Wei Ran couldn’t help glancing around. When her gaze accidentally swept over Miao Qing, it paused.
She’d been so focused on making a good impression on Zhang Jingshan earlier that she hadn’t paid much attention to the quiet girl beside her.
Now, taking a closer look, she couldn’t help frowning.
Though Wei Ran had always prided herself on her looks, she had to admit—this girl was strikingly beautiful.
Especially her skin—it was as fair and smooth as jade, as delicate as a baby’s.
Someone like that, once seen, would be hard to forget. Yet in her previous life, Wei Ran had never heard Zhang Jingshan or anyone else mention her.
And Wang Haiyan—who should have been in this carriage, developing a crush on Zhang Jingshan after he caught her from nearly falling—was nowhere to be seen.
This unexpected change made Wei Ran uneasy. She couldn’t help but take the initiative to greet Miao Qing, probing carefully,
“Hello, I’m Wei Ran. What’s your name?”
“Miao Qing.”
Miao Qing lifted her eyelids. Beneath her thick, curled lashes, her clear, bright eyes seemed to see straight into the hidden corners of one’s heart.
Wei Ran’s heart gave a jolt. She quickly forced a smile.
“Nice to meet you, Miao Qing. Where are you being sent to? Is it the same place as us? Is your family from Guancheng too? Mine’s from Xu County—just west of Guancheng, not far…”
Miao Qing frowned. This person felt… off.
She seemed to be putting on an act—her eyes darting around when she spoke, and she kept sneaking glances at Zhang Jingshan.
The way she’d smiled at Chang Rufan earlier had a hint of malice, as if she were deliberately trying to provoke her.
Now, she didn’t seem to be trying to get close to Miao Qing either—more like she was fishing for information.
Overall assessment: suspected “green tea,” motives unclear, and a potential headache.
Miao Qing hated headaches, so she gave Wei Ran a blunt reply:
“I’m—dizzy.”
Then she closed her eyes and went back to pretending to sleep.
Wei Ran’s smile froze on her face. Chang Rufan laughed out loud.
“Some people really have no manners. They get on board and start interrogating people like they’re taking a census. And ‘going back to contribute’—what could you possibly contribute? A gift of the gab? Shoving your hot face against someone’s cold backside?”
Wei Ran’s expression darkened. In her past life, Chang Rufan had been jealous of her looks and either ganged up on her with others or deliberately set traps to humiliate her.
If it hadn’t been for Chang Rufan’s constant harassment, Wei Ran wouldn’t have been so quick to accept Fang Mingyuan, hoping to find protection in him.
Instead of shielding her, Fang Mingyuan had gotten her pregnant out of wedlock, caused her to miscarry, and destroyed her reputation.
If the root of her suffering in her past life was Fang Mingyuan, then the one who set it all in motion was Chang Rufan.
And in this life, she still thought she could bully her? Dream on!
Swallowing her anger, Wei Ran lowered her head and pretended to look hurt, murmuring softly,
“I was too forward. I just thought—since we’re all thrown together by fate—we could get to know each other a little, look out for one another on the way…”
Her voice faded to nearly nothing by the end, playing the part of someone wronged but too gracious to complain, quietly bearing her sorrow alone.
It made Chang Rufan’s blood boil. This wretched woman is putting on an act! I barely said anything, and now she’s playing the victim?
Zhang Jingshan saw Chang Rufan about to unleash another round of abuse and quickly silenced her in a low voice.
“Xiao Fan!”
“What?!”
Chang Rufan was thoroughly displeased, pouting and glaring.
“You’re always picking on me! So annoying!”
With that, she crossed her arms, turned her back, and gave Zhang Jingshan the cold shoulder.
Zhang Jingshan gave Wei Ran an apologetic smile and explained gently,
“Xiao Fan speaks before she thinks—she’s quick-tempered and impulsive. Let me say sorry on her behalf. As for Miao Qing… she might be feeling carsick and not up for talking. She didn’t mean to ignore you. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”
Wei Ran smiled graciously and said she didn’t mind, then seamlessly steered the conversation toward the culture and customs of the Northwest, chatting with Zhang Jingshan with ease.
Seeing Zhang Jingshan ignore her and hit it off with Wei Ran instead, Chang Rufan grew even angrier. She gave a loud huff and turned her whole body away.
Miao Qing peeked through narrowed eyes at the little drama unfolding among the three of them and found it amusing.
Winter hadn’t even arrived yet, but spring was already impatiently stirring.
It looked like her days in the countryside wouldn’t be boring at all.
She closed her eyes and began to cultivate.
Calm the mind. Empty all thoughts. Sink the breath to the dantian. Circulate through the meridians…
The stagnant channels gradually smoothed out as energy flowed through them. Tiny flecks of energy gathered from the eight extraordinary meridians into her dantian, then condensed into more energy and continued cycling.
A faint rosy flush began to bloom on Miao Qing’s pale face, making her look more alive—less like a porcelain doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
Compared to Miao Qing’s quiet serenity, things back at the steel mill residential compound were anything but peaceful.
At 5:30 in the afternoon, Lin Xia got home from work and, as usual, called out for her youngest daughter:
“Qingqing? Qingqing? Qingqing?”
No answer. Lin Xia put down her things and pushed open the door to the small bedroom. Empty.
She felt a pang of unease. Turning around, she rushed outside and called out loudly,
“Honghong! Miao Hong! Where’ve you gone, you wretched girl? Where’s your sister—”
The neighbor’s door creaked open.
“Xia, you’re back? Your Miao Hong left early this morning and hasn’t come back all day. What’s wrong? Is Qingqing missing? I didn’t see her go out today either…”
Lin Xia’s mind was in a whirl. She hurried out to search, and before she knew it, it was dark.
Her daughter was nowhere to be found. Her husband, Miao Xingye, and her son, Miao Jiang, came home instead.
Miao Jiang said Miao Hong had told him yesterday she was staying with a classmate for a few days to study for the food factory recruitment exam.
Miao Xingye said he hadn’t seen Miao Qing when he left in the morning and assumed she’d gone out to exercise like she had been doing lately.
Lin Xia felt the world collapse around her. Her vision went dark.
She’d searched every corner of the compound but found no sign of Qingqing.
Qingqing had never gone out alone in all her life. She’d only just recovered—could barely speak properly—where could she possibly go?
Miao Jiang and Miao Xingye quickly tried to comfort her. One said he’d go find friends to help with the search. The other said the child couldn’t move well and probably hadn’t gone far; if worse came to worst, he’d report it to the police station.
What else could Lin Xia do? She waited at home, heartsick, through the night. But instead of news about her daughter, she got a bombshell.
Miao Jiang came back looking defeated and told her that Miao Qing might have been tricked into registering to go to the countryside—someone had seen her at the train station!
Lin Xia was about to rush to the educated youth office to demand her daughter be sent back, but Miao Xingye and Miao Jiang held her back.
One said that skipping out after registering would violate policy and could get a demerit—or even fired—from work.
The other said it was too late now anyway; better to wait until she arrived and then figure out a way to get her back.
Lin Xia, heartbroken, helpless, exhausted, and overwhelmed with grief, collapsed on the spot and passed out.
Miao Jiang and Miao Xingye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They took her to the hospital, got her on an IV drip, and then couldn’t help but hurry home to quietly celebrate.
But when one lifted the hidden compartment under the cabinet, it was empty. The treasures he’d been hoarding for years—gone.
The other felt under the mattress, lifted the bed board, and still found nothing. Not a cent of his private stash remained. Panic set in.
Could Miao Hong have stolen it?
The same thought hit them both. Setting everything aside, they called Miao Hong back immediately.
To their surprise, not only did Miao Hong deny it, she flew into a rage, claiming her money, her comb, hair clips, face cream—even a brand-new pair of socks she hadn’t worn yet—were all gone!
The three of them accused one another, voices rising until they didn’t even notice Lin Xia had returned from the hospital.
Lin Xia was just steadying herself against the wall at the front door when she heard Miao Hong wailing through the door,
“My money and things are gone too—who do I complain to? And besides, how would I even know where you two hid your private money? It must be Miao Qing! She’s not stupid anymore—she must hate you for sending her away, so she stole everything!”