Yu Wangshan wasn’t here at the moment—he had likely already gone to work.
But that didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to escape.
Yu Zhaozhao was pressed for time. Now that everything had been set in motion, she felt at ease.
After leaving the small courtyard, she returned to the Yu household.
The Yu family was in complete chaos.
Following her suggestion, the clerk from the Educated Youth Office had chosen today to personally deliver the notice that Yu Miaomiao and Yu Tianbao would be sent to the countryside.
Yu Tianbao was at school and hadn’t yet heard the bad news. Only Mao Cuizhi and Yu Miaomiao remained at the doorway, crying and shouting.
“Comrade, there must be some mistake! Our family already has one child going to the countryside. These two didn’t sign up—how could they be sent?”
Mao Cuizhi looked utterly disbelieving. Yu Miaomiao had just rushed back, saying her job had been sold, and before she could even process it, the people from the office had arrived.
How was that possible?
The job belonged to her—without her consent, who had the right to sell it?
And now being sent down to the countryside—what was going on?
“There’s no mistake. Yu Miaomiao and Yu Tianbao will be going to the Northwest in two days.”
“The Northwest?”
Yu Miaomiao swayed, almost fainting on the spot.
“The notice has been delivered. The train departs at 10 a.m. in two days. If you fail to report on time, don’t blame us for reporting it as is. At that point, ‘going to the countryside’ may turn into ‘reassignment.’”
After leaving those words, the staff member from the office turned and left, completely ignoring the mother and daughter wailing behind him.
Yu Zhaozhao stood hidden among the crowd of onlookers, witnessing the Yu family’s downfall.
At last, she had given the original owner justice.
Leaving the crowd, she glanced at the clock in her space—it was already 10:00. She needed to hurry.
By the time she returned to the train station, the staff member who had been alone earlier was now surrounded by people. These were all educated youths assigned to different destinations on the same train.
“You finally came back. Boarding will start soon.”
After everyone else had gathered, the staff member had been waiting for Yu Zhaozhao. As departure time drew closer, he had begun to regret letting her leave earlier.
“Sorry, I went to say goodbye to a friend, so I got delayed.”
Yu Zhaozhao walked to her luggage, unzipped it, and placed the sponge cakes she had bought earlier inside.
These were for eating on the train—it wasn’t convenient to store them in her space.
“Never mind. It’s good that you’re back.” The staff member didn’t press further.
After packing, Yu Zhaozhao sat directly on the bag containing her bedding. She had been running around all morning—she was exhausted.
After waiting about twenty more minutes, the gate opened and boarding began.
Having only been in this world for three days, Yu Zhaozhao was about to begin the next chapter of her journey.
The train ride from the southern province to the northern province would take about two days and two nights—a significant challenge for people who rarely traveled far.
For the first time, Yu Zhaozhao realized that even sitting still could be exhausting.
It was now 4:30 p.m., and she had already been sitting for over five hours. Every part of her body ached.
“Tired? Why don’t you take a walk? I can watch your luggage.”
The woman sitting beside her noticed Yu Zhaozhao stretching her arms and rubbing her waist, and kindly offered.
“Alright, I’ll go check out the dining car. It’s about mealtime anyway. Is there anything you want? I can bring it back for you.”
Yu Zhaozhao looked at her gratefully.
“No need. I brought some flatbread from home. Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you—for watching my things.”
“No need to be polite. My name is Liu Ying.”
“I’m Yu Zhaozhao.”
“Go on, then.”
“Okay.”
Yu Zhaozhao agreed and headed toward the dining car.
Liu Ying watched her leave with a smile.
Truthfully, she had regretted making that offer the moment she said it. They didn’t know each other, and luggage was important—who would trust a stranger with it?
Yet unexpectedly, Yu Zhaozhao had trusted her.
As for Yu Zhaozhao, she didn’t think much of it. What was there in her bags worth stealing?
Sponge cakes?
The dining car was near the front of the train, and she had to pass through the sleeper compartments to get there. Walking down the corridor and seeing the tightly closed doors, she couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
She had originally considered paying extra to upgrade from a hard seat to a sleeper berth, but after asking around, she learned that money alone wasn’t enough—one also needed a letter of introduction.
Usually, only officials or people in special professions could obtain one.
She couldn’t help but miss the 21st century—a world where money alone could buy comfort.
Just as she was about to leave the sleeper section, she heard a door slide open behind her.
When she instinctively turned to look, it was already shut again with a loud bang.
It startled her.
As she turned back to continue walking, she heard faint sobbing.
Her instincts as a former agent immediately put her on alert.
She slowed her steps and carefully approached the compartment where the door had just closed.
A low, hoarse voice came through the crack:
“Don’t move. If you keep struggling, I’ll throw you out the window.”
Then came the sound of a woman crying.
Yu Zhaozhao knew something was wrong. She quickly left the carriage and found a train attendant, telling him what she had seen.
“Thank you, comrade. Actually, spies have infiltrated this train. A military squad has been disguised among the passengers, planning a secret arrest. But until now, they haven’t found the suspects. It seems they’ve been hiding in the sleeper section.”
“Since you already know what’s going on, I’ll be on my way.”
Yu Zhaozhao felt it was strange—how could such confidential information be revealed so casually to an outsider like her?
“Comrade, please wait. My colleague has already gone to find the military team leader. Would you mind waiting for him?”
“Shouldn’t you focus on catching them? Why do I need to wait?”
A bad feeling crept over her.
“Well…” The attendant scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
“We used ticket inspections as an excuse to check each carriage earlier, but found nothing unusual. That means the suspects are highly alert and may be holding hostages. They’re especially sensitive to male presence. Unfortunately, neither the military nor our staff have any female personnel on duty today…”
Yu Zhaozhao: …
“So—you want me to go in for you?”
“Would that be possible?”
The attendant’s eyes lit up. He looked to be around twenty years old, and with that expression, he seemed almost like an innocent puppy.
Yu Zhaozhao felt her resolve soften. The words of refusal stuck in her throat.
Damn it.
After being reborn, even her weakness for good looks had come along with her.