The old man and the young girl climbed onto the truck, clutching the rusted frame as they squeezed into a corner. Only after they steadied themselves did they get a clear look at the group traveling with them—the very people she had been assigned to watch over.
They all looked disheveled. Their clothes were torn beyond recognition, and their faces were smeared with ink. Old Master Cui even had a fresh wound on his knee. But… why was there an extra elderly woman?
She looked to be in her fifties, wearing a faded blue blouse washed nearly white. Her clothes had been roughed up by the Red Armbands, leaving her looking somewhat untidy. Her eyes were red, and she was using the only clean handkerchief she had to wipe the ink from Pei Su’s neck.
Grandpa Li sighed and took the lead in introducing everyone. “Luoluo, come—let Grandpa introduce you. This is your Grandpa Cui, this is your Grandpa Yang, and this is your Grandpa Pei and Grandma Xu. The two of them were married young. When word came that Old Pei was going to be sent down, your Grandma Xu insisted on bringing the household registration booklet and chased all the way to the Revolutionary Committee to get it stamped.”
Young love in youth, companionship in old age… so this kind of devotion really did exist, just like in books. Li Luoyu smiled sweetly and greeted them, “Grandpa Cui, Grandpa Yang, Grandpa Pei, Grandma Xu.”
The elders looked a little awkward at the sight of the clean and tidy young girl, but they still managed to smile and nod.
Grandma Xu’s fine wrinkles still held traces of dried ink, yet her smile remained gentle. “Oh my, what a pretty girl. You were just this tiny when you were little—now you’ve grown into such a graceful young lady.” She reached into her pocket, intending to give her a piece of candy, but after fumbling around for a while, she found nothing, leaving her slightly embarrassed.
Li Luoyu shook her head and pulled out a clean handkerchief and a military canteen from her canvas bag. “Grandma Xu, wet this a little and use it to wipe your face.”
Grandma Xu accepted it with a smile and continued wiping the ink from Grandpa Pei’s face. Old Pei had been neat and tidy all his life—she didn’t want to see him in such a state.
Li Luoyu then handed a few more clean handkerchiefs to Grandpa Cui and Grandpa Yang. “Grandpa Cui, Grandpa Yang, you should use some water from the canteen to clean up too. Even if we’re at our lowest point, we should still keep our hearts facing the light!”
The two old men smiled as they took the handkerchiefs. “You’re quite perceptive, girl.”
The train station was packed—crowds pressed tightly together. Li Luoyu felt like a strip of dried radish stuffed into a sardine can, surrounded on all sides by sweaty backs. She couldn’t move on her own at all, only being pushed along with the flow of people. She had no idea how many times her shoes had been stepped on.
A green train from the 1970s.
Li Luoyu clung tightly to Grandpa Li’s arm, afraid he might get separated in the crowd. Where else could she ever find such a good grandfather?
The two Red Armbands escorting them were clearly experienced, clearing the way ahead. “Move aside, move aside! Don’t let these ‘stinking old intellectuals’ brush against you—if they do, you’ll be covered in bourgeois filth!”
Li Luoyu: “……”
She really wanted to smack him with a brick.
But after that shout, things did improve. The crowd actually parted like they were avoiding a plague, leaving a narrow path.
After another round of being shoved along by the tide of people, Li Luoyu and Grandpa Li finally managed to climb onto the train, panting heavily.
Li Luoyu let out a long breath, helped Grandpa Li find a seat, and made sure he was settled before handing him the canteen. “Grandpa, have some water and rest.”
The old man took it, still gasping for breath, and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Once she confirmed he was fine, Li Luoyu stowed their two large bags and told him to watch them. Then she immediately turned back, squeezing into the aisle again. Grandma Xu was being pushed against the restroom door by the crowd, her hair disheveled. Grandpa Pei shielded her with his body, his back pressed against the metal wall. Li Luoyu grabbed both of them by the arms—one in each hand—and pulled them over to sit across from her grandfather.
After settling the elderly couple, she went back again to find Cui Fu and Yang Zhibin. Grandpa Cui was stuck between two train cars, unable to move forward or back, his face flushed red. Grandpa Yang was even worse—pinned under a sack on the luggage rack, pressed against the wall and unable to budge.
Tilting her head slightly, Li Luoyu activated her brute strength—like pulling up carrots, she yanked the two of them free from midair.
Grandpa Cui: “……”
Grandpa Yang: “……”
Good heavens—was this girl always this fierce?
The two old men covered their mouths, their hearts nearly jumping out of their chests.
Back at the seats, Li Luoyu quickly counted heads. Grandma Xu sat by the window; Grandpa Pei and Grandpa Yang shared a row. Across from them, Grandpa Li sat by the window, followed by Grandpa Cui and Li Luoyu. Including herself, there were six people in total.
Good—everyone accounted for. She was the most responsible “supervisor” there was. Grandpa Liu definitely owed her a bonus.
The train carriage looked just like this—so crowded it was nearly impossible to move.
Generally speaking, people like them who were being sent down didn’t have assigned seats. If there happened to be empty seats in the carriage, they could sit for a while; if not, they would have to stand the entire journey.
Fortunately, Grandpa Liu had pulled some strings and secured them seats—though not the best ones, as they were right next to the restroom between two carriages.
Looking at everyone’s bedraggled state, Li Luoyu couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha~ Old man, is this your first time being squashed like a meat patty? How does it feel?”
Grandpa Li rolled his eyes and ignored her.
Across from them, Grandpa Cui sighed. “Little Li, just now—whoosh—I felt like I was flying. Nearly gave me a heart attack. Now I finally understand what pilots mean when they say the body flies ahead and the soul chases after.”
Grandpa Yang chimed in, “Exactly! My heart nearly jumped into my throat. You’re unbelievably strong, girl—we two together weigh over 150 kilos, and you just lifted and dragged us like pulling up radishes!”
Li Luoyu puffed up proudly. “Of course. That move is called ‘human catapult’—free of charge! Sorry for the scare. Next time, I’ll give you a heads-up and strap you in with a safety belt before takeoff.”
Grandpa Yang waved his hands in refusal. “No, no, my old heart can’t take that…”
The other old men burst into laughter.