For a second or two, Qiao Qingqing considered exposing Lin Chaohai for sneaking into the station and trying to assault her.
But the thought passed quickly, and she gave up on it.
They were about to board the train. At a critical moment like this, no news was good news. She no longer expected anything else—she only hoped nothing unexpected would happen.
The inside of the tin shed was extremely dark and crammed with people. Naturally, the air was terrible, and the smell was even worse.
Once her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Qiao Qingqing carefully looked around.
She didn’t see Li Xiulian or any other members of the Li family. Frowning slightly, she wondered whether they had been placed in another shed, or whether they had somehow escaped this disaster.
Actually, when she saw Lin Chaohai walking out of the warehouse looking perfectly fine, she had already realized that he and Lin Jianjun had probably worked together to clear his name.
But someone had to take the blame. There was no way the entire family could get away untouched.
As Qiao Qingqing pondered this, she quietly edged closer to her mother.
Chen Liping immediately grabbed her and whispered, “Where did you go just now? I only saw someone call you away.”
Her mother’s voice was full of worry. Qiao Qingqing squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“It was nothing. They just asked me a few questions. Where are Dad and the others? Aren’t they together with us?”
“Men and women are being held separately. I’ve only seen them twice since all this started,” Chen Liping replied. “I wonder if we’ll be together on the train.”
Qiao Qingqing thought back to what she knew.
Most of the train cars were loaded with farming tools. The people being sent away for reform were confined to the last few carriages, whose windows were barred with iron rods. With so many people packed into such a tiny space, separating men and women so carefully would be impossible.
Besides, looking at these few tin sheds, there weren’t that many people in total. One carriage would still have space left over after packing them all in.
The train would depart from Ningcheng. Along the way, more people would probably be added at several stations before they finally reached Hei Province, where they would transfer again and be sent to different regions.
Leaning against Chen Liping, Qiao Qingqing quietly shared her guess.
“We’ll most likely be in the same carriage.”
She paused before continuing softly:
“Mom, are you hungry? It’s dark in here, but there are too many people around. There are some things we can’t do.”
She meant that she didn’t dare take anything out. Chen Liping immediately understood and pinched her hand lightly before saying seriously:
“Of course not.”
The tin shed was stiflingly hot, and Qiao Qingqing soon found herself drenched in sweat.
She had been escorted here empty-handed. The training squad had given her a burlap bag, but since she had nothing to pack, it was basically empty.
Chen Liping and the others, however, had been allowed to bring some simple clothing and daily necessities in their own burlap bags.
Qiao Qingqing tried to help her mother carry hers, but Chen Liping pushed her hand away and refused.
The mother and daughter huddled together in a corner, leaning against each other.
Chen Liping looked at her daughter’s dirty little face. Despite everything, her eyes remained bright and spirited, without the slightest sign of despair. Only then did the anxiety weighing on her heart for days finally ease.
The two whispered quietly to each other. Chen Liping had countless questions, mostly about the conditions for those being sent away and what hardships they might face.
She had tried gathering information before, but due to the limitations of the era—and because she had focused all her efforts on avoiding exile in the first place—she never managed to learn very much.
To comfort her, Qiao Qingqing rested her head on her mother’s shoulder and kept talking softly.
“We’re being sent to Heishui Village to help open up wasteland. Most of the people there are educated youths and a small number of local farmers. Hei Province has the largest number of educated youths—about half the population there.”
Chen Liping pressed her lips together. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
“If the educated youths are the main group, and they all stick together, won’t our lives be even harder?”
“That’s possible,” Qiao Qingqing admitted gently, “but honestly, there isn’t that much difference between us and them.”
She continued comforting her:
“First of all, visits are allowed. People can deliver supplies in person or send them by mail. The only difference is that we don’t get settlement allowances. They can stay in the educated youth dormitories, while our living conditions will probably be worse.”
Chen Liping replied, “Worse is fine. It would actually be best if we got our own separate cellar. That would make things more convenient.”
Qiao Qingqing nodded.
“That shouldn’t be hard. Nobody’s going to fight us for one.”
After all, the environment inside those cellars was so awful that even dogs disliked them.
The underground dwellings in Beidahuang were usually dug more than two meters below the surface. They were damp, dark, and poorly ventilated year-round, and everything inside molded easily.
In winter, temperatures frequently dropped to dozens of degrees below zero. Without a fire, people would freeze to death. But once a fire was lit, the smoke had nowhere to escape. Over time, people developed respiratory illnesses and coughed constantly.
And those cellars were built crudely. The roof beams were easily eroded by melting snow, causing collapses all too often.
By this point, Chen Liping’s face had already turned pale.
She had never suffered hardship a single day in her life, and now the thought of it all made her feel utterly miserable.
“It’ll be okay,” Qiao Qingqing whispered into her ear. “Trust me. We’ll survive this.”
Hearing that, Chen Liping nodded.
“I’m actually not afraid,” she said softly. “I’m only worried about you children suffering.”
And so they kept talking quietly until dawn approached.
Finally, the doors of the tin sheds were opened.
Everyone lined up to board the train. This time, Qiao Qingqing confirmed where her father and two older brothers were.
At the same time, just as she had hoped, she spotted Li Xiulian near the front of the line.