“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
Qin Man paused with her chopsticks, unable to hide her surprise.
She had known Yang Xiaoyun for less than two days. Although they had misunderstood each other at first, Yang Xiaoyun really didn’t owe her anything.
Qin Man had never expected her to volunteer so readily.
Picking up another piece of braised pork for Qin Man, Yang Xiaoyun smiled.
“It’s just accompanying you on a trip. What’s so troublesome about that?”
She had nearly caused Qin Man to be sold by human traffickers, yet Qin Man had never blamed her.
From the bottom of her heart, Yang Xiaoyun wanted to be Qin Man’s friend.
“You’ve only just arrived in the provincial capital. You’re unfamiliar with everything here.”
What Yang Xiaoyun didn’t say was that she wasn’t optimistic about Qin Man’s visit to the Zhou family.
If the Zhou family had ulterior motives, she could step in and argue on Qin Man’s behalf.
“All right.”
After thinking it over, Qin Man accepted Yang Xiaoyun’s kindness.
She silently committed the favor to memory.
Early the next morning, Qin Man got up early, washed up, tied back her hair, and finished breakfast.
Not long afterward, Song Qingsong and Yang Xiaoyun arrived at the hospital one after the other.
“Xiaoman, Doctor Song and I both brought bicycles.”
To make getting around easier, Yang Xiaoyun had specially borrowed a bicycle from her older sister’s house.
She jingled the bicycle key in her hand before suddenly remembering something.
“Where does the Zhou family live?”
The provincial capital was huge.
If they actually lived in one of the surrounding counties, they’d have to switch to a passenger bus.
Making a round trip in a single day would be cutting it close.
Qin Man quietly thanked Song Qingsong before smiling at Yang Xiaoyun.
“You only just remembered to ask now?”
Yang Xiaoyun smacked her forehead in embarrassment.
“Last night’s braised pork was so good I couldn’t think about anything else.”
She didn’t have many meat coupons herself and hadn’t enjoyed a satisfying meat meal in quite some time.
The cafeteria had happened to serve braised pork last night.
She’d gotten so excited that she’d completely forgotten everything she’d wanted to ask.
Qin Man took an envelope from her cloth bag and handed it over.
Song Qingsong leaned over for a look.
“The Textile Mill Family Housing Compound. It’s only about twenty minutes away by bicycle.”
“As long as it’s not far.”
Qin Man had already asked the hospital’s gatekeeper for directions.
According to the novel, the male lead, Zhou Huaimin, had recently been promoted to company commander after distinguishing himself through military service.
Qin Man guessed that if she went directly to the army, she probably wouldn’t even get to see him—or he’d simply brush her off with a few words.
The best strategy was to go straight to the Zhou family’s home.
At this exact point in the story, Zhou Huaimin was preparing to become engaged to his battalion commander’s younger sister.
She had to ruin that engagement as quickly as possible.
Yang Xiaoyun was an impatient, energetic person.
She even added a padded cushion to the bicycle’s rear seat.
Qin Man sat behind her while icy wind rushed past them.
Yang Xiaoyun seemed completely unaffected by the cold.
Full of energy, she pedaled hard while cheerfully singing revolutionary songs.
Bingcheng lay along the Songhua River Basin, bordered by the Lesser Khingan Mountains to the east and the Greater Khingan Mountains to the west.
The region was rich in forests and mineral resources.
Its winters, however, were bitterly cold and painfully long.
Leaving the provincial hospital, they rode past rows of old red-brick buildings.
As they weaved through the streets and alleys, Qin Man finally began to feel as though she had truly entered this era.
Since it was the weekend, the Textile Mill Family Housing Compound was bustling with activity.
The moment Song Qingsong appeared, a neatly dressed young married woman carrying a basket stopped him.
Her eyes swept over Yang Xiaoyun and Qin Man like searchlights.
“Doctor Song, what brings you to our compound? Did you bring your girlfriend?”
Song Qingsong coughed awkwardly.
“This is Yang Xiaoyun, a nurse from our hospital.”
Then he glanced at Qin Man before saying almost instinctively,
“As for her… she’s a relative of mine.”
“Oh, so she’s your relative.”
The young woman warmly took Qin Man’s hand.
“Doctor Song, bring Nurse Yang and your relative over to my house! You can warm yourselves by the stove.”
Without waiting for an answer, she naturally began leading the way.
“The last time my father fell ill, it was thanks to you. Our family has wanted to thank you ever since.”
After learning Song Qingsong wasn’t married, her smile widened.
“My younger sister just turned eighteen…”
Song Qingsong looked completely embarrassed and shot Yang Xiaoyun a pleading look.
Yang Xiaoyun watched the scene with amusement for a while before finally stepping in.
“Comrade, saving lives is our responsibility. There’s no need to thank us. Besides, we’re here at the textile mill compound because we have some business to take care of.”
“What business?”
The young woman turned around, once again eyeing them curiously.
She kept pressing for answers without the slightest sense of personal boundaries.
In modern times, someone like her would probably be criticized.
But in the 1970s, she was simply being genuinely warm-hearted.
Qin Man wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
“I’m here to meet my fiancé.”
There was still a long battle waiting for her at the Zhou family.
The bigger the commotion became, the better.
She openly recounted the entire story of her trip to the provincial capital.
The young married woman was stunned.
She slapped her thigh.
“Sister Qin Man, which family are you engaged to?”
Only then did she realize that Doctor Song wasn’t actually Qin Man’s relative.
He had simply brought her here out of kindness.
“Good thing you’re clever. Honestly, why didn’t the family you’re meeting send someone to pick you up?”
Filled with righteous indignation, she immediately volunteered to lead the way.
She had lived in the compound for several years and knew everyone there.
As long as Qin Man gave her a name, she’d recognize it.
Grateful for the help, Qin Man smiled.
“His surname is Zhou. His name is Zhou Huaimin.”
“The Zhou family?”
The young woman’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Yang Xiaoyun didn’t react in time.
Her bicycle nearly crashed into the young woman.
Fortunately, Qin Man reached out quickly and pulled her back.
Turning around, the young woman’s expression became unusually serious.
“Are you absolutely sure it’s Zhou Huaimin?”
“Of course. Xiaoman even has all the letters the Zhou family has sent her over the years.”
Only then did Yang Xiaoyun seem to realize something.
“Big Sister… did something happen to the Zhou family?”
“Did they get caught up in political trouble… or has Zhou Huaimin passed away?”
“If that’s the case, then it would make sense why no one went to the train station to pick her up.”
Qin Man: “…”
She had to admit…
Yang Xiaoyun’s imagination was outstanding.
Some people were technically alive, yet might as well have been dead.
And if he wasn’t dead already…
She was about to make sure he wished he were.
Otherwise, how could she possibly do right by the original Qin Man?
Just the fact that the Zhou family had stood by and watched her suffer without lifting a finger made every last one of them contemptible.
If even one person had acted according to their conscience, the original Qin Man wouldn’t have ended up with such a tragic fate.
The young married woman’s expression shifted through a whole spectrum of emotions.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally steeled herself.
“Sister… I’ll just tell you the truth.”
“As far as I know, the Zhou family only has one son.”
“And his name is Zhou Huaimin.”
“So… he’s dead?”
As a nurse, Yang Xiaoyun had seen life and death often enough to stay calm.
She even felt a small sense of relief.
At least if he was dead, Qin Man hadn’t married him yet, so her future wouldn’t be affected.
“No.”
The young woman stole a nervous glance at Qin Man before speaking haltingly.
“Zhou Huaimin is getting engaged today.”
“They’re holding the engagement banquet right now at the state-owned restaurant outside the family compound.”
Really…
What a mess this had become.
Before Qin Man could say anything, Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes widened.
“Zhou Huaimin is getting engaged… to someone else?”
“Yes.”
“The Zhou family went door to door handing out wedding candy a few days ago.”
“Aunt Zhou has been telling everyone that the bride comes from a cadre family.”
“Her older brother is Zhou Huaimin’s superior officer—a battalion commander.”
“It’s only an engagement banquet today.”
“They’ve set up several tables, but it’s still quite a lively celebration.”