re back?”
Wang Yongshun was delighted to see him and happily patted his broad back.
“Came back to see my parents.”
“You should visit more often. Otherwise, that troublesome wife of yours might turn our brigade upside down.”
“Sorry about Wen… uh… Nian Xin causing you trouble all these years.”
“The past troubles are over. I just hope she can maintain her current behavior—that would be enough for me to thank heaven and earth.”
“She will.”
When Zhou Zhan spoke these two words, he was deeply uncertain. More than anyone else, he was the one who most wished for Wen Nianxin to improve.
That way, even if they divorced in the future, he could leave her more money for security, prepare a generous dowry for her, and she shouldn’t have trouble finding a good match.
After all, nothing had happened between them—she was still an innocent young woman.
Ultimately, it was his fault from the start. It had affected his family and, more importantly, held Wen Nianxin back.
“Brother Yongshun, I have something to attend to. May I use the team’s telephone?”
“Go ahead. I happen to have some business to take care of outside.”
As soon as Wang Yongshun left, Zhou Zhan quickly dialed his comrade who worked at the city train station.
“Hello, who is this?”
“It’s me, Zhou Zhan, Brother Yan.”
“A Zhan, you’re such a busy man—what brings you to call me? Don’t tell me you’re back and want to catch up?”
“Brother Yan, I am back, but catching up will have to wait a bit. There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Between us, there’s no need for formalities. Just tell me what you need. If I can help, I won’t hesitate.”
“Do you know anyone at Mingzhao Train Station?”
“Of course. We’re all on the same line—I know plenty of people.”
“My wife boarded the train at 2:40 this afternoon and should arrive in Mingzhao around 5 a.m. tomorrow. I’d like to ask you to have someone meet her at the exit.”
“What? Your wife? You’re married? How come I didn’t know?”
“The wedding was rushed—we just had a meal with the family and didn’t notify anyone.”
“You didn’t make your wife angry, and she left on her own, did you?”
“Of course not.”
Zhou Zhan wasn’t sure how to explain it to his comrade. After all, he didn’t know why Wen Nianxin, who no longer recognized anyone, had suddenly insisted on going back. He could only hastily come up with an excuse to brush off Fang Yan.
“Tell me her name, and I’ll arrange for someone to meet her at the exit tomorrow morning.”
“Her name is Wen Nianxin—Wen as in ‘news,’ Nian as in ‘longing,’ Xin as in ‘hardship.'”
“Alright, I’ve got it.”
“Also, could you help me buy the earliest ticket to Mingzhao?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“When you and your wife return, you must bring her to the city and treat me to a meal.”
“Alright.”
…
Wen Nianxin slept relatively peacefully through the night on the hard seat of the green train.
Perhaps it was because she wasn’t worried at all about her luggage being stolen—after all, it only contained two sets of worn-out clothes and her toiletries.
As for money and tickets, she had hidden them in various places on her person.
“Mingzhao City is arriving soon. Comrades getting off, please wake up and head to the exit.”
After the train attendant’s announcement, Wen Nianxin bid farewell to the female comrade sitting beside her and stood up to leave.
Standing by the train door, she watched the scenery slowly passing by outside the window, feeling a sense of loss.
In her previous life, after her grandmother passed away, she was left all alone.
Now, having traveled back to the 1980s, it felt as though this world still held only herself.
She had nothing—only herself.
As the train pulled into the station and she stepped off, a cold gust of wind swept over her, making Wen Nianxin shiver. Clutching her luggage tightly, she followed the crowd toward the exit.
“Wen Nianxin!”
“Is there a Wen Nianxin here?”
Hearing her name called, she lifted her head in confusion, having been walking with her head down.
A strange man stood holding up a brown cardboard sign with the bold black characters “Wen Nianxin” clearly written on it.
She didn’t suspect he might be looking for someone else with the same name, since the surname Wen was quite uncommon, and the name Nianxin didn’t follow the popular naming trends of this era either.
“Wen Nianxin! Is there anyone called Wen Nianxin here?”
She made her way through the crowd exiting the station and approached the stranger.
“Comrade, hello, I’m Wen Nianxin. And you are?”
“My name is Yang Bo. Your husband Zhou Zhan sent me to pick you up.”
Noticing her doubtful expression, Yang Bo lowered the sign and pulled out his work ID from his pocket.